Chapter 191: Chapter 190 Porcelain Doll (Part 8)_1
After Miyamoto left, the tent fell into a protracted silence.
“Could it be just empty threats to scare us into staying here?”
In the end, it was the Mediterranean Marksman who spoke first.
It was clear that he was very reluctant to stay here any longer.
“We can’t rule out that possibility, after all, it’s not apparent that they have such good intentions.”
Someone agreed immediately.
“But those guys today did seem to be coming after us.”
Delin shook his head, his expression growing even more somber.
“I was wondering earlier… but now it seems this is the explanation; we are already the targets of a hunt.”
“Even if we stay, our end might not be any better.”
The Mediterranean Marksman couldn’t help but speak up again.
“These people are clearly using us; they don’t care about whether we live or die.”
“Actually, there’s another piece of information that I think you should know.”
Seeing that the standoff was going nowhere, Delin looked up at Fu Qian.
Unfortunately, the latter was completely indifferent, leaving Delin with no choice but to speak up himself.
“Last night, Fu Qian found someone spying on us… someone from outside this camp.”
There was such a thing!
As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at Fu Qian with both shock and suspicion.
“Why have we never heard you mention this before?”
“The responsibility for this matter lies with me.”
At that moment, Delin appeared reasonably straightforward.
“I asked him to keep it a secret, to avoid unnecessary suspicion.”
“Is this why you want to stay? And here I thought you really weren’t afraid of dying!”
As Delin said this, it became difficult for others to react further, but the only female member of the team, who already had issues with Fu Qian, seized every opportunity to mock and ridicule him.
“No.”
Fu Qian replied indolently.
“As I said before, it’s out of interest… As for your discussion about staying or leaving, I find it meaningless.”
“What do you mean?”
The woman asked icily.
“The right to choose is a precious thing; not everyone has it.”
Fu Qian fully exhibited his talent for mockery, irritating the woman so much that her eyelids twitched.
“You analyze the situation over there, discussing strategies as if you still had a choice. But if you think about it, you’ve been without a choice for a long time.”
He extended two fingers.
“Right now, you seem to have two paths before you, but in reality, neither choice makes much difference to Miyamoto and his crew.”
“Either you willingly stay here as cannon fodder, taking a huge risk to help Miyamoto find bait and capture the Porcelain Doll,”
“Or take an even greater risk by beating it and then likely becoming free bait directly. Is there any substantial difference between the two?”
Fu Qian’s words plunged the team’s morale to rock bottom.
“However, Miyamoto didn’t seem to be feigning. He probably does want you to stay, as your immediate departure likely wouldn’t be optimal for him.”
“What are you so smug about? Aren’t you trapped here too?”
“I’ve said it twice; this place is scenic with outstanding people. I’m quite enjoying myself.”
…
The meeting ended in silence, leaving a collection of disheartened faces.
Fu Qian wasn’t trying to scare people on purpose; he wasn’t that bored.
The crisis this team currently faced was real and dire, a true dilemma with no good way forward or back.
But in the end, incompetence was the original sin.
The moment they took on a commission beyond their abilities, the seeds of crisis were sown.
What followed was simply a progression towards an irreparable checkmate.
After the meeting, Delin sat desolately in his tent for a long time before ultimately going to find Miyamoto.
Fu Qian didn’t care about the content of their discussion, but judging by Delin’s expression when he emerged, it seemed they had reached a temporary cooperation once again.
One had to admit that Miyamoto was reliable in keeping his word.
Soon enough, his entourage joined in with the camp’s guard duties, helping to alleviate some of the pressure on Delin and his team.
Even Miyamoto himself joined in, taking out more special nets to set traps.
It was clear that the earlier equipment had also been provided by them.
However, among these people, the only one without any action was Mr. Luo.
From beginning to end, this man who remained hidden under a thick cloak observed the comings and goings in the camp, like a sage detached from the world.
From his earlier behavior, it was evident that not only was his status aloof, but his strength was undeniably powerful.
It wasn’t until the camp was surrounded by traps inside and out that Delin and his team seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief, finding a bit of safety at last.
However, after making preparations, the Porcelain Doll was long overdue for an appearance.
Of course, that didn’t mean nothing happened.
Before long, several team members rushed out, carrying an unconscious person straight to Mr. Luo.
“He’s been unconscious since just now, please check if he’s also inhaled some kind of seeds?”
Unconscious?
Mr. Luo finally reacted at this, taking a glance before signaling others to lay the person down.
Fu Qian recognized at a glance that the unconscious one was the injured member from the daytime operation.
A mere flesh wound, nothing too serious for a Transcendent, his sudden unconsciousness was understandably alarming to the others.
However, it was clear that he had fully absorbed the lessons of a previous case, wrapping himself tightly in multiple layers, even covering his mouth and nose.
Mr. Luo observed him up and down but seemed to find nothing unusual.
So, as before, the dense black light reappeared, enveloping the person on the stretcher.
This was a tactic he had used before, with an effect similar to an Aging Curse, which could delay transformations to some extent.
However, unexpectedly, not only did the unconscious victim not awake, but he also began to convulse violently.
Crack!
Mr. Luo’s gaze grew intense, and he tore open the shirt on the victim’s chest.
The sight in front of everyone made them all gasp in shock.
There was a vortex on his chest, made of intertwining flesh and blood, looking grotesquely fierce.
The very center even had a faint translucent quality.
This was…
Before the crowd could finish their shock, the vortex suddenly inflated, and the next moment a crack at the center rapidly expanded.
With a flash of blood, something leaped out from within, darting at an incredible speed straight towards Mr. Luo’s face.
Mr. Luo had been squatting down observing when the sudden attack reached him in an instant.
In a critical moment, he lifted one hand, shielding his left eye.
With a muffled sound, red light tore through the glove, creating a long wound on his palm.
But at least his eye was saved.
By then, the people finally got a clear look at the thing that had jumped out, it was also a porcelain doll.
However, unlike its kind that bathed in the blood and flesh, this one’s blood seemed to come from itself.
At that moment, its entire body shone with a deep red blood light, resembling an engorged leech.