Chapter 1575: Chapter 1880: Poison Gas (2)

"How did you know?"

"All the members of your Dark Pavilion have a poison capsule hidden in their teeth. If you were truly loyal to the Dark Pavilion, you’d have bitten it and ended your life by now, wouldn’t you?"

Ling Chen’s words took everyone by surprise. They were so focused on capturing the man that they overlooked this detail. If the middle-aged man poisoned himself, they’d be at a loss.

After a moment of silence, the middle-aged man spoke, "They had me draw attention to the ring so others could find a way to the control room, seize control, and then issue orders directly to divert the security personnel around the venue."

The moment he said this, everyone’s expression changed dramatically.

Damn it!

Ling Chen’s heart sank. Without a second thought, he dashed out of the lounge, and the others, realizing the gravity of the situation, quickly headed to the control room.

Upon reaching the control room, as soon as Ling Chen entered, he was hit by a strong scent of blood. Looking closely, he saw over twenty staff members lying in pools of blood, not a single one left alive.

Bastards! Seeing this scene, a fire of anger surged in Ling Chen’s heart. These Dark Pavilion people were truly ruthless, having killed them all.

At this moment, those who followed behind were all stunned by the sight.

Ling Chen didn’t have time to check the bodies; he rushed straight to the main screen, hoping to bring up surveillance footage. However, he quickly found that the control room’s main equipment had been sabotaged, with all communications and monitoring cut off.

"Hey! Kai, can you hear me?" Ling Chen picked up the walkie-talkie he carried with him, trying to contact Jiang Yunkai. But all he got through the walkie-talkie was static, unable to reach anyone.

"Ling Chen, what do we do now?" Tong Zhentian, Su Mei, and Du Kang all came over, their faces full of concern under such circumstances.

"Alert the fire department and other security personnel to evacuate the audience immediately," Ling Chen swiftly arranged. "Remember, maintain order, prevent any chaos. Master Su, you oversee with your team. Once the evacuation begins, the Dark Pavilion will surely make a move, and it will be up to you to handle them."

Su Mei nodded, saying, "Don’t worry, I won’t let them succeed." With that, Su Mei left the control room with a group of skilled individuals.

"Elder Tong, even though things are chaotic, we cannot panic ourselves. You stay here and manage the overall situation. I’ll find a way to restore communication."

"Alright, be careful."

Leaving the control room, Ling Chen quickly headed toward the venue entrance. Soon, he observed that none of the fifteen entrances to the venue had any security guards. Just as suspected, Ling Chen frowned. The security personnel originally stationed here had been redirected by the Dark Pavilion. By now, it’s likely that the Dark Pavilion members have entered the venue.

However, this wasn’t Ling Chen’s main concern. The members of the Dark Pavilion blending into the venue wasn’t difficult since the Martial Arts Tournament was open to the public. But the reason for moving the security personnel was surely to smuggle dangerous items into the venue, just like Li Haibin did before. Had Ling Chen not stopped Li Haibin in time, the gas bomb would have caused catastrophic casualties.

Meanwhile, firefighters and security personnel, having been notified, were working hard to evacuate the audience. Fortunately, the venue was open on all sides, only cordoned off with yellow tape. To avoid chaos due to the large crowd, the venue’s security was handling the evacuation from four directions.

"Hey! Chen, did you get that?" At this moment, Jiang Yunkai’s voice came through the earpiece.

"Kai, I can hear you. Is communication fully restored?"

"Our tech team has sorted it out. Chen, we’ve got a problem now."

"What’s the issue?"

"The security team assigned to protect Miss Tang reports they got separated from her and don’t know her whereabouts. Perhaps you should call Miss Tang."

Shiyun? Ling Chen’s heart skipped a beat. "I got it, I’ll handle it." Saying this, Ling Chen quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Tang Shiyun’s number. Soon, the call connected, and hearing Tang Shiyun’s voice, Ling Chen breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Missy, where are you?"

"I’m on the north side of the venue, following the crowd evacuating. Ling, what’s happening? Why are the audience being evacuated suddenly?"

"It’s nothing, just a minor incident. By the way, where’s Sister Hong, is she with you?"

"She’s with me."

"You two stay together, don’t get separated. Call me when you reach a safe area..."

Boom!

Ling Chen was mid-sentence when a loud explosion erupted from the venue. Turning around, he saw a plume of blue-green smoke rising over the crowd, gradually spreading outwards.

This is bad! Ling Chen’s expression changed. The explosion happened right where Tang Shiyun was. "Hey! Missy, can you hear me?" he shouted into the phone.

However, even though the call hadn’t disconnected, there was only silence from Tang Shiyun’s side. Suddenly, Ling Chen’s mind went into chaos. He couldn’t focus on anything else and raced toward the explosion site.

Missy, please be safe!

Ling Chewn clenched his teeth, praying silently. As he reached the scene, a strong acrid odor immediately hit him. Ling Chen held his breath and surveyed the surroundings.

The earlier explosion was loud, but without fire, the impact wasn’t significant. However, the toxic gas overhead posed a serious threat. Some spectators, caught off guard and inhaling the gas, immediately collapsed, feeling weak all over.

"Missy! Missy, where are you?" Ling Chen called out loud as he ran.

"Mr. Ling, we’re over here." Xu Hong’s voice came from a distance. Ling Chen felt a surge of relief and quickly headed in her direction. As he approached, he saw Tang Shiyun lying in Xu Hong’s arms, her face pale and body appearing frail. A short distance away from them lay the remnants of the explosive device.

Due to the close proximity, Tang Shiyun had inhaled a large amount of the toxic gas when it erupted, leaving her in this weakened state.

After checking Tang Shiyun’s condition, Ling Chen immediately picked her up. Looking at Xu Hong beside him, he asked with concern, "Sister Hong, are you alright?"

Xu Hong shook her head, "I’m fine."

Hearing this, Ling Chen was a bit puzzled. From Li Haibin’s description, the gas’s potency was significant. Since Xu Hong and Tang Shiyun were together, Xu Hong must have inhaled it too. Yet Tang Shiyun was incapacitated, while Xu Hong seemed unaffected by the gas.

Such thoughts had no time to dwell on. Ling Chen carried the two women toward an area not yet covered by the gas.