Eldritch Horror Theatre

As she recounted the terrifying scene she had just witnessed, Liu Yi looked as if she were on the verge of tears.

Had it really been that fast?

At most, half an hour had passed since he came outside.

And judging by her description, the scene really did sound a bit hellish.

But Fu Qian was more concerned about the speed.

He glanced around. For some reason, the fog seemed even thicker than before, giving off the faint impression of a living thing.

It was obvious that the influence on those people was growing stronger.

Then there was Sister Ox-Head from earlier.

As for why Liu Yi was fine, Fu Qian guessed it had to do with that book.

Although she hadn't shown any abnormalities, she was already a host to a parasite, just like him.

Of course, putting it that way wasn't strictly accurate.

Judging by Liu Yi's words and actions, there was no doubt she had been parasitized. He, however, was actually the one acting as the parasite.

There was a fundamental difference between the two; they couldn't be lumped together.

In fact, this puzzled Fu Qian as well. Based on the current information, it was hard to determine what had caused such a massive difference.

Was it because the types of insects were different?

Was the one in Liu Yi taking the approach of silently nourishing all things, while his was much more straightforward and brutal?

That reasoning still felt a bit unconvincing.

"What do you think happened to them? It's impossible for that many people to sleepwalk at the same time, right? Could they be playing a prank to scare me?"

Even though she was terrified, Liu Yi was still trying to use common sense to understand what was happening.

"This isn't fun at all!"

"A prank? Who do you think you are, Truman?"

Fu Qian shot her an expressionless glance.

But if it wasn't a prank...

Liu Yi's face grew a few shades paler.

"Also, a friendly tip. You'd better cover your mouth."

Fu Qian made a gesture.

Cover her mouth?

Why? Was the fog poisonous?

Liu Yi didn't understand, but seeing that Fu Qian wasn't joking, she subconsciously covered her mouth anyway.

The very next moment, a deep, resonant cry echoed through the air.

"Ah..."

Liu Yi couldn't help but cry out in surprise. Catching herself a split second later, she clamped both hands tightly over her mouth.

"Don't look."

Fu Qian offered a cold warning.

Although he still wasn't sure exactly how Sister Ox-Head exerted her influence, the counselor's vacant, staring eyes from earlier were still fresh in his mind.

"What... what exactly is that?"

Having calmed down slightly, Liu Yi asked in a low voice, keeping her hands over her mouth.

"Can't you tell? An ox."

"Does the school keep oxen?"

"Maybe. After all, you can find oxen everywhere these days."

Fu Qian had no interest in explaining too much to her.

...

"What should we do next?"

No matter how slow on the uptake she might be, this string of anomalies had made Liu Yi realize that something incomprehensible was happening. She couldn't help but look to Fu Qian for answers.

"As things stand, I suggest finding a place to hide."

Fu Qian pointed at their surroundings.

"It's no safer out here than it is inside. I suggest you find a secure, empty place to hide until at least daybreak."

"Also, there is no 'we.' I'll be moving alone."

"Why?"

Liu Yi was visibly taken aback, casting a fearful glance at their surroundings.

"It's dangerous everywhere. Shouldn't we stick together?"

"No, we shouldn't..."

Fu Qian shook his head and turned to leave.

His experience near the Campus Hospital earlier gave him a nagging feeling that resisting the bewitchment of this bizarre illusion came with a massive hidden price.

It was best for the pests to keep their distance from one another, not to mention that his own situation was particularly unique.

Giving her a couple of friendly warnings was already doing more than enough.

"Hey!"

Not expecting Fu Qian to actually just walk away, Liu Yi was clearly panicking.

Just as she was hesitating over whether to chase after him, the sound of rapid footsteps approached from ahead.

A moment later, a figure burst out of the thick fog and hurried over to them.

Another one?

This sudden development piqued even Fu Qian's curiosity.

The newcomer was wearing a black T-shirt. He looked like a student as well, but he was tall and much calmer than Liu Yi. Right now, he was staring at her with a stern expression.

"Keep quiet... You're going to get us all killed!"

Liu Yi was visibly startled by his sudden appearance. Fortunately, she had kept her hands clamped over her mouth and managed to swallow her scream just in time.

"Are you two the only normal ones left here?"

Before Liu Yi could speak, Black T-Shirt's gaze swept over her and Fu Qian's faces as he asked the question in a low voice.

"Yes."

Liu Yi nodded subconsciously, but then something suddenly dawned on her.

"Are other places also—"

"That's right."

Before she could finish her question, Black T-Shirt pointed behind him.

"I came from the dorms, and the scene over there is practically indescribable!"

He paused, weighing his words.

"What's the situation here?"

"I don't know either. Everyone just suddenly stood up stiffly and stopped talking—"

Liu Yi pointed at the old academic building behind her, her voice trembling.

Stood up and stopped talking...

Black T-Shirt fell silent for a few seconds.

"That's relatively tame. Right now, over at the dorms... everyone is catching rats with their bare hands."

"Catching rats?"

For a moment, Liu Yi was too stunned to comprehend.

"That's right. Two-legged, hairless rats. I could even see the veins pulsing just under their skin..."

Black T-Shirt took a deep breath.

"They just appeared out of nowhere. And those people aren't afraid at all; they're just silently catching them..."

"Some people even chased them into the basement. I followed them down to take a look and found a collapsed section of the floor. There's a massive space underneath, like some sort of Underground structure."

"It reeks of dampness and rot. That's where the rats are coming from."

"When I left... some people were already climbing down there."

"Barefoot..."

"Stop it!"

Just listening to Black T-Shirt's description was enough to cover Liu Yi in goosebumps. She didn't even dare to imagine the scene.

To think the anomalies were different in every location?

Staring into the boundless thick fog, Fu Qian wondered how many other entities like Sister Ox-Head were lurking within it.

"From the look of things, nowhere is safe."

Seeing that neither of them spoke, Black T-Shirt spoke up again.

"We need to find a hidden spot to lay low."

"Why don't we just escape outside?"

Surprised that he had the exact same idea as Fu Qian, Liu Yi subconsciously voiced her question.

"I already tried... There's no way out."

Black T-Shirt's expression was grim.

"Every time you get close to the edge of the school, your sense of direction becomes completely scrambled."

"This..."

"The Campus Hospital isn't far from here. If I remember correctly, there are no inpatient beds there, so it should be empty at night."

Black T-Shirt spoke rapidly. He had clearly already made up his mind.

"I suggest we hide there."

...

Liu Yi was visibly at a complete loss and instinctively looked toward Fu Qian.

To her surprise, he was already turning to leave.

"You're going the wrong way."

Witnessing this, Black T-Shirt felt a mix of shock and anger. He couldn't help but reach out to grab Fu Qian's shoulder.

"The Campus Hospital isn't in that direction!"

"I know."

Fu Qian sidestepped his hand.

"I'm just not taking your suggestion."

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