"This..."
Grep was made extrely uncomfortable by such high-density fear, instinctively reaching for the revolver in his pocket.
At the sa ti, a familiar notification sounded again.
"Rationality check in progress... You can choose to use the ability ’Third Eye’ to peek at the chauffeur’s true face, which, if successful, will increase the difficulty of the rationality check.
If you can still pass the check, you will receive a ’special reward’.
Failure will result in double the loss of fear and you will also be taken to a dangerous area by the chauffeur."
Previously, Grep would never take such a risk; playing it safe was his style. However, the series of events that had just unfolded had already shattered his heart realm, demolishing the joy he took in playing this actors’ ga.
"It’s really uncomfortable; this performance is not just a test of acting anymore. It’s slightly nauseating!
I might as well stop playing this ga; even if my fear is completely drained, I can just go to William afterward and forcefully take it back."
Empowered by the drunkenness from half a bottle of whiskey on an empty stomach, Grep boldly opened his Third Eye, using the rear-view mirror to glimpse at the chauffeur’s true face.
Ashes fell, landing on the chauffeur’s faceless visage.
The smooth, egg-like surface of his skin was scorched by the ashes, revealing the true face underneath,
a layer upon layer of red flesh pits,
each layer embedded with dense fangs,
within which writhed chaotic, shapeless brain strands,
the brain strands lifted, reaching out of the face, and slowly growing towards the backseat, clustering around Grep’s face.
The latter sat steadily in his seat, his revolver already cocked, ready to blow the chauffeur’s head off at any mont.
Grep stared with wide eyes the whole ti, letting these brain strands scrape against the surface of his eyeballs, filled with rage, he suppressed his fear down to nothingness with the help of alcohol, utterly resolute.
"Check passed with great success! You dared to look directly at the chauffeur’s true face, to face the indescribable abyss of red flesh, and your courage has broken through the cage of fear, earning recognition from the chaos.
The chauffeur has beco your servant and will serve you for the remainder of the ga."
The brain strands withdrew, floating only within the interior of the face.
"Mr. 71, your courage is indeed inspiring! Should you have any requests from now on, feel free to make them. However, my body is bound to this car and cannot leave the vehicle."
"Take to my destination first."
"Yes."
The unexpected success of the check surprised Grep, reviving a bit of his interest, and he decided to continue playing the ga.
Raindrops pattered against the window, and Grep looked out at the gloomy, gray streets, where many people or things in sight were obviously not right.
Then he shifted his gaze back to the chauffeur.
"Whom were you serving before you encountered ?"
"Of course, I was serving myself. I am just a taxi driver; once a passenger gets in, they have to pay. However, what kind of ’fee’ they must pay is up to . If they are unwilling to pay, I will take them to a desolate place, where they will be forced to pay."
"How did you beco like this?"
"Are you referring to my face? Perhaps it’s due to my idle thoughts... After all, living in such a hopeless city, earning hard-earned money every day, first, a portion is taken by the company, then the rest has to go for my son’s treatnt.
In the end, my son still died, and his mother followed him soon after.
When I heard this news in my car, I didn’t go to the hospital, I didn’t go to claim the body but continued driving, non-stop, until my face beca like this, until my body rged with the car.
It was then I realized, I had already beco a part of this city, needing to continue serving it."
"You are the first passenger who isn’t afraid of and dares to look in the eye, willing to continue using my driving service. Therefore, I’m willing to help you through the current difficulty."
"Thank you."
"The Romman Street you want to go to has seen frequent incidents lately, so you must be careful! If you encounter any danger, please call imdiately and stand by the edge of the street, I’ll pick you up right away."
With that, a business card was handed over.
Grep didn’t quite understand what ’making a phone call’ ant, but to stay in character, he didn’t ask.
Looking at the number on the card, he also rembered that there seed to be a device in his pocket with corresponding nuric keys. He took out the brick-like tal object and pressed the numbers in sequence,
and a sharp ringtone sounded inside the taxi.
Grep was enlightened; he hadn’t expected such a convenient object to exist and now speculated with high probability that the person behind this was likely associated with William.
As the taxi turned into an alley, the view outside the window shifted from a steel jungle to an open vista of villas. But the crowd on the street had thinned out too, with hardly a soul in sight for hundreds of ters.
Finally, the taxi stopped in front of a villa, whose wrought iron gate covered in vegetation distinctly bore a tal plate—"Romman Street No. 07A."
Looking through the car window,
the villa, weathered by years of rain, seed dilapidated, and it vaguely felt like sothing was watching from behind the gap in the curtain of a bedroom window on the second floor.
Since it was an act and he, as a detective, had taken on the assignnt, it was natural to go and take a closer look at the situation.
Just as Grep was about to get out of the car, the driver pulled a brand-new bottle of whisky from the car’s refrigerator.
"That bottle in your hand was empty when you got in, Mr. 71~ If you’re not using it to knock soone’s head, it’s best to switch to a new one."
"How much?"
"It’s on the house, but I must remind you not to drink excessively, as it would affect your health."
As Grep walked down the street, the taxi behind him instantly accelerated and disappeared in less than three seconds.
When Grep turned his head to look, he found that it wasn’t just the tires driving the taxi; under the chassis, there were several bizarre human legs running at high speed.
"Interesting... I wonder if there will be a ’big success’ later. That would make things more intriguing."
When Grep turned his head back to re-examine the villa, the sensation of being watched from the second floor was more direct—he could even confirm that there was indeed a person standing behind the curtain.
Grep didn’t look up, to avoid triggering any dangerous incidents.
As he pressed the front gate bell, the villa’s master erged with an umbrella, suspiciously holding it too low, completely obscuring the face.
Considering previous experiences, Grep deliberately stepped back two steps away from the front gate to avoid the mont the umbrella was raised, revealing a visage that was not human at all.
The master of the villa quickly approached the front gate, unlocked it, and gestured under the umbrella for Grep, who was standing by the roadside, to hurry over.
Throughout, the face remained unseen.
"I didn’t expect the three-eyed detective to really co here, I’m truly grateful... co inside quickly, I already have breakfast prepared for you, as I suspect you haven’t eaten yet."
Grep was unmoved, "May I see your face, sir? After all, there have been many strange incidents in the city lately, and this is our first eting."
"We’ve t before, oh, but since it’s detective sir’s request."
The umbrella lifted,
revealing a sowhat rugged but handso face,
"Wil..." Grep instinctively wanted to shout out the na, but imdiately realized he was in the middle of an act, "Mr. Ferenc Eaton, it seems we have indeed t before."
"See? Hurry in then, little grape!"
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