Eldritch Horror Theatre

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"Alright, no one is to touch any of this again.░▒▓█ ６➈ѕĤ𝔲χ.ⓒσ爪 █▓▒░"

Ray finally broke the awkward silence, warning Cartman not to squeeze inside and resolving the minor incident.

However, Fu Qian's pressure tactics had clearly been highly effective.

By the time the group returned from the Underground, the atmosphere had fallen silent once more.

"Speaking of which, do any of you know someone named Lasik?"

In the midst of this heavy silence, the chief instigator, Fu Qian, suddenly spoke, his tone casual.

"Lasik? Who's that? A friend of yours?"

Ray, who had been spacing out, looked up at the question with a bewildered expression.

Fu Qian noted this silently, though he wasn't particularly disappointed.

In their current mental state, suddenly being asked such a question only elicited confusion, not shock.

If this was an act, the man's acting skills were already grandmaster-level.

It wasn't just him, either; the other three were exactly the same, their eyes full of blank confusion.

It looked like if he wanted to complete the task, he really would have to search at the bottom of the mountain.

...

Given the mental shock they had all suffered, the group decided to return to their respective rooms to rest not long after coming back up.

The house was massive, and the above-ground portion wasn't particularly dilapidated, making it easy enough to tidy up a few clean rooms.

Sitting in his quickly organized room, Fu Qian took a moment to rest. Just as he was contemplating what excuse to use to drive the car away, a sudden knock came at his door.☟♣ ➅➈Şн𝕦𝔁.Ｃ๏𝐦 ☹☆

When he stepped outside, he found that Ray had already gathered everyone.

"My aunt wants us to head over for dinner shortly."

"Your aunt? She lives around here too?"

Cartman looked astounded, voicing exactly what the rest of them were thinking.

"Why else do you think this place is still livable?"

Ray snorted.

"Even though she moved out of this house, my aunt never left the area. She even spends money to maintain it from time to time."

"Before we set off, my parents asked her to look out for me."

"Awesome, does that mean there'll be lots of good food? I really don't want to eat fried chicken again tonight."

Jessica was the first to show her support.

"Her husband is the local sheriff."

In response to her cheering, Ray gave her a pointed look and added flatly.

'A sheriff?'

Hearing this, Fu Qian's interest was immediately piqued.

When searching for someone in a strange place, a figure like that was undoubtedly very useful.

However, out of the corner of his eye, he also noticed that as soon as the words were spoken, the faces of Cartman and Jessica stiffened.

'Afraid of seeing the police? Isn't that a bit too much like having the guilty conscience of a thief?'

Fu Qian mused to himself, just as Ray continued.

"I've already agreed to go."

Already agreed...

Cartman and Jessica swallowed hard, ultimately raising no objections.6♥9♥s♥h♥u♥x♥.♥c♥o♥m

'Not bad, they aren't completely stupid yet.'

Fu Qian thought to himself upon seeing this.

Given their current situation, this invitation was almost impossible to refuse.

Even if these three had genuinely done something outside and didn't want to run into the police, without a solid excuse, they still had to attend this dinner.

Otherwise, if an incident really did occur, their unusual behavior as outsiders would make them the first to be suspected.

In fact, the reason the three of them hadn't immediately clamored to leave upon returning was likely due to the exact same consideration.

Arriving in a rush, only to suddenly abandon their plans and run off for no clear reason—nothing would be more suspicious.

"Sounds good!"

Among the group, Fran actually looked to be the most excited.

In her eyes, a big feast after a bout of hard work was clearly a wonderful thing.

Given that they now had an itinerary for the evening, Fu Qian quietly lay down to rest, deciding not to head out early.

He currently had the constitution of an ordinary human, so resting and conserving energy was an absolute necessity.

...

Despite agreeing to the dinner, Ray himself was clearly somewhat resistant to the idea.

He dawdled until around dusk before finally calling everyone to set out, kicking the couple next door awake in the process.

Not long after, the group piled into the little red car, packing it completely full, and drove off down the black gravel road.

The residential area at the base of the mountain was clearly not very large; it was essentially just a Small Town.

In Fu Qian's eyes, this wasn't a bad thing. With fewer people, searching would undoubtedly be much easier, and there was even a chance the sheriff might know everyone.

After driving through more than half the Small Town, the car finally pulled up in front of a building.

It was a house with a gray roof and white walls—quite large, but relatively modest.

Almost the instant the engine shut off, a middle-aged woman in a long dress opened the door and stepped out, standing there with a beaming smile to welcome them.

...

Ray's aunt and her family were even friendlier than expected.

Even the fabled sheriff uncle was currently lying lazily on the couch watching TV, looking as though he were about to fall asleep.

Seeing the group enter, he greeted the young people very amicably.

'This guy's combat prowess actually isn't weak at all!'

Taking one look at him, Fu Qian silently made a judgment.

The sheriff before him was clearly in his prime—in his forties, strongly built, and powerful.

Unlike Cartman's gym-sculpted physique, this man even had a bit of a paunch while lying there, but if it came down to a real fight, he would absolutely be highly capable.

'Facing an opponent like this, if I only had a baton, I wouldn't have much trouble handling him. But if he is armed with a gun, there would be a certain level of risk.'

To sum it up, he'd be a good helper.

...

Ray's aunt had clearly been preparing for a long time before the group's arrival.

Following a round of pleasantries, dinner soon began.

Ray's uncle, Mister Jones, didn't seem very talkative, or perhaps he simply didn't have much in common with the younger generation.

After offering a simple welcome, it was basically left to Ray's aunt to keep the atmosphere lively.

Fortunately, the two girls were quite enthusiastic; their constant chiming in kept Ray's aunt extremely happy.

However, this harmonious atmosphere did not last long, quickly broken by the ring of a telephone.

Mister Jones casually picked up the phone, gave a few grunts of acknowledgment, and then announced that something urgent had come up, bidding the group a quick farewell before heading out.

Madam Jones seemed thoroughly used to this by now, smiling brightly as she continued to entertain her guests.

'That was way too fast! I haven't even had the chance to subtly probe him for information yet.'

Fu Qian lamented internally. However, as someone adept at finding joy in his work, he wasn't too anxious. He settled in to enjoy the delicious meal, taking the opportunity to admire the tension that Cartman and the other two were desperately trying to suppress.

However, he didn't get to admire it for very long.

Once dinner was over and everyone was chatting happily, Fu Qian slipped out to the yard alone to observe his surroundings.

Not long after, Mister Jones returned, slowly extracting himself from his car.

When he spotted Fu Qian standing outside, he seemed slightly taken aback.

But the next moment, he walked over, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and offered one to Fu Qian.

After being politely declined, he didn't stand on ceremony either, lighting one for himself and taking a deep drag.

"Did you hit and kill someone with your car today?"

...Huh?

Seeing Mister Jones walk up in such a solemn, silent manner, Fu Qian had a gut feeling that he was preparing to discuss a profound topic, but he hadn't expected it to be this profound.

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