Eldritch Horror Theatre

The Narrow Path Fu Qian mentioned was the place where he had resolved the Kisaragi Kana situation last time.

As part of a massive urban cluster, its location was nowhere near The Port.

Fortunately, getting there was still quite convenient.

Jia Keke couldn’t possibly understand what Fu Qian meant by ”tastes,” of course, and he had no intention of explaining it.

In Fu Qian’s plan, the first step of the operation was undoubtedly to conduct a project observation.

From his perspective, only about a week had passed since the establishment of the Jiali 9527 Plan.

But according to the date he had noted during his mission, in this world, several months had already gone by.

Knowing Kisaragi Kana’s style, Fu Qian figured that even with her sister watching her, she wouldn’t stay quiet for long.

It was time to shoulder some of the burden for the righteous Night Watcher, Hayami Suzune.

”Have a good time.”Seeing that Fu Qian was very familiar with Ye Island, Jia Keke didn’t press the matter and soon bid them both farewell.

With her mission successfully completed, she was clearly in a good mood.

Meanwhile, out on the sea, several ships of the same make were already rushing toward the spot where The Abyss had sunk.

...

”There’s a project over there that needs concluding.”

After calling Su Gao away from the pier, Fu Qian explained his plan to his partner using this bizarre phrasing.

”Also, when the time comes, I’ll be acting under another identity.”

”If all goes well, it’ll be a fairly good entry point.”

As he spoke, Fu Qian’s facial features rapidly twisted, quickly settling into the appearance of Dancy.

How time flew. He remembered how, not long ago, he had earned the glowing reputation of a human fiend using exactly this look.

Looking at his reflection in the roadside glass, Fu Qian felt a wave of emotion.

”Alright.”

Even though she’d had no prior knowledge of this, Su Gao expressed zero objections.

”Do you need me to put on a disguise as well?”

She pointed at herself.

”You can do that too?”

The suggestion genuinely took Fu Qian by surprise.

”I can.”

Su Gao nodded.

The next moment, under Fu Qian’s gaze, the contours of her entire body began to shift silently, morphing toward another figure.

However, unlike Fu Qian’s face-sculpting, her transformation felt much more fluid and natural. It was like a flowing melody, without a single awkward stutter in between.

In barely half a minute, Su Gao had completely changed her appearance.

Black hair, bright eyes, red lips, and white teeth—at first glance, it was none other than Jia Keke from the cruise ship.

I knew it. Whatever sword path you practice, it’s definitely not orthodox!

Having carefully observed the entire process, Fu Qian marveled to himself.

In fact, he had realized a long time ago that although Su Gao seemed very similar to Ji Liushuang and the others, she walked a completely different path.

The core foundation of her power was essentially a special ability similar to his own, rather than the kind of cultivation practiced in the Sword Comprehension Institute.

”Can you simulate her abilities too?”

Faced with Su Gao’s miraculous display, Fu Qian thought for a moment before asking.

”No. In essence, this isn’t actually a simulation.”

Su Gao’s answer was firm and honest.

”It’s hard to describe the feeling. When I do this, I don’t need to mobilize my bones and muscles or guide them to change; I just need to think about it.”

”As long as I imagine the appearance I want to take on, it naturally comes true.”

”I can do it for anyone I’ve ever seen.”

Just thinking about it is enough? Why does that sound so much cooler than my method!

Is this the legendary mind over matter?

Fu Qian felt his ego take a hit.

Gripes aside, as an expert in flesh-manipulation and face-sculpting, Fu Qian naturally understood the profound difference and knew Su Gao wasn’t exaggerating.

”In that case, it is indeed much more convenient. But forget about Ms. Jia; that could easily cause some misunderstandings.”

Fu Qian thought for a moment, then casually pointed at a lit GG Card by the roadside.

”Could you do something like this?”

”No, it has to be a living person I’ve come into close contact with.”

Su Gao shook her head.

”I see.”

Fu Qian wasn’t surprised.

He had to admit, this ability of Su Gao’s was quite intriguing.

...

”This is the place.”

Late that night, Fu Qian signaled for Su Gao to get out of the car, pointing at a building in the darkness not far away.

By now, he had completely transformed into Dancy Crawford from head to toe. He had deliberately paired the look with a human fiend-style outfit, exuding the full vibe of a beast in human clothing.

Following his suggestion, Su Gao had taken the form of a slightly slender, beautiful blonde woman. Her height had shrunk significantly, and her clothes had shifted into a casual yet elegant knit sweater and trousers.

After changing their appearances and rushing all the way over, the building that now stood before them was Brother Dancy’s luxurious mansion.

Several months had passed, and not a single trace of light could be seen inside the building.

Fortunately, Brother Dancy had kept up with his utility bills. Leading Su Gao through the door and into the house, Fu Qian reached out to test a switch, and the lights flicked on in response.

The layout inside was exactly the same as always, though it had inevitably gathered a thin layer of dust.

The bad news: no one had cleaned the place for a while.

The good news: the human heads in the living room had been perfectly cleaned up.

Right now, everything here looked completely normal. Even the soup pot on the table was gone.

It seemed the aftermath of what happened here had been handled with extreme discretion.

Who could have come to clean up the scene? The Anjing Company, or the Night Watchers?

He felt the Anjing Company was the more likely candidate.

After looking around with satisfaction, Fu Qian took a seat.

”We’ll need to stay here temporarily for the next few days.”

Gesturing for her to sit wherever she liked, Fu Qian noticed that Su Gao was staring toward the kitchen, deep in thought.

”The dead original owner of this face was Dancy Crawford.”

He pointed at his own face.

”He had some rather special culinary hobbies. If you want to cook anything, you’ll need to get a new set of kitchenware.”

”No wonder.”

Su Gao nodded.

”Of course, to the outside world, he just mysteriously disappeared several months ago.”

”To their shock, he has suddenly returned tonight, and even brought a new victim with him.”

Fu Qian pointed at himself, then at Su Gao, quickly laying out her persona.

”This ’outside world’ refers specifically to the Anjing Company and the Night Watchers.”

”I participated in a certain experimental project for the Anjing Company, and someone from the Night Watchers has constantly been trying to bring me to justice for my criminal deeds.”

”Understood.”

Su Gao listened to all of this with the utmost seriousness.

”So we just wait here now?”

”Yeah. It’s not like we can just barge straight up to the King of Ye Island, grab him by the collar, and interrogate him about the Origin Council. It’s better to let them come looking for us.”

With that said, Fu Qian pointed upstairs.

”It’s getting late. Go find an unoccupied guest room and get some rest. Now we just have to wait and see who our first batch of guests will be.”

”Anjing or the Night Watchers—let’s wait and see which one makes people more proactive and sharp: fear or duty.”