Chapter 1265: 1263: Loss of Image (7)

Chapter 1265: Chapter 1263: Loss of Image (7)

“What do you mean?”

Fu Qian’s overly sharp manner of communication clearly left Ms. Nightingale somewhat at a loss. For a moment, even her polite expression faltered as she stared directly at Fu Qian and asked.

“You seemed a bit disappointed earlier… because your client was not troubled by the Nightmare.”

Fu Qian made no effort to conceal his look of disappointment about this.

“Judging by the level of discernment you showed in selecting wine, I thought we wouldn’t need to waste this kind of time.”

“Why would I be disappointed?”

It was as though some unspeakable secret buried deep within her was suddenly exposed. Ms. Nightingale visibly flinched, her voice carrying a trace of sharpness.

“I was hired to confirm the condition; anything else has nothing to do with me.”

“Seizing assets, romantic entanglements, bloodline vengeance… I don’t care about your reasons. But if you want to get what you need from me, you should at least adhere to principles of honesty and fairness.”

Fu Qian gestured with his chin toward the direction from which they’d arrived.

“Mr. Winslow certainly hasn’t adhered very well to those principles.”

…

“Natalie.”

Though only a few simple words were exchanged, the effect was visibly remarkable.

Ms. Nightingale’s slackened facial muscles smoothed out in an instant. Her mood steadied, and she coldly offered up a name.

It had to be said, though she wasn’t the most perceptive, she still had some measure of decisiveness. Offering her name in such circumstances clearly showed a hint of sincerity.

“No wonder you dared to take such actions despite the risk of provoking The Sect. Winslow underestimated you.”

“And you’re right—Winslow really is a liar who speaks nothing but falsehoods… I want him to experience the pain of losing his child too.”

By the time she reached her conclusion, the eyes of the tutor Natalie gleamed with chilling determination, an obsession with revenge burning fiercely.

Although her words were driven by emotion, the sheer volume of information within them was tantalizing, begging to be unpacked.

Unfortunately, Fu Qian appeared completely uninterested in engaging.

As soon as Natalie finished speaking, the room sank into silence.

She held out for several seconds before she finally couldn’t resist turning her gaze back to Fu Qian, only to find the cold-blooded plague doctor utterly expressionless, devoid of any indication of a reply.

For a brief moment, her breathing lightened, and Natalie reflexively reviewed their prior exchange.

It was evident that such notions as empathy did not exist within this man.

The only principles he bore were the ones he’d stated earlier: fairness and honesty.

“Apologies, I don’t know much about the ominous fog outside the city either.”

In the next moment, she took a deep breath and finally honed in on the key point.

“The fog first appeared over a month ago, predating the subsequent mass nightmares.”

Uncertain about which details Fu Qian might already know, she refrained from presumptions regarding his knowledge and instead made the choice to convey everything she knew with full sincerity.

“To this day, most citizens only understand it as a persistent, dispersing barrier isolating Leytin from the rest of the world.”

“But according to information I received from friends in The Sect, they investigated it immediately and gradually uncovered some concerning signs… that’s also why entry was later restricted.”

“Unfortunately, it was already too late; many people had already come into contact with the dense fog. Worse yet, The Sect’s subsequent monitoring revealed that more than one person exhibited symptoms of contamination, thus—”

“Thus, that’s why there’s been so many disappearances recently, isn’t it?”

Seeing Natalie’s slight hesitation, Fu Qian supplemented her sentence for her.

“Yes… but they’ve also controlled the flow of information. How do you know that?”

Clearly startled once more, Natalie couldn’t help but ask.

“I have a friend who’s a cop.”

Fu Qian finally gave her an explanation—gracious, by his standards—which clearly pointed to Raphaide, who had once lent him money and whose bag was full of photos back then.

The fog, which preceded the Nightmare slightly, completely cut this city off from the outside world.

As the Master of the Dream Realm, Fu Qian’s assessment of this phenomenon increasingly aligned with a particular characteristic.

The dreams he had dominated in the past often had mist along their edges, ensuring that no one could find their way out.

“So, what did The Sect find in the fog?”

In the next moment, he continued his questioning.

“That’s classified information—honestly, I don’t know.”

Natalie took a deep breath and shook her head decisively.

“Apologies, that’s all I can give you on this matter.”

“As for my motive, I won’t deny it: I need to confirm whether Winslow’s beloved daughter has been contaminated. Then The Sect will learn of this… and he’ll lose her.”

By the time she uttered her last words, the private tutor’s face already bore a faint sense of exhilaration, as though she was savoring that prospect.

“I need your assistance in confirming this. If you think my offer isn’t sufficient—”

In the next instant, her face even flushed slightly red as she moved closer. However, her advancing hand fell in vain.

“Your offer indeed isn’t enough. You’ll need to make better use of your social attributes rather than your biological ones.”

Fu Qian retracted his hand, snapped his fingers, and activated the Clear Dream Ring.

“Think again.”

Hatred has always been one of the strongest driving forces. However, even this seemed to have reached its limit, requiring a heavier price to push further.

…

“I was once made to swear an oath—to never reveal this to anyone. So please, keep this a secret.”

As it turned out, no lengthy deliberation was needed. Natalie, after a moment’s pause, looked solemn as she quickly became an “Oath Abandoner.”

“The forsaken ones… In the fog, they encountered something extraordinarily difficult to deal with, referred to as the ‘Stars Association’s Forsaken.'”

“Oh? How difficult?”

Fu Qian nodded slightly.

“The Forsaken wander the dense fog, almost impossible to detect by any means. They are highly aggressive and can effortlessly break through the defenses set by Star Law.”

Natalie’s response grew increasingly fluid.

“Human figures that can’t be seen?”

“Based on current observations, they absolutely don’t resemble humans.”

Her tone affirmed, Natalie shook her head.

“In any case, The Sect is deeply concerned about this, which is why they’ve begun tightening their grip on city-wide anomalies.”

As her words concluded, a strange change took place. For a brief moment, Natalie’s eyes grew vacant as she silently reflected upon her earlier conduct.

“So, can you tell me now? Is Jane all right?”

But she quickly mustered her courage again, adjusting her emotions.

“Don’t be so hasty; there’s still five minutes left of the half-hour.”

You…

Natalie’s face contorted with betrayed indignation—but just then, she noticed Fu Qian suddenly lost in thought.

“However, you’re in luck. It seems the test results are ready.”

…

“What do you mean?”

Still wanting to inquire further, Natalie glanced at Fu Qian, who gestured toward the door she’d entered through.

“You’d best go back there first.”

Pausing for two seconds, Natalie suddenly realized something, quickly standing up and hurriedly leaving with her belongings.

“Doctor—”

Almost as soon as she closed one door behind her, the opposite door was violently swung open.

Mr. Winslow, typically reserved and temperate, now had visibly strained breathing—so much so that he wasn’t even fully inside the room before calling out in a low voice.

“It seems it really worked!”

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