Eldritch Horror Theatre

Watching Su Gao’s speeding figure, Fu Qian was tempted to point out that this entire setup looked like a trap.

He had no idea how she had locked onto the target inside the tower, but its immediate flight upon seeing them looked far too much like a classic lure to draw them in deep—a trap designed for guaranteed victory.

Unfortunately, Su Gao clearly wasn’t considering that. Her attention was entirely fixed on the fleeing creature, her sharp killing intent almost palpable.

Given the situation, Fu Qian didn’t waste time and immediately followed.

After all, a trap’s effectiveness depended entirely on its target.

The two figures rushed up the stairs in pursuit, one after the other.

Fu Qian soon noticed something strange. Su Gao’s initial position hadn’t exactly been low, and they had just climbed another ten floors.

Even after putting on a burst of speed, the staircase still seemed endless. Was this place built like the Tower of Babel?

Wait, no, more like the Leifeng Pagoda.

A moment later, Fu Qian stopped in his tracks and corrected his own metaphor.As soon as they reached this floor, the path completely leveled out, turning into a horizontal Corridor.

From this angle, the path ahead was densely layered, looking as complex as a labyrinth at first glance.

The hunched figure in the distance had already vanished around a corner.

Ahead of him, Su Gao chased after it without a word or a moment’s hesitation.

Now that was dedication!

As the heavyweight backing her up, Fu Qian didn’t stand on ceremony. He lifted his foot to follow, only to feel something sticky under his shoe.

He looked down to see a trail of bloody footprints beneath him.

I didn’t step on a corpse, did I? I’m a polite guy.

Fu Qian took a closer look and realized he was wrong. The blood was actually seeping out of the floorboards.

Thick, dark blood was oozing evenly from the spots he had just stepped on, as if he had trampled the skin right off the floor.

This floor had its extortion skills maxed out.

Fu Qian marveled silently. Watching the oozing blood come to life and crawl up his soles, he calmly lifted his foot, glanced in Su Gao’s direction, and dashed forward.

If it’s already like this out here, it’s going to be off the walls further in!

Slash!

When Fu Qian caught up, he was nearly splattered in the face by flying, tainted blood.

The sharp Long Blade in Su Gao’s hands trailed a streak of flowing light as it cleanly sheared off a row of arms that had thrust up from the floor.

The arms had sprouted straight from the floor. They were entirely dark red, clearly formed from that condensed, tainted blood, and had been trying to grab her legs to pin her down.

Unfortunately for them, they were now all severed in two, cut as neatly as freshly harvested chives.

”Great bladework!”

Fu Qian looked at the scythe—no, Long Blade—in Su Gao’s hands. Even after such a slaughter, it remained perfectly bright and pristine, without a single drop of blood on it.

Despite the high praise, the newly freed Su Gao showed no trace of pride. She immediately leapt back into action, shooting toward her mission target like a deadly streak of light.

Her target was currently huddled in the corner of the room. Though it looked small and emaciated, its limbs were astonishingly long. With its back hunched, its hands easily rested flat against the floor.

Its head was a narrow, elongated oval wrapped in layers of cloth strips, leaving only a single spiral-shaped eye socket exposed.

Calling this thing human would have been a massive stretch.

Fu Qian was in no rush to join the fray. He clasped his hands behind his back and calmly watched over the fight, exuding the perfect aura of a seasoned expert.

The most important thing right now was to uncover the cause of Su Gao’s Dollification. Completing the mission was just a convenient side objective.

Just as her Long Blade was about to slit the creature’s throat, Su Gao suddenly twisted her body and dodged to the side.

At the exact same time, a gray blur slashed through the empty air where she had just been.

Watching from the sidelines, Fu Qian saw it clearly: it was one of Brother Inhuman’s arms.

The arm, which had looked as thin and brittle as dry firewood, had suddenly shot outward in that split second, turning into a spear aimed straight at Su Gao’s face.

If Su Gao had kept charging, her head would have been pierced through on the spot.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Before Su Gao could even land from her dodge, another gray shadow blurred into motion.

A deformed, elongated claw suddenly thrust out of the wall behind her, stabbing straight toward her back.

It can do that?!

Fu Qian looked over at Brother Inhuman and noticed that one of his feet was buried deep into the floor, seemingly fused with the architecture itself.

So he can attack from any angle by doing that?

Clang!

Despite the sudden ambush, Su Gao didn’t panic. With her life hanging by a single hair, she swept her Long Blade backward, parrying the vicious claw.

The clash rang out like striking metal. The claw’s trajectory was knocked askew, scraping harmlessly past her body.

Using the recoil from the impact, Su Gao bounded several meters backward, landing right by the entrance.

Right next to Fu Qian.

Very nice!

Fu Qian highly approved of her reaction.

That was true combat intuition.

Knowing when to charge in, when to pull back, and when to fall back on the heavy-hitter—there was no better strategy for victory!

”Be careful, Mr. Fu! He’s stronger than before!”

Genuine shock colored her voice.

”He also has the ability to affect people’s minds. Make sure you stay on guard against that.”

Affecting people’s minds?

Hearing this, Fu Qian looked up into Brother Inhuman’s single eye.

The spiral texture sank inward layer by layer. Looking at it really did induce an indescribable, hypnotic sensation.

Having just repelled Su Gao, the creature didn’t seem interested in running away anymore. Instead, he stood perfectly still, locking his gaze onto them from across the room.

Su Gao’s assessment was spot on. Judging from those few exchanges, this thing wasn’t the least bit weaker than she was. Factor in this bizarre home-field advantage, and asking her to handle it as a law enforcer was just a bit too much.

The Night Watchers normally wouldn’t make a mistake like this. Going by what Su Gao had said, this creature must have grown stronger only after fleeing into this area. There was clearly something very special about this place.

He couldn’t help but wonder if Su Gao’s Dollification was related to this as well.

While Fu Qian was applying the four diagnostic methods of looking, smelling, questioning, and pulse-feeling to assess the situation, Brother Inhuman refused to give him any more time.

After a few seconds of standing off, a gray blur flashed. Two long claws shot out from the wall behind Fu Qian simultaneously, stabbing straight toward his back.

At the same time, double the number of Blood Hands burst from the floorboards, desperately trying to pin him down and prevent him from dodging.

Unfortunately for them, Fu Qian had never intended to dodge in the first place.

He twitched his finger. A streak of scarlet light flashed through the air as the upgraded Tyrant’s Fist whipped violently against the two claws.

For its first real combat test, the Fire of Sin performed spectacularly.

Amid the flurry of blood and fire, the Spikes on the long whip tore countless gashes into the two claws, drawing a roaring chorus of glowing reviews from Brother Inhuman in the corner.

The strike was a total success, but out of the corner of his eye, Fu Qian caught sight of a terrifying scene.

Another withered, blade-like claw had pierced straight through Su Gao’s upper body, bursting out from her chest.

Spreading cracks instantly webbed across her entire body, yet not a single drop of blood spilled out. Su Gao simply stood there, frozen.

Fu Qian reached out and gave her a light tap. With the sound of shattering porcelain, her tall figure slowly crumbled apart, scattering white fragments all over the floor.

What a powerful illusion! It even managed to affect me!

Casually swatting away yet another claw trying to ambush him, Fu Qian shook his head and took a deep breath.

”Get lost!”

The deafening roar shattered the air. The sea of Blood Hands across the floor instantly burst into a fine red mist, and the entire room shuddered violently, as if struggling to hold together.

When the soundwaves finally died down, his surroundings returned to normal.

Amid the mess covering the floor, Su Gao was standing off to the side, panting heavily. She was leaning on her Long Blade, barely managing to stay on her feet.