Eldritch Horror Theatre

...Huh?

In that moment, the impact of Fu Qian's words hit harder than the sight of Adele getting her head blown off.

Mainly because this guy's past behavior had absolutely nothing to do with the word "volunteering," let alone for an operation this dangerous.

For a moment, everyone had the exact same reaction: Did this guy have some ulterior motive?

"...Who does Guansi want to take with him?"

Sizing Fu Qian up with uncertainty, Qing—as the one who proposed the plan—finally asked.

The question was both an inquiry and a probe. If Guansi actually made a choice, it would give them some read on his view of the team—like who he trusted most.

Unfortunately, his response was...

"No need. I'll handle it myself."

"After all, theoretically speaking, the more batches we split into, the higher the success rate. Right?"

That was technically true, but this...

Regardless, Qing still couldn't quite believe the man before her would suddenly become so self-sacrificing. In fact, most of the group shared her sentiment.

This sixth member might not be as simple as they had imagined, but he had absolutely nothing to do with being proactive. It felt far more likely that he had noticed some hidden danger and was preparing to cut and run on his own.

"Then we'll leave the hard work to you. When does Guansi plan to depart?"

Yet right at that moment, someone actually expressed appreciation for Fu Qian's actions.

Mask asked with an approving nod.

"The situation could drastically deteriorate at any moment. How about right now?"

Fu Qian's response was incredibly natural.

Right now? You've got to be kidding!

The smile on Mask's face froze for a second, and Red Dragon couldn't help but step forward.

"It's too dangerous right now! Even if you willingly taint yourself with the fluorescence, it'll probably take time for the corruption to seep deeply into your body."

"Not at all."

Fu Qian waved him off, projecting an indescribable calm.

"Based on the conclusion we just reached, there's a high probability that the more madness one accumulates, the less likely they are to be attacked. Correct?"

"...Correct."

"Then there you have it."

Fu Qian was already at the door, pointing at himself while listening to the activity outside.

"Is this behavior of mine not crazy enough?"

...

Without a doubt, Fu Qian's otherworldly logic delivered a mild shock to the five team members.

Red Dragon was left utterly speechless, and judging by the looks on the others' faces, any thoughts of dissuading him had begun to waver.

Wouldn't having someone this mentally unstable in the party be a hidden danger?

"It looks like they haven't gathered at the door yet. Seal it shut once I'm out."

Fu Qian couldn't care less about their thoughts. Instructions delivered, he simply opened the door and walked out, his movements as effortlessly casual as a lab tech clocking out for dinner.

"We haven't established how we're going to regroup!"

Madam Star cried out in alarm, suddenly realizing the oversight.

"You didn't actually think he was coming back, did you..."

Qing shot her a look, shook her head with a long sigh, and quickly stepped forward to shut the door.

And in that fleeting glimpse, they could see Guansi silently brushing past two uniformed figures.

Yet, despite his making no noise at all, the two grotesquely postured figures suddenly acted as if possessed. They snapped their heads toward him and began following step for step.

"For now, he will still be attacked."

Stepping back half a pace, Qing relayed Guansi's final actions to the group. For a moment, no one replied.

Looking up, she saw that everyone—even the Death Row Inmate, who had constantly been at odds with Guansi—now wore blank, stunned expressions.

...

Serious Resident Evil vibes.

Amidst his musings, Fu Qian adjusted his breathing and movements, striving to shake off his pursuers with the least possible exertion.

He wasn't exaggerating. There weren't that many people in the Corridor, but their various postures and expressions were richly diverse.

In Adele's words, they were giving off straight-up walking dead energy.

At the same time, their aggression was absurdly high; hardly a single one was friendly.

Fortunately, before they turned out this way, they had clearly endured an absurdly brutal bout of mutual destruction. Very few of them had all their parts intact, so their mobility wasn't great.

Coupled with the fact that time had passed and the fluorescence on his own body had spread a bit, their sensitivity toward him had somewhat diminished. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn't have enough bullets.

As for right now...

Sprinting to the end of the Corridor, Fu Qian glanced at the figures blocking a door not far away. Without the slightest hesitation, he changed direction.

Although that path definitely seemed heavily tied to the mission objective, heading to the top floor right now was impossible.

For one, the chances of success were slim. For another, Fu Qian still had things to confirm.

To his relief, there didn't seem to be any guards stationed at the entrance to the next level down. Fu Qian quickened his pace, successfully widened the gap between himself and his pursuers, and pulled out his tools.

This time, it took him only half as long to pick the lock and open the door.

Practice making perfect was one thing, but more importantly, it was entirely necessary to hold a little something back in front of a group of teammates with their own agendas.

Even so, the open door left him no time to survey the area; his pursuers were already right on his heels.

Opening the door just a crack, Fu Qian slipped inside without a word and fired two quick shots.

The two rushing infected successfully lost three legs between them, drastically slowing their movement.

Drawing from his previous experience with Adele, headshots and the like weren't all that effective against the infected, so Fu Qian decisively chose to target their mobility.

As for why two shots severed three legs, the reason was simple: one of the lady's long legs, clad in black silk stockings, had already been ruined—it even looked like it had been chewed on.

At the same time, without a doubt, wisps of fluorescence could be seen inside both their wounds.

Thud!

Almost simultaneously, a violent impact slammed into the door behind him. Fortunately, the door opened outward, and with Fu Qian bracing his back against it, it wasn't a major issue.

Fu Qian wasted no time. He casually re-locked the door, pulled out a sedative, and walked forward.

Crack!

Even without its Transcendent Tier effects, thanks to its wonderfully balanced design, the sedative still served as an excellent blunt weapon. Fu Qian directly smashed the only good knee left between the two figures in front of him.

Even though there had been no evacuation, it was obvious that some safety contingencies were in place.

Ignoring their futile scratching from a distance, Fu Qian silently evaluated the two infected.

Much like the guy training the dog upstairs, they were wearing clearly identical dark uniforms—outfits that didn't look like something researchers would wear, no matter how you sliced it.

Of course, silk stockings didn't exactly seem appropriate for security personnel either. It looked like this place was usually quite peaceful and harmonious.

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