Eldritch Horror Theatre

Fu Qian wasn't truly confused, of course. Everything about Patches was just nonsense he had made up.

But a madman had to act the part. Even if all he had heard from start to finish was a horse whinnying, it didn't stop him from playing the role of an awakened Patches.

As for Doctor Cynthia's subsequent words, regardless of her acting skills, one thing was certain.

She was a genuine tester. She didn't care at all whether he could "break free" from Patches's mental invasion.

With that confirmed, the motive behind anything she said boiled down to a desire to probe and observe him.

How could someone like that easily believe his story?

Her later remarks were simply probes born from the suspicion that he was putting on an act.

In response, Fu Qian chose to play along. He feigned hesitation and self-doubt, even suggesting he go back down to listen to the horse whinny one more time.

Of course, this was only the first layer of the ruse. Ultimately, Doctor Cynthia would realize he had struck this posture on purpose, purely to mock her.

If more than one person firmly believed themselves to be Patches, he would just become an ordinary case study. He might even be subjected to a series of tedious, standard compliance procedures.

To retain any personal initiative, he needed to stand out.

So Fu Qian decisively took it a step further, displaying an utterly vile and deceitful nature. He would even deceive the doctor's probes.

Naturally, this approach carried risks. After all, even a con artist needed an appreciative audience.

If his acting was too good and Doctor Cynthia failed to spot any flaws, it wouldn't achieve the desired effect. Instead, he would end up trapped in his own cocoon.

Fortunately, Doctor Cynthia hadn't disappointed him.

Although he wasn't sure what method she had used, she had truly "seen through" him.

"You call this fun?"

A spark of anger finally appeared in Doctor Cynthia's eyes.

"You unreasonable lunatic!"

"Unreasonable? What makes you so sure that 'reason' is on your side?"

"Is what you believe necessarily true? Just because a bunch of idiots validate each other?"

Facing a researcher with an unsteady Dao heart, Fu Qian smoothly launched a logical assault.

"There's no need to try and influence me, Mr. Patches."

Doctor Cynthia sneered again.

"As I just said, given your performance, we will be giving you some special treatment moving forward."

"Furthermore, though I don't quite understand it, I must admit that conversing with this version of 'Patches' has piqued a different sort of interest in me. I hope you don't disappoint."

Adjusting her mental state this quickly? As expected of a professional.

Fu Qian thought to himself, nodding.

"Don't worry, you won't be disappointed."

"Pew!"

The next moment, he reached out, aimed a finger gun at Doctor Cynthia, and made a firing sound.

Compared to Kuraki Eiko, who would have violently flinched, the doctor was visibly much calmer. She merely signaled the two guards with her eyes to restrain him.

"Though, if possible, I'd still like to go down there one more time before the sound stops—so I can find my true self. Hahahaha..."

Ending with a textbook villainous laugh, Fu Qian was escorted out the door by the two guards.

...

A few minutes later, Fu Qian was locked inside a new confined space.

Unlike before, the security here seemed far more extreme. Several guards were even stationed directly outside.

Clearly, thanks to his outstanding performance, his threat assessment had been significantly upgraded.

Of course, Fu Qian's primary concern remained how to locate Goya Ulrich.

The ideal scenario would be if that individual was currently observing him through surveillance.

It wasn't impossible.

After all, judging from past experience, the target he needed to eliminate likely had a massive connection to this project.

But given the professionalism this test had demonstrated so far, Fu Qian hadn't directly dropped the name to probe them earlier, so as not to strike the grass to startle the snake.

Naturally, if the target proved too uncooperative, they couldn't blame him for resorting to more violent methods.

Thankfully, the professionals didn't disappoint him.

...

About half an hour later, Fu Qian, who was sitting quietly on the only chair in the room, suddenly sneezed.

A moment later, he raised his right hand and rubbed his nose, as if he had caught a chill from a cold draft.

Yet even this simple movement seemed somewhat difficult for him to complete.

After rubbing his nose, his hand didn't even drop back down normally. Fu Qian froze in place, completely motionless, his expression turning entirely placid.

This posture lasted for about a minute before a click rang out, and the room's door opened from the outside.

Two guards stepped up to his sides first, followed closely by a short, stout man.

He looked to be in his fifties or sixties and wore a lab coat similar to Cynthia's, though his demeanor was far more relaxed.

"Hello there, Mr. Patches."

After looking Fu Qian up and down, the man greeted him with a smile, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Hello."

Fu Qian returned the greeting with a wooden expression, his posture completely unchanged.

"How are you feeling right now?"

The newcomer asked.

"Not bad. Very quiet."

"Apologies, it's just a minor measure with a mentally soothing effect. Given the threat assessment of your condition, we had to implement a few safety guarantees."

The man nodded, explaining with a smile.

"Rest assured, this won't cause any permanent damage. It merely induces a temporary state of calm."

"And to a certain extent, it will ensure our subsequent conversation is much more candid."

"Considering the time constraints, we'd best not waste any time."

"My first question is simple. What exactly should we call you right now? Mr. 9527, or Patches?"

"Become more calm, is it?"

Fu Qian ignored the man's question, instead glancing down at his right hand hanging by his side.

The next moment, his hand slowly rose and pressed against the side of his face.

Watched by three pairs of eyes, Fu Qian's sharp fingernail dragged across his cheek, tearing open a deep gash.

The man's smile instantly froze.

And it was far from over. Amidst their horrified stares, his hand continued upward all the way to the root of his ear, carving an exaggerated smile into half of his face.

"A person should try to be happy. Being too quiet isn't good."

With his teeth faintly visible through the wound, resembling a twisted clown, Fu Qian continued to speak in a placid tone.

"Impossible!"

Following in Doctor Cynthia's footsteps, the man's posture of total control vanished. He gritted his teeth as he stared at Fu Qian.

"You've already been paralyzed! There's no way you could do this!"

"Is that so?"

Fu Qian looked at him, the two sides of his face stretching into completely different smiles.

"9527 is paralyzed. What does that have to do with me, Patches?"

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