Eldritch Horror Theatre

'That drained quite a bit of energy!'

Sitting in the severed half of the carriage once more, Fu Qian weighed the gains and losses of his recent exchange.

Even with his strength, had those people refused to leave, he likely would have been forced to reveal himself and kill them.

However, that didn't mean the Red Moon's reward was lacking. Blood Crusade was originally meant to be an assault skill; he had simply forced it to work for stealth.

Besides, after this encounter, those people would probably attack on sight the next time their paths crossed.

Even if he were willing to let bygones be bygones, they almost certainly wouldn't believe him.

Of course, the benefits were obvious.

His earlier speech would likely boost their efficiency, ensuring they demonstrated their understanding of this place with the momentum of a thunderbolt.

His task was to Extinguish the Flame, and as it happened, all three of them carried similar, bizarre traces on their bodies. It would be a waste not to exploit that.

Fu Qian closed his eyes, sensing a unique, purely conceptual connection stretching far into the distance.

It was his reward from the Red Moon—Thread of Attachment.

The other end of the thread pointed to a certain half a Demigod.

It turned out that "an attachment that even a Deity cannot sever" wasn't an empty boast. Judging by its stability, it seemed capable of lasting for quite a while.

As for how he had accomplished this, it was actually quite simple.

Although forcibly dragging someone over would have been too obvious and instantly raised alarms, as the saying went, a mutual approach yielded twice the result with half the effort.

Trench Coat Guy had taken the initiative to get close.

The moment he realized Ike was distracting him to set up Trench Coat Guy for a sneak attack, Fu Qian had formulated his plan. He deliberately executed a hair's-breadth dodge, casually triggering his new skill in the process.

His prompt decision had proven correct.

Had he waited for those two Divine Emissaries to draw near, the chances of discovery would have skyrocketed.

...

This place really was a bit out of the ordinary.

Having abandoned the carriage to travel on foot, Fu Qian strolled forward at a leisurely pace, taking in his surroundings.

It didn't take long for him to notice something unusual.

First, this could truly be called a bustling metropolis. The pedestrians on the streets and the bright lights in the buildings proved as much.

At the same time, it was every bit as "inclusive" as the mission description had claimed.

Along the way, he saw appearances that challenged human imagination—creatures that could only be described as demons and monsters, many having completely shed any resemblance to humanity.

But that was nothing. What truly surprised Fu Qian was something else entirely.

All these chaotic elements somehow blended into a bizarre harmony.

A massive dog roaring in a frenzied rage suddenly had a flying baseball wedged into its throat. A split second later, the delinquent teenager who had swung the bat was sent flying by a speeding carriage. The crowd's cheers came to an abrupt halt. Upon closer inspection, the driver of the carriage had already been shot through the head by a crossbow arrow from out of nowhere... The streets were filled with similar scenes.

In short, an entire city of freaks and a nonstop parade of chaotic violence ultimately wove together into an indescribable sense of coordination, operating without the slightest hitch.

Fu Qian could even feel himself slowly blending into the rhythm.

The most direct proof of this was that throughout his entire walk, he hadn't been forced to stop for a single incident. His path had been completely unobstructed.

'Now I really do believe that "any intrusion from an outsider will ultimately be quelled,"' he thought.

Amidst his musings, Fu Qian came to a halt of his own accord.

It seemed he had reached his destination.

...

Fu Qian hadn't followed the invisible connection to track down the Hunting Squad just yet.

Although the current Containment Conditions didn't specify a time limit, past experience told him he wouldn't have the luxury of slowly laying out a grand scheme.

This was exactly why, the moment he realized Stoss and the others had a unique background, Fu Qian had decisively fed them a load of nonsense to speed up their pace. He needed them to find some clues for him.

Of course, given they would realize he was spouting garbage the moment they easily hunted down a few targets, his current objective was to turn that garbage into reality.

He needed to let this city know that a group of powerful outsiders was conducting an organized slaughter.

Judging by how Ike and the others had operated—even going so far as to procure a carriage—they were clearly trying to keep a low profile and avoid drawing attention.

After observing the city on his walk, Fu Qian already had an idea of how to cure them of that nasty habit of staying low-key.

Murdering someone in a completely opposite style and claiming it was a gang operation would undoubtedly be the easiest approach, but Fu Qian didn't think the effect would be good enough.

The incredibly smooth way this world operated was like countless interlocking gears turning in unison.

If he were to dismantle one of those gears, would it cause a chain reaction?

And it would be best to dismantle a particularly large one.

At this very moment, Fu Qian had already found one.

...

"Welcome. Do you have a reservation?"

A waiter opened the door from the inside, and Fu Qian stepped into a rather classy-looking restaurant.

Strictly speaking, the establishment wasn't exactly luxurious, and its size was only average.

Its defining feature was its quiet, orderly atmosphere.

In stark contrast to the chaotic fervor that gripped the rest of the city, this place looked the most like a normal, functioning restaurant.

Even the aged, well-worn seats and utensils were kept spotlessly clean.

"No. May I see the menu?"

Guided to his seat, Fu Qian sat with an incredibly natural posture. He looked exactly like an ordinary patron here for a meal.

"Please wait a moment. Catherine!"

Following the call, a waitress with black hair, red lips, and a stunning figure promptly approached with a menu.

"Catherine?"

Fu Qian didn't immediately reach for the menu. Instead, he studied her with deep interest.

He acted exactly like the other patrons in the restaurant at that moment.

"Are you ready to order?"

Catherine was clearly accustomed to such stares. In response to Fu Qian's question, she didn't even bat an eye.

"Yes. I'll take one of everything that takes less than five minutes to prepare."

Fu Qian took the menu with a highly agreeable attitude, glanced at it for a second, and placed his order.

...

Catherine clearly didn't understand his method of ordering, but she ultimately just shot him a glance and didn't ask any questions.

Fu Qian figured she had already seen patrons try every bizarre trick in the book just to win her attention.

Naturally, Fu Qian didn't pester her after her cold reception. He simply waited for his food while observing the surrounding diners.

As he had noted earlier, this place appeared to be a pocket of the city that was still operating normally.

However, that also meant it came with the inevitable drama of a normal establishment.

Smack!

Stuffing a forkful of cabbage salad into his mouth, Fu Qian watched as Catherine slapped a bald man across the face.

The slap was so vicious that Fu Qian even spotted a set of dentures flying through the air.

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