Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Is something wrong?”

He had to admit, the building before him was vastly different from what he had imagined.

Though the place was a bit rundown and dimly lit, with the floorboards creaking underfoot, the air was surprisingly fresh. There wasn’t a trace of eerie decay.

This naturally prompted Fu Qian’s question.

This wasn’t Apocalypse’s style at all. When things are abnormal, there must be something sinister at work, regardless of which way the abnormality skewed.

”Let’s take a look.”

Faced with his question, Old Man Casi didn’t directly deny it, nor was he overly serious about it.

As everyone knew, laboratory accidents were merely a matter of frequency. Eradicating them entirely was an impossible dream.

Ultimately, under Casi’s lead, the two made their way up the stairs to the third floor. The fresh scent instantly grew more pronounced, yet a glance around revealed that it was still incredibly quiet.

”Looks pretty normal to me!””Rob is working overtime. That’s the biggest abnormality right there.”

Casi offered this deadpan assessment, walking straight up to a door and knocking on it.

Leaders truly had their virtues—he knew everyone’s research habits inside and out.

Fu Qian naturally knew that the room behind this door was one of the lit ones they had seen from downstairs.

As Casi opened the door right after knocking, a middle-aged man with medium-length hair and a loose robe looked back at them.

Strictly speaking, the man’s features could even be called handsome, complete with thick eyebrows and large eyes, but his slightly neurotic expression ruined most of the effect.

At this moment, he was clearly shocked by Casi’s arrival.

”What are you doing here? And who is...”

It seemed he hadn’t paid much attention to the recent drama at the Academy.

”Professor Rob, I presume? A pleasure. I just received a Tenured Faculty position at Apocalypse, and Dean Casi is taking me on a tour of the laboratories.”

Fortunately, Fu Qian didn’t need Casi to introduce him. He greeted the man with a smile, looking for all the world like someone itching to dedicate his life to scientific research.

”Have you been here the past couple of days?”

Buoyed by Fu Qian’s atmosphere, Casi chatted while surveying the surroundings, looking exactly like a boss checking in on frontline staff.

”Yes, I had a new idea...”

Rob readily admitted, his enthusiasm seemingly sparked by Casi’s question.

”Please, come with me.”

Motioning for the two of them to follow, Rob led them aside and opened a side door that clearly boasted a high security rating.

Inside the side room, an oval, transparent dome stood in a corner.

Within the dome, a dense cloud of mist was churning.

A closer look revealed that it wasn’t true mist, but countless fluttering, microscopic grayish-white insects.

Wreathed within this Insect Swarm stood a snow-white cap. It looked just like a palm-sized mushroom, growing tall and graceful.

”Over the past couple of days, I realized a flaw in our previous line of thinking...”

Gesturing for the two of them to step closer and observe, Rob launched into a passionate explanation without waiting for Casi to ask.

”Judging from our past experiences, absolutely nothing can bear divinity while resisting the accompanying curse.”

”We’ve tried Transcendent flesh, plants, and even spiritual bodies, but the curse is simply too potent. Given enough time, what inevitably ends up in front of us is always a mangled, chaotic mass of flesh without rhyme or reason.”

”But just a couple of days ago, I stumbled upon a new idea. If a single entity can’t resist it, what about a group? Especially a group capable of continuous division and reproduction, like these flying insects.”

As he spoke, Rob made sure to press his face right against the dome, thoroughly admiring his masterpiece.

”Though they are Transcendent creatures, a single individual is weak and fragile, with low vitality. Their sole advantage is their rapid division and reproduction. As long as the resource supply keeps up, they will pour out in an endless stream.”

”And with my assistance, that trait has been enhanced even further.”

”I used these to replace our previous test subjects. The Insect Swarm merges with the flesh and acquires divinity, then mutates due to the curse. But because new insects are constantly being produced, the Insect Swarm remains, capable of maintaining a balance for a long period of time!”

”After I tested it, the results were even better than imagined. Finally, after a period of waiting, I ended up with this.”

Rob pointed excitedly at the mushroom in the center.

”It’s unimaginable that it would form such an entirely unrelated biological shape. The endlessly replenished flying insects actually give it the appearance of ’growth,’ and it hasn’t shown any signs of contamination.”

...

Rob excitedly finished introducing his grand discovery, but Casi’s expression didn’t look very good. A moment later, he turned to look at Fu Qian.

”What do you think?”

”The mushroom certainly doesn’t have any contamination.”

Fu Qian commented casually, but his attention was focused on the area around the dome.

Beside this heavily sci-fi apparatus, four completely mismatched items had actually been placed at highly standardized angles. Among them was an orange-yellow, candle-like crystal emitting a faint glow.

Outsourced from the Benevolent Curse Institute? Used to restrict what was inside?

He immediately had a few guesses.

”Of course.”

Rob laughed.

”I don’t know how many times I’ve stared at it over the past couple of days. If it was truly contaminating, I’m afraid I would have fallen victim long ago—”

”He was only talking about the mushroom.”

Unfortunately, Casi interrupted him coldly.

Without another word, a hand burning with black flames shot out the next moment, grabbing Rob’s left arm.

Snap!

Facing a Demigod, the man clearly had no power to resist. His arm was ripped off right at the elbow.

Shockingly, countless fine threads could be seen stretching between the two ends of the severed wound, resembling chaotic fungal mycelium.

And almost instantly, that fresh scent grew several times stronger.

”This is—”

At a time like this, Rob didn’t disgrace his reputation as an Apocalypse instructor. Even with his arm abruptly torn off, he endured the agony to ponder the cause.

”I’ve been contaminated? But how?”

”Isn’t it obvious? Since when have you ever been this diligent?”

Casi snorted.

”There’s nothing wrong with the mushroom, but didn’t you think the flight paths of those insects were a bit strange?”

He didn’t give Rob another chance to speak. The next moment, he drove a fist straight into the man’s stomach.

Almost instantly, flames violently erupted all over Rob’s body.

Judging from his agonized screams and rapidly ashing skin, the pain was clearly excruciating.

Fortunately, the burning didn’t last too long. About five seconds later, Casi tossed the charred man aside and extended a hand toward Fu Qian.

”What is this?”

Fu Qian looked at Casi’s open palm to see a squirming mass of flesh.

Though only the size of a snail, it radiated astonishing chaos.

”Claudora... a certain Demigod of Apocalypse who refuses to move.”

Casi laughed heartily, though there was very little mirth in his tone.