Absolute Gate

Chapter 114 The Crimson Banquet

The waves gently lapped against the hull as the small yacht sailed across the boundless South Pacific Ocean, following the coordinates obtained by Aba.

With this coordinate, Wu Zhong simply slaughtered a cow, performed divination to verify, and confirmed that the direction was correct.

A day later, they saw Michel's ship, anchored on the vast ocean.

It was a whaling ship that looked old, but had been clearly modified and reinforced.

“That’s the Albatross, Michel’s ship,” Abba said, pointing to the ship with a complicated tone.

Wu Zhong stood at the bow of the boat, squinting as he sized up his target.

He and Aba were on the ship; the others were separated dozens of nautical miles away, waiting for orders.

"A group of people were already watching us from the deck. They must have noticed our ship approaching a long time ago. Their perception is truly extraordinary," Wu Zhong remarked, but it wasn't unexpected.

Michel's abilities are unparalleled at sea; it is said that nothing within dozens of miles of underwater can get close enough to escape his notice.

"Woo!"

As the two ships slowly approached, someone on the deck of the Albatross shouted, "Uncle Aba! You've finally arrived!"

The tall, thin Black man at the head of the group, wearing a floral shirt, looked delighted; it was Michelle.

Three people stood beside him. One of them was thin and had a samurai sword hanging at his waist. He was unconsciously playing with a round dart at his fingertips, which should be a viper.

The man was robust, with arms much thicker than the average person, a steady gaze, blond hair, and blue eyes; it was Parsley.

There was also a woman with chocolate skin in a bikini, a hot figure like a black pearl, standing to the side and behind Michelle; she must be his wife, Paula.

"Just these four Silver-ranked individuals?"

Wu Zhong muttered to himself, following closely behind Aba as they climbed onto the whaling ship.

“Senior Aba!” Parsley smiled broadly. He was a newcomer to the rebels, having joined just a month before the rebels collapsed. Aba, who had been there for several years, was indeed his senior.

Aba patted his shoulder: "What kind of senior am I? Just call me Aba from now on."

"You're still the same as always, officer." Although Viper's eyes were sinister, his expression was still friendly. He nodded in greeting, then his gaze fell on Wu Zhongsheng.

Wu Zhong smiled shyly and remained silent, looking quite embarrassed.

Aba said, "They're all my old comrades-in-arms. Call them over, didn't I introduce them to you before?"

Wu Zhong was a little nervous and hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Greetings, everyone."

The others laughed when they saw him like that.

In fact, Wu Zhong is a very introverted person by nature, but he was forced to work after a major change in his life. Even so, before, things like buying tickets, renting cars, and arranging accommodations were all done by Yang Chunsha, and he just followed along because he didn't like useless socializing.

So at this moment, his performance was partly a return to his human nature and partly an imitation of Yak.

"Haha!" Michelle's face lit up with a warm smile, her tone filled with genuine joy: "This must be Uncle Abba's friend Adon from the Arctic, right? Welcome, welcome!"

"Brother, don't be nervous. We've been through thick and thin together. You're Uncle Aba's friend, so you're my brother!"

He put his arm around Wu Zhong's shoulder, acting very familiar with him.

Paula nodded slightly, looking at the shy creature with interest, her smile alluring: "Little friend, I heard you teamed up with Uncle Aba to escape from Hans, not bad at all?"

Wu Zhong lowered his head and said, "It's all thanks to Senior Aba's skill. Even though he was severely injured, he was still incredibly brave..."

"Hmph, let's not talk about it anymore," Aba suddenly interrupted.

"That Hans guy, I don't know where he heard the rumors, I almost died at his hands."

The group paused slightly, looking bewildered: "What rumor?"

Abba paused for a moment: "Michelle, didn't you tell everyone?"

Michelle sighed, "I still can't believe that Hans, Sedo, and Morris would do that... They're all on our side."

Parsley asked, "What exactly happened?"

Michel immediately recounted Aba's experience in the Arctic, which caused an uproar among the crowd, who were all filled with righteous indignation.

"What? Hans actually did this, attacking Aba based solely on a guess?"

"That bastard! He always shirked his duties in the army, and he ran away during the final battle. He's not one of our Black Rock Army at all!"

“Seddo is in cahoots with him, they're inseparable. But why would Maurice do the same?”

“Aba has always been an honest man. If he says it’s not true, then it’s definitely not true. I think these rumors were spread by that dog president to harm people. The Fountain of Immortality must have been secretly scooped up by that dog president himself.”

The group was shocked and furious, and they cursed Hans and his gang.

Aba was taken aback, glanced at Wu Zhong, and said: "Look, this is a true comrade-in-arms. The relationship between us is still very good, not as bad as you say."

Wu remained silent, neither confirming nor denying.

“Uncle Aba, I’m so happy you’re back to help me. We can fight side by side again.”

"I'm not going to say anything more, I've prepared a welcome feast."

Michelle led everyone into the cabin, where they took their seats at the banquet.

The dishes on the table weren't particularly exquisite, after all, we were on the sea, but the variety was plentiful and the drinks were unlimited.

After everyone was seated, Aba asked, "Where's Long Qi? I heard from Hans that he's here too."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a figure appeared in the banquet hall in a flash, teleporting instantly!

He was not old, but he stood with his hands behind his back in a Tang suit. He was tall and handsome, and his eyes had a depth and sharpness beyond his years.

This person seemed to be surrounded by an invisible aura, making the air seem somewhat stagnant.

He didn't try to show anything special, but everyone's attention seemed unable to be completely taken off him.

"Long time no see, Aba." The young man nodded slightly, which was his way of greeting him.

Wu Zhong looked at him speechlessly. Well, this guy is a show-off.

“Long Qi, you’re still as…imposing and dignified as ever,” Aba laughed.

Long Qi suppressed his aura and said calmly, "I'm sorry, I must always keep the multi-dimensional moment active."

Aba nodded: "I understand. I've also heard that our location has been exposed. Now many mercenary groups probably know that we're in this area."

"Long Qi, everyone's safety depends on you."

Michelle laughed and said, "Actually, it's not too bad. The mercenary group that discovered us has been completely wiped out."

"This has greatly deterred other mercenary groups. Unless President Gangu adds more money, no mercenary group should be willing to take action easily for the time being."

Abba exclaimed in surprise, "Oh? They were all silenced? How did you manage that?"

Michelle told him directly, "Guess why I'm sailing this old ship? It's a gift from my dad years ago, and it has a 'magic crystal cannon' hidden inside."

"This is information unknown to outsiders. Anyone who comes here will die."

Aba was stunned: "The leader had made this preparation? No wonder you wanted to hide in the 'calm zone' of the Pacific Ocean."

"As long as the field of vision is good and the enemy is spotted in advance, a single shot before they board the ship will reduce even a Gold-level expert to ashes."

Wu Zhong's heart skipped a beat. There were other good things?
The Magic Crystal Cannon was an auction item; he had seen it on the forum before. It was a classic multi-purpose weapon capable of obliterating even a Gold-level powerhouse.

It is said that its kinetic energy power is similar to that of ordinary cannons, but it has an amazing magical destructive effect. Unless the target has extremely high magic resistance, they will all die.

For example, Wu Zhong has eighty years of experience with the Longevity Technique, but his magic resistance is still zero.

If you were hit by this shell, you would be completely destroyed.

Fortunately, he did not choose to launch a direct attack; otherwise, his ship would have been discovered dozens of miles away and destroyed with a single shot.

Aba glanced at Wu Zhong, who smiled at him.

Although he now knew that Michelle had such a thing as the Magic Crystal Cannon, Wu Zhong's unfathomable depths still left him with no interest in such matters.

Wu Zhong is a powerful figure who wields a calamity-inducing artifact and possesses multiple absolute characteristics.

In the realm of calamities, the existence of calamity-related objects and the absence of calamity-related objects are two different dimensions!
Not to mention, now that we're on the ship, the magic crystal cannon is useless at close range.

"The leader is truly far-sighted, having already prepared an escape route for everyone. No wonder even Long Qi stayed by your side."

"Before that, I was foolish enough to hide away all by myself."

Aba gave a bitter smile.

Michelle laughed and said, "Don't say that to Uncle Abba, it's also my fault for not telling you."

"It's not too late to come back now. You are the person my father trusts the most. With you and Brother Longqi here, I can rest easy."

"Come on, come on, drink!"

He personally poured wine for Aba, and the group toasted each other, eating and drinking heartily.

They chatted about interesting things from their time in the military, and everything seemed like a long-lost reunion of comrades-in-arms—warm, friendly, and in an extremely harmonious atmosphere.

So far, there has been not a trace of tension.

Aba began to doubt Wu Zhong's judgment, feeling that Wu Zhong was wrong and that Michelle and Long Qi truly needed his old comrade-in-arms' return. His reputation and character in the military were impeccable; how could anyone possibly harm him…

"Ugh..."

In the midst of the revelry, Aba's expression suddenly changed, and the wine glass in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter" and shattered.

He covered his head, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. His face turned from red to blue, and his lips began to turn purple.

Wu Zhong glanced at him and thought to himself: Here he comes...

However, once he had eaten and drunk his fill, he was perfectly fine. With the ouroboros ring around him, he could kill any poisonous creature, so he could eat and drink as he pleased.

Seeing the situation suddenly reverse, he immediately used his internal energy to force out a lot of sweat. He looked as if he had been pulled out of the water, his face was pale, and he fell off the chair.

“Aba? What’s wrong?” Michelle stood up with a look of “surprise” and “concern”.

"It's...it's poisonous!" Aba managed to utter a few words, his strength receding like a receding tide, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to even move his fingers.

He looked at Michelle in disbelief, at Long Qi, at everyone, his eyes filled with the pain of betrayal.

Michelle, Parsley, and Paula all stood up.

Viper chuckled sinisterly, overturned the table, sprang forward, drew his katana, and swung it twice.

He severed Aba's arms, cutting them off at the shoulder! Extremely ruthless!
Michelle was both shocked and furious: "Viper! What are you doing! Stop it!"

Parsley looked at him: "Michel, the chief's things are only given to two people, and you weren't even there when the chief died, so where could the things be?"

“You said those words yourself. Aren’t you implying that our leader gave the spring water to Aba? We’re helping you get back what belongs to you.”

“There’s no need for this! Can’t we just talk to him nicely?” Michelle frowned, but stopped in her tracks and didn’t actually step forward to stop him.

“There’s one more.” Long Qi put down his wine glass, his expression calm.

Then the viper slashed twice more, severing Wu Zhong's arms, which were covered in blood.

"Ugh!"

Aba screamed and glared angrily at the crowd.

Before he came, Wu Zhong's words had prepared him mentally, and he was already prepared.

But ever since he boarded the ship, the atmosphere has been harmonious. Everyone confided in him, and the Magic Crystal Cannon also told him about it.

When talking about his past experiences in the military, Aba was completely moved by this "sincere" camaraderie and began to think it was nonsense.

Then, suddenly a group of people attacked him. The contrast was so great that his shock was genuine.

"I'm sorry, Aba, I poisoned the drink," the viper said shamelessly.

Aba lay hoarsely in a pool of blood, uttering, "Why...why did Hans do this, and why did you all do it too..."

"I have never wronged you."

The viper sneered: "You took the leader's fountain of youth, but that's not something you can touch."

Abba said, "I didn't... What makes you think I took it? Hans said so, and you all say so too..."

Viper rolled his eyes: "Hans is a smart man. He must have been confident to secretly come to you."

“And Aba, you’re an honest man, we can all tell when you’re lying.”

Wu Zhong collapsed to the ground, his face contorted in pain, but he was on the verge of collapse.

When Abba lies, he does tend to ramble on and on, even asking rhetorical questions, rather than being straightforward or confronting the truth directly.

Ou Qin walked over to Wu Zhongsheng and said, "This kid said before that you were seriously injured but still brave. That is indeed your ability, but it won't last."

"The Bloodhowl Battle Intent Outburst will severely aggravate your injuries. Unless you have something that can effectively heal yourself, the Battle Intent state will not last long."

"You were able to escape from Hans, which must have been aided by the Fountain of Youth. Otherwise, how could Hans, Sedo, and Maurice have failed?"

Wu Zhong raised an eyebrow. He had just casually mentioned Aba's Blood Howl Battle Spirit ability, and these people were able to analyze that Aba must have the Fountain of Youth. That was truly amazing.

However, when it came to the actual battle situation in the Arctic snow, Aba could only remain silent for the moment.

"Speak, Aba, I'll distribute the spoils. I'll guarantee your survival. I, Long Qi, keep my word." Long Qi spoke, his voice carrying a soul-stirring power.

Abba was suddenly invaded by a spiritual force.

His eyes were filled with struggle and confusion: "Actually, I..."

At the same time, Long Qi glared angrily, then suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his face pale and weak: "What? Yellow Springs Water?"

Aba jolted awake and came to his senses again.

He looked at Long Qi with lingering fear. This divine sense was indeed powerful. Fortunately, he had consumed a large amount of Yellow Spring Water beforehand.

"You...you actually guarded against me!" Long Qi couldn't believe that an honest man like Aba would be wary of him, to the point that he himself was caught off guard...and his divine sense was injured at this moment.

The viper shouted, "His fear of your hypnosis is precisely a sign of his guilty conscience! The Fountain of Youth must be with him!"

"It's up to you, Viper," Long Qi said through gritted teeth.

The viper sneered, its left hand turning black as it waved twice in the air.

Abba screamed in agony as the toxins in his body caused him immense pain.

"Stop being stubborn, Aba, suffer less!" The viper could even control its own venom.

Seeing this, Wu Zhong thought it was about time.

At this moment, he only needs to suddenly jump up and give Ababa a bite of the prepared ice block, which contains a drop of the Fountain of Youth, instantly healing Ababa.

And so, everything is set, and he will take over the rhythm.

Of course, he would also take a drop himself to regrow his arms.

All I can say is that these people were ruthless. Not only did they poison him, but they also cut off his arms, forcing him to ingest a drop as well.

"Hmm?" Just as Wu was about to take action, the situation suddenly changed again.

"Ugh, cough cough cough..." Aba convulsed violently, his body began to rot, emanating an ominous aura, the blood in his wounds congealed and turned purple, his whole body stiffened, and he was covered with red hair.

Long Qi sensed that his life force was waning and exclaimed in alarm, "Stop! Don't kill him!"

To everyone's surprise, even the viper exclaimed, "Huh? This isn't my venom!"

“I only gave him a venom that would cause him pain and weakness, but this deadly poison is not from the same system as mine.”

"He...he's been poisoned by two kinds of poison!"

Long Qi was startled: "Ah? There's a second kind of poison? Who used it?"

He suddenly looked around at everyone, remembering Aba's previous escape from Hans. So they agreed to keep Aba calm and make him think everything was normal.

In reality, everyone on the second floor poisoned the food, intending to control him and get his hands on the Fountain of Immortality.

Surprisingly, someone even poisoned the red-haired creature on the third floor!
"Who is it!" Long Qi's cold gaze swept across the entire scene.

The two people lying on the ground are definitely not them, and neither are the viper and parsley.

His gaze was fixed on Michelle and Paula, a couple who were not fully involved in planning the event, though Michelle had hinted at it.

"Michelle, did you do this?"

Long Qi, Viper, and Parsley all looked at Michelle.

But at that moment, Michelle also convulsed violently, slumped in the chair, her body stiffened, and red hair grew out.

"What!" The crowd gasped in disbelief.

"What happened! Someone poisoned me! Who was it!" Michelle screamed in pain, suddenly stood up, and then stumbled and bumped into the cabinet.

Next was Paula, who also collapsed, her body covered in red hair.

"They were both poisoned too? Wait... where was the poison put?"

Long Qi was startled, and then he also felt a pain that made his blood seem to freeze.

He leaned stiffly against the wall, and red hair began to grow on his body!

"Pfft!"

"Ah! Me too..."

The viper and parsley stumbled and leaned against each other, as the mysterious red venom took effect.

This scene left Wu Zhong completely bewildered.

He was perfectly fine; his apparent poisoning was just an act. But instead of getting up, he immediately lay back down.

"What's going on? Has everyone been poisoned?"

Wu Zhong was astonished. What kind of bloody banquet was this? How many people had poisoned the food? Or had other mercenary groups infiltrated the area?
He was a little confused about the situation and didn't make any rash moves for the time being.

……

(End of this chapter)