Peizhe, showing no change in expression after striking the man in front of a crowd, grabbed Reinar by the collar. "Go, attend Illya's wedding."

Reinar was close to tears. He didn't even know Peizhe and had just been assaulted. Furthermore, Peizhe clearly looked mentally unstable; his eyeballs didn't move at all. Given the superficial nature of his relationship with Illya, it was impossible that he knew her well enough to attend her wedding. Had Peizhe uncovered the secret affair between him and Illya? The thought sent a shiver down Reinar’s entire body. If it were him in the past, he probably would have been so ashamed he'd crash into a wall and kill himself. Now, however, he was seasoned enough to be flexible. Though beaten almost to the point of collapse, he managed a submissive bow. "I'll go right away."

Peizhe flung him aside with satisfaction, just as one would toss an empty sack.

The reporters’ eyes were wide with shock. Reinar must have weighed at least 160 jin (about 80 kg). Was this Peizhe’s strength perhaps excessively formidable? Was this level of casual disregard, tossing a grown man aside like trash, what people meant by innate divine strength?

The only security present besides human guards were the robots. The moment Peizhe struck, the robots charged forward. Terrifyingly, Peizhe caught the head of one robot in each hand, squeezing with all five fingers— The robots' heads crumpled in his grip as if they were made of paper, accompanied by the sickening crunch of shearing metal, sending parts and viscous fluid raining down. Everyone present was stunned into silence. The reporters stationed nearby, instead of rushing to help, fled first. What kind of monster had burst onto the scene?

A few braver journalists, suppressing the urge of their legs to buckle, managed to record the entire sequence perfectly. Simultaneously, the venue security guards rushed forward with weapons drawn, surrounding Peizhe. "Hands up!"

Peizhe slowly turned, his face still utterly expressionless, as if he weren't facing drawn weapons. "Why aren't you attending Illya's wedding?"

The guards exchanged bewildered glances. Was this man mad or just an idiot? How had he even breached the venue?

The commotion outside the doors grew louder. Bai Lanxue frowned in annoyance and walked to the entrance, intending to issue a reprimand, but froze upon seeing the situation. She turned to her assistant behind her. "Who is this man?"

The assistant was about to admit ignorance but suddenly remembered that Bai Lanxue loathed incompetence. He quickly corrected himself. "I'm checking now."

Just then, Peizhe suddenly uttered another sentence that shocked everyone. "Your wine is poisoned."

Bai Lanxue’s expression shifted violently. She coldly spat out, "Drag him away! Shoot to kill!"

Seeing more people arrive, the reporters stopped fleeing and rushed back, eager to record this development. It seemed they wouldn't have to agonize over tomorrow's headline; this was guaranteed to be the biggest story!

The security guards hesitated to approach Peizhe, advancing slowly with their weapons trained.

Peizhe suddenly announced, "I have prepared ten clones. If you kill me, all ten clones will activate immediately."

The guards’ fingers, poised on the triggers, stiffened. If one man could cause this much chaos, what would the scene be like with ten such individuals?

Bai Lanxue was furious. She drew her handgun and aimed at Peizhe from behind. But Peizhe’s head seemed to possess eyes; he sharply turned his head aside. The crowd only saw a blur, and before they could process what happened—BANG— They focused their vision: Bai Lanxue’s gun clattered to the floor, and Bai Lanxue herself was now held hostage in Peizhe's grip.

He articulated slowly, "The wine in this venue is poisoned."

The onlookers were unsure whether to believe him, but they could sense his extraordinary skill, making it a possibility. Some security personnel urgently entered the hall to restore order while dispatching experts to test the wine. The VIP hall immediately descended into pandemonium.

Those holding higher positions feared death the most. The complexions of several legion commanders instantly changed. Whether it was psychosomatic or not, some covered their mouths with napkins and vomited, while others trembled so violently they couldn't stand steady.

Red Hair stood by the window, calmly swirling the wine in her glass. She leaned toward Lan Li and murmured, "It is indeed drugged, but not in the wine."

Lan Li frowned slightly. "Where then?"

Red Hair raised her glass slightly higher. "In the grip area."

Lan Li: "...... Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Red Hair smiled. "Didn't you notice I’m wearing gloves?"

Lan Li: "......"

Red Hair cast him a sidelong glance. "Stop playing the victim. You didn't even touch the wine glass."

Lan Li rubbed his nose and suddenly smiled. "You truly are sharp."

Red Hair graciously accepted the compliment. "Thank you. I mastered tricks like this when I was three."

She sighed, exhaling deeply. "I knew something felt off today. Turns out, there was a secondary contingency plan beyond the drugging."

The hotel was constructed from a quasi-stone, super-metal alloy. The venue they were in was also made of this material. These materials were capable of movement. No matter which direction the people in the hall looked, they saw only a massive metal plate descending from the ceiling, while an identical plate rose slowly from the floor. It was clear that within a minute, the entire venue would transform into a completely sealed iron box!

The fainthearted were mostly paralyzed with fear. The more rational ones bolted toward the main doors, trying to escape the terrifying enclosure.

Lan Li estimated the distance between the windows, the descending metal plate, and the floor. "Should we leave?" With sufficient martial skill, escaping would not be difficult.

Red Hair shook her head. "Why leave? Whoever is behind this won't dare to eliminate all of us here. Why shouldn't we sit back and enjoy the show?"

Lan Li once again succumbed to admiration for Red Hair's flaming long skirt. A woman possessing such nerve and decisiveness—impressive!

The metal plates drew closer, like the outstretched hand of the Grim Reaper. A faint metallic locking sound echoed, and all the plates surrounding them sealed simultaneously with the hotel structure. The airtight iron box was officially complete.

The lights in the main hall remained bright. That evocative amber glow, and the beautiful, elegant crystal curtain—nothing had changed. When the fearful legion commanders realized the windows were merely closed and that it had no effect on those inside, some began to calm down.

Those who had collapsed onto the floor, soiled themselves, or were in a state of panic glanced around. Seeing others sitting calmly as if rooted to the ground, or standing aside chatting easily, they were so mortified they wished a fissure would open in the floor to swallow them whole. They hastily and quietly rose, moving to the side, covering their faces in shame.

Fortunately, there were no reporters inside the venue; otherwise, they would have lost all face!

Red Hair’s gaze swept across the hall, and suddenly she commented, "Don't you think some people are missing?"

At her prompt, Lan Li noticed it too. In that brief minute, even a dash wouldn't have gotten them far, and now the entire hotel was sealed. Had those people gone elsewhere?

He smiled. "Beautiful lady, would you be interested in taking a short stroll?"

-RS