Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Sheriff Stan, please, have a seat!"

Fu Qian had already stopped what he was doing before Stan walked in aggressively demanding accountability. Now, he offered a polite greeting.

Unfortunately, Stan didn't appreciate the gesture. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, his face guarded, and rested a hand directly on his waist.

It looked as though he would shoot without hesitation if Fu Qian made a single suspicious move.

Fu Qian ignored the threatening posture. He casually sat down in another chair, placing Medea perfectly between the two of them.

This maneuver made it difficult for Stan to shoot while also minimizing Fu Qian's own threat level. By all appearances, he was showing good faith.

Consequently, though Stan's hand never left his waist, his expression visibly softened.

"What are you doing here?"

Glancing at the dust-covered stool, Stan ultimately decided against sitting down.

Without a doubt, Fu Qian was in total control of the scene before him.

"Just carrying on Edral's legacy."

Fu Qian answered his question with a smile.

"What did you find there?"

Stan frowned slightly, not looking particularly surprised.

Sure enough, he had been watching him.

Fu Qian wasn't surprised by this either. He only lamented that his tight schedule hadn't left him any time to put his extensive anti-tracking experience to use.

Stan showing up at the door was entirely within his expectations.

The incident at the school had provoked the sheriff the most. Beyond that, it was absolutely certain he would arrange surveillance the moment Fu Qian left the Police Department.

So how could kidnapping Medea and dragging her outside possibly escape his notice?

In fact, his choosing to come alone was the best-case scenario.

The reason was obvious: he didn't want too many people finding out about this.

"Legacy? What happened to Edral?"

Before Fu Qian could answer Stan, Medea cried out in shock.

She seemed to have seen the hope of rescue the moment Stan walked in, but with Fu Qian's earlier warning still ringing in her ears, she hadn't dared to make a sound.

Hearing the word 'legacy,' however, finally pushed her past her breaking point.

"The one in the school's storage room."

Fu Qian shot Medea a glance, signaling her to sit still.

"That corpse... is Edral..."

The news was undeniably shocking. A whirlwind of complex emotions washed over Medea as she unconsciously muttered to herself.

"Why would he be there? And you coming to ask me about him—"

"The body has been found. I'd really like to know how much weight your promise still holds."

Considering Medea's presence, Stan had clearly wanted to avoid speaking too bluntly, but since Fu Qian had laid it all out, he no longer bothered hiding it.

"I hope you understand that my patience is limited—"

"Joseph is already dead."

Fu Qian cut him off before he could finish his threat.

"Dead?"

Stan was visibly taken aback.

"Bullshit! You haven't even been to the Warren Family since you left the station."

However, as a seasoned veteran, he obviously wouldn't trust someone so easily.

"It's true. If you don't believe me, ask her."

Unfazed by Stan's aggressive questioning, Fu Qian pointed at Medea.

"Joseph really is dead."

Seeing Stan look over subconsciously, Medea spoke up quickly before he could even ask.

"Given this woman's current state, do you think anything she says is credible?"

Stan simply sneered, his tone thick with disdain.

He truly was a seasoned veteran, absolutely watertight in how he operated!

Fu Qian met his reaction with a meaningful look.

"Let me guess. Because you didn't have a good read on the current situation and didn't want to leave anything that could be used against you, you simply detained Daniel after grabbing him. You never actually questioned him, did you?"

"You..."

The arrest was clearly a secret Stan wanted to keep even more fiercely hidden.

"You really should have asked him."

Fu Qian ignored his reaction and kept talking.

"He arrested Daniel? What exactly is going on?"

Medea gasped again, only to snap her mouth shut the moment Fu Qian shot her a look.

"Back then, Edral was locked in there by you and Joseph, right?"

Having terrified Medea into silence, Fu Qian looked back at Stan and continued his questioning.

"...You'd better be certain of what you're saying."

Stan's face darkened like a thundercloud.

"Joseph..."

Too terrified to speak, Medea looked like she was on the verge of fainting.

"Don't be nervous. I know exactly what I'm doing."

Fu Qian wasn't the least bit intimidated by the threat.

"Besides, I have more than enough proof to convince you that Joseph is dead."

"But before we get to that, could you indulge my curiosity for a moment?"

Proof...

"The one who locked him in was Joseph."

Seeing Fu Qian speak with such absolute certainty, Stan fell silent for a moment before finally opening his mouth.

"But I was there."

"So how did you end up going to the school?"

"Joseph came looking for me. He ran into the Police Department to report a student, claiming the kid was deranged and needed to be detained immediately."

"I was a little curious, so I looked into it."

"Joseph said he accidentally caught the student trying to sabotage an Anomaly Point."

"I naturally found it hard to believe, so I decided to go take a look with him."

"To my surprise, we actually found that student, Edral, acting suspiciously in the storage room that night."

"According to regulations, a person like that had to be detained immediately, so I made my move."

"Very dedicated. And then?"

Fu Qian offered a hollow smile.

"I never expected that after he spotted me, he would offer me a massive sum of money to let him go."

"The payout Edral promised was huge. He even offered a highly valuable gemstone."

"Tempting terms. Pity Joseph was right there with you?"

Fu Qian grasped the situation almost instantly.

"Yes... The man seemed to absolutely loathe Edral. He was completely unmoved by the bribe and insisted on making the arrest, going so far as to threaten me."

"So you threatened Joseph in return and forced him to lock the guy behind the door? What a flexible response."

Fu Qian praised him once more.

He was, of course, well aware of exactly why Joseph hated Edral so much.

Any conflict over matters of the lower half of the body was always ruthlessly cruel.

"After locking him up, you went over to Edral's place and collected your promised reward? No wonder the guy was never let out."

"Alright, your curiosity is satisfied. Where is this proof you mentioned?"

Stan didn't argue, silently confirming Fu Qian's guess.

"Relax, it's coming right up."

Wearing the satisfied look of someone who had just heard a great piece of gossip, Fu Qian patted Medea's shoulder, making her flinch in terror.

"Where's your photo?"

"The photo..."

"The one from last night. I'm guessing you probably carry an item like that around with you as a talisman?"

"...Inside my clothes."

Medea lowered her head, her eyes gesturing toward her chest.

"Understood. Seeing as I'm a polite person."

Fu Qian stayed in his seat. Instead of reaching in to grab it, he simply untied the ropes binding Medea.

Never expecting to regain her freedom like this, Medea first glanced up at Stan, then rubbed her wrists and reached into her top.

Bang!

The moment after making that suggestive gesture, she moved with lightning speed, dropping flat to the floor.

At the exact same time, a fierce muzzle flash erupted from Stan's hand.

This sudden coordination was perfectly synchronized, as if they had rehearsed it a thousand times. The cop and the hostage practically had their hearts linked by spiritual affinity.

Yet when Medea eagerly raised her head, she found the shooter, Stan, frozen in place, staring blankly at his own chest.

A gleaming Kitchen Knife was buried deep in his chest.

"People tend to let their guard down when they attack."

Opposite him, Fu Qian glanced down at his own mangled arm before stepping forward to clamp a hand over Stan's.

After wresting the gun away, he patted the sheriff on the shoulder.

"Hold your wound tight."

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