Eldritch Horror Theatre

So even cannon fodder has to wait in line?

Following the prompt, Fu Qian sat down next to Brother 1349 and mused to himself.

The two guards didn’t linger and quickly left.

But that didn’t mean he could move around as he pleased.

Even more guards could be seen nearby, eyeing them like prey. Security on the bottom floor was obviously far stricter than it was above.

Moreover, while the Testing Room in front of them was large, it couldn’t possibly take up an entire floor. Who knew what else was stored down here.

As he observed his surroundings, Fu Qian noticed something strange.

Brother 1349 showed absolutely no intention of getting up to take the test.

Was someone still inside?

Were there really that many people having abnormal reactions?Amid his thoughts, he heard the elevator doors open again from the direction they had arrived.

Fu Qian looked back and saw that the two guards from earlier had actually brought someone else over.

It was a rather young woman, looking to be in her early twenties at most.

Her long chestnut hair was smooth and glossy, and she wore exquisite makeup. Her eyes darted around brightly as she walked.

This expectant expression and casual, strolling posture formed a sharp contrast with Brother 1349.

While Fu Qian was marveling at the sight, she quickly reached them.

”Hi!”

Without even sitting down, the young lady cheerfully greeted Fu Qian and 1349 in turn.

[6666]

As she twisted her body, Fu Qian caught sight of the number on her back.

This one was an even bigger heavyweight!

Fu Qian returned the greeting with a smile, inwardly clicking his tongue in admiration at the number.

”Is there still someone inside?”

After the greeting, Miss 6 quickly voiced the question lingering in Fu Qian’s mind.

”No.”

To his surprise, the guards didn’t just walk away this time; they actually answered her quite cooperatively.

”As per the requirements, the three of you will go in together this time.”

The next moment, a man who looked like a squad leader stepped forward and pointed at the three of them.

So they were actually just waiting to form a party?

Fu Qian glanced at Brother 1349, who had arrived first, but the man remained as wooden and unresponsive as ever.

”Alright, don’t waste time.”

As he spoke, the squad leader pressed a control device. The seamless silver-white metal doors in front of them slowly slid open to both sides.

Unfortunately, what was revealed behind it was just another door. They couldn’t see what was truly inside.

”The procedure is the same as last time. Stay inside for five full minutes.”

”Once the outer door closes, this one in front of you will open automatically. Then, you will quickly enter the innermost testing area.”

The squad leader stared at the three of them until they all stepped through the first door.

”After five minutes, the second door will open again, and you will return here.”

As he spoke, the door was already slowly sliding shut behind the three of them.

I’m actually feeling a little tense. Is the thing inside really that terrifying?

Taking in the guards’ reactions, Fu Qian noticed the inner door had already opened a crack.

The next moment, Fu Qian finally saw the testing subject of the underground research facility.

This was...

However, the thing that appeared before him made him frown for a moment.

Mainly because its design was a bit of a challenge to the imagination.

It was a creature nearly two meters tall, pale green all over, and seemingly composed of a material somewhere between metal and flesh.

At first glance, its body was almost entirely hollowed out, appearing to be nothing more than a silhouette.

But upon closer inspection, one could tell that it was actually a visual illusion formed by black stripes on certain parts of its body.

At a glance, it looked surreal and dreamlike.

The reason he called it a creature was that it clearly possessed the form of a biological entity with a head and legs. Slender antennae and twisted spikes could be distinguished, making its appearance quite bizarre.

If he had to describe it, it looked like a giant lichen katydid standing in the posture of a horse.

And almost immediately, the sound of a horse neighing really did ring out.

Muffled and distorted.

Fu Qian was certain the thing in front of him was like a dead object, completely motionless. The sound had manifested directly in his consciousness.

Its level of intrusiveness rivaled the mission prompts; it couldn’t be blocked out even if he tried.

[Containment Fulfillment Conditions: Eliminate Goya Ulrich before the horse’s neighing stops.]

Just as this thought crossed his mind, a mission prompt really did appear.

That was way too fitting!

Amid his marveling, Fu Qian didn’t waste any time and immediately analyzed the Containment Fulfillment Conditions.

There was no need to ask; the horse’s neighing undoubtedly referred to the scene right in front of him.

Judging by the prompt, this sound wouldn’t last forever. It would stop at a certain point.

He would need to find a chance to figure this out later to better plan his actions. It would be best if he could find the records for this test.

It was easy for Fu Qian to recall Doctor Cynthia, whom he had met earlier.

There was a good chance she had the relevant data on hand.

Aside from that, eliminating Goya Ulrich.

Although it had some restrictions, this was pretty much his favorite type of mission.

Hacking someone down, and the name was even clearly provided.

At a glance, it was an overwhelming wave of joy.

However, this group of cannon fodder like himself all seemed to only go by numbers at the moment. If the target really turned out to be someone in an orange jumpsuit, it might take a bit more effort when the time came.

...

While lost in thought, Fu Qian kept his attention divided, never losing sight of their current situation.

According to his estimation, nearly half the time had already passed.

But so far, nothing particularly special seemed to have happened.

Although the horse’s neighing was awful, to a battle-hardened veteran like him, it didn’t even qualify as grating noise.

And it wasn’t just him. The other two testers were merely ordinary individuals of a low Rank, yet they only looked slightly dazed and didn’t seem to be struggling too much either.

Meanwhile, Fu Qian could sense that the neighing wasn’t static.

This weird, off-key wailing rose and fell like the tide, seemingly following some special rhythm.

So the previous test subjects went through the exact same thing?

Going in here sequentially, staying for five minutes, and then taking a mental test?

Moreover, according to the mission description, this thing in front of him was supposed to be extremely dangerous, but he wasn’t feeling anything.

Factoring in his excessively high Rank, Fu Qian silently observed the bizarre ”horse,” actively trying to perceive the fluctuations in its neighs.

At a certain moment, he felt as if his own will was rising and falling along with that rhythm, putting him in a very slight trance.

It seems it really is a bit special! Fu Qian frowned slightly.

Although the feeling was faint, considering he was in the Demigod Realm, for it to affect him at all meant this thing’s Rank was not low!

Amid his musings, he didn’t forget to observe his teammates.

Brother 1349 had grown completely still. Even his eyes had stopped moving, as if he had turned into a statue.

And even Miss 6’s smile had long since vanished. Staring at the floor, she seemed to be averting her gaze, unwilling to look at the ”horse” in the center.