Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 6: Testing
WTF!
Returning to the Warehouse, Fu Qian was uncharacteristically stunned for a moment.
This was so out of left field!
You ask a question, I respond. Aren't we supposed to have a back-and-forth conversation after that?
You just say "sorry" and straight up send me to the afterlife?
[Entering Containment Scene 2-133: Old City]
"Can you hear me speak?"
Re-entering, Fu Qian chose not to answer this time, but instead leaned back a bit.
This time he finally got a clear look at the person who had just dispatched him—a woman wearing a narrow black hat, holding a slender curved sword in her hand.
The lower half of her face was obscured by a high collar, preventing him from seeing her full appearance.
From the exposed parts, she seemed to be a beauty, her skin whiter than snow and as delicate as white porcelain—wait, no, it *was* white porcelain!
There was a distinct difference between the two sides of the woman's face. The left half actually had no skin, but instead possessed a pure white texture similar to bone china.
Fu Qian looked down. The hand grabbing his collar wasn't shaped like a normal human's at all; rather, it looked like a doll's prosthetic limb.
Night Watchers!
Fu Qian's mind immediately went to this.
Leaving everything else aside, just this appearance alone meant she couldn't be an ordinary human.
The question was, why did she want to kill him without a second word?
Recalling his previous encounter, Fu Qian was in no rush to make a move.
From the strike that had just sent him packing, Fu Qian could already tell that this White Porcelain Girl was stronger than the Wolfman he had encountered previously—at least a tier higher.
Although he had acquired two skills, his physical strength and stamina were still those of an ordinary person.
There was still a vast difference between him and the humanoid killing machine armed to the teeth standing before him.
He couldn't exactly pull off a Sliding Tackle like he did with the Wolfman, right?
As long as this woman had a normal IQ, she probably wouldn't give his Sliding Tackle an opportunity for a fatal blow.
Seeing Fu Qian looking at her, a sorrowful expression appeared on the White Porcelain Girl's face.
She sighed, released Fu Qian's collar, and gave him a slight bow.
"I'm very sorry, there's no time left."
"I must purge all Corrupted Ones within the perimeter."
"So... I am sorry..."
This chick was about to strike again. As soon as the White Porcelain Girl bowed, Fu Qian's eyelids twitched, knowing things were about to go south.
Sure enough, the next moment, the dazzling glint of a blade filled his vision once more, shining so brightly it made his eyes ache.
Blood splattered.
Judging that he absolutely couldn't dodge, Fu Qian decisively suppressed his body's instinctive reflex to evade and took the blow head-on.
Letting the blood spray wildly from the shocking wound, Fu Qian showed no fear; instead, he offered a grim smile.
"Fu Qian."
?!
The White Porcelain Girl looked slightly puzzled.
"My name is Fu Qian. And you? I think I deserve to know who is killing me."
Fu Qian looked calmly at his murderer.
So he wanted to know my name.
The White Porcelain Girl was taken aback once again.
"Su Gao."
"Good!"
Fu Qian nodded, unable to hold on any longer.
[Containment Failed]
[Evaluation: Useless Person]
[Rewards: None]
[Current Sanity Value: 30]
Back in the Warehouse, Fu Qian had basically formed a judgment of his current situation.
First, this woman named Su Gao was highly likely a member of the Night Watchers.
And according to the initial prompt, they were executing a mission, which was to cleanse the corruption here.
Her words just now, along with the act of slicing him down without hesitation, was because they believed the situation had already spun out of control.
To the point where they had to start indiscriminately purging people like him who appeared in the corrupted zone.
[Sanity Value -1, entering Containment Scene]
Having sorted out his thoughts, Fu Qian chose to enter once again.
"Can you hear me spea—"
"Su Gao!"
This time, Fu Qian didn't even wait to see clearly and directly called out the White Porcelain Girl's name.
"Stop wasting time. We need to purge all possible Corrupted Ones as quickly as possible."
...
The White Porcelain Girl's hand, gripping her blade, froze mid-air.
Almost able to imagine her confusion, Fu Qian cast her a glance.
"There's no time to explain. You need to cooperate with my actions from here on out."
"How do you... know my name?"
Su Gao hesitated for a long time before finally lowering her blade and voicing the question in her heart.
"What's the situation outside like right now?"
Acting as if he hadn't heard her, Fu Qian nonchalantly countered with a question of his own.
Answering a question with a question—Fu Qian had spent years on the internet; he had long since perfected this maneuver.
It was then that he realized this woman named Su Gao was barely any shorter than him.
"Not too good..."
The White Porcelain Girl was indeed distracted, her tone instantly becoming somber.
"You'll know if you go outside and take a look."
Great!
Fu Qian took two steps forward, standing side-by-side with her.
Clang!
The next moment, he silently fired an Air Bullet.
At such close range, the White Porcelain Girl practically had no way to evade. One side of her face took a direct hit, producing a sound like shattering glass.
"You—"
Su Gao's voice was filled with shock and fury.
The Air Bullet's power was a bit greater than he had imagined; of course, it was also possible that it had something to do with her special physiology.
Struck by the Air Bullet, the side of the White Porcelain Girl's head looked like shattered tempered glass, instantly covered in a dense web of cracks. Yet, no blood flowed out.
This woman was definitely abnormal!
The next moment, the snow-white gleam of the blade reappeared, and Fu Qian's blood spilled on the spot.
"As I expected, he was fundamentally completely insane!"
The White Porcelain Girl's sigh echoed for a long time.
[Containment Failed]
[Evaluation: Cold Blooded Animal]
[Ambushing is a commendable quality; it is the utmost respect shown to an enemy.]
[Rewards: None]
[Special Evaluation Reward: School of the Cat]
[Current Sanity Value: 29]
Very well!
Returning to the Warehouse, Fu Qian didn't feel the slightest bit of frustration. Instead, he silently analyzed his gains.
First, his judgment hadn't been wrong: this woman was not a normal human.
For some unknown reason, a part of her body had transformed into that porcelain-like material, to the point where she didn't even bleed when injured.
Was it the price for mastering some power? Or was she originally a doll that had gained sentience?
Combined with his current objective—preventing the descent of the Spawn of the Evil God.
This world was truly quite bizarre!
The good news was that as a Night Watcher, this woman should be considered part of the lawful good faction.
She was also incredibly strong, making her a decent fighter.
Furthermore, that strike just now proved that he possessed the power to injure individuals of their caliber, which was also good news.
Overall, dying this time had been worth it.
As for what would happen if he actually killed the White Porcelain Girl?
Those who kill must be prepared to be killed. This woman had purged him more than once already; Fu Qian had absolutely no psychological burden about eliminating her.
Oh right, didn't I also receive a skill reward?
Recalling something, Fu Qian quickly flipped to his special reward.
[School of the Cat: Your footsteps become as light and imperceptible as a cat's, your hands become more dexterous, and your movements more agile, making it easier for you to launch an ambush anytime, anywhere.]
To put it simply, it was an agility buff.
Attempting to activate it directly, Fu Qian felt his body lighten, sensing a noticeable improvement in his bodily control.
Taking that blade had truly not been in vain.
(End of Chapter)
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