Pouring His Heart and Soul Into It

So that was it!

From everyone's reactions just now, Fu Qian had sensed that something was wrong. Now he finally understood why.

The four of them couldn't see this part of the content, but he alone could.

Fu Qian didn't really believe explanations like "Chosen One." After thinking it over, the only explanation was that it had something to do with the Insight he'd gained earlier.

Especially since his Insight had increased quite a bit after his last successful containment.

Insight was said to enhance one's ability to perceive intangible things.

That had to be why he could see the special content in the notebook.

Fu Qian didn't waste time. Amid everyone's complicated stares, he quickly drew the content he could see on the ground.

Completing the task as quickly as possible was what mattered most to him. He couldn't afford to miss any clues.

The passage wasn't long, and Fu Qian finished drawing it quickly.

Everyone stared at what he'd drawn, exchanging baffled looks.

"What is this?"

"Cuneiform?"

"Maybe some kind of code?"

"I have absolutely no clue..."

The Captain was clearly just as bewildered.

"Su Gao, what do you think?"

He hadn't expected this girl to be the team's technical expert.

Fu Qian glanced at White Porcelain Woman.

"It should be a kind of cipher."

Su Gao pondered for a moment before giving her assessment.

"I have a few ideas about what it might be, but deciphering it won't be easy. It'll take plenty of time, which we definitely don't have right now."

So it was completely useless? They'd wasted time for nothing.

Everyone was disappointed.

"Why don't I give it a try?"

Fu Qian suddenly said.

"You know how?"

Everyone turned to look at Fu Qian in unison.

"I don't, but I can learn."

Fu Qian said it as if it were perfectly obvious, then turned to Su Gao.

"Tell me your guesses first."

"Uh..."

Su Gao wasn't completely dumbfounded. She quietly listed a few ideas.

"Learn my ass!"

At that moment, Buzz Cut Man finally couldn't hold back and shouted.

He'd been sick of this guy for a long time.

Never mind that the man's origins were unknown, yet everyone listened to him.

To slow the spread of the curse, their group had gone so far as to become butchers, mercilessly slaughtering their own kind.

And this guy still had the leisure to fool around here.

Violent power gathered in his palm. This time, Buzz Cut Man truly meant to kill.

But before he could step forward, a powerful sense of danger surged through him.

He whipped around. An Air Bullet skimmed past his neck.

At the same time, blood sprayed everywhere as another Air Bullet blasted his entire Left Eye to pieces.

Everyone stood frozen in place.

This guy had attacked without the slightest warning—and he'd clearly meant to kill.

They'd been fooled. This guy really was up to no good!

Fu Qian paid no attention to what was going through their minds.

After attacking Buzz Cut Man, he immediately turned his sights on the Captain and fired three Air Bullets in succession.

At such close range, the Captain had no chance of dodging.

The next moment, a shrill crack rang out.

A mass of surging electricity burst from the Captain's body, so bright that it nearly blinded everyone instantly.

The electric blast hit Fu Qian squarely.

Fu Qian felt as if his body had turned to liquid in an instant.

[Containment Failed]

So strong!

As expected, he had a Great Killer Weapon on him.

Back in the Warehouse, Fu Qian didn't hesitate to take the work badge off his neck.

Just because Su Gao hadn't had time to do it didn't mean he didn't.

He'd decided to start over as soon as he asked her about it, so when Buzz Cut Man tried to attack, he hadn't held back either.

As for why he'd attacked the Captain, that had been pure common sense.

The situation was so dangerous, yet the Captain had still hesitated instead of ordering a retreat. Fu Qian had instinctively felt that he must have something to rely on.

Those three shots had been a convenient test.

Now it seemed his judgment had been right. The Captain really was carrying some kind of Great Killer Weapon. That electric blast that had killed him instantly must have come from it.

This was definitely good news. They'd surely need it later when they faced the boss.

When it came to an Evil God's Progeny, Fu Qian wouldn't underestimate it for a second.

Back home, he immediately found some paper and a pen.

He closed his eyes and thought for a long time before putting pen to paper, drawing out the contents of the notebook again.

Memorizing and reciting meaningless characters like these was extremely difficult, especially when he had to make sure not to get a single thing wrong.

By the time he'd finished writing it all down, even Fu Qian, who usually prided himself on his excellent memory, felt like he was about to have a brain hemorrhage.

So this was how Huang Yaoshi's wife had died!

Still marveling at that, Fu Qian began the arduous work of deciphering the text.

Thanks to his wide range of interests, he was something of an amateur in this field.

But he wasn't a professional. Without Su Gao's hints, deciphering something like this would be like searching for a needle in the ocean.

Now that he had a direction, the workload had been greatly reduced.

Even so, by the time he began to see a pattern, several hours had passed.

[...amid the prostrations of countless followers, descending into the depths beneath the earth...]

After a long while, Fu Qian looked at what he held in his hand and put on the work badge again.

[Entering Containment Scene, current Sanity Value: 27]

"This situation is already beyond our understanding."

"Let's stop here—"

This time, when everyone arrived in the hall, Fu Qian didn't even give the Old Man a chance to take out the notebook. He cut off the argument at once, then turned to the Captain with a grave expression.

"Is there a deep space somewhere around here?"

"A deep space?"

The Captain frowned, unable to understand what Fu Qian was getting at.

"Amid the gathering of countless followers, descending into the depths beneath the earth."

Fu Qian pointed ahead, looking completely confident.

"This is a ritual. The two lines I just recited are the key steps."

"An evil entity is going to descend into the depths beneath the earth. We need to find it as soon as possible."

In truth, Fu Qian wasn't sure that those two lines meant exactly that. But if he wanted these people to follow his lead, he had to maintain an air of expertise.

"I'm not familiar enough with this place, so I need to confirm with you. Is there anywhere like that here?"

"Uh..."

The group exchanged glances.

"There is."

At that moment, Su Gao, who'd been silent until then, spoke up.

She pointed down.

"Tens of meters below this building is an underground vault with very high security. A lot of people store valuables there."

You even know that!

Fu Qian secretly admired her.

Places like that were usually expensive. So you're a rich girl, too.

"Do you know how to get down there?"

"I do."

Su Gao was a heroine through and through. As soon as she answered, she drew her blade with a sharp shing.

The next instant, her blade flashed, cleaving a path through the crowd of Maggot People.

Su Gao led the way.

Naturally, that one devastating slash couldn't help but disturb the Maggot People covering the floor.

Amid a chorus of teeth-grating groans, they turned and gathered around, moving with stubborn slowness.

Fortunately, they really were slow.

By the time everyone, led by Su Gao, had opened a downward stairwell, the entrance was already completely surrounded by a writhing mass of bodies.

As the entrance to the stairwell closed,

Fu Qian noticed the Old Man let out a silent sigh.

The steady fellow must have been pretty annoyed with him by now. That was understandable.

To be honest, he'd rather the whole group went berserk and started mowing down enemies upstairs. He could've picked up plenty of kills that way.

But doing that would definitely waste a lot of time and might delay the completion of the task.

Besides, these four hadn't actually gone mad yet.

The passage leading downward was almost completely dark. After walking for who knew how long, they finally saw a light ahead.

At the same time, a heavy stench hit them.

"Get ready!"

The Captain didn't need to give an order. Everyone automatically went into combat mode.

Looks like we found the right place.

Following behind Su Gao, Fu Qian turned sideways and passed through a gigantic metal door—

The scene inside was something straight out of an adults-only horror film.