Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Carnival
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An underground performance for the heavyweights of the underworld.
Goodfellas.
A secret club that put on unconventional and provocative shows for those with peculiar tastes.
Shin-ju and Enri left the café and stood side-by-side in the middle of an LA slum, choked with black exhaust fumes.
They checked the invitation they had received from Jason.
Shin-ju glanced unconsciously at Enri’s face.
Enri was smiling, her eyes narrowed.
Shin-ju was puzzled.
“…Why are you smiling?”
“Oh, it’s just…”
Enri closed her eyes as if recalling a fond memory.
“I was just thinking about the female guard I had a real brawl with the last time I was here on a business trip. She was a truly strong person…”
Enri’s expression once again blazed with a competitive spirit.
“She was the first woman I’d ever seen who could take my fists like that and keep standing. It still bothers me that we never settled the score, hehe…”
Shin-ju couldn’t quite meet Enri’s gaze.
“Ah, I see.”
“I’d love to meet her again. I wonder if she’s still working here.”
Shin-ju glanced at Enri from the corner of his eye. In that moment, she looked just like Sharin.
Though, of course, her belligerent tendencies were a bit less pronounced.
Enri looked back at Shin-ju.
“So, what’s the plan now?”
“Hmm… Shall we start with some reconnaissance?”
Shin-ju pointed with his chin toward a poster across the street.
“Enri, let’s have a drink over there tonight.”
“Oho, heading straight in, are we?”
“No need to take the long way around.”
“Sounds good. Ah, I hope that woman is there again.”
Time passed. It was 8 PM.
The neon lights of LA flickered here and there.
Retro was the trend in LA these days.
The streets evoked the atmosphere of city pop from a century ago, exuding a sense of nostalgic, romantic, yet lonesome feeling.
On a giant electronic billboard, Tibee-ra could be seen singing beautifully.
A moment later, various commercial products, along with the faces of several alien stars, vied for screen time.
Below the billboard, a mix of large and small aliens and Americans reveled in the frenzied LA night.
Meanwhile, Shin-ju and Enri, having changed into plain clothes to enter ‘Goodfellas’, stood facing each other in a slum alleyway.
Enri had taken off her glasses and put in contacts to hide her identity.
Without her glasses, she radiated a certain charisma.
And the one-piece dress, a mix of white and black that created a luxurious atmosphere, further enhanced her charismatic presence.
Shin-ju, too, was neatly dressed in a beige suit with a crimson tie.
It seemed he was trying to project the image of a high-ranking official.
Enri looked at him and smiled.
“You look like the son of some rich tycoon, about to inherit the family business.”
“Haha, and you look like the daughter who was dragged to a high-society party against her will.”
Shin-ju laughed at her analogy, thinking that Enri had almost become a full-fledged Earthling.
Now, shall we make our way into that secret underground club?
Shin-ju and Enri had memorized all the materials Jason had prepared for them beforehand.
Carrying everything from the secret entry code to fake IDs, the two descended a flight of stairs in an LA alley.
It was an incredibly deep place.
After descending about 300 steps, perhaps?
In the pitch-black darkness, a pair of stark white eyes and teeth suddenly appeared.
Unfazed, Shin-ju and Enri stopped in their tracks.
“Welcome.”
“May I have the code?”
A gruff voice flowed out of the darkness.
“Newfidelios.”
Shin-ju answered calmly.
The eyes and mouth vanished into the darkness.
A moment later, two golden masks materialized in mid-air.
“Please wear these masks.”
The two calmly took the masks and put them on their faces.
*Clunk— Screeeech*
A door in the darkness slowly began to open.
Shin-ju and Enri, arm in arm like a couple, entered the space.
They struggled to keep the surprise off their faces.
It was a truly massive space.
To think a place of this scale could exist underground.
The interior, with its crimson carpet, was surrounded by red curtains, giving it the feel of a three-story opera house.
A peculiar humming sound, along with the sound of someone chanting, filled the space.
In the center were tables of various sizes, suited for different aliens, and at one end, a large stage was set up.
Perhaps because it was still early, only a few masked guests were scattered about, chatting amongst themselves.
Shin-ju and Enri naturally took an empty seat in a corner.
“It’s inconvenient not having a timetable. I’m also curious.”
Advance information about the Goodfellas performers was kept strictly confidential.
While this was partly for the surprise factor of the show, it was also meant to preemptively block any information related to those in the underworld.
“Come to think of it, Kai might not even appear today.”
“Even if we don’t meet Kai, it’s a good opportunity to get a read on the underworld heavyweights. We can’t say they’re completely unrelated.”
*Murmur, murmur, murmur.*
Various alien species gradually began to fill the club.
“Enri, look over there.”
Shin-ju pointed to the third floor, where a cobra-like alien was hissing.
He had sly yellow eyes and sharp fangs.
What looked like long black hair was, upon closer inspection, not hair at all, but some kind of protective membrane.
“Bokelemimvter, the First Executive of Bio Vanguard.”
Also known as ‘Viper’.
Viper had beautiful female aliens tucked under each arm, cackling with laughter.
Diagonally behind Viper, a club guard stood tall, exuding an immense presence.
A very tall, muscular woman with long, curly hair.
The Black Dragon who had once had a proper brawl with Enri, and the fighting champion of Goodfellas.
It was ‘Deadcasher’.
Her dark skin, massive horns, and the fierce charisma radiating from her red eyes were striking.
Dressed in a black spandex outfit, she stood behind Viper with her hands clasped behind her back, surveying her surroundings.
The moment Enri saw her, her eyes lit up.
Ignoring Enri, Shin-ju stroked his chin.
If someone like Viper was here, the entertainers tonight were surely not your average performers.
If he was lucky, he might get to see Kai along with other top-tier celebrities right away.
But was Kai really at a level to perform here?
Then again, if Kim Cha-yoon—no, if M.I.X above her—had pulled some strings, it wasn’t impossible.
*Thump, thump, thump, thump*
Suddenly, a giant mechanical robot that looked like it was from the Frontline brushed past Shin-ju and Enri.
The four-meter-tall robot, with a single eye and a fedora, tipped its hat in greeting to Viper.
The people around them also murmured at the sight of its massive frame.
Viper narrowed his eyes and nodded.
Who’s that?
A new executive?
Shin-ju began to feel a needless tension at the appearance of a new face.
He fiddled with the Old Book in his pocket.
Just then, a waiter glided up beside him.
It was a female demon whose appearance was reminiscent of a succubus.
“Greetings, master. Welcome to Goodfellas. We hope you enjoy the new sights you’ve never seen before. What special item would you two like to start with?”
Shin-ju’s mind raced for a moment.
Special item? What’s a special item?
He observed the waitress.
Confirming that she was holding a menu, Shin-ju replied naturally, as if nothing was amiss.
“I think it would be best to start with a wine we can share.”
Shin-ju naturally used Enri’s fake name.
“Ms. Berin, what would you prefer? Red or white wine? Or perhaps champagne?”
Enri, who had been looking up at the third floor, snapped back to attention and answered at the perfect moment.
“I’ll have champagne.”
“Yes, I’ll have the same.”
The waitress who took their order stood still for a moment as if in thought, then closed her eyes, bowed her head quietly, and retreated.
Shin-ju let out an internal sigh of relief.
*Phew~* Got through that one.
This kind of situation wasn’t in the files.
The ‘special item’ the waitress mentioned was almost certainly some kind of drug or illegal substance.
But he vaguely remembered hearing from Jason that it wasn’t mandatory, and in such cases, it was fine to just order a normal alcoholic beverage.
Quick thinking.
Shin-ju inwardly admired himself.
“Check! Check!”
The sound of a microphone test echoed through the air.
The guests in the club briefly looked up, their attention focused.
Suddenly, the lights went out, and a spotlight shone on the center of the stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Humans and aliens!”
The host’s flippant voice boomed.
Shin-ju and Enri also turned their heads toward the stage.
Alright, the show is about to begin.
“Khehehehehehe! I see a lot of sexy people in the crowd tonight!”
*Poof!*
A cloud of pink smoke suddenly erupted from the center of the stage.
A moment later, a pair of mismatched red and green eyes glinted from within the smoke.
“A big, big welcome to all of you at Goodfellas!”
As the smoke cleared, a spider-like alien, made up like Ashura Baron with the left side of its face white and the right side black, was seen hanging from the ceiling.
“Goodfellas is the ultimate venue where you can freely indulge in all the filthy, twisted pleasures you’ve been suppressing!”
The spider alien performed acrobatics in the air, its vulgar voice rising.
“For all you immoral men and women, I shall personally present a delectable feast right before your very eyes!”
The spider alien spread its hands and gestured respectfully toward the third floor.
“This establishment also belongs to the First Executive of Bio Vanguard, Lord Viper!
Everyone, please give a warm round of applause for the man who worked tirelessly to make this event possible!”
The high-ranking officials sitting on the first and second floors rose from their seats and gave a standing ovation to ‘Viper’, who was seated on his throne on the third floor.
Shin-ju and Enri, taking the cue, also stood up and applauded Viper.
Viper arrogantly raised a wine glass with one hand in response to the applause.
As the sound of clapping slowly died down, the host introduced himself.
“I am the one and only host of this show, Websoldarian!”
Applause erupted once more.
“Khehehe! Thank you. Some of you might remember this charming clown face of mine.
Tonight, my body and mind have been remodeled for your entertainment, haha! Now! You can look forward to today’s lineup.
But before that, let’s start with a very stimulating opening act!”
From somewhere, the sound of drums began to beat, heightening the atmosphere.
“From the super-hot, 4,300-degree Celsius fireball of a planet, Araki Nunnia! A ruthless demon! The alpha of alpha males who wants to prove his immense strength! The universe’s greatest dominant and sadist! Please enjoy the performance of Duros Graven!”
*‘Wh… what did he just say!’*
Shin-ju almost cried out loud.
Enri urgently looked at Shin-ju’s face.
“Shin-ju…! Did that person just say Duros Graven? The real Duros?”
Shin-ju’s eyes widened, and he bared his teeth.
“Ah, damn it! No way…! What the hell is that demonic bastard doing here?”
*Flick—*
The stage suddenly went dark, and then enormous flames of mixed green and blue shot up.
“Khahaha! Ha! Ha! Ha!”
From within the flames, a colossal demon with crimson skin slowly began to reveal its form.