Eldritch Horror Theatre

In the dark, hearing becomes much more sensitive.

Because of this, every word of that abrupt sentence reached Fu Qian's ears with crystal clarity.

A living person, female.

Facing this highly situational line, Fu Qian didn't overthink the potential danger, choosing instead to quickly assess the limited information.

Furthermore, although she kept her voice hushed, he could still tell she was quite young.

Fu Qian thought for a moment and chose not to respond.

"Now, let the execution begin!"

The voice outside paused. Getting no reaction, she finally spoke again.

As soon as she finished, Fu Qian clearly heard the teeth-grating sound of metal grinding.

Fu Qian remained silent, letting her continue.

A moment later, the Spikes pressing against his skin ultimately failed to pierce through.

"Are you alright, Fu Qian? Do you want me to open it for you?"

This time, only a few seconds passed before the voice rang out again.

However, not only had it lost its intimidating authority, but it even sounded a bit panicked.

Just as he expected!

Fu Qian blinked, his guess verified.

This wasn't some party-wipe ending or execution; this perilous scene was just a joke.

Most likely, after discovering this thing, he had climbed inside out of sheer curiosity.

As for the person outside, they were either a companion who had noticed him and followed to set the mood...

...or someone he had called over to help in the first place.

Faced with a still-unresponsive Fu Qian, the girl outside clearly couldn't take it anymore. The commotion instantly magnified as she scrambled to open the door.

Fu Qian still made no sound.

Finally, amid heavy, labored breathing, a ray of light pierced through.

Fu Qian's first reaction was to use the light to inspect the interior.

Narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, densely covered in Spikes—it really was the legendary, brutal torture instrument.

Furthermore, both the long nails and the floor beneath his feet were completely clean. It felt like this thing had never actually been used.

It was probably just a hobbyist's collectible or a replica.

As he thought, the gap in front of him was pulled open to the width of a palm. A face peeked in from the side, eager yet slightly cautious.

She was quite young, with soft, delicate features and minimal makeup. A faint smattering of freckles dotted her nose, perfectly matching the image of a young female student.

"Are you okay?"

She stared fixedly at Fu Qian with pale green eyes, asking cautiously.

"I was just joking around, but you wouldn't respond..."

"I'm fine."

Fu Qian offered a faint smile and finally spoke.

"I was just joking around, too."

...

The girl froze for a second before processing his meaning, a hint of indignation rising on her face.

"That wasn't funny at all!"

"Not necessarily."

Using the light, Fu Qian reached out and pushed the barrier completely open, replying casually.

Unsurprisingly, the area outside was a gloomy, windowless room. It clearly hadn't been cleaned in a long time, as various colorful molds speckled the walls and corners.

That was the source of the rich and varied odors.

Glancing down at his feet, Fu Qian stepped out.

Besides the rusted Iron Maiden behind him, there was also an armor stand leaning to one side.

Given that both his and the student's clothes were fairly modern, this place had to be someone's personal collection, just neglected for a long time.

"Where is everyone else?"

Fu Qian asked casually as he surveyed his surroundings.

"You mean Cartman and the others? Didn't the three of them go shopping?"

It was clear that Fu Qian's demeanor left the female student somewhat intimidated.

Just looking at this brutal device made her shudder, yet this guy not only showed zero fear, but he even had the leisure to joke around.

Therefore, although she didn't really want to engage with him, she answered instinctively.

Cartman...

Fu Qian silently repeated the name, his gaze sweeping over the oversleeves on the girl's arms.

Generally speaking, those left behind to clean up were the honest pushovers of a group.

She must have been busy, but after seeing him wander around, she had followed him. Discovering that he had squeezed into this thing, she had decided on a whim to play a prank.

What enviable youthful energy!

Also, two plus three made exactly five people. It seemed they hadn't lost anyone yet.

"How did you find this place? Ray told us not to wander around."

The female student looked around, her brows furrowed tight.

"This place is too creepy. Let's get out of here."

Alright.

Seeing that she didn't want to stay a second longer, Fu Qian didn't refuse her suggestion.

Following the narrow stairs all the way up, Fu Qian soon arrived at the upper floor of the building.

Compared to the Underground, the upper level looked a bit newer, though it had clearly been uninhabited for a long time as well.

The architecture was primarily wooden, but it had obviously been treated with care and remained quite sturdy.

"Do you need me to do anything?"

Looking at the relieved female student, Fu Qian asked politely.

"Not really, everything is pretty much cleaned up."

The female student smiled, pointing to the freshly scrubbed tables and chairs around them with a rather proud expression.

"Take a break. Once the three of them get back, we can have lunch."

"Sure."

Fu Qian, readily accepting good advice, wandered around on his own.

Through the windows left open to air out the smell, he could see a continuous stretch of various roofs not too far away.

Although judging from the elevation, this place was clearly located on The Mountain, it wasn't exactly some desolate, uninhabited area.

These young people still had a sense of limits; they hadn't planned on going completely feral.

Walking all the way outside, Fu Qian discovered that the courtyard was quite large. It was surrounded by a perimeter wall, though naturally, these walls were covered in mold without exception.

An old-looking black stone road led out from the front gates, winding all the way down to the foot of The Mountain.

While he was silently observing, the roar of an engine sounded from outside the wall.

There was no need to guess; it had to be the people who went out shopping returning.

Fu Qian looked toward the entrance, and a few seconds later, a small red car wobbled its way in.

Through the front windshield, he could see the driver wearing a black sleeveless T-shirt, his upper body robust and powerful.

Beside him sat a glasses-wearing man with his hair combed meticulously; his attire was also much more elegant.

In the backseat, a blonde girl in sunglasses was holding her head in her hands.

Not bad. This lineup was simply too classic!

Amid his musings, Fu Qian frowned slightly a moment later.

Why did everyone look so lifeless? They didn't show the slightest excitement of being on vacation; their states were even more sluggish than the one left behind to clean.

This was completely illogical.

Even when the car stopped and the doors opened, the three of them didn't say a word, nor did they make any eye contact with one another.

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