Eldritch Horror Theatre

Excellent. She had even accounted for the fact that Professor Fu was already in his twilight years, prioritizing maximum efficiency.

Classmate Liushuang’s execution was undoubtedly top-notch, and in that moment, her technique earned Fu Qian’s highest praise.

Persuading others was never easy, let alone having to convince oneself beforehand.

When he previously delegated someone else to persuade Rachel, the audience’s lack of understanding was entirely normal.

After all, theoretically speaking, he hadn’t actually persuaded a single person yet—

Wen Li couldn’t make a judgment, so she simply helped open the Sacred Pleasure Connection.

Su Gao couldn’t make a judgment either, so she held back from acting, only keeping a trump card in reserve to send him out alone.

Rachel went without saying; she had outright feigned being alone, refusing to admit that Li Min was attached to her.

Having someone else persuade her on his behalf at a time like this looked entirely like he was preparing to shift the blame for a failing project.

Hmph, measuring a noble mind with a petty heart. They shouldn’t underestimate the talent produced by his key Laboratory.Fu Qian was, naturally, well aware of Classmate Liushuang’s difficulties.

Yet he was equally confident that she could overcome them.

If a petty trick like the Heart-Questioning Sword Prison couldn’t be used, didn’t she still have her Lucent Sword Heart?

He had just commented that because of her extreme sensitivity, Classmate Liushuang’s resistance to pleasure was rather poor.

But every disadvantage came with an advantage. In Fu Qian’s view, aside from Wen Li and Su Gao, Ji Liushuang was the one most likely to break through the cognitive barrier under the Pleasure Connection and believe that the words he spoke right now were the truth.

Teaching students in accordance with their aptitude was never just empty talk. Only by fully understanding each person’s unique traits could he maximize his exploitation of—pah, guide their growth.

And from the looks of it, Classmate Liushuang had delivered on that expectation.

”Understood.”

Staring at the sword in Ji Liushuang’s hand, Rachel didn’t stay silent for long. She seemed to quickly grasp the stakes.

A moment later, without needing any prompting, she stood up and walked straight toward the very door that Lisa and the others had completely failed to open earlier.

...

It was almost certain that this was Li Min.

Classmate Liushuang had claimed she needed a minute to resolve the problem, but in reality, it hadn’t even taken fifteen seconds.

Under the threat, Rachel had yielded with exceptional crispness, not even bothering to drop any harsh parting words.

Such a performance was not simple; it required rapidly thinking through a lot of variables.

First, that sword was extraordinary; the other party truly could kill her.

Second, no one was going to save her. Even Executive Yama Su, who had spoken up to forcefully protect her earlier, showed zero reaction right now—offering nothing but respect and well wishes for the outcome.

Finally, once she died—even if she didn’t have to worry about truly losing her life within the Mind Space—any contribution she could make to Professor Fu would instantly drop to zero.

Since that was the case, she might as well make her contribution first... And so, Rachel stood up.

In Fu Qian’s eyes, Rachel didn’t possess that kind of processing power. This action must have been a command issued by the External Brain.

As for the execution—swish!

Before Rachel could even reach the door, a distinct disturbance occurred.

It was as if a fierce wind had suddenly begun to howl, focusing entirely on that small exit.

The rather heavy side door swung wide open inward.

”Ugh—”

At the same time, Rachel let out a slightly pained moan, a blush rising to her cheeks.

It was about time. Any later, and everyone’s ability to execute their tasks would likely plummet.

As someone long accustomed to suffering, Fu Qian’s reaction was slightly more composed.

”Thank you.”

Fighting the urge to bite off his own tongue just to taste the flavor, his gaze fell upon Rachel’s shoulder.

Even though her clothing wasn’t torn, the flesh and blood beneath were visibly writhing in an unnatural manner.

Comparing it to the spot where he had installed the External Brain on Rachel earlier, it was obvious that Li Min was indeed still there.

He could only say that everyone seemed quite enterprising; Rachel’s previous movements hadn’t betrayed any abnormalities at all.

During this time, the two of them must have researched some methods to mitigate the inconvenience.

They even had a special way of communicating.

Otherwise, if she had spoken out loud to give a reminder like she did back then, how could it have possibly escaped the piercing golden eyes of everyone present?

”Sorry... good luck.”

Amazingly, Fu Qian actually received a response at that moment. The writhing flesh on her shoulder settled down, and a familiar voice drifted out.

”You’ve already done very well.”

Fu Qian could understand why Li Min was apologizing. After all, she essentially hadn’t fulfilled their agreement and could only do her best in this final manner.

He hadn’t had much interaction with these two, but he had to admit they were honorable people who knew how to repay a favor.

No matter how bizarrely the situation had developed along the way, they still wanted to do their best to help Professor Fu escape his predicament.

”Many thanks.”

After gesturing for Li-Rachel not to feel ashamed, Fu Qian’s gaze swept across the group, signaling that everyone had worked hard and put on a wonderful performance today, before finally landing on Su Gao.

”Let’s head out—ugh!”

...

He had to marvel once again—Classmate Su Gao’s execution was simply too strong.

Before his words even faded, Fu Qian realized he had already been hoisted into the air, and his Handcuffs had been quietly unlocked by Wen Li.

In his current state, he really did need some help getting out the door.

And Su Gao, who had long been prepared, moved with astonishing speed. She didn’t delay for a single second, yet her movements were incredibly gentle.

She didn’t slap him or try to use inner force to expel toxins from his body first. Instead, she supported his arm, letting Professor Fu’s mangled body press tightly against hers as she walked him straight out of the Sanctuary.

They met with no resistance whatsoever. The moment they stepped through the doors, it felt as natural as heading home after burning incense at a temple.

And with that simple motion, the all-encompassing pleasure was swept entirely away, and all traces of greed, anger, and delusion were severed.

For a moment, looking back at the rapidly receding, sensuous Sanctuary, it seemed to make one truly understand what it meant to forsake the material world.

The only problem was that the direction seemed reversed; right now, he was escaping out of the monastery.

...

So this was the legendary difficulty of washing one’s hands in a golden basin, right?

Even though leaving the Sanctuary meant he wouldn’t have to worry about the immediate risk of dropping dead, Su Gao’s pace remained extremely swift.

In the blink of an eye, the numerous gazes staring out from the Sanctuary had completely vanished from sight.

However, Fu Qian had clearly memorized the differing postures of all his acquaintances, letting out a profound sigh in his heart.

Some doors weren’t so easy to walk through... but if you didn’t, you could never accumulate enough resources to pass the checkpoint.

The special guest stars this time had undoubtedly worked hard. Coupled with his own rational design as the primary party involved, he had finally managed to escape while gaining a solid understanding of the current situation.

And he had better move faster from here on out.

Something like the Seed of Ecstasy was incredibly wicked. Even in a dream-like Mind Space, it wasn’t impossible for it to trace things backward and affect the special guest stars.

So the only problem now was—

”How do we get across?”

At a certain point, Su Gao came to a halt, turning her body so that Fu Qian faced forward.

They had once again reached the sealed checkpoint.