Eldritch Horror Theatre

”...You treated her?”

For a split second, Nathalie nearly lost control of her voice.

Catching herself, she slipped into the room and shut the door behind her.

”Your logic is a bit flawed. The Winslow Family invited me here to treat an illness. Is it really so strange that I cured the patient?”

Watching Nathalie clench her fists as if she might lunge at him any second, Fu Qian offered his nonchalant critique.

”That’s... you’re spouting nonsense! How could you possibly treat that kind of contamination?”

Ultimately lacking the courage to strike, Nathalie forced herself to calm down and searched for a flaw in Fu Qian’s words.

”If I couldn’t treat it, why would I be invited?”

She was completely outmatched in this exchange. Fu Qian merely smiled and tossed the question back.

...”Miss Winslow’s condition was indeed rather tricky, so the diagnosis took quite a bit of effort. Fortunately, her recovery has been ideal.”

Leaving Nathalie speechless with his overbearing logic, Fu Qian spoke with easy confidence, recounting the evening’s medical progress.

”I am quite certain she will make a full recovery before dawn.”

So there really was a problem, but it had already been solved?

Simply absurd!

Nathalie’s expression twisted into something almost hideous; she absolutely refused to accept such a ridiculous outcome.

Of course, her refusal meant nothing.

”Thank you for bringing me here. It’s getting late. You should go get some rest, Ms. Nathalie.”

Too lazy to spare her another glance, Fu Qian stepped behind his previous seat and began carefully browsing the Winslow collection.

”Also, don’t worry. I will keep the details of our conversation strictly confidential.”

”Heh... aren’t you afraid I won’t keep yours?”

Unwilling to just leave, Nathalie sneered and threw out a threat.

”Not at all.”

Fu Qian didn’t even look back. Having selected his target mid-sentence, he pulled out a pair of pliers and effortlessly popped the cork from the bottle.

For a doctor operating in the grey areas of society, that threat was far too feeble.

The pliers, of course, had come from the Medical Visit Box. While organizing it earlier, he realized they would be perfect for opening wine and casually slipped them into his pocket.

Giving the wine a quick sniff, Fu Qian sat back in his original seat, looking deeply satisfied.

Sure enough, with her threat falling flat, Nathalie ultimately couldn’t muster the courage to strike. She slunk away into the gloom.

...

What had seemed like a simple task was turning out to be unexpectedly interesting.

Pouring himself a glass, Fu Qian waited silently in the dark.

Nathalie, of course, had not taken his advice to go rest.

She clearly didn’t buy his story, just as he hadn’t bought her tale of revenge.

His reason for rushing her out had actually been very simple: regardless of her true motives, her hatred was entirely genuine.

Such intense emotion shouldn’t go to waste. He hoped that after his little provocation, she would deliver a few more surprises.

As for what had happened to Jane, although it appeared to stem from a discarded piece within the Mist, it had now vanished without a trace.

However, Fu Qian was quite certain he would find it very soon.

After all, the last time he came here to rest, good news had quickly followed.

...

”Doctor.”

As it turned out, experience was sometimes extremely useful.

Before Fu Qian could even finish his glass, a familiar voice burst into the room.

However, Mister Winslow, who had just pushed open the door, was clearly far less ecstatic than the last time.

To be precise, he was visibly anxious.

”I’m sorry to disturb your rest. There seems to be another change in Jane’s condition. Could you come and take a look?”

”Of course.”

Fu Qian had no intention of putting on airs. He stood up immediately and signaled for them to go.

Despite his anxiety, there was no hostility or dissatisfaction in Mister Winslow’s tone.

The man was clearly keeping a level head and not venting his frustrations on the medical staff.

...

”We’re counting on you.”

Even Mrs. Winslow, who had been so resolute earlier, showed no signs of resenting him for not acting according to her wishes.

The moment Fu Qian stepped through the door, she stood up and offered a serious, formal bow.

”Don’t be nervous. Let me see what’s going on.”

Offering a slight nod to comfort the family, Fu Qian walked straight over to Jane’s bedside.

She was sitting on the bed with her legs pulled to her chest, looking noticeably depressed.

Seeing Fu Qian approach, she bit her lip without a word and slipped a bare foot out from beneath the blanket.

It was a visually shocking sight. He couldn’t blame the Winslows for being so tense.

Her nightgown was pulled up, revealing a left foot that moved freely, yet its flesh and bone were almost completely transparent. The bright red blood vessels within were clearly visible.

This bizarre phenomenon spread all the way up her slender calf.

Most striking of all, however, was the distribution of those blood vessels, which clearly defied logic.

Regardless of their length or thickness, every single strand spiraled in the same direction, converging into an irregular vortex.

Fu Qian examined it with extreme care, not missing even the curling tips, as though admiring a peculiar piece of art.

”Is it on the other foot as well?”

After a moment, he finally nodded and asked.

”How did you know?”

The patient and her parents were clearly startled.

Without waiting for Fu Qian to respond, Jane pulled back the blanket to reveal her right leg.

The condition on this side was even worse; the transparent flesh had spread all the way above her knee.

The network of blood vessels within was clearly in that same swirling state.

”It was incomplete. The left foot alone was clearly missing pieces, like an unfinished painting.”

Explaining this while looking her legs up and down, Fu Qian signaled for the patient to cover herself back up.

”Are there no other areas affected?”

He directed the question at the Winslow couple. Despite their visible anxiety, the two had shown remarkable restraint.

”No.”

Mrs. Winslow quickly shook her head.

”When did you discover this change?”

”Just a moment ago. When Jane spoke, I suddenly realized her voice had returned. At first, I was overjoyed, but then we immediately noticed the problem.”

”Her voice has indeed returned.”

Fu Qian had to agree on that point.

The instant he walked in, even before Jane spoke, he had already noticed the change in her body. For some incomprehensible reason, the regressive force attempting to revert her to her origin had completely vanished.

In other words, Miss Winslow no longer had to worry about regressing into a fertilized egg.

However, the visual impact of this new development was undoubtedly far more horrifying.

The target of this mission was truly fraught with misfortune.

”When you say ’just a moment ago,’ do you mean when you returned?”

Sighing inwardly, Fu Qian casually asked another question.

”...How did you know I went out?”

The question caught Mrs. Winslow completely off guard.

Nonsense. Why else would I have played along so nicely?