Chapter 478 Reunion with Old Friends

Chapter 478: Old Friends Reunited

"Perhaps there will be players you know inside the villa," Su Bai said calmly.

"Very likely," Huo Lang smiled confidently, his tone carrying a hint of certainty, as if he was already sure he would run into old acquaintances in the villa. Clearly, he had great confidence in his connections within Qingliu City.

They walked side by side towards the brightly lit villa. Along the way, fountains gently bubbled, water sliding down the carved stone ledges with a soft, pleasant gurgle. The night breeze brushed past, causing droplets from the fountains to shimmer with crystalline light in the dim red moonlight. Sculptures dotted every corner of the courtyard, each one exquisitely carved, as if from the hands of master artists. At a glance, one could see mysterious goddesses in various poses and angels poised as if about to take flight.

If this weren't the Nightmare World, or if the red moon weren't hanging in the night sky, this courtyard might have been worth a pause to appreciate in detail.

But clearly, they had no such leisure.

Su Bai sighed softly, his gaze sweeping once more over these scenes so out of place in the Nightmare World. He didn't linger any longer but followed behind Huo Lang towards the heavy main door.

Huo Lang, walking ahead, reached out and pushed open the door in front of them. The metal hinges let out a low, creaking groan, like a bell signaling the start of a game.

Before the door was fully opened, Su Bai could faintly hear indistinct voices from inside—intermittent murmurs that sounded like discussion or perhaps the opening of some meeting. However, as the door swung open, those voices abruptly ceased, as if cut off in an instant. The people inside the villa stopped as one and turned their gazes towards the two at the entrance.

The villa's main hall was brilliantly lit, bright as day. A massive crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, its light refracting into dazzling patterns. Su Bai could look up and see the second-floor corridor and its railing, the carved metal balustrade gleaming faintly.

In the very center of the hall was a staircase carpeted in red, winding upwards, giving it the feel of a hotel lobby.

The villa's decor was done in a European style, reminiscent of the real world, with elegant and refined lines in its various furnishings and ornaments. The oil paintings on the walls and antique wall sconces seemed to freeze time in some distant era.

Yet, there was no sign of long-term habitation here; it felt more like a hotel catering to someone else's taste. Su Bai remembered the Administrator mentioning that this villa was originally a tourist attraction by the Blood Moon Lake, even offering dining services on regular days, so it was never truly a private residence in the conventional sense.

On one side of the hall, a seating area was arranged with a circle of luxurious leather sofas, the leather glowing softly under the lights. On those sofas sat five players. Their expressions varied, but without exception, they were all watching Su Bai and Huo Lang at the door.

"What a coincidence; I really didn't expect to find players I know here," Huo Lang chuckled lightly, raising a hand to wave casually in the direction of the sofas. His tone was quite relaxed, as if he had run into a few old friends. He nodded in greeting to several of them. "Though, usually, out of ten players in a game, I'd know eight or nine. Today is a bit unusual. Aside from Brother Su, there are actually two new faces."

However, strangely, most of the players on the sofas weren't focusing their attention on Huo Lang. Their gaze remained fixed on Su Bai, who stood behind Huo Lang. Those looks were interwoven with scrutiny, shock, and a hint of barely perceptible wariness.

"Ahem," Su Bai cleared his throat softly, trying to ease the odd atmosphere, but inwardly he felt a complex mix of emotions.

There were seven players in the hall in total. Aside from Huo Lang, four out of the five players on the sofas were actually familiar to Su Bai. Seeing this, Su Bai couldn't help but wonder to himself: between him and Huo Lang, who was the real "big fish"?

On the long sofa sat an intimate couple. The man was none other than Lian Xiangyu, the player with the "Beast Form" ability whom Su Bai had encountered at the Luolimasi Grand Hotel. Su Bai remembered how the other man would blush, his ears turning red and his heart racing whenever he saw him. The female player clinging to Lian Xiangyu's arm was an unfamiliar face.

However, on the sofa opposite, a beautiful female player with a curvaceous figure was also looking at Su Bai. If Su Bai remembered correctly, she had appeared with Lian Xiangyu at the Luolimasi Grand Hotel. Though not a combat-oriented player, she had fought alongside Lian Xiangyu until the very end.

Standing behind the sofa was a female player with braided hair and black-rimmed glasses. Upon seeing Su Bai, she couldn't help but facepalm, as if expressing a sentiment of "you again?" That attire unmistakably identified her as the leader of the Nameless Society, the legendary Phoenix Wind Chime.

The first time Su Bai met Wind Chime in Happy Residential District, he had thought that getup was something the Nightmare Game deliberately assigned. Now it seemed it might just be Wind Chime's own peculiar preference.

And over there, on a single armchair, sat a figure entirely concealed within a cloak. A hand extended from the sleeve, and upon closer inspection, one could discern the articulated joints of a doll...

Su Bai sighed inwardly. Was a certain powerful Lord Ghost Witch addicted to role-playing as a player?

This was supposed to be an unfamiliar Qingliu City, an unfamiliar Blood Moon Lake. Yet, standing here, Su Bai... couldn't help but feel like he was attending a class reunion.