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.)