Eldritch Horror Theatre

Obviously, the sudden choice overwhelmed Tan Ying's mental bandwidth, leaving her unable to decide for a moment.

Subconsciously, she really wanted to keep her options open.

Yet an inexplicable sense of urgency made her quickly abandon the thought.

"I'll just draw a simple portrait."

She finally gave a long sigh, her tone filled with infinite regret.

Not bad. Truly an outstanding youth with a healthy body and mind.

Fu Qian did not hesitate to praise her in his mind, very cooperatively taking a seat off to the side.

Having made her choice, Tan Ying felt a wave of physical and mental relief. Some indescribable distress vanished into thin air, as if her Ren and Du meridians had just been opened.

Of course, an intense wave of regret quickly followed.

Overcome with regret, she finally couldn't help but ask.

"A chess piece played is never taken back."

Fu Qian shook his head and pointed at himself.

"Look, I've already changed my clothes."

...

It had to be said, despite her slight moodiness, even a layman like Fu Qian could tell Tan Ying had excellent talent.

It was just a half-body portrait, but a single glance was enough to make one feel a vicious aura radiating from it.

"Very lifelike."

Fu Qian didn't mind at all. He even nodded in approval.

"By the way, with your talent and family background, isn't going to school here a bit low-key?"

"If I didn't go to school here, how would I have met you?"

Having recovered her vigor, Tan Ying's combat power was not to be underestimated.

Blinking her eyes, she lowered her voice.

"So why did you choose to stay here for school?"

Without waiting for Fu Qian to respond, Tan Ying immediately asked.

"Close to home."

Fu Qian answered matter-of-factly.

"Me too."

Tan Ying sighed.

"Other places are indeed better, but going all alone is just too lonely."

...

Alright, the main quest of returning to normal life was complete.

Bidding farewell to the motivated student Tan Ying, Fu Qian left the school at a leisurely pace.

He only had a few acquaintances to begin with. After briefly checking on them from a distance, he could basically confirm that the only victims were Young Master Qin and Tan Ying.

He could only say that those two were truly unlucky. During those five seconds, the lingering effects of the previous call hadn't completely dissipated.

As for their fellow student Pei Yanqing, he had already taken a passing glance at her on the way over. As it turned out, she was perfectly normal.

Honestly, that in itself was a bit abnormal.

Because if he remembered correctly, he had distinctly heard Pei Yanqing's voice at the time.

In Fu Qian's judgment, the reason for her unique reaction was nine times out of ten related to that earliest Commandment Residue. It had made her relatively special in certain aspects.

Regardless, it seemed like a good thing for now, saving him a lot of trouble.

...

Theoretically speaking, after settling karma, he could go back and continue his shut-in lifestyle.

But as an exploration-type player, Fu Qian always had a good habit of clearing side quests—and as it happened, there was one right in front of him.

"You look like you're in good spirits, student Fu Qian!"

Later that day, Fu Qian, who had been dozing off by the street, was awakened by the voice in front of him.

He looked up and sized up the newcomer.

He was in his forties, not very tall, with sharp brows and a rather imposing demeanor. It was none other than the long-unseen Brother Xu Meng.

That's right. After experiencing that mental shock, this man had spent a considerable amount of time adjusting his mindset. Finally, just yesterday, he had found the courage to take stock of his enemy once again, and then successfully made a contribution to maintaining peace in the alternate world.

"You flatter me. President Xu is the same, truly old but still vigorous."

Fu Qian narrowed his eyes, putting on a look of having just recognized him, and smiled in greeting.

His current location was exactly the place Qin Mingze had repeatedly warned him not to wander around alone unless absolutely necessary.

Although they lived in a society ruled by law, and Xu Meng had cooled down enough over this period not to do anything reckless, there were still many ways to mess with someone.

If he ended up getting drugged and having nude photos taken or something, it wouldn't be a huge problem, but it would certainly be disgusting.

As it turned out, Young Master Qin's judgment was very sound. Fu Qian had sat here for barely half an hour before Xu Meng showed up.

"I apologize for my rudeness back then. In truth, I know that kind of accident isn't something human power can predict or resist. My son simply didn't have your good luck, that's all."

He clearly came prepared. Xu Meng wasn't the least bit annoyed even after being called old but still vigorous; he simply took out a cigarette and lit it.

"You're too polite, President Xu."

Fu Qian's smile didn't falter.

"Taking one's anger out on others is always human nature."

"It's truly wonderful that you can understand. Then I imagine you'd also be willing to help a father resolve his obsession."

As he spoke, Xu Meng waved his hand. Soon, two men stepped up, flanking Fu Qian on his left and right.

"I can tell that even though you don't like going out, student Fu Qian, you certainly have a wide circle of friends."

"I don't doubt your friendship with those people, so we will keep things within the bounds of politeness."

"Rest assured, this will only take a little of your time. My photographer is very professional."

So Young Master Qin was right on the money? How completely lacking in creativity.

Seeing the domineering Xu Meng, Fu Qian actually felt rather bored.

If you had secretly hung yourself at my doorstep, I would have at least respected you as a real man.

"Can you do me this favor, student Fu?"

"I can."

Fu Qian nodded the next moment.

"However, you actually weren't entirely wrong, President Xu. There were indeed hidden circumstances behind your son's accident."

"What!"

At that instant, Xu Meng's expression made one worry he might bite the cigarette butt in half.

"What hidden circumstances?"

Staring fixedly at Fu Qian, he asked through gritted teeth.

"Between learning the truth and going through with your plan just now, you can only choose one."

Unhurried, Fu Qian held up a single finger.

"Once you've thought it over, President Xu, you can give me your answer."

"Choose one out of two?"

Xu Meng stared at Fu Qian's finger. His expression shifted several times over the span of a few seconds before finally settling into a bizarre smile.

"So you're bargaining with me?"

"Not at all."

Fu Qian shook his head.

"I made it very clear—choose one out of two. There is no room for bargaining."

"Based on the information I've gathered, you are undoubtedly an excellent student. But today, I'm going to teach you a bit about how society works."

Xu Meng tossed his cigarette aside and tapped his temple with a finger.

"How a question gets answered isn't up to the one asking it; it's up to the one qualified to judge what's right and wrong."

"And obviously, you've misunderstood. This is a multiple-choice question, and my answer is all of the above."

Who would have thought this really was a multiple-choice question!

Seeing the silently dissipating dreamscape, Fu Qian clicked his tongue in admiration.

That's right. Whether it was Young Master Qin or the man in front of him, when setting the rules of the dreamscape, he had never restricted them to picking just one option.

Worthy of being a local kingpin. President Xu truly was a man with life wisdom.

Even after quietly helping to save the world, he chose to combat his PTSD all on his own.

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