Chapter 2959: No Mole

Soft, rich, smooth, and intensely savory.

Leaving such a delicacy untouched was truly recklessly wasting heaven's gifts.

Meeting Yuan Shan's shocked gaze, Fu Qian carefully chewed and savored the bite, declaring he couldn't tell it was a pre-packaged meal at all.

Of course, that didn't mean Chief Yuan was just trying to scare him.

Even in that brief moment, the sheer bizarreness of this place was impossible to ignore.

From just a few snippets of conversation, it was obvious the three men nearby belonged to the same criminal gang. An accident during their heist had clearly driven a wedge between them, and they were now trying to hash out the misunderstanding.

Setting aside his earlier comment to Yuan Shan, the climax of a trio act like theirs would almost certainly devolve into a Rashomon situation. Reaching any real consensus was next to impossible.

Just the location these three gentlemen had chosen for their sit-down was bizarre enough.

Right beneath the noses of the Night Watchers in the heart of the capital—given the organization's attitude toward ordinary people, it wasn't impossible for law-abiding citizens to live and work in peace here.

But running a criminal syndicate here? Their thought process was just a little too unhinged.

These background characters had spawned in far too casually, completely indifferent to how jarring their presence was. It was like a scene ripped straight out of a movie and dropped here at random.

"How is it?"

A passion for life really was contagious. Seeing Fu Qian so lost in the exquisite flavor that he ignored her, Yuan Shan studied the food for a moment, suddenly curious about the taste herself.

"It's fantastic. My taste buds are practically jumping for joy," Fu Qian finally replied after swallowing. He casually tore a piece of a dinner roll from a small side plate, dipped it in the sauce, and popped it into his mouth.

"Is it really that good?"

Even though she had lost count of how many times she had been duped by her First Poison Strategist, at that moment, Yuan Shan still seemed infected by his display, quietly swallowing.

"Of course, look."

Seeming a bit dissatisfied with the Chief's lack of faith, Fu Qian swallowed the dinner roll and simply opened his mouth, giving her a direct view of his tongue.

Ugh...

Yuan Shan's gaze actually fell upon it, only to see every single taste bud swaying back and forth in various poses, as if they were doing synchronized morning calisthenics.

...

'They really are jumping for joy?'

No matter how delicious the food was, it couldn't possibly have an effect like that. The saliva in Yuan Shan's mouth practically evaporated into cold sweat.

"And you're still swallowing it?" she asked, her voice suddenly pitching higher.

"Are you telling me to chew it and spit it out? How could I deceive the audience like that?"

Fu Qian, however, clearly didn't share her alarm.

"...So, how exactly do you feel right now?"

After her initial, reflexive wave of disgust, Yuan Shan finally seemed to remember that the man in front of her was a Tier 2. Regardless of what happened, he was more than durable enough to handle it.

Calming down, she simply decided to inquire about the results of his little suicide experiment.

"Excellent. This rich flavor seems to have already become a part of my stomach. Only food like this is worthy of such a digestive system."

Fu Qian was more than happy to share, indicating that his tongue wasn't the only thing undergoing these changes.

"That makes sense... If you watch them interact, you'll end up feeling the exact same way."

This time, Yuan Shan didn't have much of a drastic reaction, simply gesturing toward the criminal trio.

Click—

The conversation over there had indeed reached its climax.

Following the crisp click of a hammer being cocked, someone had already drawn a gun and aimed it at another's head. It seemed the truth had finally been uncovered.

"I knew it was you—"

The only problem was that the gun wasn't pointed at the initially indignant man, but rather at the sole surviving witness.

...

Heh, hehe...

Brother Calm certainly looked like the kind of ruthless character who would pack heat, not to mention it sounded like he had just lost a younger relative.

What was surprising was that the third man—the one staring down the dark barrel of the gun—didn't look afraid in the slightest. Instead, he let out a low chuckle.

As for how the accusation of being the mole had suddenly shifted onto the witness in the short time Fu Qian had been discussing the food with Yuan Shan?

It wasn't strange at all. As established earlier, this kind of trio act was utterly meaningless; after going round and round in circles, absolutely any outcome was possible.

"Are you sure you want to be provoked that easily? You're going to trust the words of a guy who's never even done time?"

Judging by the rather resentful tone of Witness Number Three after his chuckle, it was obvious the indignant man had pointed the finger at him. The latter's skill at shifting the blame was not to be underestimated.

However, since they were all in the game, his rebuttal was equally hard-hitting.

No matter how sweet his words were, the guy was completely clean, with zero criminal record. Could that possibly compare to the bond of having served time in prison together?

"But he was dead right about one thing... You had already escaped, yet you went back. Nobody would do something that stupid."

Brother Calm, however, lived up to his name; he remained completely unfazed.

"We were all wearing masks at the time. Are you sure I was the one who went back?"

Witness Number Three let out a string of cold sneers.

"Everyone's mask was different. It definitely looked like yours—"

Brother Calm's finger was already tightening on the trigger.

"I threw it away at the second intersection."

Witness Number Three still showed no intention of dodging, merely stating it coldly.

"It was you... You picked up the mask and impersonated him to go back? Just to clear your own name?"

Brother Calm's hand finally wavered. In a sudden motion, he shifted his aim, pressing the barrel of the gun directly against the indignant man's head.

...

"What do you think?"

Despite the intense drama playing out at the next table, Yuan Shan looked completely unfazed, casually asking for Fu Qian's review of the show.

"It's showing signs of qi deviation. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the guy holding the gun turned out to be the mole in the end."

Fu Qian leaned back lazily, looking like he was watching a third-rate movie that only threw in plot twists for the sake of having plot twists.

"I don't know who the mole is either, but you're definitely right about one thing... There's something wrong with their heads."

Yuan Shan agreed with his assessment.

"Just like I mentioned earlier about this food being a prop, they—along with all those Travelers we saw on the way here—all suddenly spawned inside this place.

"At the same time, you can tell their personalities aren't complete. Their behavior is incredibly rigid, yet they believe in their own backstories without a shadow of a doubt..."

She finally began to explain the unique ecosystem inside the Birthday Party.

"Of course, their disappearance is just as abrupt. It could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days, but once they reach a certain stage, they'll simply vanish into thin air—though that alone isn't really what makes them special. The key issue is that no matter what their original character setting was, by the time they finally disappear, their minds are practically a total mess."

Yuan Shan tapped her temple.

"Like how there might not actually be a real mole at all?"

Imagining the scenes Yuan Shan was describing, Fu Qian felt he finally understood why she had come inside.

A three-man show like this was the perfect display of the exact chaos she was talking about.

"Maybe there was one at the beginning, but the correct answer vanishes very quickly... It's as if their brains were all thrown into a blender and mixed together until they don't even know who they are anymore."

Yuan Shan sighed.

"Oh... like this?"

Fu Qian looked thoughtful as he listened. A moment later, he tapped a finger against his own face.

As he did, the two faces belonging to the Bookstore Owner and the Academy professor began to rapidly cycle back and forth, flickering across his features like a revolving lantern.