Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 1: This Job Entails Certain Risks
Lincheng City, Gubei New Garden, Unit 7, 6th Floor.
A Warehouse Manager with an annual salary of ten million?
Fu Qian stared at the letter on his desk, expressionless.
[Hiring: Warehouse Manager, responsible for daily management tasks.]
[If Mr. Fu is willing to accept this job, please sign the Work Badge and wear it to start working without leaving your home.]
[Note: This job entails certain risks.]
After reading the contents, Fu Qian picked up the envelope and shook it. Sure enough, a black Work Badge fell out.
Hmm?
Ten million a year, and it can be done from home?
What kind of heavenly Warehouse is this?
Receiving this first thing in the morning made him acutely aware of the fierce, white-hot competition for survival.
Then again, if it were true, it wouldn't be bad.
A Warehouse Manager shouldn't be too busy.
More money, less work, and close to home—it was simply the absolute ideal.
Money was hard to earn these days. With his poor financial situation, he was on the verge of eating dirt.
However, Fu Qian had always been good at finding joy in misery.
Figuring he had nothing else going on anyway, the next moment he actually took a pen, signed his name on the Work Badge, and hung it around his neck with an air of solemnity.
The light immediately dimmed.
When his vision returned, the computer desk in front of him was gone. Fu Qian found himself standing in a place that looked like a warehouse.
It was a massive space with dim lighting and not a single window in sight, making it impossible to tell if it was day or night.
Rows of tall shelves reaching up to the ceiling stretched neatly into the distance.
Spaced evenly on the shelves were silver-white square boxes of varying sizes.
Was this... truly remote work?
Was the Work Badge some kind of special device?
Fu Qian felt his imagination taking a hit as he tried to comprehend what was happening before his eyes.
[Identity verification successful.]
[Name: Fu Qian]
[Age: 20]
[Today's work begins.]
[Job Responsibilities: Daily management and maintenance of the Warehouse, ensuring goods are correctly contained.]
[Note: Due to the special nature of the stored items, if you see any hallucinations during work, including but not limited to tentacles, eyeballs, patterns, stone steles, etc., these are routine leaks. Please do not panic; simply follow the prompts to contain the goods once again.]
A series of emotionless voices echoed in his ears.
Tentacles, eyeballs... The vibe here didn't seem quite right.
Fu Qian looked at the square boxes on the shelves.
What on earth was stored inside them?
And anyway, the packaging looked pretty airtight, so how could they leak?
[Warning! Containment Breach]
It was as if it had heard his question.
The next moment, the space not far away distorted, and a giant, blood-red eyeball slowly surfaced.
[Item Number: 3-2048; Name: Blood Haze]
[Today's work content has been updated: Enter the 3-2048 containment scenario and complete re-containment.]
A string of small text continuously popped up in the upper left corner of his vision.
It breached just like that?
Before Fu Qian even had time to express his astonishment, the blood-red eyeball slowly turned and locked its gaze dead on him.
In an instant, Fu Qian felt as if his brain had been struck by a heavy blow, and his consciousness was rapidly pulled away.
[Entering the 3-2048 containment scenario: Full Moon Garden]
[Containment Condition: Survive for one hour.]
[Each entry into the containment scenario costs one point of Sanity Value. Current Sanity Value: 20]
[If Sanity Value reaches zero, you will permanently lose your sanity.]
...
I knew ten million wouldn't be that easy to get!
Sanity Value dropping to zero means permanently losing my mind? Does that mean if I try and fail 20 times, I'll just become an idiot?
These work-related injuries are a bit severe.
[...1%...5%...50%...98%...100%... Full Moon Garden loading complete.]
[For a long time, you have been tormented by increasingly severe agony. Just as you made up your mind to travel to a distant land seeking a cure, you found yourself trapped in an even more terrifying predicament.]
[Identity: Patient]
[Skills: None]
[Weapons: None]
"You're awake?"
When he regained control of his body, someone beside him was speaking.
Fu Qian tried turning his head and found himself lying on a bed.
By the bedside stood an emaciated Old Man, hunched and stooped, with an inexplicably creepy and wretched expression on his face.
"Don't worry, your illness will be cured very soon... After all, our medical skills here are truly one-of-a-kind, hehehehe..."
You'd be more convincing if you didn't add that string of laughter at the end.
Fu Qian narrowed his eyes and remained silent.
Besides, you're the one who's sick; I'm perfectly healthy and full of energy—ouch, ouch, ouch!
The moment the thought arose, an indescribable surge of pain washed over him, almost shattering his sanity.
Is this the agony mentioned earlier?
If completing the task means enduring this kind of pain for an hour, it's way too inhumane.
Trying his best not to curl up into a ball, Fu Qian looked in the direction the Old Man was pointing and noticed a long IV tube.
The tube trailed down from a stand nearby, and the needle was stuck right into the back of his hand.
He's actually treating my illness?
But isn't your equipment a bit primitive? The outside of the IV bottle was yellowish and looked suspiciously like human fat, and the red color of the fluid inside didn't seem quite right either.
"Well then... let us begin."
Without waiting for him to say anything else, the Old Man simply flipped open the switch on the IV tube.
His vision instantly went black.
[Containment Failed. Survival Time: 1 minute]
[Evaluation: Useless Person. Your performance perfectly illustrates that hesitation leads to defeat.]
[Reward: None]
I died just like that? No wonder they call it hanging an IV.
Returning to the Warehouse, Fu Qian was in a less-than-beautiful mood.
This evaluation was quite insulting.
In front of him, a cluster of illusory mist formed the shape of an eyeball, and he reached out to touch it.
[Do you wish to consume one point of Sanity Value to attempt containment again? Current Sanity Value: 19]
So I only have 19 chances left?
[Yes]
...
[Sanity Value -1, entering containment scenario]
[Current Identity: Patient]
[Skills: None]
[Weapons: None]
"You're awake?"
The Old Man's kind voice echoed once more, sounding like the call of heaven to Fu Qian's ears.
That's right, I'm awake.
Amidst the intense pain, Fu Qian sprang up directly from the bed and viciously yanked at the IV tube.
Smack!
The carp had only completed half its flip.
An immense, non-human force struck him, and Fu Qian was slapped back down onto the bed mid-air like a wet noodle.
He lay there gasping for a couple of breaths, feeling as though his spine had shattered into several pieces.
"Lie down nicely..."
The Old Man's voice was completely devoid of emotion, and Fu Qian's vision went black again.
[Containment Failed. Survival Time: 1.5 minutes]
[Evaluation: Useless Person. As everyone knows, hesitation leads to defeat, but recklessness leads to a free death.]
[Reward: None]
Truly going strong in his old age. Even though he couldn't even stand up straight, his strength was incredible.
Returning to the Warehouse once more, Fu Qian couldn't help but generously dish out some praise.
...
[Sanity Value -1, entering containment scenario]
"Actually, I feel much better."
Entering for the third time, Fu Qian profoundly realized he couldn't win by force, so he decided to take the route of reasoning.
"Oh?"
The Old Man paused his hand movements and scrutinized him carefully.
"Are you... not in pain anymore?"
"Not... in... pain!"
Saying this against his conscience, Fu Qian felt like even his corneas were spasming.
Heh!
Half a minute later, the Old Man shook his head.
"Your expression has already betrayed you...
"Young people shouldn't hide their illnesses from the doctor."
With a flick of the hand holding the switch, Fu Qian's vision went black yet again.
[Containment Failed]
(End of Chapter)
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