Eldritch Horror Theatre

Outside the police car.

”Who on earth was that person?”

Only after being dragged a fair distance away did Rachel finally recover her senses.

Even so, the memory of what had just happened lingered in her mind as she spoke, leaving her with the distinct chill of a narrow escape.

”I don’t know, but he’s incredibly dangerous. Absolutely do not provoke him!”

Beside her, Li Min let out a soft sigh.

She knew her old friend’s temper entirely too well, and she worried that once Rachel fully processed the shock, she might try to go back and settle the score.

Rachel let out a heavy breath.

”Of course I know that, but... damn it!”

Rachel was in a foul mood, but she also trusted Li Min’s judgment implicitly.Half-crazed with frustration, she reached out and ruffled Li Min’s hair into a messy tangle.

”Mess up your own hair.”

Li Min slapped her hand away.

”And what is this look? We haven’t seen each other in a year, and your outfits are just getting more outrageous.”

”I like it, what’s it to you?”

She was young, after all. Her energy returning, Rachel let out a defiant snort.

”It looks good.”

Instead of delivering a mature adult’s lecture in response to this rebellious attitude, Li Min actually nodded in approval of her aesthetic.

”Let’s head to my place first. How long are you planning to stay this time?”

Their bantering finished, Rachel looked at Li Min expectantly.

”About a month. I’ve hit a bottleneck, and since you said that gathering was so miraculous, I’ll stick around to see if I can find a breakthrough.”

”Perfect!”

Rachel was visibly thrilled that her friend would be staying in town for a while.

”Don’t worry, I promise you won’t be disappointed...”

...

To think such a thing actually existed!

As bizarre as it was, the task had already been issued; there was no point lingering in the car.

Fu Qian tossed the Handcuffs aside, straightened his clothes, and quickly slipped into his new role.

The deadline was midnight. Judging by the night sky...

Fu Qian glanced outside, but ultimately decided to strip a watch off one of the unconscious police officers.

Technology was still more reliable.

Rachel had used a relatively mild Mental Shock, similar to a hypnotic effect, and her control over its intensity was excellent.

The two officers were essentially in a deep sleep and shouldn’t suffer any lasting side effects upon waking.

Under these circumstances, any subsequent trouble would undoubtedly be kept to a minimum.

A quarter past nine.

After checking both officers’ watches, Fu Qian confirmed he had two and a half hours left.

That should be enough time.

His bag had been confiscated by the officers earlier. Fu Qian retrieved it, opened it up, and thoroughly examined the contents.

After a brief search, he actually found a sealed medical file inside, complete with a delivery address. The recipient name boldly read: Xinji Freight Company.

This task was truly particular. It seemed determined to maintain his persona, having him go about the normal business of a traveling businessman.

However, it was hard to imagine any legitimate company being open for business in the middle of the night.

This seemingly mundane anomaly only made the situation feel that much eerier.

Complaining inwardly, Fu Qian continued rummaging through the police car until he found a map.

Comparing it against the street signs outside, Fu Qian quickly pinpointed his destination.

The distance wasn’t far. At his current speed, he could easily walk there without issue, so he felt no need to rush.

As for the two women from earlier, Li Min was clearly only a step away from the Mid Tier, and the latecomer Rachel possessed quite impressive strength as well.

He could only conclude that the transcendents in this city were quite active.

...

Guided by the map, Fu Qian even managed to catch a rattling bus. Like any ordinary salaryman working late, he leaned back in his seat to doze while admiring the dull night view.

The streets were quite deserted at this hour. Beneath the solemn, intricately designed old buildings, he occasionally spotted small groups of homeless people huddled together, or stumbling drunks singing at the top of their lungs before being shouted down by police.

Obviously, this was a city that placed a heavy emphasis on its public image.

Even the bus Fu Qian was riding on was extremely quiet.

There were about ten people in the entire cabin, yet no one made a sound. Even their breathing was hushed.

Even the man and woman sitting side by side in front of him, who were clearly a couple, limited themselves to exchanging flirtatious glances.

But just as Fu Qian was appreciating this civilized atmosphere, the couple shattered the silence.

Smack!

With a crisp crack, the woman sitting on the inside wordlessly slapped the man across the face. In the dead silence of the bus, the impact was exceptionally loud.

Unlike most people, the man wasn’t left stunned with ringing ears. Instead, he nimbly leaped up from his seat and backhanded her in return.

Judging by the sound, his counterattack carried more than twice the force. His girlfriend’s head jerked violently from the blow.

The silent bus instantly burst into chaos. Several screams erupted from the other passengers as they scrambled away in unison.

Unexpectedly, the man’s counterattack was far from over. He followed the first slap with another, striking her opposite cheek.

Blood trickled from the corner of the woman’s mouth, but rather than showing any fear, she smiled radiantly.

After striking her, her lover cupped her face affectionately, gazing at her as if admiring a masterpiece.

”Three!”

The next moment, he delivered another full-force slap, adding fresh color to his masterpiece as he kept count out loud.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Under the continuous barrage of slaps, his girlfriend was quickly knocked senseless, her body swaying unsteadily.

This incomprehensible brutality naturally sparked the indignation of everyone on the bus. Yet, looking at the seemingly possessed man, no one dared to intervene. They only shouted desperately for the driver to stop the vehicle.

Yet the driver at the front remained entirely unfazed. He didn’t even turn his head, leaving the panicked passengers completely at a loss.

Meanwhile, sitting just two rows behind the violence, Fu Qian also made no move. He simply observed everything carefully.

It wasn’t that he had some twisted fetish; he simply sensed that with every successive slap, something peculiar was growing in the air.

...

Ninety-five, ninety-six, ninety-seven...

Just as the vicious slaps neared the one-hundred mark, the previously unresponsive driver finally made his move.

He abandoned his seat—leaving the bus to careen blindly through the dark—grabbed a fire extinguisher, and marched down the aisle.

The passengers’ screams instantly crescendoed into a cacophony of terror.

Completely ignoring them, the driver walked right up to the couple, fire extinguisher in hand.

By now, the battered woman was completely unrecognizable, only managing to stay on her feet because her lover held her up by the collar.

Just as the man reached the count of one hundred, the driver raised the fire extinguisher high and brought it crashing down amid the chorus of screams.

Crack!

At almost the exact same moment, Fu Qian stomped down with immense force, directly snapping the entire bus in two.