Eldritch Horror Theatre

"If I accidentally offended you earlier, I apologize..."

Unable to sit still for more than a few breaths, Brother Peeker had rushed out of his studio to catch up with Fu Qian, whispering his apology from behind.

"It's fine. You didn't offend me."

He actually got a response this time. The words themselves sounded highly encouraging, but—

"Then can I go back now?"

Fu Qian's tone was gentle and devoid of anger. Yet, looking at that face—which somehow felt even more suffocating when it smiled—Brother Peeker asked the question with extreme caution.

"You really have no idea what you were just saying."

The short Tower was already right in front of them, its rusty lock clearly visible. Hearing this, Fu Qian finally stopped and looked back at him with a peculiar gaze.

"Alright."

Ding—

A coin identical to the ones from the breakfast shop was flicked into the air, then snatched out of its tumble and into his palm.

"Heads or tails?"

His hand closed over the result, Fu Qian looked at the artist who had been so reluctant to leave his studio and posed the same question.

"This... I need to know what the result is if I guess right."

Even the nod just now hadn't alleviated his anxiety in the slightest. Staring at that closed fist and realizing what this meant, Brother Peeker's voice came out exceptionally dry.

Compared to the waitress Jean, he lacked a certain attention to detail; he hadn't even bothered to confirm which side of the coin counted as heads.

Seeing this reaction, Fu Qian naturally drew a comparison with the previous participant.

"If you guess correctly, you'll have the honor of coming along."

Despite his inward sigh, Fu Qian didn't treat him any differently and offered the explanation.

"...Then can I forfeit?"

On this particular point, Brother Peeker had finally managed to align with Jean.

He had zero desire for the result of a correct guess, preferring to forfeit immediately.

"You can."

Fu Qian's unexpected tolerance actually continued. He nodded again and pulled out a heavy handgun.

"The result of losing is that I personally send you back."

...

"Sorry, I take back my request..."

It was as if a certain dread that had been lingering since earlier suddenly crystallized into reality in that instant.

After a long, stunned silence, Brother Peeker took a deep breath. Miraculously, his voice steadied a fraction.

"Let's continue."

A resigned tone followed. He had absolutely no intention of doubting whether the gun was loaded.

"No, you have to guess first."

Unfortunately, things took another unexpected turn. Fu Qian didn't withdraw the hand holding the coin.

"The game has started, so there must be a result."

Fu Qian's tone remained perfectly even, as if he were simply reciting the rules.

And obviously, those rules were not to be broken.

But I...

Looking utterly dumbfounded, the participant clearly hadn't expected a simple sentence to push him into such a corner.

It was no longer a question of whether he was willing to come along; he was now gambling his life just for a chance to come along...

For a brief moment, he finally understood the meaning behind the phrase, 'You really have no idea what you were just saying.'

"I guess... tails."

Realizing he was dealing with a completely unreasonable villain, he finally snuffed out any remaining urge to argue.

After another agonizing silence, Brother Peeker finally squeezed out an answer.

He opened his mouth a few more times at the very end, barely stopping himself from changing his guess.

...

Tails, as expected?

Fu Qian had already anticipated what the other man might guess.

Sure enough, he chose a different answer from Jean—and it really was tails.

Reflecting on how character determines destiny, Fu Qian opened his hand right in front of him.

As it turned out, Brother Peeker successfully won the chance to tag along without needing any extra help.

Faced with such a stellar result, the man himself clearly couldn't hide his excitement. For a brief moment, some color actually returned to his face.

"Congratulations."

Unfortunately, Fu Qian had no intention of chatting. He simply turned his back and continued the exploration.

The door wasn't locked, but it was even heavier than the one to Brother Peeker's studio.

Locating the entrance, Fu Qian gauged the feedback against his hand and slowly pushed the door open with the same motion.

Creak—

The sound was a bit ear-piercing, though nowhere near as visually jarring as the scene behind the door.

Although the lights were off, the light leaking down from above still illuminated everything clearly.

Vines.

A seemingly familiar green climbed over the spiral stairs, the floors, the walls, and everything else in sight, snaking all the way upward as if reaching for the sky.

But they were really just patches of green. The lines weren't even continuous in many places; they merely looked incredibly lifelike, painted exactly like the ones on the exterior wall.

"How... It wasn't like this before."

Brother Peeker had indeed followed him in without needing to be urged. Seeing the sight before him, he let out a genuine gasp of shock.

...

"How long ago?"

Fu Qian didn't look back.

"It wasn't like this at least a month ago. Later on, Evan started sealing this place up on a regular basis."

Brother Peeker seemed to know everyone in the building, answering cautiously.

"He painted the outside wall too?"

Nodding, Fu Qian kept the question vague, but he trusted Brother Peeker could grasp what he was referring to.

"Yes. Evan is extremely talented. Still, I don't understand why he would do this to the place... It looks like no one is here."

As expected, Brother Peeker answered without needing any further details. He also showed a strong desire to return, practically wishing they could end the exploration right then and there.

"Because it grew up from the bottom."

Unfortunately showing no reaction to that last remark, Fu Qian just looked down at his feet, actually treating the vines as if they were alive.

But it wasn't entirely unreasonable. It was obvious that this building had a lower level, and amidst their "winding" paths, the numerous vines really did faintly converge together—

"I've never seen this before either."

In the blink of an eye, the two had already continued downward. Facing the sight before them, Brother Peeker immediately expressed his disbelief.

The vines truly did converge downward toward a single source: a painting hanging on the wall.

It depicted a twisted, naked body, its limbs looking as if they were suspended by something invisible.

The abdomen had been ripped open, and dozens of greenish-red vines were bursting out from within.

His face showed no agony at all; instead, it carried a peculiar kind of pleasure.

"That's definitely Evan's face, but I can't fathom why he would have these things growing out of his stomach..."

The linework wasn't complex but was incredibly striking. After just one look, Brother Peeker was once again left in profound disbelief.

"They aren't growing out."

Fu Qian was unsurprised by his reaction. He walked up and casually lifted the painting.

Much like a legendary prison break story, a rather uneven tunnel appeared behind it, its position directly aligning with the torn abdomen.

In fact, a careful look at the painting made the truth obvious. The vines clearly weren't growing out; they had pierced through from behind.

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