Eldritch Horror Theatre

Win-win cooperation was naturally a good thing, but it was best to know a partner's budget in advance.

Although The Order's current plan was almost entirely the result of his continuous guidance, the level of stimulation seemed sufficient in Fu Qian's eyes.

Still, he didn't mind running another stress test to confirm his own reasonable goals in this partnership.

As it turned out, his partners were taking this very seriously.

Judging by their resistance to the Resplendent Tyrant, the intensity of the Nightmare before them was clearly not low.

The Order was sincere enough; it was worth taking some time to see exactly what they intended.

Satisfied, Fu Qian remained in his expanded state. He had no intention of retracting the Resplendent Tyrant.

Sincerity was one thing, but as a partner, he also had a duty to supervise and push them forward.

By maintaining this form, for instance, he was setting a visible deadline and applying sufficient pressure.

With that thought, the view ahead suddenly cleared. Fu Qian stepped out from the edge of the Mist once again.

For a professional task runner, maintaining a good sense of direction was essential.

In his estimation, even if he had gotten lost and walked blindly, it wouldn't have taken long to return here.

The very purpose of the Edge of Nightmare was to force you back into the Nightmare.

...

At the end of the road, under the scrutinizing gaze of the young police officer behind the gate, Fu Qian didn't rush to demand entry. He simply stood and waited quietly.

He wore the exact same expression as he had in the Real World, and even stood in the exact same spot.

A few minutes after this abstract display added another layer of psychological pressure to the Nightmare hosts outside, the thick fog a short distance away parted. Two figures stepped out, one after the other.

Just as he thought!

His deduction confirmed, Fu Qian smiled and greeted Amira and her companion.

"Encore... you didn't go inside the town?"

Unfortunately, Amira was nowhere near as composed.

Seeing Fu Qian's expectant expression, as though he had been certain they would follow, an uncontrollable sense of powerlessness struck Amira once again.

She truly felt like a lost lamb looking up at a shepherd—and physically, she really was looking up.

Having escaped the Mist and stepped into the morning light, that massive, inhuman body was even more terrifying to look at directly.

Even his tattered clothes, torn from head to toe, carried a uniquely imposing aura.

"I was waiting for you."

Addressing her silent question, Fu Qian casually pointed toward the gate.

"If I tried negotiating by myself, it would probably waste too much time."

That was certainly true. Less than ten minutes had passed; anyone would refuse to open the door after seeing a man who had inflated by several sizes return so quickly.

Amira grumbled inwardly, yet she couldn't hide her shock.

As expected... not only was he certain the two of them would follow, he had even arranged their tasks in advance.

"Since you know this is a Nightmare, holding back like this doesn't exactly fit your style, does it?"

Reginald was clearly unhappy about being played, but instead of storming off, he merely delivered a cold, mocking remark.

"Is it possible I wouldn't hold back even if it wasn't a Nightmare?"

Unfortunately, the young man was still too young. With just a casual remark, Fu Qian easily triggered a host of his bad memories.

Indeed, this guy's behavior in the outside world was far from normal. To him, that place was equally unreal.

"You people aren't fundamentally any different from them."

Fu Qian added more fuel to the fire, walking straight toward the gate before Reginald even had a chance to retort.

"Now you can go chat with your kind."

...

...

Being led by the nose was undoubtedly unpleasant, and being lumped in with Nightmare figures was even worse.

But the two members of The Order only hesitated for a few seconds before following him, not even needing to discuss it.

"What's going on?"

It was obvious that the trio's return had placed immense psychological pressure on the young officer.

With half his face hidden behind the gate, his voice was somewhat hoarse, as if he were facing a deadly enemy.

Fu Qian was undoubtedly the main focus of his attention, but he showed no intention of speaking.

Furthermore, an indescribable sense of danger forced the officer to look away after just one glance. His neck stiffened like rusty iron, completely terrified to look a second time.

"...We encountered something special in the Mist. Open the gate and let us in."

Seeing that Fu Qian truly wasn't going to say a word, Amira forced herself to tear her gaze away from the illusory, flickering cracks in reality centered around him. She sighed and spoke to the officer.

"Something special... is that why he turned out like this?"

Amira's explanation was extremely vague, but after a brief hesitation, the officer leaned toward accepting it.

For one, the townsfolk had encountered monsters in the fog before, so it wasn't a rare occurrence.

Furthermore, the will of The Order that Amira represented wasn't something a mere police officer like him could refuse.

"Open the gate. Also, it'd be best if you two found a place to hide for a while."

The lady from The Order seemed to be in a foul mood. Unwilling to even humor him, she coldly repeated her demand and tossed out the warning.

Hide...

Hearing those words from a member of The Order, especially with a bizarre example standing right in front of them, terrified the gatekeeping duo.

Without any further hesitation, the officer snatched the key and personally unlocked the gate.

"Not bad."

Fu Qian was highly satisfied with Amira's efficient communication. After a brief word of praise, he unapologetically stepped into the Small Town first.

It came as no surprise to him that Amira and Reginald were so cooperative.

Knowing they were trapped in this strange Nightmare with both escape methods rendered ineffective, the only thing left for them to do—besides exploring the Nightmare—was to monitor his performance.

And following his earlier hint, no matter how much they denied it verbally, the possibility that the scene before them was a special arrangement by The Order had already been planted in their minds.

With that premise established, a moment's thought was all it took for them to realize that keeping an eye on him was far more necessary than wandering around in aimless investigation. Naturally, they had quickly followed him.

A shepherd always needed to deeply understand the habits of his flock.

...

The moment the group was let into the town, the gatekeeping duo swiftly locked the gate and abandoned their post.

It turned out Amira's advice had been entirely warranted. Led by Fu Qian, they hadn't walked far before a familiar figure suddenly appeared ahead of them.

Simon the hunter, Broadsword in hand, was walking alone toward them.

"Excellency Simon!"

Somewhat puzzled by his subtle combat stance, Amira instinctively called out to him.

He stopped in his tracks, but instead of responding, he turned to look behind him.

Amid a massive crash, a nearby house suddenly collapsed, sending rocks and splintered wood cascading down like an avalanche.

In the next moment, a less-than-perfectly round but sleek and glossy spherical entity emerged from the rubble. Its surface churning with shifting patterns, it rolled aggressively toward Simon.

"...A Transformation?"

Amira wasn't the only one left dumbfounded. Faced with this scene, even Fu Qian halted his steps, a look of admiration on his face.

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