Eldritch Horror Theatre

"It's dark, so we can drink now, is that it?"

Fu Qian's movements were natural, and highly infectious.

At that moment, it wasn't just Lisa. Every gaze in the room converged on him, including Classmate Liushuang's from the far corner.

Coupled with the red that had not yet been completely wiped from his face, he had the air of someone casually tossing back a glass of cellared blood.

"...How does it taste?"

It wasn't until Fu Qian swallowed his second mouthful that Professor Lisa finally snapped out of her daze and managed to form the question.

"Not bad. Thanks for the drink."

Fu Qian evaluated it objectively; he wasn't about to give the drink a bad review just because of Lisa's earlier behavior.

"Mm... I thought you weren't letting him drink."

Her confusion was entirely understandable. Wen Li had clearly just snatched the drink away, yet now she was letting him take it back and start drinking. The contrast was stark.

It was just that the phrasing felt a little strange...

"Because it's dark."

Wen Li remained quite composed. Casually adjusting her clothes to avoid the splashed liquor, she calmly provided her reason.

The key point was that this actually seemed to be her own original line.

At that moment, Lisa choked on her words once more, utterly silenced.

Anyone with half a brain could figure out it wasn't that simple, but a quick recall revealed that when she snatched the glass earlier, Wen Li had indeed been the first to say it. Fu Qian had merely plagiarized her answer.

Creak—

Seeing the conversation stall out with no more drama to watch, Nepheli—who had come in with them—actually walked back to the entrance. After a brief stare, she casually pushed the cracked door shut, blocking out the darkness that seemed ready to pour in.

Even so, looking through the miniature window, one could still feel the chaos between heaven and earth. It felt as if this place were all that remained of the entire world.

"So why don't you drink?"

And she wasn't the only one making a move. On the other side of the room, Yuan Shan had actually gone out of her way to sit next to the masked woman—the most enigmatic figure present—curious as to why she had rejected Lisa earlier.

...

Starting from a certain someone's eccentric behavior, the atmosphere seemed to be rapidly going off the rails.

Other than Classmate Liushuang, this woman who kept even her hair wrapped up was, by all appearances, the most aloof person in the entire Dark Sanctuary.

Yet someone was acting overly familiar, and her first question was actually about beverage preferences. It truly carried a sense of offense.

But ignoring the question didn't seem like an option either. The woman beside her might have been relatively gentle, but the female swordsman sitting quietly in the shadows behind her was a different story; her gaze made one feel like they had needles at their back.

It was true—Classmate Su Gao's oppressive presence was always top-tier.

She hadn't said a single word since walking through the door, and she had deliberately found a low-profile corner to sit in.

But whenever people conversed, the casual glances she cast over made it unconsciously difficult for anyone to remain silent.

"I need to keep my head clear."

In the end, Aloof Number Seven similarly couldn't withstand the pressure, slowly spitting out an excuse.

While her voice was hoarse, her reasoning was questionable.

Mere alcohol, barring a highly unusual constitution, would struggle to even serve as a warm-up for a transcendent.

It would cloud her mind? That excuse clearly lacked credibility.

But it didn't matter. The core point was simply to convey a bit of politeness while maintaining some reserve; an answer like that was practically perfect.

As one of the spectators, Fu Qian naturally didn't see any issue with such an answer.

Moreover, just like her eyes, her voice was completely unfamiliar. She truly didn't feel like someone from the Academy, which only made him more curious about what kind of face was hidden—

"Please take off the mask."

But ever the paragon of empathy, Wen Li actually turned her head the very next moment and politely made the demand.

...

Polite, but brooking no refusal.

Just when she seemed ready to keep a low profile, Wen Li—the only participant with a captive—decisively spoke up to seize control of the situation.

This completely fearless display naturally made the atmosphere tense, but it also had a considerable icebreaking effect, instantly giving the current scene a clear focal point.

The time for pleasantries was over; she clearly wanted to ensure the situation remained firmly under control.

"And if I say no?"

However, it seemed everyone capable of showing up here was no pushover.

Aloof Number Seven clearly refused to be interrogated, directly firing back tit for tat.

"I will take it off for you."

The smell of gunpowder spiked, but Wen Li remained entirely unaffected.

She didn't even issue a harsh threat, but simply continued with a flat reply. The firmness in her voice left absolutely no doubt that, when the time came, she would definitely take action.

...

They were throwing down already?

It might have felt a bit surreal, but Fu Qian had never expected this trip to be a harmonious one.

As the saying went, martial artists flout prohibitions with force. In his view, aside from himself, there was definitely a reason why everyone else had retained their transcendent physiques. A fight was bound to happen sooner or later.

When that time came, it would finally be his turn—as the fragile, high-value captive in the middle of it all—to truly display his survival skills.

Under those circumstances, Wen Li's blunt threat actually made sense if you thought about it. She was simply drawing a line in the sand.

Now that she had displayed her absolute determination to succeed, it was time for everyone else to weigh their options—what level of consequence they were willing to accept, and exactly what they were prepared to do within those limits.

Looking very much like a spectator enjoying the drama, Fu Qian rapidly analyzed the current situation and successfully drew Aloof Number Seven's gaze.

"So it's like this... I understand."

Giving a slight nod, the latter appeared to understand Wen Li's intentions. She even rested her hand on her mask, looking as if she were about to pull it off the next moment—

Clang!

Too bad she never finished the motion. Instead, a metallic ringing exploded inside Fu Qian's skull. It felt as if his very nerves were being hammered apart; under the sheer force of the impact, it was nearly impossible for him to remain seated.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

While he silently endured the sensation, Wen Li's voice proved that this wasn't some sudden illness; she had even reached out and snapped her fingers at the same time.

Ding—

Accompanied by another strange sensation, a different sound abruptly joined the metallic ringing, forcefully steadying his consciousness and restoring his control over his body.

The only problem was that it made the metallic ringing even clearer. It was like swapping out anesthesia for raw adrenaline during a bone-scraping surgery. The sheer, excruciating sensation of it was beyond words.

...

Great, so this was how they were going to fight?

Having roamed the jianghu for so many years, there was no way Fu Qian wouldn't recognize what was happening to his body.

Faced with Wen Li's threat, Aloof Number Seven was predictably unwilling to submit, wanting to exchange blows instead.

The only problem was her choice of battlefield.

It was clear she actually possessed her own Mental Shock techniques, and without a word, she had chosen to use their sole captive as a demonstration board.

Unfortunately for her, she had run into an expert in the field. Wen Li casually stepped in to reinforce his mental state.

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