The Eldritch Files

For Abyssal Studio, this edited gene virus allowed them to control the spread and targets of these zombies. But for the vast, unsuspecting populace of Qinggang, it was an absolute catastrophe.

As expected of Abyssal Studio.

Their assault on Qinggang didn’t rely on a direct confrontation of individual armed strength. Instead, from the very first moment of contact, they immediately deployed two extremely contagious and devastating methods.

It was just baffling. By using such a high-risk Taboo Weapon as if it were a conventional one, wasn’t Abyssal Studio afraid of the World Council coming after them?

[Shadow of Swift Movement]

[Hydraulic Boxing]

[Sea Beast Biotoxin!]

[...]

At that same moment, the three Investigators had already charged toward the silver-masked City Slaughter Priest. Knowing this opponent was no small fry, none of them dared to be careless and immediately unleashed their signature moves.

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker unleashed the speed of the Banshee Sequence.

It had no upper limit, allowing for endless acceleration, its only constraint being the point at which her own reaction speed could no longer keep up.

In terms of speed alone, she was even a cut above the Drunkard from before. Once she got going, her form became nothing but a faint red shadow, circling the City Slaughter Priest and slashing at his vitals more than a dozen times in a single second.

Night Lamp, on the other hand, was like an iron tower, sparks of electricity actually crackling across his flesh-and-blood body.

His arms moved as if controlled by levers, landing heavy, rigid blows on the City Slaughter Priest’s body. Each punch packed the force of a thousand pounds.

Green Hat was more agile. He seized a superior position, his flesh writhing as pores opened up all over him, spraying poison at the City Slaughter Priest.

Three great Investigators ganging up on a single person—that was showing him plenty of respect, wasn’t it?

The last person who had warranted a three-on-one assault from them was that fellow, the Drunkard...

”You haven’t even fully Mastered the power of a Beast Level Totem, yet you dare to dance before me...”

Facing the three Investigators’ killing blows, the City Slaughter Priest merely snorted. ”Are Qinggang’s Investigators always this fearless?”

He raised his hand, turned his palm over, and pressed down.

The sleeves of his Sacrificial Robe were wide, and as he flipped his hand and pressed down, the movement stirred a gust of wind. Carried on this wind was the Spiritual Activity he had roused, which spread outwards in all directions like ripples in water.

Whether it was the Lady in the Red Windbreaker, too fast for the eye to follow; Night Lamp, whose body was like a machine delivering a dense barrage of heavy fists; or Green Hat, whose specialized biotoxin could make anyone fall in love with him...

...upon meeting these ripples, they found themselves completely powerless to resist. They were thrown back violently, and even the Mysterious Power in their bodies felt as if it were dissolving in boiling water.

Not only had the three of them failed to block his path, but in the blink of an eye, their own lives were in mortal peril.

’Even the three great Investigators...’

But even more serious than the defeat of Night Lamp, the Lady in the Red Windbreaker, and Green Hat was the devastating blow to the morale of the Qinggang Disaster Management Bureau.

The three great Investigators were widely acknowledged as the pinnacle of strength among their peers.

’If even the three of them working together were defeated in a single exchange, then for the rest of us to go up there would be suicide...’

”Fall back!”

But at that very moment, a gentle voice, one that seemed to hold a hint of a smile, rang out.

A large, bald man in a suit, wreathed in a dark red shadow, appeared on the scene.

He thrust a single palm straight out, precisely meeting the hand of the City Slaughter Priest as it lunged forward.

It was none other than King Buddha, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

The blood-red shadow around him pulsed, and his Spiritual Power, laced with writhing, uncanny tentacles, flew outward with his push. The Spiritual Power, surging with a thick, bloody aura, erupted with terrifying force, knocking the City Slaughter Priest back several steps.

The next moment, he retracted his palm and gently brought his hands together.

The endless, uncanny lights and shadows, along with the infinite tentacles, immediately contracted toward his clasped hands.

And it wasn’t just the crimson light and shadows. Even those already infected with the wolf venom or the zombie virus suddenly saw their eyes turn red. They inexplicably changed targets, abandoning their prey at this crucial moment to lunge at the City Slaughter Priest and the Mysterious Believers.

It was like a river reversing its flow, surging upstream. Though the scene was composed of individuals, it possessed an extraordinary, majestic grandeur.

”It’s...”

An Investigator stood stunned for a long moment before suddenly shouting, ”Mr. Buddha!”

That single shout was incredibly uplifting.

It had to be said that the fame of the Disaster Management Bureau’s three great Investigators paled in comparison to the charisma of an Independent Investigator.

Every Independent Investigator was an idol to the rank-and-file Investigators of Qinggang.

To say nothing of an Independent Investigator like Mr. Buddha, who once held the title of one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

Not only did he block the City Slaughter Priest the moment he appeared, but his Crimson power spread out and began to distort the wolf venom and zombie virus that were running rampant.

This was because the wolf venom and zombie virus both ignited the infected’s viciousness and feeding instincts. And since these instincts were related to killing, they were unexpectedly captured and twisted by the Crimson power emanating from his body.

It was a method that happened to be the perfect counter to this type of large-scale contamination.

With this one move, King Buddha not only halted the disastrous momentum, but he even used the temporary weapons they had created to stop their assault on Qinggang.

”Heh, you lads have all done a fine job...”