Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 14: Our Slacking Off is Justified
Puzzling over it wouldn't change anything; the mission still had to be done.
Just as he was about to press Schwarzenegger for more details, the doors to the villa suddenly swung open.
A man looking like a Butler led a group of men and women straight toward them.
"Thank you for your hard work, Team Leader Gu."
Seeing Fu Qian and Schwarzenegger, the Butler gave a polite bow.
So Schwarzenegger’s surname is Gu.
"You're too polite; it's our duty."
It was obvious that despite it being mere professional courtesy, Team Leader Gu was quite flattered.
The Butler smiled and exchanged a few more pleasantries.
Just then, a car sped toward them from a distance. The Butler dropped his smile and quickly walked over to greet it.
I knew he didn't just come out here to be polite to bodyguards.
Seeing the Butler and his team standing in neat formation, the person arriving must have an extraordinary status.
The speeding car crossed the plaza with barely any deceleration, slamming the brakes only when it reached the Butler's group.
The doors flew open, and a few people poured out.
Leading the group was a young man in his twenties. He had a passable appearance, his hair neatly slicked back, wearing a white suit and white leather shoes. A complete dandy.
"I brought my people. Where is Wen Li?"
Facing the approaching Butler, this gentleman wore a smirk, pointing at the people who had gotten out of the car with him.
There were three others with him—two men and one woman. Aside from a middle-aged man, the rest were quite young.
"Greetings, Young Master Ye. The Miss is resting inside."
The Butler responded with a smile, his expression a hundred times more respectful than before.
Are they all Beyonders?
Fu Qian narrowed his eyes. The vibe these people gave off was very similar to the Night Watchers he had encountered before—a sense of power far beyond that of ordinary humans.
It seemed ordinary bodyguards like himself were purely hired as cannon fodder; these were the real protective forces.
But this might not be a bad thing.
A title like "Young Master Ye"—second only to something like "Dragon King"—wasn't just thrown around casually.
Maybe he wouldn't have to do anything and the mission would just complete itself.
Though, considering his previous experiences, Fu Qian remained somewhat pessimistic about that prospect.
Hiss!
Schwarzenegger Gu also inhaled sharply.
"Four Beyonders!"
He spoke rapidly in an even lower voice than before.
"To think they managed to find helpers like this. It seems the rumors are true; the Wen Family is in deep trouble this time. No wonder they spent so much money hiring people.
Don't forget what I told you before we came here: be smart.
We take the money and do the work, sure, but if the opponent is a Beyonder, our first priority is to sound the alarm, not charge in foolishly.
They aren't banking on us anyway. We're cannon fodder at best. Besides these guys, they might even have Night Watchers stationed here."
Mhm, got it.
Fu Qian nodded.
Although Team Leader Gu's personal strength was average, he was clearly a veteran of the trade with a good eye for the situation.
He was also level-headed and, quite commendably, didn't want his subordinates throwing their lives away for nothing.
However, Fu Qian really wanted to remind him of one thing: Beyonders usually had excellent hearing.
Sure enough, Young Master Ye, who had been about to follow the Butler inside to find the girl, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He slowly turned his head and looked over with a hint of an amused smile.
Great, caught in the act of trying to slack off.
Fu Qian sighed sympathetically. The pressure was now on Team Leader Gu.
Team Leader Gu instantly noticed the anomaly. Connecting it to what he had just said, his chest tightened.
Unexpectedly, after scanning the group, Young Master Ye's gaze locked firmly onto Fu Qian.
"Are these the bodyguards you hired? Why does this one look so unreliable?"
Such a classic development?
This turn of events made Fu Qian mentally applaud. Vast ancient knowledge surged through his mind, instantly calculating a conclusion: This guy is acknowledging my external image.
He had to admit, the guy had a good eye. Especially after transforming into a Thug, his previous weakness of being scrawny had been rectified. Now, he was basically walking testosterone.
Otherwise, how could he dare to plan a career as a gigolo?
"These are critical times. To ensure safety, we had to utilize all available forces.
This is an elite member brought by Team Leader Gu."
Not knowing why Young Master Ye was suddenly targeting this bodyguard, the Butler habitually tried to smooth things over.
An elite member?
Young Master Ye sneered.
"Just how elite? Care to let me see?"
Not bad, very spirited!
As a pure mission-doer, Fu Qian had zero interest in the legendary tropes of "playing the pig to eat the tiger" or face-slapping rich second-generation kids.
But witnessing this living example of biological diversity firsthand was still a rather interesting experience.
"Is that alright, Team Leader Gu?"
Although the Butler also felt this was nonsensical, he clearly didn't want to go against Young Master Ye's whims, turning his gaze to Schwarzenegger Gu.
"This... he is currently on duty..."
Team Leader Gu's face changed color as he shot Fu Qian a glance.
Having navigated the underworld for years, he naturally saw that Young Master Ye wasn't a mundane individual.
While his men were strictly trained, they were still ordinary humans at the end of the day. Clashing with a Beyonder was absolutely unwise.
"Demonstrating your strength to reassure the employer should also be considered part of your job duties, right?"
Young Master Ye clearly wasn't going to let it go.
What can I say? My aura is just transcendent. I just stand here and become the center of attention without needing a single line of dialogue.
"Oh? How would you like me to demonstrate?"
Seeing Team Leader Gu at a loss for words, Fu Qian sighed inwardly at his own charisma and spoke up directly.
"Whatever special skills you have, just show them all."
Seeing Fu Qian finally take the bait, Young Master Ye smiled with satisfaction.
"I have far too many, and it wouldn't be convenient to show them all here."
It seemed this conflict was unavoidable, so Fu Qian held nothing back.
Since transforming into a Thug, he hadn't yet fought a Beyonder. Beating up a training dummy wouldn't be a bad idea.
If the scene got too bloody, he could just spend 1 Sanity Value to restart. It wasn't a big deal.
As soon as he said this, even the Butler's face paled.
Team Leader Gu directly tugged at his sleeve.
Haha!
Young Master Ye froze for a second before grasping the meaning behind Fu Qian's words, bursting into loud laughter.
"Interesting! I never thought you guys could hire such an expert!"
"How about this? Since you don't know what to demonstrate, why don't you exchange a few moves with our little lady here?"
Young Master Ye reached out and pulled the woman who had arrived with him forward.
"Now you can't say I'm bullying you, right?"
Little lady.
Fu Qian looked at the person who was pushed forward.
She wasn't very old, but her styling was truly something to behold.
Half-red, half-blue hair, eyeliner so heavy she looked like a panda, wearing revealing clothes. She was a textbook Harley Quinn knock-off.
It really was an era where if you didn't dress like a freak, you were too embarrassed to call yourself a person of extraordinary abilities.
Seeing Fu Qian scanning her up and down, she gave him an alluring smile and winked.
"Handsome, please go easy on me."
"Don't worry, that's my specialty."
"That's good, that's good!"
The delinquent girl giggled, her body shaking as she exaggeratedly patted her chest.
The next moment, she flexed her hand, and two gleaming Razor Blades appeared between her fingers.
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