Eldritch Horror Theatre

"This stuff is getting thicker. We'd better not waste any more time."

Fu Qian pointed upward.

Recruiting four fighters this smoothly was an unexpected delight.

With no time to lose, his top priority was leading the team to the Divine Child to deliver the baby.

And he wasn't just saying that.

Only a few minutes had passed since they left the house, but the shadows overhead had grown even heavier, dropping visibility significantly.

Even the wind felt uncomfortably viscous, as though filled with invisible needles that pricked the skin numb.

"The perimeter is mostly cleared out, too."

The captain nodded, decisively issuing the order.

Whether she was meant to protect him or monitor him was anyone's guess.

Fu Qian had no objections.

Regardless, his origins were mysterious; it was impossible to erase their wariness with just a few words.

Not to mention, these people were all currently in a bloodthirsty state.

The group quickly traversed the long street, advancing toward the center of the shadows.

The atmosphere was incredibly oppressive. Everyone remained silent.

True enough, aside from natural-born psychopaths, few people could maintain a good mood after slaughtering their own kind—even with a valid reason.

The surrounding area was an old residential district with cramped buildings that severely restricted their line of sight.

The group proceeded on high alert with weapons drawn. Fu Qian, walking in the center of the formation, was actually the most relaxed of them all.

Just as they approached the central area, Fu Qian suddenly felt a surge of alarm.

A nearby window was abruptly shoved open, and a grayish mass howled out, launching itself straight at his face.

Su Gao's sword and Fu Qian's Air Bullet struck it almost simultaneously.

Crack!

The thing was knocked off balance before Su Gao cleanly cleaved it in two.

Even so, the creature still managed to leave a deep gash on Fu Qian's shoulder.

Its severed upper half even crawled several meters across the ground before finally stopping.

Having undergone special training, Fu Qian paid the minor injury no mind. He immediately retreated to a safe distance.

Now, he finally got a clear look at his attacker.

Long black hair and a stain-covered coat—it looked like it had been a person not too long ago.

Unfortunately, it was completely deformed now.

Its entire body looked as if it had been stretched ten times its length and snapped back. Its two legs had practically retracted into its torso, leaving only tiny stumps exposed at the bottom.

"This is my first time seeing this kind of curse."

The buzzcut man took a deep breath, yet a hint of relief slipped into his tone.

Fu Qian glanced around and saw that everyone, including the captain, had the same reaction.

Earlier, they had only surmised that the curse's corruption would turn people into monsters. It was just a theory. Now that it was confirmed, their internal guilt actually faded a bit.

"How is your wound?"

The captain looked back at Fu Qian.

"It's nothing. Let's keep moving!"

Fu Qian acted completely oblivious to the injury on his shoulder. He was determined to maintain his tough-guy image to the bitter end.

"Mhm."

The captain nodded silently. He had taken in every detail of Fu Qian's reaction to the sudden ambush.

Now he firmly believed that Fu Qian was a transcendent accustomed to life-and-death struggles.

Only someone like that could possess such insight and nerve.

The captain praised him inwardly, making up his mind to find a way to help Fu Qian lift his curse once the incident was resolved.

"Damn it, why are there still so many!"

At that moment, the buzzcut man roared in a suppressed voice.

In just that brief span of time, Maggot-Men began squirming out of windows, rooftops, and even the pipes overhead, swarming toward the five of them.

"Go!"

The captain decisively barked the order.

The group moved rapidly, clearing a path before they could be completely surrounded.

Fu Qian was actually quite happy. Along the way, no matter who made a move, he consistently tossed in an Air Bullet without exception.

If he remembered correctly, the final summary would track his kill count. It might affect his rewards or something. Grinding his stats a little couldn't hurt.

He could also practice his proficiency.

Before long, Fu Qian's Air Bullets reached the point of scoring consistent headshots.

Coupled with the bonus from the Cat School, he was hitting exactly where he aimed.

By now, the five had rounded the corner of the long street, and the area ahead suddenly opened up.

Inside a spacious hall, nearly a hundred figures clad in human clothes hunched over the floor.

They were packed tightly together, covering every inch of the space.

Among them were quite a few neatly dressed individuals.

Their bodies even swayed gently to some sort of rhythm.

"Fuck!"

Even a man as purportedly experienced as Fu Qian felt a wave of nausea at the sight.

The captain's face was as black as charcoal. He clearly hadn't expected the situation to be this severe.

"Alright, this is as far as we go!"

Before he could speak, the old man, who had been silent until now, chimed in.

Seeing everyone looking at him, the old man scoffed and continued.

"I think this incident has exceeded our authority. We should report this to the organization and let them send someone to handle it."

"I think you're just scared!"

The buzzcut man was the first to blow up.

"Report it? Don't tell me you don't know how long it'll take for them to get here!"

"That's right, I'm scared."

The old man didn't care in the slightest.

"I'm not like you lot. I only do what falls within my duties."

"What we did earlier can somewhat be explained, but with this scene now, what do you plan to do?"

"With so many people, if we really turn this place into a living Purgatory, are you absolutely certain we won't be dealt with?"

"If we all die here, then the incident will truly spiral out of control."

"We don't even know what caused this corrupting curse. It's entirely based on what this guy of unknown origins is saying. Are you all just going to trust his word?"

Why is he dragging me into this again?

Seeing the old man pointing at him, Fu Qian calmly shook his head.

"There's no need to believe it all. I wasn't telling the whole truth to begin with anyway."

...

"We can't just walk away. We'd have no way to explain ourselves when we return."

The captain's expression was cold.

"Who said we're leaving empty-handed?"

The old man pulled something out and tossed it over.

"At the very least, we found this."

Fu Qian shot it a glance. It was a tattered black notebook.

"Where did you find this?"

The captain actually looked startled.

"During the cleanup operation."

The old man snorted and pointed at Fu Qian.

"I just didn't trust him, so I held onto it for the time being."

"With this in our hands, it can't be considered a fruitless trip, can it?"

Seeing the other three fall silent, looking somewhat persuaded, Fu Qian had a bad feeling about this.

This isn't right. We haven't even seen the boss yet, and the team is already on the verge of disbanding.

Fu Qian pointed at the item in the captain's hand.

"Hey, can I take a look at that?"

"This is an important item."

Before the captain could speak, the buzzcut man was the first to flare up in anger.

The captain ignored him and handed the notebook over.

"There's no harm in letting you see it. This thing is connected to another incident we've been investigating. I've already read through it, and there's nothing special inside."

The notebook was very thin and didn't hold much content. Fu Qian flipped through it with his fingertips, frowning.

"I can't understand this passage at the bottom. What does it mean?"

"What?"

Following where Fu Qian pointed, everyone shot him a look that asked, Are you kidding me?

"Are you joking?"

"Why would I be joking? I can't read this messy chunk of text at all."

...

The captain silently handed over a stick.

"Can you sketch a copy of it?"

Fu Qian asked, "Why?"

"Because to us, that spot is blank."

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