Almost everyone knows that drinking can cause trouble, and alcohol itself isn't a good thing.

But the physiological stimulation brought by alcohol, and the ability to make one forget all troubles, ascending to a heavenly bliss, is irresistible.

Even with today's advanced technology, it remains one of the main ways people indulge themselves, and to ensure those troubled by trivial matters can get drunk, its alcohol content keeps increasing.

Even Yang Lie, the Apprentice Death God, was dead drunk, slurring his words.

"Hmm... Anyway, our initial financing has been successfully completed..."

"To celebrate... this great moment... let's invite Chief He... to say a few words about our successful cooperation!"

"Alright!"

"Chief He! Don't be shy, say a couple of words..."

People laughed and joked, jesting under the influence of alcohol.

But soon, they couldn't laugh anymore.

Because they realized no matter how outrageous the jokes they made or how inappropriate the comments were, Chief He, who used to always retort humorously, hadn't responded to any of them.

He wasn't here; he had disappeared.

More precisely, not only he was missing; far more than just him.

The guests attending the banquet, those prominent figures who have somewhat contracted "shares in human lives," had now disappeared nearly halfway.

When did they leave? And where did they go?

No one knew the answer.

The guests only knew that those people left silently.

Yang Lie's gaze paused, suddenly sensing something was off.

Although alcohol had muddled his brain, depriving him of much of his thinking ability, in his impression, the friends he invited were respectful to him and generally wouldn't leave without saying goodbye.

But now, the situation seemed somewhat amiss, and the Apprentice Death God's keen perception ability gave him a shallow sense of unease.

"Number Three, come here!"

He steadied himself on the table, staggeringly beckoning an attendant, who immediately got the hint and trotted over. "Master? Any orders?"

The attendant wanted to support Yang Lie but was pushed away by the Apprentice Death God.

"I'm... I'm fine..."

He waved his hand, muttered, "Where did Chief He go? Why haven't they come back for so long?"

"Chief He from the police station went to the bathroom an hour ago, Jiang from United Fruit Industry, Manager Chen from Karl Chemical, Dongnan Chemical... The big shots from the Royal News Agency did the same, saying they went to the restroom."

The attendant explained cautiously, "Some also mentioned going out to sober up, but haven't returned. We even sent people to check the restroom, but no one was there... So, the technical team speculated they might have been too drunk and went home to rest first."

"Speculated?"

Yang Lie frowned slightly; such an explanation obviously couldn't convince him.

"Ask 'Douglas' to pull up the surveillance for me!"

He rubbed his dizzy head and roared, "I want to see the elevator and exit surveillance!"

Douglas was the old hacker from Tiger Head Heavy Industries.

Yang Lie suddenly mentioning this guy indicated he was starting to be suspicious.

The attendant dared not hesitate, quickly fetching a tablet to display the surveillance footage.

Upon a closer look, Yang Lie found that the facts were as the attendant described... The guests were too drunk to even say goodbye before leaving hastily.

The images clearly showed it, even though the quality was slightly blurry, with some surveillance frame rates appearing a bit unsynchronized, there was nothing much to doubt.

On regular days, these tiny details would still pique Yang Lie's suspicion and attention...

But now, he was just too drunk.

"This wine is really strong today..."

He exhaled heavily, his mouth filled with the rich flavor of alcoholic dregs.

"Maybe it's because... that girl's wine... has a higher alcohol content."

Yang Lie recalled Aurora's mixed fruit wine.

The stuff was chilled and had a sweet and sour flavor, making it easy for people to overlook its high alcohol content.

Moreover, alcohol has always been something that shouldn't be mixed; otherwise, it leads easily to heavy drunkenness.

Yang Lie took advantage of his strong constitution to drink like that.

But clearly, he underestimated the potency of that fruit wine, leading him to lose the ability for in-depth thinking, feeling dizzy whenever he tried.

"Thinking about it this way, I was being overly concerned."

He shook his head.

Yes, even he was drunk like this, it's normal for others to be dead drunk and leave quietly, right?

Moreover, those people might have even greeted him, but he was too busy socializing to notice.

When people are muddled by alcohol, their minds tend to find excuses for things that wouldn't be reasonable otherwise...

Yang Lie was no exception.

So, after a round of mental gymnastics, he smiled again, eliminating all unpleasant emotions.

"Just got news, Chief He and others couldn't hold their liquor, drank too much, couldn't take it anymore, so they left early. I guess they're all lying in bed asleep now."

"Hahaha, that old He boasts about his capacity all the time... But he's out of commission already after drinking so little, how embarrassing."

"Let's continue, no need for those fancy routines, let's enjoy as we please!"

"Tonight, let's not leave until we're completely drunk!"

"Alright! Until we're completely drunk!"

With Yang Lie taking the lead, the guest's departure without farewell was lightly brushed aside.

The banquet continued, yet no one was aware of the chilling horror and murderous intent hidden in that small restroom.

...

Later, gradually more people left the venue, either for the bathroom or to sober up outside.

The reasons varied, but the result was the same.

They never returned.

And Yang Lie didn't ask again.

They say, as long as people are at home, they feel safe.

Though the Headquarters Building wasn't exactly Yang Lie's home, it had been his residence for over a year, and his territory.

No matter how careful he was, it's impossible to be timid on his own turf.

However, if he were more cautious and attentive... he would notice the hint of unease flickering in the attendants' eyes.

That was a deeply hidden expression of fear.

The fear of death and the false smile trying to conceal that fear.

If Yang Lie could notice this, he would certainly be able to guess... where exactly the problem lay.

But there are no ifs in this world. Some opportunities, once missed, can never be regained.

Furthermore, this isn't an opportunity to reverse everything.

The judgment for the wicked had already arrived.

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