Chapter 3023 The Slacking Master and Apprentice

"So for a structure like this that never changes, the Evaluation Council hasn't organized a team to survey it all these years?"

With a guide only he could see, Fu Qian's own job as a guide proceeded incredibly smoothly.

As they quickly ventured deeper, Chief Yuan's utter unfamiliarity with the place left a deep impression on him.

How could they allow anyone to sleep so soundly beside their own bed? This was their headquarters, after all. Even if they didn't post a guard to watch it around the clock, shouldn't they at least have a basic grasp of its layout?

"They have... but I was never interested, so I never participated."

Sure enough, the grand Night Watchers Supreme Council hadn't been that thoughtless; the unprofessional one was simply the woman standing right next to him.

Chief Yuan looked embarrassed, proving once again her earlier claim that she had no fond feelings for the headquarters.

"What about the Old Man?"

Fu Qian had no intention of mocking her; he simply escalated the issue straight to the level of, "How did your teacher raise you?"

"My teacher probably didn't have much interest in this either... But he served on the Evaluation Council for a while, so logically speaking, he should know something about it."

His way of sticking closely to the main topic somewhat eased Yuan Shan's embarrassment.

After a moment of thought, she indicated that Old Man Henry was likely much more knowledgeable about it than she was.

"I think so too. After all, he kept his eyes on it every single day."

Fu Qian gave a slight nod, thoroughly convinced of this point.

...

"Are you saying my teacher has been keeping an eye on the activity over here?"

This was the importance of atmosphere.

Experience proved that even the laziest mind couldn't help but occasionally overclock when stimulated by its surroundings.

Following Professor Fu's remark, Yuan Shan's body stiffened. She nearly stopped in her tracks as realization dawned on her.

"It seems you're right. This location wouldn't be blocked—"

Before Fu Qian could reply, she was already muttering to herself, confirming the theory about him keeping his eyes on it every day.

It had been mentioned earlier that the Clock Tower was absurdly tall, granting it an ideal vantage point.

Although this bizarre place was hidden rather deeply, a quick recollection of its orientation revealed that it was almost entirely exposed to anyone observing from that previous location.

"Could that be why my teacher deliberately chose that place to settle down?"

Not only had she realized the overlooked detail, but Yuan Shan's thoughts were actively expanding upon it, leading her to an even more extreme possibility.

"Hard to say, but I wouldn't rule it out."

It was a bit radical, but Professor Fu was relatively encouraging of this line of thought.

Faced with Yuan Shan's uncontrollably rising voice, he nodded to show partial agreement.

Why exactly had Old Man Henry disappeared? Had he left on his own, or met with some misfortune?

This was clearly an unavoidable question.

The reason they were focusing on whether he could see it directly was, on one hand, a natural habit of deduction—since the Lighthouse had a perfect vantage point, what could it be used to observe?

This thought had already surfaced earlier when they were looking out from that high altitude.

On the other hand, it was even simpler: when Madam Three-Eyed was on the Clock Tower, she had been looking in this exact direction.

So for Fu Qian, even if she had disappeared after jumping down, he would have definitely come over here to take a look regardless.

And if all these previous hypotheses held true, it naturally led to one possibility—this structure was a special place to Henry.

So much so that when choosing a place to rest, he had specifically found a location where he could keep it under constant surveillance.

"But my teacher obviously hasn't come here in a long time..."

Yuan Shan, clearly substituting herself into a scenario where this hypothesis was true, grew even more worried.

Had he been keeping watch against something for all these years?

And had he discovered something this time, causing him to rush straight over despite his incredibly poor condition?

The logic flowed smoothly, but the implications were becoming increasingly severe.

As a result, Yuan Shan subconsciously tried to come up with reasons to deny the possibility.

"Yeah, and he also said he hated this place."

Fu Qian merely offered this casual reminder without arguing the point any further.

...

Did he hate it here because there was work to do the moment he returned?

Others might have found it hard to understand what Professor Fu meant, but as a slacking expert herself, Yuan Shan undoubtedly empathized deeply in that moment.

Was the Old Man holing up in the Sacred Night Capital just another form of slacking off? Did he dislike coming to the Birthday Party because he'd never get a moment's rest once he was back? Easily putting herself in his shoes, Yuan Shan became noticeably more anxious about her teacher's situation.

"Are you sure that cat really went down there? Shouldn't we just head back first?"

Even as they passed another fork in the path, an unfamiliar voice unexpectedly chimed in, twisting the knife further.

...

A cat?

Catching the keyword, Yuan Shan instantly took two steps forward, falling back in step beside Fu Qian.

The voice was clearly coming from below, and it sounded quite young.

"I'm not leaving until I rescue it. If you want to go back, go back by yourself."

The immediate response came from a young woman, her tone absolutely resolute.

Piecing the conversation together, it was easy to picture a young couple in the middle of an argument.

Though going on a date in a place with this kind of atmosphere was certainly a unique choice in taste—wait, it actually was a couple?

Following Madam Three-Eyed's footsteps around the final corner, Fu Qian found the view suddenly opening up before them. At the very bottom of this complex passageway sat a platform shaped exactly like the main gate.

The area was naturally much larger, and the perimeter was completely lit with those bizarre candles. With just a single glance, the previous sense of discomfort multiplied.

What made it even more unnerving were the several stone, coffin-like structures sitting in the corners.

Even though they were all damaged and appeared empty, they still validated the earlier theory about this place being a tomb passage.

And in such an eerie environment, a young man and woman were actually standing face to face.

Neither looked to be over thirty. They both had long brown hair, wore matching long coats, and were even similar in height.

It had to be said that even encountering them in a place like this, one couldn't help but feel they made a beautiful couple.

And this perfect couple seemed to be currently tortured by their "compassion."

"This place is a maze of random paths. It might not have run deeper inside. Look, there isn't even a sliver of light down there."

When Fu Qian's group arrived, the man on the left, whose hair almost covered his eyes, was earnestly trying to persuade her.

He was pointing to a set of stairs on the narrow edge of the platform that extended straight down.

Judging by the surroundings, the stairs seemed to have been exposed by a cave-in. Had Old Man Henry run down there? And was he spotted by this couple, who couldn't resist trying to rescue him?

It was easy to deduce a narrative like this from their conversation. Fu Qian turned his head and shot a glance at Yuan Shan.

"Your teacher?"

The latter's eyes betrayed an unconcealed worry. She clearly didn't believe there could be such a coincidence.

"Looks like it."

Naturally, Fu Qian didn't believe it either. After all, Old Man Henry had a prior record.

During that mission where he strolled through The Abyss with his seniors, there had also been a young woman named Adele who tried to rescue a cat from the hands of its unscrupulous owner.