Eldritch Horror Theatre

Making a story logical was merely the baseline. The Director actually had another crucial responsibility: ensuring the story felt real.

After all, only with enough realism could it carry enough emotional resonance.

So what was realism?

To Fu Qian, the key didn't lie in costumes or props, but in eliminating the "deliberate."

Events could be driven by coincidence, but one needed to sense the inevitable within that coincidence.

However, in the current situation, this hadn't been handled very well—

Because the female staff member arrived a step late, she perfectly missed running into Mrs. Tracy...

Because of Hairpin Woman Xiao Tong's extreme face blindness, she still hadn't noticed anything amiss despite bumping into an impostor like him...

And even at this very moment, because both of them were trespassing and neither had turned on the lights, he was able to chat with Madam Dark Room for so long...

As a veteran mastermind himself, Fu Qian could sniff out the overly deliberate scent in all of this.

Had the Director really been present all along? And could he mobilize resources to this extent?

In that case, his earlier concern no longer seemed like the man of Qi worries about the sky falling—

Aside from the Well of Time on everyone in Demon Mountain, the Director's presence in this mission might also act as a guillotine.

After all, the Sanitarium's entire pool of resources seemingly could be subtly manipulated by him.

And it was hard to believe his original intentions for a mission like this would be benevolent.

Otherwise, couldn't he just lie flat and believe that everything is the best arrangement?

In short, unless he completed the mission and left this place, he would remain constantly under the Director's shadow.

And that shadow would very likely guide him into a dead end.

Therefore, going forward, not only did he have to avoid each Well of Time, but he also had to actively resist this downward-pulling force in real time.

Of course, one had to look on the bright side. There was already a good start.

Through a probe of tacit understanding without words, he had at least preliminarily confirmed the existence of this force.

Even though Madam Dark Room herself might not have realized this push of fate.

"Understood... But please rest assured, Ms. Tong shouldn't be in any great danger."

He didn't necessarily have to wait for her to notice him. Facing Madam Dark Room's worry, Fu Qian actively spoke up, signaling that the situation might not be so bad.

...

Thud!

In the darkness, the sound of a chair tipping over onto the carpet could be clearly heard.

Compared to Fu Qian, Madam Dark Room's psychological fortitude wasn't nearly as strong. One could almost imagine the color draining from her beautiful face.

"Who are you—"

Reassuringly, after abruptly standing firm, the figure didn't turn and flee. Instead, she finally gathered the courage to demand an answer.

"An intruder breaking the peace. You can call me Lasik."

Fu Qian remained seated steadily right there, replying amiably.

"...Nonsense, Lasik is clearly a woman!"

Unfortunately, she didn't quite buy it. After freezing for a moment, she pointed out Fu Qian's dishonesty.

She was right. Lasik really was a woman.

Fu Qian naturally didn't mind her tone. On the contrary, he felt even more gratified.

Recorder Old Man hadn't been spouting nonsense after all. Lasik really had been here, and the woman in front of him actually knew her?

He had spouted that nonsense to take advantage of her intense, hard-to-fake emotional state right after a sudden shock.

He wanted to test whether the name Lasik existed in the memories of the Sanitarium's residents.

And while Madam Dark Room sounded a bit fierce, she was actually quite warmhearted.

Not only was she constantly worried about Tong's condition, but she even remembered a passing traveler.

"Fair enough. Brown hair, younger than you, but not as young as Tong."

Nodding slightly, Fu Qian not only decisively admitted to lying earlier, but he also continued to describe her.

"...You know her?"

He could hear that she was originally on high alert, but the characteristics Fu Qian described were incredibly accurate.

"Wait a minute, it's you?"

Without even waiting for a response, Madam Dark Room suddenly realized something.

It wasn't strange. According to Mrs. Tracy, Columnist Fu Qian had chatted with many people. It was perfectly normal for his voice to be remembered.

"It's me."

Fu Qian continued to be honest.

"Then why did you pretend to be Lasik?"

She sounded like she already believed his identity, but Madam Dark Room clearly still held a grudge.

"What do you mean, pretend? I clearly said you 'could' call me Lasik."

Fu Qian emphasized the word "could."

...

See? This was the power of logic.

Faced with Fu Qian's statement, Madam Dark Room, who had been assertive from the start, fell into a rare moment of silence.

"So you actually came here looking for her? What exactly is your relationship with her?"

After recovering her ability to speak, she didn't bicker over his wordplay, but rather inquired about Fu Qian's true purpose.

"How should I put it? Lasik and I once weathered a crisis together."

Recalling the conditions for achieving Containment in the "Virtue" mission, Fu Qian spoke with great certainty.

"Then it looks like you're out of luck. It's been a long time since Lasik encountered any crises here."

It was hard to say how much Madam Dark Room believed him, but she still shared a bit of information.

"So what kind of trouble did she run into here back then?"

This intelligence was undoubtedly valuable. Fu Qian was instantly curious.

"I don't know. When I met her, she already didn't seem to trust anyone."

Unfortunately, bad news arrived in an instant. That was actually all she knew.

She didn't trust anyone? Well, that certainly fit the vibe of this place.

Fortunately, he could still dig up a little something. Imagining the past scene, Fu Qian mused that Lasik truly was fraught with misfortune.

And even if she wasn't an outsider, it looked very likely that she, just like him, had received this place's special hospitality.

"Thanks for telling me that. I'm much more relieved about Xiao Tong now."

But before Fu Qian could express his thanks, Madam Dark Room actually spoke up first.

"I have to go back. I'm afraid that child won't dare sleep alone tonight."

Not only did she directly say her goodbyes and leave, but she also showed absolutely zero concern for a certain someone who had once treated her toothache.

As for what Fu Qian wanted to do here, she was completely indifferent.

"So you just got here too?"

Fu Qian didn't try to make her stay; he merely deciphered a piece of information from her words.

After all, his chat and walk with Hairpin Woman was, in theory, something that had happened four days ago.

"What did you think? I've been with her almost this entire time. It wasn't until the doctor needed to give her a checkup tonight that I finally had the chance to come over here."

Madam Dark Room's voice was low, seemingly still worried about Tong's condition.

Servis?

Because the Attending Physician had gone to where the two of them lived, the woman in front of him finally had a chance to wait for him here?

Fu Qian clicked his tongue in amazement.

What exactly was that guy's relationship with the Director? Were they coordinating this flawlessly?

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