Eldritch Horror Theatre

It wasn't just the Priest; the Countess was also petrified for a moment.

She had thought this guy was trying to avoid catching her in the crossfire, but he had actually planned to take her out too from the very beginning!

He had even used that assumption against them to set a trap, getting the Priest to lower his guard while he brazenly hid behind his own hostage.

Then he unleashed an indiscriminate attack.

It was simply...

Even though she had already resigned herself to death just moments ago, it still left a bitter taste in the Countess's mouth.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you regret it now?"

Fu Qian looked at her.

"You were the one who told me to ignore you and just attack. You were pretty upset when I held back earlier."

The Countess was left speechless, and a brief silence fell over the room.

"Hahaha!"

Ultimately, the Priest broke the silence, letting out a wretched laugh.

"Good move! I misjudged you... I didn't expect you to be so insane!"

'You're already face-planted on the floor. Don't you feel a little embarrassed giving commentary like that?'

Fu Qian shot the Priest a look of contempt.

The man was in a much more pathetic state than the Countess. His entire right half had been reduced to ash in the explosion.

Speaking of which, his breath seemed exceptionally effective against the Pus of Man.

Whether it was this man or the Fat Ascetic back in the Old City, both had immediately entered an unstable state upon being hit, right up until they exploded.

"Speaking of which, I have a question."

Looking as if he had suddenly remembered something, Fu Qian pointed at the floor.

"You just said you weren't the only one in town with this kind of thing. How do you know?"

"Don't tell me you guys have a fan club?"

"Ha... cough, cough!"

At Fu Qian's question, the Priest managed only half a laugh before breaking into a violent coughing fit. He looked like he might stop breathing at any second.

"How could we... We definitely don't know each other... But I... I just know..."

His voice was so weak it was almost inaudible, forcing Fu Qian to lean in close.

"It's a subtle connection. The mutation in your body allows you to sense your own kind... It's just a tacit understanding without words..."

"And I... I have found it... in too many people—"

The next moment, a sudden gust of wind flared.

The dying Priest unleashed terrifying speed. His ruined body leaped up, his intact left hand curling into a claw as he swiped straight for Fu Qian's throat.

The sudden sneak attack came entirely without warning.

Never imagining the Priest still had any fight left in him in such a state, the Countess, who had been straining her ears to listen, couldn't help but scream at the sight.

Just as the Priest's desperate deathblow was about to land, a fist rapidly expanded in his vision.

With a dull, meaty thud, the Priest's airborne body was sent flying backward, pasting heavily against the floor.

"How... could you..."

Spitting out a mouthful of bloody water, the Priest looked at Fu Qian in sheer disbelief. His face had been practically crushed by the punch.

"What were you thinking?"

Fu Qian shot him a disdainful look.

"I was ambushing people in corners while you were still a liquid. And you even copied my trick of attacking mid-sentence—did you pay the royalty fee?"

"You knew... Then why didn't you just kill me earlier?"

"If I beat you to death right away, how would you answer my questions?"

Fu Qian offered a gentle smile.

"I figured that to earn my trust, the credibility of what you were saying would actually be quite high."

...

The Priest sprayed another mouthful of blood. With a sigh where all hope turned to ash, the light in his eyes vanished completely.

This...

Witnessing this, an inexplicable chill rose in the Countess's heart as she watched Fu Qian turn around.

He knew full well that the Priest was luring him in, yet he deliberately asked a question for him to answer. Then, just when the Priest fully believed he had an opening for a sneak attack, he realized he had been played from the start and was slapped to death instantly.

In a sense, this guy's performance was brimming with pure villainy. It was no wonder the Priest died with his eyes wide open.

"How do you feel?"

Fu Qian walked over to the Countess and looked down at her.

More than half of her body had withered like dry branches; only her head and neck still looked relatively normal.

"Not great... My body is rapidly aging, and my strength is fading. It takes all my effort just to barely stay awake."

The Countess subconsciously avoided Fu Qian's gaze and shook her head in reply.

"However, I'm not afraid of dying. It's just that if what he said is true..."

"It's truly terrifying... It leaves you unable to see any hope..."

"What about you?"

'Me?'

Faced with the Countess's question, Fu Qian also nodded.

"I find it terrifying, too."

'Just how many targets am I going to have to kill to finish this mission now!'

"I really can't tell."

The Countess scrutinized Fu Qian before finally shaking her head helplessly.

"Actually, I owe you an apology. Having you return to the prison earlier was an incredibly risky plan. To be honest, I didn't expect you to make it back."

'I knew that all along. We were just using each other anyway. If I didn't want to go, did you really think you could force me?'

Fu Qian thought.

"It's fine. Aren't you about to die anyway?"

...

The Countess stared at Fu Qian.

"That breath of yours seems to strongly counter this pollution. I know it's a lot to ask, but could I beg you to try and save this place?"

"You want me to slaughter every single infected person? Leaving aside whether I can even do it—if what the Priest said is true, the numbers will likely be staggering."

"...If it comes to that, then it can't be helped."

"Understood."

Fu Qian nodded and suddenly bent down.

The Countess was immediately startled and almost instinctively tried to dodge.

However, after exerting a bit of effort, she remembered she was already crippled and helplessly gave up resisting.

The next moment, Fu Qian's hand pressed down on her broken leg, which had already rotted enough to expose the stark white bone.

Crack!

Under the Countess's horrified gaze, Fu Qian tore the broken leg right off at the knee.

"What are you trying to—"

The Countess only got halfway through her sentence before she was astonished to see something pulled out of the severed limb.

A black snake, as thin as a pinky finger, struggled desperately in Fu Qian's grasp.

"He really was quite the actor. Making it look like all hope had turned to ash on the surface, while actually keeping a backup plan."

Gripping the snake with both hands, Fu Qian looked back at the Priest's corpse.

This thing had undoubtedly seized the opportunity to hide inside the Countess's body just now. Although it was unclear if the Priest could rely on it to resurrect, it was obviously a hidden threat.

"This..."

Even though her body had lost all sensation, the Countess still felt a wave of nausea.

"I'll call someone over for you. Just enjoy your retirement here; I still have some business to take care of."

Fu Qian's voice rang in her ears. Looking up, she saw that he had already walked out the door.

'Is the slaughter about to begin?'

The Countess hesitated, wanting to speak, but ultimately said nothing, closing her eyes and slowly shaking her head.

...

In the darkness, Fu Qian opened his right hand, revealing a gash on his palm.

Inside the wound, a black fluid was coiling through his flesh and blood.

That was right. He had not destroyed the creature. Instead, he had intentionally cut open a wound and allowed it to infect him.

Feeling the corruption invading his body, he slapped the person outside the door awake and walked straight into the night.

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