Eldritch Horror Theatre

”How many people like us are out there?”

”What are you planning?”

Tan Mingxue looked guarded.

It wasn’t just her—Qi Xue was equally stunned. He couldn’t figure out why Fu Qian would ask such a thing.

”Understood. Not many.”

Fu Qian nodded.

”Oh? Why do you say that?”

Qi Xue’s interest was piqued.

Fu Qian pointed at Tan Mingxue.

”Given her personality, if there were a lot of you, she wouldn’t have reacted like that. She’d probably have said something like, ’More than enough to blast you to dust.’””Haha!”

Qi Xue froze for a moment before bursting into laughter. He ended up slapping his thigh in amusement, completely ignoring his livid colleague beside him.

”You’re absolutely right.”

When his laughter finally subsided, Qi Xue pushed up his glasses.

”Mingxue is the leader of the second team, and I handle the affairs of the first. Although there are quite a few Night Watchers in this city, there really aren’t many at our level.”

”But consider yourself warned. Our boss...”

Qi Xue pointed upward.

”She’s on a completely different level. You’d best not get any funny ideas.”

So that was it. A large number of grunts, a single-digit roster of elites, and a big boss holding down the fort.

Fu Qian summarized the setup in gaming terms, forming a rough estimate of the forces he would face in Asura Mode.

Valuable intel. This trip hadn’t been a waste.

Fu Qian nodded.

”If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving.”

It was time to head back. Every second he wasted here increased the risk of having to restart the run.

”Don’t you want to know why the Wen Family is in this situation?”

Qi Xue suddenly spoke up when he saw Fu Qian was truly leaving.

’Sure enough, there’s a catch. Too bad I genuinely don’t care.’

’Time is Eldest Miss Wen’s life, not to mention my money and my mission.’

However, to avoid arousing unnecessary suspicion, Fu Qian reluctantly stopped.

”Let’s hear it. But if I remember correctly, Team Leader Tan just said that you weren’t specifically targeting the Wen Family.”

”She wasn’t wrong. We aren’t targeting them, but the Wen Family certainly hasn’t received any special treatment from us, either. Just doing things strictly by the book is enough to give them a headache.”

Qi Xue spread his hands.

”We actually don’t have any prejudice against Wen Li. But the Wen Family’s businesses are involved in too many sectors, even dipping into some gray areas that put them on our radar. Borderline activities might not fall under our jurisdiction, but we keep a ledger on certain things.”

”Out of all that bullshit, only the first sentence means anything.”

Fu Qian glanced at Qi Xue.

”Are any of these prominent families truly clean? Would you guys really be bored enough to care about that kind of stuff? Tell me, what prejudice do you actually have against Wen Li?”

”Uh...”

Qi Xue froze again, then burst into laughter and turned to Tan Mingxue.

”I’m starting to like this guy more and more. He’s strong, and he’s sharp. He’s more than qualified to be recruited as a full member.”

”Ruthless and of unknown origin.”

Tan Mingxue snorted, offering only a two-phrase evaluation.

”You’re not wrong.”

Qi Xue pulled out a cigarette from who knew where, took a drag, and instantly slipped into a contemplative state.

”The problem really does lie with Wen Li.”

”Psychic Type transcendents are quite rare. We’ve actually been keeping an eye on her for a long time.”

”Her abilities were exceedingly weak in the early stages, but this kind of power was unprecedented, making it highly valuable. As she continued to grow, we discovered more and more pleasant surprises. We even flagged her medical file for special attention, figuring we could provide some appropriate guidance when the time was right.”

”Unfortunately, not long ago, we received notice that the status of her medical file had been adjusted. It was changed to ’quietly observing changes’.”

”It basically means to pay attention and observe, but do not intervene. You get it?”

’Understood.’

Fu Qian had already felt that things were strange, but he hadn’t expected a hidden reason like this.

With their level of influence, the Night Watchers wouldn’t care about whatever benefits the Wen Family might gain through Wen Li. To go from placing high hopes on her to quietly observing changes could only be due to an issue with the girl herself.

It seemed his guess was correct. Anyone tied to a Containment Object from the Warehouse was bound to be abnormal.

Of course, abnormal or not, he still had to complete his mission.

By the time he returned to the Wen Family, it was already noon.

Qi Xue and the others had been decent enough to send a car to drop him off.

Fu Qian was now a prominent figure within the Wen Family Luxury Estate. His sudden departure with the Night Watchers had already spawned several circulating rumors.

Someone had already reported his return to Wen Li. She cautiously refrained from running out to greet him, but through the Walkie-Talkie, he could sense her breathing a sigh of relief.

”Mr. Fu, they didn’t make things difficult for you, did they?”

As he walked into the living room, Wen Li hurriedly came over to welcome him.

”No. Team Leader Tan and the others were very warm. We had quite a pleasant conversation.”

Fu Qian sized Wen Li up, confirming that nothing had happened to her while he was gone.

He then recalled what Qi Xue had said back at the Night Watchers Base.

’Is this reliable?’ The completion condition for his mission was to ensure this girl successfully advanced to Tier 6.

But according to Qi Xue, she was highly unusual. Even the Night Watchers had adjusted their expectations to quietly observing changes.

If she never managed to level up, was he supposed to stay here as a bodyguard forever?

”Quite a pleasant conversation?”

That statement clearly shocked Wen Li. When Tan Mingxue came to take him away, her attitude had been far from friendly.

The fact that Fu Qian had returned safely and so quickly already exceeded her expectations. Hearing him describe it like that made it sound as if he had simply been invited over as a guest.

”Al... alright. Do you want to get some rest?”

Wen Li didn’t press the matter. She was already extremely grateful that Fu Qian had managed to return so soon.

”No need.”

Fu Qian waved a hand. He looked at Wen Li and asked the question he cared about most.

”When do you estimate you’ll be able to complete your advancement?”

”When?” Wen Li’s expression shifted.

”Do you have new arrangements, Mr. Fu?”

”Please rest assured, I have a feeling it won’t be much longer.”

”I’ve been at Tier 7 for a long time now, and I can feel that I’m just one step away from a breakthrough. However, a Psychic Type advancement often requires a spark of inspiration, making it hard to confirm an exact time. But it will definitely be soon.”

”Once I advance to Tier 6, I’ll have a certain degree of self-preservation. I won’t hold you up for much longer...”

While earnestly explaining this, Wen Li suddenly received a message. A look of pleasant surprise crossed her face, and she ran over to open the door.

”Dad, why are you back so soon?”

A weary Wen Xiuxian walked inside.

”Things didn’t go too smoothly, so I came back early.”

Wen Xiuxian was clearly in low spirits. Only upon seeing his daughter did a hint of a smile appear on his face.

”Mr. Fu is here, too. I heard about what happened this morning. It seems they didn’t make things difficult for you. I’ll have to trouble you for the next couple of days.”

”Don’t mention it.”

Fu Qian took a soundless step forward. Even as he exchanged pleasantries with Wen Xiuxian, his eyes were locked on Wen Li.

The pleasant surprise had vanished from her face. She was now frowning at her father, looking thoroughly confused.

Something wasn’t right. A cold light flashed in Fu Qian’s eyes as his suspicion was confirmed.

In the next moment, Eldest Miss Wen was sent flying by a kick once again.