Eldritch Horror Theatre

Actually, the Old Man was right—Fu Qian was indeed talking nonsense.

Don't be fooled by his vigorous shouting. One could completely ignore the transcendent elements and interpret this as a psychiatric patient's self-rebuttal—

His beloved son committed suicide many years ago, fracturing his sanity and eventually leading to the birth of this Sanitarium.

And that long career as a recorder was nothing more than a little game of self-deception and self-torture, born from an inability to accept that his son was truly gone.

Through record after record, the Old Man tried to search for traces of his son.

As for why he actually found him?

It was very simple. It could be understood through the exact same reason why the Old Man couldn't search the very things he had recorded himself.

The fragment of his mind that possessed the retrieval ability had been gradually compartmentalized, step by step, until it became an independent entity.

This was the true meaning behind "living within his will" as mentioned earlier.

And the so-called "loss" was nothing more than a narrow definition he had forced upon himself under these circumstances.

Everything was still inside the Old Man's head; he simply believed he had forgotten it.

In theory, solving this kind of problem was like climbing into someone's brain to manually wire their neurons—it was simply too difficult to execute.

Then why did Fu Qian still offer to find it himself?

Very simple: for the sake of occupying a post without doing work.

The Old Man's overly intense mental state desperately needed an outlet.

If Fu Qian hadn't taken on this job, the Old Man probably would have stood there and driven himself to death trying to force a result.

Compared to letting his son slowly search for it—which might have taken "quite a while"—this option was undoubtedly a much better way to "kill time."

If he obsessed over it until Judgment Day arrived, the game would be over anyway.

In summary, under these circumstances, he needed to decisively write this blank check to help the Old Man clear his mind and thereby avoid any risks.

"...If you really can find it, then we will definitely express our gratitude."

Facts proved that under this slight mental coercion, the Old Man was truly calming down.

"How about another piece of intelligence? Consider it an equivalent exchange."

He had even quickly come up with a bargaining chip so neither side would suffer a loss.

...

Wasn't this a bit too calm?

Unfortunately, that was only what the Old Man thought. At that moment, Fu Qian was already overflowing with the urge to complain.

Intelligence for intelligence? It sounded fair at first glance, but why did it reek of an unscrupulous merchant?

It was like asking if there was a discount for topping up, only to be told yes, and that they would even throw in a few extra items.

There was zero actual discount; from start to finish, it was just a matter of altering some data.

"Deal."

But complaints aside, Fu Qian immediately agreed without changing his tone, locking down a possible predetermined death condition.

Honestly, unless he was overthinking it, there seemed to be a few too many omens of death in this mission.

"So, where should I go to find you when the time comes?"

Even though the person behind him felt like a wholesale distributor for the Dead Star, Fu Qian still didn't forget to ask for a way to contact him.

"Mosson... find a dark space with at least three right angles and simply call out this name."

The other party actually provided it, even though the conditions were a bit bizarre.

Furthermore, it was hard to say whether that name belonged to the Old Man or his son.

Of course, out of politeness, Fu Qian didn't ask.

"Also, if it really is lost, you can go take a look in Servis's Office..."

The Old Man actually showed a bit more enthusiasm, taking the initiative to provide another small clue.

"Judging from the slight traces left behind, she finally appeared right there."

...

Interesting. That place again?

To think there was actually extra intelligence to be gained. Fu Qian felt deeply gratified at that moment.

Looking back at their conversation, there was every reason to suspect that if he hadn't taken the initiative to accept this job, he most likely wouldn't have obtained this information.

The concept that harmony fosters wealth seemed to have manifested here.

Moreover, this location was undoubtedly very special, and it wasn't the first time he had heard of it.

The Head Physician's Office, where the Attending Physician was rarely present...

Even in his previous plans, that place had always been a key area.

Lasik's final appearance was also there?

If one was optimistic enough, could it even be understood that there was some secret passageway out of there?

It was far more than just providing a clue for his search; it was a highly significant gain regarding the Containment target of this mission.

After providing the contact method, the Old Man behind him made no further sound, seemingly having left quietly.

Fu Qian didn't call out to make him stay, as he had already reaped a bountiful harvest this time.

Yes, the "escape route" related to the Head Physician's Office was just one of his gains in Fu Qian's eyes.

There was more than one question that had actually been confirmed to a certain extent.

For example, Lasik was not an "outsider."

Earlier, when he had tried to use the latter as a search term, the Old Man's response was that it yielded no results.

If he trusted the professional standards of "his son," could it be understood that Lasik was different from him?

That subsequently ruled out the possibility of her being a Warehouse Senior.

Aside from that, there was another point: Lasik seemed to have ultimately left this place.

On one hand, this seemed to prove that a way out actually existed.

On the other hand, it also seemed to verify his initial impression—the events here theoretically took place before that infinitely looping videotape.

Originally, at the end of that mission, he had deduced that Lasik might have been a tool, specifically placed inside to be tortured into madness so that latecomers would have a chance to complete the task.

So who could have done it?

This question had lingered for a long time.

Furthermore, after Lasik appeared in the Sanitarium, the Recorder Old Man had also classified her as an uninvited guest just like him.

If he was thrown in here because of the Warehouse, for what reason did she come in?

If she was also thrown in, could the culprit be the same person who put her in the videotape?

This point alone made Fu Qian feel that it was truly worth investigating.

Could the disappearance of Lasik's relevant records also be related to this?

Yes, although it looked highly probable that it was a problem with the Old Man's own brain.

But if they were truly "lost," Fu Qian believed it was no accident.

Of course, with the constitution of an ordinary person, conducting this kind of investigation would be quite difficult.

However, Fu Qian still didn't mind satisfying his curiosity along the way as they slid toward Judgment Day.

"You're awake?"

Of course, before that, there was a small matter that needed to be confirmed.

Watching Mrs. Tracy twitch slightly, Fu Qian offered a casual word of sympathy.

Because he had dawdled around without leaving, even the victim who had passed out earlier had woken up.

"You..."

Fortunately, when Mrs. Tracy looked over upon hearing his voice, she wasn't particularly agitated. A moment later, she looked down at herself.

"Was I unconscious for three days?"

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