Eldritch Horror Theatre

In theory, this was most likely his own mindscape—a relatively stable haven within the chaotic, indistinguishable Nightmare.

Here, he could review, organize, and connect everything he had encountered so far.

Even so, Fu Qian wasn't entirely certain that what happened here would stay completely hidden.

He glanced to the side. There was no sound of a baby crying.

"Were you trying to wake me up just now?"

"That's right. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to have any effect."

Kelly nodded.

"How long was I gone?"

Fu Qian frowned in thought.

"Almost a day... so time flows at the same rate on both sides?"

Fu Qian muttered to himself.

He had spent roughly a day in that seemingly real world as well.

"So what did you actually find out?"

Unable to wait any longer, Brooke finally asked.

"A lot."

Fu Qian looked at the burly officer, a faint smile touching his lips.

"First of all, I did find The Monastery."

"Second, just as you said, there really is a group of drifters living inside it."

"I even joined them."

"And then?"

Brooke's eyes lit up.

"And then?"

Fu Qian smiled mysteriously, glancing down at his hands, which were bound to the chair.

"I put in so much effort. Is it really necessary to keep me tied up like this?"

"In your dreams!"

Clearly caught off guard by the sudden request, Brooke snapped back reflexively.

"Don't push your luck. You are in no position to negotiate!"

"There's no rush. Think about it carefully—am I really in no position?"

Fu Qian replied with a cheerful smile, completely unbothered.

...

Brooke faltered, realizing there was truly nothing he could use to threaten the man in front of him.

"His mental state has indeed stabilized quite a bit."

Seeing the standoff, Kelly stepped in to smooth things over.

"We could loosen his restraints a little. As long as we keep a close eye on him, he won't have the chance to pose a threat."

"Fine. You're always too soft on guys like this."

Not arguing further, Brooke walked around the table and stopped beside Fu Qian.

He unhooked the keys from his waist and began undoing the restraints from the top down.

Even so, he cautiously left the buckles on Fu Qian's legs and feet secured, only freeing his upper body.

"Better than nothing."

With his upper body freed, Fu Qian shook out his arms and rolled his wrists.

He was still confined to the chair, but at least he no longer looked like Hannibal Lecter.

"If you want to keep this little bit of freedom, you'd better cooperate with us—"

Before Brooke could finish, his voice came to an abrupt halt.

The stack of medical files on the table flew at his face like a flurry of snow, completely blinding him.

"Bastard!"

He never expected the guy to strike the very second his restraints were loosened.

Amid Kelly's scream, Brooke reflexively batted the scattered papers away while reaching for his waist.

Yet, even with his lightning-fast reaction, his hand grasped only empty air.

Click!

The next moment, as the scattered papers fluttered to the floor, the gleaming barrel of a pistol was pressed squarely against his head.

"You really are a hopeless lunatic!"

Brooke glared at Fu Qian, hatred in his eyes but absolutely no fear.

"I'm flattered."

Fu Qian maintained his unfathomable expression.

"Do you really think you're in control of the situation now?"

Brooke sneered.

"Go ahead and try. See if putting a gun to my head gets me to unlock the rest of your restraints."

"Are you telling me you'd rather die than submit?"

Fu Qian looked at him in amusement.

"No. I just never negotiate with scum!"

"Understood. What about you, Doctor Kelly?"

Fu Qian glanced over at the female doctor.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to blow your brains out. I'm just wondering: if I threaten to blow Officer Brooke's head off, will you come over here and undo the rest of my restraints?"

"I am a psychiatrist."

Kelly's expression grew visibly strained, her voice turning dry.

"My core professional ethic is to respect the will of others."

"Even if this is entirely your fault?"

"Yes."

Her gaze was resolute.

"Even if it's my fault, and even if it leaves me with a lifetime of regret."

Hahaha!

At gunpoint, Brooke burst into loud laughter.

"Is that a bit unexpected for you, Mr. Scum?"

Hahahaha!

Unexpectedly, the lunatic sitting in the chair laughed even more maniacally.

"I have to admit, I really admire both of your personalities."

"But I can still answer your question."

"Yes, I do believe the situation is fully under my control."

The next second, Fu Qian abruptly spun the gun around, opened his mouth, and shoved the barrel against the roof of his own mouth.

"I loathe this endless chaos."

Fu Qian said, his voice slightly muffled by the gun.

"Contrary to what you might think, I don't actually value my freedom all that much."

"Fu Qian, don't do anything stupid!"

Kelly screamed from across the room. Fu Qian was practically their only hope of uncovering the truth.

"Don't do anything rash!"

"I'm never rash."

"I know exactly what I'm doing."

Flashing a massive grin, Fu Qian pulled the trigger.

Click!

Yet, the gruesome spray of blood and gore they expected never came.

"No bullets?"

Realizing what had happened, Fu Qian lowered the gun and ejected the magazine. Sure enough, it was completely empty.

"Did you really think I would walk up to a lunatic with a loaded gun?"

Brooke's earlier tension had vanished completely, his voice dripping with heavy sarcasm.

"Obviously, you haven't had much firearms training."

"Otherwise, you would've felt it immediately. A fully loaded pistol is significantly heavier than an empty one."

"Though I'll admit, you caught me completely off guard when you moved."

"But unfortunately for you, things don't always go according to plan."

"Now, care to resume our previous conversation?"

"Not a problem."

Brooke had barely finished speaking when he watched Fu Qian casually hand the gun back to him.

Fu Qian's movements were incredibly natural, and his expression remained perfectly calm. He showed absolutely no frustration or disappointment over his failed plan.

There wasn't even a hint of embarrassment, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred.

"Where were we?"

"Oh, right. I joined that group of people you suspect."

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