Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Boss, I think something's off!"

While cleaning up the aftermath, one of the team members checked that the coast was clear, leaned close to Delin, and whispered.

It was a burly middle-aged man who looked only slightly younger than Delin. His blond hair was already thinning into a bald spot.

"Wait until we get back."

Delin glanced at him. He clearly understood what the man meant, but signaled him to keep his mouth shut.

The captain obviously carried a lot of authority. Brother Mediterranean instantly shut up, though his expression remained anxious.

After they dug a large pit and buried the monster's remains, the cleanup was essentially finished.

Fu Qian then followed Delin's group to a temporary camp a short distance away.

The camp was completely new; it was obvious this team had just arrived as well.

Almost the moment they returned to the tent, Brother Mediterranean couldn't wait to speak again.

"Those things were way too bizarre. I've never seen monsters like that."

"In a place like this, under the influence of Transcendent Tier powers, no monster we run into should be a surprise."

Delin didn't stop his complaints this time, answering in a flat tone.

"But those little things looked incredibly vicious!"

Brother Mediterranean patted the iron box next to him and lowered his voice.

"These guys obviously know this place inside and out. They even prepared a bunch of these iron boxes, which means they've put a lot of effort into this. Yet they still paid to hire us for the job. I'm telling you, something's fishy!"

"You don't need to worry about that."

Delin sounded rather confident.

"Don't forget my habits. I looked into them thoroughly before taking this job. They're just a wealthy small corporation. They don't have the capability to plot anything against us."

"The most likely reason they hired us is that they have the information but lack the strength to explore this place themselves."

"Besides, their thorough preparation is a good thing for us. Don't overthink it."

"Alright..."

Seeing Delin's resolute expression, Brother Mediterranean didn't say anything more.

"Speaking of which, what value do these things actually have? I've never even heard of them before."

The only female member of the team finally spoke up.

"I haven't seen them either."

Delin admitted with complete honesty.

"The only thing I know is that they call them 'materials.'"

"Materials... No wonder they didn't care whether the targets were dead or alive. To offer such generous pay, these things must be extremely precious..."

The woman left her sentence hanging, hinting at a deeper implication.

"The employer's price is generous enough. We just need to do our job."

Delin glanced at her.

"And if it weren't for them, we never would have gotten the Pass for this region."

"Right."

The woman hummed in agreement and dropped the subject.

Seeing that his team members had no further objections, Delin smiled in satisfaction.

"Since the samples met their standards, everything proceeds according to plan. Get a good rest today; we move out officially tomorrow."

"That Mister Luo is somewhat unfathomable. Keep an eye on him."

Delin hesitated for a moment before finishing, but ultimately couldn't help adding that warning.

"Understood."

The group answered in unison.

The meeting ended. Delin shot Fu Qian a look and left without another word.

It was obvious that Fu Qian was not considered a core member of this team.

And his performance today had undoubtedly been thoroughly average.

Of course, the man himself didn't mind this in the slightest.

The only reason he was still here was that his own task conveniently aligned with their objective. Otherwise, he would have dusted off his hands and gone solo long ago.

Considering they held a fair amount of information, it was better to quietly observe the changes for now.

...

According to the original plan, they wouldn't set out to catch the next bait until tomorrow morning, so the group rested on the spot right after eating.

Having witnessed the methods of those Dolls during the day, the group's tension had drastically increased.

Everyone who took a turn on night watch stared wide-eyed at their surroundings, refusing to miss the slightest rustle of the wind. They were terrified of being ripped apart by some little white demon leaping out of the dark—everyone except Fu Qian.

When it was his turn, not only did he not keep his eyes peeled, but he actually did his best to pull back his perception, making it less sharp.

He had already confirmed it before: this place was quite bizarre.

Every time Fu Qian expanded his perception, he vaguely felt a sensation of being stared at in return, and his intuition told him that was absolutely not a good thing.

However, even if he buried his head in the sand, Fu Qian was still leagues stronger than these team members.

For instance, right now, amidst the shrouding mist, Fu Qian could still clearly sense someone spying from afar, right in the direction his back was turned.

Fu Qian was absolutely certain it was a person, not the Small Dolls they had encountered during the day.

Not a single person in the camp was missing. The only explanation was that there were actually other people in this place—people the team knew nothing about.

The mysterious observer was obviously extremely cautious and maintained their distance, allowing them to watch for quite a while without being discovered.

At this moment, a tent opened, and Mister Luo slipped out without a sound.

Glancing at the slacking Fu Qian, he didn't say a word, simply lifting his head to gaze in the direction behind them.

...

The next morning began with a shriek of terror.

Fu Qian watched Brother Mediterranean charge out of his tent, frantically rubbing his own head in panic.

In just a single night, the top of his head had become lush and verdant, sprouting a messy thicket of new hair.

In fact, it wasn't just him. Everyone who stepped out of their tents looked at one another and realized their hair had grown a great deal. For a moment, everyone was stunned.

"No need to worry."

It was Mister Luo who stepped forward on his own accord to soothe the crowd.

"The life aura in this place is simply extremely dense. Do you remember what I mentioned when we set out?"

He looked at Delin.

"I remember."

The captain nodded.

"Wrap up your bodies as much as possible to minimize exposed skin, and avoid any physical contact."

Seeing Delin answer so fluidly, Mister Luo didn't say anything more. He merely cast his gaze toward a specific tent in the camp.

The next moment, two bloodcurdling screams rang out from inside it.

The only female team member threw open the tent flap and ran out, her arms hugging her chest.

Attached to her back was a burly man.

Their bare backs were fused tightly together. Not a sliver of space could be seen between them, and they couldn't be pulled apart.

This...

Delin stared at his two team members, who had practically become conjoined twins, and fell into a deep silence.

"It seems not everyone remembered the warning."

Mister Luo merely watched the two with a cold gaze.

"Can you save them?"

Facing Delin's plea, Mister Luo glanced at him. He finally nodded and raised his right hand.

"Just this once."

In the next second, a dark luster flashed across his hand and instantly enveloped the fused pair.

Accompanied by another shriek of agony, the two were violently separated. They hastily threw their clothes back on.

"In this place, not only is the aura of life dense, but the boundaries of life are blurred,"

Mister Luo said, looking at the crowd to emphasize his point once more.

"Distance is extremely important."

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