Eldritch Horror Theatre

This one looked even more vibrant and full of life. Demigod Aike certainly had a fondness for wood.

To Fu Qian, Purifier Luyi’s reaction was completely understandable.

Anyone would question reality if they looked down and saw a tree growing out of their stomach.

In the blink of an eye, the struggling mass of flesh and blood had transformed into a humanoid green sapling, giving the surreal impression that it might bear ginseng fruit at any moment.

Of course, as the victim in question, Luyi understandably found it hard to harbor such wonderful hopes.

”This... why...”

Finally managing to tear his gaze away from it, he looked up at Aike, the one who had orchestrated the procedure.

”The side effects of this state are relatively minor. It will let you live a bit longer. Just remember, don’t try to pull it out.”

Although her hands were free of blood, Aike still wiped them gently on her clothes as she answered. She clearly hadn’t enjoyed the sensation of reaching into his stomach.

As for why she had to do it that way, Fu Qian, a veteran in these matters, understood perfectly. Excellency Aike likely did it for precise positioning—locating the part acting as the Umbilical Cord between host and plant to prevent an incomplete transformation.”...So how much longer do I have to live?”

Given the state of his stomach, Luyi had already abandoned any optimism about his lifespan. Hearing Aike’s medical advice, he finally had to ask.

”Not very long, so we’d better find a way out of here quickly.”

Unfortunately, Old Man Li clearly had no intention of letting Aike continue her psychological counseling. He bluntly pushed the conversation forward.

...

”Leave here?”

As expected of a High-Tier Transcendent. That previous sword strike had left quite a psychological shadow, one that not even the fear of death could offset.

Luyi froze for a few seconds. He ultimately didn’t press the issue of his lifespan, choosing instead to follow the new topic.

”Although we can’t prove it yet, we suspect this place might not be real. The Laria Offspring you mentioned—Benjamin—might be the key to leaving.”

Li He summarized their earlier discoveries with absolute brevity.

Not necessarily real...

A visible touch of relief washed over Luyi’s face at those words, and the shadow of death seemed to fade slightly.

”But isn’t he right here? Though I have no idea how he ended up in my stomach...”

Spurred by this shift in mood, his mind grew a little sharper. He stared directly at the hideous creation growing out of his body once again.

”Good question. Unfortunately, we can confirm that it is not Benjamin. It is composed entirely of your own flesh.”

Having performed the operation with her own hands, Aike undoubtedly had the most authority on the matter. She glanced at Fu Qian as she spoke.

Clearly, when she reached inside earlier, she had confirmed the theory he had mentioned.

”But why such a change occurred is indeed a question we need to address.”

Fu Qian showed no signs of smugness at having been proven right; instead, he quickly pushed the analysis further.

”So what do you think is the likely cause?”

Old Man Li clearly appreciated this swift and resolute action, continuing to press for his opinion.

”So, can you still hear the crying?”

Fu Qian didn’t dodge the question, instead looking straight at Luyi.

...

The crying...

As if jolted awake, Luyi recalled the sound that had preceded this crisis.

”I still can... but the sound is much fainter. Does it have something to do with the changes in my body?”

After focusing on the sound for a few seconds, a trace of uncontrollable tension appeared on his face.

”Unfortunately, it looks that way.”

Fu Qian didn’t mince his words. As he spoke, he looked over at Ji Ning.

”Does Your Excellency think his previous state was similar to the conscious death we experimented with earlier?”

”Not exactly the same, but close.”

She sighed, confirming his suspicion a second later.

She clearly understood what Fu Qian was getting at.

Previously, when they had attempted to escape this place by simulating conscious death, they hadn’t achieved their primary goal. However, they did reap an unexpected harvest: the corruption hadn’t worsened during that time.

Furthermore, since their consciousness was dead, it naturally meant they hadn’t perceived the crying.

Applying this to Luyi’s experience, they could be almost certain that the crying trailing behind them was exactly how the corruption accumulated. And once that accumulation reached a certain threshold—

Her gaze falling on the tree protruding from Luyi’s stomach, Ji Ning’s expression turned exceedingly grim. She forced herself not to imagine a similar scene happening to her own body.

”If that’s the case, my judgment is that the source of the crying has locked onto everyone through some special method, as if it were following directly behind all of us simultaneously.”

Having received his answer, Fu Qian was now submitting his final theory to Old Man Li.

”The crying causes an accumulation of some kind of influence. Once it reaches a critical mass, it manifests just like this.”

He pointed to their surroundings, his finger finally settling on Luyi.

”This is also why Excellency Luyi didn’t react like the others did earlier. The resistance of a transcendent is simply stronger. The crying back then only molded him into a cradle; it hadn’t yet reached the usage stage.”

”Afterward, he entered a state resembling suspended animation until we woke him up, at which point the accumulation resumed.”

...

”A very reasonable deduction.”

As Fu Qian laid it out, the expressions of everyone present—aside from Old Man Li—were going from bad to worse.

Old Man Li paid no mind to the deteriorating team morale, directly praising Fu Qian’s deduction instead.

”But according to Luyi’s account, he lost control of his body very quickly. Does Your Excellency think it was because of his close-quarters contact with Benjamin?”

The facts proved that the team’s psychological fortitude was reliable. Even though she despised this turn of events, Aike managed to pull herself together and follow the current train of thought.

”Yes, it looks like the most probable cause. Afterward, he entered another state, and so did we.”

Old Man Li sighed. Naturally, he was referring to the surreal scene unfolding before them.

”But if that’s true, it feels like we still have nowhere to start.”

When it came to hunting their target, Aike was clearly still very proactive.

However, even though the situation was becoming clearer, Excellency Ji Ning’s previous trap had yielded absolutely nothing...

”I really don’t know where that thing went...”

Although his own prospects were undeniably bleak, Luyi couldn’t find a single reason to refute their logic. For the moment, he could only offer this feeble piece of information.

”No need to be so pessimistic. We aren’t entirely out of options.”

Amidst the momentarily oppressive atmosphere, it was actually the resident stress-inducer, Fu Qian, who stepped up to boost morale.

”You have a way?”

Aike’s eyes instantly lit up.

She had to admit, from the beginning until now, even though his background was suspicious, his performance had been genuinely astonishing.

”I do, but it might require a little patience.”

Fu Qian pointed at the mangled corpses scattered around them.

”Have you guys thought about it? If a Benjamin crawled out of every single one of these, where did they all go?”

”...That’s a good question. But what does that have to do with patience?”

Imagining that scene, Aike furrowed her brows.

”It does. If we just wait a little longer, we can follow the next one that crawls out.”