Eldritch Horror Theatre

Clearly, Song Hang's idea was not entirely without merit.

The group had only been wandering the mall because they were trapped, forced to confront an increasingly bizarre situation.

Given their complete inability to find a way out, resorting to brute force just to see what happened wasn't a bad idea.

"We just need to find a window."

Clearly anxious, Song Hang didn't wait for anyone else to weigh in, ushering everyone downstairs.

"Follow me. Let's get to a lower floor."

Seeing the group rally to his call, he glanced back, only to find Fu Qian still seated firmly in place, looking thoughtful.

"What are you doing?"

Song Hang gritted his teeth, his tone turning sharply hostile.

Seemingly oblivious to his displeasure, Fu Qian wore a relaxed expression.

"Since you're all just illusions in my dream, why should I listen to you?"

...

The air instantly turned dead quiet.

Hearing Fu Qian's words, the group froze once more.

"What makes you think this is your dream?"

Song Hang was stunned for a long moment. When he finally spoke, he didn't hold back.

"You might be the illusion yourself."

"That can't be ruled out, true."

To their surprise, Fu Qian didn't argue. He just nodded in earnest.

"So, if I'm just an illusion in your dream, why do you care what I do?"

...

"Let's go."

Rendered speechless, Song Hang realized he couldn't control Fu Qian with words. He simply gestured for the others to head down.

Tan Ying cast a conflicted glance at Fu Qian, who still hadn't moved, but ultimately followed the rest.

Regardless, she really wanted to see the results of a brute-force approach.

Of course, what she didn't know was that Fu Qian wanted to see it too.

When this dream began, Fu Qian had confirmed that its scope only covered this building; the boundary lay just outside.

So he was also curious about what would happen if the trapped people touched the dream's edge—assuming they could even reach it.

Some intangible things spread very quickly.

Crash!

This old-fashioned mall had very few windows. The group wandered the lower floors before finally locating a suitable spot.

One of the bodyguards eagerly stepped up, snatched a nearby fire extinguisher, and smashed the glass.

"The fog is this thick?"

He cried out in shock as he poked his head through the broken window.

In the darkness of the night, an ink-black, viscous fog completely enveloped the mall, dropping visibility to zero.

They were already on the second floor, but they couldn't see the ground at all.

"Go out and take a look."

Song Hang, who had stepped up beside him, frowned at the sight.

Faced with this order, however, the bodyguard who had broken the window hesitated.

"What's wrong? There's no danger at this height—"

Before Song Hang could finish, the bodyguard hurled the fire extinguisher outside.

The extinguisher instantly vanished into the thick fog. Seconds ticked by, but no sound of an impact echoed back. It was like a stone dropped into the sea.

Truly bizarre!

Naturally, none of this escaped Fu Qian's eyes. Yet even with his enhanced perception, he couldn't track where the thrown extinguisher had gone.

The edge of the dream appeared to be a mass of unpredictable chaos.

...

Song Hang obviously realized the meaning behind the bodyguard's action. The prolonged absence of an echo made his heart sink.

"Tie the fire hose around yourself. You can use it as a safety rope,"

Tan Ying softly suggested from the side.

...

Song Hang gave a silent nod, accepting her proposal, and signaled the other two bodyguards to pull out the fire hose.

However, with the glass shattered, the two bodyguards exchanged strange looks, and neither stepped forward.

"Hurry up. You won't be in any danger with safety measures."

Although he faintly sensed something off about the atmosphere, Song Hang instinctively urged them on.

"Makes sense, but why don't you go?"

Bodyguard number two, who had already given up earlier, suddenly spoke up.

"What do you mean by that?"

Song Hang froze for a second, then let out a low, suppressed growl.

"I think that guy made a good point. If this is my dream..."

Without finishing his sentence, bodyguard number two tugged at the fire hose and offered it to Song Hang.

...

Song Hang didn't take the hose. Instead, he turned his gaze to the final bodyguard.

Unfortunately, the man quickly averted his eyes, saying nothing.

You guys...

Song Hang stood rooted to the spot, his mind momentarily reeling.

The three bodyguards acted as if they hadn't heard him. As if by prior agreement, they all backed away from the window and scattered to different corners.

Bodyguard number two simply mimicked Fu Qian, finding a chair to sit and space out in, looking fully prepared to just wait until he woke up.

The remaining two scrutinized their surroundings with eerie gazes.

In the blink of an eye, it seemed as if everything had changed.

This...

Witnessing this, Tan Ying felt an unprecedented sense of bewilderment. The fear and unease she had been bottling up poured out uncontrollably, and a profound powerlessness washed over her.

She couldn't exactly blame the bodyguards for a lack of professionalism. Even she, who had been actively looking for a way out, felt a subconscious resistance toward the ink-black fog outside.

That profound darkness made it feel as if stepping out of the window would mean plunging into a bottomless abyss.

Even Song Hang glanced at it before averting his eyes, equally lacking the courage to pick up the fire hose from the floor.

"What's wrong?"

Out of nowhere, a voice rang out right by her ear.

Turning around on instinct, Tan Ying found that Fu Qian had come downstairs and was standing next to her. He was even holding a cup that smelled like juice.

"It's just... I suddenly feel like there's very little I can do."

Tan Ying struggled to phrase her thoughts for a moment.

"Growing up, I was praised so much that I started believing I could do anything."

"But right now, I'm just as lost and confused, waiting around aimlessly. I suddenly realized I'm not really any different..."

"Here."

Fu Qian handed her a second cup of juice, gesturing toward the dazed Song Hang with his chin.

"It's not strange. People are the culmination of their social relations. Once suddenly stripped of them, they easily turn into hairless monkeys. It's perfectly normal not to adapt."

"And it looks like you aren't the only one feeling that way."

"A question. Growing up, you must have rejected a fair number of suitors. Why does this particular one bother you?"

Why...

Tan Ying followed his gaze, her expression a mix of understanding and confusion.

...

"Polite, calm, young, wealthy, neither arrogant nor humble, and well-versed in how society operates. By general consensus, measured against any standard, this guy is visibly outstanding."

"Your trouble stems from wanting to find a reason to oppose this consensus. Otherwise, it feels like standing alone against the tide."

"Now, I've given you a reason. I've let you see what he looks like when stripped of his hair."

...

Fu Qian pointed at Song Hang, whose eyes were shifting nervously.

"Of course, this is fundamentally unfair to him, because he's had no training in this regard."

"In fact, compared to most, he severely lacks the experience of being a hairless monkey."

"And under normal circumstances, he would never encounter a situation so far beyond his control in his entire life."

"But none of that matters. The moment you realize that all monkeys look about the same once stripped of their hair, it's enough."

"This is your payment."

"...What about you, then?"

After Fu Qian finished speaking, Tan Ying fell into a long silence. It took a while before she looked up and stared at him.

"You said everyone is pretty much the same. So what about you?"

"Me? I'm different."

Fu Qian's gaze was relaxed, as if he were looking into the infinite distance.

"People like me are destined for hell."

"When it comes time for my bones to be ground to dust and scattered, dropping the fineness from a 1,000-mesh sieve to a 500-mesh one would already count as receiving redemption."

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