“I’ve had enough of this!”
Lucas never wanted to beg Su Fan for help in the first place, and this comment pushed him over the edge, his face flushing red with anger.
“Haley, you guys can stay here and keep begging him! I can’t stand this anymore!”
After throwing out these words, Lucas stormed out of the antique shop.
“Lucas!”
Seeing her crush leave, Madeline immediately followed to comfort him.
Haley could only shake her head helplessly.
Although Su Fan’s words were harsh, he was clearly trying to convey a message to them.
A smart person might be able to escape the ensuing misfortune and save their own life.
But Lucas wouldn’t listen.
She would just have to relay the crucial information to him later.
But the problem was, how could they possibly gain the shop owner’s help?
Haley already had an idea.
Her mother had once taught her:
If you want to be slick, you have to be smart. But if you’re not smart enough, then sincerity and humility are the qualities you should have.
“We deeply regret not heeding your advice earlier.”
“We hope you can forgive our ignorance and guide us.”
“Please name your price. We will do anything within our power to prove our sincerity.”
“We don’t want to die…”
Her expression was genuine, her tone sincere and full of apology.
Without any beating around the bush, she stated their most fundamental desire.
Because Haley knew that being hesitant and putting on airs would only invite his disgust.
Su Fan looked at her, saying nothing.
A long silence fell over the antique shop.
Time ticked by, and just as anxiety began to gnaw at them, a soft laugh broke the quiet.
“Well, you’re not without redeeming qualities.”
Haley and the others were stunned for a moment, then surprise and hope flashed in their eyes!
“Thank you so much!”
“Having the money ready is more useful than anything you could say,” Su Fan said coolly.
“Do you have any materials on the Tarot cards and the death case? Show me.”
“We do!”
The chubby Paxton excitedly pulled a laptop from his backpack.
“After we left, I contacted the detective again, got more details about the case, and organized them.”
“Paxton? When did you do that?”
“Uh… When I went home, I talked to my dad. He told me to do it.”
As he spoke, the chubby boy opened the files.
“His first suggestion was also for me to come find the shop owner.”
While talking, he had already opened documents and presentation files filled with information.
Su Fan looked them over carefully.
Although it counted as a careful review for him, to others it seemed like speed-reading at an incredible pace.
In moments, Su Fan looked up.
“Did you bring the Tarot cards?”
“No.”
Haley answered, then quickly added.
“I tried to destroy them at home, but even throwing them into a fire didn’t damage them.”
“I thought carrying them was too dangerous, so I sealed them up and hid them in the club room where we often meet.”
“Most people don’t go there.”
Haley’s approach wasn’t unreasonable, so Su Fan didn’t comment further.
“Earlier in the materials, it mentioned the readings you did for everyone and the results.”
“Do you still remember Elise’s card now?”
“I remember… Her card was The High Priestess, representing…”
Even though she had performed the reading herself, Haley could only recall the gist.
“This means that because of her strong curiosity, she may enter the unknown and, if she doesn’t watch her step, may bring about her destruction.”
“Elise’s death occurred in the hallway outside the dorm room, directly below the attic. The coroner’s report listed a heavy blow from a ladder, but there were also signs of a fall.”
He looked at Paige and continued.
“You also said that before the incident, Elise told you it seemed like someone was playfully knocking on the door.”
“But that wasn’t a human prank; it was a haunting.”
Having heard this much, Haley and the others immediately understood.
“This manner of death…”
“Just as you’re thinking, the Tarot cards claim lives based on the cards you drew.”
“Forgotten? You said that Lucas guy would have a change in wealth, and he won a scratch-off ticket.”
Su Fan’s unhurried explanation seemed to grip their hearts, making it hard for them to breathe.
“During the day, you’re fine, but she died at night when she was alone.”
“This proves the spirit attached to the cards isn’t overwhelmingly powerful. It can only act late at night when it’s quiet and the victim is isolated.”
Hearing this, they all felt somewhat relieved.
“Wait, have you forgotten about Lucas and Madeline…”
The chubby boy suddenly spoke up, the fat on his face trembling with fear.
“It’s already night.”
Hearing this, their expressions changed instantly.
Grant immediately moved to rush out the door, but heard Su Fan’s leisurely voice from behind.
“Save your breath. It’s already too late.”
——————
“I’ll leave you here. Bye.”
“Bye…”
After waving goodbye to Madeline, Lucas started his journey home.
His mood had improved considerably thanks to his crush’s continuous comfort.
Pouring their hearts out to each other had rapidly deepened their feelings.
The dopamine from romance made him forget the earlier unpleasantness, and he walked briskly towards the subway entrance.
But just then, a strange, low growl came from behind him.
Lucas spun around but saw nothing.
Only the swaying shadows of trees under the streetlights…
The eerie scene made him uneasy, and he quickened his pace.
He was the only one walking in the wide passageway.
The bright lights suddenly began to flicker…
In the silent corridor, the sound of footsteps grew faster, and faster!
Haley’s explanation during the Tarot reading, the dark and terrifying hand-drawn Tarot images, and the detective’s words kept resurfacing before his eyes and echoing in his ears…
As he passed a corner, he stopped.
At the far end of the passage ahead, a strange black shadow holding a lantern was walking towards him, step by step!
At that moment, Lucas’s hair stood on end.
He didn’t need to ask or see clearly what it was. A bone-chilling cold and sense of evil had already triggered his survival instinct!
Lucas turned and ran back the way he came, but saw the lights that were once lit were now extinguishing rapidly, one by one.
Darkness surged forward as the light vanished, like a giant beast opening its abyssal maw to swallow him whole!
With both paths blocked, Lucas could only run towards the flashing red warning light.
Ignoring the danger warning, he pulled the door open, rushed inside, and locked it tightly behind him!
Turning around, he seemed to have entered an abandoned train depot.
The lights flickered, on and off. The dark ghostly figure holding the yellow lantern appeared before him again and rushed towards him rapidly!
In his panic, he instinctively looked for a place to hide, dashing towards a derelict train car not far away. But a train roaring past smashed into him, shattering his upper body…
“The Hermit’s lantern will lead you down the wrong path…”
