Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Someone from Siren was killed?”

The news the newcomer brought was clearly explosive, leaving the entire room in shock for a moment.

After taking a moment to digest it, almost everyone immediately looked at Fu Qian.

Was it really just as this guy had said?

If they had still harbored some doubts about Fu Qian’s words a moment ago, the scales in their minds were now rapidly tipping.

”Don’t panic, Kimura. Who exactly from Siren was killed?”

Tyr gestured for the man to sit down and take his time.

”Is this why you’re late?”

”Yeah!”

Kimura replied, finding an empty seat and plopping down. A moment later, he noticed Fu Qian sitting across from him and froze.”Who’s he?”

”Mr. Fu. He hasn’t been in the Wasteland for long. He was invited here today and is attending our gathering for the first time.”

Tyr briefly explained.

”It’s fine. Just go ahead and speak.”

Ah.

Kimura glanced around. Seeing that everyone else seemed unbothered, he gave Fu Qian a nod of greeting.

”The one who died this time was no minor character. That’s why I said something huge happened.”

”Isro, one of Siren Group’s top executives in the Wasteland.”

”Not long ago, he was found dead in his quarters. They say the guards didn’t notice a thing.”

”Suicide?”

Someone immediately asked.

”Impossible!”

Kimura shook his head.

”Even if it’s related to their recent discovery, this guy was a genuine Tier 4 Transcendent. He was a completely different breed from that recruited cannon fodder.”

”Can you think of any mental influence that could force someone of that level to commit suicide?”

...

Hearing Kimura’s words, the group subconsciously looked at Fu Qian again, desperately wanting to point out that the recruits weren’t entirely cannon fodder either.

”But it’s possible it has something to do with that.”

Kimura clearly hadn’t noticed their subtle reaction and just kept talking.

”Word is that Siren Group’s previous exploration was indeed led by Isro.”

”And did you guys know? After yesterday’s expedition, aside from the recruits, two of Siren’s own people also died.”

”You don’t need to say ’word is.’ It was definitely him.”

Nora suddenly chimed in, her tone quite certain.

”I saw him by the swamp.”

”The swamp?”

Kimura was visibly struggling to keep up with the conversation, glancing around in confusion.

”Before you arrived, we were just discussing this. From the looks of it, the Underground Ruins Siren recently discovered are very likely located in the swamp to the southwest.”

The man who had sold Fu Qian the bullets explained.

”Is that so?”

Kimura pondered this for a few seconds, then scratched his head.

”Anyway, the atmosphere outside is extremely tense right now. Siren’s people obviously don’t believe Isro would commit suicide, and they’re investigating everywhere like madmen.”

”But in a place like the Wasteland, who would go out of their way to assassinate a Siren executive?”

Madam No. 2 looked utterly incredulous.

”A solitary individual obviously wouldn’t, but what if it was an organization on their level?”

Nora let out a long breath.

”The Ji Clan?”

Madam No. 2 reacted quickly, immediately grasping her meaning.

”Has it really escalated to that level?”

”It’s a bit hard to believe, but it seems Siren’s people share that exact thought.”

Kimura continued.

”Right now, their prime suspect is the Ji Clan. Naturally, the Ji Clan won’t admit to it. The tension is incredibly thick out there. Until they catch the real killer, everyone should try to stay indoors to avoid getting dragged into the mess.”

...

Following Kimura’s words, a brief silence fell over the room.

Everyone present had weathered their fair share of storms. If Kimura’s news had been the only thing they heard today, it might have only sparked endless speculation.

But combined with what Fu Qian had mentioned earlier, they could practically see a massive crisis brewing.

It was exactly as he had said. Centered around these Underground Ruins, a shadow war had already broken out between the Wasteland’s two largest factions.

At this point, whether the Ji Clan had actually committed the murder hardly even mattered.

In short, under these circumstances, one careless step would drop them straight into a meat grinder.

As ordinary, isolated transcendents, staying out of it was the most important thing right now.

For a moment, everyone felt a wave of relief that they had maintained a neutral stance and never aligned with either side.

They sure act fast!

Listening to Kimura’s news, Fu Qian thought back to Ji Yicheng, whom he had dealt with previously.

He wasn’t sure if that man fully represented the Ji Clan’s attitude yet.

But judging from their brief interaction, the man was indeed quite radical.

Leisurely times are always so fleeting!

Sighing inwardly, Fu Qian stood up.

”You’re leaving?”

Everyone’s gaze instantly converged on him as Nora blurted out the question.

”It’s only just started. If you’re interested, you can stay and continue the exchange.”

Tyr added.

From their earlier conversation, he could tell that although this man harbored many secrets, he held no malice toward their group.

”You could even consider staying in Old Town for a while.”

”After all, given the current situation, you’re likely to attract a lot of attention if you go out there.”

”I appreciate the thought.”

Fu Qian thanked him with a smile, casually picking up his mask and putting it on.

He naturally knew Tyr was speaking out of goodwill, wanting to offer him a bit of shelter.

But the current situation was already far beyond anything Tyr could manage.

Not to mention he hadn’t hidden his tracks when he came; Siren’s people were probably already on their way here.

Even if he had snuck over quietly, with an incident like this, Siren would leave no stone unturned to hunt him down.

Of course, the most important thing was that he had come here to handle the Angel Dungeon in the first place. Now that the opportunity was knocking on his door, how could he refuse?

...

”Who exactly is he? He seems very mysterious.”

Watching Fu Qian’s back disappear behind the hidden door, Kimura frowned and asked Tyr, who had just sat back down.

”The cannon fodder who survived.”

Nora stared at the weapon she had exchanged her intel for, her voice completely flat.

”That was him!”

Kimura was clearly taken aback and turned his head to look toward the door again.

”He didn’t seem all that extraordinary to me!”

”That’s only on the surface. There is definitely a reason a man like that survived.”

Tyr sighed.

”Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to harbor any ill intentions.”

”There’s only so much we can do in this situation, but it might be a good idea to go out and share the information Mr. Fu just provided.”

”...What information?”

...

”Mr. Fu?”

Leaving the gathering, Fu Qian hadn’t walked far before he saw several people sprinting toward him.

Right in the center was Gerald, whom he had met before, with Gary following closely by his side.

However, Gerald no longer possessed his previous composure. His face was so dark it looked ready to drip water.

”Apologies, but please come with us. There are some matters we need your assistance with.”

”Sure.”

Fu Qian nodded, not surprised in the least.