Eldritch Horror Theatre

’Is this actually happening?’

Almost instantly, Fu Qian realized it was a pair of Handcuffs.

His instincts screamed at him to pull away, but he forced the urge down.

There were two reasons for this. First, he had spotted the holster on the policewoman’s hip.

Given his current condition, violently resisting her carried too high a risk.

Second, from his vantage point, he could see that something was already wrong in the office.

The coworkers who had been so diligently slacking off just moments ago—looking perfectly normal—had now stood up in absolute unison. They were all staring in his direction with burning intensity.

Their faces were twisted into grotesque, inhuman expressions, looking as if they might physically mutate at any second.

If he actually started brawling with a police officer right now, it would be a shocking display.

And there was a very high chance this group would not react well to that.So, after a brief moment of deliberation, Fu Qian gave up his resistance and let the policewoman cuff him.

”Behave yourself!”

Locking Fu Qian’s hands firmly behind his back, the policewoman barked the low warning before turning toward the office.

”Don’t worry, I have him under control. You’re safe now.”

”Thank God!”

A collective sigh of relief washed over the office. Judging by their reactions, one would think they had just been rescued from a bloodthirsty serial killer.

’So my mission was to hold my post until the police arrived, just for the police to come arrest me?’

’What kind of O. Henry plot twist is this?’

Baffled by his sudden arrest, Fu Qian silently lamented his situation while mentally reviewing how to dislocate his own thumbs.

’Besides, they were the ones acting like terrifying freaks just a second ago. How did they flip the script and make me look like the dangerous one?’

’Is talking back to your boss really that serious of a crime in this place?’

That couldn’t be it. From his angle, Fu Qian could see Sato. The supervisor, who had been absolutely furious moments prior, now wore the exact same expression of profound relief. It was as if his explosive rage had been entirely faked.

’But why?’

Unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance to find out. The next second, the policewoman shoved him toward the elevator and gestured for him to get inside.

’Since you are here, make yourself at ease.’ Given that he hadn’t heard any prompt announcing his failure, Fu Qian simply let things play out.

The two of them rode the elevator all the way down to the first floor.

Stepping out of the elevator, he saw a police car idling right outside the building’s entrance.

Lightning flashed and thunder boomed as heavy raindrops poured from the sky, pounding against the squad car’s flashing emergency lights.

The policewoman marched him through the torrential rain. Without needing a reminder, Fu Qian dutifully slid into the car.

She slammed the door shut and hurried around to the driver’s seat.

Surprisingly, the moment she slid behind the wheel, her cold expression melted away completely. She immediately began gasping for air in heavy breaths.

Given the sudden shift in demeanor, Fu Qian didn’t interrupt her. He simply waited quietly.

After a moment, the policewoman finally seemed to collect herself. She sat up straight, patted down her pockets, and tossed him a Key.

”Take them off yourself,” she said.

”To be honest, I’m a bit lost,” Fu Qian said, catching the Key and unlocking the Handcuffs.

Her behavior was entirely unexpected.

”I don’t understand either! Are you crazy?” she snapped, snatching back the Handcuffs and Key he handed her.

”Only a little,” Fu Qian said.

He watched the policewoman with a smile, confirming his suspicion that she had indeed come for a different reason entirely.

”I’ll say. Otherwise, how would you have dared to walk in there?”

The policewoman clearly didn’t appreciate his flippant attitude and shot him a fierce glare.

”Didn’t you know they were already infected?”

’Infected?’

The word piqued Fu Qian’s interest. He shook his head with complete honesty.

”You really didn’t know?”

A look of sheer shock crossed the policewoman’s face. She looked him up and down once more.

”Are you not from Fenghou City?”

”Depends on how you define it, but you could say that.”

”No wonder. Then you’re just incredibly lucky!”

Though his answer was vague, she seemed to accept it.

”You can call me Kelly. Anyway, let’s get out of here first.”

She started the car as she spoke.

”Just a few days ago, we discovered a mysterious virus spreading through Fenghou City.”

”This virus is incredibly bizarre. None of the infected show any physical symptoms in the early stages.”

”But without exception, their minds are severely affected, and they quickly fall into a state of cognitive distortion.”

”In this state, the infected can no longer distinguish between reality and hallucinations. They live entirely in their own delusions.”

”Not only that, but once their minds deteriorate to a certain point, they gain incomprehensible, bizarre powers.”

”We didn’t notice this mutation at first. It wasn’t until several bloody incidents occurred that we realized the infected had spread across almost the entire city.”

”Now, all we can do is try to gather those who aren’t infected and evacuate them to safety.”

’So that’s what’s going on?’

Hearing the policewoman’s explanation, Fu Qian had to admit he was momentarily shocked.

’Just a moment ago, it was giving off a pure, sinister supernatural vibe. How did it suddenly turn into a Resident Evil-style sci-fi plot?’

”So you specifically came looking for me? Then why did you cuff me?”

”The handcuffs were for their benefit.”

The policewoman pointed back at the office building, which was quickly receding into the distance.

”It was your coworkers who reported you. I didn’t dare let them notice anything out of the ordinary.”

’So the villains really did play the victim first?’

Fu Qian was genuinely astonished.

”When?”

”Before you went upstairs. Someone reported you while you were standing in the Plaza staring off into space.”

Kelly said with a blank expression.

”They claimed you were infected, that you might break into The Company to hurt them, and that you needed to be apprehended as soon as possible.”

’That early?’

Fu Qian fell into deep thought.

”And given my current understanding of that particular area, I was shocked when I got the call, so I kept the informant on the line to chat a bit more.”

”Once I understood the gist of it, I suspected a normal person had stumbled into a dangerous situation, so I decided to go take a look.”

”I didn’t expect you to move so fast. By the time I arrived, you were already gone.”

”I had to follow the address the informant provided and head all the way upstairs to find you.”

”I didn’t have high hopes originally. It looks like your luck is decent, and you managed not to alarm them.”

’What do you mean, luck? That was just me being polite and amiable, alright!’

Fu Qian silently digested the information Kelly had provided.

He had to admit, while he couldn’t imagine what kind of virus this was, the basic facts lined up.

The sequence of events also made logical sense.

’But if that’s the case...’

Fu Qian thought back to his experience in the office.

’While I was being careful not to anger them, from their perspective, they were also cautiously guarding against me?’

’Thinking about it like that, it’s actually quite amusing!’

”So, where are we heading now?”

”Taking you to a safe place.”

Faced with Fu Qian’s question, Kelly answered exactly as expected.