Eldritch Horror Theatre

Her complex emotions were getting a little obvious.

Even Lisa, the first one to drive there, didn't know why the checkpoint was locked down. An undeniably disappointing answer.

Yet Professor Lisa's attitude carried a wealth of information in itself.

Since she already acted as if life and death meant nothing to her, and now had Su Gao's guarantee that she wouldn't actually be killed, Lisa logically should have been even less cooperative.

Yet when questioned by her "captive," setting aside whether her answer was true or false, her sheer willingness to respond felt unusual.

Was she striking a pose to confuse them, or had things simply reached a point where she was done pretending?

Fu Qian leaned toward the latter.

In fact, that was exactly why he chose this moment to step in.

Breaking out of this predicament, clearing the way forward, and safely reaching the Sanctuary... were, of course, their primary objectives.

So far, the mission had involved a bit of torture, true, and surviving it was like walking on thin ice, but the overall experience still felt a bit too casual.

Rather than believing the Warehouse had suddenly grown a conscience, it was better to keep a sharp sense of danger.

So, whether through his earlier silence or his decision to speak up now, Fu Qian maintained one constant goal: figuring out what everyone was actually doing here.

And Professor Lisa's reaction was undeniably intriguing. It was hard to believe she had simply wandered here by accident.

"That is quite a hassle."

But since she was being so cooperative, questioning her would be terribly rude. Fu Qian nodded repeatedly, the motion tugging at the gill slits on his neck so they flared open and shut.

"So you're saying that, as of now, no one knows why the place is locked down... Do you think there's any chance it's because of me?"

He directed that last question to the rest of the room.

...

Whether it's because of you or not—shouldn't you know?

The Dark Sanctuary remained dead silent, yet Fu Qian swore he could hear multiple people screaming that exact thought.

Even if, at a glance, not a single face betrayed anything unusual.

"Actually, I think so too. As a criminal, fleeing here to dodge punishment and even turning myself into this state... setting up an extra layer of insurance is just human nature."

Naturally, Fu Qian didn't feel an ounce of embarrassment.

Since no one spoke up, he simply carried on with his analysis.

He even stroked his chin with his one relatively free hand, feigning deep thought.

"But then again, what if the goal isn't that simple? What if your actions were factored into the calculations all along?"

His words grew increasingly alarming, encouraging the others to think a little harder.

"Don't forget I came from the Academy, and you all know how unhinged the people over there are. And this lady right here—we obviously can't rule out the possibility that she's some elite secretly trained by the Academy, too."

Not only did he have zero qualms about trashing his Work Unit's reputation, he even pointed at Professor Lisa, openly calling out her potential identity.

Of course, his phrasing was very polite. Surely Professor Lisa, who so desperately wanted her professional competence recognized, would be a little less angry. Right?

"Yet despite making ample preparations in advance, it looks like this backup plan still won't help me get away."

Calmly meeting Professor Lisa's gaze, Fu Qian kept talking with self-assurance, finally arriving at the main point.

"After all, even if she had some great spirit of self-sacrifice and was willing to trade her life to drag you all down with her, there's just one problem: I'm poisoned too, right?"

Casually laying out the facts, Fu Qian turned his head to confirm this with Wen Li.

...

"That's right, you're poisoned too."

It was obvious that Wen Li's expression had grown rather meaningful.

But she didn't keep them waiting long. After staring at Fu Qian for a moment, she gave a nod.

As the hunter keeping the closest eye on the situation, and the person who had sat closest to Fu Qian the entire time, her perception was sharp enough that she had been the first to notice the poison. Without a doubt, she was one of the most qualified people to confirm it.

"So, no matter how you look at it, there's no way for me to use this chance to escape. Not to mention that any one of you could easily kill me in the process."

Armed with her convincing corroboration, Fu Qian spoke with even greater authority. The next second, he turned his attention to Su Gao.

"So, if someone in here dies, what happens?"

Another technical consultation. And since she was the one who caught Lisa releasing the poison the instant it happened, Classmate Su Gao's words were beyond question.

"They won't truly die, because this place is distinct from the Real World."

Never one to disappoint, Classmate Su Gao not only answered, but delivered a truth that lived up to the phrase never resting until one's words astonish—it faintly felt like it pierced right through the fourth wall.

"But precisely because of that, there is no way to escape our current situation through death. It would only worsen the corruption, binding you even deeper to this Mind Space."

She didn't wait for anyone else to weigh in before adding that crucial detail, instantly shutting down any bold, suicidal ideas.

...

Not the Real World, yet a space that trapped the mind.

Executive Yama Su's casual remark had neatly punctured through the hazy mystery of it all.

Fu Qian had already deduced that this place wasn't reality.

The sheer amazement the others had shown at him hiding in such a place confirmed it to a certain extent—not to mention the utterly abstract "no passage" rules over at the checkpoint.

The most important part of Su Gao's explanation was that it confirmed this was a special "Mind Space," which finally explained why so many familiar faces were appearing together at once.

At the same time, it brought back all the tension they might have lost upon learning this wasn't reality, greatly amplifying their sense of danger.

It wasn't reality, but it might as well have been. They were genuinely trapped now, with no conventional means of escape. Going forward, they had better take this problem dead seriously.

This back-and-forth definitely gave Professor Fu's words a lot more weight.

"Hear that? So simply brushing this off as a trap I laid to avoid getting captured doesn't really hold up."

Naturally, Fu Qian was quite satisfied. He pulled his gaze away from Su Gao, making no attempt to hide his appreciation.

"That does make sense. So, what exactly is the goal here?"

Moreover, it seemed the word "elite" had worked exactly as intended. Despite his earlier sharp critiques, Professor Lisa genuinely didn't seem to mind at all.

While everyone else was lost in thought, she chimed in to play along.

Good question.

Fu Qian was even more pleased. He pointed a finger at himself.

"Simple. I used this whole setup to lure all of you here so I could claim you all for myself."

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