"What is going on?"
After a group of people walked out the door and saw the scenery outside, they were immediately startled.
Everyone's expression was a bit grim.
Long Yi's face turned somewhat pale.
Incredulously, he caught a piece of paper money that was drifting down from the sky. The paper money felt a bit cold to the touch as it landed in his hand, startling him into immediately throwing it away.
"White paper money, red lanterns, could it be a wedding and a funeral combined? But how could anyone hold a funeral and a wedding at the same time?" Long Yi shivered.
He said this while frantically wiping his hands on his pants, as if he had touched something dirty.
"I'm starting to really hate this place," he muttered. If one didn't look closely, they wouldn't be able to tell that his fear was so intense that he wanted to bolt.
"Is this really not some supernatural film set?" Wang Zihao was also a bit stunned.
Although they hadn't undertaken any emergency missions, they had experienced their fair share of minor ones.
They had never encountered anything this bizarre.
Duan Chen shook his head. "It shouldn't be."
Hearing him say this, Long Yi was immediately startled.
"What do you mean, 'it shouldn't be'? That makes me even more scared!"
"It's definitely not," Duan Chen said, exasperated, correcting himself.
Of course, it couldn't be a supernatural film set.
There were no ghosts in this world.
Even if there were ghosts, they would be manufactured.
Not the kind of specters people filmed in horror movies.
Although he knew these new agents should be prepared for the scene before them, Duan Chen still offered a reminder.
"Be careful. Don't be fooled by what you see. This is very likely an illusion created by foreign races, designed to confuse you and lower your psychological defenses."
In his opinion, this was the work of some kind of abnormality that existed here.
He just didn't know what type of abnormality it was.
Could it be a sea monster?
If it was a sea monster, what type would it be?
He felt it wasn't quite the work of a sea monster, yet there was some connection.
Whether it was the monster he killed at the village entrance or the one he saw under the bed, both had a strong smell of the sea.
They definitely belonged to the marine lineage.
"I agree with what the instructor said," Tian Xi Meng nodded vigorously, her small face full of vigilance.
Duan Chen spoke.
"Don't call me instructor."
He didn't dwell on the matter of address, but instead took the lead and walked forward.
He directly followed Granny Xu, who was ahead.
"Let's first see what these foreign races are trying to do."
Long Yi kept close to Duan Chen, who made him feel the safest, and walked with small steps, asking Duan Chen.
"Why can't we just attack? If we kill those confirmed to be foreign races, won't our mission be completed?"
Duan Chen glanced at Long Yi.
He saw genuine inquiry on his face.
For a moment, Duan Chen didn't know what to say.
He could only sigh and lament.
"You have an empty head, yet you've managed to survive this long. Truly lucky."
Long Yi was first stunned by the remark, then became furious.
"What do you mean? Don't think you can insult me just because you're my instructor and I have to listen to you on this mission. I won't be angry with you."
The people around them all averted their eyes, unable to bear watching.
It was Wang Zihao who couldn't stand seeing Long Yi make a fool of himself and stepped in to offer a hint.
"Brother Chen means that this is a newly emerging foreign race. For the convenience of our future efforts against foreign races, we need to collect information.
It just so happens that I can gather more information here, which is why we need to play along with their script."
After Wang Zihao explained it like that, Long Yi fell silent. However, his silence was short-lived, and after a moment, he retorted with righteous indignation.
"Couldn't you have just said that earlier?"
"..." Wang Zihao didn't know what to say.
He looked at Long Yi with a complicated gaze, and for some reason, he began to reflect on himself, wondering if he himself had been too simple-minded when he used to bicker with Long Yi.
Otherwise, why would he have been so competitive with such a person?
However, before he could find the answer to this question, the group had already followed Granny Xu to the entrance of the wedding banquet.
The banquet was being held in the most luxurious three-story villa in the village.
Although it was a three-story villa, it was evident it was a self-built farmhouse.
It also came with a large yard.
Pushing open the iron gate, they saw a throng of guests inside. The moment they entered, almost everyone turned their heads and stared blankly at the entrance.
This scene was truly bizarre.
But Duan Chen's brow furrowed.
He felt the same strange sensation from these people as he had from Granny Xu and the village chief he met at the village entrance earlier.
Yet, he couldn't sense that they were foreign races.
It was truly peculiar.
Especially since their movements didn't seem like those of living people.
Long Yi couldn't help but clench his fists.
The scene was rather frightening.
Granny Xu, standing at the front, smiled and turned back to speak.
But as soon as she spoke, they were startled because her voice had a theatrical, opera-like quality.
"All who come are guests, esteemed guests, please take your seats."
"Seven esteemed guests, esteemed guests, please take your seven seats. Please be seated, bride and groom."
Su Baiyi, Wang Zihao, and the others all turned their gaze to Duan Chen, indecisively looking at him.
Should they sit down?
Head seven.
Duan Chen keenly caught the words "head seven" from Granny Xu's speech.
A cold smile played on his lips.
It seemed that the abnormality he was dealing with this time had some knowledge of ancient Chinese culture. However, it seemed to be completely unaware that this was a new era, a new society, where superstition was strictly forbidden.
Looking at the seven seats reserved for them at the front, Duan Chen smiled faintly. "Sit down, why wouldn't you sit?"
He took the lead, walking forward and plopping down on a stool. After he sat down.
The villagers who had come to the banquet stopped looking at him and turned their attention to Su Baiyi and the others who were still standing.
Wang Zihao and the others felt a chill run down their spines and hastily sat down next to Duan Chen. Only then did the villagers shift their gaze to the opera stage at the highest platform.
Long Yi let out a silent sigh of relief.
Granny Xu stood at the door, smiling, and began to sing again.
"Groom carries the bride."
A bride in ancient wedding attire, her face veiled, was carried into the gate by a man dressed in matching colors.
A man in a traditional Chinese jacket held a red ceramic basin and placed it in front of them.