Eldritch Horror Theatre

So how should this be described? Sleeping under one blanket?

Honestly, I have to admit that Eldest Miss Wen was being a little tacky here.

Forcing group pleasure—and even sharing it among everyone—would be considered a high-level tactic even for Excellency Stomach, wouldn't it?

But that wasn't even the most outrageous part. For a textbook noble lady, Eldest Miss Wen hadn't just transformed this place into a Hall of Joy without blinking an eye; she hadn't even spared herself.

Her own share of pleasure was radiating outward, proving beyond a doubt that she hadn't kept herself detached from the chaos.

This also explained something else. Even though she clearly wasn't a planted mole, she had casually played along with his conspiracy theory earlier; it had never been an impulsive move.

That seemingly immature display was just cover for this grand maneuver.

Was everyone just feeling especially ruthless today? It was strikingly similar to how Professor Lisa had quietly poisoned everyone, including herself, earlier.

But that raised a question. Professor Lisa's poison had been a subtle attempt to trap everyone here.

Strictly speaking, Chief Yuan had already asked a similar question earlier. But after that split-second exchange, she simply kept her brows furrowed tightly, in no rush to speak again.

Whoosh—

Eldest Miss Wen finally parted her lips.

But she didn't speak. Instead, she turned back, took a soft breath, and blew on the candle cradled in her arms.

...

Fine, fine, fine. Everyone was going straight for the throat today, huh?

The problem was that Professor Fu was frail today; beating him up wouldn't even feel satisfying, would it?

The candle was linked to Professor Fu's heart. If it went out, he might not die, but he would definitely suffer massive blood loss.

The crowd in the Sanctuary clearly knew this, which was why Wen Li's actions had startled them.

Regardless of her true identity—whether she was a hunter who had been protecting her captive all along, or a minion actually arranged by Professor Fu—she had no reason to be this vicious, right?

Not to mention she had just saved the flame earlier. If she hadn't intervened, Yuan Shan would have snuffed out the candle long ago... So she stopped the killing just so she could do it herself?

Was her sense of humor really that twisted, or was she just trying to scare people?

Fu Qian easily read everyone's thoughts in that moment, quietly marveling at the sheer drama unfolding in this tiny space.

The reason he could read them so precisely was simple—

Under the influence of pleasure, all mental activity became nourishment, and every emotional ripple fueled the flames.

Right now, those flames were flowing among the group. Aside from the pleasure of Wen Li getting her palm pierced a moment ago, he could already feel so much more.

Backed by these surging waves, analyzing the situation was undoubtedly much easier.

Ugh—

Of course, there was one thing he had missed—the biggest wave had already crashed down.

She truly was a junior Professor Fu had painstakingly mentored; Eldest Miss Wen had even mastered the lesson that "candles must be blown out."

Under everyone's anxious gaze, that breath showed no mercy at all, completely extinguishing the wisp of heart fire.

Professor Fu's earlier guess finally had a chance to be tested.

As it turned out, he didn't die—but he was clearly at death's door.

A mouthful of blood immediately welled up in Fu Qian's throat, but he lacked the strength to even cough it out.

His head felt like it had been struck by a sledgehammer. His nerve fibers swayed like willows in the wind, rippling with the joy of spring.

The description was admittedly a bit abstract, but Fu Qian still spent the effort to frame it that way because it wasn't just his own sensation.

Even through his blurring vision, he could tell that the others were taking this little spring outing right alongside him.

This joy of withering, born from his very life slipping away, was slamming heavily against the sanity of everyone inside the Sanctuary.

...

So that was it. Was this her goal all along?

Even though the thrill of Suffocation was incredibly intoxicating, it didn't stop Fu Qian from defying human nature. He forcibly dragged his soaring nerve fibers back to earth to answer his earlier question.

Wen Li hadn't blocked Yuan Shan just to personally kill him out of some twisted obsession. She did it to ensure Professor Fu's sacrifice had maximum value.

By using the stark contrast of her actions, she could inflict the greatest possible psychological shock on their audience, perfectly "breaking the ice."

At this moment, the total amount of pleasure inside the Sanctuary had undoubtedly been maximized.

As for what use this maximization had?

"Your time is running out. You might as well have a good chat with them."

Wen Li, having struck such a ruthless blow, didn't follow it up with another. Instead, she leaned close to Fu Qian's ear and whispered a reminder.

"Things are a bit strange. It looks like I no longer have the ability to get you out of here, so I can only try to create a better environment for communication."

...

I see. It really was a bit strange.

It was obvious that even as an expert in this field, Wen Li was struggling to handle the current situation.

And her explanation gave him plenty of food for thought.

Regarding her true identity, and her actual goals...

Believing she couldn't resolve the situation, she was leaving it to the prisoner to figure out a solution.

And to maximize the efficiency of that communication, she had traded his lifespan for a dialogue buff.

It was more than a little disrespectful of his personal wishes, and the buff itself was a bit tacky, but her underlying intentions could technically be construed as good.

The only problem was that the prisoner and the hunter seemed to have different goals. What made her assume Professor Fu even wanted to leave?

"How many... of them?"

Fu Qian forcibly swallowed back that mouthful of blood in the next moment. Responding to her call, he spoke with great difficulty, even though his first question was rather odd.

"...All six of them."

Even Wen Li seemed confused by the question, but she still counted the women out to confirm it for him.

"Excellent."

Fu Qian looked highly satisfied with this answer. His yellowed—pah, murky—eyes swept over the remaining six ladies one by one.

"I don't know if you'll believe me, but I am incredibly high right now."

...

"I believe you."

The first to answer was Yuan Shan. Ever since her attack had been intercepted, the free-rider had stood entirely motionless.

Her statement was clearly representative of the group; a quick glance showed widespread agreement.

"Then do you believe that I'm actually very willing to head to the real Sanctuary?"

Still satisfied with their reactions, Fu Qian asked his second question, openly admitting his mission objective.

"I believe you."

This time, the reaction was quite intriguing.

It was Classmate Liushuang who believed him, and she answered without missing a beat.

Yet, despite possessing a Lucent Sword Heart, the ripples of pleasure she gave off in that moment actually felt less pure than Chief Yuan's.

Interesting... So she didn't actually believe him?

Wen Li's methods were clearly taking effect. Fu Qian had just obtained information that would be incredibly difficult to pry out through a normal interrogation.

Of course, he needed to increase the efficiency even further, because time was truly running out.

"So do you believe the past me, or the present me?"

Blinking thoughtfully, Fu Qian tested the waters with his third question.

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