Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Rest assured, this will be an absolute breeze for you.”

Seeing that Fu Qian was willing to hear her terms, Yuan Shan immediately perked up and spoke quickly.

”You just need to find someone and confirm his mental state. That’s all.”

’Confirm his mental state?’

Fu Qian frowned slightly.

”Who?”

”Gan Zuoxun.”

Yuan Shan slowly said the name, though a quick glance at Fu Qian’s expression told her he had absolutely no idea who that was.

”The municipal officer of Shangjing.”

”Understood.”Fu Qian nodded.

”But confirming a mental state? Do the Night Watchers moonlight as psychologists now?”

”Transcendent psychologists do exist, and their results are quite good, but that falls outside our scope of responsibilities.”

Yuan Shan sighed at his question.

”All we need to ensure is that key personnel remain free from the interference of supernatural forces.”

”Not long ago, we received a report indicating that something was wrong with this newly appointed municipal officer. He has supposedly been reduced to a puppet of certain conglomerates.”

”Are you implying he wasn’t one to begin with?”

Fu Qian asked in surprise.

Based on his understanding of this world so far, even though it operated under a supposedly well-structured federal system, the key positions in functional government departments were essentially held by mouthpieces for various conglomerates and powerful families.

And standing behind these organizations were, in essence, massive coalitions of transcendents.

It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. On the one hand, considering that progression required immense resources or information, it was entirely understandable for ambitious transcendents to pledge themselves to an organization rather than strike out alone.

In a broad sense, the Night Watchers were exactly that kind of organization.

Unfortunately, given the vast number of transcendents out there, the entry requirements for the Night Watchers were far too stringent. Only a small fraction could join, forcing the rest to seek alternative paths.

On the flip side, transcendents who banded together had a much easier time seizing resources and developing into powerful factions.

The Night Watchers had established an ironclad law strictly prohibiting acts of violence against ordinary people under threat of brutal punishment.

However, after years of societal evolution, the most lucrative businesses and critical industries were still largely monopolized by transcendents.

It was an unavoidable, natural convergence of power.

To use the simplest example: even knowing the Night Watchers were there to protect you, would you really dare to fight for your own interests against someone who could crush your skull on a whim?

Or when doing business, would you rather partner with a superhuman, or a normal guy who might drop dead from a stroke at any moment?

In short, it was a twisted form of survival of the fittest. No matter how overbearing the Night Watchers were, they couldn’t strip transcendents of their basic civil rights.

This was precisely why Wen Li’s father had spared no expense to help his daughter advance—some things were simply fundamentally different at their core.

Of course, to keep up appearances, the mouthpieces chosen by these organizations were typically ordinary people. It was a rather alternative form of tacit understanding without words.

But judging from Yuan Shan’s tone just now, was she saying this municipal officer surnamed Gan might not have been a puppet before?

”Gan Zuoxun’s situation is quite special.”

Clearly reading his doubts, Yuan Shan immediately offered a soft explanation.

”Given Shangjing’s sheer scale, its historical momentum, and the massive number of transcendents residing here, no single organization currently holds absolute dominance in the city.”

”But precisely because of that, the competition playing out in the shadows is all the more fierce.”

”Gan Zuoxun was elected municipal officer under these exact circumstances. He enjoys massive public support and hasn’t shown any obvious bias toward any particular faction.”

”The current rumors suggest that someone has lost patience, dissatisfied with his stance of benefiting from all sides and maintaining a delicate balance among the factions.”

”I get the gist of it. But for such a trivial matter, couldn’t you just grab anyone to handle it?”

Fu Qian asked.

”Isn’t it a bit of a waste to trouble someone in the Demigod Realm to step in?”

”First of all, we absolutely cannot investigate this with great fanfare. We have to consider the social impact.”

”Ordinary people are far more sensitive than you might imagine. The slightest leak of information would severely impact Gan Zuoxun’s standing. The mere possibility that his mind has been tampered with is something the public simply couldn’t tolerate.”

”But if I just send a random person to take a look, I wouldn’t feel reassured.”

Yuan Shan explained with a straight face, her tone hinting at something more.

”Because of Ariel?”

Fu Qian caught on.

”Mm.”

Yuan Shan nodded, subconsciously glancing at Xiao Mingyue beside her. The latter had her chin practically buried in her chest.

”It would have been fine in the past, but after witnessing that guy’s methods firsthand, I just can’t shake this lingering unease. I originally planned to go take a look myself.”

”But now, given your outstanding performance earlier, you are undoubtedly quite adept at identifying mental corruption. That makes you an even more suitable candidate than me.”

”That’s a bit one-sided. I’m actually much better at causing mental corruption.”

”...Of course, I hope you can carry out this operation as discreetly as possible. Don’t expose your intentions.”

Yuan Shan pretended not to hear him and carried right on.

”So it’s another black op, huh?”

Fu Qian looked thoroughly disappointed.

”And here I thought I’d finally get to throw the Night Watchers’ name around and bully the locals a bit.”

...

”Besides, Chief Yuan seems to have some misconceptions about my moral character, constantly seeking me out for these shady jobs. At my core, I’m a law-abiding, upstanding citizen. I even pay The Bookstore’s taxes on time.”

”That bookstore of yours doesn’t even meet the minimum threshold for taxation...”

Veins bulged on Yuan Shan’s forehead. She looked like she was ready to hit someone.

But she was the Chief of Shangjing, after all. She ultimately swallowed her temper and gestured for Xiao Mingyue, whispering a few words in her ear.

The latter carefully stepped away, returning a moment later to hand over a card.

”A Special Transit Permit for Shangjing and Surrounding Areas. Your information has already been registered in the system.”

Yuan Shan took the card and handed it to Fu Qian without a second thought.

”With this, you have free access to most areas. If necessary, you can even request assistance from law enforcement.”

”You can use it for this operation, and once you’re done, you may keep the card.”

See? Clearing up misunderstandings was actually quite simple.

Fu Qian plucked the card from her fingers with a satisfied nod.

”You’re an excellent judge of character! Tell me where he is.”

”At three o’clock this afternoon, Gan Zuoxun will be attending an event at the Eastern Suburbs Hospital. There will be a large crowd, so you can use the opportunity to observe him up close.”

”Got it. Leave it to me.”

Fu Qian flashed a victory sign.

”Watch your limits.”

Even so, Yuan Shan made sure to offer one last reminder before he left, still looking just a tiny bit worried.

”It’s a hospital. What’s there to be afraid of?”

Fu Qian gave her a weird look.

...

This should be the place.

After bidding farewell to a speechless Yuan Shan, it wasn’t long before Fu Qian found himself standing in front of the hospital.

Judging from the exterior, the building had quite a few years on it.

”The appointed time of three o’clock has arrived.”

The next moment, Fu Qian checked the time and let out a cold snort.