"Not bad, you guessed right." Joe James nodded to the four, "There definitely are ghosts in this theater."
"Who are they? Why would they do this?" Zhou Zhi asked softly.
"Who cares? They're definitely not good news anyway." Anthony took a crossbow off from behind his back, "I've been waiting for most of the day, and now I can finally get to work."
"Hold on, what are you going to do?" Zhang Zhiyuan frowned.
"What else?" The Russian grinned, a cold light shining in his eyes, "Of course, to take them out. Don't worry, they won't make any sound before they die, I have experience in this."
"I've looked it over." Joe James added, "This bunch is nothing professional, they're spread out and can't back each other up. And it's very dark here, outsiders won't easily spot them, but they also won't easily see us. As long as it's handled properly, we can certainly create a breach."
"But those are people!" Zhang Zhiyuan reminded— even the most despicable criminals should not be subject to vigilante justice, as a law enforcer, he has an inherent aversion to such acts.
At these words, everyone suddenly looked at him.
"Hey, what's wrong with your brain? You were quick-witted before." Joe James let out a cold snicker, "This is Paradise, not the real world we come from; your so-called law doesn't apply here."
"Buddy, are you really here to enjoy Paradise?" Anthony chimed in, "You should have known this would happen before you came in, right? Forget it, if you don't want to get your hands dirty, just stand aside and watch, we're enough."
With that, he bent his body and crept into the pitch-black night, his movements so light they seemed impossible for his size.
Joe James, Tyler, and Qianyuan Meiko also left the alley, and soon only Zhang Zhiyuan and Zhou Zhi were left in hiding.
"You know... although this world seems very realistic, in reality, jumping through time is impossible, right?" Zhou Zhi patted his back, "I almost believed it was real before, but now I feel much better."
Zhang Zhiyuan's face was ashen, and he didn't speak a word. Did these people really not consider that Paradise could be a real world? No... they weren't fools. In their past conversation, whether it was Joe James or Anthony, none of them mentioned it as a game, instead, they called it "Paradise."
Exactly, they simply didn't care about this, nor were they interested in its authenticity. Even if it were the real world, as long as the law couldn't monitor them, they had no scruples in their actions.
In that brief moment, a shadow fell silently.
Without illumination, Zhang Zhiyuan couldn't see the full process clearly, but there was no doubt the crossbow was at work. Anthony's weapon of choice was a modern creation, silent and deadly, the bolt's barbed head thick as a little finger could kill even a wild boar with a single shot.
And the victim's companions didn't notice anything amiss.
"Let's go over too." Zhou Zhi suggested.
This isn't our homeland, and the law can't reach them... Zhang Zhiyuan repeated in his mind three times, then nodded in response, "Alright."
He still had a mission to complete, and if he got serious, he wouldn't only fail to save the missing journalist, but also risk exposing his own identity.
After nearing the theater's east wall, Zhang Zhiyuan saw that the others had already tidied up the scene simply; only three or four feet were sticking out of the bushes by the wall, and there were drag marks stained with blood on the ground.
Anthony still had a somewhat inebriated expression, almost as if he were drunk, and on seeing Zhang Zhiyuan he even gave him a fist bump, "You guys are really... missing out."
"Feels like there's not much difference between a hunter and hunting wild beasts, right?" Tyler said with a light laugh.
"Or rather, simpler." The light in his eyes had completely changed.
This guy had crossed a line, Zhang Zhiyuan thought to himself, having seen the same look in the eyes of many criminals before.
Joe James's expression, however, was much calmer, "Now is not the time to be satisfied. If someone is patrolling, they'll soon notice their defense line is missing a piece. The real target is still inside the theater, we need to find a way in. We can't just walk through the front door, can we?"
"You guys are so good at this... it's like you do it all the time..." Zhou Zhi said, clicking his tongue.
His words cast a chill over the atmosphere.
In the end, it was the Russian who glared at him, "Kid, haven't you ever seen a pig run even if you've never eaten pork? Besides, these guys are probably high; even the old grandmother next door would react faster than them."
"Cough cough, let's get back to business," Tyler interrupted, "The front door is definitely out of the question, the view there is too open, and we don't know if anyone is guarding inside. There are quite a few windows on the street side, going through a window should be a good choice."
Everyone exchanged glances, all in agreement.
"Additionally, no one knows what it's like inside, so I suggest dividing the team into two groups, I'll go with Joe in the open, and Mr. Anthony and Miss Mingzi in the shadows, that way if we encounter enemies we won't all be exposed at once."
"What about us?" Zhou Zhi asked anxiously.
"You haven't even chosen weapons; you'll have to act as the opportunity arises," Tyler shrugged, "By the way, those few sentries just now all had weapons on them, mostly hand axes and daggers of poor quality. You could take them to defend yourselves."
"Uh... okay."
With the plan set, everyone immediately sprang into action.
The windows were high, about two meters above the ground, but that was no obstacle for them, as a human ladder could easily reach them. The windows were locked, but it only took Tyler a few seconds to pry open the wooden pegs with a dagger. With the help of a boost, one by one, they entered the room.
The room on the side was small, presumably a tea room for guests to chat or rest. For a building like a theater that required large spaces, the stage was generally arranged in the central area.
"Damn, it's too dark," Joe James muttered as he moved forward, "We should have got those two with points to exchange for a torch."
"Forget it, with a torch you may see the road more clearly, but the enemy will also see you more easily," Tyler suddenly stopped, "Besides, I think we've found it."
Joe James also noticed the sliver of light coming from beneath the door at the end of the hallway.
It was getting close to dawn, and who was still bustling about was, needless to say, obvious.
Tyler tapped the floor twice, a signal to regroup front and back.
Soon the other four had also reached the door and gently pushed it open a crack, revealing the spacious theater hall before their eyes.
In fact, the hall was just down the hallway from where they had entered.
The scene before them made Zhang Zhiyuan gasp, this place was not just the criminals' site of violence but also their execution site—three stakes were erected on the stage, each with a person tied to it. Their mouths were gagged; no matter how terrified, they could only emit low moans. The faces illuminated by the firelight were filled with despair, while the number of felons surrounding the stakes was as many as nine.