Eldritch Horror Theatre

”You enjoy a spectacle?”

Fu Qian delivered the line in a flat voice, even obligingly flashing a highly punchable smile.

This sight undoubtedly provoked a strong reaction from Doctor Cynthia and Kuraki Eiko.

For a moment, they stared at him like he was an ignorant youth thoroughly brainwashed by a pyramid scheme.

Who could have guessed? Out of the three people undergoing the second test simultaneously, Kuraki Eiko had managed to struggle free from the influence, while 1349 remained trapped in a confused self-assessment.

Yet the man right in front of them—the one who appeared the most normal—was actually the most unhinged of all!

Of course, this was exactly the result Fu Qian wanted.

Given that his primary task was to find someone within a time limit, seizing the initiative was absolutely necessary.

Under these circumstances, continuing his strategy from the first test—acting as abnormally as possible—would likely yield the most opportunities.

At the very least, any information he casually tossed out would be taken much more seriously.”Mr. Patches, I believe I generally understand your so-called idea of fun,” Doctor Cynthia finally said after staring at Fu Qian for a long time.

”Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that you are not the first person to call yourself by that name.”

”Of course, in your mind, you can simply write them off as being trapped in self-deception.”

”But just as I have no way to prove you wrong, you have no way to prove yourself right. Isn’t that so?”

Not the first person to call himself Patches?

Fu Qian quickly caught onto an important piece of information from Cynthia’s words.

There were two possible implications behind that statement.

The first was that, during this test, more than one person had developed this thorough of a cognitive distortion.

The other possibility was that this was not the first time such a test had been conducted, and those other cases came from much earlier tests.

Fu Qian leaned toward the latter.

A test this well-prepared, mobilizing numerous transcendents, would take a great deal of effort to organize even for an institution on the level of the Anjing Company.

The probability of this being a hasty operation over a brand-new discovery was relatively low.

But regardless of the scenario, this was not good news.

It meant that based on his current performance alone, he would not be considered an extreme outlier.

”First of all, I have no need for proof. I am absolutely certain of it,” Fu Qian replied with brimming confidence, even as he continued to analyze the situation.

”However, your words have certainly piqued my curiosity. May I ask what happened to the others who made the same claim?”

”No.”

Doctor Cynthia finally displayed the demeanor of an executive. She sneered and bluntly rejected Fu Qian’s question.

”All I can tell you is that most of them left a very poor impression. They were emotionally unstable, compulsive liars who took pleasure in deceiving others... just like you right now.”

”I don’t know what you mean.”

Fu Qian’s smile faded.

”You don’t know?” Doctor Cynthia narrowed her eyes, studying Fu Qian with a faint, mocking smile playing at the corners of her lips. ”Self-deception is still a form of deception, you know.”

...

Silence filled the room.

Fu Qian stared coldly at Cynthia. She didn’t avoid his gaze in the slightest, her eyes filled with amusement.

Witnessing this exchange, a trace of pity even appeared in Kuraki Eiko’s eyes beside them.

”So you are suggesting that I continue to use the number 9527?”

”At least the number is real. Moreover, I am not making suggestions.” Doctor Cynthia’s tone was colder than ever before. ”You’ve forgotten something. I am a tester. All I need to do is observe, record, and analyze your changes.”

”I don’t care in the slightest about which direction you change in.”

”I would have thought you already had that level of awareness when you signed up for the test!”

It had to be said that Doctor Cynthia had a rather sharp tongue, paired with a formidable spirit of scientific inquiry.

After that barrage of words, Kuraki Eiko was already clutching her chest, looking as if she had just survived a catastrophe, and her gaze toward Fu Qian held even more pity.

”I need to go down there again.”

Opposite her, Fu Qian remained silent for another half-minute before finally speaking. He sounded as if he had lost much of his previous confidence.

”Excellent, Mr. 9527. You’ve finally shown me something that sets you apart.”

A smile blossomed on Doctor Cynthia’s face as she pressed a button beside her.

”At this very moment, your pure, confident cognition must have developed a tiny crack.”

”I can understand how you feel right now, and for that reason, I will forgive your latest lack of self-awareness. You are merely a test subject; you do not have the right to make demands.”

”Fortunately, your demand happens to align perfectly with my own thoughts.”

”So, I wish you good luck this time.”

As she spoke, the room’s door opened once more. Two guards walked in silently and, at Cynthia’s signal, flanked Fu Qian.

Faced with Cynthia’s blessing, Fu Qian gave her a long look but said nothing more. He simply turned and headed toward the door.

...

”Wait!”

Just as the two guards followed him and the three of them were about to leave the room, Cynthia’s expression changed again, and she suddenly called out.

Hmm?

The two guards instantly blocked Fu Qian. Along with Kuraki Eiko, they looked at her in confusion.

”You...”

Staring intently at Fu Qian, Doctor Cynthia’s expression was more solemn than ever.

”Changed your mind again, Doctor?” Fu Qian looked at her, his tone flat.

”You truly are a compulsive liar.” One could hear the distinct grinding of teeth in Cynthia’s voice. ”You don’t have any self-doubt at all! You were tricking me! Even your supposed desire to go back down was a lie!”

”When you put it like that, Doctor, even I find it a bit hard to understand.” Fu Qian’s surprised expression was incredibly natural. ”You were the one who clearly told me that it’s best to believe I am 9527.”

”Yet you suddenly define my desperate struggle to do so as fraud.”

”Do you know what a tester hates the most? It is results that aren’t genuine.” Cynthia’s tone was gloomy, carrying a hint of exasperation. ”Most of the time, that is far more detestable than having no results at all!”

”I won’t tell you how I figured it out, but your request has been denied, Mr. Patches!”

”From now on, carrying that identity you are so proud of, you will be locked in solitary confinement, forbidden from making contact with any other test subjects!”

...

Doctor Cynthia’s rapid flip-flopping clearly took everyone by surprise.

Especially Kuraki Eiko beside her, who now looked thoroughly bewildered, her thoughts completely scrambled.

As for Fu Qian, heavily guarded by the two men, the expression on his face finally changed after staring at Cynthia for a long time.

The confusion between his brows vanished in the blink of an eye. His features lit up, and the corners of his mouth curled upward little by little until they formed a slightly exaggerated smile.

”How boring. And I was just starting to find this a little interesting!”