Chapter 44: Who's the Jackass in the Clown Suit?
The morning sun of the next day cast dappled shadows across the room through the slats of the blinds.
Edward stretched, feeling completely refreshed.
The recovery power of the Pure Yang Body was no joke; yesterday's intense "energy exchange" with Jennifer not only didn't leave him tired, but his spiritual power had even subtly increased.
As for the three "sisters" at home—when he'd come downstairs for water last night, he'd seen them huddled on the couch, sharing a blanket and watching SpongeBob, looking like actual close siblings.
Edward slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked to school like usual.
"Yo, Edward!"
A familiar voice called from behind. Frank caught up in a few strides and threw an arm around his shoulder.
"Did you do the homework? That last physics problem was straight-up impossible. I swear Mr. Henderson's trying to weed out everyone who's not MIT material." Frank looked completely defeated.
"Yeah, I did it," Edward shrugged. "Wasn't that bad."
"Dude, stop flexing." Frank said, shaking his head. "We get it, you're a genius."
As the two were joking around, a slightly shy voice spoke up beside them.
"Edward... Frank... Morning."
It was Carrie.
She was wearing a light blue sundress today, clutching several textbooks, and looked way more confident than before, though her face still flushed automatically when she faced Edward.
"Morning, Carrie." Edward greeted her with a smile.
Just then, a gust of perfume swept by, and a fire-engine red convertible screeched to a halt beside them in the most extra way possible.
Jennifer took off her designer sunglasses, threw a seductive wink at Edward, and her voice was sugar-sweet: "Hey, Edward. Morning, everyone. Need a ride?"
In the passenger seat beside her sat her best friend, Needy, who winked at Frank, clearly interested in the smart, cute guy.
"Nah, we're good. Walking's better exercise," Edward declined with a smile.
"Boring." Jennifer pouted but didn't push it. With a rev of the engine, the sports car roared away, leaving only a string of laughter and a cloud of expensive perfume.
Frank adjusted his glasses, watching the convertible disappear down the street, and muttered, "What a... force of nature."
The group soon arrived at the school entrance.
From a distance, Edward spotted the familiar figure.
Maria was standing under a tree by the school gate, head down, nervously fidgeting with her backpack strap.
When she sensed someone approaching, she instinctively looked up, meeting Edward's gaze.
Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson, like ripe apples, even her neck turning pink.
She frantically ducked her head, gave a tiny wave as greeting, and then fled into campus like her life depended on it.
Edward smiled helplessly. Looked like Maria's shyness hadn't changed much...
After school, Edward stopped the group who were about to head home.
"Hey guys, no time like the present. My treat today—let's grab some food. Celebrate another 'peaceful' break we survived."
This suggestion immediately got unanimous approval.
The group headed to a popular chicken place near school and ordered a mountain of greasy, delicious food.
"I'm telling you guys, I actually flew a plane during break!" Frank said, demolishing a drumstick and gesturing wildly.
"I... I read a bunch of books at home," Carrie said softly.
"I got kidnapped by a satanic cult and almost sacrificed." Jennifer licked sauce off her fingers, casually flipping her hair.
Edward also chimed in, "I met this hockey-mask-wearing psycho at summer camp, then on my road trip I ran into cannibals in the woods, and after that a family of freaks who turned people into wax sculptures."
Nobody believed them, thinking Jennifer and Edward were just messing around.
Maria sat quietly to the side, sipping her Coke through a straw, listening attentively to everyone chat, occasionally blushing and nodding when someone said her name.
The atmosphere was lively and fun, full of teenage energy.
Edward leaned back in his chair, savoring this rare moment of normalcy.
Friends, junk food—this was what a regular high school life should be.
Just then, the restaurant's door swung open, and the bell jingled.
Two young women walked in. They looked like they'd just left some Halloween party, still wearing elaborate makeup.
One was a dark-haired girl named Tara, the other a blonde named Dawn. They looked exhausted and were debating where to go next.
Right behind them, another figure followed.
It was a man dressed in a black and white clown costume.
He was very tall, but his movements had an unsettling stiffness. His face was covered in thick white greasepaint, and his mouth was painted into an exaggerated, disturbing grin.
He wore a tiny black top hat and carried a large black garbage bag. The bag seemed to contain something heavy, swaying as he walked.
He didn't speak, just silently walked to a corner booth and sat down. Then he stared, with completely emotionless eyes, directly at Tara and Dawn.
The entire restaurant's lively atmosphere seemed to get muted.
Everyone felt the sudden weirdness and discomfort.
"That guy... is really creepy." Carrie instinctively moved closer to Edward. She could sense pure, undisguised malice radiating from the clown.
Jennifer's smile also faded. As a fledgling succubus, she was extremely sensitive to human emotions.
But from the clown, she felt nothing—no emotion, just dead silence, like an empty shell wearing human skin. This unknown factor made her feel genuinely threatened.
Maria went pale with fright, practically trying to hide under the table.
Alan in the mirror also seemed to sense something, warning her to get away from that thing.
Edward's expression went completely dark the moment he saw the clown.
The others just found him creepy, but Edward knew exactly what this was.
That iconic black and white outfit, that nauseating grin, that silent yet oppressive presence.
Fuck. Art the Clown.
This psycho wasn't your run-of-the-mill serial killer; he was a genuine monster, one that couldn't be killed by conventional means, an embodiment of pure sadistic evil who got off on torture and suffering.
Edward glanced at his friends. Even Frank, who had no powers, was frowning, clearly sensing something was off.
As for Carrie, Jennifer, and Maria—even with their abilities, they were way out of their depth against something like Art.
"It's getting late, and I'm pretty beat. Let's call it." Edward suddenly stood up, his tone brooking no argument.
"Huh? Oh, okay." Frank looked confused, but seeing Edward's serious expression, he immediately nodded.
The girls were even more eager to leave this suffocating place.
Edward quickly paid the bill and led everyone out of the restaurant. He never looked back at the clown, but he could feel that cold, inhuman "gaze" stuck to their backs the whole way out.
He drove Frank and the girls home safely one by one, warning them to lock their doors and windows tonight and not to go out.
After the last friend's figure disappeared through their doorway, the casual warmth on Edward's face completely vanished, replaced by ice-cold determination.
He summoned his Fenrir heavy motorcycle from his system space.
The motorcycle let out a low, predatory growl, exceptionally clear on the empty street.
Edward didn't head home. Instead, at an intersection, he sharply turned the bike around and gunned it back toward the chicken place.
Art the Clown?
A monster that can't die?
A cold, sharp smile formed on Edward's lips.
Perfect. Let's test this so-called "immortality."
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