Eldritch Horror Theatre

Excellent. It definitely had the vibe of a Sanitarium.

Today was the 48th, and it didn’t even come with a month.

Tracy rushed to answer. At first, it sounded like a stubborn refusal to cooperate, as if she were maliciously making things up.

Yet instead of immediately resorting to interrogation, Fu Qian felt the tone was spot on.

As established earlier—the sooner it was exposed, the sooner it could be treated.

Considering she was a member of the Sanitarium, if she had earnestly provided a normal date, it would have taken more effort to tell if it was true.

”Thanks. So, what day did I get here?”

In the end, not only did Fu Qian offer a casual thanks, he decisively tossed common sense aside and kept asking.

”You don’t remember?”

Tracy’s male companion sounded somewhat surprised. In fact, it wasn’t hard for Fu Qian to hear a hidden sense of wishful thinking in the man’s voice—If this guy didn’t even remember when he arrived, there really must be something wrong with his head.

In that case, if they just turned and ran now, wouldn’t he completely forget this whole incident after they laid low for a couple of days?

”Actually, since it’s been a while, I don’t remember too clearly—”

”What kind of nonsense are you babbling?”

Unfortunately for him, Fu Qian didn’t need to dash his hopes; someone else beat him to it.

Tracy, the professional interrupter, proved herself once again by cutting him off completely.

As if to vent a bit of her mounting frustration, she practically growled the words.

...

Tracy’s companion fell silent for a moment.

In stark contrast to his blind optimism, Tracy clearly leaned toward pessimism. She held no illusions that the person involved would simply forget what had happened.

Her obvious frustration also seemed to perfectly reflect just how much the lady valued her reputation.

”You arrived on the 1st. That’s exactly why it’s so easy to remember.”

After snapping at her companion, Tracy decisively answered the question.

Such a tidy date? No wonder she didn’t believe her companion had actually forgotten it.

Her answer made Fu Qian nod to himself. The logic was starting to track.

The only issue was, didn’t that mean the visitor he was playing as this time had already been stuck in this place for forty-eight days?

Just as the briefing had mentioned, it truly was a place that made people lose track of time.

Furthermore, it was no wonder Tracy had dared to attempt something so wild. After observing him for that long, the risk factor had undoubtedly dropped to a minimum.

Amidst his silent marveling, Fu Qian figured he had actually just received some good news.

Being tied up in a place like this in such a posture was truly a miserable situation just to think about.

However, this also seemed to imply that the Thirteenth Day Judgment Day couldn’t possibly be calculated based on his arrival date.

The window for his upcoming operations could now be tracked by counting down to that number.

Of course, that conclusion still heavily relied on Tracy telling the truth.

”Can we go now?”

The man in question clearly had no desire to chat any further. He hesitated for a moment before finally asking.

”Couldn’t you leave this entire time? Please, be my guest.”

Always one to respect the wishes of others, Fu Qian made no effort to keep them around, indicating that they were free to come and go as they pleased.

...

He waited for a short while, yet the sound of a door opening and closing never came.

”Regarding what just happened... could Mr. Fu help keep it a secret?”

As it turned out, even Tracy’s companion could realize that the issue right now wasn’t whether they could leave, but rather how to eliminate the risk of exposure.

Even Tracy’s earlier questioning had served the exact same purpose—testing his attitude.

All in all, judging by how fiercely they guarded their reputations, it was clear they were decent, respectable folks.

”What did you call me?”

Unfortunately, Fu Qian’s attitude remained entirely ambiguous as he continued to focus on the strangest details.

”Is there something wrong with that? Mr. Fu Qian... or is that not your real name?”

Everyone had a temper, after all. Tracy’s companion spoke in an icy tone, practically dripping with a dissatisfaction that even a deaf man could pick up on.

It was even using his real name? Should he call the Warehouse lazy, or just incredibly powerful?

Sadly, he continued to ignore the man. The moment Fu Qian realized he was actually using a Real Character Card for this run, he merely marveled inwardly.

In truth, he’d had his suspicions earlier. When he was groping around just a moment ago, he could feel that the dimensions of his hands were perfectly recreated.

”Not at all, it’s definitely my real name. I was just checking to see if I’d lied to you on the 1st.”

Facing the dissatisfaction of these two respectable individuals, his explanation was both perfectly sincere and completely abstract.

”You can go. I’ll help keep what just happened a secret.”

Before the pair could react, he finally addressed their earlier request, waving off their concerns.

Hmm...

Unfortunately, the two respectable individuals still didn’t make a peep.

”Don’t tell me you two haven’t had enough yet?”

It reached the point where Fu Qian had to specifically remind them, hinting that starting a second round right there would be a bit impolite.

”...Of course not. It’s just... how can we trust you to keep it a secret?”

In the increasingly oppressive silence, Tracy, who had been observing from the sidelines, finally spoke up to defend herself. She stressed that they had completely lost the mood for that, and that they simply didn’t trust him enough yet.

Furthermore, after this brief exchange, she seemed to be losing her grip on Fu Qian’s mental state, quietly beginning to doubt if his brain was wired correctly.

...

They really were respectable people. They placed so much value on their personal image that a mere verbal promise simply wouldn’t cut it.

Fu Qian was completely understanding of Tracy’s concerns.

After all, if anyone else had listened to what was just said, most would be pretty displeased about being treated like a background CD.

At this point, no matter what kind of promises he made, they were never going to put their minds at ease.

The situation seemed to have devolved into a stalemate.

A stalemate that was all but guaranteed the very moment Fu Qian made it clear he wasn’t going to stand on ceremony.

”That sounds like a ’you’ problem. You can try using your brains to figure it out.”

Unfortunately, while he could easily empathize with them, he clearly had no intention of offering any technical consultation. He heartlessly gestured for them to figure it out themselves.

He had to be joking. The only reason he had stopped them in the first place was precisely because once this sort of situation spiraled out of control, it would force the two of them to take the initiative.

”You’re right, exactly right... In fact, I’ve got two options for you.”

It seemed Tracy was the first to accept reality. At some point, her voice began to draw closer and closer, until she was practically whispering right into his ear.

”Would you rather I untie these things on you, or pull them a bit tighter?”

...

Not bad. She had actually put some thought into that.

Help you out of your restraints so you can escape, or strangle you to death right here.

Tracy’s tone in that moment was completely ambiguous. As she spoke, he could even feel her warm, moist breath washing over his ear.

Too bad Fu Qian hadn’t entertained a single romantic thought from start to finish. He was merely critiquing her performance.

Obviously, both options carried a fairly heavy threat.

These respectable folks really were going all out to protect their reputations. However—

”Between those two options, the latter is clearly much more reliable.”

Fu Qian still found the need to point out the flaw in her logic.

”After all, if I fail to escape and get caught, your story will be far more convincing when they ask me how I broke free.”