Chapter 661: Chapter 659: The Old Path (19)_1 Chapter 661: Chapter 659: The Old Path (19)_1 “No need to thank me, I just got carried away with the joke.”
Facing Fran’s serious thanks, Fu Qian responded with a smile, using the other person’s line.
In less than half a minute, the intense tension from a moment ago dissipated into thin air, and the atmosphere was completely harmonious.
And it was obvious, Fran didn’t quite believe his explanation about the joke.
But similarly, Fran also chose not to dwell on it very rationally.
It wasn’t until then that she lowered her head and stepped out from the menacing torture device.
“It seems Jessica really isn’t here.”
The next moment Fran sighed deeply.
“Actually, I should have realized it earlier.”
“Even if she hadn’t met with an accident, and her actions weren’t restricted, the chances of her returning were still extremely slim.”
“Looking back now, my insistence on coming up here was quite irrational, merely to satisfy a bit of obsession.”
“These days, it’s rare to find someone as sincere and self-aware as you! But I’m more interested in how you’re feeling right now, what are you feeling?”
Fu Qian did not object to Fran’s deep reflection, only watched her with great interest.
“You seem a little different from before.”
“Different? I feel quite good actually.”
Fran frowned slightly at this.
“But you’re right, there does seem to be some change.”
The next moment she pondered thoughtfully.
“It seemed to start just a while ago. I was extremely scared while locked in there, but then suddenly my mood became extraordinarily calm, and the fear just vanished.”
“Now that I think about it, it is indeed a strange change.”
“Anything else?”
Fu Qian listened attentively, then asked.
“Anything else… what do you mean?”
Fran looked a bit bewildered.
“What’s in the room next door?”
Fu Qian pointed towards the wall, suddenly asking.
“Nothing, just a few rusty swords, why do you ask?”
“The room next door is locked.”
Fu Qian then pointed to his head.
“How do you know what’s inside?”
…
After a prolonged silence in the air, Fran finally spoke.
“It’s indeed strange, but I don’t know why I would know that.”
“It’s like a lot of information just appeared in my mind all at once.”
“Even though I haven’t been inside, I can even clearly recall the scene from the next room.”
For the time being, there doesn’t seem to be Laxik’s self-awareness.
What she has inherited seems to be the information accumulated from extensive experiences of reincarnation, as well as a thoroughly tempered psychological strength.
Facing Fran’s response, Fu Qian made a silent judgment.
“Understood, then think again, is there anything else interesting about this place?”
Er…
Fran frowned in thought again and eventually shook her head.
“This place is nothing more than a decayed and dilapidated old mansion; I can’t think of anything of value here.”
“However, one thing is certain, the path leading down the mountain is not the only one; the underground structure here is very complex.”
The complex underground structure… Fu Qian suddenly thought of the several people currently missing.
At the same time, a series of scenarios easily surfaced in his mind–
The family life was not very harmonious, and even Harold, who did not dare to inquire about his wife’s whereabouts, reached a breaking point in a moment of long-suppressed extreme stress, followed by strange changes occurring in his mind.
The fear and cowardice in his heart vanished, and a plan formed rapidly, ending with him taking down his wife.
The thing used to take her down was probably similar to what was later found on his neck, some type of intoxicating drug.
Afterward, he put on his wife’s clothes and a hat, took the victim with him in the car, and created the illusion that his wife had gone out by herself.
Given his small stature, this was not difficult to achieve.
Upon reaching the mountain top, he first drove the car into a fork in the road, then brought his wife to a secluded corner with limited visibility, and placed a hat on her.
Finally, when an unfortunate soul happened to drive by, the dazed Mrs. Harrold was pushed out into the path.
If timing was right, it would have been a perfect accident, and all he needed to do afterward was to safely return home undetected.
However, unexpectedly, Lei, the chosen scapegoat who happened to be driving, had an intense emotional outburst under the unforeseen circumstances, leading to a sudden stroke of “Transcendence”.
There was no bizarre twist where the victim vanished on her own. After Mrs. Harrold fell, Lei began to handle the scene with superhuman calmness and execution.
First, he demanded that Kateman and Jessica keep the matter secret, then, guided by sudden insights in his mind, he took Mrs. Harrold alone into the dense woods.
And relying on a complex network of passageways unknown to ordinary people, he not only easily hid the body, but also had the energy to create misdirection.
Later, he even found Mrs. Harrold’s car and, after dealing with it, created the illusion of an attack.
The whole process was akin to that of a professional assassin.
As for why the car was searched in such an excessive manner–
Drugs?
Fu Qian quickly thought of an answer.
The accident arranged by Harold, if it were to avoid suspicion, had to clearly explain why, after driving to a dead-end-road, Mrs. Harrold didn’t turn the car around but instead got out and walked down the mountain on foot.
This behavior looked abnormal no matter how one saw it.
Therefore, it was likely that some kind of drug was placed in her car to prove her disorientation, thus making the accident seem reasonable.
After Lei found this substance, realizing it was a detrimental factor, he not only took it away but also deliberately created chaos at the scene.
By then, Harold, realizing things were not going as planned, had no other choice but to continue with the original plan, sneaking back home and timely reporting the disappearance.
Thus far, a brown case, full of mystery and unpredictability, had emerged.
“I’m sorry for making you come up here with me, indulging in this irrational obsession.”
Fran had no idea that Fu Qian had thought so much in an instant, he just sighed at this moment.
“Thinking back now, this series of events is indeed strange and eerie.”
“Let’s go back for safety considerations.”
She had indeed become much more rational.
Facing Fran’s suggestion, Fu Qian silently gave his assessment in his mind.
In fact, Fu Qian wasn’t very interested in the fate of the three people currently missing.
His task was very clear, which was to find a way to escape the cycle of reincarnation.
In fact, just as the task updated, a countdown appeared in Fu Qian’s view, and there were only a few hours left.
It was entirely reasonable to believe that, when the countdown ended, a new cycle would begin.
This meant that in a few hours, it was very likely that he would be reborn, starting anew as a vacationing student.
So, the key now was to figure out why Laxik didn’t succeed and what the method to end it all was.
In repeated cycles, Laxik must have tried various methods, which was evident from his accumulated experience.
What Fu Qian needed to do was find a blind spot that Laxik had never realized.