Chapter One Hundred: The Mysterious Dark Shadow

In the darkness, Qin Tian glanced around. Jiang Yingying and Shen Xiaoqing blinked in confusion.

“Has the power gone out?” came Liao Yingmeng’s voice, Mi Xue’s mother.

“Looks like it,” Mi Liangjun, Mi Xue’s father, replied.

“It should be back on soon.” Qin Tian figured a circuit breaker had probably tripped; someone just needed to switch it back on.

But more than ten minutes passed, and the electricity still had not returned.

The audience was beginning to grow restless. Quite a few people approached nearby staff to ask what was happening, only to find the employees just as bewildered. They had no idea either.

“What on earth is going on?”

At the same time, inside the electrical control room, the venue manager stared in shock at the axe embedded in the computer.

The electrical control equipment had been destroyed with an axe!

“Call the police! Call them immediately!” the venue manager shouted.

This was outrageous. Someone had actually brought an axe into the venue and hacked apart the computer in the electrical control room. It was an extremely serious crime!

At that moment, Song Fangmei came running over to ask what had happened. The instant she saw the scene inside the control room, she was badly startled and hurried back to tell Mi Xue.

“Mi Xue, it’s that axe again!” Song Fangmei said.

“It’s appeared again?” Mi Xue shuddered violently and began to tremble.

“There’s no mistake. It has a black leopard’s head on it!” Song Fangmei confirmed with a firm nod.

“How can this be? What kind of person is behind this?” Frightened, Mi Xue hugged herself.

“The bodyguards are all in place. Don’t be afraid.” Song Fangmei hurried over to comfort her.

Two months earlier, while Mi Xue had been filming on location, an axe had suddenly fallen in front of her. Fortunately, Song Fangmei had happened to come looking for her at that very moment. Mi Xue had stepped back to ask what was going on, narrowly avoiding being struck by the blade.

Everyone had been extremely tense at the time, unable to determine where the axe had come from. But with no clues whatsoever, even after the police were notified, the case had eventually gone nowhere.

Yet the matter did not end there.

Over the following period, similar axes kept appearing near Mi Xue. Every one of them bore the head of a black leopard.

No one had expected that axe to appear again today.

“Auntie Song, perhaps we should go back,” Mi Xue said.

“Go back? Absolutely not. The company has invested so much in this concert. If we cancel now, the losses will be enormous!” one of the executives from Mi Xue’s agency immediately objected.

“Then can you guarantee Mi Xue’s safety?” Song Fangmei glared at him.

The executive fell silent. He did not dare make such a guarantee.

Meanwhile, in the audience, Qin Tian had already sensed that something was wrong. He noticed a shadow moving repeatedly through the seats. One thing was certain: the person was not a member of the staff.

Qin Tian had spent the entire day here, and out of sheer boredom he had memorized the faces of practically every employee. That was why he could be so sure.

“Stay here and don’t wander off. I’m going to the restroom.” Qin Tian found an excuse to leave.

Since this was Mi Xue’s concert and something had clearly gone wrong, Qin Tian intended to investigate. If it had been anyone unrelated to him, he would not have bothered.

The shadow continued moving back and forth through the audience for a while before stopping at one particular spot. After remaining there for more than a minute, it headed toward the restrooms.

Qin Tian quickly followed. He suspected that the power outage might have something to do with the shadow.

After entering the restroom, the shadow did not stay long—about as long as it took to relieve himself. It seemed he really had only come to use the facilities.

When the shadow emerged, he began walking toward the upper floors of the venue. Qin Tian followed behind him, keeping his footsteps light.

After five minutes, Qin Tian realized that the man seemed to be heading for the top floor.

Sure enough, a minute later, the shadow opened the top-floor door and stepped onto the rooftop.

Qin Tian hesitated at the stairwell. He did not dare follow immediately.

What if there were a dozen assault rifles pointed at him the moment he went through? Having been targeted for assassination so often, Qin Tian had developed the excellent habit of proceeding with caution.

After thinking it over, Qin Tian took out something the size of a button. It was a miniature listening device, a gift Nangong Xiaoe had given him before she left.

With a flick of his finger, Qin Tian sent the button-sized device through the doorway. It landed on the rooftop.

Because it was so small, it made virtually no sound when it struck the ground and would not attract anyone’s attention.

Qin Tian then put on his earpiece. All he could hear was the steady rush of wind.

He found it strange. Why could he not hear even the slightest footstep? Had the mysterious shadow already left the rooftop?

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Qin Tian heard a jumble of footsteps. They seemed to be drawing closer and closer to the door.

Qin Tian was startled. If whoever it was came through, they would collide with him head-on, exposing him immediately.

But if he ran downstairs now, it seemed he would not make it in time.

With no other choice, Qin Tian grabbed the door and climbed onto the wall. Like a gecko, he spread all four limbs and clung to the upper corner.

He gritted his teeth. This position was incredibly exhausting.

Tap, tap, tap.

The footsteps grew clearer and clearer. With a creak, the door was pushed open.

The mysterious shadow, draped in a black robe, entered and then proceeded downstairs.

Qin Tian had just breathed a sigh of relief and was preparing to climb down when another set of footsteps sounded.

He froze. There was someone else on the rooftop?

Once again, Qin Tian could only force himself to remain clinging to the wall.

Another mysterious figure in a black robe came through the rooftop door and headed downstairs.

Qin Tian had not expected there to be a second one.

Just as he was about to climb down, more footsteps rang out.

No way. There was another?

Qin Tian’s eyes widened. His hands and feet were trembling, and he was nearly out of strength.

Sure enough, yet another identical mysterious figure emerged.

Qin Tian drew a deep breath and prepared to descend, thinking that surely there could not be a fourth.

Then the footsteps sounded again.

There really was a fourth person!

Qin Tian was on the verge of breaking down. How many of them were there?

At this rate, he was going to fall!

A fifth, a sixth, a seventh...

By the end, a full ten mysterious figures in black robes had left the rooftop and gone downstairs.

Qin Tian waited a while longer. Only after confirming that no one else remained did he jump down from the wall.

His hands and feet were limp when he landed. He leaned against the wall and rested for quite some time before recovering.

Qin Tian opened the door and stepped onto the rooftop. Crouching down, he picked up the button-shaped listening device and fell into thoughtful silence.

All ten of the mysterious figures in black robes seemed to have a black leopard’s head tattooed on the backs of their right hands.

Why had these people appeared so furtively? What were they here for—and who was their target?

Since they had appeared at the concert, there was a strong chance they were after Mi Xue.

But Mi Xue seemed so sweet and well-behaved. How could she possibly have offended people like them?