Edward stared intently at the phone, his mind racing as he tried to figure out where the mysterious person was hiding.
Just then, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a dark shadow wriggling behind the sofa in the side room.
Looking closer, he saw a butt swaying back and forth, as though someone were hiding there.
Edward immediately shouted, "You're behind the sofa in the side room!"
The voice on the other end paused, seemingly surprised, then said, "How did you know?"
Edward frowned and replied irritably, "Your butt is sticking out!"
"Hehehe, you guessed wrong!" the mysterious person cackled strangely.
At that instant, Edward keenly sensed a fierce presence behind him, as though a deadly sharp weapon were slicing through the air toward him at tremendous speed.
He instinctively rolled forward, then swiftly turned around and finally got a clear look at his attacker.
The person before him was wrapped tightly from head to toe in a black robe, as if he had emerged from the Abyss of darkness. He wore a ghostly mask with its mouth stretched open in a scream.
"Hmm...?" Edward nearly laughed. "Isn't this that guy from Scream?"
The mask was far too iconic. Even people who had never seen the original movie had probably seen it somewhere.
Edward remembered it especially well because he had watched Scary Movie. The parody's portrayal of it had left a deep impression on him.
In the brief instant Edward paused after recognizing his attacker, the ambusher seized the opportunity and violently hurled the kitchen knife in his hand.
A cold flash glinted as the knife shot toward Edward with vicious force.
Edward reacted quickly, instinctively tilting his head aside. The sharp kitchen knife howled past his cheek.
Almost at the same moment he dodged the knife, Edward swiftly raised the White Ivory Pistol in his hand and aimed in the attacker's direction.
However, when he looked again, the man in the Ghostface mask had already vanished around the corner, moving as swiftly as a ghost.
Edward grumbled inwardly, This guy's fighting skills really aren't worth praising, but his speed when it comes to running away is seriously unbelievable.
"Didn't you just say that if I found you, you'd let me hehe? I found you already, so come out and let me hehe!" Edward shouted into the empty room.
However, only dead silence answered him. This Ghostface clearly had no sense of honor.
Edward furrowed his brow. After thinking for a moment, he picked up the landline on the table and quickly called back the mysterious number.
In an instant, a crisp phone ringtone suddenly rang out from the second floor of the house.
"Found you!" Edward's eyes sharpened, and he strode toward the second floor without hesitation.
The moment he stepped onto the second floor, he heard a dull BANG. Ghostface was pinned firmly against the wall by Carrie's Telekinesis, unable to move.
Carrie's face was flushed red, veins bulging on her forehead. She was clearly using all her strength, and Ghostface looked as though he was about to be crushed even further.
"Carrie, it's okay. I'm here," Edward hurriedly said to reassure her.
Hearing Edward's voice, Carrie seemed like a taut string that had suddenly snapped. Her entire body relaxed, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
Edward quickly turned to Lily. "Lily, help me take care of Carrie." Lily nodded and immediately rushed to Carrie's side.
Edward turned and walked over to Ghostface, who was pinned to the wall. With some effort, he pulled him down, found some rope, tied him up tightly, and dragged him downstairs.
Then he picked up the phone and dialed 911. After making the call, Edward looked at Ghostface on the floor and reached out to remove his mask.
After examining him closely, Edward thought for a moment. This man seemed to be called Stu Macher.
Before long, the shrill wail of sirens sounded faintly in the distance, drawing closer as it cut through the suffocating silence.
Soon, a police car screeched to a stop outside. The door opened, and Officer Dewey Riley stepped out with a stern expression.
He swiftly scanned the area, his gaze settling on Edward and Stu Macher on the ground.
After asking a few simple questions, he brought them both back to the police station.
At the station, Edward sat in the interrogation room and gave the officers a detailed account of what had happened. After finishing his statement, he finally walked out of the interrogation room.
Stu Macher was charged with the murder of Casey Becker and Steve, as well as the attempted murder of Edward. Prison awaited him.
However, outside the police station, a crowd of reporters who had caught wind of the news had already packed the place tightly.
Among the crowd, reporter Gale stood out in particular. Holding a microphone, her eyes showed professional sharpness and urgency as she pushed through to Edward and thrust the microphone toward his mouth, eagerly beginning her questions.
Edward only gave a few brief replies before spotting his anxious parents hurrying over through the crowd.
He quickly pushed through the reporters and got into his parents' car. As the car slowly drove away, he finally escaped the irritating clamor.
John sat in the driver's seat, looking worriedly at Edward in the back through the rearview mirror. He could not help turning back and asking urgently, "Son, are you really okay? When we heard the news, we were scared out of our minds!" Sarah clutched Edward's hand tightly, her eyes red and her tears not yet dry, her gaze full of lingering fear.
Edward gently patted Sarah's hand and said in a deliberately relaxed tone, "Dad, I'm really fine. You should focus on the road ahead. I barely escaped a killer—I don't want to end up in the hospital because something happens in our own car."
After a pause, he deliberately put on a proud expression and continued, "Besides, Mom and Dad, you know how awesome I am!"
Edward's goofy words and expression broke the tense, oppressive atmosphere inside the car.
Sarah's tightly wound nerves immediately relaxed a little. She could not hold back a snort of laughter, but she used too much force and blew a bubble from her nose.
The absurd sight immediately made the atmosphere in the car somewhat comical, and the fear they had just experienced seemed to fade a little in that moment.
At the dining table in Maria's home, warm light spilled down, but the mood was somewhat strange.
Amy looked excited as she watched Maria eat. "Honey, guess who I ran into today? Sue, George's mother. Do you remember George? The kid who attended science camp with you."
Maria frowned slightly, her eyes holding a trace of confusion. "I don't remember."
Before you continue