Eldritch Horror Theatre

No wonder the Gusu Murong Clan was renowned under heaven. This Technique of Returning in Kind was truly wondrous.

With a single strike, the Iron-Faced Man—who just moments ago had been as open-minded as an empty valley—fell completely silent on the spot.

From the looks of it, he wouldn't be recovering anytime soon.

"What were you trying to say?"

While marveling inwardly, Fu Qian casually stole another of his lines.

He was on a mission, after all. Using the Silence Ban wasn't because he actually wanted peace and quiet.

Since he had just arrived and lacked a clear read on the situation, a friendly back-and-forth exchange would naturally be ideal.

But for that kind of conversation to work, the temperament of the person leading it was crucial.

His new cellmate was clearly too emotionally unstable, which would only hinder their efficiency. It was better for Fu Qian to ask the questions himself.

After all, going by the principle of inertia, if the man kept quiet any longer, the next line Fu Qian stole from him would probably be, "Are you mute?"

He had to choose the lesser of two evils. Wouldn't it be far more unbearable to have those words thrown in his face?

Besides, Fu Qian's attitude was entirely sincere.

For instance, even though he couldn't see anything through his helmet, he still maintained a polite smile while asking for guidance.

"...You don't need to force yourself to act calm. Believe me, I went through that phase too."

The cellmate had clearly struggled internally for a few seconds. When he finally spoke, he remained as composed as expected, even letting out a cold scoff.

Naturally, Fu Qian didn't care about trivial details like attitude. As long as the man was answering, that was enough.

"For the first two weeks, I didn't even bother keeping track of meal times. I was absolutely certain the people from Siren wouldn't let me die... Though naturally, that's still true now."

He didn't disappoint. The cellmate clearly had a strong desire to vent. Without needing Fu Qian to weigh in, he pressed on, certain that his companion was listening.

"But staying alive is one thing. I now completely understand why Siren went to such great lengths to build a prison out here in the Dead Sea.

"Even now, I've never felt hungry. There were countless times I didn't even touch the food, but I already need to use the meals as an anchor to segment my own perception of time. Otherwise, everything loses its sense of reality... Believe me, you'll experience that discomfort soon enough."

With a long sigh, the man across from him finally concluded his speech.

"I can already picture it. So, how long have you been locked up here?"

Fu Qian chimed in right on cue, even injecting a hint of heaviness into his tone, as if his innermost thoughts had just been exposed.

"Four months? Maybe five? I'm not entirely sure, heh... Using the meals as an anchor is one thing, but I haven't stooped to actually counting them to track time."

His laughter sounded even more dignified than before. Clearly, Fu Qian's willingness to be taught had given the man quite a sense of accomplishment.

"Did you just say this place is a Dead Sea?"

Especially since Fu Qian was continuing to ask for his guidance.

"You've never heard of this place? And yet you got locked up down here? I have to admit, I'm a bit curious now."

The cellmate sounded genuinely surprised.

Clearly, in his mind, anyone thinking of crossing Siren should have already had some idea of this potential final destination beforehand.

"I haven't."

There was no need to overexplain. Fu Qian simply gave a crisp reply and shook his head earnestly, taking the opportunity to gauge the sharpness of the thorns wrapped around his neck.

...

"Not only is it far from land, but the waters around this island form a total vacuum of life. You won't find a single living creature out there."

As it turned out, after a brief hesitation, the cellmate continued his explanation.

"The general consensus is that the water temperature in a ring around this island drops off a cliff compared to everywhere else.

"But a lot of people, myself included, suspect this place might actually be a unique forbidden zone. Since it doesn't pose any other active threat, the Night Watchers simply handed its management over to Siren."

Oh?

He had to admit, the cellmate was proving to be a valuable source of information.

A suspected forbidden zone. Sure enough, every place he visited had its own exceptional charm.

"Free guards?"

Marveling inwardly, Fu Qian posed the question casually.

"Smart... That's right. If the theory holds, this arrangement obviously saves the Night Watchers a tremendous amount of effort and manpower.

"And by keeping it in the hands of a massive organization like Siren, they also don't have to worry about many uncontrollable accidents."

It sounded like Fu Qian's sharp intuition had sapped some of the cellmate's joy in sharing.

Still, the man was clearly no pushover. After acknowledging Fu Qian's point, he didn't forget to offer his own unique insight.

"But Siren definitely isn't losing out on this deal, either. Its significance goes far beyond just being a prison for torturing people. This place undoubtedly holds tremendous value.

"Believe it or not, if they pulled out right now, someone else would instantly rush in to take over and gladly play the pawn."

"I can imagine. So, the place we're in right now is completely submerged underwater?"

The cellmate's insight undoubtedly made sense. Fu Qian didn't bother with pointless arguments, merely nodding as he pressed for confirmation.

"Of course... Even if you didn't know beforehand, didn't you notice on the way in? Wait—when exactly did you get here?"

He confirmed it instantly, but his tone suddenly grew strange. A moment later, as if something had just clicked, he voiced his confusion.

It sounded like he was racking his brains, frantically searching his memories, yet he couldn't recall when he'd gained a roommate.

"Are we within the territory of that freezing Dead Sea you mentioned?"

Unfortunately, Fu Qian seemed to have no interest in discussing his own affairs, opting to press for another confirmation instead.

"That's right. Just who exactly are—"

Despite answering out of habit, the cellmate's suspicions were rapidly mounting.

"But I assume it doesn't get cold enough to freeze, right?"

Unfortunately, Fu Qian's questions weren't over yet.

"Of course not. It's actually been unusually hot today. Who the hell are—"

Although incredibly reluctant, the cellmate answered the question, only to be interrupted yet again.

Only this time, it wasn't Fu Qian who cut him off.

Clack—

A faint unlocking sound echoed through the space, immediately followed by the groan of a heavy door being pushed open.

"How? It's nowhere near mealtime..."

His attention instantly drawn to the noise, the cellmate muttered to himself, sounding deeply shocked.

"There really are two of them..."

A moment later, an unfamiliar voice rang out, echoing a similar sense of confusion.

Unfortunately, the newcomer didn't bother elaborating for the already dumbfounded cellmate. Instead, rapid footsteps approached.

"Don't move. Don't try anything funny, or you can both rot in here."

The icy warning was accompanied by the sound of restraints being unfastened.

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