The wall of the third floor was half glass.
In front of the huge semicircular privacy glass windows, a crowd had gathered. Some wore white coats, some wore military uniforms, and surprisingly, many were dressed in luxurious suits.
A quick scan revealed few people from the Wu Kingdom.
The vast majority were faces from allied nations.
"Quite a labor force this time!"
"Indeed, it's a grand occasion today."
"I heard it's ending today?"
"The main show is over, but the smaller acts are still to come."
"Hahahahaha..."
The people standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows were laughing and chatting. Their words were vague, but the most frequently mentioned word was "show." Some were also discussing beautiful women.
Ye Zixiao was utterly bewildered.
Tang Keke was also bewildered.
Leng Shao and Shan Ge wanted to jump off the building!
Wasn't this a secret research base? Why were there so many people from allied nations here? They didn't look like soldiers at all; they seemed more like a group of wealthy individuals, a group of rich people here for sightseeing?
But.
What was so fun about this godforsaken place?
Was it a basketball game?
As Ye Zixiao and the other three were scratching their heads in confusion, a team of soldiers armed to the teeth rushed out of the elevator, escorting two men: one from the Wu Kingdom and one from an allied nation.
"Commander-in-Chief arrives."
"Mr. Shi arrives."
Soldiers shouted loudly.
Yes.
The two men being fêted were, one was Shan Mao, whom Ye Zixiao was looking for, and the other was a middle-aged man Ye Zixiao didn't recognize. However, it was interesting that Shan Mao was extremely respectful towards that person.
"Hello, Mr. Shi."
"Oh, my dear Mr. Shi is here."
"Mr. Shi, long time no see!"
A large group of foreigners, with smiling faces, stepped forward. They were all extremely obsequious, but they weren't flattering the Commander-in-Chief Shan Mao; they were flattering the middle-aged Mr. Shi.
"Hi, hello everyone!"
Mr. Shi waved with a hearty laugh.
Not far from the elevator entrance, four incongruous figures stood, looking at all this with blank expressions, their minds filled with question marks, utterly unable to comprehend what was happening.
"My God, it's him!"
Tang Keke suddenly exclaimed.
"Who? What's going on?"
Ye Zixiao asked instinctively.
"That Mr. Shi was a top tycoon from the allied nations, the kind who could influence elections. But he's been in hiding for years. How could he suddenly appear here?"
"Top tycoon?"
Ye Zixiao was even more bewildered.
"It's normal that you don't recognize him."
"Damn it!"
Ye Zixiao cursed under his breath, "If that's the case, then all these foreigners are rich men, aren't they? Did they invest in this 'Hive,' and today is the completion ceremony? Were they invited to observe?"
"That's quite possible!"
Tang Keke nodded, pouting.
Just then, a room was opened, and dozens of hot-bodied beauties, wearing very revealing clothes, were herded by soldiers with guns towards the group of tycoons.
The beauties were all from the Wu Kingdom.
But they appeared very nervous.
Some of them were even shedding tears?
"What the hell!"
"This is getting more and more outrageous!"
Ye Zixiao and Tang Keke were going crazy.
"Everyone, please be quiet."
Mr. Shi leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, raising his hands and saying, "To celebrate the project's completion, for this grand performance, Commander Shan Mao has thoughtfully prepared accompanying beauties for us."
Boom—
The tycoons cheered.
"Ladies and gentlemen, feel free to pick!"
Shan Mao said, his smile looking incredibly ugly.
Boom—
The tycoons, who had been so gentlemanly moments before, suddenly became like a pack of mad dogs released from their cages, baring their teeth and lunging at the group of beauties. Some tycoons were howling, shouting lewd remarks.
"Help!"
"Spare me, spare me!"
"I'm scared, sob sob..."
Dozens of beauties cried out in alarm.
Clearly, they were not willing.
But no matter how they screamed or pleaded, it had no effect. After a scramble among the tycoons, most of them obtained a beauty they favored and dragged them towards the floor-to-ceiling windows.
At the staircase.
The four people were gnashing their teeth in hatred.
But at this moment.
They truly dared not act impulsively.
Ye Zixiao surveyed the scene and noticed a few tycoons gathered in a further corner, drinking and talking with high-stemmed glasses, but they showed no interest in the beauties.
After a moment of thought.
Ye Zixiao led his group over.
The four of them picked up their wine glasses.
They also mumbled something as if they were eavesdropping.
Fortunately, no one paid them any attention...
After being shot, the beauties were not molested or humiliated. Instead, they were held or embraced by the tycoons and stood there, some sitting on chairs lined up. Outside the window was the large square filled with laborers.
At this moment.
Approximately five thousand laborers were being driven to surround the basketball court. The scene was somewhat eerie, as if the base's boss intended to hold a basketball game for the laborers?!
Soon after.
All the laborers quieted down.
In the distant darkness, two teams of soldiers escorted a large group of people through a passage and into the basketball court. These people were wearing professional basketball attire, half in blue, half in red.
The uniforms had no numbers.
It looked truly bizarre.
"Are they really playing basketball?"
"I'm going mad!"
Ye Zixiao and Tang Keke whispered to each other.
Continuing to watch, under the soldiers' commands, the hundred athletes separated. The blue team stood on the left, and the red team stood on the right. The posture suggested they were indeed going to play a match.
However.
When has there ever been a basketball game with a hundred players?!
A figure resembling a referee walked between the two teams. The people on the third floor couldn't hear what he was saying, but it was likely about the rules of the game. Before the referee finished, both teams erupted.
Some were jumping up and down.
Some were crying out.
There were even attempts to escape?
But soon, under a brutal beating with rifle butts, both teams quieted down again. They suddenly became very agitated, and many of their expressions turned ferocious.
With a whistle.
The referee tossed a basketball into the air.
Before the ball even landed.
The red and blue teams launched a fierce charge.
"Kill!"
"For survival!"
"Sorry about this!"
"I want to go home..."
The entire court was filled with such shouts.
However, what left Ye Zixiao and the others dumbfounded was that in the hundred-person opposing teams, not a single person went for the basketball. The two teams collided violently, and they started swinging their fists.
Yes.
They weren't playing basketball; they were fighting each other!
They had no weapons, all fighting bare-handed. Most fought one-on-one, attacking their opponents with all their might. From the start, they exerted their full strength. This wasn't a fight; it was a battle for survival.
Suddenly, a whistle blew.
The referee pointed at someone.
Bang!
With a sudden gunshot, the person pointed at had his head blown off by a bullet from an unknown source. The body heavily crashed onto the ground, and next to the corpse, two people were still grappling.
"One-on-one, violating the rules means death!"
The referee shouted this through a loudspeaker.
Yes.
The one who was shot dead had tried to help a friend he knew, or perhaps his relative, but this violated the one-on-one rule. Therefore, the referee blew the whistle, and a sniper shot the offender.
Boom—
The third floor erupted in cheerful laughter.
With a few more whistles.
Several more people were shot dead by snipers.
Each time someone was killed, the third floor would resound with joyous laughter. The tycoons holding beauties were all bloodthirsty perverts; they actually treated this as entertainment.
But the women in the tycoons' arms.
They were all closing their eyes and crying.