Eldritch Horror Theatre

It felt wonderful to have a nuclear deterrent on speed dial.

The Night Watchers obviously didn't have a tip hotline, but for situations like this, calling the cops worked just fine.

Just as in Loss, local law enforcement had its own channels for escalating a situation.

Judging by the reaction inside the coffin, the Jellyfish Vampire was well aware of this fact.

Moments after telling them to do whatever they wanted, she remained completely motionless, refusing to say another word.

"5."

But that was fine. Fu Qian was happy to do the talking.

Fu Qian didn't even blink as he began his countdown.

"4... 3..."

Yet it was precisely this candidness, paired with the relentless rhythm of his countdown, that projected an aura of absolute determination.

"2—"

"He left."

He didn't have to reach the end; a voice ringing in his mind abruptly cut him off.

...

"How is that possible?!"

Pressured by the threat of the Night Watchers, the Jellyfish Vampire had undoubtedly provided an interesting and entirely new answer.

And from his nearly off-key exclamation, one could practically feel the intense turbulence in Butters' dao heart.

"Oh? From where?"

Fu Qian, of course, wasn't about to waste precious time expressing his feelings. Twirling his crowbar, he calmly pressed on.

"By the stairs, in the opposite direction.

Walk forward and you'll find an open door. Your companion left through there."

It had to be said, this Transcendent Tier Jellyfish Vampire truly seemed heavily restricted. If a target possessed enough willpower to resist her temptation, she appeared to have no other tricks left, even against ordinary people.

So much so that her explanation just now had been remarkably detailed.

"Absolutely impossible!

Why would Wen leave? And without even telling us?"

Unfortunately, this display of sincerity did nothing to convince Butters.

"That I don't know. Maybe he was scared, or perhaps he was just as uninterested as the other one. Either way, the moment your companion rushed in, he dropped his things and left through there."

The voice in their minds seemed to have reached the limits of its patience, radiating a distinct 'believe it or not' attitude.

"Theoretically speaking, there shouldn't be a way out of the house from that spot, right?"

Though he understood her frustration, Fu Qian wasn't about to let her off the hook so easily.

Having kept quiet initially, he now posed a technical question.

He wasn't speaking nonsense. Although that specific spot was in their blind spot while observing from the car, anyone with a basic sense of architecture would know better than to put a door in that wall.

"Go look for yourselves. I won't answer any more questions."

Her tone was absolute. Having dropped her final declaration, the Jellyfish Vampire truly went silent.

Not only that, but a moment later, red liquid began rapidly spurting from her uniquely textured body.

It was real blood.

In the blink of an eye, the fresh blood—now authenticated by Fu Qian—flooded the entire coffin, rapidly submerging her arms, her head, and even her matching red shoes.

...

She really was true to her word. This was far more extreme than checking a watch to dismiss a guest.

Watching the coffin rapidly turn into a pool of blood without the jellyfish floating to the surface, even Fu Qian marveled at her determination.

She clearly wasn't posturing. Beyond her complete refusal to show her face, the surging, impulsive mental pressure she had exerted earlier was also rapidly fading. It seemed she had genuinely given up on this opportunity. If the two of them wanted answers, they would have to go look for themselves.

"Time to return her clothes."

Sensing the shift, Fu Qian casually reminded Butters.

"Let's go take a look."

After Butters frantically stripped off the black robe and tossed it into the pool of blood, Fu Qian handed him the flashlight and took the lead.

The stiffness in Butters' limbs eased at a visible rate. He accepted the flashlight reflexively, hesitating for only a second before hurrying close behind Fu Qian.

There actually is one? Even if the design isn't very conventional...

Finding the open door the Jellyfish Vampire mentioned turned out to be quite easy.

The moment he stood before it, the first thing Fu Qian noticed was the moonlight streaming in through a highly irregular hole.

It looked as though the building materials used here had been of inferior quality, causing this section to rot away much faster than the rest of the structure over the years.

Right in the wall beneath a section of wooden stairs sat a massive hole nearly a meter wide.

It certainly wasn't a designed exit, but it was more than large enough for a person to crawl through.

Along the edges of the opening, more tiny, rotted holes dotted the wall.

"Wen left through here?"

It sounded like Butters' cognitive abilities were gradually returning. Unable to hold himself back, he rushed ahead to inspect the opening top to bottom.

"There are definitely footprints on the ground."

Feeling somewhat gratified by this display of initiative, Fu Qian stepped up beside him and pointed out the tracks.

Because the wall was breached, the dust accumulation here was much thicker. Under the flashlight's beam, the footprints were quite obvious.

"But... why? Even if he got scared and wanted to leave, why would he deliberately leave these things behind for me?"

Butters was clearly struggling to comprehend it.

"Maybe he was too ashamed to admit he was afraid, and hoped you could accomplish what he couldn't."

Standing beside Butters, Fu Qian casually spouted this nonsense while surveying their surroundings.

"That thing... she really is dangerous, isn't she? She wanted to use us to free herself from her restraints, and her so-called promise was probably just a lie..."

"I actually realized that earlier, but I still couldn't resist the temptation at all."

A lingering fear laced Butters' voice.

"If not for your help, I might have already..."

"Don't sell yourself short. It's not like I tied you up, right? You used your own fear to fight off the temptation."

Fu Qian was always good at finding the bright spots in others, insisting he had only provided a tiny bit of help.

"So, are you absolutely sure Wen left through here?"

Unfortunately, despite the validation, Butters was clearly overwhelmed by complex emotions and sought confirmation in a daze.

"I'm not certain. It's just highly probable."

"But he doesn't even know how to drive. How could he leave? Walk home?"

Seeing that Fu Qian was only guessing as well, Butters seemed slightly encouraged and continued voicing his doubts.

"Why not? We can only speculate for now. If you really want to confirm it, the only way is to check his house."

Having no interest in indulging in wild speculation, Fu Qian casually offered the suggestion.

"You're right... or maybe his girlfriend's place."

Surprisingly, Butters looked as though he had just been enlightened, quickly agreeing with the idea.

"Oh? Who is his girlfriend?"

This new piece of information piqued Fu Qian's interest.

"You wouldn't know her. She goes to another high school. Her name is Salma."

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