Eldritch Horror Theatre

"There's never been such a talkative Shadow. I'm glad I was sharp enough to discover you first."

With his hints instantly seen through, the Person Behind the Door seemed to lay all his cards on the table, continuing to marvel.

"You just had dumb luck..."

"Did you think I didn't see him?"

"And then you just sent him straight to the Back Room? You know perfectly well we can't see anything in there..."

Unfortunately, the others seemed unwilling to concede that point. The newly quieted scene instantly became as chaotic as a wet market again.

Aside from refusing to admit defeat in perception, someone was clearly dissatisfied with how the Person Behind the Door had guided him.

"I already told you he feels different. If he kept wandering around, the situation could easily spiral out of control. I had to skip everything else and proceed straight to the core test."

The Person Behind the Door was clearly displeased with the accusations, practically roaring back.

Although the conversation was abrupt, as a theoretical colleague, Fu Qian easily grasped certain keywords.

Core test?

He had been wondering about the Person Behind the Door's motives, and now he seemed to have his answer.

In this Fallacy Spacetime, the researchers' countermeasures differed from before. They weren't eliminating the Shadow; they were observing it.

Treating it as a special phenomenon, they were making contact, observing, and testing its properties—they had even prepared an entire protocol for it.

And the core of that protocol was the Back Room.

...

Not bad. This was feeling more and more like forbidden research.

The Stargazers weren't observing stars; they had started observing people.

The truth was rapidly approaching, and the facility felt increasingly bizarre.

Fu Qian could almost picture the scene behind all those tightly shut doors: a group of people holding their breath, watching, and listening.

From the crowd's conversation, it was obvious that even if the Shadow itself was invisible to them, it wasn't hard for them to lock onto it through the dots and lines spread throughout the facility.

Just as the Person Behind the Door had done at the very beginning.

It wasn't surprising. He had suspected earlier that since the network could transmit sound, it could likely transmit other things as well.

In any case, the current situation seemed quite clear.

First off, thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. He had just finished posing as a Scavenger, and now he was appearing as a Shadow.

Next, the Person Behind the Door had discovered him first. After a brief exchange and some consideration, the man had guided him straight to the Back Room, the core of their testing protocol.

The others might have objected, but to avoid disturbing the interaction, they could only pinch their noses and accept it.

Admittedly, the Person Behind the Door's concerns were justified. If he had kept wandering in circles without being served the main course, he might have just kicked things into overdrive.

As for their goal in sending him to the Back Room despite being unable to see inside...

"You want to observe the changes in the person inside after he comes into contact with a Shadow? Aren't you afraid I'll beat him to death?"

Isolating variables came effortlessly to Fu Qian, so he casually confirmed it.

There were naturally many bizarre things inside the Back Room, such as the drop point, which currently seemed to involve the highest level of power.

But even if the researchers hoped to use a Shadow to find answers—to see if it would automatically converge on a specific point—they should at least follow behind to watch.

Otherwise, what if it was just a fleeting moment? Wouldn't their efforts be in vain?

Instead, the entire group stayed holed up in the Laboratory, making the act feel more like a feeding.

A feeding for a certain locked-up researcher.

"Based on past experience, we don't worry about that kind of risk... though you really are different from the others. Most of them barely possess any language ability."

Sure enough, the Person Behind the Door's response not only confirmed his theory but admitted this wasn't the first time.

It sounded like most Shadows lacked intelligence, so they weren't worried about them doing anything to The Thinker.

"Since we've reached this point, can I satisfy my curiosity? From your perspective, where do you come from? Based on our observations, Shadows are generated almost out of thin air."

Before Fu Qian could speak, someone else couldn't help but interject, sounding as if they had been holding the question in for a long time.

"Good question."

Honestly, considering everyone's stances, the situation shouldn't have been this harmonious.

But in that moment, not only did Fu Qian praise the question, he answered it straightforwardly.

"I come from Moore."

Hmm...

Even though he was telling the truth, the air instantly fell silent.

"Is there a problem?"

Fu Qian pressed the issue with a hint of malice.

"...You don't seem very honest. Are you trying to say you really came here to do a cleanup?"

Sure enough, the questioner was the first to lose their composure, seemingly unable to accept the answer.

"Not exactly. I can't be bothered with that sort of thing."

Fu Qian shook his head.

"Otherwise, wouldn't you all be in danger?"

...

It was terrifying upon deeper reflection.

The already tense atmosphere chilled another degree because of Fu Qian's reasoning.

Everyone here was an intellectual; it was easy to quickly figure out why they would be in "danger."

"Nonsense! Are you trying to say that we are the Shadows?"

The questioner immediately rebuked him in anger.

"Heh... why couldn't that be the case?"

"Just like how I didn't realize it earlier, this sort of thing can't be self-verified, can it?"

This time it was Fu Qian's turn to laugh, his expression downright wicked.

Yet his reasoning hit exactly upon the point the group had been so proud of earlier, making any attempt to deny it incredibly frustrating.

"An interesting theory."

Ultimately, the Person Behind the Door was steadier. Not only did he pick up the thread of conversation, he even praised it.

"Either you can't realize it yourself, or we can't realize it. When alone, it truly is a difficult thing to self-verify... But what makes you think we haven't prepared for this?"

He was clearly taking the approach of praising first and striking down later as he immediately shifted the subject.

Oh?

At the same time, Fu Qian noticed a light turning on to one side, followed by another...

They were all lined up in the same direction. In the blink of an eye, an illuminated path appeared in the darkness, leading straight toward a location he had never visited.

...

"What is this place?"

The visual cue was just too obvious. Fu Qian didn't even need a reminder; he had already followed the path all the way.

His final destination appeared to be a spot with a superb view.

Although it wasn't the highest point of the complex, there were hardly any obstructions on either side. It was a fully suspended platform extending out into the air.

Furthermore, the direction was important...

Fu Qian figured that, if he remembered correctly, across the sea in that direction should be Moore.

And more importantly, there was a familiar pattern—

Right in the middle of the platform, formed by metallic dots and lines, was an angular eyeball.

"The place illuminated by the Lighthouse."

The Person Behind the Door finally answered his question.

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