Eldritch Horror Theatre

Liang Yuntian had mentioned that the rat hole appeared in the basement, so finding it wasn’t difficult.

Fu Qian walked a few steps and found the entrance to the underground garage.

The place was obviously quite old. In the massive space, only a single light by the entrance was still on.

Under the dim light, dust-covered bicycles and assorted junk were piled up in a corner.

Right next to this pile of junk, a section of the floor had collapsed, exposing a pitch-black hole.

This had to be it. However, it lacked the gruesome scene he had imagined, and there wasn’t a single rat in sight.

Fu Qian walked right up to the edge of the hole before stopping. A warm, damp, and musty stench washed over his face. Below, he could faintly see patches of rotting wood surrounded by a thick growth of mushrooms and moss.

Imagining a group of barefoot people jumping down there to catch rats, he could certainly understand why Liang Yuntian had fled on the spot.

But that was then, this is now. Driven by his appetite, the reborn Liang Yuntian had most likely ventured deep inside to take on the challenge.

”I have a very bad feeling about this. You’d better be careful,” the Persuader’s voice echoed in his mind.”I thought you fell asleep,” Fu Qian replied. ”Isn’t a bad feeling a good thing? After all, we’re looking for the Anomaly Point in this Nightmare.”

”That might be true, but it really feels awful. Anomalies also represent danger, and you might not have the strength to handle it right now.”

”I have to admit, you’ve done reasonably well so far, but in a Nightmare, even the slightest negligence is enough to get you killed.”

”Relax. I’ve always been a cautious man,” Fu Qian said, immediately jumping down into the hole.

Even though the pest inside his body was gone, he had still undergone a certain degree of fusion with it earlier. Aside from a boost in physical strength, his eyesight had also improved, making it relatively easy to see in the gloom.

Of course, even if it had been pitch-black, Fu Qian would have groped his way down anyway.

Liang Yuntian was just about the best muscle he could find right now. How could he let him go to waste in silence?

Though he didn’t hold out much hope that Liang Yuntian could actually kill the young child, the guy had at least swallowed two people back-to-back. He still packed some combat power.

He had to make good use of whatever opportunities Liang Yuntian managed to carve out.

Beneath the hole was an underground passage. The wooden support boards around it had long since rotted away, and his feet landed in stagnant water that had been pooling there for who knew how many years.

The dark, greenish water barely reached his ankles, and it even felt slightly warm.

After walking a short distance, Fu Qian noticed the surrounding space becoming increasingly exaggerated.

Just the height of the ceiling alone—if this place truly existed in reality, it would probably swallow up half the apartment building above it.

”Is this an overlapping space created by that mist?” Fu Qian asked.

”Yes. Logically speaking, it should have disappeared along with the other external anomalies after the mist receded. I’m not sure why it’s still here,” the Persuader quickly replied.

”Doesn’t that just prove this is the Anomaly Point of the Nightmare? It means we found the right place.”

”Perhaps.”

The Persuader sounded entirely unenthused, clearly lacking any confidence.

”Or perhaps we are just courting our own death.”

Before the Persuader even finished speaking, an anomaly occurred in the stagnant water beneath Fu Qian’s feet.

First, concentric ripples appeared. Then, as if coming alive, the water rapidly receded.

’What is this?’

Fu Qian pressed himself against the wall and stealthily advanced in the direction of the flowing water. Before long, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

This place seemed to be part of some magnificent structure. Within this massive, nearly hundred-meter-tall space, a dark green pool sat right in the center.

At this moment, a gigantic water bubble bulged just above the pool, and suspended right in the middle of it was the completely unrecognizable Liang Yuntian.

His white coat was thoroughly filthy by now, and the flesh on his face was torn in multiple places. Several sharp, scorpion-like bone spears jutted out from his back, frantically slashing at his surroundings.

However, the watery bubble, though fragile in appearance, was exceptionally tough.

No matter how fiercely the bone spears struck it, they couldn’t puncture even a tiny hole. The bubble didn’t so much as tremble.

In the direction he was facing, a figure sat leisurely on a tattered high-backed chair.

”Didn’t you want to eat me? As long as you can walk over here, you’ll get exactly what you wish for.” The figure let out a string of low chuckles.

”They say that baby sharks will devour each other inside their mother’s womb until only the strongest one remains. Did you think you were doing the exact same thing?”

”What a pity. You understand absolutely nothing; you’re just a beast addicted to its own appetite.”

”The truth is, there is only one true baby shark, and I can guarantee you it is definitely not you.”

’What incredibly pretentious dialogue! Could this guy be Qiu Chengyi?’

Fu Qian watched the scene unfold with keen interest.

He had to admit that the figure’s description was somewhat fitting.

At this moment, Liang Yuntian looked exactly like a caged beast being toyed with.

Not only was he thrashing wildly without finding a way out, but low growls constantly rumbled from his throat.

However, despite being trapped, his combat power was still intact. Fu Qian was in no rush to step forward just yet.

”There is a fundamental difference between us, and now, I will prove it to you.”

The figure waved his hand as he spoke.

More stagnant water converged into the bubble, rendering it even tougher.

”I have already completed the synchronization. I have earned this place’s recognition.”

”This is something only a Divine Child can achieve.”

”Now, let us take things a step further!”

The moment the figure’s voice fell, the water forming the barrier began to churn violently, boiling as if in a heated cauldron.

This bizarre sight forced even the enraged Liang Yuntian to halt and instinctively stare down at his feet.

The next moment, a massive rat darted out from the water.

It had no fur to speak of; its body was wrapped in a thin layer of pinkish skin, and it was almost the size of a chicken.

The instant it appeared, its muscular hind legs kicked off, launching it straight at Liang Yuntian’s face.

Under this sudden attack, Liang Yuntian’s bone spears reflexively swept out, slicing it cleanly in half.

Slash!

Just like cutting open a thin-skinned watermelon, crimson fluid instantly splattered everywhere.

Yet, that was merely the first one.

Immediately following it, hundreds—thousands—of rats shot out from the stagnant water, swarming toward Liang Yuntian like dumplings being tossed into a boiling pot.

’This really is something else!’

Fu Qian watched from the sidelines with deep relish.

It seemed this person could trigger that mist of spirituality on a small scale.

Liang Yuntian hadn’t been spouting nonsense, though. Not only were these rats gigantic and hairless, but their front limbs had atrophied to the point of being nearly nonexistent.

Their savagery, on the other hand, was top-tier. They lunged forward in a continuous, maddened frenzy, tearing at everything in their path with razor-sharp teeth. They practically formed a Crimson Storm.

And at the center of this storm, Liang Yuntian, despite his skin having long since hardened and mutated, was still being gouged with long, trailing gashes every time he was bitten.

In just a few short seconds, he was dripping with blood, yet the rats continued to surge out in a never-ending stream until they completely submerged him.