Eldritch Horror Theatre

This was a race against time.

Kicking down the stone pillar to trigger the alarm once more, Fu Qian pressed forward along the familiar route.

This time, he reached Wen Li’s room in under five minutes.

Kicking in the door, blowing up the bowl, and saving the girl—he executed the sequence in one fluid motion.

Only this time, facing the javelin-like stone pillar, he didn’t kick Wen Li aside.

Taking a deep breath, Fu Qian channeled a tempest of power into his right hand and threw a punch straight at the incoming stone pillar.

A deafening boom erupted, filling the air with a massive cloud of dust.

The solid stone pillar, too thick for a man to embrace, was instantly pulverized into thousands of fragments that rained down inside the room like hail.

Fu Qian withdrew his right hand and turned to look at the room full of dust-covered people.

Dead silence fell. Faced with this god-like display, the crowd seemed to have lost the capacity to think.Perfect. This was exactly the effect he wanted!

”Excuse me...”

Wen Xiuxian was the first to snap out of it. He looked carefully at Fu Qian’s face, seemingly weighing his words.

”Sir... what is going on here?”

”There is no time to explain.”

Fu Qian snorted. Clasping his hands behind his back in the posture of a peerless master, he gestured for Wen Xiuxian to look at the Stone Golem appearing in the courtyard.

”The situation is critical. Lead the way to the Safe House here, or your daughter is dead.”

”This...”

Wen Xiuxian instinctively wanted to refuse, but remembering the terrifying sight of Fu Qian shattering the stone pillar with a single punch, he swallowed his words.

Although he had seen underground shelters built by the wealthy and powerful before, when the massive metal door—nearly two meters thick—slowly opened, Fu Qian realized he had still underestimated just how terrified these people were of death.

”This is it.”

Wen Xiuxian pointed inside the metal door.

”Once activated, this door can only be opened from the inside; it cannot be forced from the outside. The living supplies inside are enough to last a very long time, but...”

Having recovered from his initial shock, he was starting to process the situation, and his expression showed some hesitation.

An unidentified person suddenly appearing in your home and shoving you into a Safe House without a second word would make anyone suspicious.

What was most egregious was that this man was still wearing a standard bodyguard uniform, the word ”Guwei” gleaming brightly on his chest.

’This has to be a transcendent at Tier 6 or above! Since when did this bodyguard company become so incredibly badass?’

”Is it really necessary for us to hide in here? Just who is the enemy?”

”Someone more than capable of killing you all. And it’s not ’us’.”

Fu Qian pointed behind Wen Xiuxian.

”Just me and Wen Li. Everyone else, back out. No one is allowed to approach without my orders, or you will be killed without mercy.”

”Who the hell do you think you are? It’s not your place to give orders!”

Before the dumbfounded Wen Xiuxian could even open his mouth, a roar echoed from behind. Eldest Young Master Ye, having hurried over at the commotion, could no longer hold himself back.

This guy had most likely missed his little performance just now. Fu Qian shot him a glance.

Compared to Wen Xiuxian’s group, Eldest Young Master Ye and his three companions were much cleaner.

They had probably just entered the Wen Family courtyard when he shattered the stone pillar.

”You don’t want to die, do you?”

Fu Qian ignored him completely and turned to Wen Li.

Eldest Miss Wen had just been doused head to toe in poisonous soup, followed by a lime-powder facial; she looked utterly miserable.

Yet even so, her beauty could not be hidden. Instead, it gave her a delicate, pitiful charm.

No wonder Eldest Young Master Ye had grown anxious upon hearing his proposal.

”I...”

Having just narrowly escaped death, Wen Li was still in a state of shock, her eyes flickering with a strange hesitation.

”Could we change the location?”

”No!”

Confirming that her will to live was still intact and she wouldn’t suffer another mental collapse, Fu Qian unceremoniously kicked her into the Safe House and slapped the switch.

”You dare!”

A roar echoed from behind. Furious at being ignored, Eldest Young Master Ye attacked directly, a sharp gale tearing toward Fu Qian’s back.

’Perfect timing!’

Stomping a deep crater into the alloy floor, Fu Qian used the recoil to launch himself forward to meet the attack.

”Watch out!”

A figure launched late but arrived first, cutting in front of Eldest Young Master Ye to intercept Fu Qian.

’You’re exactly who I was waiting for!’

Mister Ji, who had been silently playing the part of a peerless expert, finally couldn’t hold back.

Facing an attack countless times fiercer than Eldest Young Master Ye’s, Fu Qian didn’t hesitate to meet it head-on with pure force.

Fists and feet clashed, sending shockwaves rippling in all directions.

His upgraded strength effortlessly swept Mister Ji several meters away.

Only then did Eldest Young Master Ye’s attack finally arrive.

Fu Qian didn’t dodge or block. He simply slapped Eldest Young Master Ye right in the face, completely interrupting the attack and sending the man flying backward.

”He is not someone we can deal with!”

Mister Ji grabbed the enraged Eldest Young Master Ye as he landed.

”Quickly, go invite the Night Watchers!”

Right after barking out those words, Mister Ji vomited a massive mouthful of blood.

Without a doubt, as the top expert present, his judgment was quite good.

The metal door slowly closed, and no one else dared to intervene.

Standing behind the door, Fu Qian looked at Eldest Young Master Ye’s face—a mix of fear, resentment, confusion, and shock—and inexplicably felt a bizarre ”NTR right in front of the husband” vibe.

Imagination truly was the root of all depravity. He, Fu Qian, was solely acting to save a life; there was no need to project such vulgar plotlines onto it.

Creak!

With a final heavy thud, the metal door completely sealed shut, and the Safe House instantly fell silent.

Fu Qian turned around. The space inside was quite spacious; the Wen Family had obviously invested heavily here.

Wen Li had already gotten up and was sitting leaning against the wall.

After his upgrade, his control over his strength was much more masterful. He was certain that his kick just now hadn’t caused her any harm.

As their eyes met, Fu Qian noticed something was off.

She had actually seized the brief moment just now to wipe her face!

”I can sense that you harbor no ill will toward me.”

Wen Li’s voice trembled, but she managed to speak between gasps for air.

”Can you tell me why you’re doing this?”

”To save your life. I told you already.”

”Since you have good intentions, couldn’t we communicate in a gentler way?”

”No.”

Fu Qian remained expressionless. In the samsara she knew nothing about, he had already tried the gentle approach.

Of course, it was only relatively gentle.

...

”Then can I ask, how long will we be staying here?”

Wen Li thought of another question.

Fu Qian held up a single finger.

”A week? ...It couldn’t be a month, could it?”

Wen Li looked incredibly reluctant.

”No.”

Fu Qian wagged his finger.

”One day.”

Just one day?

Wen Li’s eyes lit up; this answer was clearly beyond her expectations.

”Could it be that the killers will give up their mission after today?”

”No, it means you have one day to break through.”

Fu Qian wagged his finger again.

”Starting right now, seek enlightenment!”

”By this time tomorrow, if you still haven’t reached Tier 6, I will strip you naked and throw you out.”

”Crying counts against your time!”