Eldritch Horror Theatre

As expected, even a demigod wasn’t immune.

Being held at gunpoint by two genuine pieces of heavy firepower didn’t stir the slightest ripple in Fu Qian’s emotions.

Though it did leave him wondering what kind of dazzling spectacle it would be if they emptied their magazines.

Emotion played no part in it. Ignoring their warnings and walking away just now had served a specific purpose—confirming the interceptor’s condition was one of his goals.

The facts proved it. Although high-Rank transcendents had greater resistance to the Lucid Dream, the influence Madam Thirteen experienced was practically fleeting.

Ruling out reasons like possessing some innate holy constitution against insomnia, there was an overwhelmingly high probability that she, just like Winona and the others, had fallen victim to the sin plague.

Considering her contact with Rick, it couldn’t possibly have been much.

It only went to show that the sin plague’s contagiousness was genuinely staggering; it felt like it had surpassed the level of getting someone pregnant with a mere glance.

Crucially, its stealthiness was absurd. Even a demigod-level powerhouse like Madam Thirteen had been infected without realizing it.

If this were allowed to continue, what would become of Los? That was clearly far more thought-provoking than the spectacle of two guns opening fire.And this grim reality proved two things. First, the prior plan for isolation and monitoring had indeed been correct.

As far as his own mission was concerned, Mr. Rick was practically an instant-death hazard—getting near him guaranteed failure.

Second, the Night Watchers had genuinely found the source and weren’t just falsely reporting good news. After all, from his encounters so far, he hadn’t seen any other infected individuals displaying contagiousness.

”I was just giving you a checkup.”

With the situation growing clearer by the second, Fu Qian was quite satisfied as he looked at Madam Thirteen’s frosty face and replied.

...

”Heh... so what are the results?”

Unfortunately, such an answer was not only hard to believe, it was also highly offensive.

Bang!

He wasn’t entirely sure of Madam Thirteen’s age, but she felt noticeably older than Chief Yuan, and her temper matched.

The next moment, as the trigger was pulled, one of the muzzles pressed against his head decisively spat out a glob of lightning.

Yes, it really was a glob.

Fist-sized and entirely wreathed in bright blue electrical arcs, it somehow possessed the texture of a water balloon.

Even the mass.

Spat from the barrel like a blown bubble, not only did it quiver without any of lightning’s usual swiftness, but it also traced a visible parabola, dropping under the pull of gravity.

It was a scene of bizarre beauty, yet steeped in the flavor of madness and chaos. And it genuinely packed an extraordinary punch.

Though it flew slowly, the distance was simply too short. The raging arcs swept across Fu Qian’s forehead almost instantly, treating him to a proper bout of electrotherapy.

And the Electric Sphere itself displayed astonishing stability. Even as it scorched indiscriminately, its main body showed no signs of deforming, steadfastly tracing its arc to land squarely on Fu Qian.

Unfortunately, it never reached its destination.

The next moment, a frost-shrouded hand reached up to intercept it.

Rather than dodging, Fu Qian actually grabbed the peculiar bullet bare-handed.

It actually felt a bit soft and bouncy.

The instant it hit his hand, aside from a tearing sensation against his flesh magnified a hundredfold, the tactile feedback of gripping a water balloon made Fu Qian click his tongue in praise.

The next moment, under Madam Thirteen’s cold gaze, a massive, crystalline white claw covered in radial stripes condensed in a split second.

Completely enveloping the Electric Sphere with its exaggerated size, the giant claw slowly and firmly clenched shut, producing eerie, explosive pops from within.

”Not great. Not only is it difficult for you to enter a dream, but you also have some issues with emotional control.”

Not a single spark escaped before the giant claw stopped moving, and Fu Qian methodically delivered his diagnosis.

...

”Ice-cold yet brimming with vitality. You are indeed more bizarre and terrifying than I imagined.”

Yet, in the face of Fu Qian’s heavily negative evaluation, Madam Thirteen—who had already been radiating murderous intent—suddenly shed all the anger from her face. Setting aside their previous animosity, she even offered him extremely high praise.

”I now believe that you truly have no intention of threatening the lives of Winona and the others.”

”You flatter me. It’s just a trivial little trick. Compared to the true source of this power, it’s absolutely nothing.”

Facing the Night Watcher chief’s undeserved praise, Fu Qian maintained a humble posture, showing no intention of escalating things. Retracting the giant claw, he stepped forward and naturally fell back into step beside her.

The true source of the power...

Madam Thirteen was clearly a bit curious about that statement, but after a moment of hesitation, she matched his pace and didn’t press the issue.

”Did you know I was testing you? That the foul mood was just an act?”

”I did.”

Fu Qian replied casually.

”And you didn’t seem to be in a foul mood either?”

”Because I tested you first.”

...

Fu Qian’s overly fastidious answer led to several seconds of dead silence.

From Madam Thirteen’s slightly complicated gaze, it was clear she didn’t entirely buy that claim.

It was the truth, though. When Fu Qian made his move to leave, he had indeed considered the possibility that she wouldn’t show up.

The multiple benefits he’d mentioned earlier included the result of this very test.

If he had truly swaggered off without an interceptor showing up...

...that would have meant his previous theory—that Mr. Rick was being guided here—was just him overthinking things.

In other words, the Night Watchers had only marked him because he was too big of a threat and they wanted to track his movements in real time. They hadn’t fast-forwarded to herding him and Rick together.

Although that would make their tactical response seem a bit conservative and mediocre, it was still within reason.

Unfortunately, Madam Thirteen had used her actions to prove her decisiveness.

That’s right. No matter how natural her posture or how smooth her explanation, she had shown up just a little too fast.

Whether her anger was an act or the whole thing was just a test, to Fu Qian, it was all superficial.

She had only one true objective: to stall for time, guiding him and Rick together under the guise of free will.

Brother Rick might have already ’spotted an opening’ and successfully broken out, unwittingly fleeing in this direction while being pursued.

As for her goal, it was simply to confirm the reasons behind his bizarre behavior by observing his upcoming reactions.

For instance, why he was clearly investigating matters related to Rick, yet didn’t immediately go knocking on his door.

And why he preferred leaving—which would invite endless trouble—rather than sitting down to talk.

So, the situation was still marching steadily toward the envisioned crisis.

Fortunately, as a professional, aside from the constant risk of sudden death during a mission, Fu Qian noted that he couldn’t ignore the accompanying benefits: the commander of the Los Night Watchers had arrived right by his side.

In this mission, the Night Watchers were essentially a hazmat unit to him. Now that the unit’s commander was here, indirect manipulation later on would be much easier.

”Has Mr. Rick ever explained why he wouldn’t even spare cats and fish?”

Blinking, Fu Qian brought up a new topic the next moment.