Eldritch Horror Theatre

In the end, Sheriff Jones didn't take Fu Qian up on his suggestion. He just fell into a deeper silence.

The recent ordeal had clearly dealt a blow to his professional confidence.

After leading the group back the way they came, he offered no explanation, simply ordering the two cars to keep driving forward.

But barely a few hundred meters down the road, he ordered them to stop again.

A fork in the road now lay directly ahead of them.

After a moment of thought, Jones had his deputy turn down the right-hand path.

It was noticeably narrower than the other option, and the road looked far older.

They hadn't driven far before a bright yellow car came into view, parked quietly in the middle of the road.

Just ahead of the vehicle, the road reached a dead end, blocked by a pile of rubble and dirt.

Jones had undoubtedly been watching the two passengers in the back seat. Seeing Harold suddenly sit bolt upright, he asked the question without any real surprise.

"Yes. That's the car she took when she left this morning."

Harold stared blankly out the window, his expression conflicted.

"Then let's go take a look."

Jones didn't say another word, simply signaling for them to get out.

By the time Cartman and the rest of the group caught up, the sheriff was already standing silently beside the yellow car.

"No one's inside. The window looks like it was smashed from the outside."

Seeing that the sheriff wasn't going to speak, the young deputy quickly stepped up to fill the silence, launching into a highly professional analysis of the scene.

And the kid clearly knew his stuff.

From where Fu Qian stood, he could see the driver's side door flung wide open, its window shattered to pieces.

Judging by the scatter of the glass, the blow had definitely come from the outside.

Yet the car was completely empty, and there wasn't a single drop of blood to be found.

As the young deputy continued his analysis, his expression grew increasingly grim.

"This is looking bad. I'm afraid Mrs. Harold was attacked."

"Oh, what makes you say that?"

Jones's tone remained completely flat.

...

Though unsure why the sheriff seemed displeased, the young deputy hesitated only a moment before quickly explaining his reasoning.

"The side window is smashed. Normally, that happens after a car comes to a stop—someone breaks it from the outside to force the door open."

"And since the road is blocked just ahead, the most obvious conclusion is that Mrs. Harold took a wrong turn and was forced to stop here."

"That's when someone appeared with bad intentions. She locked the doors and rolled up the windows, but the attacker simply smashed the glass, forced the door open, and dragged her away."

"You can tell from the interior that Mrs. Harold probably tried to fight back. Unfortunately, she failed."

The deputy pointed to the mess inside the vehicle. Aside from the shattered glass, the glove compartment hung open, and various items—including a sun hat—were strewn about.

It was hard to say whether Mrs. Harold had been searching for a weapon to defend herself, or if the attacker had ransacked the car afterward.

"Makes perfect sense."

Jones gave a slow grunt of acknowledgment, turning to stare at the victim's husband.

"Did your wife mention where she was going when she left today?"

"No..."

Harold stood rooted to the spot, staring into the car, his body trembling slightly.

"It's been a long time since she told me where she was going."

He sounded completely genuine. It didn't seem like he was making it up.

'This guy's status in his own home is seriously worrying,'

Fu Qian mused silently from the sidelines.

"Alright."

Jones didn't look the least bit surprised by this. He narrowed his eyes, looking back at the group of volunteers.

"Since you all arrived yesterday, have you seen anyone strange on this road?"

Strange people...

The group exchanged puzzled glances before shaking their heads one by one.

"You look like you have a different opinion."

Fu Qian, the only one who hadn't moved, was quickly singled out by Jones again.

"Not at all. I just feel like things are moving in a good direction. Earlier, I thought we were dealing with some sort of supernatural event, but now it looks like a standard murder case, at least."

"...And you think that's a good direction?"

"Of course. Supernatural events are a massive headache to deal with. Sometimes they don't follow any logic at all."

'What the hell is wrong with kids these days!'

Though Jones didn't say it out loud, Fu Qian could read the sentence clear as day in the sheriff's eyes.

And it wasn't just him. Cartman and the others were staring at Fu Qian in stunned disbelief, as if they were meeting him for the very first time.

Yet, despite his complete nonsense, Fu Qian's posture was remarkably infectious. It brought a strange sense of comfort to the eerie scene, and the heavy atmosphere lightened considerably.

"I'm just joking. Mostly, I just find something a little strange."

Seeing the barely suppressed murderous intent in Jones's eyes, Fu Qian smiled and waved a dismissive hand.

"Putting aside what Mrs. Harold was doing out here, this is my first time visiting, but even I can tell this road has been abandoned for a long time."

"For a local, isn't 'taking a wrong turn' a bit of a stretch as an explanation?"

"So it makes me wonder—did she drive down here and get attacked, or did the attack start earlier, forcing her to take this road?"

...

Jones frowned, studying Fu Qian's face. He clearly hadn't expected him to offer a serious analysis of the situation.

After a long pause, he gave a short huff and looked over at the silent young deputy.

"Your theory makes logical sense, but if you think about it closely, there are still a lot of suspicious details. At the very least, Mrs. Harold's actions definitely weren't normal."

It was a clear endorsement of Fu Qian's judgment.

...

Despite having his theory picked apart by an amateur, the young deputy wasn't a stubborn person. Hearing his boss's assessment, he gritted his teeth and nodded. His face crumpled into a frown, a headache forming as the situation grew infinitely more complex.

"Let's head back first."

Jones didn't say anything else. He issued the order to leave, simultaneously looking over at Cartman and the rest of the group.

"We can't confirm what happened here yet, but there seems to be some uncontrollable danger around. It might not be very safe for you to stay on The Mountain."

"Would you consider going back to staying at home?"

...

"We shouldn't impose. Besides, there's a lot of us. As long as we stick together, it shouldn't be that dangerous."

Faced with Jones's offer, Cartman and the others instinctively looked to Ray, and after a moment of thought, Ray declined his uncle's goodwill.

"If it gets too scary, we can always cut the trip short and head back early."

'Not bad. A very reasonable choice, and perfectly in line with the behavior of protagonists courting death.'

Fu Qian silently appraised the decision.

"Suit yourselves. But before you leave, make sure you come by and say goodbye to your aunt. She's been looking forward to seeing you for a long time."

Since Ray had said so, Jones didn't continue to push the issue. He chose to respect the man's fate.

After giving them a few more words of warning, he looked up toward The Mountain.

"It's still early. Just to be safe, we'll escort you back first."

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