Chapter 740: Invitation to an Ambush Disguised as a Feast

Chapter 740: Invitation to an Ambush Disguised as a Feast

Isadora nodded and walked away without saying another word.

I watched her disappear down the hallway and let out a deep sigh. The feeling of having a glimmer of hope but never seeing the end of the tunnel was the worst kind of torture.

I had no idea what was going through Isadora’s mind, but I knew my own thoughts were all over the place again.

I hurried back to my office, sat down, and took out my medication.

...

Royce got an invite to a dinner party, and it said he could bring a plus-one.

Thing was, we didn’t know the host at all.

I looked at the design on the invitation and felt my body tense up.

“This has to be a provocation,” I said, gritting my teeth.

Royce nodded. “They slapped the Red Spider Lily emblem right on it. Can't think of any other reason.”

“So, should we go?” I asked, feeling torn.

Royce thought for a moment. “Do you want to go?”

“The address is a busy club. Nothing too crazy should happen there.”

“Plus, our investigation's hit a dead end. Maybe we’ll find something at this dinner.”

I opened the invitation and saw the text inside was handwritten, showing how much the host valued us.

But I couldn’t figure out why they put both our names on one invitation instead of giving us each our own.

“It says we can bring guests. Since both our names are on it, does that mean we can each bring someone?” I asked Royce.

Royce pondered for a moment and nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Why not give it a shot?”

“I think we should,” I said, pressing my lips together.

The more people we bring, the better our chances might be.

But who should we bring?

We definitely needed folks who could handle themselves in a fight. Simon and Savannah were our best options.

I wondered if others had received similar invitations. Joanna was likely on the list too.

I called Joanna and Kathy, and sure enough, they had also received invitations.

It seemed this dinner was inviting all the high society folks.

But what was their goal? They couldn’t be planning to gather us all in one place just to wipe us out, could they?

In such a busy place, it would definitely cause a scene.

So, this dragon’s lair was one we couldn’t avoid.

“Have you two decided who to bring?” I asked.

Joanna frowned. “Do we have to bring someone?”

“Didn’t you see the fine print on the invitation? It says you can bring a guest.”

I showed them the screen on my phone as I spoke.

But they both looked confused and then showed me their invitations.

“There’s nothing like that on ours.”

I squinted at their invitations and saw they were right. Could the invitations be different?

Royce and I exchanged a look, realizing this might be an important clue.

“Are you two busy right now? If not, let’s meet up. Some things are better discussed in person.”

They both nodded and hung up.

I messaged Isadora, Simon, and Savannah, telling them we needed to meet and discuss our strategy.

It wasn’t long before they arrived. To my surprise, Simon and Savannah had also received invitations.

“What do your invitations look like? Did you bring them?” I asked.

Joanna nodded and took out her invitation. It was indeed different from ours.

The others also took out their invitations, each with slight differences.

In terms of style, ours were the most luxurious.

“How did they decide who got which invitation?” I couldn’t understand.

Joanna shook her head. “We don’t have to go.”

“But this dinner might have clues about what’s been happening,” I said.

Isadora remained silent, lost in thought.

I glanced at her, worried but unable to ask in front of everyone.

“But going to this dinner could be dangerous,” Joanna said, frowning. “Don’t you think it’s a trap?”

When Joanna put it that way, it did feel like a trap. I frowned. If we were the only ones invited, it was suspicious.

“Let’s find out if others have received invitations. We can ask our previous collaborators.”

Isadora spoke up. “No need to ask. They’ve all received invitations.”

“How do you know?” Joanna asked, looking at her.

Isadora met her gaze. “I saw a lot of people posting their invitations on Facebook. Check your own Facebook.”

I took out my phone and checked Facebook. Sure enough, several old classmates had posted their invitations.

It gave me a strange sense of disconnection, like unrelated things being forcibly tied together.

“And if you look closely at their photos, you’ll see they have tattoos,” Isadora added.

I zoomed in on the photos and saw the tattoo designs, though some were barely visible.

“Isadora, your observation skills are impressive,” Savannah said, wide-eyed.

Isadora smiled slightly. “Someone told me to look for it.”

We all stared at her in shock.

“If I told you it was Celestia who told me, would you believe me?”

“But Celestia is…” Royce trailed off.

I was equally shocked. “Did you dream about her telling you this?”

Isadora nodded and rubbed her temples, looking exhausted.

“Was it really a dream? Is this a message from beyond?” Joanna asked, her mouth agape. “Are you okay?”

Isadora nodded. “I’m fine. Let’s focus on the analysis.”

But I felt this was far from simple.