Crowded places are inherently dangerous, especially since the stadium's main lights were out at that moment, creating a pitch-black environment filled with horrific screams. People could easily lose their temper.
Everyone was desperately rushing towards the exit.
The consequence of crowding together is that more and more people fall to the ground.
At this moment, even if they know there are people under their feet and they don't want to step on them, it's impossible to stop. There are even more people pushing forward behind them, and they are pushed by the crowd, their bodies moving forward uncontrollably—completely against their will.
Some people were so jostled that their feet left the ground, sandwiched between the crowds in front and behind them like a sandwich, moving outwards with the flow of people, their bodies no longer under their own control.
The screams coming from the crowd sent shivers down Xiao Lou's spine.
He clung tightly to Yu Hanjiang's back for support, lest he be pushed into the crowd as well.
We need to think of a way; we can't let things continue like this. Xiao Lou quickly calmed down and whispered in Yu Hanjiang's ear, "Can we stop them? They can't push any further!"
Sections A and B are relatively good, as they are close to the exit. Although a large number of spectators rushed out, the number of people inside the venue quickly decreased after they left, and the lights in these areas did not fall down.
Zones C and D were undoubtedly the hardest hit areas in this accident.
That area was located at the very back of the stadium, more than 1,000 meters from the exit, with a downward staircase in between, making it easy to slip and fall in a crowded situation. Moreover, it was a chandelier there that initially fell and injured a spectator, causing the crowd to lose control.
Looking at the sea of heads in Zones C and D, Yu Hanjiang's face darkened. It was too noisy around, and he couldn't hear anyone speaking. He had no choice but to whisper in Xiao Lou's ear, " Hunter planned this all along. They took the terrain into account and concentrated the Challengers in Zones C and D, which are the furthest from the exit. The chandelier on the roof there must have been deliberately broken. Luo Yan, that celebrity, is definitely involved."
Xiao Lou felt a chill run down his spine: " Luo Yan is also a Hunter?"
In fact, Luo Yan could have stopped it immediately after the accident. As the main performer of the concert, she had a microphone. If she had simply said to everyone, "Please don't get agitated, everyone please return to your seats and leave in an orderly manner, without crowding in the aisles," the audience would have calmed down, and such a serious stampede could have been avoided.
But where is she?
While the audience was screaming uncontrollably, pushing and shoving each other, and trampling each other, the singers on stage had already fled the scene quickly under the escort of their managers and bodyguards.
She went backstage, where the main stage was now empty.
Xiao Lou simply couldn't believe that this "goddess" would actually stand by and watch her fans get trampled to death!
At this time, although there were a large number of " outsiders " gathered in sections C and D of the stadium, the screams caused many indigenous people in other areas to be injured in the crowd.
To kill outsiders, they show no mercy even to their own kind?!
Xiao Lou's anger was beyond words. He clenched his fists tightly. The noise around him was deafening. Even if he shouted, no one would listen unless he could walk onto the big stage, pick up the microphone, and calm everyone down.
But the wireless microphone had already been taken away, and besides, getting to the main stage from here required passing through a corridor, which was now packed with people. Many cards were disabled in the main city, so he couldn't fly directly there. If only Ye Qi were here; he remembered that Ye had some musical instrument cards that could be used in the main city.
Just as Xiao Lou was getting anxious, he suddenly heard the sound of a piano.
That's the sound of a piano.
The melodious notes flowed like water over my ears. In the noisy, screaming, chaotic stadium, the appearance of this piano music was like a clear spring extinguishing the flames.
Unlike the high-spirited rock song at the concert, this piano piece was extremely ethereal and soothing. One soft note after another rang in my ears, clear and lively, as if it were a rainy day, with fine raindrops falling one after another on the eaves.
—Kiss the Rain, a very famous piano piece.
Xiao Lou had heard this piece before. It's especially suitable for listening to alone with headphones on. This soothing light music makes you feel as if you are on a drizzly spring day, and the restlessness in your heart will be slowly eliminated by the gentle notes.
Who is playing the piano?
Xiao Lou stood on tiptoe and looked at the big stage from Yu Hanjiang's shoulder.
Under the spotlight sat a familiar young man— Ye Qi!
At this moment, Ye Qi was wearing a clean white shirt. His profile was delicate and handsome, and his looks were in no way inferior to those of a celebrity. The young man's slender fingers tapped the piano keys incessantly, his expression serious, though his face was slightly pale.
There was no one around; he appeared out of nowhere and brought a piano from somewhere to start playing.
Xiao Lou quickly realized what was happening and whispered in Yu Hanjiang's ear, "It's his piano music box."
Yu Hanjiang also remembered this card.
Back in the Diamond 9 [Music Maze] secret room, Ye Qi drew the S card Piano Music Box, which has two skills. The first is to open the piano music box and play the theme song " Marriage Damour ", which puts targets within 10 meters into a state of sleep.
The second skill is to enlarge the piano music box proportionally to the size of a normal piano, and then sit...
When a piece of music is played on the piano, targets within a 100-meter radius will be locked in place and can only move after listening to the entire piece. The piece cannot be changed during the performance.
Ye Qi joked at the time that if he played a piano piece long enough, he could make people stand still and listen to him give a concert that lasted for several tens of minutes.
The area within 100 meters of the stage includes Section C deep inside the stadium and Section D on the second floor.
Ye Qi's piano music was beautiful, and with the card effect, everyone in areas C and D who hadn't yet run into the corridor was frozen in place and unable to move!
The stampede could be stopped quickly if they don't move around.
Although those who have already been trampled to death cannot be saved, those who have not yet joined the stampede can prevent the tragedy from happening.
Upon seeing this scene, Xiao Lou's face lit up with surprise: "Great! How did Xiao Ye end up here?"
Yu Hanjiang didn't know why Ye Qi had suddenly appeared. His sharp gaze quickly swept across the stage, and he keenly spotted a figure—the person was standing behind the curtain, over 1.88 meters tall. Yu Hanjiang couldn't see the person's face from his position, but the familiar profile immediately confirmed the person's identity: "It's Ninth Brother."
Upon hearing this answer, Xiao Lou breathed a slight sigh of relief: "It seems that Ninth Brother has found out something. Ye Qi was probably summoned by him in an emergency. Only Ye Qi's music board could control such a scene of mass riot."
At this moment, Ye Qi's forehead was covered in cold sweat.
He forced himself to remain calm, making his hands strike the keys according to the sheet music he remembered, ensuring that the piano piece would not be interrupted.
He dared not imagine what would happen to the crowd if the control was interrupted and the effect ended.
The piano piece he played, "Kiss the Rain," is 4 minutes and 20 seconds long. Brother Jiu had him control the situation within 5 minutes, so Ye Qi chose this relatively gentle piece. When he arrived at the venue, the scene was like hell on earth, filled with screams and curses. He even saw a boy being trampled underfoot by the crowd behind him, his body mangled and bloody!
Ye Qi turned pale with fright, but steeled himself and took out a music box, which conjured up a piano. He then sat down at the piano and began to play a piece.
The piano music filled the entire stadium, and the atmosphere gradually calmed down.
People beyond 100 meters were still pushing towards the exit. But within a 100-meter radius of the stage, everyone quietly returned to their seats, and those rushing out slowed their pace upon hearing the music…
When Ye Qi played intently for one minute, the entire stadium fell completely silent, with only the piano notes lingering in the air. What was originally a high-energy concert seemed to have suddenly transformed into a captivating musical experience.
Seeing that the situation had stabilized, Xiao Lou let out a soft breath and loosened his clenched fist.
Just then, Yu Hanjiang received a message on his phone from an unknown number: "Doing this is tantamount to openly making an enemy of Hunter. Ye Qi's music will end in 3 minutes. Once the music stops, leave the scene immediately. There is Hunter in the crowd, do not look back."
Although the sender did not write their name, Yu Hanjiang knew that the message was sent by Ninth Brother.
He showed the phone to Xiao Lou, who nodded to indicate that he understood.
Ye Qi sat on the big stage, playing the piano with a pounding heart. This was the most nervous performance he had ever given since he started learning the piano. He hadn't been this nervous even when he took the Grade 10 exam back then, but now, his palms were covered in cold sweat.
The audience below the stage was watching him, and Hunter might be among them. Ye Qi felt uneasy under their gaze.
Finally, the piece was finished, and enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.
Ye Qi stood up, and the spotlight shining on him went out as expected. In the darkness, Ye Qi quickly put away the piano and turned to go backstage. The audience's emotions had completely calmed down. The four-minute piano piece had been like a bucket of cold water, sobering everyone up. Once the crowd regained its senses, there would be no more large-scale crowding or stampedes.
People began to line up to leave.
The people who had been trampled to death in the aisle remained where they were, their bodies mangled and bloody. Suppressed cries echoed through the stadium, and the audience members looked terrified as they fled the scene. Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang also quickly left, blending into the crowd.
Once outside the stadium, the two finally breathed a sigh of relief, though their faces looked rather grim.
Xiao Lou noticed that Yu Hanjiang was holding his hand tightly. It had been too dangerous for him to notice earlier.
Looking up and meeting Yu Hanjiang's gaze, Xiao Lou asked softly, "Are you alright?"
Yu Hanjiang spoke almost simultaneously: "How are you?"
Xiao Lou shook his head; "It's okay, let's go back to the hotel first."
As the two walked to the roadside, a van suddenly stopped. The door opened, and Ye Qi poked his head out and said, "Get in quickly!"
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou hurriedly got into the car.
Inside the car, a familiar face sat in the driver's seat, while Tang Ci was in the passenger seat. He was holding a laptop, his long, slender fingers rapidly typing something, countless characters flashing across the screen, making his hands appear even paler.
The person in the driver's seat had an unremarkable appearance, the kind of face that would be impossible to spot in a crowd—it was the disguise mask that Tang Ci had made for Lu Jiuchuan. Yu Hanjiang recognized him at a glance: "Brother?"
Lu Jiuchuan slammed on the gas pedal and said in a deep voice, "Go to the hotel and meet up with the others first. Xiao Tang, you explain the details."
The black van sped into the traffic.
Yu Hanjiang looked at Tang Ci: "What exactly happened?"
******