Her hesitation was taken by Nanny as a sign of fear. Nanny let out a cold laugh and continued:

"Because he’s a freak, a devil. The locals all call him the ‘living dead’... He can use those trapdoors to appear behind anyone. No one wants to be around someone like that, even if he’s a rare genius!"

"But our Manager doesn’t believe in such things, thinks he can definitely become the circus’s cash cow," Nanny panted, "He’s been with the circus for three months, and we have indeed made quite a bit of money, but strange things haven’t stopped happening... First, Mike Harris's watch was stolen, then a strange package fell from the sky, and even a knife couldn’t cut it open... Now my hand has ended up like this..."

Nanny sneered, her breathing hissing like a snake:

"If this isn’t enough to prove he’s a devil, a freak who brings misfortune—then what would? See my hand? Today he can stab through my hand, tomorrow he can stab through yours—"

All three incidents were related to her.

Feudal superstition is so harmful, Lily Bennett thought, then stuffed the rag back into Nanny's mouth.

Chapter 8

No matter what, Lily Bennett had gotten the information she wanted from Nanny.

Although she no longer remembered the details of the original novel, she vaguely recalled that in the story, Eric Carter first arrived at the circus, then learned magic and singing, and only later became famous, his name spreading to Persia, where he became known as the "eccentric genius" and "master of trapdoors."

Here, it was completely the opposite.

It seemed she really had entered... a horror movie version.

Lily Bennett couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

She had watched plenty of horror movies, and acted in quite a few as well.

Because of cultural differences, Western horror films rarely featured ghosts or monsters; most were about how serial killers brutally murdered their victims.

Of course, sometimes, for the sake of sequels, those serial killers would be given superhuman powers and physiques.

In the movies, what made the killer terrifying was that they were born evil, unpredictable, impossible to communicate with, and showed no mercy.

In some films, they might communicate with their victims, but only to break down their psychological defenses and savor their prey’s fear and struggle.

All she could say was, thank goodness this wasn’t a traditional horror film, and Eric Carter wasn’t a deranged serial killer.

Although he was unpredictable and uncommunicative, at least he craved physical contact and would compromise for a hug.

Lily Bennett felt her own values were getting a bit twisted.

She actually thought Eric Carter wasn’t that scary.

Maybe, he could change.

Lily Bennett was very aware that Eric Carter was dangerous and could kill her at any moment.

So far, his blade had grazed her throat, teeth, and back several times.

He had only spoken a single sentence; she had to guess at his intentions.

Yet, perhaps because she had escaped from him three times, every time she saw him, her adrenaline spiked, her survival instinct flared, and her mind raced.

After crossing over, she felt extremely lonely and helpless, needing people and things to help her pull herself together.

Eric Carter was the perfect choice.

Lily Bennett thought, isn’t this a kind of healthy relationship?

She and Eric Carter would make excellent partners.

Thinking this, she turned to look at Eric Carter.

Eric Carter was also looking at her, unblinking.

He seemed surprised by her attitude toward Nanny, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes.

Lily Bennett met his gaze, cleared her throat, and said calmly, "We need to clean up the aftermath."

Eric Carter still didn’t speak.

But Lily Bennett understood his look—he didn’t know what "clean up the aftermath" meant, nor why it was "we."

From start to finish, he had always acted alone—he alone restrained Nanny, tied her to the chair, and stabbed her hand with a dagger.

Yet Lily Bennett said "we" to him.

The word puzzled him, and the scrutiny in his eyes deepened, almost tinged with wariness.

Lily Bennett had good reason to think of him as a wild animal; his vigilance surpassed anyone she had ever met.

Even now, she faintly felt she hadn’t convinced him.

Rather, he had simply yielded to loneliness.

He craved physical contact, craved kindness, even if the other person had ulterior motives.

Lily Bennett: "It’s almost time to get up... We can’t let her tell anyone about what happened."

She emphasized "we" twice.

Eric Carter paused, but didn’t object.

The process of persuading Nanny to cooperate was simple: Eric Carter had the knife, she had the mouth.

Lily Bennett showed Nanny the wound that had already stopped bleeding and said, "As long as you keep today’s events a secret, I’ll find a way to heal you. Otherwise..." She leaned forward, lowered her voice, and threatened, "I don’t mind if you lose that hand for good. It’s not mine, after all."

Nanny glanced at Eric Carter, and nodded in humiliation.

Lily Bennett thought for a moment, then added two more conditions.

First, she must not be made to steal again.

She didn’t want to be caught by the police and exiled as a thief.

Second...