Eldritch Horror Theatre

It didn't even look like a simple expression of respect.

Amid the Clamor of the night, the abstract nature of Kadon's behavior seemed to reach a whole new height.

The Old Man was so entirely absorbed in his actions that even Fu Qian, watching from the sidelines, felt a momentary sense of profound astonishment.

He was kneeling on one knee, though the odds of this being a marriage proposal were pretty slim.

For one, he didn't hold a ring. For another, it was easy enough for Fu Qian to tell that the skeleton was also male.

It was a male corpse buried deep Underground many years ago—one that Kadon had obsessed over for so long that, even on his deathbed, he had gone out of his way to dig it up and kneel before it in salute.

The tangled web of grudges and debts between them was enough to let anyone's imagination run wild.

And for Fu Qian, the clues were hardly invisible—

First, there were the clothes on the skeleton. Even from this distance, he could make out some of their finer details.

The overall shape was a bit abstract, resembling two symmetrical arcs—like teeth marks.

That was right. As a veteran of interpreting abstract artwork, Fu Qian quickly grasped the meaning behind it.

They were bite marks embroidered into the clothes with black silk thread, scattered all over the garment.

Combined with the bare bones underneath, it almost gave the illusion that the victim had been gnawed down to this state.

Regardless, a style like this felt a bit too avant-garde to wear out around here.

Factoring in Kadon's earlier mention of praying in the Warehouse, it was safe to boldly assume that the deceased had been one of those strange figures.

Second, Kadon was likely the one who had killed this person back in the day, burying them right here.

After all, he had obsessed over it for years and managed to locate the exact spot with pinpoint precision.

Finally, Kadon must have already shed his mortality back then; otherwise, he never could have pulled off such a feat.

Beyond superhuman stamina and a cool head, executing such a massive undertaking in an unfamiliar place without drawing attention required something extra—just like right now.

After all, it wasn't as if every neighbor was a dead-drunk husband. Logically, someone should have reacted to all the commotion earlier.

The reason it remained so dead quiet was simple: how could ordinary mortals possibly resist a Mid-Tier Transcendent?

It seemed Kadon's abilities involved some form of specialized mental influence, forcefully dragging everyone in the vicinity into a deep sleep.

It was a pity. Without being able to bring the Burial Scroll inside, he couldn't take the initiative to appraise the situation properly.

Still, there was every reason to believe Kadon had used a similar method back then, allowing him to boldly bury a corpse this deep without anyone ever noticing for years.

Of course, it looked like he didn't care about that anymore—Tap! Tap!

Amid these evaluations, the Old Man had already returned.

But this time, he didn't pull the door open to get in. He merely knocked on the car window, his face completely expressionless.

"What do you think?"

After Fu Qian rolled the window down, Kadon stared down at him, repeating the exact same question he had asked when they left the hotel earlier.

...

"Not bad."

The Old Man's face remained blank, devoid even of the melancholy one might expect after fulfilling a decades-long wish.

Fu Qian nodded, his gaze dropping to the man's empty hands.

"What's not bad about it?"

Kadon seemed surprisingly stubborn, immediately pressing the issue.

"It looks like you dug up your past. Like a time capsule or something."

Honesty truly was invincible. Fu Qian provided a detailed answer without missing a beat, even glancing toward the spot where the man had just been toiling.

Time capsules came in many forms. Surely, this counted under the broadest definition of the concept?

Moreover, there was no need to worry about provoking him with this gesture. For an ordinary person, it would be almost impossible to see anything clearly in such darkness, naturally bringing along cognitive limitations.

Since Kadon firmly believed he was just a regular mortal, even if Fu Qian outright stated he had seen a human skeleton being dug up, the Old Man would simply veer into conspiracy theories. He would probably assume Fu Qian had prior knowledge, perhaps as an avenger of past events.

That was, unless he had attempted to hypnotize Fu Qian along with everyone else earlier.

But alas, as his specially requested driver, Fu Qian clearly held some special significance to him.

From the very beginning, Kadon had seemingly wanted him to stay wide awake to serve as a witness.

Though he still didn't want Fu Qian to know too much about the specific details. All in all, his entire attitude was rather contradictory.

"Heh... a time capsule. I like that phrasing.

"And you're not wrong, either. When you reach my age, you'll realize that anything can be a time capsule."

Kadon seemed to find his witness's evaluation genuinely amusing this time, going so far as to laugh out loud.

And sure enough, he didn't volunteer a single word about the bones.

"Thanks for the life lesson."

Fu Qian played along effortlessly, offering a deadpan expression of gratitude.

"But as a friendly reminder, we're really low on gas."

...

Yanking the Old Man straight back to reality with a single sentence, Fu Qian pointedly tapped the fuel gauge for him to see.

"You really are an interesting person. I regret choosing you less and less by the second."

Kadon's gaze naturally drifted over. Faced with the needle sitting completely on empty, he clearly couldn't argue.

Not that he looked ready to argue anyway. His gaze darted back to Fu Qian's face as he offered a heartfelt compliment about just how unique his driver was.

Click!

Without missing a beat, he pulled the car door open.

"Don't worry. Everything on the Checklist is finished."

Oh?

"Just like that?"

The sheer efficiency of their progress naturally drew a curious look from Fu Qian.

"Yes. Don't tell me you think it wasn't enough? That would be a bit strange. Aren't you eager to collect the rest of your pay?"

Kadon looked even more curious than he did.

Not quite. In truth, this seat was actually quite easygoing; someone else was the one who felt it wasn't enough.

Fu Qian let out a long, silent sigh.

'If the Checklist was actually finished, I'd have already turned into a beam of white light and vanished by now.'

'And this trip would easily be a contender for the most relaxing mission of my entire career.'

Unfortunately, it was painfully obvious that what Kadon considered finished didn't match the Warehouse's evaluation criteria.

"You actually look like you haven't had enough..."

Though Fu Qian hadn't said a word, the Old Man clearly picked up on his vibe.

His brow furrowed deeper, his gaze sharpening slightly, as if trying to rip the driver open and read his very soul.

"Well... this went even smoother than I could have ever imagined, and your cooperation was crucial. Tell you what—are you interested in helping me finish a little bonus content?"

Before Fu Qian could respond, Kadon nodded with keen interest, as if having come to a firm decision.

"Sure."

Fu Qian agreed without hesitation, not even bothering to negotiate the pay.

"Excellent... Step out of the car, then."

Kadon looked utterly delighted. Apparently unfazed by this sudden display of selflessness, he stared straight ahead and stated the exact task.

"The next item: forcibly take possession of something without permission."

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