Eldritch Horror Theatre

Although she repeatedly used the threat of her mother catching them as a shield, Fu Qian didn't think Salma was actually worried about that.

The crisis just moments ago, when they were on the verge of exposure, had been instantly resolved with a single shout from her.

And her mother really had been sent off to take a shower.

Setting aside the fact that the woman was in a hurry to leave for a date, Fu Qian figured that even if she launched another surprise inspection, Salma could handle it effortlessly.

Yet she still wanted to get rid of him as quickly as possible.

This could be understood as human nature. For a dangerous figure like him, it was indeed better if he disappeared sooner rather than later.

But logically speaking, after he drank that glass of water, Salma should have been quite confident that he was no longer a threat.

Not to mention that his unusual behavior had successfully piqued her interest.

In theory, Salma should have been more than happy to watch the aloof Mister Wolf finally drop his act and succumb to her charm.

This would also help explain why his initial offhand attempt to fish for a reaction—"I have a feeling someone will come looking for you tonight"—had provoked such a massive response from Salma.

...

Based on what he had explored so far, what was the "correct" method to complete the scenario?

First, achieve a certain level of exploration and make contact with the necessary basic elements.

Second, when uncovering the "truth" behind these basic elements, strike the right balance to maintain consistency across all scenarios and avoid any irreconcilable conflicts.

Looking at it from this angle, tonight's visit and figuring out the relationship status between Wen and Salma might not be enough to complete the scenario. However, after further confirming her transcendent physique as a Saliva Succubus, accepting her suggestion to leave just now would have most likely triggered a scene transition anyway.

But it wasn't enough.

Although he couldn't be sure it would definitely be useful later, given such a smooth and ideal progression of the plot, digging up more secrets related to this future victim was an option entirely worth considering.

Not to mention the beautiful misunderstanding involved: Salma firmly believed in his infatuation with her, leading her to think everything was still under her control and keeping her emotionally stable.

Therefore, Fu Qian ultimately decided to deepen the theme of this scenario once more, staying a little longer to see if he could reap any extra rewards—and indeed, he did.

Knock, knock!

At a certain point, two taps unexpectedly came from the direction of the bedroom window.

And less than a minute prior, the sound of footsteps heading downstairs and a door closing had signaled Salma's mother officially leaving the house for her date.

...

Creak—

The window hinges seemed somewhat stiff. Amid the sound of friction, Salma opened it very, very slowly.

"Why did you come so early?"

The next moment, she lowered her voice to express her dissatisfaction.

"Early? Didn't you tell me I could come over as soon as your mom left? I just saw her go."

Sure enough, Salma had a reason for rushing her mother out for her date, and the visitor was indeed not Wen.

The voice was unfamiliar, its teasing tone carrying a trace of urgency unique to the young.

"If she turns around now, she could still see you... Tonight is inconvenient. You should go back."

Unfortunately for the visitor, Salma directly told him to leave in the next breath.

"Ah... alright, then this is for you."

The boundless disappointment of the visitor at that moment could be heard clearly.

However, he didn't angrily voice any complaints and actually seemed willing to accept her decision.

"What is this?"

This time, it was Salma's turn to be surprised.

"Don't you like this? I went out of my way to buy it for you."

The visitor explained softly, sounding as if he was already helping to close the window.

"Wait a second—"

Yet the next moment, he was clearly stopped. After a brief hesitation, Salma finally made up her mind.

"Come in."

...

Was this a youth without regrets?

The only problem with the wardrobe was that it was sealed a bit too tightly. There was no angle from which he could directly view the scene by the window, leaving Fu Qian to judge everything purely by sound.

He had to admit, the back-and-forth of this rendezvous after the mother's departure really conveyed the mindsets of a teenage boy and girl.

The only issue was that Wen seemed a bit redundant.

If he hadn't existed in this story, it could have been called a beautiful youthful memory.

Even Salma finally being moved carried a touch of authenticity. To her, this visitor didn't seem to be just another simple conquest.

"How did you know I like this?"

Soon, amidst the sound of curtains being drawn, Salma asked in confusion.

"I remembered you liking it the first time I saw you."

Given the sudden turnaround, the visitor was clearly quite thrilled, explaining with a smile.

"I can't believe you remembered... I thought you wouldn't even spare me a glance back then?"

"How could I? I actually felt a bit inferior. It wasn't until a couple of days ago that I suddenly figured things out and mustered up the courage..."

Amidst a flurry of sweet words, the two youths rapidly entered a deeply intimate state.

And in less than half a minute, things progressed into heavy panting.

"Why did you say you were busy and ask me to leave just now? You aren't hiding someone else in here, are you—did you turn off the light?"

In the midst of their rapt intimacy, the visitor seemed to suddenly recall something, teasing her half-jokingly. Unfortunately, he was immediately cut off by a sudden change.

...

It really was this guy. Sometimes, gossip spread by men was quite reliable too.

At that moment, Fu Qian pulled his hand back from the light switch, sighing inwardly.

Seeing the scenario veer increasingly toward a romantic theme, he, who wasn't particularly interested in such things, had already opened the wardrobe and stepped out while the two were lost in passion.

With just a single glance, he confirmed the identity of the person currently tangled up with Salma—Joshua.

Speaking of which, this was the first time this guy had appeared before him as a living person.

He had to admit that, strictly based on appearances, he was indeed far better suited than Wen to be a teenage girl's dream lover.

And judging from their conversation just now, it even sounded like a sweet case of mutual, secret crushes.

Most likely, Salma had taken the initiative to give him a glass of her saliva beverage after discovering the awakening of her special physique, finally giving them the chance to pour their hearts out to one another.

Such was the absurdity of life.

Fu Qian, of course, had no intention of passing moral judgment. Moreover, having theoretically confirmed the relationship between Joshua and Salma, the gains from this trip were already quite substantial.

Flipping the light switch off to conceal himself and leaving right away was obviously a good choice.

"Mhm... yes."

Even Salma, after a similar moment of stunned silence, was highly cooperative and took credit for turning it off.

But with a target who died bizarrely every single time practically delivered right to his doorstep... turning off the lights was good for more than just running away.

Fu Qian bent down, picked up a jacket from the floor, and rapidly patted down all its pockets.

Were these... photos?

A few seconds later, his actions paid off.

Carrying an item with a peculiar texture, Fu Qian quietly opened the door and entered the living room, which had its lights off long ago, inspecting his harvest by the light of the moon and stars.

It really was a few photographs, and they featured torn flesh and dripping blood, looking exceptionally macabre in the dark of the night.

But that wasn't the main point. The key was that Fu Qian could tell at a glance that the photos were selfies.

And on one of them, he could even see half of Joshua's face.

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