Eldritch Horror Theatre

He was just that honest.

Most people felt a pang of guilt when faced with a uniform.

Fu Qian clearly lacked such a bad habit. In fact, he was terrifyingly honest right off the bat.

His previous spot hadn't been particularly conspicuous, especially in the dead of night.

Yet the guard had spotted him instantly. That level of alertness meant he wasn't just well-trained—he had to be deeply familiar with these grounds.

In short, he almost certainly wasn't a rookie, and he recognized the true owner of the clothes Fu Qian was wearing.

He probably also knew exactly what kind of people would be taking a late-night stroll out of the VIP Area.

So, Fu Qian held no illusions about bluffing his way through.

Given his recent actions, getting caught by a guard was undoubtedly a serious matter.

Or even worse, they might drag him straight to the Police Department and make a mark in his medical file—which would actually be perfect.

Wasn't the task requirement to leave this place before Judgment Day?

Logically speaking, maintaining the daily operations of a Sanitarium this crowded required a massive amount of supplies. They had to have some sort of transit channel to the outside world.

If trespassing over the wall was out of the question, hitching a ride on a legitimate transport vehicle should work, right?

Of course, that was just wishful thinking. With the Director pulling the strings, it was hard to believe he could breeze through the whole process that smoothly.

But that didn't matter. What Fu Qian really wanted to know was how the Director planned to stop him.

"It's you?"

He didn't disappoint. By the faint light, the night guard actually recognized Fu Qian's face and let out a startled gasp.

Judging by his instant physical tension, he clearly hadn't mistaken him for someone else.

"You actually saw through my disguise? Well, I guess there's no helping it..."

His gaze dropping to the uniquely shaped security baton in the man's hand, Fu Qian let out a cold chuckle, radiating the overwhelming chuuni aura of a villain about to silence a witness.

...

'You literally just announced yourself, didn't you?'

Despite how perfectly Fu Qian's expression and tone were synchronized, the night guard didn't seem to feel much of a chill. Instead, his face was filled with utter bafflement.

'When I asked who you were earlier, you straight-up told me you were an outsider, didn't you?'

'And you didn't cover your face at all. Did anyone even need to "see through" your disguise?'

"I'm warning you, don't try anything. Within my line of duty, I'm authorized to use force to stop you."

Bizarre as the situation was, it didn't diminish the guard's professionalism.

The night guard quickly steadied himself and raised his sleek baton.

Fu Qian didn't think he was bluffing, either.

In an illustrious people and blessed land like this, it was entirely possible for someone to act out impulsively. Granting the security staff a higher degree of martial freedom was a necessity.

The guard once again demonstrated his solid training. Regardless of whether his target was genuinely insane or just acting crazy, he immediately laid down his most effective deterrent.

"What do you mean? When I said there was no helping it, I meant I couldn't try anything."

Unfortunately for the guard's tension, Fu Qian's face was already a picture of utter innocence as he casually fired back.

"...You need to come with me."

The guard stiffened for a moment before deciding not to dwell on the topic, returning straight to standard procedure.

"I thought you were going to blow that whistle."

Without even asking where they were going, Fu Qian simply dropped his gaze to the guard's chest and expressed surprise.

"It's nighttime. Theoretically, this thing is banned from use right now."

The guard was finally starting to catch up to the rhythm of the conversation. After only a brief pause, he pinched the metal whistle in his hand and explained the Sanitarium's rules.

"But I'm warning you again—don't get any funny ideas. I won't mind breaking the rules."

He immediately followed up with that reminder.

"Not bad."

The guard's wariness was certainly commendable. He hadn't lowered his guard just because Fu Qian was cooperating.

Principled yet flexible—this was exactly the kind of uniformed worker that criminals hated running into the most.

Yet, Fu Qian gave a slight nod and offered his highly satisfied praise.

It wasn't his headache to deal with anyway. It was the Director's turn now.

If he ran into opponents who were too easy to handle, where was the supposed ramp-up in difficulty?

...

"Why 'not bad'?"

For the night guard, however, this compliment was a genuine challenge to his logical reasoning.

The Dao heart he had been bitterly struggling to maintain all this time finally showed signs of crumbling, forcing him to ask.

"Based on your performance, I feel confident we won't get lost later on. After all, look at how dark it is."

Fu Qian already had his answer prepared, gesturing to their surroundings.

'That's not completely without reason... but I haven't even told you where I'm taking you, have I?'

Since it was at least a subtle acknowledgment of his professional competence, the guard looked completely at a loss for a response.

"This way."

In the end, he chose to legitimately ignore the compliment, turning around and gesturing for Fu Qian to follow.

"...How did you do it?"

Seeing that Fu Qian really was following along, the guard took a few steps before he couldn't help but marvel.

"You mean how I undid my bindings?"

Fu Qian surveyed the path under his feet, noting that they were detouring around the Main Building, effectively moving further away from the Head Physician's Office, without breaking his stride.

As for what the night guard was so curious about, it wasn't hard to guess.

People easily gravitated toward their own professional spheres.

Suddenly snapping out of madness was indeed a remarkable feat.

But marveling at that sort of thing was clearly a job for the Attending Physician.

For an employee tasked with maintaining order, the more shocking part was how someone bound up like a rice dumpling had managed to free himself.

"Yes. According to the victim's account, it looked like you were never tied up to begin with."

This guess was confirmed in the very next moment. The night guard didn't seem to think it was a secret, though he still consciously withheld the victim's name.

...

'So I was discovered after all? The Director is getting more and more capable.'

Escaping bindings was merely an insignificant skill. What Fu Qian confirmed from the guard's statement was something else entirely.

It seemed that the female staff member hadn't feigned face-blindness after the fact. She had actually reported that the person tied to the Chair had been swapped out.

He could only say that as a result, the nature of the situation was completely different now.

Covering up the incident was one thing, but somehow keeping the Sanitarium running as usual without initiating a large-scale manhunt when the incident had already been reported? That was far more difficult than the former.

The Director was really starting to show the true flair of the Sanitarium's person in charge.

Which begged the question: how was the person in charge planning to deal with a columnist who had practically turned himself in?

"As the saying goes, as long as you have freedom in your heart, nothing can bind you."

Brimming with anticipation, Fu Qian didn't forget to clear up the night guard's confusion.

It was just that the motivational flavor of the answer was a bit too heavy. The guard practically grimaced, choking on the words.

Click!

But there wasn't much time to appreciate this reaction. In the very next moment, the night guard switched off his light.

Darkness instantly surged in. With the sudden shift from bright to dark, visibility plummeted.

"It sounds like you really want to leave this place?"

And in this pitch-black invisibility, the night guard's tone suddenly shifted.

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