Eldritch Horror Theatre

Handcrafted by the Chief of the Night Watchers? His earlier prodding had actually worked.

"Meticulous preparation."

Marveling silently at Raylan's fluid answers, Fu Qian looked as though he might applaud. He even made sure to glance over at Winona.

"Your decision to call for backup was the right one."

...

Winona had gradually calmed down as Raylan explained the situation, but this sudden praise made her eyes flash with uncertainty.

She had thought her little tip-off was completely flawless. She never expected he had been watching her the entire time.

But if that was true—if this guy knew exactly what she was doing—why hadn't he stopped her? Why had he just sat there, waiting so leisurely?

Wasn't that just a bit too unhinged?

Deeply shaken, Winona desperately searched for a more "reasonable" explanation, preferring anything over the terrifying possibility that Grimshaw was simply a complete psychopath.

...

"I believe your arrogance is exactly what gave us the opportunity for this conversation."

Unfortunately, the rationalizations she was racking her brain to find weren't supported by Raylan.

The towering Night Watcher didn't seem to think Fu Qian was faking his calm demeanor at all.

"When I reported our first encounter, the Chief and I immediately discussed what methods might actually work against you."

Raylan was displaying remarkable sincerity. He even explained the reasoning behind their preparations, his words practically overflowing with praise.

"Shrewd, cold-blooded, and completely unbridled. You are a truly terrifying threat."

"Given the unique stealth capabilities you displayed earlier, even a tracker at the Demigod Rank would find it incredibly difficult to pin you down."

"So we concluded that I was actually our best shot, simply because you had already gauged my abilities."

Raylan tapped his shiny bald head.

"It's hard to tell how much of your madness is genuine, but your arrogance is undeniable."

"You manipulate everything and bewitch the minds of others. Whether they are ordinary people or transcendents, they are all just tools to you."

"You evaluate risks, guide events, and ultimately achieve your goals. You clearly enjoy this dance on the edge of a blade."

"And in your eyes, I must seem entirely harmless. After all, even when I went all out before, I couldn't lay a single finger on you."

Though the words were self-deprecating, Winona's face visibly flushed as she listened.

It wasn't surprising; her own performance during this entire ordeal had been significantly worse.

"I am certain you noticed Winona's little stunt. In your assessment, she wouldn't mind sharing some of the Night Watchers' findings if it meant stalling you."

Taking all this in, Raylan shook his head slightly and continued.

"You used that opening, baiting her into telling you what you wanted to know."

"And when you realized the arriving backup was just me, it wasn't enough to make you abandon that opportunity. Instead, it gave you a chance to continue exerting psychological pressure with maximum elegance."

"Your arrogance regarding my strength was one of the few advantages I could exploit."

...

"It's truly fine. You can continue with your earlier questions."

Seeing Fu Qian look briefly thoughtful, Raylan gestured for him to ask away. He even spared a glance for the frail, helpless Claire sitting nearby.

"I will also urge Ms. Claire to answer your questions to the best of her ability—once we reach an agreement on our current situation, and you tell us what we want to know."

"Please believe me. With the Talisman's effects, this pollution will be incredibly difficult to purge. It will easily last long enough to ensure your current objective fails."

In reality, if it had been the correct type of pollution, his operation would have already failed the instant it was successfully applied.

Raylan's argument sounded detailed and sincere. Yet, in the face of this open-handed trap—this undeniable open scheme—Fu Qian could only mentally scoff.

He didn't doubt the claim about the pollution. Although he had intentionally let it happen, the changes currently coursing through his body were truly fascinating.

Boosted by that Talisman, the attack just now had nearly surpassed the Demigod Tier.

However, compared to what he needed to avoid for his current mission, this kind of pollution was far too orthodox and weak.

As for the claim about tracking him, Fu Qian didn't think Raylan was bluffing, either.

After all, this was an opportunity they had schemed relentlessly to secure. Raylan had taken a massive risk to land that blow; merely making an empty show of strength would have been a waste.

The only real question was what the Night Watchers were trying to achieve after doing all of this.

A full confession?

How much credibility could a liar's words possibly have? Was it really worth all this effort?

To Fu Qian, the demands the Night Watchers were making after successfully "trapping" him felt overly contrived. It likely wasn't their true objective.

The catch was that aside from a full confession, their only other implicit demand seemed to be for him to 'stay here.'

If that was their actual goal, what point was there in threatening him into staying put?

Listen to the words, watch the actions.

Discarding the cliché scenario of stalling for time while they amassed troops, and given that words were unreliable, was it possible they were using special methods to force the two key figures in this incident to meet? Were they trying to observe their respective reactions?

Even with a tracking ability, having him stay quietly in one place was much easier to manage than having him run amok.

It also fit the Night Watchers' operational style perfectly—seize control of the situation rather than reacting passively.

This hypothesis wasn't the only possibility, but if it turned out to be true, it meant Rick could be herded in this direction at any moment. That would inevitably force his mission into a reset.

"Most of the time, I am actually a very honest man who enjoys a good conversation."

In the gradually settling, peaceful atmosphere, Fu Qian slowly shook his head. Disappointment dripped from his words.

"If you had simply asked nicely, none of this trouble would have been necessary. Now, however, I'm a little upset."

...

What kind of shameless logic was this?

Fu Qian's declaration instantly shattered the atmosphere. Raylan fared a little better, managing to hold onto a shred of his composure, but Winona was left completely dumbfounded.

You were going to confess voluntarily, but because this "interrogation" upset you, now you won't say a word?

Who in their right mind would believe that nonsense!

"What do you mean by that?"

Still, Winona didn't completely lose control of her emotions. Instead of lashing out directly, she stiffly interjected.

"I mean that you have absolutely no idea what you're doing, and it looks like this situation will be dragging out a little longer than expected."

As he spoke, Fu Qian kept his eyes fixed on Claire in the distance.

"If I were you, I would start praying that there is still time left for this city."

You...

These words were undeniably chilling. Finally, even Raylan's expression changed.

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