Eldritch Horror Theatre

Some sort of special gas had just been quietly pumped into the room.

It clearly possessed a rather potent paralyzing effect—the kind not even a transcendent could be immune to.

The reason for doing this was twofold: to restrict his mobility, and to test the strength of "Patches's" consciousness.

Looking at the dumbfounded man, Fu Qian silently made his assessment.

Unfortunately for them, his current self could almost entirely ignore this level of trickery.

If these people had been ruthless enough to pump in hydrogen sulfide instead, it might have had a bigger impact on his mood.

As things stood, he could use the opportunity to further reinforce his persona.

"So, here's the question: what should I call you?"

Realizing he had been played by Fu Qian, the short, stout man's expression stiffened.

"Ulrich... Goya Ulrich!"

Fortunately, he hadn't lost the courage to answer.

It was just that this 007-style introduction, delivered through gritted teeth, left Fu Qian looking rather bemused.

Goya Ulrich?

So this was the person he was looking for?

Fu Qian sized up the mission target who had delivered himself right to his door.

He was also a Mid-Tier Transcendent, similar to Cynthia from before, though there was still a massive gap between him and a Demigod.

If it really came to a fight, he could send the man to his maker in two seconds.

But Fu Qian was in no rush to make a move.

In theory, his strategy had indeed been executed quite successfully.

After realizing the cognitive influence brought on by the horse's neigh, he had played along, taking the role of someone possessed by Patches to the absolute extreme. Ultimately, he successfully drew their attention, became a primary subject of observation, and even had his target delivered straight to him.

Everything was perfectly reasonable, and his luck was not without cause.

It was just that the most reasonable explanation wasn't always the truth, especially when operating on insufficient information.

Given his familiarity with the style of past missions, the fact that this trip was going so smoothly actually prompted Fu Qian to play Patches to the very end to glimpse the full scope of this testing project.

"I am the director of this testing project. I must say, your performance was quite eye-catching."

"In fact, thinking about it carefully, I am quite glad about your current answer."

Goya Ulrich clearly had no idea what Fu Qian was thinking. After briefly adjusting his mood, he regained his composure.

"It allows me to converse with a Patches of this magnitude."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"That would be very difficult to explain, but we can take our time."

Goya made a gesture, signaling the guard to bring in a chair from outside.

The moment the chair was set down, he plopped onto it as eagerly as an out-of-shape office worker, even panting slightly.

"According to the data provided by Cynthia, your memory suffered a significant impact after the first exposure."

Immediately after, Goya picked up a document and flipped through it.

"So, I would like to confirm something. Do you still remember why you came to participate in this test?"

"Because of my mistake?"

Fu Qian thought for a moment and asked in a highly cooperative manner.

"It seems your memory isn't completely blank after all."

Goya nodded in satisfaction.

"You are correct. The Company provides everyone with a chance to make up for their mistakes, and the rules are clear."

"However, your original offense was rather severe. A simple basic test is not enough to completely offset it."

"Thus, at first, we had to suspect that you faked being affected for this exact reason, giving yourself the opportunity to enter the next round of testing."

It was exactly as he had guessed.

Fu Qian thought to himself as he listened.

His group of fellow participants were indeed all here to atone for their crimes.

It made perfect sense. After all, mere martial deterrence would hardly be enough to force a bunch of superhumans to cooperate so smoothly with the tests.

To achieve such a result, a carrot-and-stick approach was necessary.

For instance, promising that upon completing the test, they would be reinstated and could maintain their positions within the system.

Only under these conditions would everyone willingly serve as test subjects after independently weighing the pros and cons.

It was a remarkably thorough method. If this really was the handiwork of the Anjing Company, he had to admit that the King of Ye Island possessed a certain level of competence.

"A reasonable suspicion. So, what about now?"

Fu Qian nodded.

"Now? Without a doubt, you are already one of the greatest harvests of this test. With your help, I believe our research on that thing can gain significant depth—"

"That thing? Do you mean 'me'?"

Fu Qian suddenly interrupted Goya with a broad smile on his face.

"That... Item brings about an incredibly potent psychological influence."

Fu Qian's tone abruptly changed, and Brother Goya's expression instantly became somewhat unnatural.

The highly skilled guard beside him stepped forward, elevating his level of alertness.

Unfortunately, he was still a hair too late. Fu Qian's right hand shot out like lightning, carrying a terrifying amount of force.

With Goya's level of skill, there was clearly no way he could dodge such a sudden strike.

However, as Fu Qian's hand neared his face, an invisible wind seemed to blow across it. In the blink of an eye, the skin on his hand withered, as if all its vitality had been sucked dry.

Unfortunately, this bizarre curse didn't slow Fu Qian in the slightest. In the next moment, he securely clamped his hand around Goya's neck.

But the neck he grabbed continued to change.

The man's thick neck rapidly turned as viscous as mud, taking on a bluish-black hue.

It felt as if Fu Qian had grabbed a giant slug that was constantly trying to slip out of his grasp.

Too bad for him, Spikes sprouted from Fu Qian's hand in the next second, completely invalidating Goya's efforts.

"Don't be rash! You've merely been misled. We will help you break free!"

Despair finally surfaced on Goya's face as he forced out the sentence.

Even the guards exchanged uncertain glances, not daring to act rashly.

A Mid-Tier Transcendent had been instantly subdued. The terrifying strength Fu Qian displayed had clearly shocked everyone to their core.

"Didn't you just say that you were glad I was Patches?"

"Shouldn't my current performance provide you with even more valuable information?"

"I'm fine—"

Fu Qian's words caused Goya to struggle, yet he still signaled the guards not to approach.

"What exactly do you want?"

"Isn't it obvious? The research data on 'me,' of course. All of it."

By this point, Fu Qian had casually flipped through his own test record, confirming that it only contained his name, ID number, and some simple notes. There was nothing of real value.

"That is top-secret information!"

Hearing Fu Qian's demand clearly, Goya was noticeably taken aback.

"Such actions will bring you a considerable amount of trouble."

"Thanks for the warning."

Fu Qian wore a smile. Paired with the wounds on his face, it gave him an indescribably crazed look.

"So, could you hurry up?"

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