Eldritch Horror Theatre

What was this all about? Did the living and the dead walk different paths?

Yet he could clearly feel gravity acting upon him.

And despite her slender build, the elevator's load had still increased the moment this classmate named Eva stepped inside.

He had originally planned to gauge her reaction to figure out where this script fit into the timeline, but this abnormal turn of events caught Fu Qian off guard and left him deeply amused.

She wasn't wearing makeup, and the hair at her temples was still slightly damp—as if she had just washed her face.

Combined with the faint outline of shoes bulging from the red-and-white backpack slung over her right shoulder, it wasn't hard to piece together: she had just finished dance or gymnastics practice, changed her clothes, and was getting ready to head home.

Though the sky outside remained bright, the sun was already sinking in the west. Heading home to rest after hard practice was perfectly normal.

It was just a little too quiet.

With a single glance outside, he could see that while everything in sight showed its age, the interior and exterior layout was unmistakably that of a school.

It made perfect sense, but where was everyone else—the weekend.

She had come in for extra practice, so her classmates weren't around.

Drawing on his observations, he quickly deduced a fitting possibility.

But for Fu Qian, one glaring question still remained: what was he doing here?

Whether it was the party or the nighttime visit to the Old House, he had at least started out with a clear motive.

To suddenly be dropped into a place like this, where the only living person he encountered wouldn't even bat an eye, made it quite difficult to pin down the theme.

Could he be here to find Brother Ruthless's whereabouts? After all, his girlfriend, Salma, was also a student at this school.

A series of thoughts flashed rapidly through Fu Qian's mind. Beside him, Eva had already pressed the elevator button and was staring blankly out at the corridor; no matter how he looked at it, she was treating him as if he didn't exist.

Naturally, as an expert who was open-minded as an empty valley, Fu Qian wasn't so self-conscious as to think he was being offended.

Not only that, but while pondering the reason for it, he was even readily accepting good advice, likewise treating himself as nonexistent.

For instance, until the elevator doors closed, he neither uttered a sound nor moved to step out.

...

Sure enough, there didn't seem to be anyone around; the elevator went unimpeded all the way down to the first floor.

Because of its structure, this floor already looked somewhat gloomy in the setting sun.

And throughout the entire time the elevator opened and Eva walked out, it remained completely empty without a single soul in sight.

Watching this scene, Fu Qian still didn't move. Only when the elevator doors automatically closed did he reach out and press the fourth floor again.

This was the floor where it had just been stopped.

Since his arrival had targeted this floor, he might as well assume it held some significance.

Returning to where he had started, Fu Qian finally stepped out of the elevator and surveyed his surroundings.

Twilight was fleeting indeed. In just the time it took to ride down and back up, the light seemed to have dimmed a few degrees.

Glancing down the corridor, no light spilled from any of the doorways.

Did he have to search them room by room?

Pondering in silence, Fu Qian still wasn't in a rush to begin, but instead turned to look behind him.

There was actually another noise; in this nearly deserted building, the elevator was actually going down again—and then coming right back up.

Silently estimating the time, a moment later the elevator slowly opened before him once more.

Hmm... she couldn't have just forgotten something, could she?

Unsurprised to see Eva inside, Fu Qian stood without moving.

The current scene was practically a reversal of their very first encounter.

Only this time, Eva finally had a different reaction.

Her gaze snapping to Fu Qian, she still didn't make a sound, but she reached right out and hauled him into the elevator.

...

It wasn't until the elevator doors closed again that Eva appeared to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

[Don't make a sound. There's something in here.]

She immediately made a hushing gesture, then actually dug a pen out of her bag, grabbed Fu Qian's hand again, and wrote a line of text on it.

Oh?

Answering the call for silence, Fu Qian also expressed his curiosity with a look.

[When I was washing my face, blood seeped out from one of the bathroom stalls.]

[I also heard strange footsteps.]

As she wrote that line of text, it seemed her fear could no longer be suppressed; her hand trembled quite visibly.

Something like that happened? So was it time for a school urban legend in this script again?

Though the handwriting was crooked, it didn't prevent Fu Qian from instantly piecing together his previous experiences.

So she had actually just been feigning composure earlier?

She treated him as if he didn't exist because, after being terrified by a sudden supernatural event, she had entered the elevator only to find someone who wasn't supposed to be there?

Running into something like that while rushing to escape, and gritting her teeth to pretend she didn't see him, was simply human nature.

And seeing that he hadn't followed her out but had returned upstairs instead, her confusion eventually gave way to the torment of her conscience, and she had decided to risk coming back to warn him?

Looking at it from that angle, it seemed he even owed her a favor.

Moreover, this reaction seemed to indicate that Eva still knew a bit about his background, and this wasn't their first time meeting.

[Why are you here?]

As Fu Qian nodded to show he understood, the elevator came to a halt once more.

Looking out at the familiar first-floor corridor, Eva dragged Fu Qian out again, looking dead set on communicating strictly through writing.

...

So it really was after the party?

Since she actually recognized him, he could basically confirm that this script's timeline was after the party.

But there was still that same question. Eva was asking exactly what he had just asked himself: what on earth was he doing here?

Fortunately, it seemed he wouldn't need to answer this difficult question just yet.

After writing that last sentence, Eva seemed to realize this wasn't the time to chat. She quickly waved her hand, pointing in a direction to signal Fu Qian to follow.

Her meaning was obvious: whatever they had to discuss, they could discuss it outside.

Alright.

Seeing the pen clenched tightly in Eva's hand and unable to get even a tool to express himself, Fu Qian nodded in agreement, going so far as to take off his shoes and carry them.

Visibly relieved by Fu Qian's reaction, Eva gave him a deep look, then decisively followed suit, carrying her own shoes as she led the way.

"How could this..."

Yet a moment later, with a look of utter disbelief, she came to a sudden halt.

Turning the corner, a heavy and rather rusty iron gate blocked their way, completely cutting off their path.

This scene was clearly beyond Eva's expectations, to the point that she even forgot the need to stay silent.

But amidst her muttering, she quickly realized her mistake, covered her mouth, and immediately grabbed Fu Qian's hand again.

[This gate has never been locked.]

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