The Quartet Reappears

In the original plot, Kirsty was the next person chosen by the Hermit to open the box after Frank.

Wu Heng had assumed that by capturing the Blood Corpse early, he had saved Kirsty's father.

This meant the subsequent events—Kirsty going to the cabin to save her father, discovering Frank who had already been fed three living people by Julia, snatching the Puzzle Box from Frank during their struggle, and then being sent to the hospital after fainting, where she would open the box and summon the Cenobites—would not come to pass.

He had not expected that after the plot was altered, the Hermit would simply take the Puzzle Box away himself.

Wu Heng quickly placed the two hearts into a woven bag, locked them inside a suitcase, and stashed the suitcase in the attic.

He dared not carry these Cursed Disciple Cores to High Priest Pinhead; if he delivered them to his doorstep, Pinhead certainly wouldn't mind accepting them as well, so they had to stay here.

He tossed the remote-controlled bomb he had been carrying into the house.

All of this was completed within ten seconds.

Wu Heng sprinted outside, dove into his car, and ignited the engine.

Ignoring the traffic lights, he sped toward the villa on Second Avenue.

Driving with one hand, Wu Heng touched the photograph in his trench coat pocket to steady his nerves, then picked up his phone to notify all the detectives to block anyone from entering the cabin, including the owner, promising each of them an extra fifty thousand as a reward afterward.

Because Wu Heng had acted early to capture Frank before the plot could unfold, Kirsty had not seen Frank and thus did not yet know that her uncle had crawled back from hell.

If she were to open the Puzzle Box now, she would likely be dragged straight into hell.

As High Priest, Pinhead was extremely fastidious when it came to mortal souls.

The fact that Kirsty could dream of her father's predicament in the original plot proved her spiritual sensitivity was remarkably high; it was no wonder the Hermit had set his sights on her.

Wu Heng currently had no way to change the fact that the Hermit had targeted Kirsty.

Wu Heng arrived at the villa's front gate.

He reached out to open the door, but there was no reaction; he kicked it hard, yet the wooden door didn't budge.

The villa door was made of wood, and given Wu Heng's strength, a single kick should have shattered it, yet it remained completely unchanged.

Wu Heng glanced at the car in the yard, turned back to climb into his still-running vehicle, and floored the accelerator, driving straight into the villa door.

Thud!

The cabin remained as intact as before, while the car's hood crumpled and burst open upon impact.

Wu Heng was violently thrown against the steering wheel by the recoil, the airbag deploying; fortunately, as a Cursed Disciple, he was indifferent to such impact forces.

Inside the villa, Kirsty woke up to find milk and a burger on the table.

Her face beamed with happiness. After washing up and enjoying her breakfast, she carefully dressed and groomed herself, feeling delighted at the thought of seeing Wu Heng at the pet shop later.

After finishing her makeup, she stepped out.

She discovered a square, patterned Puzzle Box sitting on the table.

Kirsty didn't think much of it and picked up the box to examine it.

The box seemed to shimmer with starlight, possessing a magical allure that compelled one to look closer; she turned it over twice in her hands.

Half of the box suddenly protruded upward on its own, beginning to shift and transform.

Kirsty was startled and moved to press it back into place, but a jolt of electricity shocked her hand away.

The box continued to deform and rotate like a blooming flower, immediately erupting with a gray light.

The bedroom wall slowly cracked open, forming a dark, narrow passage—a long, shadowy tunnel that stretched into an endless void, filled with a chilling, ghostly aura.

Driven by curiosity, Kirsty slowly walked into the tunnel, which resembled an air-raid shelter.

Deep within the passage, the wails and screams of countless people echoed—the cries of infants and adults mingled together, chilling one to the bone.

Kirsty had walked several dozen meters when she suddenly saw a pitch-black shadow filling the tunnel in the faint darkness ahead.

The shadow was shaped like a silkworm cocoon, its upper two slender limbs braced against the walls of the tunnel to hold its body suspended, while the lower two limbs dangled naturally.

Kirsty took two steps closer, and the shadow began to move.

Only then did she see clearly that it was a monster resembling a skinned lizard, hanging upside down in the passage with a blood-red head the size of a table hanging below.

Kirsty turned and ran, the portal behind her beginning to close slowly as the monster roared and gave chase.

Fortunately, she hadn't ventured far into the passage; she dove back into the villa just before it sealed shut, leaving the monster blocked on the other side.

Kirsty grabbed the Puzzle Box in terror, twisting and slapping it, but nothing worked; the box continued to flicker with electricity.

The television on the wall suddenly turned on by itself, displaying static. The room flickered between light and dark, as if something were driving the light away.

Suddenly, a sound like a tolling bell rang out, and the room plunged into total darkness.

Blood welled up from the bottom of the glass of water on the table, filling it until it overflowed and spilled across the surface; the glass shattered, sending blood splattering everywhere.

Kirsty pulled with all her might to open the bedroom door, but it swung open in the opposite direction, revealing only darkness outside.

Standing in the doorway was Chatterer, his skin shriveled, his eyes missing, his exposed gums twitching incessantly.

He grabbed Kirsty by the throat, pinning her in place.

At the window inside the room, a bolt of lightning appeared, coalescing into the body of the High Priest, Pinhead.

Butterball's corpulent figure appeared alongside another burst of electricity, his tongue slowly licking his lips.

"Oh, no!"

"It means you summoned us."

Pinhead, the High Priest, spoke calmly and slowly.

"Who are you?"

Kirsty, bound and restrained, struggled in a panic as she asked.

"We are explorers in the Realm of Unknown Transmutation."

"Demons to some, angels to others."

The High Priest stood silently in place as he replied.

"This is just a misunderstanding. I... I didn't mean to open it."

"It's a mistake, please let me go. You can... go back to Hell."

Kirsty wept, speaking in a panic.

"No, we cannot leave without a harvest."

Deep Throat, with a hole torn through her throat, appeared from behind at some unknown moment, her voice emanating from the wound in her neck.

"You opened the box, so we have come."

"Now you must come with us and experience our pleasures."

"Please, do not weep! It is a waste of good suffering."

Pinhead finished slowly and prepared to command the chains.

Outside the door, Wu Heng stared at the undamaged wooden door, gritted his teeth, and realized he had no other choice.

He reached into the deep pocket of his trench coat and pulled out the Ice Crystal Ball he had been carrying with him.

"Hell has no sulfur or raging fire."

"Only the bitter cold!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a frigid wind howled and roared, and a blizzard raged with piercing intensity. The wind chased the snow, spiraling rapidly to form a storm that stirred the courtyard into a state of frantic unrest.

Seizing the opportunity, Wu Heng exerted his strength and gave a violent shove, successfully pushing the door open.

His deduction was correct; since the courtyard had opened a gateway to Hell, he could naturally enter the realm within the house.

The room was shrouded in gloom.

As the hall door opened, light streamed in through the threshold, yet it could only penetrate an inch, unable to disperse the darkness inside.

The Hell Priest of Ice had just manifested when he sensed the aura of Pinhead, the High Priest of Hell, and immediately slipped away without a sound, not even leaving a single snowflake behind.

The courtyard returned to normal.

Are you willing to trade your collection, monthly tickets, and recommendation votes for two wine glasses with me?