Eldritch Horror Theatre

Young lady, your sinister streak is running a bit high today, isn't it?

Looking at the familiar expression he usually wore himself, Fu Qian once again empathized with his victims.

Beneath Eldest Miss Wen's harmless facade, what had just happened couldn't have been clearer—

she had turned around, looking eager to hear him out, while simultaneously activating her ability so the prisoner couldn't utter a single word.

Then, she had simply concluded that the criminal, mindful of his own crimes, had nothing to say under the scrutiny of justice.

Not bad. One really could say proximity to vermilion turns one red.

Even though her current persona was completely unrecognizable, Eldest Miss Wen had ultimately grasped a bit of the essence of wandering the jianghu.

Of course, he wasn't going to beat the drum and cry for justice over something like this. On the contrary, Fu Qian only felt gratified.

They were all out here trying to make a living; accepting defeat gracefully was basic etiquette. He wouldn't hold a grudge over something like this.

The current situation undoubtedly looked a bit grim, leaving him with a rather high degree of passivity.

Not only had he been instantly reduced to a captive, but as an ordinary person up against someone in the Transcendent Tier, his hope of resistance was slim.

Wen Li's earlier action seemed like a prank, but to Fu Qian, it revealed a resolute stance: she had absolutely no intention of talking to him.

This kind of iron-blooded captor, combined with the ambiguous destination of the "Sanctuary," truly made the future feel uncertain.

"Since you have nothing to say, let's head out."

Wen Li was already signaling the start of their journey, walking directly ahead without allowing for any argument.

Clink—

At this moment, the expensive chain of the Handcuffs also proved its necessity.

Although it was an item meant to restrict movement, its exquisite design ensured her image didn't suffer any color loss.

Wen Li seemed to have made up her mind, preparing to drag him along like this all the way to their destination.

"Alright, how are we traveling?"

Sensing her resolve, Fu Qian didn't put up a pointless struggle. He put on his shoes and walked by her side, his demeanor casual, almost as if they were taking a stroll together.

The room's door had already been opened. He could see that the outside wasn't a standard residential layout, but rather had a heavy commercial travel style.

In plain terms, this was obviously an inn.

Thanks to his cooperation, his seemingly vanished vocal cords returned the next moment.

"Don't worry, the car is already waiting downstairs."

Wen Li's response carried a strong sense of déjà vu, bringing to mind the scene in Shangjing when she personally visited his humble abode to hire him as a bodyguard.

Furthermore, this establishment's business looked even more deserted than his own Bookstore.

Walking side by side with Wen Li, Fu Qian noted that he shockingly hadn't seen a single guest or staff member. Amid the creaking sounds of descending the stairs, it felt as though they had stepped into Silent Hill.

Such a scene undoubtedly deepened the overall sense of unreality, though Wen Li seemed completely unbothered.

Navigating their way through, they soon arrived at the main doors of the ghost-town-like building.

Even without fully pushing them open, he could see half a tire through the crack in the doors.

It has an engine. I thought a coachman would be sitting up front—

His internal complaints came to an abrupt halt. As Wen Li pushed the doors open, Fu Qian saw the person sitting in the front of the vintage car.

Chief Yuan? What are you doing here joining the fun?

...

There was no coachman, but there was a driver.

The face that turned around from the driver's seat belonged to none other than Yuan Shan.

Even though she had been reduced to a chauffeur, she maintained her usual good mindset, wearing a smile as she looked over.

Her attire was even more meticulous than Wen Li's. She wore a green skirt suit and even had a hat on.

Is today some kind of special day? Don't they have anything else to do? Did they all come here for a vacation?

This scene undoubtedly continued to strip away the realism of everything before him.

Although Fu Qian complained internally, what surprised him was the overwhelming concentration of women here.

It wasn't exactly strange that everyone appearing was an acquaintance. After all, he had guessed earlier that this might be some sort of Mind Space targeting him.

But if they were all female acquaintances, it forced him to ponder the deeper reasons behind it.

Over his years of wandering the jianghu, the number of people he had hit it off with at first sight was countless.

Not to mention the Persuader far away in The Corridor, just right here in Shangjing there was the long-admired Southern Jiang En and Northern Taylor, with whom he had a friendship forged through conflict...

He could only say that if the next person to appear was also a lady, it would be very hard to explain it away as pure coincidence.

In Fu Qian's view, even the legendary grand unified theory of sexual repression wouldn't be enough to sum it up.

"Is that him?"

Especially when Yuan Shan, after scrutinizing him for a moment, turned to confirm with Wen Li.

So she isn't just a pursuer, but she doesn't really recognize me either?

Remaining composed, Fu Qian drew another conclusion. The sheer weirdness of this situation was spiraling out of control.

"You don't know him?"

To his gratification, Eldest Miss Wen maintained her empathetic persona even in a situation like this.

She didn't rush to get into the car. Her gaze scrutinized Yuan Shan's face for a moment before she voiced the exact same doubt.

"I know of him. I even know this face, but we've never met."

Chief Yuan remained as open-minded as ever. Giving a slight nod, she explained directly without hesitation.

"I'm just surprised he would walk around using such an eye-catching appearance. Is his true face really that unbearable to look at?"

...

So in Yuan Shan's cognition, the face in front of her is fake?

That did fit her character a bit. After all, for most of the time he interacted with her, he had worn the face of the Bookstore Owner.

It even aligned with her image as a member of the Night Watchers, backed by an extensive intelligence network.

Finding rationality in an abstract world had always been one of Fu Qian's hobbies.

Therefore, even though the scene before him was growing increasingly bizarre, he continued to draw conclusions.

"I don't blame you. I was surprised once as well, though from a different angle."

Wen Li seemed somewhat satisfied with this answer. She finally climbed into the backseat first, partially agreeing with Yuan Shan's feelings while reserving her own opinions.

Fu Qian didn't put up any meaningless resistance either. He followed her and sat down beside her, even closing the car door on his way in.

"Then what do you have to say?"

However, Yuan Shan seemed to have picked up a chauffeur's habit. She didn't rush to start the car, but instead stared into the rearview mirror and continued to ask, seemingly certain that Fu Qian knew she was looking at him.

"It should be about what I want you to think, right?"

Fu Qian did indeed catch on; in fact, he caught on to a lot more.

"Just treat this as my true face. It would be best if you also treat every word I say from now on as the truth—"

Leaning back lazily, clearly lacking the self-awareness of a captive, Fu Qian casually dispensed his golden advice.

It was a pity that he couldn't finish his warning. When he opened his mouth again, no sound came out.

He didn't need to turn around to know that Eldest Miss Wen had repeated her old trick. It seemed she didn't want her captured target chatting too much with the driver.

"That would be for the best."

It was hard to say whether she had taken it to heart. With a slightly perfunctory response, Yuan Shan smiled and started the car.

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