Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 189: White Porcelain Doll (VII)
The horrifying scene in the camp immediately plunged everyone into a brief silence.
Subconsciously wiping the blood from her face and looking at the writhing brains before her, the female team member let out an inhuman howl.
In terror, she scrambled back desperately, crawling and rolling away.
This is...
Fu Qian looked at the exploded head, frowning in thought.
Within the thick blood, there was no sign of a doll.
One could see meridian-like strands soaking within; at first glance, they even resembled tree roots.
Fu Qian suddenly had a bold conjecture.
"He inhaled a seed."
At this time, the elusive Mr. Luo appeared. After observing the corpse on the ground, he reached a conclusion.
A seed...
The group looked at each other, suddenly feeling a faint urge to cough.
"Are you saying a tree grew inside his body?"
Delin sharply raised his head, asking with a cold face.
"Correct."
"The erasure of Life Boundaries doesn't just apply to moving creatures; the same goes for plants."
"He must have inhaled a seed earlier, and under the catalyst of the dense life aura, it sprouted."
What the hell is this place!
Before Mr. Luo even finished speaking, the scene erupted into chaos. Several people instinctively covered their mouths.
The previous ambush had already stretched their nerves taut, and now they were on the verge of a breakdown.
"I warned you all before."
Mr. Luo, however, remained unconcerned, blankly watching the shouting crowd.
Delin raised a hand to silence the panicking team. His gaze drifted sequentially across the faces of Miyamoto and Mr. Luo. Finally, without saying a word, he turned and went back into his tent.
...
"Boss, we really can't continue this commission anymore!"
Inside the tent, after burying the dead, Delin gathered the remaining people together.
And almost immediately, the archer bro voiced his opinion.
Not long ago, some had even mocked him for being cowardly, but right now, they all remained silent.
After repeated blows, this experienced team was nearly completely bereft of confidence.
In just half a day, only eight people in the entire team were still capable of moving, and two of them were wounded.
"I suggest we abandon the commission immediately and evacuate this place."
"Then they would have died for nothing!"
Someone raised a quiet objection.
"If we keep going, we'll die for nothing too!"
The archer replied coldly, leaving the objector temporarily speechless.
"What do you think?"
Delin hesitated for a dozen seconds, then looked up at Fu Qian and asked.
Is it necessary to ask his opinion?
Delin's action clearly surprised the others. Even the female team member, who had just tragically lost her lover, couldn't help but look up.
From her perspective, it was nearly impossible for Fu Qian to have a different opinion.
"My opinion? I didn't have much interest in the commission to begin with. Give it up if you want."
Fu Qian replied very simply.
"However, the scenery here is quite nice. I'll stay and tour the area for a few days, so I won't be leaving with you."
But amidst the 'as expected' glances, Fu Qian added another sentence.
Regardless of what these people decided, he definitely had to stay here to complete his task.
Having a bunch of cannon fodder pave the way for him certainly wasn't a bad thing, but Fu Qian wouldn't deliberately lure them into staying to die.
Additionally, Fu Qian had a faint intuition that even if these people wanted to retreat now, they might not be able to.
This place was far more bizarre than imagined!
Is there a hole in your brain? Touring in a place like this?
Upon hearing Fu Qian's words, the team members were instantly dumbfounded, doubting their own ears.
Facing a room full of stares treating him like an alien creature, Fu Qian simply couldn't be bothered to pay them any mind.
Delin clearly hadn't expected Fu Qian to answer like this either, and similarly fell into silence for a moment.
After a long pause, he scanned the room. The expressions on everyone's faces made him realize that this team had lost its will to fight.
"Then let's give it up..."
Finally, he gritted his teeth and reached a conclusion in a low voice.
Regardless, neither reputation nor reward was more important than their lives.
In his current state, he really had no confidence to face those crazed dolls again.
"I'll go talk to the employer in a bit. If possible, we'll leave here today."
Okay...
For a moment, everyone felt a profound sense of relief.
"No need, I'm already here."
Unexpectedly, someone suddenly spoke from outside—it was clearly Miyamoto's voice!
Delin's expression instantly turned incredibly ugly. Today's injuries had affected him greatly; he hadn't even noticed someone eavesdropping.
The latter, however, wasn't embarrassed in the slightest and walked right in.
Facing the host of piercing glares, the man remained full of smiles.
"First, please believe me, I absolutely overheard by accident, and it was only a few sentences."
"Secondly, I'm not here to persuade you all to stay, but to remind you of something."
Meeting the group's doubtful gazes, he revealed a smile that could be described as sunny.
"According to the data we have, those things hold deep grudges."
"Anyone tainted with the blood or corpses of their companions will carry a scent that only they can identify. Those marked as objects of their hatred will be relentlessly pursued for revenge at every opportunity."
"The outside right now is likely far more dangerous than you imagine."
...
"So if possible, I still hope you all can stay and cooperate to finish this business."
Smiling brightly, Miyamoto looked around at the crowd's pale faces, his gaze finally resting on Fu Qian.
"Especially Mr. Fu. If the others insist on leaving, I wonder if Mr. Fu would be interested in joining us. You can name your price."
What on earth is so exceptional about this guy? Even the employer wants to recruit him.
Hearing Miyamoto's latter words, most of the team members couldn't help but re-evaluate Fu Qian.
"Sure."
Fu Qian replied indifferently.
The question was meaningless anyway. Under these circumstances, there was a high probability Delin and the rest wouldn't be able to leave.
...
At this moment, Delin's gaze also couldn't help but shift between Miyamoto and Fu Qian.
If Miyamoto was telling the truth, almost everyone in the team was a target of vengeance.
He alone had personally crushed more than one to death.
On the contrary, Fu Qian, who had no intention of leaving, had a higher chance of being innocent.
And with their current team size, if they were targeted by the dolls while leaving... their chances of survival would likely be incredibly slim.
"Haha, you actually don't have to answer me in such a rush."
Witnessing this, Miyamoto couldn't help but burst into laughter again.
"Let's rest for today. You all can discuss it properly before making a decision."
"If we're lucky, we might witness the vengeful nature of those little guys tonight, so I suggest preparing in advance."
"Considering the severe personnel losses, my people will also help out to share some of the pressure. Rest assured, your payment will not be discounted in the slightest."
After speaking, he stood up and winked at Delin.
"I hope we still have the chance to continue cooperating."
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