Eldritch Horror Theatre

It was obvious that Wen Li's physical combat skills had improved since her advancement.

With that kick just now, he could even sense her subconscious attempt to dodge, forcing Fu Qian to add a fraction more force to the strike.

Ultimately, Wen Li could not escape her fate. She flew several meters through the air in a seemingly familiar manner, crashing heavily to the ground.

Countless screams instantly erupted around them.

After delivering the kick, Fu Qian did not hesitate to take a sharp step back under the terrified gazes of the crowd.

Crack!

A sickening sound like crushing walnuts echoed from straight ahead.

Ghastly flowers of red and white blossomed as a continuous, bloody mist exploded into the air.

'Yuan Shan's guess was spot on! Something really did happen here.'

By now, the banquet hall had descended into total chaos.

Although transcendents made up the majority of the guests, the sheer size of the gathering meant a significant number of ordinary socialites were present as well.

Faced with a scene that amounted to a terrorist attack, screams filled the air as the crowd scattered in sheer panic.

Standing motionless amidst the frenzy, Fu Qian looked toward the source of the sickening sound and quickly locked his gaze onto a middle-aged man.

He was balding, slightly chubby, and his aura felt exactly like that of an ordinary person. At the moment, he was hurrying toward the exit with the rest of the panicked crowd.

Yet, despite his seemingly flustered expression, his pace was steady and unhurried. The man did not seem truly afraid.

As for his ordinary aura—Fu Qian himself was wearing an item that concealed his presence. That alone certainly did not clear the man of suspicion.

Just as Fu Qian was figuring out how to tail him, someone blocked his path.

It was a young man around thirty years old with a dignified appearance and an elegant outfit. Right now, however, his expression was a mix of shock and suspicion.

If he remembered correctly, this was the guy who had rushed over right after he kicked Wen Li.

He had probably intended to come over aggressively demanding accountability, only to be frightened by the sudden situation.

'Should I just use the chaos to knock this nuisance out?'

As Fu Qian considered his options, a sharp, clear snort suddenly echoed through the hall.

The next moment, a bizarre force field instantly enveloped the area.

His entire body felt like it had been plunged into thick syrup. Even the slightest movement met immense resistance, becoming abnormally slow.

Fu Qian looked up and realized everyone was reacting the same way. The fleeing crowd's movements looked like they were swimming through water.

Including the suspicious middle-aged man.

He was clearly struggling to break free of the restriction. However, before the man could regain his mobility, a figure leapt high from the crowd, plunging straight toward his back accompanied by a fierce rush of wind.

Wasn't that the master of Houhai Manor?

From the luxurious brocade robes, Fu Qian recognized this as the very man who had been the center of attention earlier. The name on the invitation seemed to be Chen Xing.

He was quite fast, but his movements were a bit strange.

Fu Qian noticed that Old Man Chen Xing's movements presented a highly unnatural state.

It did not look like he was using his muscles to generate force at all; rather, some invisible force seemed to be pulling his limbs to make the movements.

Unable to dodge the sudden ambush in his slow state, the middle-aged man took a brutal blow to the back, sending blood splashing into the air.

However, the latter seemed to use the force of the strike to break free from the restriction. In an instant, his entire body dissolved into a thin mist, rapidly dissipating before converging again several meters ahead.

At the same time, his appearance morphed. He grew thinner, his hair completely vanished, and he ultimately turned into a bald, beardless middle-aged man with a gloomy face.

Another sharp shriek echoed through the air, even more ear-piercing than the last.

Old Man Chen Xing froze for a second, unable to follow up with another attack in time. The bald middle-aged man directly smashed through a window and escaped.

Looking with a grim expression in the direction the middle-aged man had fled, Chen Xing waved his hand, and the syrup-like resistance rapidly dissipated.

At this time, figures sprang up from various spots in the banquet hall, chasing after him.

They were likely the Night Watchers. Fu Qian even recognized Poker Face from the Base among them.

Seeing their numbers, Fu Qian abandoned the idea of going after him.

He decided it was best to stick to quietly observing changes for now. He had already memorized the man's appearance and aura anyway.

If the guy was so weak that he could not even escape this pursuit, at worst the mission would fail and restart. Then he could just track him down early and kill him directly.

Of course, even if he wanted to give chase, there was still an obstacle in front of him.

Fu Qian looked at the young man in front of him, whose gaze was constantly switching between Fu Qian and the bloody carnage on the floor.

After calling off the pursuit, Chen Xing quickly directed his subordinates to maintain order and tally the casualties. By now, the crowd had quieted down.

Inside the banquet hall, several headless corpses lay slumped on the floor, their blood and brains connecting into a gruesome straight line.

The only broken segment in the middle was right where Fu Qian stood.

'Instantly killing so many people in a single strike, and all of them headshots... pretty brutal. It must be a Psychic Type ability.'

By now, the much-improved Wen Li had picked herself up from the floor. She stared at the grisly scene, her face turning a bit pale.

When the crowd scattered in panic just now, she had narrowly avoided being trampled underfoot.

Looking up blankly at Fu Qian for a moment, Wen Li walked over and softly murmured her thanks.

By now, the bystanders had also realized that Fu Qian's kick just now had been to save her life.

"Who are you?"

The young man blocking his path snapped back to his senses, looking at Fu Qian as he demanded in a low voice.

"Zha Yingjun."

It took Fu Qian a moment of reflection to remember his current name.

Zha Yingjun.

The young man frowned, clearly having no concept of the name.

"That reaction of yours just now... do you know something?"

He was evidently suspicious. After all, Fu Qian's power level did not look particularly high, yet he had actually managed to anticipate the danger. It was obviously a bit abnormal.

"My leg cramped."

Too lazy to deal with him, Fu Qian directly spouted some random nonsense.

"You'd better explain yourself a little more clearly."

The young man's expression twisted, his tone turning increasingly hostile.

"Mingfei, you're being far too rude."

Seeing that the young man was not going to let it go, someone nearby parted the crowd and stepped forward.

This person looked slightly older and bore a striking resemblance to the young man. He was likely an older brother of some sort.

"Such an accident occurs at our banquet, and your first reaction is to suspect a guest who was merely trying to save himself. If word of this gets out, the Chen Clan will lose all face."

Chen Mingfei's older brother spoke with a highly stern tone.

"Mister Zha even helped us save Miss Wen. Regardless of anything else, we should be expressing our gratitude."

Turning his head, he offered an apology to the nearby Wen Li.

"Miss Wen, I am extremely sorry that you had to encounter such a thing here. We will give you a proper explanation as soon as possible."

Wen Li was clearly very popular.

Between Chen Mingfei being the first to rush over and his older brother arriving right after, both were evidently paying a lot of attention to Wen Li.

But thinking about it, it made sense. A Psychic Type Tier 6 Transcendent—especially one this young—would be an absolute rarity, even in Shangjing.

The reason she had seemed like an outsider earlier was probably because she was a newcomer. Although many people were paying close attention to her, they were still in the observation stage and had not made a move to show it.

"Thank you for your concern. I'm fine."

Wen Li shook her head, her eyes distant as if lost in thought.

Just then, the main doors opened and Poker Face walked back inside. The surrounding guests immediately cast expectant glances their way.

Unfortunately, Poker Face merely shook their head slightly at Chen Xing.

'Returned empty-handed? It seems that guy actually has some skills.'

'Which is good news for me.'

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