Eldritch Horror Theatre

Ji Yicheng? Or someone else from the Ji Clan?

After all, he had mentioned that Ash Descent was an innate ability exclusive to the Ji Clan, their signature mark.

If that was the case, Fu Qian felt like he was looking at a conspiracy targeting the Siren Group.

As competitors, it wasn't hard to understand why the Ji Clan might try to infiltrate the Siren Group's expedition to gather intelligence.

However, that person's practiced familiarity faintly hinted at another possibility: the information the Ji Clan possessed might not have come from a mole at all.

Thinking about it, the Siren Group hadn't even explored these deeper areas themselves. Even if there were a mole, what information could they have possibly leaked?

Fu Qian clicked his tongue. Looking at it now, it was far more likely the Ji Clan had discovered this place first.

But instead of exploring it themselves, they had managed to leak the discovery to the Siren Group.

As the largest faction currently in the Wasteland, the Siren Group was undoubtedly interested. They had rapidly organized a team to explore it while doing everything in their power to lock down the news.

To confuse their opponent, the Ji Clan had even put on an act, pretending to try their hardest to gather intelligence, deliberately leading the Siren Group to suspect a mole had been planted among them.

It seemed the Ji Clan's estimation of the danger within these Ruins was exceptionally high!

Fu Qian shook his head.

Their most likely goal with this setup was to distract their rival, creating an opportunity for the Ji Clan to seize control of this side of the Wasteland.

But if the Ruins were too small or lacked threats, and the Siren Group used their concentrated forces to finish exploring them neatly and swiftly, the Ji Clan would essentially suffer a double loss.

The Ji Clan must have concluded after their preliminary exploration that this place harbored considerable danger, ensuring the Siren Group wouldn't be able to finish quickly and might even lose personnel. Only then would a scheme like this make sense.

As expected, there was nothing but naked hatred between peers!

However, this kind of scheming for power and profit was just standard operating procedure. It wasn't particularly rare.

Fu Qian's focus was on something else entirely.

That brother watching from the shadows just now had risked exposure to save Kelsen and Sybil. That move made absolutely no sense.

After all, rivals slaughtering each other was a good thing. If one or two demigods actually died in the process, the Ji Clan should have been waking up laughing in their dreams.

So what exactly was that guy's motive?

It really seemed that Brother Angel was the key to the problem!

With that thought in mind, Fu Qian didn't waste any more time. He left the hall and quickly headed back down the tunnel he had arrived through.

At the same time, he pulled out his pistol again, shook a cascade of empty casings onto the floor, and reloaded it with practiced ease.

...

"Why are you out?"

At the exit of the Ruins, the group that had left earlier was standing guard.

Elena and Montes were no longer there; they had presumably been sent back for treatment.

Seeing Fu Qian returning alone, the group was filled with suspicion, prompting one of them to ask.

Changed back?

Fu Qian didn't answer, but he silently nodded to himself.

The man who had spoken had clearly broken free from the Saint State and now exhibited normal emotional fluctuations.

In fact, even Fu Qian could clearly feel the change within himself at this moment.

So the influence really is limited to the inside of the Ruins?

Fu Qian instantly felt a bit more certain about his hypothesis.

"If I remember correctly, you were ordered to stay inside and explore with the others."

Receiving no response, the man was visibly displeased. He narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly.

"Our orders are to not allow anyone in or out, so I'm afraid we can't let you leave for now."

Although Fu Qian's background was mysterious, the group still held a natural psychological advantage over an outsider like him.

"Understood."

Fu Qian nodded, but his feet didn't stop moving for a second.

"So no one has come out through here?"

"Of course not!"

The man let out a heavy snort.

"So you—"

The next moment, the barrel of a gun pressed directly against his forehead, causing the man's voice to come to an abrupt halt.

Although he couldn't fathom how Fu Qian dared to make such a move, getting his head blown off at point-blank range was not an injury he could survive.

Given Fu Qian's previous track record, the man clearly didn't dare bet that he wouldn't pull the trigger. For a moment, he just allowed Fu Qian to hold the gun to his head and drag him by the collar through the crowd as a hostage.

While being dragged along so miserably, the man actually wanted Fu Qian to say a few more words, just so he would have some sort of explanation to give his superiors later.

Unfortunately, Fu Qian had zero interest in doing that.

Given his actions inside, Fu Qian didn't think there was any room for explanations now anyway.

As long as Kelsen and Sybil's brains weren't broken, what awaited him upon their exit would undoubtedly be a wanted poster from the Siren Group.

Of course, given the current situation, it was hard to say how much energy the Siren Group still had to dedicate to that.

Once they were out of the group's sight, Fu Qian casually tossed his hostage to the ground and strode away.

There was a distinct possibility that the city had already descended into absolute chaos.

As the saying went, one should try fishing in troubled waters. Under these circumstances, finding someone to interrogate would be perfectly reasonable, right?

...

Trudging all the way back through a swamp that seemed made of gathered flesh and blood, Fu Qian soon returned to the settlement.

Almost immediately, he sensed a murderous tension in the air, vastly different from before. There was barely anyone to be seen on the streets.

This was not a good sign!

Fu Qian scanned his surroundings and finally spotted a human figure.

Looking closely, it was actually an acquaintance.

The leather-jacketed guy he had clashed with in the bar earlier—Felix, wasn't it?

Fu Qian didn't hesitate; he walked right up to him.

The moment Felix saw Fu Qian, he froze for a second. Then his eyes lit up, and he stepped forward to block his path instead.

"Hello there. We meet again!"

"Yeah. What happened here?"

Fu Qian adopted a casual, conversational tone, gesturing around them.

"Just a few people died. Nothing major."

Felix was still beaming.

"Dead? People from the Siren Group?"

"You're more well-informed than I thought."

Felix paused again, then a vicious grin spread across his face.

"More than just them."

As he spoke, he held up two fingers.

"Lesson Two: When things are chaotic, it's best to hide at home."

Before his voice even faded, a pitch-black Dagger dotted with starlight appeared in his hand, and he lunged forward.

Very clear thinking! Take advantage of the chaos to conveniently kill someone he dislikes, then pin the blame on the turf war between the two factions.

Fu Qian nodded as he thought. Facing Felix, who was swooping in like a massive bird of prey, he simply delivered a front kick.

The next moment, Felix flew backward even faster than he had come, smashing a section of the wall into pieces.

But Fu Qian had no intention of letting him off. He stepped forward and pulled out his pistol.

"You—"

Felix's expression at this moment was incredibly complex, but the terror in his eyes was growing at a visible rate.

"Don't be nervous!"

Fu Qian flicked the cylinder with his finger, aimed at the man's stomach, and pulled the trigger.

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