Inside the restaurant... When he heard Masahiro's question, the smile vanished from Lu Ren's face.
"Masahiro..."
"Why do you think I'm asking about this?"
Lu Ren asked the other party, subtly hinting at Masahiro.
"Could it be... curiosity?"
Masahiro asked, somewhat uncertain and puzzled.
On the other end of the phone, he was still typing, replying to his friends' messages.
"You're wrong..."
"Last night, six students went to the Old School Building."
"They're missing, and the police have sealed off the school."
"To assist with the investigation, the school has already decided to suspend classes for three days."
"Masahiro, are the messages really from your friends?"
Lu Ren asked a profound question in a low tone.
Splat!
The sound of a heavy object falling rang out, and the other end of the phone fell into a brief silence.
After a long pause, Masahiro's flustered voice rang out again, only this time with a hint of tremor.
"Ren-kun, you... you're not trying to scare me, are you?"
"This kind of joke isn't funny at all."
Masahiro was a little panicked.
This kind of thing is no laughing matter!
"Whether you believe it or not is your business."
"It's best if you stay home during this time and don't go anywhere."
Lu Ren sighed.
After leaving a few words of caution, he hung up the phone.
Suddenly... a system notification appeared before Lu Ren...
[Warm Reminder: You have triggered a hidden event!]
[Make a choice to receive generous rewards!]
[Event Introduction: Your friend Masahiro seems to have been targeted by something!]
[Option One: Do nothing. Reward: shining irregular triakis octahedron.]
[Option Two: Handle the crisis. Reward: Pet – Hounds of Tindalos.]
...Seeing the rewards provided by the system, Lu Ren was a little lost in thought.
shining irregular triakis octahedron.
Even an outsider like Lu Ren had heard its name more than once.
This was a magic item.
It was a source of misfortune and the root of disaster!
More precisely, it was the highest-tier summoning item, surpassing the human level!
And its only function was to ignore spatial rules and summon an Outer God!
The Crawling Chaos – Nyarlathotep!
...Besides the magic item for summoning an Outer God.
The other one... the monster labeled [Pet], was also infamous!
Hounds of Tindalos!
These were extradimensional beings that could freely travel through time and space!
They lived in time and fed on time travelers!
Once they encountered prey, they would hunt relentlessly, no matter the cost!
Crossing one time and space boundary after another until they killed their prey!
They were immortal monsters.
Their bizarre and terrifying bodies were like AI paintings!
Constantly changing, therefore unnamable!
To call such a terrifying group of forbidden beings: pets?
Just thinking about it sent shivers down one's spine, and even brought a hint of anticipation!
...Lu Ren crossed his arms, falling into deep thought.
He was contemplating this matter... Unlike before, these two rewards made him feel extremely hot to handle!
From a human perspective, he didn't want to get involved with an Outer God!
If he didn't handle it well!
What awaited Lu Ren would be a fate more terrifying than death!
...Just as Lu Ren was deep in thought, Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had left not long ago, returned to the restaurant.
She sat beside Lu Ren, her face filled with anxiety.
"Xiao Lu..."
"If it's you, can you handle this?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka asked, her words implying more than they said.
From her own selfish perspective, she didn't want Lu Ren to be involved in this matter.
"Easily."
Lu Ren answered without hesitation.
He had a shallow understanding of his own strength.
Ordinary Yokai, or evil spirits.
He could eliminate them with a snap of his fingers!
After hearing Lu Ren's answer, Hiratsuka Shizuka breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's like this..."
"The board of directors is preparing to hire Exorcists to solve this problem."
"If you're truly confident, I can recommend you."
Hiratsuka Shizuka smiled gently.
Compared to those mysterious individuals, she trusted Lu Ren more.
Because she had personally witnessed Lu Ren's strength.
If it was Lu Ren, he would surely be able to resolve it perfectly!
"As long as the price is reasonable, I will definitely help."
Lu Ren said with a faint smile.
The relationship between him and Hiratsuka Shizuka had nothing to do with the school.
Therefore... one thing at a time... on the matter of payment for labor, there was no room for personal favors.
"The board of directors is prepared to offer ten million to hire an Exorcist."
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Lu Ren, waiting for his response.
"Deposit?"
Lu Ren asked with a smile.
Although he was only sixteen, he was not foolish.
The missing persons cases in the Old School Building had happened more than once or twice.
The board of directors intended to demolish it, and two board members had even died tragically!
If... Lu Ren guessed correctly... the board members had already hired Exorcists long ago.
And... it wasn't just once or twice, which was why they suffered retaliation!
It was only after people died that they stopped such actions!
Now!
Six students mysteriously disappeared!
If such a serious case were to spread!
It would cause irreversible damage to the school's reputation!
Therefore!
To solve the trouble once and for all, the board of directors would surely offer a hefty reward!
Ten million... this amount was far from enough...