Eldritch Horror Theatre

How were they supposed to get inside?

Faced with the person in charge's attempt to brainstorm, the team members only frowned.

"We aren't familiar with the layout here, and that other team's firepower looks a bit ridiculous."

"It doesn't just look ridiculous—it is."

Death Row Inmate bluntly corrected Red Dragon's tactful phrasing.

"They might not have more people, but their firepower is way more brutal than ours."

"More importantly, they're attacking indiscriminately. They'll shoot to kill anyone who gets close. If I hadn't reacted as fast as I did, I wouldn't have gotten away with just these minor injuries."

"If we can't take them head-on, can we draw them out?"

Madam Star asked after a moment of thought.

This time, before Death Row Inmate could reply, Qing just sighed.

Her reminder plunged the room into silence.

She was right. The other team had immediately opened fire on a suspicious person, yet they hadn't even bothered to pursue when their target fled injured.

That team clearly had a specific objective, and it was highly likely related to whatever was inside. It was hard to imagine any method of luring the tiger away from the mountain.

"But no matter what, it would be a shame to miss this opportunity..."

Amid the silence, Red Dragon's muttered words voiced what everyone was thinking.

It was true. Achieving their goal would be genuinely difficult, but the group had racked their brains the entire way just to scrape together this current situation. There was no way they could give up now.

Not to mention, the fluorescence on their bodies—representing the contamination—was still slowly but firmly expanding. No one knew when things would spiral completely out of control.

"If all else fails, we'll just have to find another way."

After a moment of hesitation, Death Row Inmate gritted his teeth and spoke.

"We definitely can't go back the way we just came. My previous attempt has already put them on guard. Just because they didn't chase me doesn't mean they aren't watching the area."

"Don't be too pessimistic."

Her expression gravely composed, Madam Qing still tried to find a silver lining.

"Like Death Row Inmate said, because of his earlier actions, those people will definitely station men on that route. This means their forces will inevitably be divided. If we can concentrate our numbers, find another way in, and send just one person back there to draw their fire, it might not be a bad thing after all."

"...What does Guansi think?"

Seeing everyone fall silent to ponder Qing's words, Mask finally spoke up. However, his question was directed at Fu Qian, who had remained silent the whole time.

"It's a dead end."

Fu Qian truly lived up to his codename, Guansi; the moment he opened his mouth, he handed down a direct death sentence.

"...Do you really think we don't have a single chance?"

The first to express his shock was Fu Qian's old partner, Red Dragon. Right now, he undoubtedly valued Fu Qian's judgment highly.

Although the others didn't say anything, their expressions clearly showed they were unwilling to accept this assessment.

These guys had clearly never been camped before!

Fu Qian let out a long sigh as he looked at them.

"If it were me, knowing a group was plotting something, with unknown numbers but a clear objective, I wouldn't bother with pursuits or split defenses. I'd just have my brothers hold their ground and shoot the breeze. Meeting all changes with constancy, relying on a firepower advantage would keep casualties to an absolute minimum."

"Regardless, that's only a last resort. Perhaps you have a better idea?"

Even after going through a cycle of samsara, Death Row Inmate's impression of Fu Qian was clearly still poor.

"I do."

However, to everyone's shock, Fu Qian actually nodded. He pointed to their surroundings and spoke concisely.

"Wait until it turns red."

"...Are you crazy?"

Once they realized what he had said, someone immediately retorted.

"In that scenario, no one managed to evacuate. This place will probably be swarming with monsters!"

"True, but monsters might not know how to pull a trigger."

Facing Death Row Inmate, who had endured the pain to slam his hand on the table, Fu Qian spoke in a tone that suggested the choice was his to make.

...

It was obvious that Fu Qian's suggestion had delivered quite a shock.

However, despite sounding absurd at first, it wasn't entirely unreasonable upon careful consideration.

According to their previous experience, when the blue shifted to red, their physical location wouldn't change.

When that time came, the area might indeed be filled with walking corpses due to the contamination, but that troublesome team inside might not be there anymore.

Even if they were still there, having lost their minds, they would likely be easier to deal with than they were right now.

It truly felt like seeking life in the midst of death.

"Besides, we have to look on the bright side. What if the contamination on our bodies can't be cured by then? We might all end up being one big happy family."

One big happy family—that description was really...

Although they couldn't suppress the urge to complain in their hearts, it was clear that in this clash of ideas, this sixth member's thinking was remarkably unconventional.

"I agree with Guansi. There's another benefit to doing it that way: even if we don't succeed in the end, we'll likely gather more information... like what the situation down here is like in the red state."

Red Dragon was the first to jump ship, voicing support for his partner.

"Yes, and during the time we spend waiting, if that team adopts a defensive strategy, we'll have a considerable amount of room to operate and familiarize ourselves with the surroundings."

Nodding slightly, Qing followed up with an addition.

"I agree as well. It might be better to rest a bit longer."

Before the remaining two could even state their positions, Mask straightforwardly expressed his support.

"Of course, based on our past experience, this process will require everyone to remain patient. After all, the wait might be a bit long—"

Halfway through his pep talk, Mask's voice came to an abrupt halt as he stared coldly at the table in front of him, which was stained with Death Row Inmate's blood.

The smooth, delicate, high-quality wood grain, originally dyed as blue as Dou Erdun's theatrical makeup by the omnipresent light, had inexplicably taken on a faint reddish tinge in the span of a single breath.

Appearing at the same time was a fluorescence that surged like flowing water across the table, its source seemingly coming from the opposite side—

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and a dark silhouette was blasted backward, crashing into the Chair across the table.

Mask's reaction had been extremely fast. Now that they could see clearly, the target that took a shot from him was shockingly a person.

It looked like a zombie. Aside from the hole Mask had blasted in its chest, a chunk of its head was also missing. The large patch of fluorescence flowing across the table was spilling right out of it.

Even so, the thing took only a few seconds to stand back up. However, it didn't manage to launch another attack. In the very next moment, both of its knees were shattered one by one, sending it collapsing onto the table.

This guy had appeared without any warning. If Mask hadn't reacted fast enough, he likely would have been hit.

And the situation unfolding before their eyes was obvious—the color had transitioned to red much faster than they had imagined.

In other words, the group was now in a world where no one had successfully evacuated, and they were standing right next to the source of the contamination.

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