Eldritch Horror Theatre

Huang Zhaoyan's shout changed the way everyone looked at Fu Qian.

Didn't you say you hadn't found anything? Did you just slack off and come straight back?

I did slack off and come straight back. Someone else can do that kind of useless work.

Facing the crowd's questioning gazes, Fu Qian remained completely calm and unbothered.

He watched as Huang Zhaoyan ran over under everyone's expectant gazes.

"Where is it?"

Li Weixuan maintained the demeanor of a seasoned leader; his tone carried only a hint of excitement.

"Over there. It's about fifteen minutes away."

Huang Zhaoyan pointed back over his shoulder.

...

A corpse?

Everyone's eyes dimmed once again, including Li Weixuan's, their morale plummeting by another ninety-nine points.

Huang Zhaoyan hadn't yet realized the misunderstanding his words had caused.

"It's a very bizarre corpse. I think you should take a look."

Sure enough, he didn't rat me out. He hasn't even looked at my face this entire time.

Fu Qian sighed inwardly. No need to feel so guilty!

"Then let's go take a look."

Li Weixuan took a deep breath and roused the seated group.

Finding something was better than nothing; at least it might offer a clue.

When the group arrived, they stared at the assassin's corpse in stunned silence for a long time.

For no other reason than the fact that it was simply too bizarre.

The assassin's body was even more twisted than before. Both arms were on the verge of falling off, attached by only a final thread of muscle.

Gag!

Fu Qian heard someone dry-heaving again.

"It is indeed strange. He couldn't have been dead for long, yet the state of the corpse is highly unnatural. Could it be related to the special environment in here?"

Li Weixuan frowned, equally perplexed by the sight.

Then, suddenly realizing something, he turned to Fu Qian.

"Didn't you see this body on your way over?"

Fu Qian glanced at Huang Zhaoyan, who unconsciously averted his eyes.

"Of course I did."

He nodded, startling the entire group.

"Then why didn't you mention it?"

"What's there to mention?"

Fu Qian looked surprised, his expression suggesting they were making a mountain out of a molehill.

"I'm the one who killed him, after all."

True, at the end of the day it was just a strange corpse, not a way out—wait a minute, what did you just say?!

Everyone jumped in shock, staring at Fu Qian in sheer disbelief.

"You're saying... you killed him?"

This time, even Li Weixuan let out a startled gasp, his dao heart faltering.

"Yeah. When I was out scouting earlier, this guy attacked me, so I just conveniently killed him."

Fu Qian spoke with the casual tone of someone who had just tossed out a piece of trash while running errands.

"Just to clarify, he struck first. It was entirely self-defense."

"Do you know who he was?"

"No clue."

Fu Qian shook his head, noting how Huang Zhaoyan let out a sigh of relief.

"He just followed me for a bit before jumping out to say he was going to kill me, and even told me to run away."

"He told you he was going to kill you, and told you to run?"

"Yeah! He even reminded me to use my Arrow Bell to call for reinforcements."

...

Li Weixuan's gaze sharpened.

To kill someone, yet remind the target to call for help?

The prior actions could somewhat be explained, but this was completely illogical.

Li Weixuan subconsciously swept a glance behind him, realizing the situation wasn't so simple.

He wasn't some combat meathead ignorant of the ways of the world; he instantly made several connections.

The assassin's true target was someone else. Going after Fu Qian was merely luring the tiger away from the mountain.

To think someone dared to pull a stunt like this during an exploration mission he was leading! Did they really think his temper was that mild?

He had to get to the bottom of this once they got out, otherwise where would the Academy's prestige be?

"Check his belongings."

Li Weixuan ordered, then gave Fu Qian a deep look.

"Don't worry. Once we're out of here, I'll give you a proper explanation."

This student might harbor many secrets, but no one would tell such a pointless lie just to take the blame for this.

"It's fine. This guy was weak anyway."

Fu Qian's expression was a picture of nonchalance.

"If that's the case, then his time of death was very recent."

Li Weixuan's attention returned to the corpse.

"Then its condition is quite strange."

"It is indeed strange. I already have a theory about it. Classmate Ji Liushuang and I happened to be on the same page and exchanged some ideas on the matter."

Fu Qian spoke in a tone that suggested he and Ji Liushuang shared a long-standing understanding.

He didn't want to be the one proposing everything; that would be far too suspicious.

Since he'd happened to converse with Ji Liushuang, having this beloved disciple of the Academy endorse him couldn't be more perfect.

Ji Liushuang was frowning in thought. Hearing Fu Qian call her name, a flash of surprise crossed her eyes.

"Liushuang, do you have any thoughts on this?"

Fu Qian's words caught Li Weixuan off guard.

"I do have a bit of a theory. It feels like it might be related to this place."

Although it was a bit strange that Fu Qian was pushing her to the forefront, Ji Liushuang nodded and voiced her deduction.

"Think about it carefully. Ever since we entered this place, we've seen almost no living creatures. The only corpse is this assassin who followed us in. For a place that allows entry but no exit, isn't that a little bizarre?"

"And from the time we entered until now, we've encountered two types of monsters: one made of black hair, and a hand monster made of arms. Both are related to the human body."

"So, I'm wondering if there's a possibility that all the creatures that trespass here—under the influence of some special power within these ruins—have their corpses merge together in a strange way after death, turning into those things?"

This...

Ji Liushuang's words clearly provoked a strong reaction, causing quite a stir among the crowd.

"If that's really the case, could this place be alive?"

"Will we be digested in this bizarre manner after we die?"

"Not only can we not get out, but we'll even turn into those hand monsters?"

"That's way too disgusting!"

...

Seeing the group devolve into a chaotic mess, Li Weixuan raised a hand, signaling everyone to calm down.

He furrowed his brows. If that was truly the case, this place was downright evil.

"I actually think this is a good thing."

A good thing?

This left everyone utterly shocked. Even Ji Liushuang looked at Fu Qian in horror.

How could this be a good thing? Did it satisfy his morbid curiosity?

Fu Qian pointed at the corpse on the ground.

"Have you all considered what it means that he's missing so many parts?"

What did it mean?

Aside from being bizarre and gory, what else could it mean?

"So far, we've seen hair and arms, but we haven't seen any blood..."

Fu Qian counted on his fingers.

"Which means..."

He pointed toward the depths of the ruins.

"Deep within the ruins, there is a specific destination—the place where all these things go."

"No matter what form it takes, it might be fraught with danger, but that's still better than having no leads here at all."

"So, I think we ought to head inside and take a look."

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