Eldritch Horror Theatre

It had been three days without any activity. The intensely curious tutors weren’t the only ones growing anxious.

It wasn’t hard to understand why Li Weixuan had suddenly suspended the investigation and strictly forbidden anyone from entering the scene.

On one hand, given the warning Fu Qian had passed along through Ji Liushuang, Li Weixuan must have realized the situation wasn’t simple and involved far-reaching consequences.

On the other hand, the Night Watchers’ subsequent decisions had surely been relayed to him quickly through his close friend, Brother Yuan Fang, making him realize the matter was even more complicated.

However, there was a problem. This was clearly a massive incident, yet three days had passed, and the Night Watchers’ special envoy still hadn’t arrived.

Evidently, Su Gao, much like himself, wasn’t in the habit of carrying communication devices. To the Academy and the local Night Watchers, her absence meant she wasn’t just late; she was missing in action.

Under these circumstances, what should the Academy’s normal reaction be?

After all, it had only been three days. It hadn’t been that long, so they couldn’t exactly take the initiative to rush her.

At the same time, the Night Watchers had reacted swiftly, showing just how seriously they took the matter. Whatever had caused the disturbance at the Benevolent Curse Institute was likely quite extraordinary, and definitely not something to be touched carelessly.

But did that mean they should just do nothing?Of course not.

With things so bizarre, the right course of action was naturally to keep a stricter watch over the scene. This would prevent any unexpected hazards from leaking out and keep anyone from foolishly sneaking in.

Unfortunately, Dean Li hadn’t underestimated the tutors’ thirst for knowledge, but he had underestimated their initiative.

The dignified Professor Chang Mo had been sent over to keep watch, even standing guard here in the middle of the night. Honestly, that already showed a considerable level of caution.

But Apocalypse always brought surprises.

”Professor Fu, why are you here? And this is...”

Facts proved that Classmate Su Gao was still the more eye-catching one.

Professor Chang Mo was clearly quite displeased by these unauthorized individuals suddenly showing up here.

As they rushed over, Fu Qian’s posture had undoubtedly been the most glaring among the four of them, so Chang Mo’s gaze had indeed darted toward him first.

But even before she finished her question, she was already looking Su Gao up and down.

...

”A Night Watcher, in charge of investigating this incident.”

While internally lamenting this superficial world that judged entirely by appearances, Fu Qian answered with resounding firmness, borrowing a bit of Executive Yama Su’s prestige.

A Night Watcher...

As soon as these words came out, even Rob and his companion, who had arrived a step earlier, were obviously somewhat dumbfounded.

As a newly advanced demigod, Classmate Su Gao undoubtedly shared the same low-profile nature as Professor Fu. Aside from those dead souls who had been turned into bounties, she didn’t have much of a reputation outside the Night Watchers.

To think that this seemingly youthful transcendent was actually the person in charge of this investigation—and had even arrived early on—was truly unexpected.

”She can tell you more when she wakes up. I’m just a temporary operations advisor.”

Before Chang Mo and the other two could express their shock, Fu Qian casually added that statement, indicating he had nothing more to share.

Of course, while he said that, his posture wasn’t low-profile in the least. He carried the proud bearing of an external contractor who, despite lacking an official staff position, still belonged to the team.

”...So, what’s the deal with those two? Are they advisors you hired as well?”

True experts always possessed a pair of miraculous hands capable of turning stone into gold.

Just a single face-to-face encounter was almost enough to send Professor Chang Mo into a red-hot rage.

Fortunately, after much tempering, she had finally developed a bit of mature composure. Taking a deep breath, she opted to change the subject directly.

It was obvious she hadn’t failed to recognize Rob and his companion; it was just that Fu Qian’s presence had been far too dazzling, leaving Professor Chang Mo with no time to pay attention to them.

”Them?”

Seeing the two called out instantly tense up, Fu Qian considered for a moment, then shook his head.

”No, they just arrived.”

...

Based on their past dealings, Professor Chang Mo’s character and principles were quite commendable. Standing guard here in the middle of the night couldn’t have been easy, either.

Although forcefully claiming that Rob and his companion were traveling with him would have been entirely manageable given Professor Fu’s current prestige, doing so would be overly oppressive.

Protecting their passion for scientific research was one thing, but how could the dignified interim spokesperson of Apocalypse act so short-sightedly and rudely?

Moreover, given Professor Chang Mo’s personality, she would likely prefer to shoulder the blame for failing her duties and letting people sneak in rather than tolerate this kind of disrespectful coercion.

Therefore, just like how he had earlier made Rob personally return the sword and admit his mistake, these two still needed to take responsibility for bypassing the guards in the dead of night and sneaking in uninvited.

”Well, we didn’t exactly just arrive...”

Facts proved that these two talented youths were certainly no cowards.

Seeing Professor Fu choose to tell the truth, the two exchanged glances without any dissatisfaction, and Rob even took the initiative to confess more.

”We took a trip down below but didn’t find anything. Feeling a little unwilling to give up, we were wandering around when we noticed some movement over here—”

His words came to an abrupt halt. The confessing Rob seemed to suddenly realize something. He touched his throat and couldn’t help but shoot another glance over at Ah Kai.

As it turned out, the latter was making the exact same motion, wearing a look of total disbelief.

”What is it?”

Rob and his companion had indeed restlessly sneaked in. Although irritated by their behavior, the fact that Professor Fu hadn’t deliberately covered for them—and that the two parties involved had courageously admitted their fault—caused Chang Mo’s expression to clear up slightly.

However, seeing Rob display such an anomaly halfway through his confession made her frown once again.

”It’s nothing... This time, we really did violate the rules by sneaking in, causing trouble for you, Professor Chang. We’ll accept any punishment.”

However, after a brief exchange of glances, it was Professor Ah Kai who continued the confession, declaring that they were at her mercy.

They were the Academy elites that Li Weixuan heavily relied on, after all; how could Professor Chang Mo be easily fooled?

Unfortunately, after silently scrutinizing their faces a few times, she didn’t glean anything else. In the end, her gaze landed on Fu Qian once more.

The main thing was that, regardless of his attitude, this man’s aura was truly unique. Merely sitting there made him look like the mastermind behind everything.

...

The reason for their shock is precisely because you haven’t noticed anything.

Clearly lacking the intention to overly defend his own image, Fu Qian merely sighed inwardly at Professor Chang Mo’s confusion, keeping his thoughts to himself.

The reason Rob and his companion were spooked was also simple: by this point, they had completely reverted to looking like living humans. Their deathly pallor was gone.

In fact, this was exactly why he had told them to move a little closer earlier.

Even now, his Decree of Return hadn’t been canceled.

Not deliberately shielding them didn’t mean he wouldn’t conveniently help them secure more lenient treatment.

He wasn’t sure what methods Rob and the other had used to turn into that corpse-like state, but under his upgraded Dispelling Halo, there was no reason that couldn’t be restored to its original nature as well.

You had to understand, even for criminal suspects, a professional lawyer would advise them to present a good image.

Right now, with their ruddy complexions, Rob and his companion looked more like people taking a post-dinner stroll who had come in to take a peek on a whim.

Compared to deliberately transforming into ghastly ghouls to commit illicit acts, the apparent level of subjective intent offered much more wiggle room.

”I don’t have the final say on your punishment... You can explain it to Dean Li later.”

Having failed to glean any insight from Fu Qian, Chang Mo’s tone finally softened slightly.

”Perfect. I’ll join you.”

But the next moment, a voice made her involuntarily look up once again.

The Night Watcher lady, who had stood there like a statue the entire time, had slowly opened her eyes.