Eldritch Horror Theatre

”No, I’ve never seen it.”

Tina was highly emotional, but unfortunately, no one paid her any attention.

Fu Qian simply smiled and said nothing. Emily didn’t spare her a glance either; instead, after staring at him for a long time, she actually answered Fu Qian’s question.

”A pity.”

Fu Qian wasn’t bothered by this. He merely sighed.

He never minded searching for clues about the Full Moon Garden he had first entered.

His question just now stemmed, on one hand, from the intense sense of déjà vu he had experienced when this mission began.

On the other hand, it stemmed from his suspicions regarding the Old Hunter’s identity.

If it really was a veteran in the same line of work appearing in a story like this, it couldn’t hurt to look for common ground.

Emily’s answer actually held some credibility in Fu Qian’s eyes.It wasn’t that he believed she was being honest; rather, his judgment was based on her reaction.

The moment he spoke, Emily looked even more unnerved, yet not quite unnerved enough.

More unnerved because the question was entirely nonsensical, increasing the likelihood that his own identity was suspicious.

And not quite unnerved enough meant she hadn’t immediately concluded he was an administrator based on it.

To some extent, this inversely proved that what he had just mentioned wasn’t a shared experience.

’Am I really the more special one, then? Not just anyone can enter the Full Moon Garden?’

’From the very first mission, I’ve felt quite Fated with the moon.’

”You can go.”

Acting as if he had just finished reading her horoscope, Fu Qian kept his promise and casually gestured for Emily to leave.

Tina, nursing a bruised ego, merely opened her mouth for a moment before ultimately voicing no objections.

”I will be back.”

Emily’s reaction was hardly any better. She stood there coldly. Even though her posture hadn’t changed, she somehow evoked the image of a predator in the shadows, ready to pounce at any moment—yet in the end, she didn’t.

Leaving behind that classic line, she walked straight past Fu Qian and strode away.

Fu Qian politely watched her leave, making no move to follow.

...

”You’re just going to let her go?”

In the blink of an eye, the missing girl had disappeared once again. After a stifling silence, Tina finally couldn’t hold back, expressing her bewilderment at Fu Qian’s actions.

”Didn’t you hear her? She’ll be back... So all we need to do now is focus on finding Dennis.”

Fu Qian remained entirely unconcerned, acting as though the current situation was perfectly fine.

In fact, the moment his voice faded, he was already walking out the door.

”Are you really going to handle it like that? You believe the hospital would do such a thing?”

Her face scrunched up, but she helplessly followed him anyway. Tina seemed unable to accept that the new police officer was such a conspiracy theorist.

”In my view, we can’t rule out the possibility. But whether we actually handle it like that depends on finding your uncle first.”

Fu Qian’s next statement actually sounded slightly more reasonable.

Although his trust in the hospital was worryingly low, he hadn’t forgotten that he was just a rookie on his first day of fieldwork.

”I’m sure Hake won’t agree with you doing that.”

Breathing a sigh of relief that the situation hadn’t completely spiraled out of control, Tina seemed very confident in her uncle.

”Not necessarily. It would be one thing if we hadn’t found the girl—then we could still assume she went somewhere else. But Emily was right here.”

Fu Qian shook his head, unable to agree.

”Meanwhile, we’ve investigated several places, yet sadly even Ed said he hadn’t seen him. Hake might already be losing his patience.”

”Ed?”

”You guys even went to Rachel’s house?”

That last line sounded distinctly odd, and Tina let out a gasp of surprise.

”Hake might still be there.”

Fu Qian nodded.

...

Tina clearly didn’t believe Hake would go all the way to someone’s house just to ask about this.

But before she could voice her doubts, the two of them had already left the cemetery-view building, and Rachel’s figure came into view.

She had indeed kept her promise and waited here, and it obviously wouldn’t be polite to discuss certain topics right in front of her.

”You’re back. Any discoveries?”

Though she had stuck to her post, Rachel looked completely on edge, and she too let out a breath of relief when she saw them.

”We do. Did you have any?”

Fu Qian actually just shot the question back at her.

”Huh? What discoveries... I’ve just been right here. I didn’t see anything.”

Rachel looked completely baffled.

’This...’

”A little girl came out just now, didn’t you notice?”

Tina practically shivered, her face paling slightly as she spoke.

”No...”

Now Rachel’s face drained of color as well.

”Relax, maybe she just didn’t come out and secretly found another place to hide.”

Fu Qian, however, waved his hand dismissively, gesturing for them not to overthink it.

Even though the possibility he suggested didn’t sound much better.

”But this does remind me: when I go find Hake, it’s best if someone keeps an eye on this place.”

Clearly unconcerned with how the two ladies felt about it, Fu Qian quickly pressed on.

”I... I can try to find someone to help keep watch.”

Unwilling to shirk her duty, Tina instantly realized she ought to contribute. However, her previous experience made it difficult to volunteer directly, so she decided to call for backup instead.

”No rush. Heads or tails?”

Fu Qian didn’t accept the suggestion directly. Instead, a shiny coin appeared in his hand the next moment.

”And you.”

Spreading his hand to show the coin, he gestured toward Rachel as well.

...

’Ah... me?’

Rachel clearly hadn’t expected her task to still be ongoing. Her eyes widened, and she said nothing for a moment.

”Have you lost your mind? What does this have to do with her? Weren’t you just going to have her take you home?”

Fortunately, Tina’s sense of justice seemed quite strong. Once she reacted, she immediately spoke up for Rachel, angrily rebuking Fu Qian’s playful behavior.

”She obviously isn’t in too much of a hurry to go home.”

Glancing at Rachel, Fu Qian remained as calm as ever.

...

Briefly left speechless, Tina couldn’t help but look over as well, motioning for Rachel to stand up for herself.

However, her eyes darting nervously, Rachel truly didn’t say a word.

”...Then I pick heads.”

This development finally left Tina feeling drained. Pausing briefly, she simply went ahead and made her choice.

”Excellent. Then you get tails.”

Satisfied with this efficiency, Fu Qian’s gaze swept over the silent Rachel. In the next moment, he flicked the coin straight up into the air.

Unsurprisingly, the eyes of the two women followed the tumbling coin.

’So, can you see a scene like this?’

Snatching the coin out of the air, Fu Qian found his thoughts focused instead on his competitor’s current state.