Eldritch Horror Theatre

WTF!

Back in the Warehouse, Fu Qian stared blankly for a rare moment.

That wasn’t how things were supposed to play out!

You ask a question, I answer. Aren’t we supposed to have a back-and-forth conversation next?

You just say ”sorry” and send me straight to my death?

[Entering Containment Scenario 2-133: Old City]

”Can you hear me?”

Entering once again, Fu Qian chose not to answer this time. Instead, he leaned back.

He finally got a clear look at the person who had just killed him—a woman wearing a narrow black hat and holding a Slender Curved Sword.

The lower half of her face was obscured by a high collar, hiding her full appearance.Judging from the exposed portion, she should have been a beauty. Her skin was as white as snow and as smooth as white porcelain—no, it actually was White Porcelain!

There was a stark difference between the two sides of her face. The left half lacked skin entirely, replaced by a pristine texture resembling bone china.

Fu Qian looked down. The hand gripping his collar wasn’t shaped like a normal human’s at all; it looked more like a doll’s prosthetic limb.

Night Watchers!

That was the first thought that came to Fu Qian’s mind.

If nothing else, that appearance alone meant she couldn’t possibly be an ordinary person.

The question was, why would she kill him without a second word?

Recalling his previous encounter, Fu Qian didn’t rush to make a move.

From the blade that had just ended his life, Fu Qian sensed that this White Porcelain Woman was even stronger than the werewolf he had faced earlier. She was at least a tier higher.

Although he had acquired two skills, his physical strength and stamina were still those of an ordinary man.

There was a vast difference between him and the heavily armed human weapon standing before him.

He couldn’t exactly pull off a sliding tackle like he did with the werewolf, could he?

As long as this woman had a normal IQ, she wouldn’t give him the chance to slide in and blast her in the face.

Seeing Fu Qian looking at her, a sorrowful expression crossed the White Porcelain Woman’s face.

She sighed, released his collar, and offered him a slight bow.

”I’m very sorry, but there is no time.”

”All contaminated individuals within the area must be purged.”

”So... I’m sorry...”

She was going to strike again. The moment the White Porcelain Woman bowed, Fu Qian’s eyelid twitched. He knew he was screwed.

Sure enough, a blinding flash of the blade filled his vision the very next instant, stinging his eyes.

Blood splattered.

Judging that evasion was entirely impossible, Fu Qian decisively suppressed his body’s instinctive urge to dodge and took the strike head-on.

Allowing blood to gush wildly from the gruesome wound, Fu Qian showed no fear. Instead, he gave a grim smile.

”Fu Qian.”

?!

The White Porcelain Woman looked a bit confused.

”My name is Fu Qian. And you? I think I deserve to know who is killing me.”

Fu Qian stared calmly at his murderer.

So he just wanted to know her name.

The White Porcelain Woman paused for another moment.

”Su Gao.”

”Excellent!”

Fu Qian nodded, unable to hold on any longer.

[Containment Failure]

[Rating: Useless Person]

[Reward: None]

[Current SAN Value: 30]

Back in the Warehouse, Fu Qian basically had a read on his current situation.

First of all, this woman named Su Gao was highly likely a member of the Night Watchers.

And according to the initial prompt, they were in the middle of a mission—namely, purging the contamination in this area.

Her earlier words, along with her actions of cutting him down without a second thought, meant they believed the situation had completely spiraled out of control.

They were even forced to begin indiscriminately purging people like him simply for appearing in the contaminated zone.

[SAN Value -1, Entering Containment Scenario]

After sorting out his thoughts, Fu Qian chose to enter once more.

”Can you hear m—”

”Su Gao!”

This time, without even waiting for his vision to clear, Fu Qian shouted the White Porcelain Woman’s name.

”Don’t waste time. We need to purge all potentially contaminated individuals immediately.”

...

The White Porcelain Woman’s hand froze on her blade.

Practically able to imagine her confusion, Fu Qian cast her a glance.

”There’s no time to explain. I need you to coordinate with my next move.”

”How... how do you know my name?”

Su Gao hesitated for a long time. Finally, she lowered her blade and voiced the question in her heart.

”What is the situation outside?”

Acting as if he hadn’t heard her, Fu Qian asked his own question as though nothing had happened.

Answering a question with another question—having spent years navigating the internet, Fu Qian had long since mastered this tactic.

Only then did he realize that this woman named Su Gao was barely any shorter than he was.

”Not very good...”

Sure enough, the White Porcelain Woman’s attention was diverted, her tone turning instantly gloomy.

”You’ll understand once you step outside.”

Good!

Fu Qian took two steps forward, standing side-by-side with her.

Crack!

The next second, he silently fired an Air Bullet.

At such close range, the White Porcelain Woman had virtually no room to dodge. The projectile struck the side of her face dead-on, producing a sound like shattering glass.

”You—”

Su Gao’s voice was a mixture of shock and fury.

The Air Bullet’s power was a bit greater than he had expected, though it was also entirely possible this had to do with her unique physical condition.

Upon being struck by the Air Bullet, the White Porcelain Woman’s half-head fractured like tempered glass, instantly webbed with dense cracks. Yet, not a single drop of blood flowed out.

This woman was definitely not normal!

A moment later, the snow-white gleam of the blade reappeared, and Fu Qian’s blood spilled across the floor.

”As expected, you’ve gone completely mad at your core!”

The White Porcelain Woman’s sigh echoed endlessly.

[Containment Failure]

[Rating: Cold-blooded Animal]

[Sneak attacks are a valuable quality, serving as the utmost respect for the enemy]

[Reward: None]

[Special Rating Reward: Cat School]

[Current SAN Value: 29]

Excellent!

Back in the Warehouse, Fu Qian didn’t feel the slightest bit of frustration. Instead, he silently analyzed his gains.

First, his judgment had been correct. This woman wasn’t a normal human.

For some unknown reason, parts of her body had turned into that porcelain-like substance. She didn’t even bleed when injured.

Was it the price for wielding some kind of power? Or was she just a puppet that had gained sentience?

Combined with his current objective—preventing the evil god progeny from descending...

This world was incredibly bizarre!

The good news was that as a Night Watcher, this woman likely belonged to the righteous Order faction.

Her strength was formidable too, making her an excellent enforcer.

Furthermore, that strike just now proved he actually possessed the power to injure individuals of her caliber. That was also good news.

Overall, dying this time had been well worth it.

As for what would happen if he really ended up killing the White Porcelain Woman?

He who kills others shall in turn be killed. The woman had purged him more than once already, so Fu Qian felt absolutely no psychological burden about taking her out.

Right, didn’t he also get rewarded with a skill?

Remembering this, Fu Qian quickly flipped over to his special reward.

[Cat School: Your footsteps are as light and imperceptible as a cat’s. Your hands are more dexterous and your movements swifter, making it easier for you to launch sneak attacks anytime, anywhere.]

Simply put, it boosted agility.

Attempting to activate it directly, Fu Qian felt his body lighten, sensing a significant increase in his physical control.

Taking that blade really hadn’t been in vain.