Eldritch Horror Theatre

Fu Qian was quite certain his sleeping act had been absolutely flawless and wouldn’t be seen through.

So if he were truly the target, the person hiding in the dark would have had absolutely no reason to wait in ambush. Simply coming to the door and hacking him to death would have been far easier.

Given that fierce hunting stance, the target was clearly someone else.

This was a real hunt. The Order’s intention seemed to be letting him watch closely as a bystander.

Fu Qian naturally didn’t mind watching a show.

After admiring the night view for less than ten seconds, he threw on his coat and stepped into this deserted Nightmare.

Everything downstairs remained in perfect order. He could even see the bills Mrs. Harper had organized before going to bed.

Aside from chosen targets like himself, it seemed living creatures were the only things excluded from this place.

It was a rather impressive method. It minimized collateral damage during operations to the greatest extent, especially in a place like this.

With that silent praise, Fu Qian opened the door and stepped out onto the street.He didn’t even bother masking his overly steady footsteps as he calmly surveyed his surroundings.

Regardless of The Order’s specific plans, this was the time to reinforce his persona. Right now, he was a slow-witted victim who mistook the fake for real and the real for fake.

If he knew it was fake, why would he be afraid?

Deliberately acting uneasy would only make the people from The Order think his mind wasn’t resolute enough, and that he was beginning to question reality under this heavy dose of fighting poison with poison.

But that was meaningless. What he wanted was an even stronger dose.

...

Creak!

It did not disappoint. A moment later, an old wooden door was pushed open from the inside far down the street, and a figure stepped out.

Although the door was still far away, the sound was undeniably piercing in the overly quiet night.

And in the dim starlight, Fu Qian’s vision remained perfectly clear.

It was a rather tall figure, bundled up tightly from head to toe with only a pair of eyes exposed.

Unlike the popular fashion seen during the day, the man wore a somewhat ostentatious hood.

Although the design differed, the silver thread patterns gleaming under the starlight clearly shared a similar aura with the mask Amira had worn earlier.

Even across his body, a faint metallic sheen flickered with his movements, as if the overcoat connected to his hood were woven from silver wire.

Fu Qian was absolutely certain this was the hunter who had been lurking just moments ago.

Without a doubt, this man played a different role in the Celestial Sphere Cult than Amira did.

At this moment, he moved like a machine. His chilling, murderous aura had not faded at all as he headed straight off into the distance.

Even though Fu Qian made no effort to hide himself, the hunter neither cared that he had been spotted nor whether Fu Qian followed.

Professional!

Fu Qian genuinely appreciated this work ethic. Keeping his distance, he followed behind.

The man was on an important mission, yet he deliberately acted right in front of him.

Such generous hospitality was hard to refuse. He absolutely couldn’t miss the upcoming spectacle.

...

Bang!

As it turned out, this hunter’s efficiency was simply too high.

Just as Fu Qian followed him around a street corner, the man had already stopped in front of a building similar to Fu Qian’s own residence.

Without so much as a greeting, the hunter leaped straight up. The instant he landed on the second floor, a loud blast erupted from his hand.

It came from a short rifle he had been carrying this whole time.

Compared to the weapons used by the police, this short rifle’s design was undoubtedly more intricate and exaggerated.

Even more exaggerated was that the gunshot wasn’t accompanied by a muzzle flash, but rather a blinding burst of lightning.

Arcs of electricity pierced the darkness before detonating inside the building.

Almost at the exact same moment, the hunter hunched over and launched himself inside.

The silvery-white figure vanished in an instant, and even the noise faded back into absolute silence.

...

It seemed there was no need to head over.

Witnessing this rapid sequence of events, Fu Qian stopped in his tracks.

Not only did he avoid joining the commotion, but he also symbolically tucked himself deeper into the shadows.

A moment later, a door next to the building opened, and a figure quietly slipped out.

It wasn’t the dazzling silver hunter, but a young woman wearing a nightgown.

She cast a startled glance next door, seemingly terrified by the recent commotion. Then, she frantically sprinted away from the building, rushing straight toward him. Along the way, she didn’t even forget to tie the Ribbon on her nightgown.

Even so, the floor-length hem of her gown was incredibly cumbersome, severely hindering her escape.

As she constantly glanced around, the deserted, dead silence clearly fueled her anxiety.

Her panic finally reached its peak when she nearly slammed into Fu Qian in the shadows, provoking a muffled shriek.

”Who are you? What happened? Where did everyone else go?”

Covering her mouth the moment she realized what she had done, she carefully looked Fu Qian over. Seemingly deciding he posed no threat, the lady in the nightgown let out a sigh of relief before firing off those three rapid questions.

”Anke. I think I heard a gunshot just now, but I have no idea where everyone else went.”

Fu Qian didn’t mind the somewhat rude interrogation. He succinctly answered her questions while observing this third party.

She had curly brown hair, a high-bridged nose, and lips like a budding flower. Her panicked expression couldn’t hide her natural charm.

”Sorry, I was just too frantic.”

The woman seemed to realize her rudeness and quickly apologized.

”It’s mostly because it’s just so terrifying out here, like a Nightmare.”

”Shouldn’t we hurry and get out of here?”

She was clearly eager to have someone to travel with.

”If it’s just a dream, what’s there to be afraid of?”

Fu Qian, completely unromantic, not only stood completely still but immediately pointed out the flaw in her logic.

”No matter how scary things look, they can’t hurt you anyway.”

...

The woman was visibly stunned by his remark. Left speechless, she examined him closely once again. However, before she could say another word, a strange noise broke the silence.

Inside the building that had just been raided, brilliant arcs of electricity burst outward, seemingly having finally broken through some kind of barrier.

Immediately after, a figure leaped high into the air and landed on the street.

This time, it was the hunter from earlier. However, his appearance was now noticeably more ferocious.

His previously mysterious overcoat was now splattered with dark red bloodstains, as if he had just struggled his way out of Carrion.

The moment he landed, he clearly locked his sights onto the lady in the nightgown.

Without a single word, he strode forward like an absolute terminator.

The strange rifle had been put away, replaced by a sharp Long Blade.

As he walked, his entire left arm flashed with light. Esoteric runes surfaced, forming intricate patterns entirely different from Amira’s, before sweeping along the length of the blade.

Following this motion, the blade erupted with a peculiar silver-gray flame. At a glance, it looked like liquid metal rising into the air.