Eldritch Horror Theatre

Her ability to lie with a straight face was truly something else.

Hearing the Head-Carrying Woman call this a coincidence, Fu Qian inwardly shook his head.

It wasn't as if she didn't know where he lived. No matter how big the coincidence, his route wouldn't naturally pass right by her door.

His appearance had clearly given her the wrong idea, and she was absolutely thrilled by the misunderstanding.

"Sorry, it's my day off. I'm not working today."

Fu Qian said impassively.

When he first realized someone was watching him, he had assumed he was caught in some sort of conspiracy. Now, it looked like a simple misunderstanding.

Judging by how fast she had rushed out, she must have been secretly keeping tabs on his movements.

Once she saw him eating breakfast, she had bolted right out.

Such a heavy dose of hormones—truly full of vitality!

"A day off..."

However, upon hearing Fu Qian's rejection, the Head-Carrying Woman looked even more shocked.

"Are you feeling unwell? I've never seen you take time off before..."

"No, I just made plans to visit the museum."

"The museum!"

The word was clearly so unexpected that the Head-Carrying Woman dazedly repeated it, subconsciously stroking her smooth, long hair.

The topic had shifted so abruptly that her thoughts seemed to tie into knots, leaving her struggling to process the information.

"Why... is there a special exhibition?"

This isn't good!

Fu Qian didn't rush to answer, his gaze locking onto her hand instead.

When she ran her fingers through her hair just now, it was like grabbing a handful of dead grass. A large clump of hair had shed entirely.

Yet she seemed completely oblivious to it.

Sure enough, there's already a problem!

Once he realized she was the one spying on him, Fu Qian could have just walked away.

He hadn't deliberately brought up the museum out of boredom; it was a small test.

The results proved that the current situation was far from optimistic.

Although she appeared completely normal, there was no essential difference between her current state and her later head-carrying form.

The test had undoubtedly been a massive success. The only problem was that a moment later, the Head-Carrying Woman seemed to realize something.

She lowered her head, staring fixedly at the clump of beautiful hair resting in her hand.

Losing hair like this went far beyond the scope of mere mental stress.

Watching the Head-Carrying Woman's blank expression and increasingly twisted features, looking like she might suffer a cognitive collapse at any second, Fu Qian inwardly sighed.

"Our city is in the midst of a crisis."

"Huh?"

At those words, she finally reacted, raising her head to stare blankly at Fu Qian.

As long as she reacts, it's fine.

Fu Qian wore a solemn expression.

"I wasn't going to tell you."

"I received news that a virus is spreading through the city. It's been secretly circulating for a long time now."

"This virus is incredibly bizarre, and it affects both the body and the mind simultaneously."

Fu Qian pointed at the hair in the Head-Carrying Woman's hand, weaving truth and lies together as he spoke.

"Right now, those idiot officials are trying to lock down the information to buy themselves time to flee, so you wouldn't notice any signs."

"But if things continue to develop like this, it won't be long before this place turns into a living Purgatory!"

"So... you going to the museum was a lie? Are you actually planning to flee?"

The Head-Carrying Woman swallowed hard, asking in a dry voice.

She accepted that quickly. Looks like she watches a lot of movies.

Seeing her facial features become slightly less contorted, Fu Qian nodded in satisfaction.

At the very least, she had calmed down.

Otherwise, if he had let the situation progress, he highly suspected it would trigger that strange mutation again and drag him back into that gray, dilapidated world.

"No."

Facing her question, Fu Qian denied it again.

"I really am going to the museum."

"Because I received news that there might be critical information regarding the virus there."

"You're planning to—"

Catching his meaning, the Head-Carrying Woman's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Saving the world isn't something someone like me should logically be doing."

Fu Qian snorted.

"But taking care of it in passing wouldn't hurt."

"I... I understand. No wonder you look so different from usual!"

The Head-Carrying Woman muttered to herself, the contortion on her face easing a bit more.

But the next moment, her head snapped up again.

"Can I go with you?"

Hm?

"You're going to be late."

Fu Qian pointed at his watch.

"Even you don't care about being late."

The Head-Carrying Woman let out a laugh. She rubbed the hair in her hand, then casually tossed it onto the ground.

"If it really is the end of the world, skipping work should be a pretty trivial matter, right?"

She got into character quickly!

Recalling the scene in the elevator at the very start of the task, Fu Qian pondered for a moment before finally nodding.

"Sure, but what was your name again?"

...

The moment Fu Qian asked the question, the temperature seemed to plummet to freezing.

The Head-Carrying Woman's expression turned as stiff as a mask, and only after a long silence did she squeeze out a single sentence.

"Shen Yuan. You really don't remember?"

"Let's go."

Unfortunately, no matter how sorrowful her tone was, Fu Qian completely ignored her latter sentence and simply turned to leave.

He had to look on the bright side. Though it was a heavy blow, it was at least better than a cognitive collapse.

It would be best if she got angry and went straight back inside to sleep, saving him the trouble.

"Wait for me!"

Unfortunately, after a bout of gnashing her teeth, Shen Yuan still chased after him.

...

Is this the place?

Looking out the car window at the uniquely shaped building, Fu Qian fell deep in thought.

The museum of Fenghou City appeared to be an old building with actual history to it, rather than a simple faux-vintage imitation.

Its surroundings were also different from the cramped layout of the city center, being both quiet and spacious.

Even so, it still suffered the same fate as most museums in Fu Qian's memory—unless there was a school activity, the place was completely deserted.

According to Kelly and the others, this was where they had found him.

So what exactly does that signify?

Stepping out of Shen Yuan's car, Fu Qian carefully surveyed the surroundings.

Since she had insisted on tagging along, he made full use of her and had her serve as his free driver.

Naturally, this provoked another wave of deep resentment from Shen Yuan.

"It looks completely normal, doesn't it?"

Shen Yuan got out of the car after him, asking in confusion.

During the drive, her emotions had stabilized, and her mind had clearly cooled down quite a bit.

Right now, her stance hovered between two guesses: either a virus really was tearing through the city, or Fu Qian had lost his mind.

The perfectly calm scene before them was undoubtedly tipping the scales.

"Hmph!"

Facing her doubts, Fu Qian merely snorted, offering no explanation as he strode straight up the steps.

Since nothing could be seen from the outside, he might as well go inside and take a look.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!