The crew-cut man didn’t beat around the bush and said directly, "The Mermaid Mask is the key to the Mermaid Game."

Xu Huo turned to look at Shi Shuai and the others, "Does the Fish Banquet Building have this game?"

The little girl and the Girl in the painting naturally turned their gaze to Shi Shuai, who waved his hand, "Don’t look at me, I don’t know either."

"I know." From the distance, at the corridor corner, the round-faced player returned and said, "On the floors ending in three, in rooms ending in three, the Mermaid Game plays at certain times. You just need to enter with someone wearing a Mermaid Mask. Generally, the Mermaid Mask is the game chip; without a chip, you can’t open the door."

"What time?" Xu Huo looked down at the crew-cut man again.

"From eight to nine on the night of the second day of the carnival." The crew-cut man said, "I can give you the mask."

Xu Huo didn’t respond, only observing him.

The crew-cut man immediately became vigilant, "I can’t wear the Mermaid Mask. The Mermaid Mask needs to look good on the person, usually female players wear it."

"And prop disguises don’t work; someone checks before the game starts."

"So you’ve been there." Xu Huo said, "What exactly do they play inside?"

The crew-cut man hesitated before answering, "Actually, it’s just a group of players with backgrounds gathering to exchange female companions, but it needs to be done in the way of gambling."

"The way they play is fairly civilized, just going to the gambling table, and the stake is the people you bring."

"Players with backgrounds refer to?"

"You should have seen some young players with bodyguards in the Fish Banquet Building. They are the ones with backgrounds, mainly here to have fun or gain experience. They’re not necessarily all young; those who like playing this game tend to be older."

Seeing him seemingly not giving up the idea of replacing himself, the crew-cut man quickly added, "These people all have bodyguards. Those who don’t know the rules are lucky just to be beaten up; if they’re careless, they might lose their lives!"

"Why so tense?" Xu Huo said lightly, "With your looks, the chances of being beaten to death are quite high."

The crew-cut man didn’t mind being mocked and continued, "Leave some room for maneuver, and we might meet again in the future. Spare me this time, and I owe you a favor. If you need help in the Fish Banquet Building in the future, I will definitely repay this favor!"

"I haven’t heard such refreshingly sophisticated lies in a long time." Shi Shuai came over, squatting in front of him, "You must not think we are fools. You wanted to kill us just now! Letting you go would be asking for trouble, wouldn’t it?"

"Blow him up then." The Girl in the painting asked the little girl for two miniature bombs and played with them in her hand.

The crew-cut man ignored the others and looked only at Xu Huo, "I mean what I say. With so many players in the Fish Banquet Building, today’s enemies might be tomorrow’s friends. There’s no deep hatred, can you kill every player you’ve had conflicts with?"

"If you’re uneasy, I can set up a contract with you."

"I have a special item that can forcibly bind contract signers. If I don’t fulfill the agreement, the collateral item will be directly transferred to you."

"I can mortgage all my Rank A Props."

"Rank A Props are hard to come by, no one would easily give them up."

The crew-cut man was trying hard to convince Xu Huo, but Xu Huo showed no sign of agreeing, while the materialized items on the man’s body slowly faded.

"I’m not interested in setting up a contract," he said, moving the Black Blade away, "but if I can catch you once, I can catch you a second time."

The crew-cut man stood up, surprisingly without running away. He grinned, "I’m Qiu Ping, not a good person, but when I say something, I never take it back! I will definitely return this favor!"

Xu Huo stepped back two steps, gesturing "please." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Qiu Ping nodded, took out two Mermaid Masks and invitations, placed them on the ground, and quickly left.

"You’re really not going to kill him." Shi Shuai said with a bit of disappointment, "I thought you’d take a stab at him when he turned his back!"

"If you want, you can go finish it." Xu Huo picked up the masks and invitations.

"Brother, you want to play the Mermaid Game?" The round-faced player finally stepped out, a bit excited, "Ordinary people can’t afford to play this game, but if it’s you, you surely can."

"Why do you say that?" The little girl asked curiously.

"You don’t know, this game involves betting on female partners, as well as advanced items, especially those wealthy players who might bet over ten Rank A Props at once." The round-faced player rubbed his hands, "Bro, take me to see it!"

Indeed, there are quite a few people with bodyguards in the Fish Banquet Building, obviously pampered young masters and misses. There are strong and weak Rank A Props, so losing ten isn’t unusual.

"If you know how, why don’t you go yourself?" The little girl asked again.

"My strength is in gathering and collecting information, not fighting." The round-faced player coughed dryly, "You have to guard against those young masters turning hostile."

"There are quite a few Rank-A Players around here; if they stay here for a long time, their bodyguards are mostly Rank A also. The quality and quantity, at least one will be an advantage. It’s not worth it for a few props." Xu Huo was about to put the masks away when someone suddenly ran over from a distance, asking, "Can you sell me your Mermaid Mask?"

The person was a female player. To show her sincerity, she took off her mask as she approached, her face revealing a hint of urgency, "I really need a Mermaid Mask. I’m willing to exchange three advanced items with you."

"Mermaid Game?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow.

The female player’s eyes flickered slightly, "So you know. The Mermaid Mask isn’t really useful for most players... That game isn’t a good place, rumors say you can win Rank A Props there, but actually, more people lose than win. It would be better to kill a few people for a higher return."

The round-faced player pursed his lips, "Then why do you want the mask?"

The female player took a deep breath and finally said, "I need to rescue a friend."

"I’m not afraid to tell you the truth; I have a friend who was caught in here, she didn’t have an invitation and was caught as a mermaid. If she hasn’t been picked, she’s most likely in the Mermaid Game."

"Yesterday, they drew lots for mermaids, today is the carnival, and most of those who genuinely wear Mermaid Masks have already died, and the masks are hard to find, so..."

"The Mermaid Game hasn’t started yet, this is my only hope." She looked back at Xu Huo again, "Please do me a favor and sell me the mask."

"A mask is a small matter." Xu Huo said, "But I heard someone must bring a mermaid inside."

The female player instantly understood, "I can put on the mask and go in with you."