Eldritch Horror Theatre

Far from being unarmed, the rescue team trapped below consisted of genuine superhumans—at least in theory.

And they had come fully prepared.

Not to mention they harbored ulterior motives.

It was common knowledge that people with ulterior motives tended to overthink. As far as Fu Qian was concerned, it was impossible for Old Man Huang and his group to have entered without foreseeing potential danger.

Though it was equally impossible for them to have anticipated this exact level of danger.

Thus, right from the moment he entered, Fu Qian could easily picture the scene: the trapped team struggling for survival, relying on tools and methods prepared in advance that ultimately proved inadequate.

Much like the scene before him now.

There were six people in total. Old Man Huang was absent, but there was a familiar face and a relatively familiar aura.

The familiar face bore some resemblance to Old Man Huang. It belonged to Huang Lezhan, one of the men who had participated in the earlier siege against him.

If memory served, his strength surpassed even that of Huang Leji. Aside from the Blood Lion of the Li Family, he was practically the top expert of the West Plain Huang Clan.Standing to the side as a supervisor, this top expert was the first to notice him. The glare he shot over was blatantly hostile.

Naturally, this outpouring of hostility went unanswered. Fu Qian did not even spare him a glance, letting his gaze land instead on that familiar aura.

A slender figure in cyan clothes with a sharp, highly memorable chin.

She was the only woman on the team and, aside from Huang Lezhan, the only other person acting as a supervisor. She was currently glaring at him with a severity that only slightly fell short of his.

The reason her aura felt familiar was simple. He could practically confirm she was the owner of the Dispelling Halo from outside the Night Watchers Base.

...

The probability that she was Miranda from the Family-Visiting Trio had just risen again.

Giving a slight nod, and considering she remained silent while he was currently playing the part of a wicked sorcerer, Fu Qian refrained from an overly enthusiastic greeting. Meeting their scrutiny head-on, he simply took a few steps forward.

The group was situated on a small patch of flat ground at the bottom of the long staircase. The level surface offered a slight reprieve.

Because of this, Fu Qian’s advance did not inflict any new wounds on his body.

Of course, a sudden spike in tension was unavoidable.

Even the person deepest inside the narrow hole had stopped working, turning around on full alert.

However, the most immediate consequence of this movement was confirming that the entire team was injured—without exception.

Looking at the bloodstains blooming on every single person, Fu Qian seemed to sense the tragic heroism of a desperate army.

”Who are you?”

A moment later, the leader of this desperate army finally spoke.

The double flower red pole, Huang Lezhan, was already shrouded in a bright yellow aura. He had ignited his Human Sovereign Qi at full power, no longer bothering to conceal his hostility as he demanded an answer.

His lack of manners could hardly be blamed. In such a desperate plight, their tiny spark of hope was already flickering like a candle in the wind, entirely too fragile to withstand any sudden shock.

For a stranger to suddenly emerge at a time like this—one bearing an extraordinary presence and an unfathomable demeanor—how could they not be on high alert?

Although that last bit of descriptive self-flattery was purely his own imagination, Fu Qian still felt a strong surge of empathy, leaving him with absolutely no intention of blaming them.

”Huang Lezhan?”

Empathy, of course, did not obligate him to answer their questions. Completely unfazed by the hostile team, whose unity of will formed a fortress, Fu Qian frowned slightly as he sized the man up. He acted as though the unique facial features of the Huang Clan made it somewhat difficult to recognize him.

”I believe I asked you first...”

Such an attitude obviously provoked disgust. Yet, despite Huang Lezhan’s gloomy tone—which sounded as though he might attack at any second without actually making a move—Fu Qian simply ignored him and turned to the person beside him.

”Miranda?”

By comparison, he barely paused to think this time before stating her name outright.

”...Who exactly are you?”

Clearly not expecting Fu Qian to shift his focus to her so suddenly, the sharp-chinned woman froze for a second. She subconsciously glanced at Huang Lezhan, hesitating briefly before speaking.

Although her counter-question lacked originality, her tone and demeanor provided him with a wealth of information.

...

First, she was indeed Miranda. Second, the atmosphere within the team wasn’t nearly as harmonious as it seemed.

Since everyone else was clearly taking turns digging, Huang Lezhan keeping her alongside him as a supervisor likely wasn’t out of gentlemanly respect, but rather to prevent her from pulling any tricks.

”Thank you.”

As he made these silent evaluations, Fu Qian maintained his air of an enigmatic master, offering her a smiling thank you.

”What name were you planning to give this hole?”

Taking another two steps forward, he practically stopped right in front of Huang Lezhan as he examined their ongoing excavation project.

”...If Your Excellency is going to be so uncooperative, then don’t blame us for dispensing with pleasantries.”

As a man accustomed to giving orders, Huang Lezhan clearly couldn’t stomach being treated like thin air. Murderous intent practically bled from his eyes.

At his gesture, the people working inside the hole fully withdrew.

”And then?”

Finding himself vaguely encircled, Fu Qian asked in a conversational tone.

”Then we’ll toss your bones into that blood pool over there, take a quick break, and get back to work.”

However, a top-tier charlatan had always been adept at manipulating people’s emotions.

After pondering Fu Qian’s question for just a few seconds, Huang Lezhan gave a reply brimming with genuine emotion.

”Clinging to an even slimmer shred of hope.”

The raw emotion was one thing, but Huang Lezhan had clearly left out a crucial detail, which Fu Qian casually filled in for him.

”What do you mean?”

He vaguely sensed that asking this was a mistake, but the stranger’s sheer, overwhelming authority left him no choice. The murderous intent Huang Lezhan had just summoned wasn’t enough to spur him into immediate action, forcing him to play along.

”I won’t comment on your choice of survival tactics.”

Fu Qian shook his head, entirely unsurprised by the man’s reaction, and pointed to his own body.

”However, the height each person is capable of climbing is fixed. Any blood you shed through other means will simply deplete that limit.”

As though walking them through a math review, Fu Qian swept his gaze across each of their faces.

”When it comes to getting rid of me, are you confident there will be no depletion? Are you prepared to only deplete your own? Or are you simply confident it won’t be yours that gets depleted?”

...

Sowing discord had always been a matter of timing.

In this desperate fight for survival, Fu Qian’s Three-Stage Questioning fell upon their ears with an undeniably piercing sharpness.

As his gaze swept past them, almost everyone’s face grew visibly paler.

His logic was practically irrefutable, and considering his demeanor—and the fact that he had ventured here completely alone—no one could believe he could be taken down without a cost.

Unlike in an ordinary operation, getting injured in this place meant that even if the others were willing to carry you, it would all be in vain.