Eldritch Horror Theatre

Where did he even get this one...

Given his earlier performance, Red Dragon already valued Fu Qian more than ever. But the Pass Fu Qian had just tossed out still made him question reality.

In fact, it wasn't just him; the two women felt the same.

The main issue was that this wishing-tree-level efficiency was simply too absurd.

They were all battle-tested veterans well aware that when things are abnormal, there must be something sinister at work. Acquiring both information and items this smoothly inevitably made them wonder if they were being intentionally guided.

"Looted it from a corpse."

Facing the three stunned teammates, Fu Qian completely understood their misgivings and knew full well there was no need to explain.

He had known them for less than half a day. Trying to eliminate suspicion through a simple conversation was a plotline for a children's cartoon.

So he gave a perfunctory answer and refused to say another word.

The marvelous thing about human nature was that when a harsh person treated you harshly, your peace of mind actually skyrocketed.

Faced with Fu Qian's answer, the three clearly recalled his earlier behavior in the team. Once his image became consistent in their minds, their demand for a clear explanation faded significantly.

"Mask and the others might already be waiting below."

Red Dragon soon gritted his teeth, gripped the card, and stepped forward.

It went so smoothly it was unnerving. After Oliver's Pass was swiped, the elevator started right up.

Before the others could say another word, Fu Qian stepped inside first.

Whether this action made the other three feel conflicted again was none of his concern.

...

The elevator's descent was smooth and long, demonstrating just how massive this underground facility was.

As professionals, even though the atmosphere felt oppressive, Red Dragon and the other two tacitly raised their guard. They were prepared to face potential danger at any moment, especially when the elevator finally came to a halt.

"Three?"

The next moment, their alertness spiked even higher because while the elevator had stopped, the doors hadn't opened.

At the same time, a familiar, hoarse voice rang out from outside.

Three?

Realizing someone was out there, the group's first reaction was to swiftly dodge to the sides. However, Madam Qing quickly caught on to something and shouted.

"Red Dragon."

Before her voice even faded, the elevator doors slid open.

"You got here fast!"

A familiar figure slipped out from a nearby corner, holstering an exquisitely designed gun as he spoke. It was the long-absent person in charge of the team, Mask.

It was clear he was quite satisfied with this development.

"Did 'three' just now... refer to our order of joining the team?"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Red Dragon finally understood the meaning behind the number.

"Yes."

Mask confirmed his guess.

"After figuring out how to start the elevator, I wasn't entirely sure if someone dangerous would come down, so I used a passcode."

"But the problem is, hardly anyone in the team could answer that. Were you really going to shoot if we couldn't answer?"

Stepping out of the elevator, Madam Star breathed a sigh of relief, though she still found their earlier predicament hard to accept.

"Don't be so rigid. The right answer wasn't the point; the point was that you had to answer."

Red Dragon glanced at her.

"As long as Mask heard our voices, everything was fine."

"Not necessarily."

Unexpectedly, Mask smiled and shook his head.

"I might have actually fired if you answered wrong. After all, who knows if you've lost your minds from heavy pollution?"

...

"Let's hurry up. This place looks incredibly huge."

While Red Dragon was left speechless by Mask, Madam Qing, the hero who had just answered the question, expressionlessly urged them on.

Her words clearly weren't unfounded. The elevator had merely delivered them to a single corner of this underground facility.

Looking ahead, they could see branching corridors stretching out in all directions, forming an incredibly complex structure.

"You're right. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Fortunately, we have more manpower than I expected."

"According to the information I gathered earlier, the lower level is divided into five zones. Now we can consider which area to start with—"

"The Lowest Level of the Third Zone."

Qing interrupted Mask without hesitation.

"Based on the information we have now, something resembling the source of the pollution is stored there."

Meeting Mask's surprised gaze, she quickly explained.

"How about you lead the way, and we'll talk as we walk?"

...

Though she usually didn't say much, Qing displayed a reliable ability to take charge of the situation when it mattered.

Faced with her request, Mask pondered for a moment before agreeing.

"Is the Death Row Inmate not with you?"

At this moment, team enthusiast Madam Star couldn't wait to ask about the whereabouts of their last member.

"I haven't seen him at all. But considering how many people are down here, we can't rule out the possibility that he's here too."

Mask replied as he walked ahead, keeping watch.

"By the way, how did you get that location information?"

At the same time, he didn't forget to satisfy his own curiosity.

"It wasn't me. It was Guansi."

Qing had no intention of taking credit for someone else's work.

"Oh?"

Mask glanced back in surprise, sizing up the constantly low-profile Fu Qian.

"Yeah, I was cordially received by a Madam Michelle."

Fu Qian nodded.

"Michelle... light blonde hair? Middle-aged?"

This time, Mask looked genuinely shocked.

"You know her?"

Not expecting this development, Red Dragon, who had also seen Michelle, immediately jumped in.

"She's the supervisor of the role I was just playing."

Mask answered naturally.

"Although I haven't had the chance to talk to her face-to-face, she's clearly not an easy person to get along with. A bit paranoid and stubborn."

"How could that be? She's actually quite open-minded!"

Fu Qian, however, didn't seem to agree. Mask glanced back again, only to see Fu Qian mimic pointing a gun to his head.

"Haha..."

Instantly catching on, Mask displayed a common reaction among office workers toward their boss's misfortune—he laughed heartily.

...

It was clear that Mask hadn't been bragging about his recent role's background.

He had obviously put a lot of effort into studying the structure of this underground facility, wasting almost no time finding the way.

After winding their way through the corridors, the group of five had reached a very deep section.

As another set of elevator doors opened, Mask briefly surveyed the area before confirming to the group that they had arrived at their destination.

"This is the place you mentioned. It's still pretty massive, so we'd better hurry up—"

Before he could finish, a series of gunshots suddenly echoed from a certain direction.

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