Eldritch Horror Theatre

The first rays of morning sunlight brought light, but they often carried an underlying sense of unreality.

Inside the fast-food restaurant, Fu Qian leaned back in his chair, took a sip of his milk tea, and went back to resting his chin on his hand, staring outside.

He was about five kilometers from Daniel's home, and he had maintained this exact posture for several hours.

With a mortal constitution, staying awake all night inevitably brought on some drowsiness. He needed something to drink to keep his mind sharp.

It turned out Daniel hadn't been bragging. His family truly held a certain amount of influence here.

The latter half of the night had been perfectly calm. Sheriff Stan hadn't taken any further action to hunt him down.

It seemed his "escape" into Daniel's family estate had forced the sheriff to tread carefully.

That was good news. However, for anyone not caught in the middle of it, how the winds rise and clouds surge beneath this peaceful veneer would remain invisible.

[Mission complete. Current mission updated.]

[Find Daniel's Whereabouts]

This mission was quite intriguing!

Listening to the new mission's contents, Fu Qian fell deep into thought.

Find Daniel's whereabouts? Had the fierce guy who just murdered his own teacher somehow gone missing?

If Sheriff Stan was behind it, the man had certainly been decisive!

It also felt as though this mission was dead set on dragging him into the mess.

Still, looking on the bright side, at least the previous mission was complete. Running into the good sheriff now wouldn't instantly drop his SAN Value by 64.

Mid-thought, Fu Qian caught a peculiar movement out of the corner of his eye.

The only female employee in the restaurant was walking over with light steps, a tray in her hands.

I don't think I ordered anything else?

But since he was the only customer in the store, it couldn't possibly be for anyone else.

For a moment, Fu Qian was completely baffled.

Could she be one of Sheriff Stan's plainclothes officers in disguise? Had she been observing him all night, preparing to knock him out and haul him off to the Police Department?

That would be way too absurd!

"Here, an extra cup on the house."

While his mind raced, the waitress stepped up to his table.

She pulled a cup of milk tea from her tray, set it down in front of him, and spoke in a soft voice.

"Also... I already have a boyfriend."

Huh?

Hearing those words, even someone like Fu Qian felt a twinge of exasperation.

A split second later, he realized what had happened and glanced back at the window in front of him.

From this angle, the glass perfectly reflected the counter, didn't it?

And since he had been keeping an eye outside for the past few hours to ensure a quick getaway, he had been staring straight in that direction.

She must have completely misunderstood his intentions!

Black stockings, a red skirt, and a small hat—though it was a standard uniform, it highlighted her curvy figure perfectly.

Looking at the slightly shy yet youthfully vibrant face before him, Fu Qian blinked.

There was no point in explaining this sort of thing, nor could it be explained clearly.

"Alright!"

He immediately put on a disappointed expression. Sighing deeply, he grabbed the milk tea and prepared to leave.

"Wait!"

Unexpectedly, the waitress who had just rejected him didn't hurry off. Instead, she stared at his face with sparkling eyes.

A moment later, she bit her lip, seemingly having made up her mind.

"I get off work in an hour."

She leaned in much closer this time, her breath ghosting straight over Fu Qian's ear.

"An hour?"

Faced with this lightning-fast shift in thinking, Fu Qian was shocked and put on a troubled expression.

"That's such a pity. I have to get to class right now!"

"...You're still a student?"

At this, the waitress's eyes widened.

His demeanor while secretly checking her out had been so composed that she never would have guessed he was still in school.

"Yeah!"

Fu Qian put on a face of pure innocence, hoping she would have some self-knowledge.

"What time do you finish class? I'll come pick you up."

Just when he thought she was going to give up, the waitress hesitated briefly before boldly pressing on.

...

"Hard to say. I have to make a trip to the Police Department today."

Faced with such enthusiasm, Fu Qian chose to just walk away.

He hadn't been lying, either. As soon as he walked out the door, he flagged down a taxi.

"Where to?"

The driver pulled over and rolled down his window. He gave Fu Qian a quick once-over, and as realization seemed to dawn on him, his expression instantly turned unnatural.

It seemed the driver recognized his face. Even though Sheriff Stan hadn't made any massive public moves, he had clearly circulated some instructions.

Fu Qian nodded to himself and stated his destination.

"The Police Department."

The middle-aged driver jolted as if struck by lightning, his expression going completely rigid.

After Fu Qian repeated himself, he simply climbed into the back seat and made himself comfortable.

If this mission failed, the penalty would be a whopping 128-point SAN Value deduction. It was completely unhinged.

Yet even now, he had too little information to work with. He couldn't see any viable way out.

He needed to use this last sliver of breathing room to try pulling chestnuts from the fire.

This Sheriff Stan was obviously someone worth having a proper chat with.

The atmosphere inside the taxi was undoubtedly tense, with the older driver checking on Fu Qian's movements every two seconds.

Fu Qian ignored this completely and eventually just closed his eyes to rest.

A short while later, the silence was shattered by the sharp screech of brakes.

Before the car had even fully stopped, the door swung open and the driver scrambled out.

For an older guy, he really lacked composure. Luckily, Fu Qian had anticipated this and buckled his seatbelt in advance.

Fu Qian slumped in the back seat, rubbing his chest where the belt had painfully dug in.

Looking out the window, he saw that the taxi was parked right in front of the Police Department he had scouted earlier.

Drawn by the driver's frantic shouts, a crowd of people was already swarming the vehicle.

"I'm Fu Qian."

Without hesitation, Fu Qian opened the door and stepped out. He introduced himself with a smile and stated his business.

"Is Sheriff Stan around?"

...

"I heard you were looking for me?"

He got his wish almost immediately. Escorted by two officers, Fu Qian was led into a cluttered office.

The middle-aged man he had seen yesterday was sitting there, waiting for him.

Seeing Fu Qian enter, the sheriff gestured for him to sit, then asked his question with a deadpan expression.

"Yeah. I heard you were looking for me too."

Fu Qian dropped into the chair without standing on ceremony, getting straight to the point.

"Search him."

At those words, Sheriff Stan's expression visibly turned cold.

The two officers immediately swarmed him, patting Fu Qian down from head to toe.

"No weapons or recording devices."

After finishing the search, one of the officers gave a formal report.

"Leave us."

Sheriff Stan had watched the search intently the entire time. Only now did he finally seem to relax.

"So, did the Warren Family send you here?"

As soon as the two officers left the room, he stared coldly at Fu Qian and asked.

"I only represent myself."

Knowing perfectly well that Warren was Daniel's family name, Fu Qian gave a cryptic response.

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