"You want to learn? Three million US dollars for tuition. I guarantee I can have your disguise techniques perfected within two years. This is an exclusive, secret art. Very few people ever manage to master it."
"Never mind then..."
The two walked toward the magnificent entrance of the Volcano Farm Club. Old Yang had no intention of waiting in line. When a burly guard with a stern expression approached, Old Yang pulled a black and gold card from his coat and handed it over.
"John Smith," he said casually. "An old mber of your Volcano Farm Club."
One of the guards took the card, pulled a device from his suit pocket to scan it, and his expression imdiately beca respectful. "Mr. Smith, welco."
"This is a buddy of mine. He hasn’t seen much of the world, so I’m showing him a good ti," Old Yang said, pointing to the bewildered Zhou Chen behind him.
Zhou Chen, in turn, did his best to look like a clueless kid fresh from the countryside.
"Please, co in." The guards offered no resistance, opening the main doors and letting them pass.
The mont they entered the club, a wall of sound from so tacky, high-energy dance track hit them. Old Yang wrinkled his nose in disgust and snapped his fingers. Imdiately, a curvaceous, scantily clad bunny girl approached them.
"This song is fucking terrible. Change it... Hey, Zhou Chen, what kind of music are you into?"
’I should ask them to play so cheesy children’s song,’ Zhou Chen thought, ’or maybe the Great Compassion Mantra to purify all the filth in here.’
But considering he would likely be thrown out by the combined effort of the other patrons, he changed his tune. "Let’s get so heavy tal rock."
"Yeah, yeah, put that on. That’s got so kick," Old Yang said. With a loud SLAP, he smacked the bunny girl’s round, perky bottom, then casually gave it a few squeezes.
The bunny girl didn’t seem angry in the slightest. Completely compliant, she threw Old Yang a few seductive glances and sashayed away.
Imdiately after, several other female patrons in revealing outfits sidled up to them, eager to discuss the philosophy of life, explore the mysteries of the Cosmos, and delve into the true aning of the origin of life.
Zhou Chen didn’t dare move an inch, terrified of being entranced by these sirens.
Old Yang, on the other hand, handled the situation with ease. Like a player who moves through a garden without getting attached, he not only shook off their advances but also managed to cop a feel from each of them. He was clearly an old pro.
’I seriously suspect Old Yang has a nickna like the "Great Wasteland Womanizer,"’ Zhou Chen thought.
"Volcano Farm is a global club chain," Old Yang said excitedly, putting an arm around Zhou Chen’s shoulder. "Once you beco an Advanced mber, you get top-tier treatnt at any of their clubs in the World. You can sleep with as many of the employees as you want—their staff is exceptionally high-quality. See that cat-girl and the Elf dancing over there? Want to let you go have so fun?"
Zhou Chen suppressed the stirring in his heart. ’Once you lose your integrity, you’ve truly let yourself go.’ "Forget it. How about you start by telling what your deal is."
"...Hey, look, a strip show! Let’s go, let’s go."
Old Yang changed the subject, forcefully dragging him over to the strip show—a hot dance where the perforrs got completely naked.
At that mont, the deafening beat of drums and the soaring sound of electric guitars erupted as the scorching heavy tal rock they’d requested began to play.
Dazzling, multi-colored laser lights flashed. A pulse-pounding striptease was underway, and scented articles of clothing were tossed into the crowd one by one. The patrons were whipped into an even greater frenzy by the roaring rock vocals and the incredibly seductive, supermodel-quality dancing.
Pale bodies writhed in the shifting lights and shadows. Under the beams, the swirling mist beca dreamlike and hazy, as if this place were completely detached from reality.
The patrons cheered and scread, sniffing the clothes thrown by the dancers and reveling in the pleasure of losing control and letting it all out.
Even Zhou Chen found himself affected by the environnt, his excitent gradually building. But he soon realized sothing was off.
A sweet fragrance perated the club. As an Alchemist, he imdiately recognized it as a type of Alchemy Incense. It had aphrodisiac, stimulating, and hallucinogenic properties. Burning it in the club was a surefire way to drive the patrons into a frenzy.
And then, this crowd of hyped-up patrons would just keep spending money, allowing the club to rake in a fortune.
"Here’s another fun fact for you," Old Yang said. "Inside high-end places like this, there’s usually also a ’Truth Club.’ It’s full of the rich and powerful, the true masters of the establishnt. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a famous actress, or other n and won with... stimulating backgrounds."
He pulled Zhou Chen deeper into the club. Scenes of wild revelry were everywhere. Drugs and group sex were rampant; patrons and employees were having orgies right on the spot, turning the place into a true feast of the flesh.
"I’ve... I’ve never seen anything like this," Zhou Chen said, deeply shaken. "Is this what a big city is like? Isn’t this illegal?"
"Big cities are a chaotic mix of everything. All sorts of organizations and powers operate in the shadows, making it hard for even the Star Association to keep things in order. The people in charge have probably been bought off anyway. As for these people, they’re just here to blow off all the stress they’ve accumulated. The rat race is brutal these days; everyone’s wound tight. By the way," Old Yang added, wiggling his eyebrows, "you might find teachers in here, white-collar office workers... maybe even that pure, untouchable beauty from your class cos here secretly."
"Don’t tell this is why you and your ex-girlfriend broke up?" Zhou Chen asked, shooting him a sideways glance. ’This old guy has an Advanced mbership at a place like this; what woman could put up with that?’ His intuition, however, told him the reason wasn’t nearly so simple.
"No. Just drop it." Old Yang shook his head and led him deeper into the club. After passing through a heavily guarded corridor, they stopped in front of an elevator.
The elevator ascended, and the display screen dissolved into garbled code. Zhou Chen was all too familiar with this phenonon. They were entering a Room in the Crack.
Finally, the elevator doors opened. The familiar sound of heavy tal rock music poured out, its clamorous, screaming vocals and aggressive drumbeat making it impossible not to feel a rush of excitent.
However, there were noticeably fewer patrons here than on the floor below. They also weren’t as wild as the downstairs crowd; everyone maintained an air of elegance and luxury, the characteristic reserve of high society.
Zhou Chen and Old Yang went to the bar and each ordered a drink.
"This place... gives a really bad feeling..."
Using the dim, uncertain light, Zhou Chen discreetly scanned his surroundings, his gaze falling on the laughing and chatting mbers of the upper crust.
"The aura of creatures of the Darkness."
Old Yang said calmly, "They’re of the Blood Race."
The Blood Race.
Zhou Chen’s eyes narrowed. The Blood Race was a species that never aged, possessed immortality, and remained forever young. They survived by drinking blood. As long as they avoided the light of the Sun and were not killed, they could live on indefinitely.
Countless wealthy individuals nearing the end of their lives spent vast fortunes searching for the Blood Race, hoping to be turned. They sought to regain their youth, to possess an ageless body and a long life, and to be free from all illness and pain.
Furthermore, every mber of the Blood Race possessed imnse Power, far surpassing that of a normal human. Even a common mber was an entity that ordinary people could not hope to match. To an Ascender, a mber of the High Level Blood Race was an absolute threat.
"How many?" Zhou Chen asked.
Old Yang smiled, raised his glass, and took a sip.
"All of them."
All of them... Zhou Chen’s hand, holding his glass, trembled slightly. His mind was already running combat simulations.
These creatures of the Darkness were essentially the sa as Abyssal Creatures—enemies to all normal species, including humans, Elves, and Beastn. He and Old Yang were like... chanical battle sheep that had wandered into a pack of wolves. It was highly likely they would be sward and attacked.
"Calm down. We’re honored guests, what’s there to be afraid of?"
Old Yang tapped the counter to get the bartender’s attention. "A woman in a blue evening gown was here earlier. Where is she?"
The bartender didn’t try to hide anything, simply pointing to a private room in the distance.
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