Chapter 250: A Face Full of the World’s Malice
Mrs. Cain’s desperate rush for the door came to a sudden halt, and everyone in the room turned their gazes back to Arabella Donovan.
The intense scrutiny made Arabella shiver involuntarily.
’Seriously, why is everyone looking at me like that? I was just asking offhandedly.’
Caspian Rhodes: ’...’ ’I’d bet anything that was far from just an offhand question!’
Mrs. Cain could vent her emotions at her husband without a second thought, but she didn’t dare shout at the one person who could help her child, Master Donovan.
After forcing herself to calm down, Mrs. Cain finally answered in a hoarse voice, "His brother’s son is named Terence Lewis."
"How old is he this year?"
"Seventeen. He’ll be eighteen after the New Year."
"He attends Norcapital Preparatory Academy No. 1?"
"How did you know that?"
Arabella’s expression was deadpan.
’Because I have the script, of course! But is this world getting totally messed up? They’re even letting this kind of thing pop up.’
Caspian’s eyes grew sharp, and his heart clenched in anticipation.
As it turned out, the story connected to this Terence Lewis was an infinite-flow horror novel.
The "infinite flow" genre involved pulling people from the real world into alternate worlds or pocket dimensions. In these realms, individuals had to rely on their wits, talents, and unique skills for extreme survival. A single careless misstep could result in death, trapping them in that otherworldly space, unable to ever return to reality.
Arabella actually disliked this type of novel. They often featured frank and graphic depictions of bloody scenes where ordinary, less-capable people would be instantly killed for carelessly triggering a specific NPC’s storyline. This served to highlight the myriad crises of the other worlds and the precariousness of the protagonists’ situation, as if they were treading on thin ice.
Moreover, the portrayal of human nature was often oppressive and heavy, making one fully appreciate the saying, "The most terrifying thing in this world isn’t ghosts or gods, but the inscrutable, terrifying human heart."
But out of an abundance of caution, she had still made an effort to skim through books of this genre, memorizing the characters and general plot points to cross-reference with reality, ensuring no fish slipped through the net.
Terence Lewis’s appearance now undoubtedly confirmed the foresight of Arabella’s efforts.
The infinite-flow horror novel Terence Lewis belonged to was quite memorable for Arabella—not because it was particularly brilliant, but because the author had suddenly decided to take their frustrations out on the readers.
The main party, after enduring countless hardships and paying a terrible price, finally returned to reality. They never expected, however, that this so-called reality was merely the final world they had to clear. In a desperate bid for survival, companions who once trusted each other with their lives suddenly began to doubt and guard against one another. It ended in a total party kill. Not a single person was left alive, resulting in a Bad End written in all caps.
Arabella Donovan: ’...’ ’A face full of the world’s malice.’
Caspian Rhodes: ’...’ ’Wow. That really is cruel!’
Terence Lewis wasn’t the protagonist in the book, but he was a member of the main party—the youngest of the group. He was about eighteen when he first joined, and not yet twenty when he finally died.
The only reason he could secure a place for himself at such a young age on a team brimming with talent was because he was accompanied by a Wisp he had grown up with and was supposedly very close to.
Because of its presence, Terence Lewis was born with the ability to see things others couldn’t and was more sensitive to non-human entities than ordinary people.
Because of this advantage, Terence Lewis helped the main party evade danger on multiple occasions and, as a matter of course, became the beloved youngest member of the group.
Arabella hadn’t thought much of it when she read the novel before, but now that she knew the true relationship between this so-called Wisp and Terence Lewis, she found it a little hard to stomach.
’I know these kinds of stories are usually told from the protagonists’ point of view and get a bit of cosmetic gloss, but I really can’t stomach this one. An "extremely close relationship"? Is that what you call stealing someone’s destiny, getting their parents killed, seizing their family’s assets, and wiping out their entire family? You’d be truly cursed to have a relative like that!’
Caspian Rhodes: ’...’ ’Tell me about it.’
Arabella closed her eyes and mused for a moment, barely managing to suppress the scathing remarks that threatened to spill out.
"If it really is him, then what you’re looking for is most likely not far from his side. If you really don’t know where to begin your search, you can focus on watching him. You might get an unexpected discovery very soon."
The implication of Arabella’s words was self-evident. Ms. Cain let out a cold laugh, tinged with no small amount of derision.
Mr. Lewis’s face turned as black as the bottom of a wok, and the last shred of hope that the boy might be innocent was finally and utterly extinguished.
"I understand. Thank you, Master Donovan. Once we find my poor child, we hope you will still be generous with your help." As she spoke, Mrs. Cain pressed a bank card into Arabella’s hand.
Arabella Donovan: ’...’ ’I’m used to this.’
Having been subjected to numerous displays of wealth and baptized by massive sums of money, Arabella could now accept such "small" payments without batting an eye. She even remembered to give the pair some final instructions.
"Once you find what you’re looking for, just come straight to me. Miss Kerr knows where I live."
Ms. Cain breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Arabella accept it, nodding hurriedly.
"Try to be as discreet and cautious as possible in your actions, to prevent them from getting desperate and destroying the child’s remains."
A shiver ran through Ms. Cain. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her, extinguishing her fiery rage. Blinded by anger, she had completely forgotten that possibility.
Her child’s remains were still in the hands of those animals. If she pushed them too far, it was entirely possible they would destroy the body to eliminate all evidence, leaving her with no proof of their crime.
The thought that all trace of her child might vanish from the world, and that the injustice and suffering he endured would go unanswered and unavenged, filled Ms. Cain with a bitter sorrow. But this time, no matter how pained or furious she was, she held onto a thread of composure, forcing herself to remain calm.
"Thank you for the reminder, Master Donovan. We know what to do. Please forgive our rudeness, but my husband and I have urgent matters to attend to, so we must take our leave. We’ve already paid for the meal. Please, if there’s anything else you’d like to eat or drink, feel free to keep ordering. It’s all on our tab."
Ms. Cain took a deep breath, her eyes filled with a mother’s resolute determination. "Once we’ve dealt with our family matters, we will treat you all to a proper meal to make amends. We hope you can forgive our earlier behavior and will grace us with your presence then."
Logically, since the couple was asking Arabella Donovan for a favor, it was incredibly rude of them to leave in the middle of the meal.
But having just heard their family’s tragic story, everyone understood why the two were so anxious to leave.
And so, hearing their words, no one in the private room tried to make them stay.
The couple had arrived in a rush, and they departed in just the same way.
The only difference was that they had arrived filled with apprehension, but they left radiating a menacing aura, looking as if they were sharpening their knives, eager to rush to a certain someone’s home and raise hell.