Chapter 118: The Den of Indulgence (Part 2)

Chapter 118: The Den of Indulgence (Part 2)

Xiao Hua closed her eyes, feigning sleep, and checked the time every hour. After several hours of this, Bai Mu still hadn't returned.

As time went on, Xiao Hua grew increasingly uneasy. She felt a wave of anxiety—what if something had happened to Bai Mu?

The sky gradually darkened, and the sun quickly set. Outside the gas station, the frenzied roars of zombies could be heard.

After what seemed like an eternity, Bai Mu finally emerged under the cover of night, appearing before the group. Xiao Hua instantly opened her eyes, and seeing him return unharmed, she felt a deep sense of relief.

Bai Mu climbed up from the passage, brushing off the dust that had settled on his clothes, and began recounting his discoveries.

"This passage is quite long. The real den of indulgence is on the other side of City C."

"It truly is a den of indulgence, frequented by high-ranking officials and the elite."

Bai Mu's expression turned unusually cold as he recalled what he had seen, letting out a sardonic laugh.

"All of them, dressed and living as if the world hadn't ended, indulging in waste and excess."

"During the day, they hardly entertain anyone. It's only after dark that the place really comes to life. Tomorrow night, there's a ball, and you need a dance partner to attend."

Xiao Zui nodded upon hearing this, "No problem, we'll disguise ourselves and sneak in."

Bai Mu paused, then looked around at the group, "Does anyone here have connections? Anyone with ties to the military or government?"

"Do you need connections just to get in?" Xiao Zui frowned.

"Yes, only the offspring of military or government officials can enter," Bai Mu replied with a slight smirk, tinged with sarcasm. "All upper-class folks."

Everyone fell silent.

Xiao Hua, listening to Bai Mu's clearly sarcastic tone, knew that what he had seen was far more than what he was saying.

Even from these few words, she could sense his anger and helplessness.

In the face of disaster, countless people were struggling for survival, yet there were those who, under the shadow of their parents' influence, wasted their youth in decadence.

No matter the era, society always has its parasites, and often, there's little that can be done about them.

Xiao Hua shook off her thoughts. Now wasn't the time to dwell on these thoughts. She glanced around the group and said casually, "If anyone here has connections or resources, don't hold back. Let's flaunt it a little."

The group exchanged glances, but no one spoke.

Bai Mu's eye twitched, "No one has any connections?"

Still, no one spoke.

Xiao Zui suddenly remembered, "Old Bai, you should be able to."

Bai Mu was General Zou's nephew, so he certainly qualified.

Unfortunately, the rest were just ordinary people with no hidden connections.

Bai Mu rubbed his temples. He had hoped for at least one more person with a suitable background to increase their chances of success.

Since that wasn't the case, they would have to proceed with fewer people.

He pulled out an invitation with an unfamiliar name on it.

Bai Mu looked calmly at the group, "Someone nearby was just killed by zombies, and this invitation was found on their body. Who’s willing to impersonate him?"

"..."

Honestly, no one wanted to impersonate a dead guy.

But with the situation being urgent, Xiao Zui stared at the invitation for a few seconds and first asked to clarify, "Won’t you get recognized?"

Xiao Hua suddenly laughed, grabbed the invitation, and flipped it around to show everyone—it was for a masquerade ball.

Xiao Zui: "..."

Alright, that works.

But then Xiao Hua thought of something else. She turned to Bai Mu, "Brother Bai, who’s closest in build to this Zhang Lei?"

Even with masks making it easier to pull off the impersonation, they still had to nail the details.

Bai Mu understood this as well. Before leaving, he took a good look at the guy who’d died tragically, "It's similar to Kong Yu's."

Everyone’s eyes snapped to Kong Yu, who, stone-faced, took the invitation and muttered, "Got it."