Eldritch Horror Theatre

"That's a very reasonable guess."

Sha Ming's words were naturally directed at Fu Qian. However, the blunt statement successfully stoked the fears of the others, prompting them to look over.

Fu Qian's assessment wasn't baseless. Having just answered the question, Patches had seemingly lost all interest in conversation and reverted to a blurry humanoid shape.

Fu Qian didn't force the issue. He ended the technical exchange and transitioned seamlessly back to his discussion with Sha Ming.

"But you still aren't going to do anything?"

Unfortunately, Sha Ming still seemed dissatisfied with this reaction.

Even though his escape method had been seen through, Fu Qian maintained a casual demeanor.

Given his previous actions, this could entirely be interpreted as making an empty show of strength, but it still left a very unpleasant impression.

"It still hasn't been lifted... how is that possible?"

"So Mr. Sha has a way to lift it?"

Old Man Huang was clearly adept at grasping the main point. Pushing past his disbelief, he fixed his gaze directly on Sha Ming as the Radiance of Human Sovereign Qi instantly wreathed his body.

"Then you had best hurry up, otherwise—"

"Otherwise what? Are you going to kill yourself and take me down with you?"

Sha Ming cut him off with a cold sneer.

"Not just me... I know you have a way to block the influence, but what if we all do it together?"

Unfortunately, even the overwhelming pressure from their massive gap in Rank couldn't entirely suppress the will to live.

"Hurry up, this is our only chance!"

With that final sentence, Old Man Huang's voice pitched up into a roar directed at the rest of the team.

...

At this critical moment, the value of leadership proved its worth.

Having just narrowly escaped only to be cast under a shadow once more, their broken morale was forcefully dragged back up by a single sentence.

After a few seconds of dismayed glances, no voices of doubt arose; instead, yellow auras actually began flaring up one after another.

Old Man Huang's meaning was simple: since the tether was still there, death could be transferred.

A single person might be blocked just like Huang Zhen had been earlier, but an entire group acting at once was a different matter entirely.

Since Sha Ming had personally admitted he could lift it, they could absolutely use this threat as their final path to survival.

This very plan, which had initially given the team the courage to come down here, had actually come in handy.

Of course, it was hard to say that everyone was entirely unafraid of death, but there was a very clever logic at play here—

Under the tether, death would only transfer outward once from the original source. The resulting consequences would not transfer again, so it required everyone to act together to have any deterrent force.

If only a scant few took action, they might not be able to overwhelm Sha Ming, and the rest of the people wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Anyone who thought it through knew that shrinking back at the last second would likely result in death anyway. It was better to risk it all.

So this was the legendary power of teamwork, wasn't it?

Marveling inwardly, Fu Qian maintained his stance as a bystander, making no move whatsoever.

"Fine, do it."

Sha Ming, observing this, was clearly disappointed, his tone growing even more unpleasant.

He had evidently treated Old Man Huang Leji's final gambit as just another tool for applying pressure.

When it still yielded no results, Sha Ming surprisingly adopted the same laid-back posture as Fu Qian, gesturing for the rescue team to do as they pleased.

...

"Why aren't you doing it?"

Amidst the deathly silence, Sha Ming actively pressed them, as if trying his hardest to pass on his foul mood.

"It's a pretty good idea, enough that it actually brings me a sense of anticipation. Don't hesitate."

"You think we really wouldn't dare..."

Old Man Huang clearly didn't want to show weakness either, his withered face contorting ferociously like a reanimated corpse.

Tap, tap...

Just as a new stalemate was about to form, an unexpected change occurred—the sound of shoes crunching on gravel.

The group turned their heads in unison toward the sound, only to see Miranda—who hadn't made a peep since earlier—approaching step by step with a wooden expression.

This...

Although they couldn't see the tethers right now, the team members all knew she hadn't been swept up in them earlier. In theory, it was possible for her to stay out of trouble and look after herself.

So even in their current situation, her actions were clearly quite irrational.

However, amidst their hesitation, no one ultimately offered a warning, right up until Miranda got close enough.

"Stop!"

It was still Huang Leji at the very front who shouted at her, lecturing the newly joined member.

"If you keep walking, you'll kill yourself and everyone else."

Heh...

Miranda actually accepted his advice, though only for the duration of a cold sneer.

Her gaze swept past the crowd one by one, even passing over Sha Ming's face. A trace of a mocking smile surfaced on her expression as her feet moved once more.

Thud.

With her movement, the first person finally collapsed to the ground, yet it didn't make her footsteps hesitate in the slightest.

Miranda, who could also collapse at any moment, didn't seem to mind using this method to accompany this group down to the Yellow Springs.

"Lift it quickly—"

Huang Leji, who had originally thought that having one more person would increase their deterrent power, unquestionably had regret seeping into his voice. He profoundly felt the importance of emotional stability.

Who could have imagined that a member of the visiting trio would actually be the first to suffer an emotional breakdown.

Alongside this intense regret, he hurriedly issued a final ultimatum to Sha Ming.

Unfortunately, what made him even more despairing was that despite sizing Miranda up with equal surprise, Sha Ming showed no intention of taking action. His focus remained locked onto that mysterious man who controlled the icy power.

Naturally, just like Huang Leji, Sha Ming gained absolutely nothing from it.

Fu Qian was merely watching Miranda with a face full of appreciation.

Amidst the continuous thuds of bodies collapsing, she displayed astonishing madness, actually walking step by step right up to Sha Ming's side.

As for Old Man Huang's group, only four of them were still standing at this point.

Of those who fell, not a single one had managed to end their own life before death's roll call arrived.

Fortunately, to everyone's relief, Miranda's footsteps finally stopped.

"Actually, you haven't walked away completely empty-handed."

Sha Ming clearly wasn't going to allow her to get any closer to that book. He offered a word of consolation with a faint, mocking smile.

Unfortunately, what answered him was a bizarre explosive pop.

Like paper grown brittle to its absolute limit, Miranda's body suddenly dissociated into thousands of pieces in that very moment, enveloping Sha Ming within them.

Amidst the synchronous thuds of the rescue team's final members collapsing—including Huang Leji—a crude Burlap Doll actually leapt out from the pouring rain of gore, instantly lunging toward the Record of True Transcription a short distance away.

Everything happened in a flash of lightning and stone spark, the rapid changes leaving the eyes struggling to keep up.

For instance, just as the doll was about to pounce on it, the Golden Codex suddenly flew off in the opposite direction.

"Thanks for the concession."

The blood string vanished from his hand. Feeling the weight of the academically plagiarized work, Fu Qian met their gazes and nodded.

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