Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Risk your life to save your secret admirer, or pretend you saw nothing and complete the test. You can make your choice now."

"Does it really have to be this much of a hassle?"

Hearing Brother Jigsaw's words from the television, Fu Qian frowned.

"What? You seem hesitant."

By now, Brother Jigsaw's hoarse voice carried a hint of mockery.

"It seems your resolve isn't as firm as imagined."

"Of course, fickleness is human nature for ordinary people."

"But for someone who fancies himself a superman, doesn't that make you no different from the rest?"

"Just as shallow, just as hypocritical, just as ridiculously vain."

"Fair point."

Faced with Brother Jigsaw's interrogation, Fu Qian gave a casual reply, sounding entirely oblivious to the fact that he was being grilled.

Glancing at the bottled antidote, he made no move to take it. Instead, he turned and headed straight down the rope ladder.

In the room below, his admirer Terica remained perfectly still in her previous position, calmly awaiting death.

Without hesitation, Fu Qian stepped forward and dragged both her and the bed to the side, pulling her out of the death net's drop zone.

Once that was handled, he quickly returned upstairs.

This time, he didn't waste a moment; he reached out and grabbed the bottle of antidote.

"Are you... truly prepared to sacrifice yourself?"

Seeing that Fu Qian was in no hurry to open and drink it, Brother Jigsaw sounded genuinely surprised.

"If my words just now provoked you, please believe me, it wasn't intentional."

"But don't blame me for not warning you. You are risking your life to save what you consider a lower lifeform, and the price will likely be your own life."

"Or did her harboring feelings for you allow her to achieve Sublimation?"

"Who said I was saving anyone?"

Fu Qian merely snorted at the mocking voice.

The next moment, clutching the antidote, he bypassed the rope ladder entirely and leaped straight down from the upper floor.

Landing steadily, Fu Qian headed straight for the kitchen and grabbed a clear glass goblet.

Faced with such bizarre behavior, the Jigsaw on the television seemed too stunned to speak, falling silent for a time.

Since the other party had gone quiet, Fu Qian naturally ignored him.

By now, the net from the ceiling had dropped to the floor. Clearly, its pressure sensors were extremely sensitive.

Fu Qian simply dragged over a Chair and sat down next to the bed, which he had moved beneath the window.

Pop!

With a crisp, taut click, Fu Qian thumbed off the bottle cap with one hand and poured the pale blue liquid into the glass.

Catching the last gleams of the setting sun, he pretentiously swirled the glass. After inspecting it like a master sommelier, he threw his head back and downed it in one gulp.

His little performance complete, Fu Qian held the empty glass and watched the final traces of sunset fade outside the window.

At that exact moment, the person on the bed sat bolt upright.

"When did you know it was me?"

Terica, the high school girl who was supposed to be dead, showed no expression. She merely stared straight at Fu Qian and asked.

"Just now. To be exact, the moment you sat up."

Fu Qian replied casually to her confusion.

"Just now?"

Terica's body stiffened.

"Didn't you do all that because you confirmed I was the mastermind? You didn't just refuse to save me—you purposely drank the antidote right in front of my face."

"Half and half. I had my suspicions early on, but I only just confirmed them."

Fu Qian waved a hand, gesturing for her not to get worked up.

By now, the situation was crystal clear. Terica, currently sitting on the bed, was none other than the Brother Jigsaw who had set up this trial.

"While we were talking earlier, I really did have my doubts. But I have to say, your design was quite meticulous."

"The most perfect part was that when the communication switched from a recording to a live feed, you were right there on the scene."

"That was guaranteed to minimize suspicion against you."

"Those lines were actually pre-recorded too, weren't they?"

Fu Qian pointed at the Doll on the television, which had gone completely still.

"Obviously, you have a clever little controller on hand that lets you freely select from a vast array of voice clips to create the illusion of a normal conversation."

Hmph!

Faced with Fu Qian's question, Terica simply snorted and looked away, not denying it.

"Your performance was quite solid, right up until I asked that question—'Who are you?'"

"So it really was a test!"

Terica gritted her teeth slightly.

"How could you possibly not know me? I never should have responded to such an illogical question."

"No, no, no."

Unexpectedly, Fu Qian waved his hands repeatedly.

"It was a test, yes, but I wasn't lying. I really don't know you."

"In fact, even now, I'm not sure if the name Terica is real."

At these words, Terica practically turned to stone on the spot.

"There were actually anomalies, just not regarding that point."

Fu Qian ignored her shock.

"The point wasn't whether I knew your name or not, but that I actually bothered to ask. That clearly doesn't fit my style."

...

"In short, because a question completely caught you off guard, you had to speak up and answer directly just to keep the conversation flowing naturally."

"Of course, my attention was mostly on the TV at the time, and you covered it up very well, so I couldn't be absolutely certain."

"But regardless, I was suspicious from that moment on."

"Just a lingering suspicion was enough to grant you peace of mind for what you did next, is that it?"

Terica let out a light chuckle, her face showing disdain.

"Ah, to be young!"

To her surprise, Fu Qian simply shook his head.

"When you get a bit older, you'll realize that constantly pursuing the spiritual luxury of a clear conscience is far too extravagant."

"In fact, whether you were the mastermind or not wouldn't have changed my choice."

"After all, logically speaking, as a fellow victim, I had no obligation to trade my life for yours, nor do you have the right to judge me."

"Besides, it's my turn to ask questions now."

"Alright, go ahead and ask."

Terica didn't seem to mind at all.

Fu Qian pointed at their surroundings.

"May I ask what your motive was for designing all this?"

"Didn't I tell you? I'm your admirer!"

Terica seemed to have recovered from her initial shock. Faced with Fu Qian's question, she gave a strange smile.

"Your style has faced a lot of skepticism at school."

She smiled while shaking her head.

"And I wanted to help you prove that you aren't just putting on an act, but that you are truly one of a kind."

Help me prove it.

Fu Qian rubbed his temples.

"So you aren't actually poisoned, then?"

"Of course not."

Terica admitted honestly.

"Then what about the poison in me?"

"That one is real. If you hadn't drunk the antidote within an hour, you really would have died."

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