Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 66: Omen Must Die (12)
Why didn't the talisman activate on time this time?
Fu Qian pondered this question while walking down the street.
It was now almost certain that Geng Yue died at the hands of her husband.
First of all, that talisman made up of patterns was very distinct; Lu Xing undoubtedly had both the ability and ample motive.
Moreover, other than him, it was hard to imagine who else would have the opportunity to put such a troublesome thing around the victim's neck.
However, this discovery left Fu Qian somewhat puzzled.
He had never considered that Lu Xing could be Omen, but after his own appearance this time, Lu Xing's original murderous behavior immediately changing didn't quite make sense.
There must be some connection between Lu Xing and Omen; it just couldn't be confirmed yet.
But this wasn't a problem; if it couldn't be confirmed, he would just ask directly.
Fu Qian originally wanted to go straight to Huang Yuanchang, but this minor variation made him change his mind at the last minute.
Lu Xing should still be at home right now.
Following the address in his memory, it didn't take Fu Qian much effort to find Lu and Geng's love nest.
He rang the doorbell, and the door was quickly opened from the inside.
A young man, not yet thirty, with a thin face, hid behind the door and looked at Fu Qian with a frown.
"Who are you looking for?"
This should be the protagonist of the angst-ridden romance.
He was indeed a Beyonder. Although this guy used some method to conceal most of his aura, a lingering trace still exposed him.
Considering his current situation, there was a high probability he wouldn't obediently cooperate in answering questions, so why not...
"Is this Lu Xing's home?"
Stared at by vigilant eyes, Fu Qian remained perfectly calm.
"I am Lu Xing, but I don't know you."
Lu Xing continuously sized Fu Qian up with his eyes. He was clearly very wary, keeping his hand on the door to prevent Fu Qian from entering.
"I'm not here for you."
Fu Qian shook his head and peered inside.
"Geng Yue arranged to meet me here. Where is she?"
...
Almost instantly, Fu Qian noticed Lu Xing's knuckles turning white against the door.
"Who are you?"
Lu Xing's features contorted as he gritted his teeth and glared at Fu Qian.
"That's not right, this is the time she told me."
Fu Qian frowned in confusion, seemingly completely oblivious to Lu Xing's gnashing teeth.
"My name is Qin Mingze. Didn't Geng Yue mention I'd be coming over today?"
"No. What do you want with her?"
Lu Xing asked stiffly.
"Private matter. Can I wait inside?"
...
"Sure, come in."
Whether it was the counter-effect of reaching peak anger or not, Lu Xing's tone had calmed down as he slowly pulled the door open.
"Roughly what time will Geng Yue be back?"
Fu Qian squeezed his way in without any politeness, sat on the sofa, and asked.
"Not sure. Just wait a bit."
Lu Xing's voice rang out coldly from behind.
"What is your relationship with Geng Yue?"
"Relationship? Well, that's a bit complicated to explain!"
Fu Qian answered very honestly, and as he spoke, he reached out and caught something.
He opened his palm to reveal a small crossbow bolt, its tip glinting with an eerie cold light.
This thing had just been aimed right at the center of his back, fired under the cover of his own voice. It was very tricky.
"Your way of treating guests is quite unique!"
Fu Qian turned to look at Lu Xing.
"As expected, you aren't a normal person either."
Lu Xing no longer possessed his previous calm demeanor; his eyes were bloodshot and his expression was savage.
"I should have known earlier. That bitch really can't change her ways!"
Lu Xing sneered.
"You think you're fine just because it missed? Look at your hand."
Fu Qian looked down and found that the cold-gleaming arrowhead was actually completely covered in overlapping patterns.
These black patterns seemed alive. Unbeknownst to him, they had already crawled onto his skin and were spreading outwards at an exponential rate.
In just this short moment, they had already covered his entire right hand.
Wherever the patterns spread, the skin visibly lost its luster, turning into cold, dead matter.
"Interesting. Where did you learn this?"
"You're actually worried about that at a time like this?"
Lu Xing froze for a second before letting out a shrill laugh.
"Is the only thought in the heads of you people how to become stronger? Aside from that, do you have no human reasoning left at all?"
"What a pity. I am not like you. These things are priceless treasures to you, but to me, they are a Curse!"
"From childhood to adulthood, these things appeared in every single one of my dreams. Every time I close my eyes, I see them."
"One day, on a whim, I drew these things out and intuitively combined and connected them, discovering they produced eerie effects. This made me realize my own difference even more."
"But this wasn't what I wanted. I just wanted to live a normal person's life. I didn't want my lover to think I was a monster!"
"Oh, but you didn't expect your lover to actually like monsters, did you?"
Fu Qian's words nearly made Lu Xing choke on his own breath.
"Stubborn to the death. Let me tell you your fate. Your body will turn stiff inch by inch, your breathing will be paralyzed, and your body will rot from the outside in, finally turning into a pile of ashes in agony. Understand?"
"The whole process won't take long, just ten minutes. But believe me, it will be the longest ten minutes of your life. Enjoy it, Qin Mingze!"
"Understood."
Fu Qian let out a breath.
"Now, can you tell me roughly when Geng Yue will be back?"
The black patterns on Fu Qian had almost covered half his body, but he acted as if he hadn't noticed. Instead, he asked with a voice that was already slightly slurred.
Hahaha!
Fu Qian's question made Lu Xing pause for a few seconds before he burst into loud laughter.
"You definitely won't be able to wait that long. But don't worry, in another half hour, you'll see that woman."
"If you're lucky, maybe there will be others."
In another half hour... Fu Qian's brow furrowed.
Lu Xing was undoubtedly talking about the time the thing on Geng Yue's neck would activate.
Didn't this mean Geng Yue wasn't supposed to die the moment he entered?
It wasn't that the talisman failed to activate on time; it had activated early last time.
Fu Qian looked at the clock on the wall. It had only been twenty-some minutes since he left the restaurant.
The time Lu Xing originally set should have been around an hour after he entered the restaurant.
This also explained why he didn't look particularly panicked when he saw a stranger like him just now.
In Lu Xing's mind, Geng Yue definitely wasn't dead yet, so he would never suspect something like the Night Watchers showing up at his door.
So ultimately, his entry into the Containment Scene last time was what caused the talisman on Geng Yue's neck to trigger early.
Why would there be such a change?
To confuse him!
A flash of insight struck Fu Qian, and an answer leaped into his mind.
He had come in to kill Omen.
The talisman activating early for some reason, causing a horrific bloody murder to happen right in front of him, was bound to attract his attention.
The key was that the murder pointed to someone whose whereabouts and behavior were both highly suspicious.
This was a reaction Omen had made specifically targeting him.
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