The group exchanged glances, falling into a brief silence.
The old man said, "Since no one else..."
At that moment, Bai Lu, who had been sitting at the bar, raised her hand and asked, "It's already possible to start fighting, isn't it?"
The old man nodded, "If no one has any objections, then it is indeed possible to start fighting."
Bai Lu continued, "We can start fighting from this very spot, correct?"
The old man nodded again, "Yes."
Bai Lu's expression suddenly turned ferocious as she looked around with ill intent.
In that instant, everyone, including Bai Ye, felt a sense of approaching danger. And just then...
Bai Lu suddenly stood up, a detonator appearing in her hand without warning.
"In that case..." Bai Lu's pupils dilated, a hint of excitement showing as she said, "All of you can just die!"
Boom, boom, boom!
As Bai Lu pressed the detonator, the sound of explosions suddenly erupted.
The surrounding walls and the ground beneath their feet began to explode continuously. The entire floor trembled and shook, walls collapsed one after another, and the ground cracked.
Then...
Boom!
A deafening roar sounded again, and a large section of the floor sank downwards. Everyone began to fall.
This sudden demolition caught everyone off guard.
Bai Ye was slightly better prepared. The moment Bai Lu started asking questions, Bai Ye had a feeling things were about to go wrong. After all, Bai Lu's nickname was the "Queen of Munitions"!
As the explosions started, Bai Ye understood what was happening. Bai Lu must have planted bombs in various locations while they were coming upstairs.
Thinking this, Bai Ye took out a talisman and quickly threw it out as she plummeted downwards.
"Earth Spell!"
The talisman quickly ignited. As Bai Ye landed on the lower floor, three earthen walls rose diagonally, stacking and interlocking to push away the falling debris and shield Bai Ye beneath.
Momentarily, the sounds of explosions gradually subsided. Bai Ye crawled out from a gap in the earthen walls and looked around. It was a complete ruin. The 22nd floor they had been on had almost entirely collapsed. Looking up, only a large hole remained.
Immediately after, Bai Lu walked to the edge of the gaping hole, holding a Vulcan Gatling gun in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other.
The night breeze blew through the shattered walls, causing Bai Lu's red evening gown to flutter.
The next moment, Bai Lu finished her red wine, casually tossed the empty glass aside, and lifted the Vulcan Gatling gun.
"Hi, boys!" Bai Lu grinned, "Shall we dance the tango together!"
As she laughed, Bai Lu pulled the trigger of the Vulcan Gatling gun!
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump...
The barrel spun rapidly, spewing fire as bullets rained down, madly shooting towards the ground below.
Almost instantly, those who had just emerged from the ruins began to scatter.
"Crazy woman!"
Bai Ye cursed, then bolted, spotting the twisted metal of the emergency stairwell door to the side. With a sudden lunge, she lowered her shoulder and smashed the door open, tumbling inside.
Bai Ye breathed a slight sigh of relief. The emergency stairwell was outside the firing line. But then...
Boom!
Just as Bai Ye's heart settled, another explosion occurred, and the floor shook again.
"Is this woman out of her mind?" Bai Ye cursed, spitting on the ground. "How many bombs did she set off?"
Glancing at the ruins outside the emergency stairwell, Bai Ye decisively began to descend.
Bai Ye had no intention of confronting Bai Lu here. The woman was clearly prepared, and who knew how many more bombs she had. Fighting her now would be too disadvantageous.
Most importantly, there was chaos!
Although everyone seemed to have scattered after Bai Lu's rampage, they should still be within the building. A direct confrontation could easily escalate into a free-for-all.
A free-for-all meant unpredictability!
Bai Ye was confident in her own strength. Therefore, compared to a chaotic battle where accidents were likely, Bai Ye preferred to pick them off one by one.
Thinking this, Bai Ye continued to descend. However, after only three floors, she was forced to stop. The emergency stairwell ahead had collapsed.
Bai Ye took a deep breath and pushed open the emergency stairwell door to the side.
Next to the entrance of the emergency stairwell were two elevator doors. Bai Ye pressed one, and to her surprise, it still worked!
The areas where Bai Lu had planted bombs were the 22nd and 21st floors, which had completely turned into ruins. However, the floors below seemed unaffected by the explosions.
The elevator by the emergency stairwell was not the same one that led directly to the banquet hall, so it hadn't been damaged by the explosions.
Since that was the case, she could take the elevator directly to the first floor. Bai Ye decided to leave the building first.
The Twelve Great Battles were a contest where the last one standing was the victor!
The phrase "last one standing" was key. Even if one could eliminate ten opponents, if they were killed in the final battle, they would still be the loser.
And as the elevator floor numbers slowly ticked upwards...
Suddenly, Bai Ye sensed something amiss and quickly dodged to the side.
The next moment, a massive fist grazed Bai Ye's cheek and shot forward, smashing into the elevator door and leaving a dent in it.
Bai Ye quickly turned and swept her leg towards her opponent's waist, knocking them back.
The opponent was nearly two meters tall and extremely muscular, their clothes stretched taut by their formidable physique, revealing clear lines of muscle.
Bai Ye recognized him. At the banquet hall, he had been playing darts alone in a corner. And the zodiac sign he represented...
"The Rooster is this muscular..." Bai Ye shook her head. "It really doesn't look right!"
The Rooster pouted, "I didn't expect the Dragon to be so small either!"
The twelve individuals didn't know each other's names, except for Bai Ye, who had memories from a past life and recognized a few familiar faces.
However, even without knowing names, they could identify each other's zodiac signs. After receiving their identities, a corresponding zodiac imprint appeared on everyone's clothing.
This distinction of identity was not without purpose. Identities were assigned based on the number of forbidden zone missions completed. Therefore, while it couldn't completely represent strength, it could be understood as a ranking of power. The more forbidden zone missions completed, the higher the zodiac order received.
This way, one could infer the enemy's and their own strength to some extent based on their zodiac sign, and then strategize accordingly.
After all, this was a killing game, not a martial arts tournament!
Killing didn't always have to come from a frontal assault!
...