The Gentleman at the End

Chapter 63: Chapter 62 Performance

The sound came from the second floor of the theater’s main hall.

A mysterious figure clad in a shiny silver suit, wearing a moon mask, stood tip-toed on the theater’s second-floor railing with his gleaming crocodile skin shoes.

Yi Chen was also slightly startled, sensing the stronger aura of the patient through the gentleman’s clothes than that of the old man in the sewer.

The four immediately assumed a battle stance, with Edmund’s gun also aimed at the man’s abdomen, the chambered large-caliber bullet ready to cut the target in half at any moment.

However,

facing the ever-growing killing intent of the four young humans,

the mysterious figure didn’t make any defensive moves but instead walked elegantly across the railing like a tightrope walker and began to introduce himself.

“My name is Elton John, and I’m the current owner of this theater.

Though I only took over from my father a few years ago, I’ve been continuously improving the theater, blending the new era style with the vintage style of the theater, committed to presenting better plays to the audience.

Yet, accidents have followed, and this city has no more audience to appreciate the programs here.

As you can see,

I have been branded by the False Moon, and though I gained unimaginable abilities, I was stripped of my qualifications as a human and can’t return to the life I once had.

Even though my thoughts have been somewhat affected and my worldview has changed,

I still can’t let go of the theater passed down in my family, and even if you were to kill me, I hope to perish in a dramatic manner.

Of course,

if you could put aside your inner guards and agree to perform the last play with me,

as long as it meets the standards of a performance, I am willing to provide as much assistance as possible.

Even if you want to kill me, to cut off my skin, I will not resist… as long as I can die on stage, I’ll be content.”

With that said,

the theater owner had just walked a full circle along the railing,

one hand forward, one behind, bowing ceremonially.

The squad of four standing below did not immediately respond but waited for ‘internal team information’.

During the owner’s introduction,

Yi Chen utilized his special visual Sense to inspect the entirety of the theater’s main hall.

Juliana also confirmed through vibration sensing that the only patient here was the owner.

After considering it,

Captain Edmund made a decision and patted Yi Chen on the shoulder.

“William, you handle the negotiations… Like before, if we detect anything amiss during the conversation, we’ll intervene directly.”

Yi Chen made an OK gesture and walked to the center of the stage, bowing to the owner on the second floor.

“What is the performance about?”

“I am very glad that you have accepted my request. The demands of impromptu plays are not high. Here are four ‘Character Cards’… you need to finish adapting to your roles within ten minutes, then follow my lead and start the performance of the ‘False Moon Event.'”

Among these four character cards, Doctor Macaul of the Twilight Clinic is the main character, affecting the quality of this play. Please make sure the member among you with the greatest acting talent takes on this role,”

he said,

and the owner shot out four cards from his cuff.

Besides Twilight Clinic’s Doctor Macaul, there was a clinic apprentice and two gentlemen investigators stationed in the city.

The thoughts stirred, pages turned,

and within less than thirty seconds, Yi Chen comprehended and remembered the character cards.

He then tossed the remaining three cards to his teammates while saying, “I’ll play Doctor Macaul.”

“Alright.”

Before ten minutes were up, Yi Chen raised his hand to signal to the theater owner,

“Oh… ready so soon? Don’t disappoint me.

Let’s commence the final performance at the Old John Theater – ‘Moon Night.’

I, Elton John, will personally play the creator of the False Moon Event, the greatest ‘Moonscar.’

The owner lightly leaped and landed firmly in the center of the stage.

Snap!

Aside from a spotlight on the owner, all other lights went off.

Both arms were raised,

and two self-luminous Moon props, hanging from delicate threads, hovered above the stage.

“Ah! What a beautiful full moon,

whether in pairs, mirroring the night sky, or as a projection of people’s longing for the moon.

As people move their eyes, trying to peer at the scars on the moon’s surface, they seem to see these marks moving, conveying some message,

activating through visual reception and transforming the human brain,

or perhaps injecting some kind of virus.

Erase the foundation of ‘human’ in the brain and re-imprint a brand-new identity of ‘Moonfolk.’

Drawn by the moon, follow Moonscar.”

As his lines ended,

the wooden stage floor began to stir, crack! The floor broke, and a hairy hand extended out.

Soon after,

more and more forms, covered in silver hair, crawled out from under the shattered stage, howling at the Moon props hanging overhead like wolves.

This scene slightly startled the squad members.

“Are these the Moon Transformation people in the early stages of infection? So, they were controlled by the boss, stacked below the stage, and genuinely cast in this play?

Great, in that case, we can collect enough inferior Moon Skin.”

At that moment,

the boss continued reciting his lines.

“Oh! The invisible guardians of Viner City,

self-proclaimed gentlemen among the elite humans,

and the team of Doctor Macaul from the Twilight Clinic, they quickly became aware of the massive epidemic brought on by the moon.

Due to the urgency of the situation, they chose the most effective and direct treatment method—’Slaughter’.

Meanwhile, our great Moon Scar Lord momentarily hid behind the scenes, quietly watching the events unfold.”

As the boss recited his lines, his body was slowly enveloped by moonlight, concealing his disappearance.

However,

the Visual Enhancement provided by Little Grape still captured a humanoid outline.

Now it was time for Yi Chen and the others to take the stage,

bringing out their true abilities to skin these genuinely cast Moon Transformed citizens.

The most efficient was undoubtedly Juliana,

whose speed, accuracy, and the intactness of the cut Moon Skin were the highest,

as long as they cut the skin with white hair and bearing the Moon Seal, these ‘actors’ would die instantly.

Until the stage was completely cleared.

The boss recited his lines again:

“The efficient ‘treatment’ temporarily suppressed the riots within the district, but the brave gentlemen also suffered severe casualties.

At that moment, our Doctor Macaul, surprisingly, used a special method to find the hidden Moon Scar Lord, and the curtain call bell was rung prematurely.”

Edmund and two others exited the stage,

leaving only Yi Chen on stage, as the boss, who had concealed himself, gradually shed his moonlight disguise, revealing his true body.

As the two faced each other, the boss recited his lines again.

“Oh! This moment has finally arrived!

Doctor Macaul meets the Moon Scar Lord atop an abandoned building… but, to Macaul’s surprise, he seems to recognize this silver-haired youth.”

“How can it be you!”

At that moment, Yi Chen naturally continued with a line, pupils dilated and face showing shock, fully immersed in his role.

“Why can’t it be me, esteemed Doctor Macaul~ I’m deeply grateful for the ‘Special Treatment’ you provided at the clinic, otherwise, I couldn’t stand above the moon.

Please let me thank you properly.”

The battle erupted.

Yi Chen engaged in combat with the boss.

Of course, this ‘combat’ was somewhat performative in nature, and sound effects were even used to replicate the intensity of the battle at that time.

But Yi Chen intentionally added elements of reality to this theatrical combat.

According to the description in his Character Card, ‘Doctor Macaul loses the right side of his body,’ Yi Chen allowed his right side to be damaged, mutilated by the boss.

In the end, @@novelbin@@

he screamed with all his might and cleaved the boss’s ‘head’ with a Hand Blade.

The mask on the boss’s face was cut into two halves and fell to the ground… The moon prop hanging above the stage also fell, ending the show!

The performance ended.

“Ah! Fantastic, you were incredible! William, are you alright?”

The boss quickly put on another mask, pleased and excited, and immediately came forward to check on Yi Chen’s injuries.

However, Yi Chen had skillfully prepared by embedding plants beneath his skin in advance, apparently mangled, but in reality, his core areas, organs, or nerve tissues were not damaged.

This level of pain was just a minor nuisance.

Supporting Yi Chen, the boss exclaimed excitedly:

“You actually exposed your right side on purpose for me to damage.

Moreover, several details of the performance were so nuanced that I could hardly tell them apart from reality! What a spectacular portrayal of the character, it didn’t seem like a last-minute performance at all.

Have you had any experience acting before?”

Yi Chen shrugged, “Not officially, just that in my childhood I often had to use ‘acting’ to ensure I wasn’t the most unfortunate one.”

“Fantastic, you are truly a real actor.

As per our agreement, I will assist you as much as possible, providing the information that I know.

As for my ‘Moon Seal,’ it’s right here; you can strip my face skin and kill me anytime.”

Unlike the ‘Gatekeeper’ in the sewer, the Moon Seal is located behind the neck.

The boss took off his mask, revealing the Moon Seal precisely at the forehead, seemingly with special symbolism.

Seeing such sincerity from the boss, Yi Chen conceived an even bolder plan.

“Mr. John, our mission here wasn’t to purge you… Through our recent performance exchange, I also wish the theater could continue and be showcased to more audiences.

We won’t kill you; we just need one favor from you,

If you can succeed, please continue living as a ‘Moon citizen.'”