Eldritch Horror Theatre

A midnight ghost story? A Phantom Carriage?

The scene unfolding before him was a bit too classic, rapidly veering into horror-movie territory.

From his vantage point, visibility outside was incredibly poor. The night was pitch black.

Not a single star or moon graced the dismal sky; only scattered lights from the surrounding buildings offered any illumination.

Riding alone in a carriage through this kind of environment laid the atmosphere on thick.

And in this scene straight out of a midnight ghost ride, a driverless carriage followed right behind him. It matched his pace step for step, trailing him like an inescapable shadow...

To make matters worse, his carriage had broken down at this exact moment...

Trapped here, the driver remained completely indifferent. If someone were to check on him, they would be horrified to find him already bleeding from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth...

If Brother Clown had made his grand entrance using a high-effort method like this, it certainly would have been much more memorable.

His only takeaway was the distinct, overwhelming style of Unseen Hill radiating from both sides of the street.

It was definitely that same old place, even though he hadn't been to this exact spot before.

It looked a bit deserted, true, but this "bustling city" still seemed to be running smoothly. There were no obvious signs of devastation, nor any crumbling ruins in sight.

Where was the ash?

This fallback question seemed to be hitting a minor snag as well.

Fortunately, Fu Qian wasn't one to harbor overly idealistic expectations, so he didn't feel particularly disappointed.

And Unseen Hill didn't keep him waiting for long.

As the black sludge engulfed the driver, the muck beneath the wheels crept upward, swallowing nearly half of the carriage.

Clop, clop!

These changes had occurred in dead silence, but a strange noise finally broke the quiet.

Accompanied by the clopping of hooves, the driverless carriage trailing him slowly closed the distance.

Most crucially, with every step it took, the carriage's color seemed to darken, rapidly taking on the appearance of the black sludge.

A strange, pungent stench thickened in the air along with it.

...

Now it was really starting to feel like a horror story.

Did the carriage stop because it had been targeted by a predator?

The black muck on the ground wasn't a failure of local road maintenance, but a trap that had manifested out of thin air at just the right moment to halt his advance?

Was that why it was so unnaturally viscous—because it had never been ordinary mud to begin with?

It was all a hunting tactic orchestrated by the carriage behind him, and now it was time to eat.

This wasn't just some anthropomorphic description. From where he sat, Fu Qian could clearly see the two horses pulling the rear carriage dissolving into that exact same viscous texture.

They rapidly lost their original forms. Stretching and tearing, what used to be their muscle and bone fused into a gaping, devouring maw that clamped down on his carriage.

It made the figure sitting quietly inside look incredibly fragile and helpless, as if petrified with terror...

Riiip, riiip—

Yet this textbook horror story was, unfortunately, fraught with misfortune and quickly met a sudden setback.

As if slashed by countless invisible blades, the black sludge connecting the rear carriage to the back wall of Fu Qian's carriage was shredded to pieces. The driverless carriage had almost latched on completely like an articulated trailer, but this attack forced the devouring process to a grinding halt.

This sudden twist was undeniably dramatic. It felt exactly like a superhero entrance at the climax of a crisis, finally turning the tides.

It was still thrilling, sure, but the horror atmosphere was definitely somewhat diminished.

There was just one small problem: the invisible blades weren't aimed particularly well. In fact, it felt more like an indiscriminate area-of-effect attack.

As the black sludge was shredded, the luxuriously decorated physical carriage was instantly left teetering on the brink of collapse—though it barely held together.

Having witnessed the entire process, Fu Qian remained seated perfectly still.

He didn't flinch, even as a corner of the brass ashtray on the opposite side was sheared clean off by the attack.

"Finally caught you."

Amidst this calm within the storm, a voice rang out from above.

...

If the voice hadn't been much deeper, one might have almost believed the earlier guess had come true—that Brother Clown had simply switched up his welcoming routine before finally making his entrance.

Not only was the voice coming from the buildings overhead, but the actions taken were practically identical to before. Both instances involved destroying a vehicle without paying a shred of attention to the passenger inside.

But as it stood, Fu Qian concluded he had never heard this voice before. It belonged to an absolute stranger.

His methods were quite impressive, though. This move was even more ruthless than the clown's GG Card.

As for that last sentence, it didn't seem directed at him, either.

Although, the next sentence that followed wouldn't be entirely out of place if directed at him as the audience.

"I don't know what you are, but if you think no one will interfere at a time like this, you're dead wrong."

The tone remained incredibly domineering. He could hear the source of the voice closing in rapidly, eventually landing directly in the path of the two carriages.

Looking up, Fu Qian noticed that the figure didn't quite match the imposing sound of his entrance.

The man was somewhat thin, wearing a crumpled trench coat. His long, messy hair and striking aquiline nose were illuminated by the green glow of a nearby sign, giving him an increasingly sinister aura.

To put it bluntly: if most people ran into him while walking at night, they'd immediately cross the street to avoid him.

"Why did you think there was still a carriage out this late? Turns out you really don't have a brain. You're just a mindless idiot driven by an urge to feed."

As he stepped closer, the man's words revealed something terrifying upon deeper reflection.

This wasn't a horror story, but a bait-and-trap operation?

This carriage was the bait?

The disposable, use-and-discard attitude he showed toward the carriage certainly fit the theory.

Crunch!

Fu Qian still didn't move, but his body inevitably jolted downward.

"Trying to run?"

Amidst the newcomer's cold sneer, the entire carriage abruptly twisted and deformed.

The wheel that had sunk into the sludge was flattened entirely, along with the black substance clinging to it.

The only upside was that the carriage cabin was now completely destroyed, stripping away any privacy. Fu Qian could now see straight out the back without having to leave his seat.

He saw that the Phantom Carriage trailing him had completely lost its original shape. It was now a massive, heaving lump of black sludge, exuding a pungent stench so foul it was dizzying.

It couldn't respond with words, but the massive lump wasn't sitting still. It writhed and struggled like a trapped animal, seemingly attempting to seep into the Underground.

Unfortunately for it, the carriage it had originally tried to swallow now acted like a wedge jammed straight down its throat, pinning it firmly in place.

Boom!

In the very next moment, a bizarre shockwave crashed down from the sky, slamming ruthlessly into its body and sending up a turbulent wave of black sludge.

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