latelenovela Chapter 499 Nightmare (Part 1)
Chapter 499 Nightmare (Part 1)
"Oh, as expected, the real person is more interesting than the photo~" A man who looked very similar to the photographer appeared before everyone. However, his face was covered with strange abyssal flowers, and unlike the photographer, he didn't hold a rapier in his hand, but a small hammer.
The undertaker looked at the man helplessly and said, "I'm sorry, he must have escaped while I was bringing Patch and the operator out."
"Don't imitate me, 'Auctioneer'." The photographer stared at the newcomer with an unhappy look on his face.
Conan and his companions were stunned. Even if Patch and Operator were abyssal creatures imitating the explorer and priest, their intelligence was still less than that of an elementary school child. Conan felt that if they didn't have the ability to read minds and the power of the abyss, they would have been tricked into leaving with donuts.
But what about this "auctioneer" before him? He looked identical to the photographer, but spoke with a more frivolous tone. He seemed harmless, but as soon as I looked him in the eye, I felt a subtle sense of pressure.
"Oh, I'm really happy that so many guests came to my house today. The four of you seem to have quite a story. Do you mind if I take a photo of you? I think it will make a wonderful auction item!" The auctioneer strode in front of Conan, slowly squatted down, and lifted Conan's chin with a finger.
[Priest: No, Mr. Joseph, what part of your personality does this substitute figure incorporate?]
[Jack: It's the French romance, no doubt.]
[Madame Red: Romance doesn't mean flirting with others.]
[Photographer: Let me clarify again, even if "DM" likes to hunt for women, I personally do not have such thoughts. This is completely the result of the abyss's distorted cognition!]
[Embarker: I finally created a talking creature. Do you want to destroy it?]
[Sculptor: Hey, hey, hey, no, I think this is really interesting. Let’s stay and see what interesting things happen.]
[Rumpus: Why are only the costumes from Abyss III made into stand-in figures?]
[Dancer: Because it’s perfect for playing outsiders.]
[Savage: Huh? Natalie, you...]
Masumi Sera glanced at the frivolous auctioneer with an indescribable expression. "Oh my god! Compared to Patch and the operator, this guy is way too 'intelligent'. Where on earth did he learn all this knowledge?"
Hattori Heiji picked up Conan and glared at the auctioneer: "Hey, hey, hey, don't go too far. You don't look like you don't know what this action means."
Facing the bewildered Conan and the wary Hattori Heiji, the auctioneer simply smiled. "Why, I intend to befriend you two, but perhaps it's a matter of preconceived notions. Do you really think I'm as crude as those two inferior imitations?"
Hearing the auctioneer's words, Patch was visibly stunned for a moment, and then he revealed an indignant expression: "We...you...are all the same!"
"Auctioneer... your last lot... is you..." The operator didn't seem particularly angry, but rather calm and sad. "Flower of Evil, since then... Pickman has never set his sights on another lot."
The auctioneer's face twisted slightly. Although he was still grinning, the abyss flower on his face trembled slightly, as if expressing his anger.
"There's no point in escaping..." Patched realized this and immediately adopted a sarcastic expression. "At the Bureau... no one cares about us. At the art museum... does anyone care about you?"
"Shut up! You only imitated the appearance, and now even your thoughts are moving closer to the remnants of the Abyss Investigation Bureau! You are just experimental subjects saved by this guy!" The auctioneer pointed at the undertaker with a crazy look on his face, but the latter remained expressionless, as if everything happening before his eyes had nothing to do with him.
"And I will help Pickman and spread his art all over the world. I will be the greatest auctioneer!"
"Or another poorly acted impersonator?"
Everyone heard the sound of a camera clicking, and the photographer calmly took a photo of the auctioneer with a Polaroid camera.
"Miss Qi is right about being too clever." The photographer took the Polaroid photo in his hand and looked at the auctioneer. "You said 'Patch' and 'Operator' were knockoffs, but aren't you one of them?"
"That's impossible. I've been working in Pickman's art gallery since I can remember. I appreciated countless works of art for him until he was attracted by the 'Flowers of Evil'. Even that honest 'bodyguard' finally left the gallery!"
"I'm the only one who has been holding on there. Only me! In the abyss, I'm also the most special one!"
Patch shook his head. "You just...can't leave."
"Because you used to be... unable to even move on your own." The operator looked at the auctioneer with pity.
The photographer smiled and tossed the photo lightly, where it swirled and landed at the auctioneer's feet.
"Pick it up and see if it's worthy of being auctioned. Haven't you always wanted to see my photography skills?"
"Your skills are terrible. There is no human figure in this photo!" The auctioneer picked up the photo, looked at it, and threw it aside with a sneer.
Conan, using his shortest height, successfully picked up the photo. Sera Masumi and Hattori Heiji, who were standing nearby, immediately came over. The auctioneer wasn't visible in the photo; only the cold yellow light of the Incessant Carrier in the background dimly illuminated the darkness. But as a "photographer," could he really take a photo like this?
"Wait, you showed me that photo because..." The auctioneer's face suddenly became hideous and distorted. A considerable number of tentacles emerged from behind him, slapping the ground restlessly. The hand that was originally holding the auction hammer was also extremely strong, almost breaking the hammer handle.
"See, being smart has its downsides. You should be realizing that now." The photographer began to leisurely fiddle with his cane again. "You were once just a photograph hanging in an art gallery."
"After the abyss invasion, relying on your ability to mimic, you do seem a bit more like a normal person than other 'people'. However, your limitations are also significant."
Soon, the auctioneer across from him trembled violently, as if struck by something, and his entire body dissolved into a pool of black abyssal matter. The undertaker then stopped watching the spectacle and calmly stepped forward, using a special device to contain the auctioneer.
"As a photograph, the information it can store is limited. Although it looks beautiful, it won't last long." The photographer helplessly stroked the Polaroid in his hand. "However, the next time we meet, he'll forget this last memory and turn back into that nasty auctioneer."
Conan nodded. He knew the photographer was someone who sought eternity. An abyssal creature like the auctioneer, which only existed periodically, was probably beyond the scope of his experiment. As for the idea that the auctioneer was a photograph infected by the abyss, that theory was indeed plausible.
Just like playing a movie, the abyss activates the content in the photo, but when the content recorded in the photo is "played", the auctioneer will no longer be able to maintain his existence until the next time the photo is read, at which time he can reappear.