Eldritch Horror Theatre

Look at that, this is what you call professional!

Happy times were always short-lived. After enjoying a quiet journey, they soon arrived at their destination.

Watching the Anjing Group elites skillfully swap shifts to minimize his suspicion, Fu Qian clicked his tongue in admiration.

In contrast, the guy who was likely from the Night Watchers seemed to have headed straight back to the city after confirming that he and Su Gao had gotten off the train.

Fu Qian figured this discrepancy came down to their differing goals. Laige and his companion had only asked that Night Watcher brother to keep an eye on his whereabouts. Now that they had confirmed he was genuinely just out for a stroll rather than making another run for it, their objective had been met.

At most, they would just ask the local Night Watchers or police to keep a lookout later.

After all, based on his past experiences, a Night Watcher squad captain only had a handful of subordinates at their disposal.

When it came down to it, the gap in status between Laige and Carlos within their respective organizations was simply too vast.

”Mr. Dancy, are you heading straight to Wushe Temple?”

Unsurprisingly, the most persistent ones were still the two with an obsession.”Yes.”

Fu Qian nodded at Kisaragi Kana as she came over to ask.

”What a coincidence, so are we! I looked it up, and it’s not far from here. We can just walk over.”

Of course it was a coincidence. Even if he had said they were going to rest first, she definitely would have claimed she was doing the exact same thing.

”Alright, let’s head out then.”

Fu Qian wouldn’t let a minor interruption like this bother him. Readily accepting good advice, he gestured for Kisaragi Kana and Takagi to lead the way.

...

The legendary Wushe Temple truly wasn’t far from the station.

Although its location was slightly remote, the sheer surge of thrill-seekers had worn the narrow path in front of the temple completely smooth.

The weather was still fine, and the temple grounds were quite packed.

There was no need to check the map. Following the crowd, Fu Qian soon spotted that familiar stone in a side hall.

Surprisingly, even though there was clearly more than one transcendent guarding the area, touching the thing was actually free of charge.

The only requirement was a stream of spring water channeled in front of the building, accompanied by a reminder for visitors to wash their hands before touching it.

”Aren’t there a bit too many people here?”

Looking at the ridiculously long, winding line in front of the hall, even Brother Takagi couldn’t help but sigh.

”It’s not surprising. Self-identification is a rigid psychological need. Why else do you think there’s an endless sea of personality tests out there?”

Fu Qian spouted nonsense casually, but he couldn’t be bothered to line up either. He strolled around on his own, observing the activity around the stone toad.

It really was somewhat miraculous!

After observing it for a while, Fu Qian had to admit that this legendary notoriety was genuinely rather unique.

Out of the men and women who went up to test it, barely a fifth could trigger that buzzing hum.

Not only was the success rate low, but even those who managed to produce the sound didn’t give off a shred of transcendent aura.

No matter how you looked at it, it just seemed like ordinary people having fun. The Anjing Old Man really did a fantastic job covering things up here!

”Mr. Dancy, you won’t get to touch it if you don’t line up.”

Just then, Kisaragi Kana called out to Fu Qian and Su Gao with a smile. She and Takagi were already waiting at the end of the line.

She seemed to have matured quite a bit. If it were the past, Kisaragi Kana would have likely used her charm to cut the line by any means necessary, wouldn’t she?

Fu Qian marveled inwardly.

Then again, even if she did cut the line, that wouldn’t have been her actual goal. Her real purpose was always to flaunt her charm.

Just like she was doing now.

Looking at Kisaragi Kana’s flawless smile, Fu Qian heard Su Gao sigh beside him.

Obviously, just like him, she could sense the increasingly glaring abnormality radiating from Kisaragi Kana.

The Jiali 9527 Plan was far from over.

His own reactions and behavior seemed to have triggered the conquering instincts of something within her.

It had even evolved, becoming more sophisticated and targeted.

”Forget it. I don’t like waiting in line.”

Fu Qian waved his hand, completely and casually abandoning the entire purpose of their trip in just a few seconds.

”Do you want to give it a try?”

He then turned to Su Gao, asking in an inquiring tone.

”No need.”

Su Gao took one look and shook her head.

”Even if I touch it, I probably won’t get a reaction either.”

”Well, it’s a good thing we bumped into those two, otherwise this trip would have been a complete waste.”

Fu Qian didn’t force the issue. He turned his head and looked at Kisaragi Kana with a beaming smile.

”We’ll just stay here and see how you do.”

”Alright.”

Unexpectedly faced with Fu Qian and Su Gao’s synchronized refusal, Kisaragi Kana momentarily froze. She then agreed, not forgetting to flip her pale, delicate hand toward Su Gao.

”Violetta, young people need to be brave enough to try things.”

This flawless posture drew the sidelong glances of the surrounding crowd. Takagi was especially entranced, completely mesmerized.

Of course, compared to how she used to be, this was already considered low-key and restrained.

”Here, sit.”

Fu Qian casually cleared a spot for Su Gao. She politely thanked him and sat down. The two quickly fell into the role of spectators.

Fu Qian truly disliked waiting in line, but that wasn’t the main reason he refused to take the test.

One of the purposes of this trip was indeed his curiosity about the operational nature of Universal Infamy; he wanted to observe it up close.

However, fundamentally, simply watching from the sidelines was enough.

Fu Qian didn’t think there would be any particularly special reaction even if he actually went up and pressed it.

The Night Watchers had likely tested a thing like this more than once or twice. If it really exhibited any bizarre behavior, it absolutely wouldn’t have been popularized so smoothly.

At the same time, playing the spectator served another purpose—continuing to resolutely draw aggro.

In the eyes of the Anjing Company, his current behavior clearly painted him as a lackey of the Siren Group, bringing along a mastermind at Peak Tier 4 to this sensitive location at a sensitive time with ulterior motives.

Under these circumstances, quietly watching and doing nothing was an abnormal action that would undoubtedly apply even greater pressure.

This was also a lesson learned from his last mission: if you decided to lure the snake out of its hole, you had to use every available condition to carry it through to the end. Who knew, there might be an even bigger catch waiting behind the scenes.

...

Next, Fu Qian and Su Gao fully embraced their duties as the audience. They chatted idly while watching one young person after another wash their hands and step forward, full of anticipation or apprehension.

Fu Qian also noticed that for every tester who successfully triggered a sound, the notary staff nearby would genuinely and formally present them with a Badge.

The Badges were exquisitely crafted, clearly expensive at a glance. Their designs even varied based on the volume of the sound, easily bringing to mind different hierarchical tiers like the Doctor and Emperor.

They really knew how to put on a show. To stir people’s hearts, the Anjing Company had invested quite heavily.

Time ticked by minute by minute. Kisaragi Kana, who had attracted countless gazes along the way, finally stood before the Human-Faced Toad.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she bit her lip and gently pressed her hand against it.

The next moment, a piercing cry rang out.

It was absolutely the most exaggerated sound that had echoed since Fu Qian sat down.

”Mr. Dancy.”

After a momentary daze, Kisaragi Kana’s first reaction was to look over in Fu Qian’s direction.