Eldritch Horror Theatre

"This is... there's contamination inside. It's even seeped onto the door."

Madam Qing's eyes flickered uncontrollably at the anomaly in Fu Qian's hand.

It had to be said, this was a perfectly normal conclusion.

When the others saw it, their synchronized retreat from the door perfectly illustrated the phrase: great minds think alike.

Fu Qian didn't reply. Instead, he turned to look at the small window at the end of the corridor.

Unknowingly, the deep blue outside—even darker than the room's interior—had been tainted with a touch of pale purple.

Fu Qian was absolutely certain this wasn't a trick of the eye; the pale purple was still deepening, even beginning to shift into a vibrant red.

"What's going on?"

His reaction drew the others' attention, and they quickly noticed the shifting color.

Unfortunately, the answer to Madam Star's question was an angry curse from Brother Death Row Inmate.

Following the sound, they saw him tear off a glove and hurl it into the distance.

It was immediately apparent that the familiar specks of fluorescence had appeared on his glove as well. Not only was it spreading rapidly across the fabric, but it had even stained the floor.

In fact, this wasn't the only spot. Fluorescence was pouring from the keyhole Fu Qian had just manipulated like a broken dam, surging outward. In the blink of an eye, it covered more than half the door.

Moreover, where the fluorescence spread, it formed overlapping ripples of light and shadow, creating an indescribably eerie appearance.

Given the scene, it was easy to guess what Death Row Inmate had just done—he had touched the keyhole.

Fortunately, he had been cautious enough to wear a glove. No traces could be seen on his body.

After all, no matter how you looked at it, this fluorescence didn't seem benevolent.

Now came the problem. With such an obvious anomaly, could the answer to their mission lie behind the door? Should they go in? And how?

"Move! Something's coming out."

Amidst their natural hesitation, Mask—who had been coldly observing the entire time—spoke up in a resolute tone.

As if in response to his words, a massive crash rang out a moment later. Something had slammed heavily against the door right in front of them.

Fortunately, this door opened inward. It shuddered violently and warped slightly, but it wasn't immediately busted open.

However, everyone present was a professional. Just from the sound of the impact and the extent of the vibration, they knew the entity behind the door possessed strength far exceeding human limits.

"Hurry, there are more."

Mask urged them again, successfully dispelling the group's final bit of hesitation.

The chorus of howls from Inside the Door fully corroborated his claim.

"Back the way we came."

Brother Red Dragon, true to his reputation as a steady and experienced veteran, let out a low growl to signal the others to follow him.

...

It had to be said that under normal circumstances, Brother Red Dragon had made a highly rational choice.

One didn't even need to be a combat specialist. Any office worker who traveled frequently would share a hard-learned lesson paid for in blood and tears: if you have an urgent matter and time is tight, absolutely never take an unfamiliar route, no matter how convenient the map claims it to be.

The reliability of a familiar path far exceeded imagination.

At this very moment, returning the way they came served another crucial purpose: it allowed them to compare the current environment with what they had seen on their way in.

Spotting any differences would effectively help them analyze exactly what was happening.

Given this, the team members accepted Red Dragon's suggestion almost without hesitation.

It was just a pity...

Not long after, the group stood before another tightly shut door, staring at each other in dismay.

"Why is it closed?"

Madam Star couldn't hide her surprise.

No one present had a bad sense of direction, and with Red Dragon acting as their guide, this was undoubtedly the exact route they had taken.

But given their prior bandit-like entry style, not a single door had been left closed in their wake. The scene before them was starkly different from when they had passed through.

Aside from this bizarre occurrence, what weighed even heavier on their minds was that the eerie fluorescence had already spread all the way here. Its rate of propagation was truly staggering.

"It's locked."

Quickly reaching out to test it, Red Dragon called back over his shoulder, summoning the technician.

Bang! Bang!

However, before Fu Qian could answer the call, gunshots rang out.

The one who fired was Mask. He had pulled out an exquisitely artistic short gun and unleashed a continuous volley.

Aside from the Hand Crossbow he had used earlier, this guy actually possessed other ranged methods. His preparations were extremely thorough.

With no time to marvel, Red Dragon stepped forward and kicked the door.

Fortunately, this door was significantly lower in quality than the one leading to the top floor. It burst open almost immediately on impact.

However, instead of advancing, the trailblazing Red Dragon retreated, diving directly into a roll on the ground.

Following his movement, amidst a low growl, a dark silhouette lunged straight out from behind the door.

Thanks to his preemptive evasion, Red Dragon managed to dodge the fierce ambush.

Even off-balance, he used his momentum to thrust out the Bladed Spear in his hands.

With the sound of a tearing paper bag, the strike successfully pierced its target.

Given the speed of the creature's ambush, its own momentum ended up ripping a massive wound across its body.

Pungent bodily fluids spewed from the wound, showering down like a rain of blood.

Red Dragon was undoubtedly within the blast radius, and half his body was thoroughly drenched.

The ambusher let out a wail and crashed heavily to the ground.

Looking closely, it was a massive black hound. Drenched in fresh blood, its ferocity was fully exposed at a glance.

Even though the wound from the Bladed Spear stretched all the way from its abdomen to its tail, it still struggled to stand and launch another attack.

"There's another!"

Amidst the bloody scene, Qing's voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of something tearing through the air.

The next moment, another dark silhouette lunging from behind the door collided solidly with her arrow.

With a whine, the dark silhouette's forward momentum was halted, and it tumbled to the ground.

Qing's arrow successfully saved the downed Red Dragon from a follow-up attack.

The second ambusher was another black hound, albeit slightly smaller in build. It bared its fangs at Qing, revealing the bright red shreds of meat stuck between them.

The arrow embedded in its skull had clearly driven it into a frenzy.

Unfortunately, it only had half a second to express that emotion.

A rush of wind and continuous gunshots rang out. Its head was instantly blown to mush, and its body was pinned to the floor.

"How are you holding up?"

Madam Star reached out and pulled Red Dragon to his feet, asking with concern.

He remained silent, however, staring coldly at the mangled remains of the two hounds.

They were undoubtedly a gory mess, but what was truly alarming was that faint tendrils of fluorescence could be seen within the blood and gore.

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