355: Chapter 355 Emergency Meeting of the Organizing Committee

The Faceless Man beckoned with his hand, and the ring landed steadily in his palm.

He didn't even glance at it, immediately looting all the good items inside before tossing the empty ring aside.

"Next! Continue!"

"..."

The forty-nine people standing behind witnessed the Faceless Man's smooth operation firsthand.

Everyone gasped, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

"Damn it... we've basically turned into mobs in an online game!"

Someone wailed frantically in their heart: "We get one-shot and still drop our gear! He doesn't even give us a chance to hide anything!"

In the queue, several people who had originally planned to "hide some pocket money" were drenched in cold sweat. They quickly and stealthily dug out the good items hidden in the secret compartments of their rings, arranging them neatly in the most visible spots.

"Next."

The cold voice sounded again.

This time, no one dared to pull any tricks.

The second person to step forward was a burly man. He very decisively dumped all the high-grade pills, spiritual herbs, and weapons from his storage ring into a snake-skin bag, even taking off the gold necklace he was wearing around his neck and handing it over respectfully.

"B-Big Brother, please check, there's really not a drop left!"

The Faceless Man swept a glance over it, nodded in satisfaction, and waved his hand to signal him to get lost.

With the previous example as a warning, the subsequent "collecting toll" phase proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

These top prodigies of the Great Xia Martial Arts World were like a flock of sheep that had been shorn of their wool, their eyes red as they obediently handed over their treasures while their hearts bled.

Of course, in a large forest, there are all kinds of birds.

When the line reached the halfway point, a Wind-element Supernatural Ability user who excelled in speed, relying on the fact that he was standing further back, suddenly broke away from the queue and transformed into a gale, attempting to escape toward the mist in the distance.

"As long as I run fast enough, your black mist won't be able to catch me!" The man was still secretly rejoicing in his heart.

However.

The Faceless Man didn't even lift his head; he just flicked his finger lightly.

A bolt of purple lightning seemed to traverse space, instantly appearing on the man's escape path.

"Boom!"

The lightning exploded, and the Wind-element Supernatural Ability user fell from mid-air, charred all over. Before he even hit the ground, a mass of black clouds appeared out of thin air and swallowed him whole.

"Clang."

Another glowing storage ring dropped to the ground, then was beckoned away by the Faceless Man.

"Those who flee will have everything confiscated."

The Faceless Man left this sentence behind calmly and scanned the queue again: "Next."

With that, the entire queue became completely obedient.

Even the thought of running away was thoroughly extinguished by this unreasonable one-shot kill.

...

Meanwhile, in the outside world, at the square of the National Martial Arts Competition Center, the atmosphere had long evolved from initial terror and despair into something indescribably eerie.

"Hum—Swish!"

The massive teleportation array in the center of the square, which had originally lost control, was now flashing with dazzling white light like a broken vending machine.

Every time it flashed, a black spatial rift would tear open in mid-air, and immediately afterward, one or two contestants wearing their school uniforms would be flung down from mid-air, flailing their limbs and screaming miserably, like discarded tattered sacks.

"Bang! Ouch!"

"Catch them! It's someone from Donghai Academy!"

"Another one! It's the vice-captain of Kuangsha Academy!"

The medical staff and logistics instructors on the square were so busy they were running off their feet, weaving through the crowd with stretchers.

President Xia Yun and a group of high-level officials from the Martial Arts General Administration stood on the high platform, watching the spectacular scene of people falling like "dumplings into a pot" below, their expressions a complex mix of emotions.

At first, when they discovered that Forbidden Zone No. 009 had completely lost control and the gate was locked by black mist, they were truly terrified, thinking that the most elite martial arts seeds of this generation in Great Xia were about to be buried inside.

But now...

"Have the examination results come out yet? Are any of the seriously injured in life-threatening condition?" President Xia Yun turned to look at the medical supervisor who had just run up and asked in a deep voice.

The medical supervisor wiped the sweat from his forehead, let out a long breath, and his eyes revealed a hint of oddity: "Report to President Xia, everyone has been checked."

"Including the first-team leaders like Zhao Zhenlei, Chu Tiankuo, and Helan Que who were previously in deep comas..."

"Although they suffered significant internal injuries, and some even broke a few bones, their source vital energy was not fatally damaged. They will fully recover after recuperating for ten days or half a month. As for the others, most only suffered minor skin injuries, or were simply scared unconscious."

Hearing the words "no life-threatening condition," the heavy stone that had been hanging in the throats of all the high-level leaders present finally dropped back into their stomachs.

"As long as they're not dead... as long as they're not dead!" A high-level official of the Martial Arts General Administration wiped away cold sweat, patting his chest with lingering fear.

But immediately afterward, the medical supervisor added another sentence:

"However... President Xia, after our preliminary count and questioning, all the contestants who were teleported out have had their storage rings, spatial bracelets, high-grade defensive gear, and even slightly valuable weapons..."

"They have all vanished without a trace."

A silence mingled with cold wind swept across the high platform.

President Xia Yun's eye twitched slightly as he looked at the top-tier prodigies below who, while having saved their lives, were now clutching their empty fingers and sitting on the ground questioning their existence. He felt speechless.

To go to such great lengths to tamper with the underlying rules of an S-rank secret realm, even ignoring the fifth-order death-immunity jade tablet.

And yet, this terrifying master playing god behind the scenes went to all this trouble just to loot this group of students?

What kind of reclusive old monster from some obscure corner has run out of money for rice?!

"Since the other party has no intention of killing anyone, the nature of the matter is different."

President Xia Yun's gaze darkened slightly, and he turned to look at the core bigwigs behind him, lowering his voice: "But no matter what he is after, daring to openly challenge the bottom line of the Martial Arts General Administration at the highest arena of the Hundred Schools League, this matter cannot be let go just like that."

"Send the notice down, immediately seal off the entire competition center, and strictly investigate all personnel entering and exiting! Also..."

President Xia Yun took a deep breath, "All core high-level officials of the Martial Arts General Administration, as well as the principals of the top prestigious schools, meet in the No. 1 top-secret conference room in ten minutes!"

...

Ten minutes later.

Deep underground in the competition center, in a high-level conference room surrounded by soundproofing barriers and anti-reconnaissance formations.

The atmosphere was so heavy it felt like it could drip water.

Around the oval long table sat the real decision-makers of the Great Xia Martial Arts World.

President Xia Yun sat at the head of the table, flanked by two deputy directors of the Martial Arts General Administration, as well as the heads of top universities, including Principal Pang Ban of Magic City Martial Arts University.

On the projector in the center of the conference room, an image synthesized urgently by technicians based on the accounts of the victimized contestants was playing on a loop.

It was a pale, faceless mask with no facial features, paired with a large, worn-out black hooded trench coat.

"Everyone, this is the culprit who turned Forbidden Zone No. 009 upside down."

President Xia Yun folded his hands on the table, scanning the people present: "I called everyone here today to specifically analyze: what exactly is the background of this mysterious Faceless Man?"

"And what kind of Supernatural Ability is that eerie black cloud of his that can devour living people and strip away space?"