Eldritch Horror Theatre

Was it because I failed my first task?

Faced with the massive discrepancy between how things were before and how they were now, this was the easiest conclusion to draw.

Was I targeted because I rejected the Guidance Prompt and got flagged as an unstable factor?

That sounded like a reasonable explanation, but wasn’t it a bit too harsh? They didn’t leave even a sliver of room for error?

”What happens if you don’t follow the prompts?”

Fu Qian considered this for a moment before looking at Medea to ask.

”Why would you do that?”

Medea looked genuinely baffled by the question.

”I just figure accidents are bound to happen without anyone intending them to. For example, what if you get interrupted by something in the middle of a task?”

Fu Qian kept his expression neutral.”Are you telling me that in all these years, you’ve never failed to complete one?”

”Not exactly. Like you said, unexpected situations do arise.”

His words clearly sent Medea drifting into her memories.

”It’s a terrible feeling. It leaves you with a profound sense of regret.”

Just regret?

Seeing that Medea wasn’t making this up, Fu Qian was struck by the realization.

Even after experiencing that regret, she was still alive and kicking.

If what she said was true, it meant she hadn’t been eliminated for going against the prompt.

Are the double standards really this severe?

I can’t help but feel like I’m overlooking something.

”You mentioned earlier that Edral became irritable and anxious. Did he show any specific behaviors?”

Fu Qian thought for a moment before shifting to another question.

”Behaviors... Well, there wasn’t any specific incident, but his actions became a bit hard to understand. Oh, right! He started paying a lot of attention to certain Anomaly Points and discussed them with me multiple times.”

”Like the door in the school storage room? Is paying attention to that considered abnormal?”

”No one wants to come into contact with Anomaly Points, right?”

Medea looked as though she had just stepped in dog shit. It was heartfelt disgust, an instinctive repulsion.

”Let alone talk about them constantly.”

”If you find it so repulsive, why not just tear that door down?”

Hm!

In that instant, Medea jerked her head up, her gaze suddenly turning eerie.

”What’s wrong?”

”Edral... he asked that exact same question.”

”And that’s a sign of being irritable?”

”Not irritable. That would be the sign of a madman.”

Medea enunciated every word.

”To a normal person, it’s an incomprehensible idea. The only place it belongs is in a mental asylum.”

That’s perfectly reasonable logic!

Fu Qian furrowed his brows as he listened.

So in the minds of these Natives, those Anomaly Points are some kind of taboo?

Does coming into contact with them—or even talking about them—bring misfortune?

No wonder Daniel’s reaction was so exaggerated when he opened the door.

Though for the stability of the world, this is obviously a good thing.

Furthermore, Edral later focusing on whether the Anomaly Points could be destroyed is a crucial piece of information.

Although Edral’s idea was no different from a madman’s in Medea’s eyes, Fu Qian understood why he had such thoughts.

From Edral’s perspective, with no clue on how to find a way out, this was clearly a bid for survival.

If those Anomaly Points were destroyed, could that open up a chance at survival?

When driven into a corner, it’s a very normal line of thinking.

”Why are you so interested in Edral?”

While Fu Qian was lost in thought, Medea couldn’t help but ask.

It was obvious his previous questions had struck a nerve.

”Although we shared a good time together, I don’t know all that much about him. If you have questions, it would definitely be better to ask him in person.”

I already did.

Faced with Medea’s suggestion, Fu Qian sighed inwardly as the image of the mummified corpse flashed through his mind.

She clearly didn’t know her ex-lover had long since died, trapped behind that door.

In all likelihood, his SAN Value had even hit zero before he died, turning him into an idiot.

Speaking of which, Daniel had mentioned that when someone went missing, the school would inspect these Anomaly Points.

Given that neither he nor Daniel had gone to class today, he wondered if that would provoke such a response.

More importantly, there was the already-dead Joseph. No matter how resourceful Daniel’s family was, they would likely only be able to pass his death off as a missing person case.

It was only a matter of time before the storage room door was opened.

However, filing a missing person case required forty-eight hours. The school didn’t seem proactive enough to act quickly, so he should be able to hold out for a few more days... right?

Ring!

Just then, a sudden ringtone erupted from the corner of the room, piercingly loud in the quiet air.

Medea, already somewhat distracted, nearly jumped in fright.

The ringing came from an elegantly designed telephone. Medea instinctively walked over but hesitated, not picking it up right away.

The sudden call gave her a faint, ominous premonition.

Unfortunately, the ringing was relentless, showing no signs of stopping. She finally gritted her teeth and answered it.

But after listening for a few seconds, her body gave a sudden jolt, and her head snapped up to look at Fu Qian.

”Just now... they found a body behind the storage room door!”

Forgetting to even hang up the phone, she muttered to herself in a daze.

Ah, things are speeding up.

Fu Qian looked up at the ceiling, surprisingly not feeling shocked at all.

As expected, they aren’t giving me a chance to handle this at my own pace.

The school’s response was so fast that it completely defied logic.

Perhaps someone in charge had received a special prompt.

And the discovery of the mummified corpse in the storage room would have a massive impact on the current fragile balance.

Stan, for instance, probably wouldn’t be able to sit still much longer. Fu Qian’s current task could fail at any moment.

I don’t have much time left.

”So their way of dealing with it was to hide the body in there?”

Medea was gnashing her teeth, but her understanding of the situation was clearly off.

”How foolish! If someone goes missing under strange circumstances, how could the school not check that place?!”

”Are you stupid?”

Fu Qian glanced at her.

”If it was Joseph, wouldn’t they have just used his name?”

”Uh... that’s right!”

Reminded by Fu Qian, Medea instantly snapped to her senses, realizing her anxiety had made her overly sensitive.

”But if it isn’t Joseph, then who could it be... Wait, where are you going?”

She frowned in deep thought. However, when she looked up, she saw that Fu Qian had ignored her and was walking away without a word.

He was heading toward... the kitchen?

”What are you doing?”

”Nice house you’ve got here.”

Ignoring her question, Fu Qian earnestly looked around.

”...It’s all right, I guess.”

Medea was completely bewildered, especially when Fu Qian returned carrying two Kitchen Knives and pressed them against her neck.

”So, do you have a car?”