Eldritch Horror Theatre

When it came to comforting people, Fu Qian had always been uniquely gifted.

At his words, Liu Yi froze for several long seconds.

Ahhh!

The next moment, a shriek rivaling a Banshee’s Howl tore at his eardrums.

”Go away! Don’t come any closer!”

In that instant, Fu Qian felt resonant ripples forming in his brain matter as his Health Bar slowly but firmly shrank.

Crash!

The library dome shattered from the vibration, raining countless shards of glass.

”Fuck! Stop her! Do you have a death wish?”

The Persuader sounded utterly exasperated.”That really is a bit deafening.”

Fu Qian smiled at Liu Yi, pressing his hands down in a calming gesture.

”Don’t be nervous. I was joking.”

...

”You’re more terrifying than they are.”

”Fuck!”

For a second, Fu Qian thought he heard the Persuader swear.

Unsurprisingly, Liu Yi let out an even sharper Banshee’s Howl.

Amid the ear-piercing shriek, Fu Qian felt blood trickle from his nose.

”So why should you be afraid?”

Even while bleeding profusely, Fu Qian remained unhurried, pressing her with another question.

The screaming came to an abrupt halt, and Liu Yi stood stunned for a moment.

’Perfect!’

Fu Qian watched with satisfaction, wiping away the blood shaken loose by the noise.

”Look at yourself. You’re no longer someone who needs protection—because you’re now best described as a ’creature’.”

Bizarre words aside, Liu Yi’s neck had stretched to an unbelievable length. She seemed to be noticing her own mutation for the first time.

”So... I’ve already turned into a monster...”

When Liu Yi spoke again, her voice was a sleepwalker’s murmur.

”I only thought about running... constantly running... escaping to a place where no monster could reach me. I didn’t even realize I had already become one...”

”Why did this happen...?”

”That’s simple. Because you’re dreaming!”

Fu Qian said bluntly.

”What?”

Liu Yi’s voice jumped a few octaves.

”Isn’t it obvious? How could a perfectly normal person turn into a monster?”

Fu Qian bared his arm as he spoke.

”Have you ever seen an arm like this? We’re obviously in a dream right now!”

”So that’s it... Yes, yes, that must be it!”

In that moment, Liu Yi’s voice filled with profound relief.

”So, what’s wrong with a girl being a little monstrous in a dream?”

Fu Qian continued to guide her patiently.

”Can’t you take a break from being human in a dream? Either way, once you wake up, all of this will vanish.”

”Mhm, I understand now.”

Liu Yi’s tone actually grew cheerful.

”Thank you for your guidance. I’m not afraid at all anymore.”

Her body elongated, coiling loop after loop around a golden branch as she slithered about happily.

At one point, her long body even slid right over Fu Qian’s feet, but his expression didn’t change in the slightest.

”Right, could I ask a favor?”

”What favor?”

Liu Yi clearly sounded like she was in a great mood.

”I can’t find the way down. Could you help me look for it?”

”The way down? That’s simple!”

Liu Yi answered almost without thinking.

The next moment, the branch she was perched on rapidly extended, tracing an arc that plunged straight into the ground.

In just a few short seconds, a smooth passageway extending downward appeared.

”Just slide down from here.”

”Thanks.”

”No problem! Oh right, take this too.”

Fu Qian was just about to set off when Liu Yi called out again, as if suddenly remembering something.

A small bulge appeared on her forehead. It rapidly elongated and ruptured, revealing a thumb-sized object nestled in the bloody flesh.

’What is this?’

Fu Qian reached out to take it. Inspecting it closer, he realized it was a white whistle. Smooth and lustrous to the touch, it was made of a material that felt like either jade or bone.

”This is an Insect Whistle. If you blow it, things will come out from the Underground to help you.”

”There are things in the Underground?”

”Of course. There are things in the Underground and in the sky.”

Liu Yi nodded repeatedly.

”This is my dream. I’m very certain of it.”

”Understood!”

Fu Qian didn’t waste any more words. He put the Insect Whistle away and sat right on the slide.

...

Swift as wind and lightning, Fu Qian completed his rapid descent from the library.

”How did you know she had this on her?”

The moment he landed, the Persuader spoke up impatiently.

”It feels like a rather special item. It should come in handy later.”

”Getting this thing made the little risk we just took worth it.”

”Who said I knew?”

Fu Qian’s tone was odd.

”You didn’t know?”

The Persuader was instantly dumbfounded.

”Then what were you doing just now? Looking for thrills?”

”Don’t be so narrow-minded.”

Fu Qian snorted.

”Actually, long before reaching the dome, I pretty much knew she wouldn’t be our target. But my actions just now had their own purpose.”

”Liu Yi is basically the least aggressive infected person we could think of. How could I not take this opportunity to run some tests?”

”In fact, from that little probe just now, we can draw at least three conclusions.”

Fu Qian held up his fingers.

”First, infected individuals like Liu Yi retained a great deal of their sanity after the mist passed, maintaining basic analytical abilities.

”Second, although she kept her sanity, she clearly didn’t remember what I did before. To a certain extent, we can assume I am a stranger to them. We can make good use of this.

”Third, the mist also gave her special abilities, like the Banshee’s Howl. When facing other infected, we have to be careful of that.

”For those three takeaways alone, wasn’t it worth a little risk?”

...

”Where are we going next?”

The Persuader fell silent for quite a while before abruptly changing the subject.

”What do you think?”

Fu Qian kicked the question straight back.

”I think... we should head over to the Infirmary first.”

The Persuader’s strong suit was that he never shied away from speaking his mind. After pondering for a moment, he answered.

”We decided to start with the Library Card earlier, but finding someone based solely on a name is still very difficult.

”And it’s almost certain that someone in that two-person monster duo from earlier read that book. It’s a clue hidden in plain sight.

”I think the Anomaly Point is very likely in that underground building where the rats swarmed out. But based on your test conclusions, even though the mist is gone, the danger is actually higher now than it was. Risking a direct trip there might not be a good idea.

”Of course, there’s a high probability that the place is completely empty anyway. After all, Liang Yuntian has likely eaten them already.”

Finishing his analysis, the Persuader carefully kept quiet, waiting for a critique.

”That makes perfect sense.”

Fu Qian had listened earnestly without a single rebuttal, and now he agreed with a smile.