What a trustworthy landlady!
Picking up the envelope bearing his name, Fu Qian silently praised her.
This, naturally, was his purpose for returning. A new day had arrived, and he was still one task short for the week.
As the saying went, clocking out was just preparation for clocking back in.
Just like yesterday, the red wax seal was perfectly intact. The envelope lacked even a single crease; the letter had been preserved with great care.
Without a doubt, this was left by Mrs. Harper. In fact, he had waited those few minutes just now precisely to give her time to act.
After discovering her tenant was acting suspiciously, and even with officials secretly investigating him, she had ultimately stuck to her principles.
Not only did she refrain from handing over this private item, but she had also delivered it the moment it was convenient for him to receive it.
...
And Amira, who thought herself so careful, had been fooled just like last time.
Still, the woman was quite talented. The only open window clearly lacked any climbing marks. Who would have thought that a rising star of an orthodox faction would be so well-versed in the arts of a petty thief?
In short, Mrs. Harper clearly had some idea about the conversation that had happened upstairs.
After confirming Amira was gone, she had immediately placed the letter outside.
But at the same time, she obviously didn't want to get too deeply involved or cross any lines, so she hadn't knocked on the door to alert him.
The old lady truly had a perfect grasp on the principles and limits of dealing with people.
Of course, the Warehouse's grasp on these matters was as reassuring as always.
Still silently praising her, Fu Qian unceremoniously opened the letter.
[Warning: Leak Incident]
[Today's work content has been updated. You may choose whether to enter the Containment Scenario and complete Containment again.]
[Giving up the task will not result in a penalty. Each entry will consume 1 SAN Value.]
It was still a thin piece of paper, and the contents on it were no different from yesterday.
Even the section below didn't differ much.
Fu Qian glanced over it, memorizing the new sequence for navigating the crossroad. He made no effort to conceal his actions, heading straight downstairs.
...
The weather didn't look too good. The night was even darker than before, and the wounds on his body were deeper.
So far, the draining of his life showed no signs of easing, and the countdown remained exactly as he had originally estimated.
Walking down the street amidst the falling drizzle, Fu Qian narrowed his eyes at the slightly dim starry sky.
After his investigation into the Painting World, the essence of this world had undeniably become even more intriguing.
From initially suspecting it to be a Nightmare, to later confirming its reality.
The conclusion of his investigation earlier today still suggested the Pope had been born from the Time Curse and withered away within its washing currents.
But as it stood, her traces in this world hadn't completely disappeared after all.
This inevitably made him wonder exactly how she interacted with it.
And what her relationship with the Stars was.
Obviously, figuring this out would help confirm where she—or her remains—currently were.
But even more obviously, there were no clues at present, and he didn't even have much time left.
It wasn't that he was entirely helpless against the negative status on his body. For an effect that clearly tied into the fundamental attributes of the world, he could very likely shake it off by simply reverse-activating the Extreme Hunger Infection and taking a trip back.
But merely establishing a connection had caused him to share such a ridiculous hemorrhage. The Witch's state was undoubtedly worrisome; it wouldn't be surprising if she truly turned to ash in the very next second.
Not to mention he still had to resolve the long-brewing issue of the Nightmare Corridor first.
To sum it up, the less than twenty-four hours remaining were highly likely his only chance to save her.
It was a pity that clues were so scarce right now, and even the value of the two organizations had already been forcefully squeezed dry.
Therefore, he had to check out this extra opportunity for action provided by the Warehouse task, no matter what.
...
[Name: Dark Branch, Designation 1-119]
[Today's work begins. Entering the 1-119 Containment Scenario...]
[Current SAN Value: 104. Current inspiration: 99.]
As he pondered, Fu Qian had already swiftly navigated the sequence written in the letter at a decidedly conspicuous pace.
Experience proved that while this method seemed bizarre, it was quite reliable. The moment he took the final step, his surroundings became illusory once more.
[...8%...13%...21%...34%...55%...89%...100%. Containment Scenario loading complete.]
Amid the familiar loading prompt, the shifting visuals before his eyes stabilized.
Fu Qian's first sensation was a cold restraint clamped over his previously free feet.
Good news: his abilities and Items were not restricted.
Bad news: just like last time, there was still no task introduction.
Worse news: this time, even the Containment Conditions didn't appear immediately.
Of course, compared to the fourth piece of news, those were nothing—his life was still draining away.
That was right. Even though his appearance had completely changed and there wasn't a single wound visible on his body, the sensation of his lifeblood being violently pumped away hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Wasn't the priority of this negative status a bit too high?
Sighing inwardly, Fu Qian quickly surveyed his surroundings.
A square, bedroom-sized space with absolutely no cover.
The only two pieces of furniture were a corner toilet and a bed welded to the floor. Around the latter, he could see multiple leather restraint straps.
It was an overly classic layout, complete with three windowless stone walls and fine metal bars across the front.
After committing so much evil, had he finally been brought to justice?
Sighing over the inescapable net of the law, Fu Qian lifted his foot to take a step forward.
The cold restraint on his feet proved to be a set of heavy metal shackles.
Bound tightly around his ankles, the shackles were connected to the equally heavy bed by an iron chain.
"It's a bit too brutal for an ordinary person, yet far from enough for someone extraordinary."
Muttering this evaluation to himself, Fu Qian searched up and down the bars in front of him until he finally locked onto a slightly more reflective spot, studying his Reflection within it.
Brown hair, green eyes, medium build.
Dressed in a rough blue cloth shirt and trousers, he looked surprisingly neat. Even his hair was meticulously combed.
On his clean-shaven face, his features appeared wise and gentle.
Such an image appearing in a place like this seemed slightly out of place.
Fu Qian shifted his facial features, forming an even more elegant and innocent smile, increasing the dissonance by another fifty percent.
A prison? An asylum? A psychiatric ward?
Regardless of what it was called on the outside, his current location was clearly a heavily guarded facility.
The methods of restraint in such places were naturally on the severe side, so the role he was playing was probably just an ordinary person—just like his fellow inmates around him.
Outside the door was a Corridor, and his cell was located at the classic dead end.
Looking out along the Corridor, Fu Qian confirmed there was a whole row of people locked up, all of them ordinary people without exception.
To him, this was all information evident at a glance.
So the question now was... should he continue with the task?
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