Eldritch Horror Theatre

Was the Director's scheme truly this grand?

Such a classic location, such a classic design—it really made him suspect that behind the hidden door sat a safe of the exact same model.

That, in turn, brought to mind a certain Key that had failed to find its match last time.

The very same Key the Director had handed directly to him right at the start, using the female staff member as a proxy.

So, from the very beginning, even the safe inside here had been part of the plan?

Though unverified, it was an undeniably easy connection to make.

And the Director's determination to maneuver him into the office now seemed far more obvious.

However, this raised another question: if the goal of getting him into the office was to open the safe, then what was the purpose of opening it?

There was, of course, a ready-made way to verify this: try to open it and see exactly what lay inside.

Since those called "intruders" were likely quite rare, had the Director truly set this Key aside, preparing it specifically for him?

Or was it possible he was merely borrowing someone else's gift? Had this Key originally been prepared for him by Servis?

Exactly. In that moment, Fu Qian formed a small theory as to why the Director was so insistent on driving him into the office—

It wasn't just pure twisted amusement. The actions the Director had been guiding him toward were actually the very things Servis wanted him to do.

...

People who acted purely for the fun of it were rare, after all.

The moment this thought occurred to Fu Qian, the entire sequence of events smoothed out seamlessly.

Right from the start, the Director had stopped him from leaving, even going so far as to hand him the Key.

Subsequent events had involved all sorts of guidance and blockades, steering him all the way here.

If the Director's ultimate goal was to have him open the safe on his behalf, then everything made perfect sense.

Even the fact that this door had been intentionally left unlocked—an anomaly that smacked heavily of inviting the gentleman into the urn—seemed to subtly reflect Servis's stance on the matter.

The Key was in his hands, and the door could be entered at any time. It was a standing invitation directed at the Director.

As for the Attending Physician, he was clearly unwilling to let an intruder disrupt his arrangements.

This was why, at crucial moments along the way, things always seemed to fall short right at the finish line.

Because of this, the back-and-forth between the two "directors" had become increasingly vivid—

Buyiren had stood guard here, leading him away when it seemed he was about to enter the office...

Then, while waiting for the train, Buyiren suddenly revealed his "true colors" and brought him right back...

They traveled together all the way to the Head Physician's Office, only for Buyiren to flip sides again at the last second, stopping him from actually going inside...

He had lamented earlier about how tough Brother Buyiren had it, forced to play the role of a double agent. Now, it seemed that was entirely true.

Speaking of which, the Director's second note seemed to have already hinted at this—

[The other party still noticed the hesitation in your heart.]

The word "hesitation" not only highlighted Buyiren's state of mind, but also subtly indicated that the Director was aware of it and didn't mind exposing that fact.

He knew Servis was forcing him to enter, and he also knew that Servis knew he knew.

Both sides were operating in a state of tacit understanding without words, making their moves in silence.

And he, this intruder, had become a pawn in the game between these two.

Of course, even so, the Director's performance was highly commendable.

For example, the entire guiding process had been, frankly, carried out with quite a bit of flair.

The first note had oozed mystery, setting the tone for the whole operation.

The second note showed even more masterful poise, abandoning the pursuit of absolute control and instead granting him—the tool—room to operate freely.

[You made the mildest choice, which was to completely agree with the other party's statement.]

The meaning behind this instruction to Buyiren was obvious: if the opponent proved too difficult to handle, don't force it—just let him put on a show.

Afterward, he had even given Fu Qian full command, handing over Buyiren—his personal actor—directly to him.

...

This was the difficulty of seeking life amidst certain death.

Though he had pushed the door open, Fu Qian was in no rush to enter the office. Instead, he listened quietly, pondering the many things he had experienced along the way.

With more theories about the Director's motives, his actions became much easier to understand.

Seeking life amidst certain death wasn't just empty talk. It was obvious that no matter how high and mighty his posture was, the Director still appeared to be completely subjugated by Servis.

Everyone here belonged to the latter. No matter how exquisitely the script was arranged, it still required the latter's cooperation to execute.

Just putting oneself in those shoes evoked an overwhelming sense of desperate struggle.

And the only variable was perhaps an intruder like himself.

As a character not completely controlled by the Attending Physician, his unpredictable words and actions provided an opportunity to break through the iron curtain.

However, there was an issue here: why couldn't a character indirectly driven by the Director also be driven by Servis?

What he truly needed was a character who couldn't be fully controlled—an unconventional "collaborator."

That was why, when Fu Qian had repeatedly tortured Buyiren until the man was in immense pain, the drawn note had contained such unique contents.

What looked like a situation spinning out of control might actually hold a glimmer of anticipation.

It felt almost as if, through this method, he was being invited to truly take a seat at the table.

Truly worthy of the title "Director."

As for whether this painstaking effort reaching alone into untrodden realms was worth it, or if he was just engaging in a battle of wits with thin air?

Tap, tap, tap...

At a certain moment, Fu Qian confirmed that the sound of footsteps was actually ringing in his ears once more.

The people lined up behind the iron gate seemed to have finally lost their patience and suddenly began to move.

Except they weren't moving to rush forward. Instead, they were retreating in unison.

It was almost a rewound playback of their arrival. Fu Qian could clearly distinguish them firmly ascending the stairs one by one, never to return.

Sure enough, the Director's opponent was rather terrifying.

Such a development could be called bizarre, yet in that moment, Fu Qian sighed softly to himself.

This was exactly what he had been waiting for.

The facts proved it—His Excellency Servis was indeed cheating.

Even a simple action like pushing open the door was something he still had a way to detect.

Yes, the most straightforward explanation for this crowd's retreat was that the situation within the Black Box had collapsed—and in a direction disadvantageous to Servis.

This had been observed by the party involved, and because it was detrimental to him, he forcibly dragged the spectators away.

As for why this had been his goal all along?

Very simple. If the Black Box was reliable, this was an action that theoretically shouldn't have caused any repercussions. It was perfectly suited to test the caliber of his two opponents.

As it turned out, the airtightness wasn't that great. One of the participants in this trio act had instantly gained Insight into the matter.

The Director's situation was indeed far from optimistic.

Clicking his tongue in wonder, Fu Qian toyed with the Key as he finally walked into the office.

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