DOTM: Chapter 470/471

Chapter 470: Ethan is Afraid of Trouble

"A lot of monsters under a normal wooden cabin?"

Logan looked around at the familiar streets, knowing this should be modern Earth.

"Sounds like a horror movie?"

"Pretty much."

The film The Cabin in the Woods was less a horror movie and more of a satire.

The plot was very simple. A few college students planned to spend a pleasant holiday at Curt's relative's cabin, unaware that they had been chosen as sacrifices by a mysterious organization. By following a fixed routine to kill them, the organization appeased the ancient evil gods sleeping deep underground. Put simply, a stage was set for unsuspecting young people to act out a horror story. If the ancient evil gods were entertained, they would remain asleep instead of rushing out to destroy the world.

Regardless of their real personalities, these students were forced into fixed templates arranged by the mysterious organization. They had to act according to the script and die one by one at the cabin in a predetermined order.

According to many interpretations, The Cabin in the Woods satirized the rigid formulas of horror films and lamented that if films did not follow this routine, the audience, represented by the ancient evil gods would reject them. But this mechanical approach also left the "evil gods" increasingly dissatisfied, creating a dilemma for countless filmmakers.

Ethan did not know whether the director truly had such thoughts. He only knew that the movie was interesting, and if he wanted a place to play, this world would be a good choice.

The most amusing part was that one of the protagonists of this film was an "acquaintance."

"An acquaintance?"

Standing on the roadside at an intersection, Ethan looked up at a tall young man in the distance.

The so-called acquaintance was by a window on the second floor. Seeing that familiar face, Ethan burst out laughing.

Logan followed his gaze and, when he saw the figure at the window, he laughed too.

"Thor?"

"No, this isn't the God of Thunder who adores his brother."

This young man, who looked exactly like Thor, was Curt. He was an unlucky guy chosen by the "World Preservation Organization," forced to play the role of the "athletic idiot" in the typical horror movie setup, even though he was actually a straight-A student.

That's right. Curt's real personality was that of a top student, but the organization's black technology had altered him into the stereotype. This was evident from Dana and Marty's conversation at the end of the film, where their personalities had inexplicably shifted.

"What should we do? Should we go say hello to these young people?"

Ada had already checked the surroundings and confirmed this was just an ordinary small town in North America. There was nothing unusual here. The large number of monsters Ethan mentioned must all be concentrated beneath the so-called cabin.

Seeing Ethan suddenly interested in these young people, Ada guessed they must be connected to that cabin. Considering this world followed a horror-movie-like structure, they were probably the typical protagonist group.

Remembering countless horror movie plots, Ada thought these young people's future looked grim.

Logan laughed again.

The mighty God of Thunder, now All-Father of Asgard, had a lookalike here who was just a strong college kid about to stumble into a nightmare.

This world really was amusing.

"Maria didn't come with us. She'll regret it."

Maria Hill had joined Ethan's team to learn and experience different worlds. If Ethan had said they were heading out to collect knowledge or artifacts, she would have joined.

But since this was just for fun, she had no interest.

She would never have guessed that this simple trip could turn into something so entertaining.

Thor should be thankful Logan and the others did not live in the Marvel world. If Hill saw someone identical to Thor suffering misfortune, it might affect his image as the mighty All-Father.

"Don't approach them yet."

Ethan gestured, confident that his companions had also noticed the person hiding on the rooftop.

"Is he monitoring them?"

"They carry the 'great mission' of protecting this world. Nothing unexpected can be allowed to happen. If we approach them now, we might end up surrounded by armed personnel."

The organization behind this had significant power. After all, their task was tied directly to the survival of the world. Armed protection was only natural.

"So what do we do?"

"Let's follow them for now and wait for the right moment."

These young people would take some time to set off, especially Marty, who was so addicted to smoking that he would waste plenty of time before leaving.

During this wait, Ada had already used Tony's gear to create fake identities for them. She even bought an old car from a dealership with the "universal credit card."

By the time they finished, the young people had already set out and disappeared.

But Ada and Logan were unbothered. Ada calmly changed her shoes in the back seat. High heels were fine in town, but not in the mountains. Even if she could walk easily on rugged terrain in heels, she had no desire to do so.

After they drove out of town, Logan did not bother asking what to do next. Ethan did not wait either. He snapped his fingers, summoning a ball of blue energy that formed into a translucent arrow above the dashboard.

The meaning was obvious: follow the arrow.

"Your spells are getting stranger. What do you call this one, a guiding spell?"

"It's not a spell. I just shaped the magic energy into an arrow." Ethan glanced at Logan. "If you don't like it, I can change it."

The arrow suddenly twisted into a miniature woman, who struck playful poses to point the way.

"It's interesting, but distracting. Change it back unless you want me to drive into a ditch."

As the arrow returned to normal, Logan realized Ethan wasn't being guided by magic at all, but was tracking something himself.

"You know the way?"

"No. I left a magical mark on the young man named Holden earlier."

"Got it."

Once Ethan marked someone or something, the mark remained unless he removed it himself. Most mages couldn't detect it, much less erase it. Only a master vastly stronger than Ethan could even notice it.

This was one of the strengths of Ethan's path: against spellcasters of the same level, he had overwhelming advantages in both magical power and control.

"Oh, right."

Not knowing how long the drive would take, Logan broke the silence.

"Earlier, you sent Laura and the others to another world. Why didn't they return to the Prinz Eugen right away?"

"Remember how I absorbed a lot of time energy before?" Ethan had already expected the question. Ada in the back had noticed too, but she was clever enough to let Logan ask it for her.

"I remember. Does it still affect you?"

"Of course. I can now adjust whether the time flow of a certain world matches my own."

Ethan explained that when he sent Laura and the others to the Left 4 Dead world, he chose to synchronize its time with his. That way, however long they stayed there, the same time passed for him as well.

"Why do that?"

Logan did not see the point. Wouldn't it be better if Laura could return instantly when she was done?

Ethan shrugged. "These kids are just killing time. If they came back in an instant, wouldn't that defeat the purpose?"

More importantly, if they got bored and came back right away, he would have to find them another world. After a few rounds of that, Ethan would collapse from annoyance.

Binding their time to his own meant that only a few hours would pass on the Prinz Eugen from when they left until they returned. That way, he could avoid repeated harassment.

But since he also enjoyed exploring, he did not mind taking them out to play again later.

Logan realized Ethan was mainly trying to avoid being pestered. The mighty Wolverine almost laughed aloud like a husky. "I'm really looking forward to the day you have kids of your own."

While joking, he spotted a camper van parked ahead. The young people they were following stood by the roadside, desperately waving.

Logan did not think such a coincidence could be real. Just when Ethan wanted to catch up to them, their car had conveniently broken down.

On this remote mountain road, they had little chance of getting help from anyone else.

Seeing Logan glance at him questioningly, Ethan made a small gesture with his hand. "Just a little trick."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 471: Made a Contribution

Seeing the "acquaintance" Thor enthusiastically waving by the roadside, Logan had a brief illusion, as if he had arrived in Asgard and Thor was welcoming him.

However, upon noticing the companions around him, he quickly snapped back to reality.

"Are you planning to use this chance to approach them?"

"Isn't this perfect?"

Their car broke down, he just happened to pass by and lend a hand, then their "destinations" turned out to be close. Naturally, they would end up traveling together.

The closer they got to their destination, the closer they were to the base of those pulling the strings, which meant those people would have more power to separate him and his group from this one.

But by then, Ethan figured it would not matter. His true goal was to find that group of "monsters," and even that so-called ancient evil god.

As for contacting Curt and the others, he only hoped they could help lead the way. The cabin's location was too remote. Ethan could find it himself, but it would take more time, so it was easier to follow Curt and his friends.

Logan parked the car, leaned his head out the window, and greeted the approaching Curt with a mischievous tone. "Need some help, kid?"

Ethan wore a strange expression, holding back laughter. Ada, sitting in the back, did not worry. She was not as visible and could hide her reaction.

Curt, however, did not feel anything odd about Logan's way of addressing him. Even though Logan looked younger after using enhancement serum, he still appeared middle-aged, while Curt was a college student.

"Our car broke down..."

Curt did not know whether these strangers could actually help. If they couldn't, his only choice was to ride his motorcycle back to town and get a tow truck.

Of course, he could also ask them to tow the RV to the gas station ahead, where it might be fixed.

"Let me take a look. Maybe I can fix it."

Logan got out of the car and winked at Ethan, who followed him.

"Thanks for helping. I'm Curt, these are my friends."

The group showed some caution. Curt and Holden, both tall and well-built, stepped forward to greet them. Their physiques alone served as deterrence against anyone with bad intentions.

The girls, Jules and Dana, as well as Marty, who was perpetually "super high," stayed back.

When Ethan and Logan got out together, the young people noticed they too were tall and strong, which made them a bit nervous.

Fortunately, Logan ignored the girls completely and followed Curt to the RV.

In North America's car culture, fixing cars was a common skill among young men. Many could handle small problems themselves.

But Curt and Holden had checked thoroughly and still could not figure out the issue. In the end, they concluded this was beyond their knowledge.

Logan understood cars better than them, but this problem was not one that could be solved by basic know-how. After pretending to check, he whispered to Ethan, "Don't tell me you disabled this car. Our car can't fit that many people."

"You're overthinking. Even if they could fit, they wouldn't just climb into our car."

Ethan's plan was to play the role of a "helpful passerby," tow their RV to the gas station, and avoid forcing his way into their group too quickly.

That gas station marked the beginning of the "plot": the appearance of a rambling old man, signaling that the story had officially begun.

"The problem with your car isn't major, but you'll need some parts to fix it."

After quietly speaking with Logan, Ethan explained to Curt. In truth, he had broken a small hidden part himself, one difficult to find, which was why Curt had missed it.

"Well..."

Curt and Holden exchanged a glance. Rationally, they should thank Ethan and head back to town for a tow truck, abandoning the trip.

But they were not acting rationally. Under the influence of the mysterious organization's black technology, all they cared about was reaching the cabin. After a brief hesitation, Curt directly asked Ethan where they were going, and whether they could tow them part of the way.

"There's a gas station ahead. We can fix the RV there."

Ethan had planned to mention the gas station anyway, but Curt brought it up first. It was likely an implanted memory from the organization, just like the backstory about the cabin being Curt's cousin's new place.

"Where are you headed?"

Logan looked the oldest and was driving, so Curt asked him.

But Logan had no idea what the cabin's area was called. He turned to Ethan.

"Uh… where were we going again?"

To Curt's speechless surprise, Ethan could not provide a name. Finally, Ethan walked back to their car, tapped on the window, and asked Ada inside, "What's the name of the place again?"

"Tillerman Road?"

Ethan had hoped Ada would name somewhere further away, as if they were just passing through. But Ada directly mentioned the place. He realized it was a "dead end" and could only turn back to Curt with a helpless shrug.

"Great! We're going there too. Are you also going for vacation?"

Curt's intelligence had clearly been lowered. Aside from some initial caution, he spoke without thinking. Who would casually reveal their travel destination to strangers?

Ethan suspected this black technology was not purely science-based, but infused with something from the evil god itself.

"I heard the scenery near the mountain is good, so I wanted to see it."

"My cousin said it's beautiful and great for vacation."

Perhaps because Ethan's car had a beautiful woman inside, combined with Ethan and Logan's own good appearances, the group quickly relaxed and chatted with them.

Meanwhile, Logan and Holden hooked the RV to Ethan's car.

The groups finally merged. Logan drove, with Curt in the passenger seat giving directions.

Marty sat in the back with Ethan. Ada, being a woman, was less suspicious, so she rode in the RV with Jules and Dana.

With her skills, Ada quickly warmed up to the girls. Jules even invited her to join them at the cabin.

In the back, Marty rolled cigarettes and offered one to Ethan.

"Want one?"

"This stuff has no effect on me."

Marty was surprised, then nodded knowingly, as if he understood.

Ethan almost wanted to shake him and shout, "What the hell do you understand?" He meant it literally—the stuff had no effect.

Curt, sitting up front, grew curious about Ethan and the others.

Logan looked around forty. Ethan and Ada appeared in their twenties. At first, Curt thought Logan was Ethan's father and Ada his girlfriend. But after chatting, he realized that was wrong.

"Friends from work."

Ethan's explanation satisfied Curt. After all, once working, it was normal to have friends of different ages. "We both enjoy traveling, so we often go out together."

"I see."

Ethan's words were not entirely false, only different in detail from what Curt imagined.

They continued chatting casually. With only men in the car, even if the conversation ran dry, they could fall back on women or sports. No awkward silences.

By the time they reached the gas station, Curt and the others were far more relaxed with Ethan's group. Ada, meanwhile, had already bonded with Jules and Dana.

Among them, Jules and Curt's intelligence was most heavily affected. In the predetermined script, one played the promiscuous girl, the other the dumb jock. Although Dana sensed something was wrong, she had no way of stopping them, just like countless horror movies where sensible characters could never stop their teammates from doing something stupid.

But Ethan, who gladly accepted their invitation, felt that this time the "idiotic teammates" might actually contribute.

Because if Ethan joined their group, their tragic fate would change.

As for weak monsters like the Buckner family, Ethan could reduce them to ash with a wave of his hand.

The ancient evil god…

Ethan wanted to see what it really looked like, and which legendary being it might be.

As for its strength, Ethan was not too worried.

(To be continued.)