Eldritch Horror Theatre

As expected of a hospital the municipal officer was scheduled to visit, the facilities were excellent.

Fu Qian took a teacup from a pleasant young staff member and casually looked around.

It turned out he had arrived a bit early. The municipal officer had not yet made an appearance.

However, as usual, the audience seats were already packed.

Relying on his extensive experience with large lectures, Fu Qian had chosen what could be considered one of the most inconspicuous seats in the venue.

It didn’t draw attention, yet it wasn’t too far from the podium, making it convenient for observation later. In short, it was perfect.

”Hello, please show your identification.”

Unexpectedly, not long after Fu Qian sat down, two men walked straight up to him.

”Why?”

This development clearly defied common sense.Fu Qian frowned as he looked at the two men in front of him.

Though both were ordinary people, they were tall and imposing. One of them had an especially sharp gaze.

”We need to confirm that you are on the attendee list.”

The sharp-eyed man adopted a strictly businesslike stance.

Was this a joke?

It would have been fine if he hadn’t explained, but now that he had, Fu Qian found the situation even more bizarre.

There were at least a few hundred people in this venue. Were they really going to check them one by one?

It was just a municipal officer. Wasn’t this level of security a bit excessive?

Naturally, Fu Qian had no identification.

Earlier, after confirming the setup, he hadn’t bothered to overcomplicate things. On his way in, he had simply snatched a white coat and thrown it on.

Otherwise, he would have just knocked out a doctor and reshaped his own face to match.

He hadn’t expected them to actually verify faces one by one.

The whole thing strongly reeked of something fishy.

”And who are you?”

Fu Qian didn’t rush to answer. Instead, he frowned back at the pair.

Hmm?

As soon as he spoke, the gaze of the other man turned immediately hostile.

However, just as he was about to step forward aggressively, the sharp-eyed man stopped him.

Staring coldly at Fu Qian, the sharp-eyed man pulled out a badge and flashed it. The metal emblem embedded on it shone dazzlingly.

”My colleague and I are responsible for routine security work.”

”Have you confirmed our identities now?”

”Now it’s your turn. If you can’t prove you’re on the list, I guarantee you will be in a lot of trouble.”

The sharp-eyed man’s tone was full of threat.

Is that so.

Faced with their intense glares, Fu Qian calmly pinched a card between his fingers and handed it over.

As if he didn’t have identification too!

Surely the special item Yuan Shan had procured for him could handle these two?

”What is this?”

Looking at the pitch-black magnetic card, the sharp-eyed man’s colleague furrowed his brows even tighter after just one glance.

Fortunately, the sharp-eyed man clearly knew his stuff. His eyes practically glued to the card as he snatched it and examined it closely.

”What is it?”

His colleague noticed that something was off with him.

”Watch him here.”

The sharp-eyed man offered no explanation. Rubbing a thumb over a string of numbers on the card, he hurried away.

A moment later, he returned, leading a woman with an even sharper gaze behind him.

”Fang Xun?”

The woman appeared to be the sharp-eyed man’s superior. Her expression was strange as she looked Fu Qian up and down.

”That’s right.”

”You can call me Daria. I’m here to confirm a few things.”

She waved the card in her hand.

”Are you... a Night Watcher?”

”No.”

Fu Qian shook his head immediately. Chief Yuan had told him to keep a low profile.

”I took a look. It says here you’re engaged in the culture and arts industry?”

Just what kind of messy information had Yuan Shan’s secretary entered for him?

”Yes, a bookstore.”

Fu Qian replied with unusual calm while he thought about it.

...

”How could a bookstore owner... possibly have this?”

Daria looked as if she couldn’t quite believe it.

”You don’t need to worry about that.”

Fu Qian took back his card.

”Can I stay here now?”

...

”Could you tell us your purpose for being here?”

Daria finally asked, having held back for a long moment.

”To listen to the work report and inspect the state of ideological and moral development.”

...

Her expression shifting several times, Daria finally nodded.

”Very well, suit yourself.”

After saying that, she hurriedly led her men away.

A few minutes later, news came from the podium. Municipal Officer Gan, who had originally planned to visit and give guidance, had suddenly contracted a severe illness and changed his plans at the last minute. He had now returned to City Hall.

A wave of disappointed murmurs immediately echoed throughout the venue.

Was he that extreme? He simply wasn’t showing up at all!

For a moment, even Fu Qian clicked his tongue in marvel at this turn of events.

It was hard to believe that the municipal officer’s sudden illness had nothing to do with him sitting there.

But here came the main problem: what was the reason?

The man seemed highly guarded against people of unknown origin.

Was there really something wrong with him, making him worry his secrets would be discovered?

It was hard to confirm at the moment.

But one thing was certain: if he continued to sit here, he wouldn’t be able to fulfill Yuan Shan’s commission.

Fu Qian didn’t waste any time; he simply got up and left.

Without a doubt, he still had to make a trip to City Hall.

However, if just coming out for a meeting was like this, the security over there was bound to be even more exaggerated.

Fortunately, he was prepared.

A moment later, Fu Qian pulled out an ID badge, its metal emblem gleaming brightly.

It belonged to the sharp-eyed man’s colleague. He had pilfered it in passing earlier, and it seemed it would come in handy now.

...

This should be the place.

Soon, having changed clothes and adjusted his appearance, Fu Qian arrived at his destination.

Indeed, just as he had guessed, the security here was even tighter.

Visibly, among the personnel responsible for guard duty, there was no shortage of transcendents.

Of course, their quality was generally quite average, most of them being at the small-fry level.

Therefore, Fu Qian, with his new appearance, slipped into the building before him without expending much effort.

The process of finding Gan Zuoxun also went quite smoothly. After all, the commotion caused by him being sent back here due to sudden illness was not small.

The man appeared to be around fifty years old, with a thin face and slightly graying hair.

At this moment, the man was sitting in his seat resting. He looked quite relaxed and carefree, giving off the feeling of stealing a half-day of leisure from a fleeting life.

He looks perfectly normal!

Fu Qian evaluated mentally.

At a glance, the man’s mental state felt relatively stable. He was neither confused nor sluggish, and there didn’t seem to be any glaring issues.

But if that was the case, why was he so sensitive? There had to be a reason, right?

For a moment, Fu Qian’s curiosity was completely piqued.

However, when it came to thoroughly confirming a condition, back with Xiao Mingyue, he had first illuminated her with the Commandment Residue, and the problem had only emerged through subsequent questioning.

As for this Gan Zuoxun, he could naturally illuminate him too and then give him a professional psychological test, but he feared this guy’s mortal body wouldn’t be able to withstand it.