Eldritch Horror Theatre

As soon as Fu Qian asked his question, Goya's expression shifted, turning visibly sharp.

It seems there's a high probability he knows!

Although the change lasted only an instant before he returned to normal, Fu Qian, who had been watching closely, naturally caught the reaction and silently mused.

No matter how he looked at it, this guy's demeanor suggested he wasn't completely ignorant about the Nether Steed's true effects.

That's strange. For a body double, doesn't he know a little too much?

Any way you look at it, this should be considered a core secret, right?

When things are abnormal, there must be something sinister at work!

"Thank you for the reminder, but haven't you overlooked a problem?"

Goya was the first to break the silence in the subtle atmosphere.

"But now I don't. Do you know why?"

"Because aren't you a successful example standing right in front of me?"

At this moment, Doctor Goya's logical deduction as a researcher was fully on display. He stared at Fu Qian with sheer appreciation.

It really does seem that way!

Hearing this, even Cynthia's eyes lit up.

Although the guy in front of them was unreasonable, the Combat Power he displayed was terrifying. His strength had received an unimaginable boost, and the key point was that he showed no signs of being mentally affected.

He truly was a perfect case study!

"Idiot! Repeatability!"

Facing their burning gazes, Fu Qian slammed the table and rained down a harsh scolding.

"Have you forgotten such an important principle?"

"What does one special case prove?"

"Look at the piles of defective products outside! Did The Company give you resources to waste like this?"

"Then what do you want?"

Under the repeated reprimands, Goya's tone subtly carried a hint of resignation.

It had to be said that the tone of the conversation had veered wildly off course. The guards darted their eyes between Fu Qian and Goya, completely baffled as to how this had suddenly turned into an academic debate.

"Actually, I am a bit curious. In any research, certain interfering factors are inevitable. Why do you think this thing cannot be removed?"

Naturally, Goya didn't care what the guards thought. He suddenly threw the question back at Fu Qian.

As the project leader, he really does have some skills.

Fu Qian mused silently.

He didn't believe for a second that a few words could lead this guy astray. His nonsense just now had a very simple goal: to test just how much this fellow knew about a Covenant Object like the Nether Steed.

And Goya's reaction, aside from smoothly deflecting the question, even seemed to be a covert counter-probe to figure out how much Fu Qian knew about Covenant Objects.

"It's your project, and you're asking me? What kind of attitude is that!"

Amid his thoughts, Fu Qian slapped the table and stood up, his tone filled with the resentment that iron cannot become steel.

"Forget it, forget it. Take me down there."

He let out a long sigh, looking like someone who had exhausted his heart and soul for the cause of scientific research.

"...Alright."

Under everyone's dumbfounded gazes, Doctor Goya remained silent for a full few dozen seconds before actually agreeing.

Gesturing for the guards to clear a path, Doctor Goya even took the lead himself.

More and more suspicious.

Fu Qian naturally followed without hesitation, silently evaluating the situation in his mind.

If Goya had just given an order to have him ground to dust or something similar, that would have been normal.

But striking such a compromising posture now... rather than believing he had abandoned his dignity for research, it was far more likely he desperately wanted to confirm whether Fu Qian knew something.

...

Faced with this bizarre turn of events, Cynthia was clearly baffled as well.

Driven by overwhelming curiosity, she hesitated briefly before following them.

Ultimately, escorted by a large group of guards, the three of them made their way to the lowest level.

The other orange-uniformed members had already been cleared out in advance, and Goya directly ordered the door to be opened.

"We will go in together. There should be enough time."

Goya looked at Fu Qian and spoke with a firm tone.

"Sure!"

Fu Qian agreed, readily accepting good advice.

A true researcher had to possess the spirit to dedicate themselves to science.

As for having enough time, the man wasn't talking nonsense. It was still about ten minutes until eight o'clock.

"I'll go too."

Not wanting to be outdone, Cynthia immediately expressed her own professional dedication.

"Alright."

Goya glanced at Cynthia but did not try to dissuade his colleague.

Before heading in, he even ordered the personnel outside to ignore the five-minute limit. Unless he gave the signal, they were not to open the door.

Soon, the heavy metal door slowly closed behind them. For the second time, Fu Qian laid eyes on that bizarre Katydid Horse.

The Nether Steed looked just as impressive as before, and its cry was full of vigor.

Just like when Fu Qian and Ms. Six had been here, the three of them stood separated in three different corners of the room.

As a Mid Tier expert, even though this was obviously Cynthia's first time facing it directly, she appeared fairly relaxed overall.

She didn't look confused in the slightest. In fact, she was earnestly inspecting it from top to bottom.

As for the project leader, Goya—

Fu Qian looked over to his right.

From the moment he walked through the door, the man had appeared exceptionally calm, looking as though everything was perfectly under control.

"As expected, you aren't affected in the slightest?"

Meeting Fu Qian's gaze, he took the initiative to speak.

"Just about what I imagined."

"What an enviable talent. I am growing more and more interested in you."

"You insisted on coming down here because you wanted to see my reaction in front of this thing, right? The Guide of the Soul did expose some things about me, so it is not surprising you would think that."

He gave a self-deprecating smile.

"I won't deny it. Having been exposed to the Nether Steed multiple times in the past, I once fell into a painful struggle."

"For a very long time, I believed—even more firmly than the test subjects did—that I was Patches, and that Goya was merely an identity I wore. I even found myself involuntarily chasing the thrill of deceiving others."

"But the reason I still convinced those people to spend massive manpower and resources on testing is because I broke out of that process step by step, and even retained a portion of the feedback."

"At this very moment, I can determine with absolute clarity which part is myself, and which part is an inducement from the devil."

Goya looked at Fu Qian, his expression grave and earnest.

"This is what I rely on, because I am also a successful case study. Do you understand?"

...

At that moment, Goya's tone carried a strong sense of righteous conviction.

He sounded as if he were facing an expert with deep-rooted prejudices like Fu Qian, doing his utmost to uphold his own views and beliefs.

Even Cynthia looked as though she were hearing about this for the first time.

Listening to Goya's calm recounting of those arduous years, she seemed perfectly able to imagine the hardships involved and couldn't help but be somewhat moved.

Meanwhile, Fu Qian—who had seemingly been left "speechless" by this rebuttal—quietly watched the scene unfold before him, sighing deeply in his heart.

Now the fun has really started!

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