Eldritch Horror Theatre

Uncalled-for attentiveness masks treachery or theft.

Fu Qian watched Ji Ping’s impassioned face, completely unmoved.

Question: as a contestant with suspicious motives, after you massacre everyone in your path, an organization reeking of charlatanism comes knocking directly at your door. Not only do they show an extremely high degree of goodwill, but they also outright invite you to join them. What could their purpose be?

Do they think your talent is peerless, falling in love at first sight, unable to suppress their admiration for your genius, and deciding to pour all of the organization’s resources into making your divine skills invincible?

Or is it a probe?

Fu Qian’s level of narcissism was already quite high, but he still didn’t think the first possibility was very likely.

So the question arose again: as a contestant who indeed harbored ulterior motives, how should you respond when probed by someone of an unclear stance?

Based on Fu Qian’s life experience, the best approach was to make the person probing you fear you.

Whether their intentions were good or malicious, this was the way to maximize his own interests.

And so, amid the focused gazes of the entire room, Fu Qian remained silent.He toyed with the Badge in his hand, looking at Ji Ping with a faint, enigmatic smile until the other man’s expression shifted from impassioned to stiff.

Clang!

The atmosphere in the bar grew visibly tense. Beside him, Jennie Ma raised her spear once again.

With a scoff, Fu Qian didn’t even spare her a glance. He flicked his finger.

The Badge flipped lightly through the air and landed on the counter, spinning rapidly.

By the time it stopped spinning, he had already left the bar and drifted far away.

...

Clack!

The sound of the Badge falling flat finally broke the tension, and life returned to the bar.

”What’s he so arrogant for? So many people want to join and don’t even get the chance!”

Coming back to her senses, Jenny breathed a sigh of relief. Recalling the scene just now, she felt deeply indignant.

”Heh.”

Surprisingly, as Ji Ping stared in the direction Fu Qian had left, there was no anger on his face.

”Don’t be angry. Trust me, he’s our kind of person.”

Under the astonished gazes of the group, Ji Ping smiled mysteriously. Leaving them behind, he walked into a back room alone.

”How was it?”

An old voice rang out.

”Our interaction wasn’t exactly pleasant, but I think an old fogey like Ibu definitely dislikes him even more.”

Ji Ping spoke with brimming confidence.

”That’s good. If he had accepted directly, it would have been highly suspicious.”

The old voice scoffed.

”Since he’s not in the same camp as that guy, we can find a chance later to show him our sincerity.”

...

This group is really efficient!

The tournament resumed punctually the following night.

In the preparation room, Fu Qian discovered that the arena he had destroyed yesterday was not only rebuilt, but the ground also appeared to be specially reinforced.

At this very moment, fierce battles raged in full swing across all three arenas.

Compared to yesterday, the overall caliber of the contestants was significantly higher.

Naturally, the proportion of non-transcendents had also dropped drastically.

The Priestess had worn a stiff expression ever since she walked in. It was obvious that all her mental preparation from yesterday had been completely ruined.

This went to show that the reputation of the Rebirth Club crowd was probably quite terrible!

Fu Qian shook his head inwardly.

However, it wasn’t surprising. From that woman, Jenny, alone, one could tell that this group had more or less suffered qi deviation.

Coupled with the fact that they were in a place where all taboos are lifted, it would be hard for them not to become twisted.

Of course, understanding did not mean agreeing.

There was no way Fu Qian would join such a perverted organization, but considering their influence, it would be a real pity not to use them a little.

He had dialed his posturing up to the max when he left today, all for the sake of releasing in order to capture.

He would just wait and see what their next move would be.

Having said that, wasn’t today’s waiting time a bit too long?

The clinking of iron armor rang out. Fu Qian looked up to see the black Knight, covered in bloodstains, walking in from outside.

If he remembered correctly, this was already the guy’s second time heading out.

Yet he himself was still waiting here. No matter how you looked at it, this was a little abnormal.

”Ladies and gentlemen, I have good news!”

Right at that moment, the host’s excited voice boomed outside.

”Two rounds of dueling have passed, yet we still have one lucky contestant who received a bye for both! I believe you all know what this means...”

Roar!

Thunderous cheers instantly erupted across the spectator stands.

”That’s right! Next, we will have the privilege of witnessing a special program that has been absent for a long time!”

Hm?

Fu Qian frowned.

”That is, our lucky gladiator—facing off against a forbidden behemoth!”

Amid the overwhelming cheers, Fu Qian saw his own number appear on the central display screen.

You guys sure know how to be shameless.

The contestant who had the most eye-catching performance yesterday directly gets two byes today just to fight a boss.

Isn’t that a little too obvious?

However, the organizers’ blatant rigging only sparked a fierce response from the live audience. The atmosphere became as lively as a New Year’s festival.

Sure enough, thrill-seekers are invincible!

At this time, following the host’s direction, bright snow-white spotlights swept over.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire stadium, Fu Qian calmly walked out of the room.

By now, all the arenas had sunk completely underground, and the empty space had formed a massive gladiator colosseum.

”So, what kind of enemy will our gladiator face today?”

The host’s voice echoed out once more.

”Next, let us have our Chief Executive Officer select his final opponent.”

The lights shifted, and Bai Jinting stood up in the spectator stands. Smiling, he accepted a touchpad.

After swiping a few times, he clicked confirm with a look of utter satisfaction.

”Alright, our warrior’s opponent has been confirmed! Please give our staff a few minutes to prepare. In the meantime, you in the audience might as well make some bold guesses—what kind of behemoth will it be?”

The host continued to rile up the audience’s emotions.

Fu Qian, however, didn’t care about this at all. At this moment, all his attention was focused on the stands where Bai Jinting was located.

Ibu, the Demigod with red hair and a black robe, sat not far from Bai Jinting.

Just as he had walked out of the preparation room earlier, he had felt a peculiar sensation of being watched.

Following his intuition, he looked over, and sure enough, it was this Demigod.

Even though the man appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, Fu Qian could still feel that his every movement was being tracked.

This man was likely his greatest threat right now, and also a hurdle he absolutely had to overcome.

Given that Ibu was a legendary Demigod, the possibility of hiding one’s strength right under his nose was not very high.

No matter how he performed, he was bound to be a key target of Ibu’s attention.

Why not try doing the exact opposite?

A few minutes passed quickly. With a muffled, thunderous crash, a massive Box—standing over four stories tall—was heavily slammed onto the arena.

A deep, muffled howl rang out, and the Box was slammed from the inside until it teetered unsteadily.

”That’s right! It is—the For! Bid! Den! Croc! Demon!”

With the host’s final reveal, the Box crashed open.

It really fucking is a crocodile demon!

Fu Qian frowned, looking at the colossal monster not far away.

It was a crocodile-shaped monster with long hair covering its back. Its massive mouth, over five meters long, was filled with dense, eerie fangs that extended all the way from its oral cavity deep into its throat.

At this moment, the creature’s mouth was stretched open to almost a 180-degree angle, unleashing a violent, irritable roar.