Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Hahaha..."

As Fu Qian laid out his assumptions, Mask's expression went through a spectacular series of shifts. Once his facial muscles had worked through their full routine, he threw his head back and burst into laughter.

"I knew it... you really are the only one. You're the only person fit to partner with me."

"It's a pity you arrived too late."

"Arriving early wouldn't have made a difference. Even if I'd agreed to that kind of secret partnership, would you actually have dared to trust me?"

Despite Mask's emotionally charged lament, Fu Qian ruthlessly poured cold water over the sentiment.

"True. Smart and reliable are often antonyms."

Mask finally choked off his laughter and gave a slight nod, conceding the point.

"How did you figure out that Death Row Inmate and I had a special arrangement?"

Fu Qian shook his head.

"Fundamentally, it was a great idea. Two completely contrasting personas: the person in charge and the troublemaker. It's an approach that maximizes your ability to steer the team's actions."

"At the same time, you could adopt a placating stance to hand crucial items over to him, maximizing your overall gains from the group."

"Unfortunately, Death Row Inmate was just a terrible actor. For one thing, he talked too much in situations where he should have kept his mouth shut. And if you paid close attention, you'd notice that while he seemed to be opposing you, his actions fundamentally pushed things in a direction that worked to your advantage."

"Perhaps realizing some of his behavior was a bit too obvious, the guy even put on a whole performance later about being moved by team spirit and gradually integrating with the group... We're all adults here; we can make allowances for a little dramatic exaggeration."

"To my mind, after he pulled that stunt, I wasn't the only one who got suspicious—Qing probably had her doubts, too. That might even be the reason you ended up wounded."

"Qing must have realized that abandoning the team at a moment's notice was always on the table for you, so she kept her guard up."

"She really was a formidable character, though."

After Fu Qian's casual breakdown, Mask fell silent for a long moment before finally agreeing with his assessment of Qing.

"It's just a pity she arrived a little late as well, and harbored some baffling moral views."

"You're right. Death Row Inmate and I were indeed acting in silent coordination all along. He was the second one to arrive. We quickly agreed to cooperate to the maximum extent, ensuring we controlled the situation and mitigated the risks."

"Even the idea of using playing cards as codenames was something I proposed for the best effect."

"Of course, just as you said, although that idiot was reliable, he was far too stupid."

"Fortunately, there was Star, who was just as dim."

The organizing committee member was being held in absolute contempt!

Mask's critique left Fu Qian feeling a deep sense of pity for Stella, who had died in such a senseless blur.

"In the end, the situation developed quite smoothly—except for you."

"You are undeniably a dangerous character, repeatedly causing things to slip out of control. Fortunately, it seemed our goals were at least aligned, or else I would have taken action much earlier. But those are meaningless hypotheticals now. You win. I surrender."

Mask wore a thoroughly relieved expression, even managing a smile.

"We're the only two left on the team. Are you planning to dispense justice and avenge our fallen teammates, or will you show your magnanimity and take me with you to finish the mission?"

"That's really hard to say. However, your posture of surrender is a bit lacking in sincerity."

As he spoke, Fu Qian kept his eyes on the Well in the center of the Laboratory. Whether the things he had thrown in earlier had taken effect or not, its docility seemed to have increased even more.

"...Such as?"

The critique made Mask falter slightly, prompting him to ask in a low voice.

"Such as the thing you promised to give Death Row Inmate?"

Fu Qian was not the least bit surprised by this wishful thinking.

"To put it bluntly, that guy cooperated with you for nothing more than survival and completing the mission. The former is understandable, but to have him continue cooperating with you even when you were acting crazy, proactively team up with Red Dragon, and then look for a chance to sneak attack and kill him—you had to have given him a very convincing reason, right? Like a way to stay sane under the contamination?"

"If I'm not mistaken, back when you were in here as Michelle's subordinate, aside from memorizing the layout below, you must have also found a way to obtain a certain drug—a drug that allows someone to remain lucid even under severe contamination."

"Only after you showed that thing to Death Row Inmate did he harden his resolve to follow you down this dark path to the bitter end. That's the only way it makes sense."

"Anything else?"

His eyes flickering, Mask finally reached into his pocket and took out a small cylindrical bottle. Golden liquid sloshed inside it as he moved it. It certainly looked much more authentic than the three bottles Death Row Inmate had stashed away.

"There's also... why did you go crazy just now?"

As soon as this question was asked, Mask's expression turned completely cold.

"Since you're so smart, why don't you take another guess?"

Obviously, he didn't really want to answer the question.

But undeniably, that incident was incredibly bizarre.

It was merely a team-up; parting ways was practically routine. There was absolutely no need to resort to such extreme measures.

"Take another guess..."

Casually blasting apart a few obstructing antler bushes, Fu Qian walked all the way to the center of the Laboratory and looked down from above.

The pile of severed limbs had mostly sunk to the bottom already.

"I'm guessing that at the time, some piece of information appeared that confirmed you were different from the rest. It told you that you were the main character of this story, and everyone else was just an obstacle."

"This information must have been quite reliable—for example, a special mission?"

Gazing down at Mask from his elevated vantage point, Fu Qian spoke slowly.

"Meow~"

Mask's expression contorted in sheer shock once more, but he wasn't the first to react. It was Henry, still held in Fu Qian's hand.

Confronted with The Abyss beneath them, the cat let out a shrill yowl and began thrashing violently, as if desperately trying to escape.

Even so, it was still just a cat driven slightly madder than before. But in Fu Qian's "vision," it was far from that simple.

In that fleeting second, the omnipresent red hue seemed to be violently disturbed, frantically converging in their direction.

However, the converging crimson seemed to miss its mark. It didn't lock onto Henry in the end; instead, it surged straight into Mask beside him.

In that brief fraction of a second, something seemed to be unleashed.

"The main character of the story... you're right. Even now, I still believe that with absolute certainty."

Mask's words no longer held a trace of hesitation, replaced entirely by a chilling, murderous intent.

"The problem is, I was waiting for my reward to be cashed in. What are you waiting for?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Watching the undeniable Transcendent Tier power surging within Mask's body, Fu Qian shook his head once more.

"I am, of course, waiting for the very thing you're waiting for."

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