Eldritch Horror Theatre

'Back to business already?'

'I guess rules really are just for ordinary people.'

Fu Qian knew that, given a compelling enough reason, the Night Watchers wouldn't hesitate to move against anyone.

But the odds of them coming after him over something so trivial were practically zero.

Not to mention that, aside from a potential cold, brother Zha Yingjun was completely unharmed.

"Minor friction between transcendents is perfectly normal. We can't micromanage every little thing."

Yuan Shan stated this as if it were a simple matter of fact.

"Besides, didn't you save someone at the banquet?"

"When you put it like that, it does sound perfectly reasonable."

"However, there is one question I care more about."

Yuan Shan abruptly shifted the topic.

"And that is—why?"

"You just said you needed to attend that banquet. Why? I'm sure you had a specific reason."

'I definitely have a reason, but I can't tell you.'

Fu Qian blinked. He had prepared for this exact question.

He pointed outside.

"I was entrusted by someone to protect the safety of the person out there."

"Wen Li?"

"Is she really that famous?"

"The vast majority of transcendents are on record with the Night Watchers, but Wen Li belongs to a rather special category.

The Night Watchers have always kept an eye on her, and we're quite glad she has been able to mature safely."

"Keeping an eye on her... or guarding against her?"

Fu Qian still remembered what the Night Watcher Qi Xue had said. The higher-ups in the organization clearly had an ambiguous attitude toward Wen Li.

Even regarding her advancement, their stance was basically one of quietly observing changes.

"You know quite a bit."

Yuan Shan's smile faded as she gave Fu Qian a deep look.

"Not that much for someone entrusted with her safety. For instance, I only know that you're guarding against her, but I don't know exactly why."

"If you really want to know the answer to that..."

Yuan Shan pressed a switch by her hand.

"...then follow me."

Silently, the side wall of the office shifted.

A hidden door slid open to reveal a small elevator.

"So well hidden. Your private elevator?"

"Yes. A leader always needs a few privileges, otherwise what is all this hard work for?"

Yuan Shan waved her hand, ushering Fu Qian inside.

The elevator descended smoothly. Judging by its speed and duration, they had definitely reached the Underground.

Sure enough!

When the doors opened, a dim corridor stretched out before them, illuminated by familiar flickering lights overhead.

'I just saw this exact setup not too long ago!'

Fu Qian mused.

"This passageway has been here for a century."

Yuan Shan walked gracefully ahead, casually pushing open the door at the end of the corridor.

A familiar stench hit him in the face.

Even though he was mentally prepared, Fu Qian still furrowed his brow.

Directly ahead lay the Restricted Zone he had visited before.

It felt slightly less oppressive than his last visit, but the atmosphere was still highly unpleasant.

"This is the Restricted Zone. I assume you've heard of it."

"Yes, in some recent rumors."

"The rumors are mostly true. Henrik stood guard here for many years."

Yuan Shan walked ahead, her face expressionless.

"Guarding the Restricted Zone is a perilous job. While Henrik wasn't the strongest, he was absolutely one of our most dedicated personnel. I deeply regret what happened to him."

"When you saw him today, his condition must have been quite terrible?"

Yuan Shan asked.

"Depends on how you look at it. Mentally, he seemed completely broken; he couldn't even manage a ranged headshot anymore, reducing his killing method to pure melee.

However, his life force had intensified. It was almost at the Demigod Tier."

Fu Qian answered while observing his surroundings.

Compared to his last visit, the fleshy veins on the walls were still present, but they felt somewhat restrained, indicating they had been temporarily suppressed.

Not far away, a white-haired old man opened his eyes, scrutinized Fu Qian for a moment, and then closed them again to rest.

'Another Tier 4.'

Fu Qian recognized him. He was one of the three people who had been by Yuan Shan's side during his previous visit.

'He really is a guard here!'

"Ah..."

Yuan Shan let out a faint sigh.

"Do you know the origin of the Restricted Zone?"

"I heard it's used to store the corpses of corrupted transcendents?"

"That's right. But do you know where the corruption comes from?"

"I really don't know that part."

Fu Qian shook his head honestly.

"When it comes to corruption at the Transcendent Tier, the types are actually highly varied. For example, over here."

By now, the two had rounded a corner, and the damaged room appeared directly in front of them.

Whatever was inside still hadn't settled down. Despite being wrapped in layers of the black Cocoon, it continued to struggle with small, restless movements.

Yuan Shan waved her hand. A black strip materialized out of thin air and reinforced the black Cocoon, suppressing its movements even further.

"This corpse belonged to an ancient transcendent.

He had a very unique ability: he could increase his strength by devouring the flesh and blood of others. He caused massive casualties in his time.

By the time the Night Watchers finally eliminated him, he had already advanced to the Demigod Tier."

'A ghoul at the Demigod Realm? How many heads must he have eaten!'

The image of Henrik devouring a man flashed through Fu Qian's mind.

"Let me guess, did he happen to specifically prefer the Psychic Type? Feels a bit discriminatory, doesn't it?"

"Psychic Type, physical type... that's honestly far too crude of a classification."

Yuan Shan shook her head.

"Supernatural abilities are ever-changing. How could they be summarized so simply?"

"In short, his abilities brought him power, but they also brought corruption. After he was killed, his body was immediately sealed here.

Yet after all these years, the corruption inside his corpse didn't fade. Instead, it continued to grow, eventually even—bearing fruit."

'The Blood of Thorns!'

When Yuan Shan mentioned "bearing fruit," Fu Qian instantly thought of his mission objective.

"The thing that grew from the corpse is incredibly bizarre. Anyone exposed to it for too long will unconsciously be influenced by it, becoming bloodthirsty, frenzied, and craving fresh flesh."

"We took it very seriously and guarded it as strictly as possible, but we never expected Henrik would still..."

Yuan Shan sighed.

"I understand the part about the corruption, but showing me all this... are you worried that Wen Li..."

"Every corpse sealed here carries various forms of corruption. Though most aren't as intense as this one, leaving them unchecked would lead to all sorts of disastrous consequences.

Unfortunately, we still haven't determined the exact cause of this corruption. We can only be extra cautious regarding certain special abilities. Wen Li's abilities are somewhat unique, which is why she was listed as a target for observation, or rather, surveillance."

'So that's how it is!'

"In fact, many anomalies have occurred here recently. It wasn't just Henrik getting corrupted and stealing a dangerous item.

The day before yesterday, someone even tried to break in here and injured three Night Watcher members."

When Yuan Shan said this, she shot Fu Qian an intentional look.

"Oh, that was me too!"

Fu Qian nodded again, his expression perfectly candid.

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