Chapter 404: Initiation Ceremony
A woman in a long white gown extended her hand to Zhu Chen. "I like men with glasses. How about a dance?"
Zhu Chen glanced around and nodded. "Alright."
The two entered the dance floor together.
Soon after, other women came forward with invitations, but Xiao Ye refused them all.
None of them were the person he was looking for. Finally, his gaze swept across the room and landed on someone wearing a fox mask.
The wearer was also a woman, dressed in a form-fitting black gown that accentuated her graceful figure.
Xiao Ye walked up and extended his hand like a gentleman. "Beautiful lady, may I have this dance?"
"Of course," she readily agreed.
The moment she rose to her feet, Xiao Ye became even more certain. This was his target!
Even though they were in Country A, Dragon Country had still managed to dig up some information.
Information like the identities of certain individuals, who could be exploited, or even turned against the organization.
The woman before him was one such person. She had been a very famous, naturally beautiful actress.
Unfortunately, she ran into a scumbag who personally delivered her to a director's bed.
She joined the Angel Association to get revenge on him.
Her revenge was long since complete, but she was unable to leave.
Because of her looks, her figure, and her fame, many foreigners were drawn to her, and the Angel Association forced her to use her body to make a profit.
Her ex-boyfriend was a wolf's den, and the Angel Association was a tiger's lair!
The two danced gracefully on the floor.
Xiao Ye took the initiative. "Miss, judging by your mask, you must be a veteran member. I wonder, what does the initiation ceremony entail?"
"The initiation ceremony is quite simple. You just have to do what Uriel says."
She didn't call him "Lord Uriel." While she wasn't an Angel Leader herself, she had several powerful backers.
"Is it bloody? Or just hard to stomach?"
The woman seemed to be thinking of her own experience. Even through the fox mask, a flicker of emotion showed in her exposed eyes.
"Human resilience is always far greater than you can imagine. You just have to endure it, and you'll get through it."
She seemed to recall something suddenly. She let go of his hand, her voice growing much colder. "But for men... you'll definitely like it."
With that, she turned and walked away.
Watching her retreating back, Xiao Ye already had his suspicions.
Just as he was about to observe more, Uriel arrived.
He too wore a mask, but his attire was far more imposing than anyone else's.
"Greetings, everyone!"
"Good afternoon, Lord Uriel."
"Lord Uriel, it's been too long!"
Uriel laughed, clearly enjoying the feeling of being adulated.
"This banquet has but one purpose today, which I'm sure you all already know. We are here to welcome two new partners!"
As he spoke, two beams of light suddenly appeared from above, shining down on Xiao Ye and Zhu Chen.
"Here they are! They hail from the Dragon Country, men of extraordinary status. Congratulations to our Angel Association for recruiting two more great assets!"
"Congratulations!"
"Lord Uriel is amazing!"
"Long live the Angel Association!"
Uriel beckoned. "You two, come on stage."
Xiao Ye and Zhu Chen exchanged a look and walked onto the stage together.
"Come, let me introduce them. This is Xiao Ye, Patriarch of the Xiao Family, one of the four great Hidden Clans of the Dragon Country!"
"And this is Zhu Chen, from the Zhu Clan, another of the Dragon Country's four great Hidden Clans!"
"Let's give them another warm round of applause!"
'If not for the surreal scene and the masked crowd below, Xiao Ye might have actually thought he was at some kind of ribbon-cutting ceremony.'
The applause from below was thunderous.
Then, two women walked onto the stage. They were wearing very little, just a few scraps of cloth.
Each held a bowl filled with bright red blood!
"Our initiation ceremony is simple. Drink this bowl of blood, and you'll be one of us."
Xiao Ye took the bowl and sniffed it. He realized this wasn't normal blood at all.
'To put it bluntly, this is a type of synthetic blood, and it's laced with some kind of toxin.'
'It's a slow-acting toxin. Once inside the body, it causes a certain amount of organ damage.'
'With repeated doses, the organs will gradually begin to fail.'
'The liver, for instance, might eventually require a transplant.'
'It seems they're trying to drag us into the abyss, one step at a time!'
Xiao Ye nodded at Zhu Chen and drank the entire bowl of synthetic blood.
It had a metallic, bloody taste, but it was all an imitation—completely within his range of tolerance.
Zhu Chen drank his as well, his trust in Xiao Ye absolute.
Uriel was very pleased with their compliance. "There are always some who like to drag their feet. I didn't expect you two to be different."
"You've changed my perception of people from the Dragon Country. I like it. And now, let the revelry begin!"
As the music and lighting changed, everyone began to dance.
Zhu Chen moved to Xiao Ye's side and said in a low voice, "There's something wrong with this music."
The Angel Association's methods of infiltration weren't just overt; they were insidious.
Take, for example, some of the popular rap songs that use specific frequencies to interfere with a person's nerves and thoughts.
A low-frequency song, for example, might trigger negative emotions.
With enough exposure, those negative emotions could erupt outright.
The current song was doing just that, causing people to gradually lose their inhibitions and give in to their true inner desires.
In just a short while, men and women began hooking up right on the floor.
And Uriel, far from stopping it, even joined in on the action.
"Let's all have fun together!"
Watching these people, who were acting like nothing more than primitive beasts, Xiao Ye felt a deep sense of revulsion.
Just then, he noticed the woman in the fox mask.
A man was grabbing at her. "What are you doing? Don't forget, we're all members of the Angel Association. I need you to satisfy me!"
The woman slapped him across the face. "Get lost! I'm not in the mood today. If you dare touch me, not even Uriel will be able to save you!"
"Oh yeah? We'll see about that! So what if you have a few powerful men backing you? Without them, what the hell are you?!"
"You want to play the saint after being a whore? Fine! Today, I'll teach you how to spread your legs properly!"
He lunged, and it looked like he was about to rip her dress.
Xiao Ye grabbed the man from behind and hauled him up.
"What the hell are you doing!" the man roared. "Get lost! Don't you know the principle of first come, first served?"
Xiao Ye said coolly, "I've claimed her. Leave now."
"You..."
"Or you can try and fight me for her. Who do you think Uriel will side with right now? You, or me, the new member?"
"As I recall, during the initiation ceremony, I can do whatever I want, right?"