Chapter 3024 Spoiled Compassion

The saying that a cat had nine lives couldn't possibly mean someone would save it no matter where it ran, could it?

Some kinds of luck simply couldn't be envied.

Even though the young couple before them hadn't yet mentioned what the cat they wanted to save looked like, the onlookers were clearly leaning toward it being a ten-jin tuxedo cat.

Sorting out the timeline, the whole sequence of events seemed fairly clear—

The collapse occurred, revealing this downward passage...

Old Man Henry discovered the changes here from the Clock Tower and sprinted all the way over to investigate...

Only for the young couple to spot him in the process, chasing him all the way down here to try and save the cat...

At first glance, it sounded like a perfectly smooth sequence of events, but to Fu Qian, the details simply couldn't withstand scrutiny.

Take the most glaring issue: this downward passage exposed by the collapse was buried deep inside the building.

No matter how good someone's eyesight was, the conditions simply didn't allow for it to be seen. How had Old Man Henry spotted it?

If one insisted on chalking it up to Transcendent Perception, it didn't sound completely impossible at first, but—

"There's nothing down there."

Fu Qian glanced at Yuan Shan, who shook her head with a grim expression.

Sure enough, while she hadn't physically moved, her sheer desperation to save her mentor meant she had already probed the area with her perception.

The result was undeniably disappointing.

Not only was Old Man Henry apparently not down there, but there weren't even any sinister anomalies either.

This clue, obtained through a frantic, shamanic display, ultimately appeared to be a dead end.

Still, looking on the bright side, at least this young couple wouldn't need to risk their lives any further.

"I'm certain I saw it come down here. Could there be another way out?"

The parties involved, however, clearly disagreed.

Despite her boyfriend's attempts to persuade her, the Long-Haired Woman remained steadfast. Her eyewitness testimony completely contradicted Chief Yuan's findings.

Theoretically, she couldn't be blamed. As a member of the Crowd, her reactions to uninvited guests were naturally a bit sluggish.

Indeed, the couple before them wasn't real either—they were merely fragments of will that surfaced as the buildings in the Birthday Party rose and shifted.

Much like the infighting criminal gang in that restaurant earlier, they were so thoroughly engrossed in their own argument that they remained oblivious to the outside world. That was why both Fu Qian and Yuan Shan were able to stroll right up to them and converse freely.

Madam Three-Eyed took things even further. She had already walked straight over to the descending stone steps; one more step, and she would be swallowed by the darkness.

Yet from beginning to end, the young couple didn't react to her movements at all.

...

"If you're so sure, then let's go take a look..."

Faced with his girlfriend's insistence, the Long-Haired Man finally yielded, reluctantly agreeing to head down and check.

"But I think we should leave at least one of us up here, just in case something happens and we need to call for help... There's something really off about this place."

Showing a bit of prudence, he offered this extra suggestion, warning against the possibility of both of them being wiped out below.

So he was only just realizing this place was weird?

Unfortunately, even a display of caution like that couldn't save him from mockery.

To Fu Qian, this was the other bizarre aspect of their unfolding drama.

Sure, young couples loved sneaking off to poorly lit places. But to endure this eerie atmosphere all the way down here? Just what concentration of hormones was surging through their veins?

After all, even the widely experienced Chief Yuan was visibly uneasy in this place.

Of course, that didn't mean the Crowd was incapable of doing it.

Since they were essentially a kind of appendage, Fu Qian wouldn't have been surprised no matter how ridiculous their character settings were.

The jarring part was the inconsistency.

These two could possess the courage to walk all the way down here, or the compassion to save a cat, or even feel nervous while doing so.

But the probability of all three traits coexisting felt incredibly slim.

"That makes sense... Will you wait for me up here? If you don't hear back from me, go back out right away and get help."

Though stubborn, the Long-Haired Woman didn't seem oblivious to the gravity of the situation.

She hesitated slightly at her boyfriend's suggestion before outright agreeing.

Not only that, but as the instigator of this rescue, she actually showed a lot of responsibility, volunteering to brave the danger herself while her boyfriend stayed up top as a lookout.

"...I can't let you do that!"

Unsurprisingly, most boyfriends wouldn't agree to that kind of division of labor.

"I'll go. If anything unexpected happens, it'll be easier for me to escape."

Hesitating only a second longer than his girlfriend, the Long-Haired Man shook his head firmly, insisting that she stand watch while he took the risk for their compassion.

"No, I'm the one who insisted on doing this, so I have to be the one to go."

His girlfriend, however, had no intention of letting him play the macho hero.

...

Compassion, principles, responsibility... A mixture of these elements quickly dragged the situation into a stalemate.

With their initial fear completely tossed out the window, the two young people stubbornly refused to yield the risk-taking role.

"Shall we go down?"

It might have been somewhat touching to watch, but unfortunately, the vastly experienced Chief Yuan wasn't moved in the slightest. She merely frowned, asking for Fu Qian's thoughts.

It was obvious that even though her perception had picked up absolutely nothing, her sheer desperation to save her mentor meant she was willing to try her luck.

"No rush. My guide hasn't gone down yet either."

However, the usually reckless Professor Fu was surprisingly playing it safe this time.

Shaking his head, Fu Qian gestured toward the entrance, indicating that Madam Three-Eyed was still standing there.

Indeed, despite walking with steady steps the entire way here, she was now standing perfectly still once more, the only sound coming from the ticking of the Pocket Watch in her hand.

This was not good news. Based on their earlier theories, she was supposed to be chasing the trail of The Abyss.

Stopping completely in her tracks like this—wasn't that indirectly confirming Chief Yuan's claim?

There really was nothing down there. Not even she could pick up a single trace of her husband's aura.

"Is there a problem with these two?"

While this "pantomime" of hers was undeniably weird, Yuan Shan clearly never imagined that Professor Fu was capable of feeling an emotion like fear.

Realizing things weren't quite so simple, her mind instantly raced, and she looked over at the young couple with a hint of surprise.

"Isn't that question a bit unprofessional? I seem to recall you telling me earlier that everyone in this place has a few screws loose."

Fu Qian merely sighed.

... "Alright, since you insist... but remember, if anything happens, yell for me immediately."

Amidst their commentary, the argument nearby seemed to finally reach its conclusion.

Seeing that his girlfriend's mind was made up, the Long-Haired Man realized he couldn't change it. He finally yielded, deciding to respect her principles.

"Do you think... there might be valuable burial goods down there?"

However, his parting advice didn't elicit the heartfelt emotion he might have expected.

Staring at her boyfriend's face, the Long-Haired Woman's expression was incredibly subtle, almost as if she had expected him to put up a bit more of a fight.

She only slowly asked that question after he subconsciously averted his gaze.