Eldritch Horror Theatre

Still trying to test me even in this state; her thieving nature truly hasn't changed.

Fu Qian didn't think Fran, currently possessed by Lasik, actually cared about the truth behind the disappearances.

Asking if he wanted to go look for the corpse had likely just been a way to gauge his reaction.

But just as she wanted to sound him out, he wanted to test her.

To him, the only significance of these missing person cases was discovering who Lasik was.

His next task was to learn as much as possible from this person's experiences and accomplish what he had failed to do.

A residual spirit without self-awareness obviously couldn't be communicated with directly.

But that didn't matter. There were many ways to communicate.

...

Unsurprisingly, a ferocious look flashed across Fran's face once again.

Having tried everything she could to transcend samsara, she instinctively despised the unknown. To her, he was an unprecedented variable.

Fu Qian simply chose to ignore it.

By the time the silence broke, they were already in Sheriff Jones's yard.

Surprisingly, despite the string of incidents, Sheriff Jones unprofessionally skipped working overtime and returned home early instead.

His wife, Mary, clearly had a good impression of Fran and came out to welcome them immediately.

"I thought you'd choose to spend the night in the car."

Fran didn't rush to get out, casting a glance at Fu Qian instead.

"I'm not that close with Cartman. Theoretically, I could be kicked out too,"

Fu Qian replied casually.

"Besides, rather than having me wander around, the sheriff would probably prefer to keep me right under his nose."

Without waiting for Fran to say anything else, Fu Qian opened the door and stepped out.

Fran Lasike helplessly followed him.

Mrs. Mary hurried over to meet them, her face full of concern.

They were warmly invited inside. By now, the sky had started to darken.

Jones sat on the sofa with his back to them, casually watching TV, looking exactly as he had during the dinner the day before.

There were just three fewer guests this time.

"Did you find anything?"

It wasn't until the two of them sat down and Mary went to prepare food that Jones finally turned his head and asked the question slowly.

"We didn't find Jessica."

Fran shook her head, her tone sounding somewhat disappointed.

She didn't say much else, seemingly not wanting Jones to notice her abnormal behavior.

"But we did make an unexpected discovery."

To her surprise, Fu Qian suddenly spoke up from beside her.

"Oh? What discovery?"

Jones narrowed his eyes slightly. He definitely wouldn't ignore Fu Qian's input.

Noticing Fran's expression turn solemn, Fu Qian chuckled inwardly.

"Just a small matter. We found out that Ray seems to have some bad habits."

"What—"

This time, it was Mary who couldn't help but gasp in shock. She hadn't expected Fu Qian to suddenly mention her nephew.

"I noticed that he seems to be carrying some special drugs."

Standing at the center of attention, Fu Qian didn't keep them in suspense and stated it directly.

Ah!

Amidst her gasp, the soup pot in Mary's hands tilted to the side, spilling Milky White Fish Soup all over the floor.

"Isn't that pretty normal for young people?"

Sheriff Jones, however, truly lived up to his vast experience. He didn't even bat an eye, his expression actually turning a bit disappointed.

"That's true. Young people nowadays are all corrupted."

Spouting nonsense, Fu Qian stepped forward, picked up the pot, and handed it back to Mary.

Meanwhile, Ray's rather amiable aunt looked deeply worried.

Fu Qian didn't have any issues with this woman.

Putting aside the fact that she hadn't lived on The Mountain for very long, he could also tell from Fran's account that there wasn't actually anything bizarre or strange in that large courtyard. At best, it was just a little gloomy and decayed, making it look scary.

"You two should just stay here for today. It's not safe outside."

Ignoring Fran's baffled expression, Jones also lacked interest in Fu Qian's discovery. Seeing that Fu Qian didn't say anything else, he generously extended the invitation.

"Thanks."

Naturally, Fu Qian didn't stand on ceremony, and it proved that Fran didn't either.

...

By the time the two finished their hastily prepared dinner and returned to their respective guest rooms to rest, the sky had turned completely black.

In the darkness of the night, Fu Qian watched as Mrs. Jones packed a portion of dinner and quietly slipped out the door.

"Where are you going?"

Just as Fu Qian was about to follow her, he ran into Jones standing off to the side.

Revealing no discernible emotion, Jones asked in a conversational tone.

"Mrs. Mary should be going to find Ray. I was planning to go take a look as well."

Fu Qian first admitted it with a look of pure innocence, then extended the invitation.

"Together?"

...

"Follow me. I know where he lives."

Jones stared at Fu Qian for a long time before accepting the invitation.

Right before leaving, Fu Qian glanced back upstairs.

The curtains in Fran's room were drawn, but Fu Qian was certain she was standing right behind them.

There was no doubt she was paying close attention to his every move right now.

Unfortunately, to avoid breaking character too much, there was no way for her to run down and join them in this situation.

...

Without his car, it was naturally impossible for Ray to wander the streets like a vagrant. In the end, he had found a nearby motel to stay in.

Undoubtedly, this motel was currently under strict police surveillance.

With no clues leading anywhere, Waiting by the Stump for a Hare might be a stupid method, but it was still a method.

Arriving almost back-to-back with Mrs. Mary, Jones greeted someone in a parked car in the corner, then directly brought Fu Qian into his own vehicle to look at a monitor.

It showed one of the motel rooms. The dinner Mrs. Mary had brought was set off to the side.

"Are you using illegal drugs?"

The next moment, Mrs. Mary's sharp questioning came through clearly.

"What?"

Ray, who originally had a relaxed vacation demeanor, was clearly shocked upon understanding her words.

"There's no need to hide it. Your friends already told me."

"How could you be so corrupted? Have you ever thought about how heartbroken your mother would be if you did this?"

"I really haven't... Who told you?"

Ray defended himself with fierce determination.

"Fran and the others went up The Mountain this afternoon, and they just came back."

"They said with absolute certainty that you're using illegal drugs."

"How is that possible—"

Ray's voice came to an abrupt halt, and his movements instantly stiffened.

Is Ray Rasik going to appear again?

Watching this scene unfold, Fu Qian thought to himself.

The original purpose of his earlier words had been precisely to use Mrs. Mary to frighten Ray.

If his previous guess was correct, when this guy disposed of Mrs. Harold's corpse, the drugs he had searched for in the car were most likely disposed of along with it.

And under his deliberate guidance, Mary's words could easily cause a certain misunderstanding—for instance, that the corpse had already been found by the two of them who went up The Mountain.

There was no doubt that this would be a massive psychological shock to Ray.

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