Eldritch Horror Theatre

To the onlookers, Fu Qian’s behavior was undoubtedly steeped in sorrow.

From the beginning, Old Man Nate hadn’t spoken a single word or shed a single tear. Yet, everyone knew this was simply a manifestation of overwhelming grief.

His only son had been murdered away from home, leaving no remains behind. It was a tragedy anyone would find hard to accept.

After delaying for so long, he was finally holding the funeral today. He must have completely given up hope.

”Everyone!”

Amid the myriad pitying gazes, Fu Qian turned around and spoke for the first time.

”Thank you all for coming today.”

His voice was hoarse, yet it carried a sense of release.

”Not long ago, a kind young man was murdered, and I have gone through an incredibly difficult time because of it.

”For the longest time, clinging to an unrealistic glimmer of hope, I refused to hold a funeral for poor Sean...”Fortunately, something rather wonderful happened recently—I killed the person who murdered Sean.”

As soon as Fu Qian said this, a visible ripple of commotion spread through the crowd, even reaching Sheriff Harry in the front row.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Fu Qian pulled out a brass revolver and affectionately stroked its textured grip.

”With this old friend of many years, I blasted that scum’s heart to pieces.”

”He was very good at disguising himself, but he still couldn’t escape a father’s vengeful eyes.”

A deeply satisfied smile surfacing on his lips, Fu Qian looked around, his gaze pausing on Collins and his group.

”Here, I want to thank my friends. I’ve received so much care from them during this time, which allowed me to hold on until today. For example, Grace...”

Fu Qian waved at Grace and Veil.

”Thank you for your suggestion. Fine wine is indeed something in this world worth savoring. I almost want to take some into the coffin with me.”

A few chuckles rose from the crowd, but most people simply frowned, struck by an ominous premonition.

Amid the laughter, Fu Qian withdrew his gaze and signaled to the side.

Following his gesture, a group of men actually came forward carrying a brown coffin and placed it right next to him.

This...

The crowd exchanged bewildered looks, instinctively glancing toward Sean’s tombstone.

The burial had just finished. Why was there another coffin?

”Regardless, I am very glad you all could make it. Over the course of my rather long life, my time with everyone here has been incredibly pleasant.”

With a smile on his face, Fu Qian continued his speech.

”My greatest wish has been fulfilled. There is nothing left in this world for me to linger over.”

”So, this one is for me. I really like its design. When the time comes, please bury me next to Sean.”

Pointing at the coffin at his feet, under a myriad of alarmed and uncertain gazes, Fu Qian reversed his gun and pressed the muzzle against his own chin.

”I am going to reunite with Sean. My friends, please bear witness.”

Screams erupted from all sides at Fu Qian’s actions.

No one had expected things to take such a turn.

They had assumed Nate was finally letting go of his obsession, never expecting the old man was actually harboring a death wish.

Amid the chorus of screams, Fu Qian acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing. Still smiling, he pulled the trigger.

Bang! A gunshot rang out, and red and white splattered through the air.

Reflected in Collins’ solemn gaze, the top hat on Old Knight’s head went flying, a massive hole blasted right through his skull.

Amidst the splattering blood and brain matter, faint, glittering fragments could be seen.

”Move aside!”

The next moment, the director of the Small Town hospital pushed past the crowd and rushed forward, catching Old Knight’s body before it fell.

After a quick examination, Collins stood up and shook his head at the surrounding crowd.

Old Knight had completely lost all signs of life.

”It’s actually real...”

Amid the chaos, Collins quietly stepped back. He opened his palm and stared at a transparent fragment as thin as an eggshell, muttering to himself.

...

Night fell, and the cemetery returned to its usual tranquility.

Following the daytime tragedy, Old Knight’s body was buried next to Sean in accordance with his final wish. Now, the space before the grave was entirely covered in fresh flowers.

Right at this moment, when all sounds fall silent, the stone slab covering the grave was lifted at one corner. A dark shadow slipped out from the narrow gap.

It seemed he still needed to wait a while to see the results.

Fu Qian stretched his body a few times and rapidly reverted to his original appearance.

For him, faking a suicide by a headshot was as easy as breathing.

The purpose behind all of this, naturally, was to make the fact that ”Old Knight is dead” perfectly logical and convincing.

Not only did he have to commit suicide in front of everyone, but the most crucial step of all was right before firing the gun—he deliberately placed the transparent thin sheet from Nate’s head into the hat.

And it was obvious that Collins, the chief surgeon, had already discovered it.

This would greatly negate the possibility that ”this Nate is a fake.”

Moving forward, to avoid any cognitive dissonance, the direction of the brain dance script would naturally steer toward the highly logical conclusion that Old Knight was dead.

In that case, the contamination could be genuinely cleared.

Yesterday, upon confirming that the contamination originated from Nate, Fu Qian had already come up with this idea.

However, he couldn’t say for certain exactly how high his chances of success were.

In truth, this was also a test.

If this group of people was truly disconnected from reality, entirely rewriting the plot and ignoring actual facts—if his entire performance failed to convey the message that Nate was already dead—then it would prove they were a highly dangerous bunch. Sooner or later, something disastrous would happen.

And if that turned out to be the case, Fu Qian also had a backup plan—starting straight with the core figures, he would manually eradicate the contamination one by one (physically).

Therefore, this was also an opportunity for this group.

For them, the absolute best-case scenario was to be successfully deceived.

Fu Qian casually patted some dirt down, restoring the grave to its original state, before melting away into the shadows.

The mission hadn’t yet prompted its completion, but that didn’t mean his plan had failed.

He had every reason to suspect that it wouldn’t be until everyone entered the brain dance state one by one that it could be fully confirmed that Nate had been thoroughly eradicated.

All he needed to do now was patiently wait.

...

Fu Qian did not head to Collins’ house to check if a banquet was taking place. Instead, he took a leisurely stroll through Baerluk under the cover of night.

He had long since memorized everyone’s aura, so quietly observing changes first was the best course of action.

Speaking of which, this mission had practically been an all-inclusive holiday of wining and dining. He hadn’t even engaged in a single direct conflict. It truly qualified as a leisure trip.

That didn’t mean it lacked danger, however. In theory, there was a large group of people here who were fully capable of dealing him a fatal blow. Helom was a living example of that.

It truly was a situation that appeared peaceful on the surface but was treacherous underneath.

Additionally, the origins of this See Me Faction were still uncertain. It didn’t feel like a sudden stroke of inspiration from Collins; there were likely much deeper roots behind it. It would be worth keeping an eye on in the future.

Mid-thought, Fu Qian looked up and realized he was once again standing in front of Bernard’s Bookstore.

Without standing on ceremony, he pushed the door open and walked right in.

The store manager with the bird’s-nest hair stared daggers at him. After a long while, he lowered his head without a word, entirely giving up any effort to kick him out.

Fu Qian returned the gesture with a smile and pulled a book off the shelf, casually flipping through it.

[Current mission completed. 3-0111 successfully brought into Containment.]

Finally, with only an hour left until midnight, the prompt sounded.