Eldritch Horror Theatre

Returning so soon?

Hearing the sudden knock on the door, Fu Qian immediately thought of the disguised female cleaner.

She clearly harbored malicious intent, and the odds of her even being human were slim.

If she really had come back, it wouldn't be a friendly visit.

Violeta instantly grew alert, dropping her food and shooting Fu Qian a shushing gesture.

Fu Qian nodded, signaled for her to stay put, and stood to approach the door.

The knocking sounded only once before fading into silence, and this old-fashioned door had no peephole.

In the silence, Fu Qian gripped the handle and soundlessly pulled the door open a crack.

The next moment, he realized the knocker wasn't the woman from before.

What was especially striking was that the Scarecrow was soaking wet, water still dripping from it. He couldn't help but suspect it was the exact same one.

Or had there only ever been one?

As expected of Snow White—the stream of visitors was truly endless!

However, compared to the woman from before, the Scarecrow's reaction was strange. It didn't even seem in a hurry to enter.

Even with the door cracked open, it remained standing in place, its body merely swaying slightly as if shifting in the wind.

The knocking from earlier must have been its arm bumping against the door.

Even so, this late-night scene was unspeakably eerie.

"Hello."

Seeing this, Fu Qian didn't rush to close the door. Instead, he offered a smiling greeting.

"Looking for a brain? Unfortunately, the witch isn't here yet."

When it showed no reaction, Fu Qian added the quip.

Unfortunately, the Scarecrow remained completely motionless, simply blocking the doorway in silence.

Alright.

Since communication was a bust, Fu Qian simply shut the door and backed away.

"What's out there?"

Violeta immediately asked, offering him a piece of cake.

"Our old friend, the Scarecrow. Though it's clearly a bit more polite than our last guest."

Fu Qian didn't refuse this time. He accepted the cake and took a bite.

It was soft, sweet, and genuinely delicious.

"The one in the red clothes?"

Violeta froze for a moment, then shook her head.

"It's not an old friend of mine. I've never heard Mother mention it before."

So they weren't even acquaintances? It had shown up quite a few times along the way.

That was somewhat unexpected. Fu Qian scratched his cheek, lost in thought.

"It's fine. We'll just do what we did before and keep it locked outside,"

Violeta said after a moment's thought.

"Are you so sure they can't get in?"

Fu Qian looked at her with amusement.

"Yes. Mother said that as long as a house is made of bricks, shutting the door will keep you perfectly safe."

Violeta looked entirely serious.

A house made of bricks is safe. Alright.

In this particular dimension, that logic might actually hold up.

Boom!

The next moment, a bizarre crash shattered Fu Qian's train of thought.

He instantly snatched Violeta up, his eyes snapping toward the source of the noise.

The curtains in the distance were flapping violently. Between their thrashing folds, a massive hole in the wall was exposed, revealing the raging storm outside.

Did the brick barrier really fail that quickly?

Hahahaha!

As Fu Qian was puzzling over this, a textbook villainous cackle drifted in.

That phlegm-filled, sinister rasp sounded exactly like a fairytale witch!

Had he just jinxed himself?

Fu Qian subconsciously tossed Violeta behind him, shielding her.

An instant later, a glossy green sphere flew through the hole in the wall and into the room.

Fu Qian didn't dodge. Instead, he reached out and snatched it from the air, padding his palm with his sleeve.

An Apple?

Fu Qian stared at the object in his hand, his brows knitting together.

The object hurled in like a grenade was, shockingly, a bright green Apple.

It was massive, looking incredibly plump, juicy, and perfectly ripe.

Was this the thing that had just blown a hole in the wall?

So the Apple that killed Snow White didn't rely on poison—it dealt physical damage!

Fu Qian shoved the Apple into his pocket and kept his eyes on the storm outside.

Just as expected, a speeding silhouette soon emerged through the lightning and thunder.

It was the very picture of a traditional witch: a wrinkled face with a long, hooked nose, a black cloak shrouding her body, and a hunched posture as she straddled a thin Broom.

Seeing Fu Qian looking her way, she let out another string of shrill, eerie cackles and, with a flick of her wrist, hurled another Apple at him.

What a violent old hag! She didn't even attempt to communicate.

Fu Qian caught it just as easily, not even bothering to pad his hand with his sleeve this time.

At the same time, he confirmed his earlier suspicion—not a single brick was visible on the freshly blasted exterior wall. In fact, under the pouring rain, the edges of the hole were slowly melting.

Could this wall actually belong to the legendary Cookie House? No wonder there weren't any windows.

It seemed bizarre at first, but on further thought, it made a strange kind of sense.

This realization gave Fu Qian an idea. Under Violeta's confused gaze, he quickly rapped against the adjacent wall.

They obviously couldn't stay in this room, and the Scarecrow was blocking the door. They needed to find another way out.

Unfortunately, the surface felt rock-solid. This wall clearly wasn't it.

Wasting no time, Fu Qian crossed to the opposite wall in a few strides. This time, he got a different response.

Taking a step back, Fu Qian aimed at the center of the wall and hurled the Apple directly at it.

Boom!

The moment the Apple struck the surface, it triggered a localized explosion.

Amidst the flying debris, a hole instantly blew open in the wall.

Looking through the breach, the other side was pitch black, appearing to be an empty room.

Without hesitation, Fu Qian scooped up Violeta and leaped right through the hole.

Almost at the same time, an explosive blast tore through the spot where they had just been standing.

How ruthless!

Even as he marveled at the witch's ferocity, Fu Qian didn't stop moving.

The room was pitch black. Relying on his memory of the layout, he quickly felt his way to the door.

The dark-carpeted Corridor once again appeared before his eyes.

Only then did Fu Qian set Violeta back down.

To his surprise, this Snow White—who had nearly been physically eradicated by an Apple just moments ago—didn't show the slightest trace of fear. Instead, her face was flushed with an inexplicable excitement.

"It was actually a wall made of cookies! I didn't even notice!"

Violeta hopped in excitement, though at least she knew to keep her voice down.

This was what they called newborn calves fear no tigers.

Fu Qian gave her some heartfelt, silent praise.

"That Apple was amazing! Can I see it?"

The next moment, Violeta pointed at Fu Qian's hand.

He had caught two Apples barehanded from the witch. He had used one to blast open the wall, leaving one still in his possession.

Why did she want to look at this thing? She wasn't planning on eating it, was she?

Fu Qian ignored her. Gesturing for her to stay put, he trotted a few steps forward and glanced back toward the doorway of the room they had just left.

In the blink of an eye, the Scarecrow outside the door had completely vanished.

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