Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 285 Putting the blame on
As night deepened, dim shadows filled the surroundings, and the moonlight was obscured by the dark clouds, so that not a single ray of light could be seen.

At this time, there was no living person on the street. Even the night watchman was unwilling to risk being thrown to his death by going out. So the whole city was shrouded in silence, with only the occasional bark of a dog, which would immediately fall silent again.

In this atmosphere that resembles a dead city, in a secluded courtyard in a corner of the eastern part of the city, lights still shone.

From the outside, it appears simple and unadorned, just an ordinary family's residence, but inside it is decorated with gold and silver, exuding an air of wealth and luxury.

Inside the lavishly decorated room, a pale-faced man with a nervous smile was constantly stroking something in his hand.

It was a smooth, delicate human skin with a warm, lustrous sheen.

He stared at the human skin with a look of rapture in his eyes, his fingers moving with exquisite gentleness, as if caressing an incomparably precious work of art.

After a while, a series of urgent knocks broke the silence.

The man stopped pointing, a look of displeasure crossing his face, but he still spoke.

"Come in!"

Soon, an old man, around fifty or sixty years old, who looked like a clerk, walked in with a hunched back and cautious steps.

"Sir, I'm here."

But before she could finish speaking, the man interrupted her.

"No rush, no rush, take a look at this item of mine first, what do you think?"

The man still wore that strange smile, like a child showing off his toys, as he unfolded the human skin towards the advisor.

The human skin appeared to have been tanned; there was no trace of blood or fat on it, and it appeared a deathly pale color under the light.

The clerk shuddered, feeling an urgent urge to urinate, but he dared not show the slightest disrespect to this gentleman, and could only smile obsequiously.

"It's beautiful, of course it's beautiful! You chose it yourself, sir, how could it not be beautiful?"

Hearing these obviously perfunctory words, the man's interest only grew stronger.

"You're right. Come here, look at the feel and the color. It's the best of the best."

Before the advisor could reply, the man spoke again, seemingly lost in reverie.

"The skin of a young girl must endure humiliation, torture, interrogation, and finally be peeled off in despair. Simply peeling it off directly is a waste of good material. How can this emotionless immersion allow that perfect feeling to seep into the skin?"

The clerk broke out in a cold sweat, almost unable to stand. It wasn't until much later that the man finished boasting. The clerk raised his head, about to speak, but was suddenly interrupted by the man again.

"Alas, it's a pity that His Highness doesn't like this kind of thing, otherwise I could have contributed some of my best treasured pieces. Oh, speaking of which, I just remembered, has His Highness had any news or instructions lately?"

The advisor lowered his head and quickly said.

"There's no news from the Prince. He just said that since the birthday banquet is approaching, he won't show up again until the banquet starts. He just told all the officials not to cause any trouble. As for his orders, he only said to capture the Zhenxie Division and the Tianming people—but they've already headed for Yong'an City, so it's none of our business."

"What a pity."

The man sighed, unsure whether he regretted not being able to see the prince for the time being, or regretted missing the opportunity to perform meritorious service and curry favor.

"Oh right, you seemed to want to say something earlier, say it now."

The advisor then wiped the sweat from his face and hurriedly said...

"Sir, there was an accident with the men you sent out today."

The man's face immediately darkened.

"What kind of accident? Could it be like last time, that someone stumbled upon it and stopped it? What a bunch of useless fools. In that case, mobilize the rest of the men and make sure to surround and kill this meddlesome fellow, just like last time." The advisor's expression became even more anxious as he hurriedly said.

"No, sir, no one stopped us this time."

"Was it because the woman's family resisted, and it was difficult to take action immediately?"

"Neither"

"So you made a scene and the neighbors called the police? Why are you bothering me with such a small matter? Just find another time to go and tie him up."

"Neither is this."

"what is that?"

At this moment, the clerk finally managed to squeeze out a complete sentence and hurriedly said.

"Sir, the problem is... those guys got away!"

"What?"

The man's face froze completely, and it took him a while to murmur something.

"When you say 'run away,' do you mean the woman ran away?"

The advisor's face was even more grim than the man's, and he was almost in tears.

"No, it's those people the sect hired a while ago, what's their name? The Northern Luo Bandits or something. Didn't you send them some money a few days ago, sir? Today they said they were going to find you a pretty girl, but then they turned around and used the sect's orders to trick their way into opening the city gate, knocked out the guards, and then all of them ran out in a swarm!"

However, despite what the advisor said, the man still couldn't believe it.

"But their leader Wu clearly already discussed it with the church, and even personally received the church's blessing. He didn't seem to have any problems a few days ago. How could he just run away without any warning? I'm telling you, aren't you mistaken?"

The advisor immediately cried out that he was wronged.

“How could there be a mistake? The one who tricked his way into opening the city gate was the third brother of the group. The guards saw it with their own eyes, there’s no mistake. The hoofprints outside the city also match their numbers. Besides, those guys had been complaining to you, sir, for a while now. It’s obvious they ran off with the money. I told you long ago, sir, those guys have never been trustworthy. Wu Lihe may talk a lot about morality and righteousness, but they’re notorious for not keeping their word—and look, this is what happened!”

The man listened but did not reply. He simply pulled the piece of human skin over to the candlelight on the table, unfolded it, and examined it carefully.

He seemed indifferent at first glance, but then...

The man then threw the human skin, which he regarded as a treasure, onto the ground!
Then the boot stomped on it hard, crushing it into a black, tattered mess in the blink of an eye.

An angry roar instantly echoed through the small room.

"Damn it, you actually dared to try and scam me! How dare you!"

The advisor quickly bowed and replied.

"Sir, what are your orders?"

"Issue a document in the church to tell everyone that from now on, kill any of these so-called Northern Luo bandits you see, and I will pay all the rewards."

A moment later, he let out another angry roar.

"Bah! They dared to cheat me out of my money! I'll skin them alive!"

　There are two more chapters to go, one will be a regular update and the other will be an extra chapter as a thank you, but it will be a little later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)