Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Call them together?"

It was obvious that, in that moment, Hao Ke's surging desire to survive had finally hit a wall.

He didn't make a sound. His subconscious reaction was to stare at Fu Qian's face, trying to see if he was joking.

Clearly, although he feared death, dragging his acquaintances into this situation remained a difficult choice.

Unfortunately, Fu Qian's demeanor remained placid, his smile carrying a gentleness that bred despair.

"Why?"

In the suffocating silence, Hao Ke finally dropped his eager stance, needing confirmation before he answered.

"I can't see the point in this. I'm almost certain none of them know as much as I do."

He provided this reasoning to defend his stance, shaking his head.

"You really aren't modest at all."

Faced with this defense from a man who looked like he was awaiting a trial verdict, Fu Qian finally seemed moved. He rubbed his chin and nodded slightly.

"But you're not wrong. When it comes to an intuition for danger, you are clearly outstanding in all of West Plain... Then do as you please."

Following this seemingly flawless praise, Fu Qian stood up and waved his hand at Hao Ke, who couldn't believe he was getting off this easily.

"I will come over again at dawn. You can either call them here or wait here alone—"

Pausing, a faint, ambiguous smile appeared on Fu Qian's face.

"You could also choose not to be here."

...

"How could I? You can find me here at any time!"

His expression had gradually relaxed, but upon hearing those excessively lenient conditions, Hao Ke felt a surge of panic and instantly swore he would never take the chance to slip away.

Honestly, the man stating he would return didn't surprise him much.

This mysterious person clearly had motives for coming to West Plain, and after their exchange, Hao Ke certainly didn't expect someone with his style to let him off easily.

The only reason he hadn't struck a lethal blow during the previous trap was because Hao Ke posed absolutely no threat.

No one cared about a bug baring its fangs.

But even after extracting clear information, and even the name "Grimshaw," the man still showed no intention of silencing him. Rather than believing this was out of the goodness of his heart, Hao Ke leaned toward the idea that he still had some use.

And in that situation, trying to run away would mean automatically forfeiting this last bit of value.

"So everything you've experienced tonight still hasn't convinced you that your life is utterly meaningless to me?"

Hao Ke had been eager to clarify his stance, but Fu Qian, who had been about to leave, shot him a strange look.

"You can make any choice you want next, including leaving right now, or even leaving with your friends. It makes no difference to me."

"The choice is in your hands."

Clearly not caring about a response, the figure waved goodbye and vanished from the spot, leaving Hao Ke staring blankly.

Any choice... could that be true?

In the resulting silence, Hao Ke, who had breathed a slight sigh of relief regardless, suddenly felt a bit at a loss.

As someone extremely vigilant in times of peace, Fu Qian's final statement left him with an increasingly uneasy feeling.

It might be hard to believe, but looking at it from another angle, the man could easily take his life, and Hao Ke didn't dare disobey his orders anyway. Under those circumstances, was there any need to lie?

On one hand, he had acknowledged Hao Ke's value as an informant, but on the other hand, he had told him to find more people...

Shadow had already enveloped West Plain...

The choice is in your hands...

Piecing this information together, an unbelievable thought arose in Hao Ke's mind.

Could it be that the guy asking him to find people was actually acting out of... goodwill?

It was like casually tossing a lifeline to the dying—come and offer some value, and you can trade it for a slightly better chance of escaping Shadow; if you don't come, that's up to you.

Logically, it seemed to make sense, but at the same time, it was even harder to believe.

But what if it really was...

Recalling his resolute stance from just a moment ago, Hao Ke suddenly felt a trace of regret, worrying that he had made a mistake.

Click!

After letting this emotion brew for a few minutes, he finally gritted his teeth, walked over to the only entrance, and quickly reactivated his previous security arrangements.

The night outside was still vast and hazy. There was still some time before dawn.

After gazing at the starlit sky for a few breaths, Hao Ke finally made up his mind, stepped out the door, and swiftly broke his promise.

...

It really did upgrade.

In the darkness, Fu Qian stood silently, observing the building in front of him.

It was a dark red three-story building that bore the weathering of time.

That trick of vanishing on the spot was, of course, executed using Blood Crusade.

After bidding farewell to Hao Ke, he had absolutely no interest in observing from his original spot and left directly.

The choice was in his own hands.

Given that Hao Ke had made a contribution, Fu Qian indeed had no intention of forcing the issue.

Mainly, there was no need to.

After the exchange with Hao Ke, he could confirm that West Plain was currently immersed in a state of peaceful years, a tranquility where no specific faults could be found.

Any intuitive worries were clearly dismissed as a man of Qi worrying about the sky falling, an unwarranted overreaction.

Therefore, Fu Qian agreed with Hao Ke's assessment: the minds of those people most likely couldn't provide any information more valuable than his.

In this situation, the true meaning of telling him to gather his people lay in the action itself.

It was like tossing a stone into this anomalous peace to see if it would stir up any special ripples.

This was also why there was no need to force the issue. Even if Hao Ke chose to flee with his circle out of a fear of the unknown, that sudden anomaly would still act as a stone, just of a slightly different type.

Next, he could still treat West Plain as a whole and observe its reaction.

Conversely, if Hao Ke honestly stayed indoors out of respect for his earlier promise, that would be the least valuable development.

But considering the survival instinct and initiative the man had displayed, Fu Qian believed the probability of him making that choice in the current situation was very small.

Even if that was exactly how the Night Watchers had chosen to act.

Whether they were on duty or resting, the clearly increased number of personnel still exuded an easily sensible relaxation, brimming with an atmosphere of absolute peace.

So next, it was time for him to show his own initiative.

Silently, Fu Qian activated Blood Crusade once more, walking toward a seemingly familiar aura in his perception.

Let me think, what was her name again—Tan Mingxue?

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