She is not an investigator.

Ling didn't answer immediately because she still couldn't be sure whether what the other person said was true or false, or whether it was just to lure her over and then launch an attack.

But this matter itself is not a pipe dream.

The conditions for the creation of the Thousand Faces and Hundred Appearances lie in the fact that many humans lose their lives and inherit the faces of those people, turning into this centipede-like creature. If cultists specifically carry out massacres in the sewers, it is highly likely that such abnormal creatures will be created.

As one of the few non-humanoid anomalies capable of communicating with humans, records of the Thousand Faces are scarce, so it cannot be ruled out that what it says is true.

Even so, Ling still couldn't easily trust it, because it was far too dangerous for her.

"If you want me to believe you, then leave here and get away from me."

Ling also made her own request. If it was just trying to hunt through deception, it would definitely not leave. But if what it said was true, it would probably not refuse.

"There is no way out of the sewers, no way to live, only a way to die."

Igris took a deep look at Ling in front of her, and then was taken away again, transformed into a man's face and returned to its body. Accompanied by a dense series of arthroscopic sounds, it actually left without any hesitation.

Then Ling should consider what it said at this moment.

Especially the last sentence.

There was no way out of the sewer.

What does that mean? Does it mean that once you enter here, there's no way to escape, or does it mean that the person they're looking for isn't even in the sewers?

Ling hates riddle tellers, even centipedes that only tell riddles.

But in any case, the most urgent thing is to find Igris or Passa.

Ling checked the magazine of her sidearm and then walked forward again.

……

Igris got lost again.

Or perhaps she simply never had any direction.

But the fact that she was able to encounter cult members proves that her general direction was correct; it's just that there were some minor deviations that prevented her from finding any clues.

So she really wants to try doing an inspiration test on the spot, but unfortunately she doesn't have the means to control this ability.

Fortunately, she hasn't encountered a single abnormality since she came down here.

After all, it's quite rare to find an environment without any abnormalities.

"hey-hey…"

"..."

A strange laugh suddenly rang out beside Igris, and she instinctively shone her flashlight in that direction, but saw nothing.

I guess I jinxed it; I had just said I didn't encounter anything unusual, but then I encountered something extraordinary.

Hehehe…

A snicker sounded again behind Igris, but she didn't turn around again. Instead, she silently turned off her flashlight and disappeared into the darkness.

She knew what it was and how to deal with it.

"Hahaha!"

The maniacal laughter rang out again, this time directly in front of Igris.

But she remained nonchalant, still waiting, waiting for the moment the other person would appear.

Why not be happier?

A strange sound emerged from the darkness, followed by a figure slowly walking out.

He was a clown, with a face covered in paint, a ridiculous outfit, a fat and bloated body, and a particularly conspicuous red nose.

Why aren't you smiling?

"It's really quite funny."

Iglesias didn't even bother to draw her gun; watching the other person slowly approach her, her expression remained incredibly calm.

It was dark in the sewers, and Igris even turned off her flashlight, so the clown couldn't see the expression on her face.

They have no idea who they will be facing next.

"Yes...yes! Smile happily, good children will receive gifts!"

"Anyway, is Honghu Amusement Park still open?"

Igris ignored what he was saying and instead raised her own question.

Upon hearing the name Red Lake Amusement Park, the clown's arrogant smile slowly vanished.

"Are you from the amusement park?"

"Ah, who knows? Maybe it's just some poor soul who stumbled in by accident. And you? Why are you here? Were you fired? Or are you on leave?"

Igris approached the clown as if they were having a casual chat, her blue and yellow heterochromatic eyes fixed on the clown's nose, and a strange smile involuntarily crept onto her face.

"Damn it...they didn't tell me there would be amusement park people here...you won't tell on me, right? I just...I just came out to earn some extra money...I'm leaving now!"

"Don't leave in a hurry."

The clown turned to run away, but Igris pressed him down on the spot.

"Do me a favor, you won't refuse."

The Fools of the Gods—The Worship of Eternal Night: Chapter Fifteen, The Second Moon

"Help? No way! What do you take the Joker for?! I'm not some nice guy! I'm leaving!"

The clown turned to leave, but Igris grabbed him again.

"It's just a small favor. What did they promise you that made you come here to work for them?"

"He promised to give me a new set of clothes, made of human skin, which I love."

The clown stood with his hands on his hips, looking quite smug.

"So it's already in your hands?"

"Of course not! But no one can fool the Joker if he doesn't give it to him..."

He didn't continue, but the result was self-evident.

"But you don't need to work for them, do you? It's a waste of your time and also carries enormous risks. The amusement park owner is looking for you."

"But I need it! Customers have complained about me many times already, and I'll still be punished if I don't get new clothes!"

His expression changed as he served the ball, becoming uneasy and fearful, even clutching his head with both hands, his expression becoming unusually exaggerated.

But Igris didn't care about any of that. This wasn't her first time dealing with Xiao Yue Chou, and she knew that this guy was much more cunning than he seemed.

"How about we make a deal? Take me to their base, I'll wipe them all out, and you won't have to work for them anymore. You'll get the clothes they prepared for you, and the corpses will all be yours. It's a win-win situation."

"No...no no no! Impossible! The Joker would never betray his employer! Honesty is the most important thing when you're out in the world!"

The clown hurriedly took two steps back, looking terrified, but quickly turned angry.

"You're insulting the clown! You damned villain! I'll take you!"

"The password is 0721."

"..."

Before he could finish speaking, Igris interrupted his shouting and calmly uttered a string of numbers.

"You know what this is."

"Oh my god...oh my god! What's your relationship with him?! He's your father? No...oh my god!"

He suddenly started shouting wildly, appearing extremely conflicted and in pain, and eventually even broke down in tears, clutching his head.

"Waaah... Waaah... The Joker has no choice, the Joker can only be a bad guy..."

Then he stood up and gave Igris another arrogant smile, even though tears still clung to his face smeared with paint.

"Let's go, friend! The clown won't refuse a friend's request! Let's go kill those people!"

It seems the defection was successful, which is probably an unexpected turn of events that the cultists never anticipated.

Who would have thought that the outside help they brought in would suddenly betray them? And who would have thought that there happened to be an investigator here who had actually been to Red Lake Amusement Park and even carved his name there?

How could they have imagined that the clown they had gone to so much trouble to summon would become someone else's accomplice?

Indeed, they couldn't have imagined it, so in a sense, their deaths were already predetermined at that moment.

But Igris needed to do more than just kill these cultists; her real goal was to save people, not kill them.

She needs to rescue Krisuna, reunite with Ling, and find the missing Pasa.

And, whatever ritual these cultists are preparing, she will stop it, for the sake of all the residents of Maulkenson.

[You've pulled a malicious anomaly into your team, and no matter how you did it, it's still something to celebrate.]

Title earned: Master of Friendship

—All beings will be more likely to develop a favorable impression of you, including non-intelligent agents.

Note: You're a likable person, but that's not something to be thankful for, because you tend to become more noticeable.

The mechanical sounds, which had been silent for a long time, rang out again, bringing with them a new title.

Should Igris be happy? She didn't feel particularly happy, after all, she didn't need to be liked, and being unnoticed was more important to her.

Especially the concept of all existence.

Because it was so broad, Igris had no way of knowing what it included.

Biological? Plant? Anomaly? Or perhaps the terrifying existence from the deep sea that she least wanted to face, or even recall?

For some reason, even though there was nothing special around her, Igris felt a strange gaze upon her.

She should be thankful that she hasn't been passively triggered by an inspiration check, otherwise she might desperately need a psychologist to help her regain consciousness.

"What's wrong, friend? You've been standing there in a daze for a long time."

The clown turned his head, a half-smile on his face, and even pinched his red nose, making a comical sound.

"You look worried. Can I tell you a joke?"

"unnecessary."