Eldritch Horror Theatre

For a moment, the dim Stone Chamber shone like the Sanctuary, as if recreating the glory of a millennium past.

Unfortunately, this was not the legendary Ancient Dragon Blessing. Only seconds later, the dazzling radiance that seemed capable of purifying body and mind rapidly faded.

"If you put it like that, I suppose I really can't be sure."

Keeping her hand pressed flat against Lorraine's abdomen, Elena narrowed her eyes at Fu Qian. Her face showed neither shock nor fear.

"Fortunately, Mister Lu just said you would only take action if a massacre didn't occur. I have no doubt you can do exactly that. But thinking it over, there really isn't much to worry about."

"Oh? Why is that?"

Fu Qian wasn't disappointed that she hadn't struck first. Instead, he asked with a smile.

"Setting aside that the blessing hasn't appeared yet, if Mister Lu is only joking, there is naturally nothing to worry about."

"If Mister Lu is true to his word—and even if no massacre occurs during the blessing—manufacturing one wouldn't be all that difficult."

Fu Qian made no effort to hide his appreciation.

Elena's logic regarding the second scenario was actually very simple—if a massacre didn't happen on its own, she would simply manufacture one.

Then he would lose his reason to activate Asura Mode.

What a flexible way of thinking. She was looking more and more like a team leader. Did the reliance of others really accelerate a person's growth?

Elena's stance was also crystal clear: she wouldn't easily abandon this operation just because of his casual threats.

"It sounds like I have no reason to go back on my word."

Fu Qian's response made Elena secretly sigh in relief.

The mysterious man before her truly had an unpredictable temperament.

Crucially, his strength was absolutely astounding.

Admittedly, her own abilities were too limited to see his exact Rank, but Lorraine's reaction proved everything.

If he wasn't an incredibly dangerous figure, why would a little provocation make Lorraine follow him so instinctively?

Putting those two factors together, what she faced was a lethal threat that could detonate at any moment.

That was why, for a brief moment earlier, she had almost signaled Lorraine to strike first. In the end, she suppressed the urge.

Unless they could kill him in a single strike, taking that gamble would make it nearly impossible to continue their operation.

"I'm glad we could reach a consensus. At the same time, please rest assured—aside from the Ancient Giant Dragon, nothing else will be our target."

Seeing that Mister Lu's madness seemed to have subsided, Elena struck while the iron was hot and immediately emphasized their group's specific objective.

No matter what his goal was, he didn't need to worry about them interfering.

"Excellent. This has been a truly pleasant conversation."

To Elena's relief, he seemed quite satisfied with her promise. His closing remark was incredibly positive—hmm?

The next second, a sudden stir beneath her hand made the already tense Elena catch her breath. She thought Lorraine was becoming emotionally unstable from some new stimulus.

But right after, she noticed Mister Lu looking up at the door.

"Is someone coming?"

Elena glanced through the small window on the wall. Only after confirming the sky outside hadn't changed did she ask in a low voice.

"It should be good news."

He nodded, confirming that there was indeed movement.

Good news?

While Elena was still pondering the hidden meaning behind those words, hurried footsteps finally reached them. It sounded like far more than just one person.

"All four of you are here."

A moment later, a familiar voice rang out from behind. It was Gerald, returning with his men.

Along with his greeting, a crowd swarmed through the door, surrounding the four who had just been preparing to adjourn at the stone table.

"We aren't interrupting you, are we?"

Gerald still wore that superficial smile.

Judging from the lineup in front of them, he had probably dragged every single person Siren had deployed over here.

"Gerald, is there a problem?"

Faced with this sudden development, Elena didn't panic and simply asked outright.

Considering she used to work for Siren, she was clearly somewhat familiar with Gerald.

"Elena, you look like you're in much better shape."

Gerald's surprised tone was a bit exaggerated as he stood next to the four of them, looking down condescendingly.

"Good enough that you'd actually come here to join the fun. Why don't you tell me what I'm doing here?"

"I don't know what you mean. We've been here this entire time; we haven't left once."

His tone was hostile, but under his piercing glare, Elena answered without the slightest hint of guilt.

Mainly because she genuinely had nothing to feel guilty about.

"What about Mister Lu?"

After staring at Elena for a few seconds, Gerald turned his gaze toward Fu Qian.

What had happened...

Fu Qian looked thoughtful.

"Did someone else die?"

...

The moment he said that, the already tense atmosphere skyrocketed. More than one person drew a weapon, just waiting for the order to strike.

"So why make that guess? Haven't you been here the entire time?"

His smile twisting into an inevitable sneer, Gerald glared at Fu Qian.

"It seems someone really did die."

Fu Qian nodded again and pointed at the surrounding crowd.

"As for how I knew, it looks like your group is short one person compared to earlier."

"When a severe incident occurs—so severe that you have to mobilize everyone in a hurry—it makes no sense to leave exactly one person outside."

...Just because of that?

"You think I'd believe you?"

Gerald was already so furious he let out a laugh.

"So, you went back and found someone dead? You couldn't find the killer, took a look around, and decided the four of us who left were suspicious?"

Fu Qian had no interest in coddling his feelings, simply continuing to analyze the situation.

"It's a fairly reasonable deduction. Especially since the four of us weren't supposed to know each other, yet we're currently gathered here secretly conspiring."

"You're certainly honest. So, why are you sitting together?"

This candid analysis clearly caught Gerald by surprise.

"Good question."

Fu Qian shot Elena a look.

"We reached a private collaboration to prepare for the upcoming hunting operation."

When did I ever agree to a joint operation...

Elena thought instinctively. She didn't voice any objection, though. Her mind was focused on something else entirely—when this guy first noticed Gerald and his men arriving, he had called it "good news."

"This is already the second massacre in such a short time. It seems the decision to find a temporary ally was the right one."

As if knowing exactly what Elena was thinking, Fu Qian sighed with a half-smile.

I knew it... That's what he meant by good news!

Another massacre happened, so we don't have to manufacture one ourselves!

Elena took a deep breath.

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