Eldritch Horror Theatre

Looking for the Servant’s Needle?

That finally lined up with the name of the Item for this run.

Putting aside what it actually was, did Transcending the Nightmare imply that everything he had just experienced was truly an illusion, a dreamlike existence?

Logically speaking, the task prompt actually corroborated Doctor Kelly’s earlier claims.

”So, can you tell us now where this disaster came from?”

”Tell us how you did all this.”

Kelly took a step forward, glaring intently at Fu Qian.

”This is for your own good.”

”Otherwise, you’ll remain locked up in this place... forever!”

”There seems to be a flaw in your logic.”Fu Qian frowned slightly, voicing his objection.

”If I can’t tell you the truth, I’ll be imprisoned here.”

”But suppose I confirm what I did to cause this disaster. That proves I’m the instigator. For a crime like that, life in prison would be getting off lightly.”

”We already discussed this.”

”I promised you that no matter the facts, the information I have is enough to prove you suffer from uncontrollable psychiatric issues.”

”So even if we eventually prove you caused the incident, you won’t face the death penalty.”

”Furthermore, once your information helps us figure out a way to counter this danger, we could even arrange for you to live somewhere else.”

”It would still be imprisonment, but at least you’d have a window.”

”Through that window, you could see the green trees and the birds outside... Officer Brooke can attest to that.”

”Honestly, I don’t want to attest to anything.”

Brooke seemed to have calmed down quite a bit by now.

However, the look in his eyes as he stared at Fu Qian remained filled with extreme disgust, as if he were looking at a pile of trash.

”I don’t care if your actions were intentional or due to some lack of self-control.”

”As far as I’m concerned, putting a bullet through your head is the best way to deal with your kind. There’s no need to waste manpower and resources.”

”But I have to do my duty—so yes, no matter what you prove you did, you won’t have to die.”

”Understood.”

Fu Qian expressed his understanding of the officer’s sentiments.

”I just have one last question. Where did you find me?”

”At the entrance of the Municipal Museum. It looked like you had been lingering there for quite a while before we found you.”

The museum? That location hadn’t come up at all until just now.

Fu Qian grew thoughtful.

”Looks like I’ll have to take a trip back—”

”You bastard, you’re messing with us again, aren’t you?”

Before Fu Qian could finish, Brooke bellowed in rage, looking ready to draw his gun.

”Wait.”

Kelly stopped him once again.

”This is one of his better moments. At the very least, his logic is consistent.”

”Killing him is pointless. We’ve already waited this long.”

”Are you sure you’ll find something this time?”

She turned and looked at Fu Qian with a serious expression.

”I’m not sure.”

Fu Qian shook his head bluntly.

...

”Good. If you had said yes, I would have thought you were lying.”

In the silence, Kelly stared at him for a long time before finally speaking.

”Now close your eyes. Focus your attention on the crying, and let your consciousness sink naturally.”

This time, Fu Qian raised no objections and cooperatively followed her instructions.

At some point, the shrill, agonizing wails gradually took on a bizarre rhythm, washing over him like a rising tide.

...

Whatever the case, this was definitely not the museum!

Fu Qian came to that conclusion the moment he regained his senses.

And, of course, it couldn’t possibly be a hospital either.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a bed.

After confirming there was no one else in the room, Fu Qian climbed out of bed and immediately pulled back the curtains.

There was no torrential storm outside. The sky just looked a bit gloomy, and judging by the light, it was still early in the day.

So I should be in my newly bought apartment now?

Fu Qian surveyed his surroundings.

The apartment wasn’t large, but it was fully furnished with all the necessary amenities—more than enough for a single person.

A moment later, he took a few steps forward and picked up a cup from the table. Milk residue could still be seen at the bottom.

On the other side, the faint smell of alcohol lingered in a clear glass.

I really went out of my way just to get some sleep.

Fu Qian nodded. Instead of rushing out, he grabbed a fresh glass, opened the fridge, and poured himself some milk.

The fridge was well-stocked with a good variety of meat and vegetables.

After inspecting the contents, Fu Qian even took the time to fry himself an egg.

As some famous person once said, no matter how busy you are, you must always eat breakfast.

Besides, even though this was called a Nightmare, the flavor of the food wasn’t lacking in the slightest.

Fu Qian sat by the window, slowly eating his breakfast.

Meanwhile, every sentence spoken during the conversation in the Interrogation Room flashed through his mind.

There was no doubt about it. During their exchange, the meaning behind both Doctor Kelly and the short-tempered Brooke’s words had been crystal clear.

The Fenghou City of the Real World had already been destroyed by some bizarre virus. He was currently in a dreamlike state, a scene reconstruction of sorts, and they wanted him to find valuable information from it.

Even the female police officer Kelly he had encountered earlier could be considered a mental projection of the real Doctor Kelly.

Through his multiple conversations with her, he had inadvertently brought her image into the dream.

It all seemed perfectly logical.

Looking out the window at this moment, everything outside appeared completely normal.

Although it wasn’t exactly bustling traffic like flowing water, pedestrians and vehicles were still coming and going. There were no signs whatsoever of an impending apocalypse.

But according to the medical records, things should have already started going wrong by this point, just perhaps not to an extreme degree yet.

As he was thinking, he caught a glimpse of something unusual out of the corner of his eye.

In another building not far away, the curtains behind a window were lifted slightly, and it seemed a face was staring right at him.

But the moment Fu Qian looked closer, the curtains were swiftly dropped back into place.

That makes it look even more suspicious!

Fu Qian furrowed his brows.

Is someone really watching me? Did I notice something off, which led to my poor sleep later?

I suppose that makes sense.

But the question is, why are they spying on me?

This question was undoubtedly quite difficult to answer.

After a moment’s thought, Fu Qian silently memorized the position of the window across the street and quickly headed downstairs.

...

Click!

After making his way to the building across the street, he used the floor and window layout to pinpoint the target apartment, eventually stopping in front of a door.

However, he didn’t rush to knock. Instead, he waited quietly outside.

Less than a minute later, the door opened from the inside, and a somewhat familiar figure stepped out.

”You...”

The Head-Carrying Woman, her neck perfectly intact, was clearly startled the moment she saw Fu Qian standing outside her door. She looked as though she had just been caught red-handed.

Once she recovered, however, her expression revealed a faint hint of pleasant surprise beneath the shock.

”What a coincidence... Want to walk together?”