She is a natural disaster.

Chapter 36 Intermission

Mike Montagu was indeed very excited tonight, like a child who hadn't been out for a long time and suddenly got the chance to go out and get some fresh air.

However, Mike's excitement was mixed with unease and anxiety. With someone's knife already at his neck, it was difficult for Mike to remain calm and composed.

That's why Mike kept talking nonstop; he was using this method to cover up his unease.

On the tram he had come on, he spoke in a joking tone about terrible things and predicted the kinds of attacks he might encounter.

In the stairwells and private boxes of the Vanessa Theatre, he distracted himself with rumors of the theatre being haunted and spent the anxious time before the performance officially began by telling Vanessa's stories.

Anastasia could see the unease and anxiety in Mike's heart. Perhaps due to the influence of the mutation, she was very sensitive to the emotional changes of those around her.

That's why Anastasia took the initiative to ask Mike to finish telling Vanessa's story after entering the private room.

For the same reason, Anastasia expressed her opinion on Vanessa's story.

Now, Mike's unease and anxiety have subsided, and he is focusing more on the theater itself and Vanessa's story than on the possibility of being attacked.

In this way, Anastasia could go and check out the interior of the theater without worrying that Mike's unease might bring about unknown changes.

"I'm going out for a walk; there's still some time before the performance."

Anastasia got up to leave the private room, and before leaving, she didn't forget to give Jolina a word of advice.

She said, "Miss Joyce, Mike is in your care. Don't let him wander off, and whatever you do, don't let him get kidnapped by some random person."

This makes it sound as if Mike Montagu is an ignorant child, as if a stranger could easily lure Mike away with just a piece of candy.

After leaving the private box, Anastasia first walked around the various floors of the private box area.

Vanessa Theatre occupies a large area and is the largest theatre in the Upper Town, ranking among the top three in the entire new town.

The theater’s first floor has a public area for reception, dressing rooms and lounges for actors, and a waiting area. In the very center of the first floor is a huge horseshoe-shaped auditorium.

The second floor of the theater features reserved seating, including single and double seats, which can be reserved in advance or purchased upon arrival. The reserved seating area offers good privacy and relatively low foot traffic, making it generally quite safe.

Starting from the third floor, you'll find the theater's box area. Boxes can only be reserved by appointment, or rented long-term like Michael's.

This significantly enhances the privacy of the private rooms, and the guests who frequent this area tend to be more consistent, especially those who rent private rooms long-term, as they are mostly familiar with each other.

Anastasia walked around the curved third-floor box area. In the time before the performance started, few guests stayed in their boxes. Most people were socializing in the public area, some chatting casually, others exchanging information.

Not only the private rooms on the third floor, but also the private room areas on the fourth and fifth floors, the theater has specially set up lounges on each floor for socializing, and provides drinks and meals to guests in the private room areas free of charge.

After exploring the highly private private rooms, Anastasia went to the public area on the first floor.

On either side of the reception area in front of the main hall is an arc-shaped corridor, with a series of gleaming wooden doors, each bearing a shiny nameplate.

Anastasia walked along both of the curved corridors and found that some of the wooden doors led to the horseshoe-shaped auditorium, some were for staff and performers, and some were used for other purposes.

If it weren't for the gleaming nameplates hanging on each wooden door, someone unfamiliar with this place would probably get lost among the rows of shiny wooden doors.

After wandering around the various floors of the Vanessa Grand Theatre, what puzzled Anastasia the most was the end of the two curved corridors on the first floor, which led to the same door.

It was a sturdy, heavy metal door with a large padlock on it, but there were no staff members around the door, and no one was guarding the locked door.

Anastasia, who was skilled in many things, used a thin needle to pry open the door lock. She assumed that the floor behind the door would also be paved with marble—after all, the entire first floor area was paved with marble, and the floor was so shiny that it could reflect people's images.

However, behind the metal door was a very rough stone corridor. The space behind the door was pitch black, without a single ray of light. Crystal chandeliers were everywhere in the theater, but there wasn't a single one behind the metal door.

Anastasia took a few steps in the dark stone corridor and suddenly felt the path beneath her feet become steep, stretching as far as the eye could see, with no idea where it led.

Just then, a shrill, noisy bell rang out, signaling the start of the performance.

Full of suspicion, Anastasia left the dark stone corridor and returned to the bright, curved walkway. She locked the metal door again and went back to Mike's private box.

Inside the private box, Jolena closed her eyes, seemingly trying to calm her mind, while Mike intently watched the audience members take their seats one by one in the auditorium below the box.

Anastasia leaned out and glanced around. The horseshoe-shaped auditorium was packed with people, and the seats were arranged neatly and densely. There were at least one or two thousand seats in total.

"How's it going?" Mike suddenly asked. "Did you find anything interesting in the theater?"

"Would you believe me if I said I was seeing things?" Anastasia said. "There are bright crystal chandeliers everywhere, it's so dazzling."

The interior of the Vanessa Theatre is extremely luxurious, with crystal chandeliers and gilded reliefs everywhere. Even the staircases and railings are decorated in a magnificent manner, and the air is filled with the scent of gold crowns.

In addition, the Vanessa Theatre has an extremely strong artistic atmosphere. Exquisite murals and delicate sculptures can be seen everywhere, from the corridors and lounges to the staircases and restrooms. The huge ceiling painting on the ceiling is even more breathtaking.

To be honest, Anastasia couldn't quite accept the style of the Vanessa Theatre. The sculptures, murals, and those dazzling crystal chandeliers all gave her a feeling of trying too hard.

"I can tell you don't like it here, and neither do I," Mike said. "Like you said, the crystal chandelier is too bright."

As Mike said this, a hint of disdain flashed across his face.

"Anatasia," he continued, "I can't show that I don't like this theater, because everyone else does."

When most people express a preference for the Vanessa Theatre, Mike, who dislikes it, becomes a minority, and it would be unwise to publicly express his opinion at that point.

"Let me ask you something. You come and go here often, so you should know a lot of the theater's secrets," Anastasia said. "What's the deal with that metal door at the end of the first-floor corridor? And what's behind it?"

"I don't really know what's behind that door. I've never been inside, and I don't have that much curiosity," Mike said. "I've heard that behind that door is a passage leading underground, and at the end of the passage is an underground river, which is said to be home to strange, large fish."

As he spoke, Mike suddenly laughed, as if he had remembered something amusing.

He continued jokingly, "Who knows, one day that underground river might overflow into the theater and destroy everything here."

At this moment, Jolina, who had been resting with her eyes closed, opened them and took over the conversation. She said, "When the theater was being built, we accidentally dug too deep and hit an underground water system, and that's how it turned out like this."

Even Mike, a regular customer, didn't know this, but Jolina knew it all. Considering her profession, it wasn't surprising that she knew.

"This matter is on file with both the police station and the fire department," she continued. "However, I haven't seen any records regarding the strange large fish in the river."

"That's probably just hearsay, like the rumors about haunted theaters," Mike shrugged, saying nonchalantly.

Anastasia also seemed uninterested, as the feasibility of sneaking into the theater from the underground river was not high.

However, the pitch-black underground space is a good place for people to hide.

Just then, the horseshoe-shaped auditorium fell silent, and the long-awaited performance finally began.

The theater's program tonight is a musical, which evolved from comic opera and is a comprehensive art form that integrates music, drama, literature, and dance.

Although Anastasia dislikes the over-the-top style of the Vanessa Grand Theatre, she thoroughly enjoyed tonight's performance. The actors' superb skills prompted her to frequently applaud and shower them with praise.

Mike, standing nearby, was also engrossed in the spectacular musical performance, temporarily forgetting that he was in a trap and the sharp blade pressed against his throat.

Inside the private box, only Jolina kept looking around, afraid that someone would jump out and fire eight shots at Mike.

Happy times always pass too quickly, and soon it was time for intermission.

Intermission, as the name suggests, is a time for everyone to rest, including the actors and the audience.

People can step out of the auditorium or private box, stretch their arms and legs, take care of their physical needs, or socialize with those around them, raising their glasses and chatting.

Anastasia and the other two also left the private box and walked together to the lounge area of ​​the private box area.

Similar to before the performance officially started, the lounge was already packed with people chatting quietly in small groups, as if attending a banquet.

Anastasia looked around, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the lounge. Some she had seen before the show started, while others she hadn't, she was certain were regulars at the theater.

Tonight seems to be Christmas Eve, and the trip to the Vanessa Theatre seems to be coming to a perfect end.

However, when Anastasia's gaze swept over a theater waiter who had just come upstairs, a sense of unease immediately arose in her heart.

As expected, the fish bit even the straight hook, completely disregarding whether the bait on the hook was coated with dangerous and deadly poison.

"Hello there."

Anastasia walked toward a familiar theater waiter.

"Madam, it's an honor to serve you," the theater waiter said with a bow.

"Where's the phone?" Anastasia asked. "I'd like to borrow it so my family can come pick me up."