Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Fall back!"

The Persuader roared in Fu Qian's mind.

"This is your last chance! Move while he's busy with Liang Yuntian!"

"You're being far too optimistic."

Fu Qian shook his head as he answered.

As it turned out, after delivering that domineering declaration, Qiu Chengyi had locked his eyes squarely on Fu Qian.

"Divided attention isn't a good habit!"

Fu Qian sighed.

He perfectly understood Qiu Chengyi's choice.

By comparison, Fu Qian was the unpredictable variable.

"Exactly. That's why I'll focus on eliminating you first,"

Qiu Chengyi said with a smile.

"Though I don't sense much of a threat from you, letting you leave now would just make tracking you down later a hassle."

"Next, I will complete the synchronization area by area until I have absolute control over this place. I don't want any potential interference during that process. You understand?"

"I understand."

Fu Qian nodded and backed away, dodging a rat that leaped from the water.

But this was only the beginning. A moment later, the churning was no longer confined to the water bubbles—the entire Flooded Basin began to roil.

The Bipedal Rats had returned, and this time, their target was Fu Qian.

Though he had been carefully avoiding the water and didn't fall victim to the initial ambush, facing hundreds—even thousands—of these creatures instantly plunged him into peril.

"Go!"

The Persuader's roar grew increasingly terse.

"It's not like you can die, so why do you sound even more scared than I am?"

Fu Qian asked curiously, sidestepping the rats.

"Do you have any idea how much effort it takes to get in here? Even though dying in this state wouldn't have a massive impact, it certainly wouldn't feel good! Stop talking nonsense and get out!"

"Alright!"

Fu Qian agreed, but instead of retreating, he leaped directly into the Flooded Basin.

"You..."

For a moment, the Persuader's voice was filled with absolute exasperation.

Fu Qian didn't stop. He charged all the way to the center of the basin, the Crimson Storm trailing right behind him.

For a brief moment, even the red-eyed Liang Yuntian glanced over.

Without hesitation, Fu Qian reached out and touched the barrier in front of him. It felt incredibly resilient.

"It's useless. Everything here bends to my will."

Qiu Chengyi's voice drifted over.

"You won't be using him to draw my fire."

Is that so? Everything bends to your will?

In the face of Qiu Chengyi's mockery, Fu Qian flipped his hand and shoved the White Insect Whistle into his mouth.

The next moment, a buzzing sound echoed through the entire space.

Though it wasn't particularly loud, it stirred an invisible ripple.

With very few cards left to play, Fu Qian decisively used the Insect Whistle Liu Yi had given him.

According to Liu Yi, sounding the Insect Whistle would summon things from the Underground to help.

They were currently in the Underground, so logically, help should arrive in seconds.

Before Fu Qian could even finish the thought, the entire space began to quake, and a rumbling rose from beneath his feet.

The instant he noticed the commotion, Fu Qian leaped away.

The previously vicious rats abandoned their siege and scattered in all directions, as if encountering a natural predator.

An instant later, gravel flew everywhere as a head the size of a truck cab burst from the ground.

Although the head was followed by a long, smooth body, Fu Qian was absolutely certain it wasn't a snake. It looked more like a gigantic insect.

With its rear half still buried in the ground, the giant insect's oval head split open into four petals, swallowing countless rats in a single bite. Even the seemingly indestructible water bubble was crushed in its jaws.

This thing is even more ferocious than I imagined! It clearly looks like an entity on the same level as Sister Ox-Head.

Witnessing this, Fu Qian marveled inwardly.

However, this thing doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. If I had just stood there without moving, I probably would have ended up between its teeth along with the rats.

It doesn't seem very reliable.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the giant insect shook its head and retreated back down the hole it had come from.

That was way too fast!

Fu Qian glanced at the Insect Whistle in his hand. Sure enough, powerful things never lasted long.

It felt less like the whistle summoned the giant insect to help, and more like it merely provided coordinates for a feeding ground.

But that didn't matter. His goal had been achieved.

"That thing was quite interesting!"

Qiu Chengyi's voice echoed out.

"To achieve that level with the power of flesh and blood alone... even I'm a little surprised. What a pity, though—"

Having chosen to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack, he slowly stepped back out.

"It clearly isn't under your control. Otherwise, it really might have caused me some trouble."

"If you have any other trump cards, you'd better play them quickly."

Even as Qiu Chengyi taunted him, the man's fingers flicked, and the scattered rats converged once more.

Not only that, but a shriveled arm thrust out of the ground, grasping silently for Fu Qian's ankle.

Fu Qian dodged nimbly, only to find the surrounding area swarming with these arms. They were packed so densely there was barely any room to stand.

At a glance, it looked like a bountiful sugarcane field.

Roar!

A piercing roar tore through the air as a shadow leaped from behind a rotting building, charging straight for Qiu Chengyi.

It was the completely disfigured Liang Yuntian.

He's finally here!

Fu Qian breathed a sigh of relief.

He hadn't run to the center of the basin and blown the whistle just for thrills.

Rather than relying on an untested summon to kill Qiu Chengyi, his true goal had been to set Liang Yuntian free.

After all, Liang Yuntian harbored almost no hatred toward him.

In the eyes of the nearly mindless Liang Yuntian, Qiu Chengyi was an exquisite delicacy, while Fu Qian didn't even register as food.

The situation had developed exactly as expected.

Having broken free, Liang Yuntian locked directly onto Qiu Chengyi and launched an attack.

"Are you... still not leaving?"

When the Persuader's voice sounded again, it was much calmer, even carrying a hint of hesitation.

His previous experience had clearly made him realize that yelling at Fu Qian was entirely useless.

"I'm not leaving."

Fu Qian replied just as decisively, fully focused on appreciating the god-slaughtering battle unfolding in front of him.

"Go about your business. Don't mind me."

He even offered a polite remark as he met Qiu Chengyi's gaze.

...

Qiu Chengyi, however, no longer looked as composed as before.

Compared to Fu Qian, Liang Yuntian was far superior in both speed and lethality.

Especially now that he had broken free, the rats couldn't even keep up with his pace, let alone surround him.

"Heh. Is this your strategy? Letting a dog off its leash?"

Even so, after dodging a barrage of bone spears from Liang Yuntian, he still laughed aloud.

"I must admit, you're very good at leveraging external forces. Compared to these brainless animals, it's quite a rare trait."

"Unfortunately, while strength isn't everything, it is the prerequisite for everything."

"With nothing but schemes and tricks, you're ultimately just a lowlife!"

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