Eldritch Horror Theatre

Every situation has its pros and cons, and the Warehouse's perfunctory attitude had its benefits.

For instance, while his name remained unchanged, his physical condition was quite good—unlike someone who had been tied up for over forty days.

But even so, completely undoing all these restraints to chase down a middle-aged man sprinting away from a distance was still an impossible feat.

Unless the person willingly approached and delivered himself to his doorstep.

Yes, a major reason he had poured gasoline on the fire was to draw Tracy's male companion closer.

Therefore, Fu Qian was never worried that the man had the courage to kill him; he was worried that he didn't.

Even more gratifying was that the man had already announced his intention to attack the neck, making it much easier to counter.

Of course, out of all his preparations, the most difficult part was figuring out how to free his hands without being noticed.

Thus, the more intense he could make his two audience members' emotional reactions, the better.

For example, long before Tracy's male companion charged him, she had already leaned in close and delivered a lock-picking tool.

While the size of the brooch wasn't a perfect fit, it was more than enough for a grandmaster-level lockpicker.

In short, thanks to this continuous mutual convergence, in the blink of an eye, the momentum of offense and defense has changed.

Shh—

The struggling under his hand still had some strength, but Fu Qian didn't rush to apply a rear naked choke with both arms. Instead, he first glanced at the figure standing frozen a short distance away.

He had to admit that, although slightly older, she was a beautiful woman who easily provoked the imagination.

Slightly wavy brown hair, a high nose bridge, and relatively thin lips that had lost a bit of color in the moment...

Even her attire was clearly meticulously designed, displaying utmost elegance while possessing a tantalizing charm that invited one to undress her.

And whether it was her or her trapped male companion, both wore noticeably similar soft-soled indoor shoes.

This made it easy to understand why their footsteps had been concealed so well.

It even provided an added benefit right now: coupled with the carpet beneath their feet, it made it much harder for the male companion to leave any traces during his struggle.

...

As it turned out, Mrs. Tracy was surprisingly cooperative.

In a situation where most people would scream, Fu Qian merely made a simple hushing gesture, and she actually gritted her teeth and held back, not even trying to run.

As a result, Fu Qian was spared a lot of effort and could continue observing his surroundings.

The room wasn't large, but it wasn't small either. At first glance, it really did look like a room in a Sanitarium rather than a cold psychiatric ward.

Not only was there a warm-colored carpet underfoot, but the surrounding furnishings were exquisite, complete with matching wallpaper.

The set of hardwood furniture had clearly been deliberately cleared away from his position, leaving only this heavy chair beneath him, with various structures fixing him to it.

All in all, it really looked like a makeshift arrangement put together to deal with a Columnist who had suddenly suffered a breakdown.

It appeared the tranquility of this place had been shattered by the role he was playing.

Additionally, he had to admit that the thing he'd been wearing on his head was truly quite special.

Light apricot and overall very round, one could tell from some of the stitching marks that it resembled a hard leather helmet.

Its size, however, was noticeably larger than a normal human's, making it very easy to press down over the head and rely entirely on the bottom structure to secure it.

Moreover, seemingly out of fear that he might bite someone, they hadn't even left a gap for his mouth.

Yet at the same time, the shapes of eyes and a mouth had been stitched onto one side with thread, adding a touch of eeriness.

"He's about to pass out."

As he silently evaluated these things, Mrs. Tracy surprisingly spoke up, sounding worried about her male companion.

"Indeed."

Reminded, Fu Qian finally spared a glance at the veteran military doctor's potential client.

Consistent with his earlier judgment, the man didn't seem much older than Tracy.

But beneath an equally refined exterior, the man lacked vital energy. He truly gave off the impression of being hollowed out.

Even his hair, messy from his struggles, could no longer conceal the thinning patch at his crown.

Of course, the most striking feature was his excessively pale scalp, fully demonstrating what an insufficient blood supply looked like.

Although one arm lacked that much strength, with sufficient technique, the victim was indeed on the verge of collapse. His struggles were growing weaker by the second—

Adding his other hand, Fu Qian locked in a textbook rear naked choke, holding it until the victim completely lost all resistance.

"Don't worry, he's already passed out."

As if doing something completely trivial, Fu Qian controlled the body, slowly lowering it to the floor while casually offering Tracy a word of comfort.

His tone was gentle, but the underlying dynamic was clearly a bit bizarre.

It sounded as if the two of them were co-conspirators, and Tracy's earlier reminder had been a word of encouragement.

...

Mrs. Tracy didn't utter another sound until Fu Qian had undone all the locks and buckles on his body.

At the same time, she firmly stood her ground and didn't run, merely watching Fu Qian's movements the entire time.

"Thank you. I'm returning this to you."

She had clearly made the right choice. After Fu Qian slightly straightened his high-quality hospital gown, he raised his hand and offered her the sparkling brooch, even remembering to thank her.

This...

Unsurprisingly, although Mrs. Tracy still didn't leave, she didn't step forward to accept it either.

Even if the brilliance shimmering on its surface made the brooch look quite valuable.

It was only human nature. Fu Qian didn't push the matter; instead, he tucked the brooch back into his shirt pocket.

Then, under Mrs. Tracy's watchful gaze, he found the hidden buttons on his hospital gown and undid them one by one.

Hmm...

Faced with such an action, Mrs. Tracy actually showed more of a reaction.

Silently, one of her hands hovered over her neckline, as if wanting to mimic the gesture.

Even though Fu Qian's own attire was perfectly normal and devoid of any inappropriate undertones.

Perhaps in consideration of the temperature, there was a tight-fitting garment beneath his hospital gown.

However, considering he had just borrowed something from her, Fu Qian refrained from harshly reprimanding her for an action that bordered on sexual harassment.

He merely efficiently removed the hospital gown, swapped it onto Tracy's still-unconscious male companion, and put on the man's clothes.

"Even if you do this, you won't be able to escape."

After he propped the man back in the chair and restored the various locks and buckles, Mrs. Tracy spoke up.

It was obvious she had deduced Fu Qian's intentions, reminding him that relying solely on this set of clothes would be far from enough.

"I know. After all, it looks like you haven't managed to escape either."

Hearing this, Fu Qian showed not a hint of disappointment. He simply turned to look at her and said with a beaming smile.

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