Eldritch Horror Theatre

On a bustling road, a red sports car crawled at a snail's pace, its rearview mirror reflecting two shell-shocked faces.

Up front, Tan Ying steered mechanically, the air inside the car practically frozen.

Suddenly, she slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a dead halt.

In the back, Qin Mingze's head bumped right into the front seat. Seeming entirely oblivious, he merely cast a sluggish glance at the driver.

"Ahhh!"

The moment their eyes met, Tan Ying snapped out of her daze and let out an ear-piercing shriek.

"What on earth did you just make me watch?!"

What in the world had just happened?

Hadn't she gone over to study figure drawing and check out a handsome guy on the side?

Driven mad, Tan Ying aggressively rubbed her face.

The target of her scolding, Young Master Qin, had his eyes closed, repeatedly banging his head against the car seat with dull thuds.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know why it turned out like that. My brain is flat-out refusing to process any information related to it."

"Besides, if you hadn't let your lust get the better of you and blackmailed me, none of this would have happened. I feel like I've just lost something incredibly important..."

"Didn't you say you and your bro were super tight? And that he'd definitely agree if there was money to be made?"

Tan Ying squeezed the steering wheel until it creaked.

"Even though that guy's bottom line is truly unfathomable, based on what I know about him, he wouldn't go so far as to sell his body for cash. Being a figure model might have been within his realm of consideration. The fact that he refused only means he isn't hurting for money right now."

Qin Mingze analyzed the situation with a deadpan expression.

"Ying, if you want to meet a handsome guy, you'd better think of a tactic meant for normal humans. If I keep playing along, your Brother Qin is going to be ruined."

"Also, don't tell a single soul about what happened today."

"And if you ever dare bring up today's events with me again, I'll flatten your head!"

Without even looking back, Tan Ying floored the gas pedal.

That bastard, Fu Qian!

...

Having sent the two of them away, Fu Qian sat on the sofa, carefully examining the "Lucid Dream" ring.

It was his first time using it, and the effects were even better than he had imagined.

From the looks of it, once the ring was activated, everyone's consciousness would be pulled into a shared dream. After waking up, they would be absolutely convinced that the events within the dream had truly happened.

Earlier, when Qin Mingze and Tan Ying came to, they hadn't noticed the anomaly at all and hastily took their leave.

Judging by their depressed moods, they clearly remembered everything that had transpired in the dream vividly.

And within the dream, as the initiator, he clearly held a considerable level of authority.

Aside from being able to enter and exit freely, he could even establish certain overarching rules.

In a sense, he was the director of this dreamscape.

As long as the plot didn't get too outrageous, they wouldn't wake up.

However, Young Master Qin and the girl were ordinary people after all. If he used it during a containment assignment, the results might not be nearly as effective.

Take Li Weixuan from before, for instance. A hypnotic tool like this probably wouldn't work on him; more likely than not, it would just earn Fu Qian a sword slash.

Whatever, there was no point overthinking it. He just needed to test it out when the opportunity arose.

As for right now, Fu Qian glanced outside.

It was still early. He could go back to basking in the sun for a bit.

...

[Identity verification complete. Today's work has begun.]

Vacation time always passed in the blink of an eye.

After three days of experiencing the leisurely life of a retiree, Fu Qian put on his Work Badge right on time, and the familiar voice surfaced.

[Warning: Breach Event.]

[Name: Ill Omen Must Die, Code: 2-103]

[Today's work details updated: Enter the containment scenario for 2-103 and complete re-containment.]

This name... was a bit strange!

Fu Qian frowned.

While this wasn't an item starting with a 1 and shouldn't be as utterly repulsive as the Angel of Comfort, the name still felt decidedly abnormal.

And then there was this illusion.

Along with the breach alert, a phantom image materialized inside the Warehouse. This time, it was a massive tombstone. Its surface was completely smooth, devoid of a single etched word.

Since things are as they are, make peace with them.

He had to look on the bright side—at the very least, this was an assassination task.

Tell him where to go and how many to kill. Across all types of games, this was the exact genre he excelled at most.

[Entering containment scenario 2-103: West Plain City]

[...4%...6%...10%...18%...34%...66%...100%. Containment scenario loaded.]

[A dangerous Ill Omen lies in wait, and Calamity gathers in its wake.

Find him and kill him before a horrifying disaster strikes.

By any means necessary—

Whether you have the means or not!]

[Skills: Air Bullet, Visceral Attack, Cat School, Feast (Locked)]

[Weapon: Tyrant's Fist]

[Containment Fulfillment Conditions: Find and kill the Ill Omen]

[Current SAN Value: 54, Current inspiration: 21]

The rows of prompts flashed by rapidly.

"Please enjoy your meal, sir."

Accompanied by the voice ringing in his ear, Fu Qian's senses returned, and he surveyed his surroundings.

The lighting was dim and the atmosphere cozy. Servers wove through the room in twos and threes to the melodious, lilting tune of a piano.

Seeing the impeccably dressed men and women dining all around him, it was obvious he was seated inside a high-end restaurant.

Fu Qian looked down at the dish the server had just brought over.

Although he couldn't tell what the ingredients originally were, the plating was exquisite and the colors were tantalizing. The aroma alone was enough to make his mouth water. Aside from the portion being small enough to make even Lin Daiyu laugh herself to death, it had no other flaws.

Without any hesitation, Fu Qian picked up a bite and tasted it, closing his eyes in satisfaction.

Now this was the life!

By comparison, what kind of places had he been going to before?!

Left wanting more, just as Fu Qian was about to go in for another bite, the restaurant's piano music abruptly stopped.

A moment later, a wave of biting cold swept through the room, chilling the diners so deeply that several men and women let out shrieks.

Amidst the sudden chaos, two people clad in black uniforms stepped into the center of the restaurant and swept their gazes over the crowd.

"Emergency situation! Lunch is over. Everyone, stay exactly where you are and don't move!"

Who the hell are you?

The diners present were clearly people of some status and prestige. One man immediately moved to slam his hand on the table and stand up in protest, only to be yanked back down tightly by his companion.

No wonder Tan Mingxue and the others had developed such awful tempers; these Night Watchers were truly domineering.

Fu Qian watched the two men at the front.

If he recalled correctly, these two gents interrupting everyone's meal were plainly wearing the uniforms of the Night Watchers.

Aside from a few blind fools, the rest of the diners seemed to recognize the attire as well.

However, compared to the likes of Tan Mingxue and Qi Xue, these two were far weaker.

To his current self, they were little more than cannon fodder.

"Hmph!"

Cannon Fodder A maintained a Poker Face, seemingly satisfied with the crowd's reaction.

"There's no need to panic, everyone. We just need your slight cooperation, and this will be handled very quickly."

"Could you at least tell us what happened?"

A middle-aged man mustered the courage to ask.

"You'll find out soon enough!"

Cannon Fodder A gave a signal with his eyes, and his colleague strode briskly toward a certain corner of the restaurant.

From behind, her figure was slender and captivating, and she showed absolutely no reaction to his approach.

Cannon Fodder B was equally silent. He simply placed his hand directly atop her carefully styled hair and gave a gentle lift.

The next second, the young woman's head came right off her neck.

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