World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 75 Thunderous Applause

The lights came back on, and the audience was stunned to hear the Glamour Cat's lines spoken by a young male actor.

"What... what version update didn't we get notified about?"

"Why change a classic again!"

"I hate anything that uses innovation as a gimmick!"

The other actors were shocked, but the female lead was slow to appear, and the managers behind the scenes made a gesture, so they had no choice but to cooperate with Lin An and continue acting.

As the music progressed, the skepticism from the audience subsided, replaced by focused listening.

"When listening to musicals, I only look at the singing and acting skills!"

"His voice possessed an indescribable, strange charm, like a call from heaven itself..."

"Where was this actor recruited? Why have I never heard of him? His skill level isn't that great, but his singing has a strange, infectious quality—ethereal, calm, gentle, and captivating."

The young man twirled and danced to the music, his elegant figure possessing a unique charm that drew everyone's attention. The professional singers' harmonies softened his unprofessionalism, and the audience couldn't help but hold their breath, afraid of missing a single note.

Few voices possess such a quality that they can soothe their restless emotions with unparalleled tranquility.

As the song "Memories" came to an end, the cat actors formed a circle, surrounding the relieved and charming cat. The elder cat linked arms with him, and together they slowly ascended the final steps to the accompaniment of the extras' singing.

"Go, go, go all the way to the clouds."

"Go, go, across the Russell Hotel."

Lying on the ground, Cat Sith barely opened one eye, staring intently at the stage from the shadows.

The captivating voice echoed through the Bodwell Theatre, and the beam of light shone on Lin An. The young man's handsome face and natural dance steps seemed like a hand from heaven reaching into Titan, compassionately supporting the slovenly body of the Charming Cat and lifting him up to the clouds.

So all-around geniuses do exist.

But when will it be my turn to stand on the stage openly and legitimately...?

At least the play ended perfectly, and our troupe's reputation won't be attacked by the media anymore...

Tears streamed down her cheeks, blurring her vision. Catsis felt a mix of emotions, and a deep sense of exhaustion washed over her. She gave up resisting and let the mysterious man take her away.

"The mysterious divinity of the proud cat race, echoing all around the church, the eternal and immortal life of the cat race!"

The actors on stage stretched out their flexible limbs and sang a final farewell song for their souls.

Even those who had been dissatisfied earlier were now completely immersed in the troupe's outstanding performance. The sacred chorus and powerful ending brought this dramatic musical to a close, leaving the audience captivated for a long time.

Then, many people stood up and applauded thunderously.

"I understand now, they wanted to portray a ray of hope from dawn after darkness!"

"Avant-garde, so avant-garde! Putting aside the innovation in the work and character portrayal, his singing skills alone, which are enough to support classic songs, are enough for me to give him a high score in the review section of the New York Times!"

"I still think it's terrible! Especially the part about having a man play Glamour Cat! Compared to that, the immersive dark music scene is nothing!"

"Men, women—there are no boundaries of gender or race in Time Square!"

"This is the spirit of New York! Rejoice in tolerance and unbridled freedom!"

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the audience, along with resounding boos from the conservatives. The agent behind the scenes had his eyes shining; he saw not only a group of arguing critics, but also an overwhelming influx of traffic, topics, and discussion.

Who is this person?

When did you sneak in?
These two questions are no longer important.

The lights dimmed and then came back on. The actors returned to the stage repeatedly for their curtain call amidst applause. Lin An joined in for two encores, creating a buzzing sound as the audience's support and criticisms mingled together.

Until the musical came to a complete close, the actors all returned backstage.

The agent pushed aside the hesitant male mystery man, grabbed Lin An's arm, and pulled him into a private changing room.

The mysterious woman and Mishi were already waiting in the chairs. The former had her arms crossed and her brows were furrowed; the latter mouthed words to Lin An when she saw him.

You acted wonderfully!

Lin An gave a thumbs up.

The impatient agent was the first to speak.

"Young man, what's your name? Where are you from? Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing you. If it weren't for you saving the day, our troupe would definitely have been kicked out of Bodehui!"

“I’m a member of the special operations team, just like them.” Lin An pointed to the mysterious man with an unfriendly expression. “We are deeply sorry for the accident that happened on stage today. Fortunately, everyone reacted in time and prevented a bigger mess.”

"I see." The agent's gaze darted back and forth, his tense lips relaxing, and his impression of this special operations team improved somewhat. "Is this your first time singing in a musical?"

I learned a little bit about it in college.

"It's unbelievable, especially those last few high notes. Even someone as experienced as me felt my heart tremble, as if I really heard a call from another dimension."

Lin An smiled slightly: "My high notes are higher than anyone else's in this world."

"Although your skill level isn't professional, your emotional expressiveness and performance are absolutely exceptional. Plus, with your looks, being a policeman is a waste... You really haven't studied vocal music? I feel like you must have been guided by a master." "Indeed, I once met a reclusive international vocal master," Lin An said seriously. "He was a student of a student of Pavarotti's senior."

"Really?" the agent asked in surprise. "Could you recommend your Bluebird to me? Let's keep in touch when we have time."

"Thank you for the invitation, but I don't have any plans to enter the music industry at the moment."

Lin An politely waved his hand in refusal. His agent looked regretful and, under the mysterious man's murderous urging gaze, reluctantly left the room, adding a final note.

"Consider joining our theater troupe! We guarantee your poster will appear on the big screen in Time Square."

The moment the agent closed the door, the mysterious man said with a sour face.

“Your teammate just told me. Lin An from the Dietrich branch, damn it, do you even realize how much trouble your unauthorized action has caused!”

Lin An thought: If you had arrived just three minutes later, the system would already be announcing, "[Catsis] entry has been added!"

On the surface, he responded indifferently.

"Seeing a free and mysterious individual wandering among ordinary people, isn't it normal for a member of the Foundation to take control measures?"

"Normal my ass! This isn't Dietrich!"

"But the employee handbook states that if a wandering mysterious person is found, especially a dangerous one, members of the Direct Contact Department are obligated to take control of them, unless they determine that they are not capable of handling the situation, in which case they should request reinforcements or return to the facility to make further plans."

Lin An spread his hands expressionlessly.

"Furthermore, I don't know if you've noticed that this [Cat Sith], as a medium for the 'War Emperor' who is good at inciting people's hearts, will become stronger the longer she stays in society, even for just one more day or one more hour."

The mysterious man was momentarily speechless, and could only say, "Anyway, I will report this matter in detail. Don't forget, if that pile of equipment falls, the entire audience and actors in the theater will be in trouble! We'll have to spend money to appease the media again!"

Lin An looked at the mysterious woman with sharp eyes. She remained silent, looked away, and tacitly accepted the fact.

"You two..." Lin An suddenly said, "...seem to be alchemists, right?"

"Uh! How did you figure that out?" The mysterious man was slightly taken aback. "So what if I did? What are you planning to do?"

"It's nothing, just expressing friendly curiosity to a colleague," Lin An said. "By the way, after Catsis was restrained by the straps, the arcane magic failed. Were those whose consciousness was 'invaded' rescued?"

“They’ve been taken to the nearest hospital. It seems they’re weak. They’ll be fine after a few days in the hospital,” Mishi interjected.

"Don't change the subject! We're still discussing your mistake in this matter!"

The mysterious man's aggressive words were interrupted by the sound of the door opening, which led to a woman in her forties with a buzz cut, followed by Simon and Barry.

"I heard there's been a commotion here." The woman glanced around. "Would you like to tell me what happened?"

"Captain, this kid—"

Before the mysterious man could finish speaking, Lin An slid behind Simon and grabbed his wings to cover his entire body.

"Captain, listen to me! This is what happened!"

Lin An recounted the whole story to the two of them. Simon and the female captain exchanged glances, and the former sighed softly.

"Lin, your behavior was indeed somewhat inappropriate. However, considering that you are a newcomer and this is your first offense, we will handle it leniently after discussion."

Lin An poked his head out, his tone filled with righteous indignation.

"When I saw the puppets controlled by the Catsis, I was furious and could hardly contain my anger! The wanton abuse of mysticism to harm ordinary people not only goes against the Foundation's principles but also disregards human rights!"

"I didn't expect you to have such a strong sense of justice." The short-haired female captain raised an eyebrow. "You look very young, are you still in school?"

"A month ago, I was just an ordinary college student."

“That’s not surprising. Young people always have impulsive moments.” The female captain stomped her high heels, making the two team members turn around. “Stop glaring at me. You didn’t even notify me beforehand. If I hadn’t received the news, I wouldn’t have known you secretly returned to Bodehui.”

"Because of this kid—"

Lin An interrupted the male team member again.

"My actions may have been reckless, but every step was carefully considered. With the cooperation between Mishi and me, we were actually fully confident in controlling the [Cat Fairy], after all, my teammate is the [Fairy Queen]."

"Oh?"

“Our fighting rhythm is great,” Mishi quickly chimed in, seizing the opportunity. “Right, Lin?”

“We will handle this matter fairly and justly, whether it’s a reward or a punishment.” Simon pushed Lin An forward with the tip of his wing. “You still owe Captain Selena an apology.”

Lin An blinked: "I'm sorry, I know I was wrong. I won't do it again next time."

"Ugh."

Although the process was tortuous, at least no irreparable damage was caused. The female captain had no way to deal with her colleagues from Dietrich, so she made a "stop" gesture to the two team members and then turned to Simon.

“You must be tired from your journey, Captain Simon. Follow us in your car and take the ferry from the port to the Long Island facility.”

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(End of this chapter)