Eldritch Horror Theatre

Intimidation had always been an art form.

In fact, Chief Yuan's earlier performance had been quite impressive.

But excessive concern clouds judgment, and she was still a bit too anxious.

It was true that Grantham's attitude had been somewhat evasive, but to Fu Qian, it fell within normal parameters.

Yuan Shan herself had said it: unlike ordinary transcendent groups, Rank suppression within the Blood Clan was far more absolute.

So it was perfectly natural that their commitment to established goals remained relatively unshakable.

In fact, this was likely one of the reasons they had endured for a millennium.

However, while Grantham's stance might have been ambiguous, one thing was absolutely certain—they didn't dare clash head-on with the Night Watchers.

And this alone dictated the ultimate result of extreme pressure: they would inevitably submit, and their plans would fall apart.

This was exactly why Fu Qian had suggested the heavy-handed approach.

Though simple and crude, it was undoubtedly the ultimate option for instantly maximizing the pressure.

Unquestionable, leaving no room for luck—slapping their resolve directly in the enemy's face.

Unfortunately, Chief Yuan clearly couldn't bring herself to be that ruthless, ultimately opting for a compromise.

In short, now that the pressure had been applied, they might hesitate, harbor doubts, or even take circumstantial risks, but they definitely wouldn't become so radical as to initiate a direct confrontation.

"Are you trying to say Grantham might actually believe I'm going to kill Ambor tomorrow?"

Listening to Fu Qian's analysis, Yuan Shan looked thoughtful.

"We are."

Fu Qian emphasized, pointing at Su Gao.

"Grantham understands you, but he doesn't know me nearly as well... and the one you should really be thanking is Su Gao."

"Without a doubt, when the three demigods were sitting there today, she delivered the most effective message without saying a single word. I'm certain that whenever Brother Grantham tries to push his luck, he'll immediately recall her heroic bearing."

"...True! I really have to thank Su Gao this time."

Chief Yuan did possess a rare and excellent trait: honesty.

Prompted by Fu Qian, she thought it over briefly and generously acknowledged how much the two assistants had elevated her aura, formally thanking Su Gao.

"And there's no doubt your acting was flawless as well. You seemed flippant, but considering your usual track record, Grantham was clearly extremely on edge."

At the same time, she didn't skimp on praising Fu Qian.

"Who said I was acting?"

Yet faced with the compliment, Fu Qian just gave her a strange look.

...

"That's a vampire demigod!"

As Yuan Shan stared in astonishment, Fu Qian's expression twisted into utter madness frame by frame, his maniacal laughter echoing in all directions.

"Given a good reason, even I don't know if my hands would itch to strike!"

This guy didn't seem to be joking...

After shooting Fu Qian a deep look, Yuan Shan was momentarily speechless.

...

"You just said they're very likely to make a move tonight?"

Quickly adjusting her mood, Yuan Shan changed the subject.

"The probability is relatively high."

Fu Qian finally stopped laughing.

It wasn't that he was intentionally being so exaggerated. It was mostly that the emotional turbulence caused by wearing the Head Cage still hadn't completely settled, so he just took the opportunity to vent.

"Assuming Ambor really is trying to advance to Tier 2, you can actually put yourself in his shoes."

"After a long eternity as a demigod, you've finally found the opportunity to advance. Overjoyed, you coordinate the resources of your entire clan to help."

"Since this action carries a certain degree of risk, and one misstep might provoke the Night Watchers, you've been on tenterhooks this whole time."

"And then, Grantham suddenly runs over and tells you that the Night Watchers have actually had their eyes on you for a long time. Just now, they even brought two double flower red poles to your door, vowing to hack you to death tomorrow night. He barely managed to stall them and rushed over to warn you."

"What would you do then?"

"Option one: leave without a word, cancel the plan, and let all your hard work go down the drain."

"Option two: exploit the time gap. Regardless of whether preparations are complete, you give it a shot. What if walking the tightrope actually works?"

"As long as no massive disaster occurs, trading some clan resources for public relations in exchange for a Tier 2 advancement is a completely worthwhile deal. No one would object."

"So the most likely scenario is that whether Ambor believes you'll kill him or not, Grantham will tell him that he believes it, generously offering to help him fight for this final chance."

"Of course, if it fails or looks like it's going to cause a massive disaster, our guy needs to be prepared to be thrown under the bus."

"There's one more thing."

Fu Qian pointed at the sky.

"It's a classic full moon night. From the Blood Clan's perspective, this might just be an auspicious day."

Screech!

The car, which had already been crawling along, was slammed to a dead stop by Yuan Shan.

"But I haven't had time to prepare yet, and the backup from headquarters hasn't arrived either."

"Stop pretending. Do you really have zero mental preparation?"

Fu Qian openly scoffed at her words.

"Then why have you been driving me in circles this whole time?"

"If the meter was running, I would have called the consumer hotline to complain about you ages ago."

"The stakes are high, I always have to prepare for the worst..."

Ruthlessly exposed by Fu Qian, Yuan Shan simply confessed.

"I have deployed a portion of my people, but at most they can only maintain order. And it's true that the backup won't be here in time."

"So the best-case scenario is to hope they aren't in such a rush—"

"Something seems a bit strange."

Just as Yuan Shan was expressing her hopes for a brighter future, Su Gao, who had been silent the whole time, looked out the car window and suddenly spoke up.

Hm?

Yuan Shan's scalp instantly prickled with dread as she followed her gaze.

Even though they had been driving in circles, she couldn't make it too obvious. The place where the car had stopped was already quite a distance away from Grantham's manor.

Right now, outside was a fairly bustling street.

"This girl is quite sharp!"

Sitting beside her, Fu Qian also offered a word of praise.

Right before Su Gao spoke, he had similarly sensed the anomaly.

But his awareness was likely partly due to having his inspiration maxed out; she, on the other hand, must simply possess a special constitution.

Speaking of which, he still hadn't talked with Su Gao about the specific improvements she had gained after reaching the Demigod Realm.

As for the source of the anomaly, Fu Qian locked his eyes on a particular gentleman, just like Yuan Shan.

It was a middle-aged man who had clearly been drinking. He wasn't very old, but his figure was round, straining his suit tightly, and his hair was already beginning to recede.

He had originally been preparing to get into a car with the support of a young woman, but now he was frozen in place.

Given the considerable pressure his weight placed on her, his female companion looked confused. She struggled to maintain a smile as she reached a hand to his forehead to check on him.

Unexpectedly, the man's body suddenly snapped entirely straight, and he grabbed his companion's hand.

The next moment, under her terrified gaze, he lowered her hand with a slow, elegant rhythm.

In merely a split second, all traces of drunkenness vanished from him.

Without sparing another glance at his companion, the middle-aged man solemnly smoothed out his clothes, buttoning up his unfastened shirt one button at a time with unparalleled focus.

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