A Memory to Last a Lifetime. (Continued)

"Uncle Big Potato..."

"It's so late, you should be asleep, little musician Tessi."

The man the girl called "Big Potato" was short and round.

While his height might be considered average among Durin's, his physique far exceeded the average.

The thick limbs may look bulky, but beneath that fat lies muscle built up through daily exercise.

The strange leather jacket he wore contained all sorts of carpentry tools, yet it made no sound as he walked, and the gap formed by one of the pockets resembled the occasional undulations on a potato.

That's why he's called Big Potato.

"But... I want to do something for everyone."

Little Tessi clearly knew he probably wouldn't be able to continue running today, and he helplessly pursed his lips, trying to make one last attempt.

But the man shook his head slightly.

"No, my little musician, look at you, your fingers are all purple."

The man with the Big Potato still stood in the shadows, his words were firm, but he made no corresponding move.

The girl stubbornly pouted.

"I'm doing alright, Uncle Big Potato..."

"Be good, little Tessi."

The man called "Big Potato" spoke in a slightly stern tone, which made Little Tessi a little intimidated.

For a group of Cautus's who only like stability, even a stern tone would make them uneasy.

The same applies to Tessi.

Although she still wanted to finish playing the last piece, she noticed the man's stiff face and felt a little scared.

After considering it for a moment, she also lowered her head dejectedly.

"Okay, Uncle Big Potato."

"That's more like it, that's how an obedient little musician should be."

The Big Potato man's tone softened slightly, and he didn't sound so harsh anymore.

"Come here, little Tessi, I'll take you home."

The man then waved to Tessi again.

Tessi took two steps forward, just about to get closer to the other person, when she suddenly jumped back in fright.

My ears were pounding.

"Uncle Big Potato, why do you look so pale?"

Tessi asked with some concern.

After a moment of silence, the man put on a smile again.

"What are you talking about, my little musician Tessi... aren't I just like that?"

As the man spoke, he also took a small step forward.

But the stiff movements were quite alarming, especially since Tessi realized that the other person's knees didn't bend at all when they were in action... The stiff movements were not like those of a living person.

This made Tessi somewhat uneasy.

But soon, she noticed the problem in the other person's words.

"Uncle Big Potato... how... do you know my name?"

The girl took a few steps back warily.

In the Cautus family, nicknames also represented names.

And the real name is like a nickname or pet name.

When people communicate normally, do they call each other by their given name and nickname together?

One or two times might be taken as a joke, but the other party has brought it up repeatedly several times...

This forced the girl to re-evaluate the man in front of her.

Besides, the girl didn't have much interaction with the man to begin with. He knew she was a young musician, but it was unlikely he knew her name was Tessi.

The potato uncle in front of me... something's not right!

The girl cautiously took a few steps back, as if trying to escape.

But clearly, her intentions were completely impossible to hide from the man before her.

After a brief silence, the man suddenly attacked, abruptly reaching out his hand!

Tessi tried to call for help while running.

But she clearly underestimated men's dexterity.

The round-looking body appeared behind the girl almost instantly and grabbed her neck.

The moment her mouth opened slightly, that rough, textured hand suddenly covered it.

But what made the girl's eyes widen and her face fill with terror was not that she had been caught.

Rather, it was because she sensed that the other person was covering their mouth, as if they were wearing an ill-fitting glove.

She could clearly feel the texture of the gloves and the skeletal feel of her hand inside.

It's like...

At this moment, Uncle Potato looks as if someone is 'wearing' him on the outside!

This discovery made the girl's eyes widen in disbelief.

She looked up in alarm, hoping this was just her overthinking from listening to too many horror stories lately.

But when she actually saw the wrinkled, even bloodstained skin, and the 'skin' coat, and the piercing, malicious, and greedy eyes staring into it, she felt a sudden sinking feeling in her heart.

Her body almost instantly froze; she could no longer feel any connection between her body and brain, she could no longer feel the suffocating sensation of being trapped, and she could no longer feel the strange sensations brought about by that bizarre contact.

All she could feel now was... a sense of bewilderment and helplessness welling up inside her.

But such emotions only lasted a moment before she suppressed them.

Her little brain seemed to have suddenly grown by leaps and bounds, and she quickly made a judgment.

This is an enemy invasion... I must warn everyone!

She struggled, trying to sense her own body.

At that moment, she realized that she was still holding the violin that hadn't been thrown away.

The violin also has beautiful patterns and a signature... as well as simple line drawings of her parents and herself that she drew herself.

The hesitation only lasted a moment before the girl suddenly came to her senses.

As if she had made a decision, she forcefully threw away her bound hands!

"Bang!"

The violin slammed against the wall, making an unpleasant noise.

Soon, some of the lighter sleepers, or those who weren't asleep at all, who were listening to the girl playing the violin, realized something was wrong.

They peeked out and looked down into the street, trying to figure out what was going on.

Unfortunately, after observing for a while, they found the clean streets completely empty.

Did you mishear me?

The few Caster living on the second floor exchanged glances and shook their heads slightly.

After calling out to the girl again, he sensed that something was wrong.

But just then, in the dark alley, the voice of that Uncle Potato rang out again.

"It's alright, everyone take a rest. The little musician just fell, but it's nothing serious."

"I see..."

The Caster nodded slightly... Their trust in their 'family' made them appear incredibly united, but it was also this trust that made them blind.

After all... how could 'family' harm me?

After a few pauses, the Caster gradually went back to rest, and none of them even called out to Tessi to check if the girl was safe.

This made the girl in the alley, whose mouth was being covered by the man, look even more gloomy.

It's over...

"That was really close..."

After confirming that everyone had returned, the man slowly began to speak.

His deep tone carried a hint of mockery.

"I'd always heard that you Caster weren't very good at fighting, but I didn't expect you guys to be so quick-witted... You almost gave yourselves away."

The man laughed, and with his free hand, he grabbed the girl's ears. His hand, sticky and stained with blood or something else, quickly checked them before chuckling softly.

"However... it's worth it, considering their defenses are getting tighter and tighter, making it increasingly difficult to find suitable targets... But I was really lucky to run into you..."

As the man spoke, his fingers slid across the girl's neck, then he gently pinched her neck.

With both hands exerting force simultaneously, the girl's neck gradually twisted.

Unfortunately, relying solely on the strength of her neck, the girl clearly couldn't possibly contend with her opponent.

She could feel her neck twisting step by step with the force, gradually approaching her limit.

She had become aware of a deadly threat, and her struggle intensified.

However, compared to the obviously unusual man, her struggles seemed laughable.

As the force was applied more and more, her breathing became increasingly difficult, and her complexion grew increasingly pale.

A slight cracking sound came from the bones in his neck, as if foreshadowing something.

The other party didn't seem to be in a hurry to kill the girl; he just chuckled and slowly enjoyed the painful sight of her struggling helplessly as he twisted her neck.

The more the girl struggled, the gentler his movements became.

Before pushing the other person to their limit, he would keep applying pressure, occasionally pausing for a moment or two to watch them struggle desperately for hope.

That's really interesting.

And Tessi was indeed struggling.

She relentlessly fought against the man's strength, trying to find a chance to save herself.

Unfortunately, this chance to save her seemed rather distant for the girl.

Even though she had exerted all her strength, she still felt that the man's hands controlling her neck and head were like two ancient rocks. The more she resisted, the more she could feel the pain brought by the force returning to her.

What's even more distressing is that every time she exhausted herself and wanted to catch her breath, the arm would tighten its grip again, trying to snap her neck.

This forced her to pull herself together and fight back against it once again.

But despair was gradually etched onto her face.

"Although I'd love to see how long you can hold out, it's not safe here anyway, so let's leave as soon as possible."

After playing for a while, the man also looked around.

Although he was confident that he had handled the guarding situation well,... anything can happen, and it's best not to be too playful about these things.

Thinking of this, his smile gradually faded. He silently rested the girl's head against his chest, his hands still holding her neck and head, and closed his eyes, his face full of piety.

"May your pitiful soul find peace in this sacred place..."

He spoke in a calm and gentle tone, his dignified posture as if he were performing a sacred prayer.

However, his actions were completely different from the temperament he exuded.

The arm, exerting constant force, could snap the girl's slender neck at any moment...

Then...

"Thud..."