Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 13: The Shocked Young Master Qin
Qin Mingze.
Seeing the caller ID, Fu Qian cheerfully picked up the phone.
"You're not home?"
The person on the other end of the line was clearly confused.
"I'm eating downstairs."
"That's rare! You actually left the house to eat!"
Surnamed Qin spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
"You aren't at my door, are you?"
"What do you think? Hurry up and roll back here. I went back to my hometown for the weekend and brought you some local specialties...
Forget it, I'll come down and find you. I have things to do later, I'll just leave the stuff at your door."
This was exactly what Fu Qian wanted, so he readily agreed and hung up the phone.
As a veteran shut-in, this brother Qin Mingze was one of Fu Qian's very few friends.
He was a few years older than Fu Qian and could be considered a young and promising talent.
He came from a wealthy background, was an athletic star, a social butterfly, fluent in five foreign languages, and graduated from a top-tier university at a young age.
He was currently interning at a massive law firm, determined to become a professional legal shark.
Someone of his caliber shouldn't have had any connection to Fu Qian whatsoever, yet they had inexplicably become friends.
In his own words: "If a professional doesn't keep an eye on you, you're bound to become a destabilizing element to society. Whenever I look at you, I feel an inexplicable sense of mission."
Five minutes later, a tall figure pushed open the McDonald's door and walked straight toward Fu Qian.
"It's a rare occasion for you to leave the house, couldn't you eat something healthier... Holy shit!"
The suit-clad Qin Mingze stopped dead in his tracks two steps away from Fu Qian.
He rubbed his eyes in utter disbelief.
"What the fuck... happened to you?"
"Oh, I've been working out lately."
Facing Qin Mingze's baffling astonishment, Fu Qian had his answer ready, putting on a look of pure innocence.
He knew the changes to his body were a bit exaggerated.
He was already quite tall, but he had been somewhat scrawny, looking like a beanstalk next to Qin Mingze.
But after transforming into a Thug, while he wasn't as ludicrously bulky as Qin Mingze, it was a night and day difference. His entire body radiated a lean, powerful strength.
"You? Working out?! And you bulked up way too fast! It hasn't even been that long since I last saw you!"
Sitting down, Qin Mingze still couldn't believe reality.
"I just focused really hard on my specialty."
Fu Qian continued to spout nonsense.
"But weren't you about to go bankrupt?"
"That's exactly why I need to invest in myself. I'm preparing to change lanes. Living off rich women has been officially added to my career plan."
...
Until the moment he left, Qin Mingze remained thoroughly shocked, continuously shaking his head as he stared at Fu Qian's physique.
"Everyone really does have their own talents. I can't imagine how much suffering I'd have to go through to build a body like that. I'd willingly trade three foreign languages for it."
"You were born to be a sugar baby. I'll introduce a few wealthy sugar mommas to you in a couple of days. Don't forget your old friends when you get rich."
"Easy, easy. I definitely won't forget your gracious patronage, brother."
After the shocked Young Master Qin departed, Fu Qian leisurely made his way back home, finding two massive cardboard boxes taking up all the space at his front door.
Was he really afraid I'd starve to death?
Fu Qian blinked and dragged the boxes inside.
...
[Today's Work Begins]
[Warning, Breach Incident]
[Name: Cocoon Room, Code 2-292]
[Today's Work Content Updated: Enter the 2-292 Containment Scene and re-establish containment.]
Ha!
Familiar style, familiar flavor!
It seemed this Warehouse just couldn't bear to go a single day without a containment breach.
Upon entering the Warehouse the next day, Fu Qian was completely unsurprised to encounter another breach event.
This time, the anomaly in the Warehouse was even stranger.
Phantom projections of bizarre cocoons drifted in mid-air, each one woven from alternating fine threads of black and white.
The cocoons flickered in and out of existence, occasionally twitching, as if something inside was trying to come alive.
[Entering 2-292 Containment Scene]
[...1%...3%...10%...50%...98%...100%, Loading Complete]
[Breaking out of a cocoon is a painful process. Humanity's thirst for power is endless, yet every step in the exploration of extraordinary power is fraught with danger.
The un-matured larvae are incredibly fragile. Danger can come from anywhere.]
[Containment Condition: Ensure Wen Li successfully advances to Tier 6.]
Hiss!
The moment the containment conditions appeared, Fu Qian inhaled sharply.
Setting aside who Wen Li was for a moment, this was actually an escort mission!
As everyone knows, in almost all games, protection, escort, and rescue missions are the most annoying kind.
They were also the type Fu Qian hated the most.
The mere thought of those NPCs who loved to run around seeking death made Fu Qian want to quit right then and there.
[Select the skills you wish to carry.]
The familiar skill menu appeared again. Fu Qian glanced at it and noticed that "Thug" was not listed as an option.
It seemed this aspect had fully integrated with him and was no longer counted as an additional skill.
Without hesitation, Fu Qian equipped all the available skills.
[Skills: Air Bullet, Visceral Critical Strike, School of the Cat]
[Weapons: None]
The next moment, his vision blurred as the scenery changed.
Fu Qian instantly prepared for battle.
He couldn't help it; his previous encounters had left too deep of an impression.
Every time he spawned in, the situation had been incredibly perilous.
This time, however, wildly defied his expectations.
Blue skies, clear waters, green grass, and shaded trees.
What greeted his eyes was a rare and beautiful landscape.
Beneath his feet was a massive circular plaza, paved entirely with white marble-like stone.
Looking ahead, a row of magnificent white villas stood prominently. The decorations were luxurious but not gaudy, exuding an air of exceptional elegance.
In front of the villas, servants dressed in identical uniforms were bustling about in twos and threes.
This aesthetic doesn't match at all!
Fu Qian had a sudden, inexplicable premonition of doom.
Leaving aside the stark contrast to the previous two times, the scenery itself made it very difficult to connect it with the phantom cocoons in the Warehouse.
Whenever things act abnormally, there must be a demon at work. I must tread carefully.
"Stop looking around!"
Someone behind him scolded in a low voice.
Fu Qian turned around and was greeted by the sight of a behemoth.
The approaching man was nearly two meters tall, heavily muscled, with rugged features and eyes as large as cowbells.
Explosive muscles and a robust physique were tightly squeezed into a black uniform. He was practically a Schwarzenegger Plus.
Patting Fu Qian's shoulder with an arm thicker than Fu Qian's waist, Schwarzenegger wore a stern expression.
"The Wen Family paid top dollar to hire us; we have to show absolute professionalism.
They've faced two assassination attempts this month, one even involving a Beyonder. We absolutely cannot let our guard down."
Fu Qian glanced at his own body and saw he was wearing a uniform matching the other man's.
So I'm a hired bodyguard this time.
Wen Family?
The Wen Family mentioned in Wen Li's introduction?
Fu Qian blinked.
"How did the Wen Family piss off a Beyonder? Isn't this mission way too dangerous?"
"How should I know? A large chunk of the money the employer paid us is specifically for us to not ask too many questions."
Schwarzenegger glared at him.
"But I did ask around privately. On the surface, the Wen Family are just ordinary rich folks. But in reality, the eldest miss, Wen Li, is a bona fide Beyonder.
Rumor has it she’s an incredibly rare Mental Type. The Wen Family has kept it a secret and nurtured her quietly.
It wasn't until recently that news leaked out that Wen Li is expected to advance to Tier 6. If she succeeds, the Wen Family will leap up the ranks and become genuine nobility.
Unfortunately, not everyone is happy to see this outcome. The Wen Family has offended many people in the past, so naturally, people are trying to stir up trouble."
So that’s how it is.
Fu Qian gained a better understanding of this mission.
Schwarzenegger was in the business; his intelligence was likely quite reliable.
So my mission this time is to ensure the Wen Family's eldest miss levels up smoothly?
Just what level of power is a Tier 6 Beyonder? How does it compare to me?
Of course, what puzzled him even more was how a Beyonder leveling up had anything to do with the contained entities in the Warehouse.
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