Eldritch Horror Theatre

'Is this what they mean by "the harder you work, the luckier you get"?'

The letter wasn't long, and given its overly familiar format, Fu Qian made the observation almost instantly.

For this escort mission, the biggest constraint was undoubtedly the tight timeframe.

With the Pope's condition uncertain, a single second of delay could ruin everything at the final hurdle.

Yet no matter how urgently they raced against the clock, setting everything up still consumed precious time.

Right now, however, it seemed he had an opportunity for a dimensional strike.

The Warehouse's reach was incredibly long; it had managed to track him down even after he fled all the way here.

It really couldn't have been easy for Senior Liliana to hide in a place like that just to slack off.

...

Even though he didn't know the exact reason, his previous mission in the Painting World had already proven that the Warehouse possessed the power to interfere with this realm.

It was true that the assigned tasks were highly random, but factoring in the principle of proximity probability, it was absolutely worth a try given the potential value.

But all of this hinged on a single prerequisite: how was he supposed to receive the task?

Take off his mask and return to the Warehouse?

He had casually tested that earlier; it didn't trigger any reaction in this place.

Honestly, this wasn't surprising. He had only managed to force a passage here by relying on the Extreme Hunger Infection; it was hard to imagine the return trip being quite so smooth.

It seemed highly likely that he would need to use the same method. And, given the toll exacted by the Extreme Hunger Infection, he would have to face the Nightmare Corridor first.

In fact, from the very first second he arrived in this world, Fu Qian realized that something was accumulating on him.

It was hard to describe what it was exactly, and he couldn't feel it affecting his body or mind.

But intuition told him that with every layer this presence built up, escaping the Nightmare Corridor would become proportionately harder.

In short, when it came to the technical problem in front of him, the only solution Fu Qian could think of was his past experience of using Reassignment to slack off, only to be dragged forcibly to work in the middle of the night.

Since the Warehouse's tentacles could reach this far, a similar approach wasn't completely out of the question.

That was why, on the way back with Amira and the others just now, Fu Qian had actually been waiting for it.

Unfortunately, even when the midnight bell tolled, there was still no sign of an attendance check.

He had thought the Warehouse was finally out of reach, but it turned out the notification had already been delivered—just in this highly specific manner.

Speaking of which, his career had begun with a similar letter.

In comparison, the Warehouse's tone here actually seemed even more polite than when it first roped him in.

He had the freedom to choose whether to accept the task, and he wouldn't face any punishment even if he opted out.

The conditions were remarkably generous, brimming with respect for talent.

However, this method of initiating the task...

Glancing at the contents at the very bottom, Fu Qian tucked the letter away a second later. His body stretched into a ribbon of flesh and blood, slipping silently out the half-open window.

The reason he went through all this trouble instead of using Blood Crusade to phase directly through the door stemmed mainly from his earlier experience in the Lucid Dream.

The commandment's control over this world was truly peculiar. It was hard to say whether certain special methods might trigger a reaction, and there was no need to ruin the good image he had built with The Order just for a bit of convenience.

...

It remained quiet outside. The two civilian clerks from The Order had long since departed.

Recalling the layout of the block, Fu Qian quickly walked to an intersection and turned left. Upon reaching the next intersection, he doubled back, then turned right...

It was an excessively bizarre route. Even if Amira and the others had stayed, watching him walk it would only make them think his mental illness had worsened.

Yet just a few minutes later, as Fu Qian returned to his starting point and took another step, the scene before his eyes abruptly blurred, accompanied by a cascade of chimes.

[Name: Lost Image, Code 2-191]

[Today's work begins. Now entering Containment Scenario 2-191]

[Current SAN Value: 95. Current inspiration: 99]

Exactly. This was the task initiation method recorded at the very bottom of the letter.

There was no specific address, no destination to visit, and no door to enter. The key lay in finding several adjacent intersections to act as nodes and pacing through them in a strict, repetitive sequence.

An interesting and eerie method. The Warehouse gave off a sense of adapting to local customs.

And whether or not it was because its core nature was suspected to be a Nightmare, the underlying rules of this world were abstract to a rather absurd degree.

[...8%...13%...21%...34%...55%...89%...100%. Containment Scenario loaded.]

As he pondered, the images before his eyes swirled. By the time they stabilized, the first thing to enter his vision was the soft brown fabric lining directly in front of him.

To think he was on the move again.

Fu Qian was naturally no stranger to such a scene. It was obvious that he was riding alone in a luxurious carriage.

Accompanied by the crisp clatter of hooves, his body swayed rhythmically with the carriage cabin.

But even after three seconds of this swaying, the customary task introduction still hadn't appeared.

'It actually doesn't seem all that strange,' Fu Qian thought to himself.

Various signs had already shown that while the Warehouse had tracked him all the way here, its level of control was clearly different.

Just look at the last time he entered the Painting World—there hadn't been a task introduction then, either.

Perhaps this was exactly why the task wasn't mandatory?

Of course, regardless of the reason, one aspect was vastly better. Although he hadn't been allowed to choose, a quick check confirmed that his abilities and items were all present.

Fully armed, his operational flexibility had undoubtedly increased exponentially.

If only the time constraints were a little more lenient—

[Containment Fulfillment Conditions: Purify the Blasphemous Blood within Jane Winslow before sunrise.]

Unfortunately, the prompt that suddenly rang in his ear dashed Fu Qian's optimistic hopes.

Incredibly clear Containment Conditions—this was undoubtedly a good thing, but on the flip side, time was clearly tighter than he would have liked.

Without even needing to pull back the side curtains, Fu Qian was perfectly aware that it was already late into the night outside.

Naturally, as a reasonable man, Fu Qian wouldn't hold a grudge over this.

Although it might not have done so consciously, up to this point, the Warehouse had done its part remarkably well. It was undeniably a good employer.

With the objective conditions set in stone, it was time to exercise some subjective initiative.

Stretching lazily, Fu Qian lifted a heavy case from beside him and casually opened it.

The interior of the case was divided into several sections by partitions, holding a vast assortment of items.

The largest portion consisted of red, green, silver, and black potions contained in various bottles and jars.

This was obviously the main reason for its hefty weight.

The other major category was metal instruments—slightly worn but wiped impeccably clean.

Fu Qian pulled out a spoon-shaped tool, using its narrow curved surface to reflect his current face.

Neither Fang Xun nor An Ke. It was quite clear this luxurious carriage ride didn't come for free.

"Doctor, we've arrived."

A voice called out from outside at exactly the right moment.

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