Eldritch Horror Theatre

The situation wasn't actually all that complicated.

Professor Lisa had been surprised at failing to sense Su Gao simply because the latter had deliberately concealed her presence.

In an academic sanctuary like the Academy, even after the recent anomaly, a simple night walk shouldn't have required that level of vigilance.

In truth, she wasn't actually that tense.

Having fought alongside her so many times, Fu Qian knew exactly what her posture meant: she was subtly warning him that she was being followed.

As for who it was, Fu Qian already had a strong guess the moment he opened the door.

Being tailed by someone with malicious intent wasn't completely impossible, of course.

After all, the two of them had braved The Ark together earlier. Not only had a Tier 2 died inside, but the incident also had deep ties to the Origin Council.

But setting aside just how monumentally stupid the Origin Council would have to be to plot directly against an official Night Watcher envoy, if Su Gao had actually detected a lethal threat, she wouldn't have made it so obvious.

Her deliberate posture, then, pointed to only one scenario: Su Gao had noticed someone tailing her, but the follower's strength was unremarkable enough that she couldn't immediately tell if they were friend or foe.

As for why he had guessed it was Lanaya?

He hadn't been absolutely certain, but the probability was high.

Su Gao hadn't spent much time at the Academy prior to this. Aside from Li Weixuan and his group, most of the Academy tutors likely didn't know her identity.

But there was one other factor: his side had just caused quite a public disturbance.

Excluding pure coincidence, if the tailing was related to that noise, the head of the Disciplinary Department was the most likely person responsible enough to come investigate in the middle of the night.

Because of this reasoning, when Su Gao knocked on the door, Fu Qian decided to play a little prank to address the potential misunderstanding.

Su Gao was remarkably cooperative, instantly playing along in the exact same tone.

The end result was that the number of victims instantly expanded to three, adding a touch of liveliness to this freezing winter dawn.

"...When did you get back?"

Since Fu Qian had immediately pulled the Night Watcher inside, and Madam Su had offered such a sincere apology, Lanaya found it difficult to press the issue any further.

Truthfully, the recent string of events had left her feeling a bit paranoid. She could have easily cleared up the misunderstanding by walking up and confirming things directly.

Following Su Gao through the door, Lanaya let out a long breath before finally remembering to confirm Fu Qian's movements.

"That's a bit hard to say. Just assume it was a few hours ago... I didn't interrupt your nightlife, did I?"

Glancing around the unprecedentedly crowded laboratory, Fu Qian pondered briefly, then shook his head.

"You did."

As if he had just struck a nerve, Lanaya let out a long sigh.

"Professor Chang Mo was finally taking the shift tonight, but then I got a report about a strange disturbance and had to rush back to take a look."

......

It truly wasn't easy being the head of the Disciplinary Department.

Hearing Lanaya's lament, Fu Qian glanced over at Professor Lisa.

The professor beside him was the true culprit behind the disturbance.

Lanaya had kept her explanation brief, but the overall sequence of events was perfectly clear.

As the head of the Disciplinary Department, she had been scheduled to take turns with Professor Chang Mo keeping an eye on the Benevolent Curse Institute. She had finally gotten a night off, only to be dragged back by that massive roar.

"There's no need to worry, Professor Lanaya."

Clearly noticing Fu Qian's gaze, Lisa, who had been rather quiet until now, spoke up decisively without batting an eye.

"The disturbance did indeed come from here, but it was just a poorly contained test originating from a joint research project between Professor Fu and me. We'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

The Giant Serpent Maiden was truly ruthless. Without blinking, she applied Fu Qian's earlier excuse, firmly binding him as a responsible party alongside her.

"I see..."

Seeming completely unsurprised that Fu Qian would be involved in something so disruptive, Lanaya nodded repeatedly.

"As long as nothing is wrong. I was just worried an accident might have happened that Professor Chang Mo wouldn't be able to handle on her own."

Her sense of responsibility was palpable. She clearly hadn't considered the noise a major incident, but out of fear that it might be a trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain, she had fought an internal battle and rushed back to check—only to bump into Su Gao.

Of course, what she didn't know was that Professor Chang Mo was no longer struggling by herself. She now had two extra grunts at her disposal.

"Excellency Su Gao, if there is anything I can help with regarding the Benevolent Curse Institute, please let me know."

At that moment, Professor Lisa spoke up again, volunteering her assistance to Su Gao.

It was obvious that, given their seamless mutual understanding earlier, Lisa absolutely didn't believe the relationship between Professor Fu and the woman before her was a simple consultancy.

Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them as her imagination ran wild, and she ultimately didn't forget to satisfy her own curiosity.

"Understood. Thank you in advance."

Despite the somewhat peculiar look in Lisa's eyes, Su Gao paid it no mind, accepting the enthusiasm and immediately expressing her gratitude.

"Professor Fu and I discovered a unique location beneath the Benevolent Curse Institute. We suspect the recent incident may involve the death of a High-Tier Transcendent. As for our next steps, I'm currently waiting for the Council's decision."

Not only that, she even freely disclosed a bit of information.

It was clear that she had seen right through Professor Lisa's curiosity and had chosen to indulge it to a certain extent.

"I see..."

Lanaya, who had been listening intently, muttered to herself, clearly realizing just how much had happened on her night off.

"Is Excellency Su Gao also a transcendent of the sword path?"

Ji Liushuang had already deftly prepared drinks and returned. As she poured everyone a glass, her curiosity toward Su Gao became evident. Her gaze landed on the weapon at Su Gao's side as she asked tentatively.

Her own Rank was too low to gauge Su Gao's strength through perception, but the attitudes of Lanaya and the others helped confirm her suspicion: the woman before her was undeniably a High-Tier Transcendent.

"Regrettably, no. I'm merely accustomed to using this weapon."

Unfortunately, Su Gao still gave a gentle shake of her head.

"I see... Will you be staying here for a while?"

Looking thoughtful, and putting aside her slight disappointment, Ji Liushuang moved on to her next question.

"Yes. It's currently unclear exactly how long I'll be staying... Could I have them deliver the materials here later on?"

She had directed that last question at Fu Qian, evidently preparing to use this place as her base of operations.

"Of course you can."

Fu Qian naturally had no objections, agreeing instantly.

"As it happens, I have an experiment that requires a volunteer."

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