Eldritch Horror Theatre

Colorful long hair, exaggerated eyeshadow, dark red lips.

Although the newcomer wasn’t tall, she looked every bit the delinquent, forming a stark contrast with Li Min inside the car.

Despite her flamboyant getup, Fu Qian wagered she was barely older than he was.

”You’re here!”

The delinquent peered into the car, a genuine smile breaking across her face the moment she saw Li Min.

”Rachel, you made it!”

Li Min gave her a slight nod.

”Yeah, I rushed over the second I got your message. If they actually took you back to the Police Department, making a move would be a hassle even for me.”

The girl called Rachel trotted up with an elated expression, only to startle a moment later when she spotted Fu Qian in the back.

”Why is there another one?””Mr. Fu Qian. A business traveler here on a trip—at least, that’s what he told me.”

Li Min glanced back at Fu Qian, coldly repeating his claim.

”And he ended up in the exact same situation I did.”

A business traveler...

Rachel was clearly confused, and her gaze toward Fu Qian turned guarded.

”He’s lying! How could an ordinary person stay conscious through that shock just now?”

”It doesn’t matter. He has no obligation to tell us the truth anyway.”

Li Min signaled for Rachel to stand down, then turned to look at Fu Qian.

”Mr. Fu won’t stop us from leaving, will he?”

”Be my guest.”

Fu Qian maintained the exact posture he’d held since being shoved inside. His hands, bound in Handcuffs, rested solemnly against his chest, projecting the perfect image of a model citizen.

Coupled with the scene, his demeanor gave the distinct impression that even if both cops dropped dead, he would drive himself straight to the Police Department. Truly top-tier self-management.

Of course, this was purely an illusion. Fu Qian had absolutely no interest in playing vigilante.

He could tell from their exchange that Rachel was an old acquaintance of Li Min’s, having come specifically to rescue her after learning of her arrest.

As for why Li Min hadn’t made a move herself?

Fu Qian figured she wanted to keep a low profile. Her own abilities were likely too flashy, prone to causing a commotion that would be hard to cover up.

Rachel was different. The ability she had just used—something akin to a Mental Shock—was absolutely perfect for a prison break.

Upon realizing this, Fu Qian hadn’t insulted their intelligence by pretending to pass out alongside the two officers.

Since Li Min was already suspicious of him, feigning unconsciousness would only cause more trouble. Dealing with them while awake was much easier.

”Thank you. Let’s go, then.”

Even with Fu Qian’s affirmative answer, the wariness in Li Min’s eyes didn’t diminish in the slightest as she turned to Rachel.

”Alright!”

Rachel was also staring at Fu Qian, her expression thoroughly unfriendly.

Unlike Li Min, this girl clearly didn’t even bother to conceal her emotions.

And Li Min’s words just now had done nothing to dispel her misgivings.

In fact, the very next moment, Fu Qian felt a stir in his mind as another shock pierced his consciousness.

Compared to the previous area-of-effect wave, this shock was undeniably more targeted. To be precise, it was aimed directly at him.

Once focused, the penetrating power of the Mental Shock became incredibly strong.

Fu Qian was certain that without targeted defenses, even an ordinary Mid-Tier Transcendent wouldn’t be immune to its effects.

It was just a pity that for him, this didn’t even amount to a gentle breeze brushing against his face.

”Why isn’t there any reaction?”

Rachel clearly hadn’t anticipated this outcome. Her muttered words carried an intense sense of self-doubt.

”Don’t be so surprised,” Fu Qian said. ”As an office worker facing early mornings, late nights, bus commutes, and the stress of KPIs, after years of grinding, it’s only normal for my Mental Resistance to be a bit higher, isn’t it?”

Fu Qian adjusted his tie with his Handcuffs-bound hands and sat up straight, bearing the exact demeanor of a corporate elite.

...

Rachel froze for several seconds before she finally processed what Fu Qian was saying.

Unfortunately, even after her brain worked through the logic, she still found herself completely speechless.

In truth, she didn’t need to respond.

The next moment, Fu Qian offered a meaningful smile and locked his aura onto her.

”Ghk...”

An unprecedented terror of death instantly flooded Rachel’s consciousness.

”Please, wait a moment!”

At almost the exact same time, Li Min’s anxious voice rang out.

From the very beginning, even when reduced to a prisoner, she had maintained an elegant and utterly composed demeanor. But now, she practically leaped to her feet.

Throwing half her body between Fu Qian and Rachel, Li Min was now absolutely certain that her earlier intuition had been spot-on.

The man before her was not merely a transcendent, but an extremely dangerous one.

Although she didn’t know what mindset would prompt someone like him to surrender without a fight, Rachel’s probing just now had undeniably been far too reckless.

”Rachel’s actions just now were very impolite. I apologize on her behalf.”

Li Min looked straight at Fu Qian, speaking with an incredibly earnest tone.

”Where are we right now?”

After listening to her apology, Fu Qian countered with a question of his own.

”...What do you mean?”

Li Min was clearly thrown off by the inquiry.

”If apologies worked, what would we need the police for?”

Fu Qian pointed toward the front of the car.

”Though these two are a bit subpar, the logic remains sound. And considering that if it had been anyone else just now, they’d already be injured—”

Fu Qian flexed his hands within the Handcuffs.

”My next actions will also be a bit impolite. Please prepare yourselves.”

”I am truly sorry. We didn’t mean it like that!”

Li Min swallowed hard. In the end, she didn’t choose to attack, but instead offered another solemn apology.

To demonstrate her sincerity, she kept her hands clasped in front of her, avoiding any movement that might be misunderstood.

”Today’s events were entirely an accident. And while I know you most likely didn’t need it, Rachel’s actions earlier did technically save you some trouble, didn’t they?”

”When you put it that way, it does make some sense.”

Fu Qian nodded, stroking his chin.

Phew.

Li Min breathed a slight sigh of relief.

”So, on account of that, could you please forgive Rachel’s offense?”

”There’s no need. I’ve already returned the favor, so we are even now.”

Fu Qian looked at Rachel with a beaming smile. He could sense her stiffened body; she had clearly been terrified out of her wits.

”I’m a reasonable man. She hit me with a Mental Shock, so I responded with a little intimidation. That’s perfectly fair, right?”

So this guy was just scaring Rachel earlier?

Li Min was momentarily speechless. Along with her relief came a profound realization of just how wicked the man in front of her was.

”Then... we’ll be leaving?”

”Go right ahead.”

Watching the two of them depart, Fu Qian withdrew his gaze and looked around the inside of the car.

Sure enough, easy runs were rare. Judging by the unexpected hitch right from the start, this mission was probably going to be a bit troublesome.

Speaking of which, shouldn’t the mission objective have arrived by now?

[Current mission updated: Safely deliver the documents to the Xinji Freight Company before midnight.]

...

Just as he was pondering, the voice in his mind chimed in right on cue.

Except the contents...

Fu Qian, whose defenses hadn’t even been breached by a Mental Shock, furrowed his brows. He couldn’t help but pull out the business card from earlier once again.

Had a casual remark truly proven prophetic? Was he actually going to have to play the part of a business traveler?