Eldritch Horror Theatre

Yes, a Bone Horseshoe Crab.

That shriek had a distinctly inhuman quality precisely because his imitation was far too accurate.

It certainly wasn’t a cry of joy over healed wounds. In that moment, Fu Qian had mimicked the gift Professor Lisa once gave him.

The Bone Horseshoe Crab she had pieced together herself and presented as a milestone of her research.

A single squeeze would produce a piercing shriek—a feature that had already disturbed the peace once before.

Why, then, did Professor Fu want to disturb the peace a second time?

The reason was simple: they hadn’t seen each other in a few days, he missed her terribly, and he merely wanted to invite Professor Lisa over for a chat.

His chair was simply too comfortable, and he really didn’t feel like fetching her in person.

”I knew it was you...”

The notion of hearts linked by spiritual affinity truly proved itself in this moment. Seeing Professor Fu—who was supposedly out on a field expedition—lounging there so lazily, Lisa showed absolutely no surprise. Her eyes held only indignation.”Do you think Apocalypse hasn’t received enough complaints? Even if you needed me for something and couldn’t be bothered to move, you could have just sent the two of them to get me.”

Spoken like a true intellectual. On her way over, she had clearly pieced the situation together and guessed that he had used the Great Summoning Technique.

But figuring it out only made her angrier. Not only did this guy lack any basic respect for others, but he also completely disregarded his own image.

”The two of them are busy too.”

Facing Lisa’s fiercely glaring eyes—looking as though she might bare her fangs at any second—Fu Qian recalled her performance during their previous mission.

Even if that version of her had merely been a construct of his own will—akin to an NPC in a dream—its traits still had to match her true personality.

Professor Lisa’s readiness to administer poison without a second thought back then had been a bit impulsive, but it was certainly decisive and ruthless, proving she could bear the responsibility.

Even at the very end, when the situation had turned dire, she had been ready to pull out her final trump card and transform on the spot.

All in all, Fu Qian considered it a rather excellent performance.

So, despite her current lack of respect, he didn’t mind in the slightest. He merely pointed at Wen Li and Liushuang and offered a patient explanation.

”Busy?”

His attitude was accommodating enough, but the excuse was incredibly weak.

Lisa’s gaze swept over the three cups of tea on the table, and she gave a soft snort.

”Ah, I almost forgot. Liushuang, pour some tea.”

Unfortunately, Professor Fu completely misread the meaning behind her glare. Realizing his esteemed guest had been standing there all this time without being offered a seat or a drink, he quickly apologized and gave the order.

...

”How come you’re back so soon? Did things not go smoothly?”

You never strike a smiling face, especially when the Laboratory assistant is beaming as she hands over a fresh cup of tea.

She had only been slightly indignant about his method of ringing a Handbell to summon her anyway, and seeing Professor Fu’s amiable attitude dispelled most of her anger.

Faced with such a courteous reception, Lisa dropped the issue. Taking a seat, she even took the initiative to ask about Professor Fu’s itinerary.

”Don’t worry, it went very smoothly.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Wen Li and Liushuang wearing similarly concerned expressions; Fu Qian waved a hand to dismiss their worries.

”And what about your end? How is the work on the Preservation Chamber coming along?”

Even though they were technically colleagues, Professor Lisa, despite appearing at the first summons, still couldn’t escape the fate of a progress meeting.

Professor Fu took a hearty sip of his tea and immediately zeroed in on their recent work assignments.

”You have the nerve to bring that up...”

This blatant exploitation of her labor immediately sparked her dissatisfaction; Professor Lisa rolled her eyes hard.

”What is it, having trouble?”

Proving once again that he didn’t share that toxic ’I only care about results’ mindset, Fu Qian immediately expressed concern for her struggles.

”No, it’s going very smoothly.”

Lisa sneered, throwing his own answer right back at him.

”Considering how much the Dean loved the idea, coupled with the principle that anything worth doing is worth doing well, we’re already in the second phase of case recruitment. The mountain of materials on my desk has more than doubled.”

Oh... was that so?

The Dean’s strict, demanding work ethic was truly admirable.

Fu Qian gave a soft sigh, visibly moved by the sentiment.

He could also completely understand why Professor Lisa was so emotional.

Not everyone could appreciate the painstaking efforts of leadership. With the workload suddenly doubling, it was only normal for frontline staff to harbor a few complaints.

”Administrative work certainly drains a lot of time and energy.”

Fu Qian wasn’t just offering empty platitudes; he genuinely empathized with Professor Lisa’s predicament.

Moreover, this detail showed she still possessed a sense of principle.

Back when the workload had been manageable, she could rely on personal favors to draft Classmate Liushuang and the others into helping out.

But now that she was buried under an even bigger pile of materials, she had chosen not to pass the pressure down the ladder, instead freeing her drafted helpers entirely.

”You know how it is...”

Of course, human understanding was a two-way street.

Fu Qian knew how hard Professor Lisa was working, and she likewise understood that no matter how hard things got, drafting Professor Fu to help would be an uphill battle. Her eye-rolling continued.

”But of course. How could I turn a blind eye to the difficulties you face at work?”

Professor Fu maintained his refined demeanor. He stroked his chin thoughtfully, looking every bit the man dedicated to fostering a healthy research environment for his peers.

”As the scale expands, the workload of your project is indeed climbing. In fact, quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes, and the overall complexity will increase...

”Taking scientific management into account, the workflow needs to be optimized and upgraded to match.”

Under Professor Lisa’s ’what are you scheming now’ glare, Elder Fu actually looked like he was genuinely analyzing the problem.

”Upgraded how?”

His corporate jargon was a bit hard to decipher. Professor Lisa, who had clearly never studied operations management, frowned in confusion.

”Haven’t you already taken the First Step? Disbanding your temporary, makeshift team.”

Fu Qian pointed at Wen Li and Liushuang, feigning surprise.

”With the project’s current scale, you have every right to apply for an official working group. Considering the open and inclusive nature of the project, your group members don’t even need to be limited to those within Apocalypse.

”You’ll spearhead the entire operation. It’s a perfect opportunity to showcase Apocalypse’s influence, so Cass shouldn’t have any objections.

”From there, you’ll only need to coordinate and allocate resources. You can avoid all the heavy lifting on the front lines and just make the final calls on particularly sensitive matters.”

...

”That does make some sense.”

It seemed the legendary ’leadership providing guidance’ really was a thing. Professor Fu’s high-level analysis actually brought a gleam of inspiration to Lisa’s eyes.

”Even though dealing with a bunch of people is still a bit annoying.”

However, human inertia is boundless. After thinking it over, her slender eyebrows still hadn’t completely unknit.

”Don’t you have an assistant with an administrative post?”

Elder Fu looked as though he had already thought this through, casually offering a reminder.

”You’re a researcher. Your core focus should be on your own work. Just have her handle the administrative side of things for you.”