Eldritch Horror Theatre

Things had gone smoother than expected—it was even a kill mission.

The Containment Conditions had finally appeared, leaving Fu Qian quite satisfied.

As for Ash Descent, he was certainly no stranger to it.

It was the Ji Clan’s signature ancestral technique, something he had already dealt with back in the Wasteland.

He had even faced Demigod Angui’s mutated version.

And it looked like he would be continuing to make trouble for the Ji Clan this time around.

However, since the target was parasitizing that kind of special entity, finding it would require some careful thought.

Force them all to activate their abilities so he could check them one by one?

It wasn’t completely out of the question. Directly admitting he had killed Ji Yicheng would definitely be enough to draw a mob.

Amid his thoughts, Fu Qian followed the address on the note and arrived at an apartment.He tested one of the cards from his personal belongings, and sure enough, the verification went through.

It was a classic scene: a young man armed with a single skill, striking out alone in the big city to make a living. How very similar to Brother Zha Yingjun.

Of course, their specific development paths were somewhat different, and it seemed Yingjun was currently far more successful.

Fu Qian mused with a sigh.

Regardless, the quality of this place seemed decent. The Gospel Team’s salary had to be pretty good.

...

Thinking over his career plans, Fu Qian soon found his room number.

The room was quite clean, showing clear signs of someone living alone. After a quick inspection, Fu Qian closed the door, immediately opened the Box, and took out the Lantern.

This type of mission was undoubtedly his favorite.

The only difficulty was finding the target in the first place.

After all, going by a literal interpretation, causing a bloodbath at Silver Mist Manor and slaughtering everyone capable of using Ash Descent probably wouldn’t fly.

On the other hand, if he simply provoked them by announcing himself as Ji Yicheng’s killer, there would always be a few cowards too afraid to make a move.

So, was there some way to narrow down the scope first?

Even as he pondered his current situation, Fu Qian looked toward the door and rapidly adjusted his facial muscles.

Knock, knock!

Two seconds later, the sudden knocking echoed. By then, Fu Qian’s face had already shifted into an incredibly natural look of surprise.

When the knocking sounded a second time, he finally stepped forward and opened the door.

”Mister 233.”

A familiar voice rang out. Standing there with a smile, dressed in a long green gown, was the daughter of the customer he had just attended to: Ji Liushuang.

...

”Sorry to intrude.”

She looked Fu Qian up and down, her undisguised, piercing gaze seemingly capable of cutting right through a person’s heart. Ji Liushuang offered a slight nod in greeting.

”You have the wrong person.”

Fu Qian narrowed his eyes. His expression swiftly cooled, and he spoke with absolute naturalness.

”That sort of thing does happen from time to time. So, would you prefer I stand out here while we clear this up?”

Ji Liushuang seemed completely unsurprised by his reaction. She even casually played along, turning her head to glance up and down the corridor.

”...Come in.”

After a long ”silence,” Fu Qian finally stepped aside to make room. She walked in without standing on ceremony.

”To make our coming conversation a bit smoother, let me start by explaining how I found you.”

She found a seat and sat down, watching intently as Fu Qian carefully closed the door. With a flick of her wrist, a silver-white Rapier suddenly appeared in her hand.

It clearly wasn’t her usual style. She had likely chosen a weapon that was easier to conceal to match her current outfit.

Fu Qian quickly arrived at that conclusion.

The moment she held the sword, Ji Liushuang’s aura surged with an even sharper intensity.

But it lasted for only a split second. In the blink of an eye, she set the sword down on the table in front of her, returning to the image of a gentle, refined lady.

Of course, in a certain sense, this sharp contrast made the deterrence all the more powerful.

”It seems The Company’s so-called principles are nothing but empty words. Faced with a behemoth like the Ji Clan, they’re completely meaningless!”

But Fu Qian didn’t look like he wanted to be entirely suppressed. He scoffed and bluntly voiced his opinion.

”Although it hasn’t been established for long, and its actual backer really is the Ji Clan, there’s no need to be overly suspicious of the Gospel Team’s independence. Most of the time, they are fully capable of sticking to their principles.”

After listening earnestly to his critique, Ji Liushuang gestured for him not to be nervous.

Just as he thought!

The question of how the Gospel Team was able to enter Silver Mist Manor was instantly answered.

To put it bluntly, it was essentially one of the Ji Clan’s subsidiaries, simply granted a fair amount of independence.

For the Ji Clan to play along and help them project that independence was completely normal.

”As for how I was able to find you, it’s actually quite simple.”

Ji Liushuang pointed at Fu Qian.

”When I visited The Company, I never expected you to actually answer my questions.”

”You left a mark on me?”

Fu Qian looked as though he had just figured it out.

At least, that was how he made it look.

In reality, he knew he had been followed almost the moment he left. That was exactly why he had chosen to return to his apartment.

If he hadn’t returned to his residence, how could she have shown up so quickly?

The facts proved that the Lucent Sword Heart was incredibly sharp indeed.

Despite the dual disguise provided by the Warehouse and his own acting, which prevented Ji Liushuang from recognizing his true identity, locking onto a target was still a walk in the park for her.

After all, he had stayed at The Company for a while as instructed before leaving, and several others had left before him. Unfortunately, it was clear that none of them had distracted her.

”Not at all. It’s just that once I lock onto a target, I’m not easily fooled by superficial things.”

Ji Liushuang shook her head.

”So, Mister 233, I believe you now understand your current situation, which should alleviate some of your concerns.”

”The Company is entirely unaware of this conversation. As of now, your life hasn’t been affected. I need you to help resolve my doubts. If you don’t, your life will truly be affected—and I can’t guarantee to what extent.”

That last sentence was spoken with chilling murderous intent.

Ji Liushuang hadn’t come here to ask for help; she was presenting him with an icy ultimatum.

Not bad at all!

Fu Qian was actually quite appreciative of this approach. Furthermore, it was obvious that the matter concerning her Mother had deeply upset Ji Liushuang. Right now, she was like an unsheathed blade, sworn to cut down any obstacle in her path.

”So tell me, exactly what caused Madam Ji Xue to faint?”

”You just told me not to doubt the Gospel Team’s independence. So why don’t you believe the report?”

Fu Qian didn’t rush to answer—and of course, he legitimately didn’t know anyway.

”I said most of the time.”

Ji Liushuang corrected him as she grabbed the silver-white Rapier once again.

”You’re just trying to scare me. Even for the Ji Clan, killing me in this situation would be a huge hassle.”

Fu Qian watched her movements, stubbornly shaking his head.

”It’s true that there is a high probability my actions right now are just to make you feel fear and submit.”

Surprisingly, Ji Liushuang actually agreed with that assessment.

”Unfortunately for you, you aren’t completely confident in that assumption. The proof is that you felt the need to say it out loud, just to give yourself courage.”

Ji Liushuang’s expression was completely flat, and the hand holding the sword remained perfectly still.

”You have thirty seconds to reconsider.”