Eldritch Horror Theatre

Not bad. Chief Yuan was playing the part of a guide quite well.

Although she often relegated herself to being his background hype squad, Fu Qian did his best to maintain the virtue of objectivity, highly appraising Yuan Shan’s performance this time.

Who knew what kind of reward Wen Li had promised her? At the very least, Chief Yuan seemed fairly familiar with this place and could make decisions at critical moments... even successfully convincing the passengers to accept them.

”Then let’s go over and take a look.”

Nepheli, for instance, nodded repeatedly as she listened, immediately agreeing that it made sense.

Hmm...

Unfortunately, Yuan Shan was somewhat left out in the cold. She didn’t say a word; her gaze merely rested on Wen Li.

Although the door had been open for a while, the latter was clearly still weighing her options.

”Let’s go there.”

Instantly becoming the center of attention, Wen Li showed no indecision. After a moment of thought, she nodded, slightly raising the hand locked with Fu Qian’s.”Is it far?”

She was clearly prompting the person by the window to get out. Fu Qian cooperated smoothly, already stepping out of the vehicle as he asked the question.

”Not far, and very easy to recognize, because it looks exactly like the Sanctuary we’re heading for.”

Considering his persona was that of an outlaw hiding out in this place, Yuan Shan clearly didn’t fully believe Fu Qian knew nothing. For the moment, she simply threw out a startling statement.

Is that so? Looks just like the Sanctuary? Wouldn’t that be a perfect way to verify if it has anything to do with Excellency Stomach?

Little did she know, this answer was a massive, pleasant surprise to Fu Qian. His anticipation immediately soared, and as he looked around, he spotted Su Gao stepping out of the car.

Adhering to her ruthless, woman-of-few-words style, she stayed with the group without needing any persuasion, quietly gazing out over this dead, silent land.

”Then let’s go.”

It was just that Yuan Shan’s expression was somewhat strange—because the next moment, as she walked ahead to lead the way, she looked in the exact same direction as Su Gao.

...

Each harboring their own motives.

Even with Fu Qian acting as dead weight, the group set a fast pace.

But as they proceeded unimpeded, that subtle atmosphere could only be described with that one phrase.

It was no longer a question of team spirit; the fact that this team could even come together was practically a sociological miracle.

Interests, risks, coercion, checks and balances... As they marched toward the same destination, everyone was presumably pondering each other’s true motives.

”By the way, why didn’t we just smash the car?”

And although he was at the very center of these social dynamics—and theoretically so fragile he wasn’t worth mentioning—it still didn’t stop Fu Qian from appreciating the beauty of it all.

The next moment, he actively broke the silence, curious if Yuan Shan was being a bit too friendly.

”Whose car?”

Yuan Shan only cast him a glance.

”Their car. Even if they save me later, wouldn’t they be trapped here?”

Fu Qian acted as if placing life and death outside consideration, explaining the logic of it.

”You really do look like you’re not afraid of death. Is that how you managed to come up with so many deranged designs?”

However, Yuan Shan didn’t answer. She only threw the question back at him with a half-smile.

Sure enough, his persona in here was a mad scholar, the kind who did rapid flip-flopping right on the red line?

”Of course. How could I have the nerve to design something I wouldn’t use myself?”

Imagining the specifics behind ”deranged,” Fu Qian wholeheartedly agreed.

”...Because it’s useless.”

Somewhat taken aback, Yuan Shan waited a moment before finally choosing to answer Fu Qian’s question.

”The vehicles in here aren’t manufactured to begin with. As long as you know the method, you can get a new one anytime.”

And her answer undoubtedly made this place feel even more surreal.

”I see. So you’re the only one here who knows the method?”

Fortunately, his capacity for acceptance had always been strong. Fu Qian continued drawing conclusions.

”Not necessarily.”

This time, Yuan Shan’s tone was somewhat loaded. As she spoke, her gaze swept across almost everyone.

”Isn’t there another car?”

...

A logical point, but heavily insinuating.

It was hard to say whether Yuan Shan’s final reason was truly what she thought in her heart, but the group still arrived at their destination in a harmonious atmosphere.

And one had to admit, the destination actually looked pretty good.

Although its height wasn’t exaggerated, it was clearly a completely different architectural style from the surrounding residences.

Elegant lintels, exquisite decorations, and even a roof whose symbolic meaning far outweighed its practicality...

”Look familiar?”

Just as Fu Qian was sizing it up, Yuan Shan, who had stopped in her tracks, was also sizing him up, casually tossing out a question.

”Familiar. But the one I saw wasn’t this black.”

Fu Qian didn’t deny it, commenting in complete seriousness.

He wasn’t talking nonsense; it really did bear some resemblance to the White-Headed Sanctuary.

The only issue was that the latter was pure white all over, while this one was surprisingly pure black.

”So it doesn’t look much like the Sanctuary?”

Seemingly not expecting him to be so honest, Yuan Shan blinked and pressed on.

”How could that be? It still looks good.”

Fu Qian shook his head.

Dark Sanctuary. That was a classic concept, after all.

Additionally, why Chief Yuan felt she could find someone here suddenly seemed very easy to understand.

With it being such a special place, choosing it as a meeting location undoubtedly made it hard to get lost.

Not to mention its sheer size; even with a few more people, it wouldn’t get crowded easily—Creak!

The very next moment, this confidence was rewarded.

Accompanied by a slightly grating sound, someone opened a small side door and looked over at them.

...

It was really the Academy’s faction?

Taking in her slender figure and long, elegant eyes, Fu Qian recognized the person at a glance. It was none other than a certain Divine Flesh Custodian, Professor Lisa.

It was more likely to find someone here than anywhere else; Yuan Shan had already proven this point earlier.

And the fact that this person was a female acquaintance was completely unsurprising to Fu Qian. The only thing that made him curious was the reason for this situation.

But one of Lisa’s core attributes was being a cutting-edge researcher at the Academy, which fit the motive Yuan Shan had just mentioned a bit too perfectly.

Was she really here to save someone... or looking for an opportunity to silence them?

When the other party’s gaze landed on his face, Fu Qian felt as if he could see the complexity of their social relations skyrocketing once again.

”The checkpoint ahead is sealed off. It looks like we can only wait here for a bit.”

Fortunately, Professor Lisa usually lived such a secluded life that her face seemed completely unfamiliar even to Yuan Shan.

Finally, after a few seconds of silent standoff, the latter narrowed her eyes and stated her purpose without much emotion.

”...It looks like everyone’s experiences are roughly the same.”

Her gaze finally withdrawing from Fu Qian, Lisa surprisingly displayed a rare aloof demeanor, giving a slight nod.

”Please come in. It looks like it’s going to get dark outside.”

The next moment, she even stepped aside and made an inviting gesture.

Hmm...

However, Yuan Shan didn’t rush to respond, instead turning her head to look at Wen Li.

A guide wasn’t a team leader; she clearly had a very firm grasp of her own position, yielding the decision-making power.

”Then excuse the intrusion.”

And Eldest Miss Wen’s upbringing was once again on full display. Faced with a highly suspicious invitation, she agreed while not forgetting to bow in courtesy.