Who's Cosplaying a Clown Again?

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the blinds, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow across the room.

Edward stretched and felt completely refreshed.

The recovery brought by his Pure Yang Body truly was extraordinary. Yesterday's intense "energy exchange" with Jennifer had not left him the slightest bit tired; if anything, his mental power seemed to have improved.

As for the three "younger sisters" at home, when he had gone downstairs for water last night, he had seen all three of them squeezed together on the sofa beneath the same blanket, watching cartoons like the best of sisters.

Edward slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked to school as usual.

"Hey, Edward!"

A familiar voice came from behind him. Frank caught up in a few quick strides and threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Did you finish the homework? That last physics problem was practically inhuman. I think the teacher was trying to filter out the people who can get into college." Frank looked utterly dead inside.

"I did. I thought it was pretty easy." Edward shrugged.

"Quit showing off." Frank said speechlessly, "We get it, you're a genius."

As the two chatted and laughed, a slightly timid voice sounded beside them.

"Edward... Frank... good morning."

It was Carrie.

She wore a light blue dress today and held several books against her chest. She looked much more confident than before, but whenever she faced Edward, her cheeks still reddened involuntarily.

"Morning, Carrie." Edward greeted her with a smile.

Just then, a fragrant breeze swept over them, and a fiery red convertible pulled up beside them in a flashy maneuver.

Jennifer took off her sunglasses and gave Edward a sultry wink. Her voice was sickeningly sweet. "Hi, Edward, and my little friends. Need a ride?"

Her best friend Nitty sat in the seat beside her. Nitty winked at Frank, clearly interested in the handsome, high-IQ guy.

"No, thanks. We'll count walking as exercise." Edward declined with a smile.

"How boring." Jennifer pouted, but she did not insist. With a press of the accelerator, the sports car roared away, leaving behind only a string of bell-like laughter and a faint scent of perfume.

Frank adjusted his glasses and watched the car disappear into the distance. "What a... vibrant woman."

The group soon reached the school gates.

From far away, Edward spotted that familiar figure.

Maria stood beneath a tree by the school entrance, her head lowered as her fingers nervously picked at her backpack strap.

When she sensed someone approaching, she instinctively looked up and met Edward's gaze.

In an instant, her cheeks flushed bright red like ripe apples, and even her neck turned pink.

She hurriedly lowered her head and gave a tiny wave in greeting before running into the campus as if fleeing for her life.

Edward smiled helplessly. It seemed Maria's shyness had not changed much.

After school, Edward stopped everyone as they were about to head home.

"Everyone, no time like the present. My treat today. How about we go grab a meal together? To celebrate surviving another 'peaceful' vacation."

The suggestion was immediately met with unanimous approval.

They went to a popular fried chicken place near the school and ordered a mountain of high-calorie food.

"I'm telling you, I flew a plane during vacation!" Frank said excitedly as he gnawed on a drumstick, gesturing wildly.

"I... I read a lot of books at home." Carrie said softly.

"I was kidnapped by cultists and nearly sacrificed." Jennifer licked sauce from her fingers and casually tossed her hair.

Edward added, "I ran into Jason at summer camp. Then, during a road trip, I first encountered an ogre, and then a family of freaks who turned people into wax figures."

Nobody believed them. They thought Jennifer and Edward were joking.

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Maria sat quietly to the side, sipping her cola in small mouthfuls and listening attentively to everyone talk. Whenever someone mentioned her, she merely nodded with a blush.

The atmosphere was lively and harmonious, brimming with youthful energy.

Edward leaned back in his chair, savoring the rare moment of relaxation.

Friends and good food—this was the life a normal high school student was supposed to have.

Just then, the fried chicken restaurant's door was pushed open, and the wind chime rang crisply.

Two young women walked in. They looked as though they had just come from a party, their faces still covered in elaborate makeup.

One was a black-haired girl named Tara, while the other was a blonde named Dewen. They looked somewhat tired and were discussing where to continue the night.

Then another figure followed them inside.

It was a man in a black-and-white clown costume.

He was tall, but his movements carried an eerie stiffness. His face was covered in thick white greasepaint, and his mouth had been painted into an exaggerated, chilling smile.

He wore a tiny black top hat and carried a black garbage bag. Something heavy seemed to be inside, swaying with every step he took.

He did not say a word. He silently walked to a seat in the corner and sat down, then stared directly at Tara and Dewen with a completely emotionless gaze.

The fried chicken restaurant's lively atmosphere seemed to have been muted.

Everyone felt the sudden strangeness and discomfort.

"That person... is so weird." Carrie instinctively edged closer to Edward. She could feel the pure, undisguised malice radiating from that clown.

Jennifer's smile faded as well. As a newly born Succubus, she was extremely sensitive to fluctuations in human emotion.

Yet she could not sense any emotion from the clown, only a deathly stillness. He was like an empty shell wearing human skin, and that unknown made her feel threatened.

Maria had turned pale with fright and practically wanted to bury herself beneath the table.

Alan in the mirror seemed to sense something too and warned her to stay away from that thing.

The instant Edward saw the clown, his expression darkened completely.

Others merely found him strange, but Edward knew exactly what he was.

That signature black-and-white outfit, that nauseating smile, that silent yet oppressive posture.

Damn it. Soul-Severing Clown, At.

This lunatic was no ordinary serial killer. He was a genuine monster that could not be killed by conventional means, the embodiment of pure evil that delighted in slaughter and torture.

Edward glanced at his friends beside him. Frank had no superpowers, but he frowned as well, clearly sensing that something was wrong.

As for Carrie, Jennifer, and Maria, they might have abilities, but they were nowhere near strong enough to face a monster on At's level.

"It's getting late. I'm a little tired, so let's call it a day." Edward suddenly stood, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Huh? Oh, okay." Frank found it strange, but when he saw Edward's serious expression, he immediately nodded.

The girls were even more eager to get out of the suffocating place.

Edward quickly paid the bill and led everyone out of the fried chicken restaurant. He never looked back at the clown, but he could feel that cold, inhuman "gaze" clinging to their backs the entire time.

He first drove Frank and the girls home one by one, making sure they were safe, and told them to lock their doors and windows that night and not go outside.

Once the last of his friends disappeared through her front door, the ease and gentleness vanished from Edward's face, replaced by icy solemnity.

He took the Fenrir Heavy Motorcycle from the system space.

The motorcycle let out a deep roar that sounded especially clear in the empty street.

Edward did not go home. Instead, he sharply turned around at an intersection and sped back toward the fried chicken restaurant.

Soul-Severing Clown, At?

An unkillable monster?

A cold curve lifted at the corner of Edward's mouth.

Perfect. He would see just how tough this so-called Immortal Body really was!

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