2: Chapter 2 The Golden Book

Shaun watched Frank's back, remaining silent the entire time.

Otis clapped his hands. "Alright, that's done. Let's head out."

The two returned to the police car, and Otis started the engine.

"That Frank," Shaun suddenly spoke up, "do you think what he said was true or false?"

"Of course it was false," Otis scoffed. "I've seen plenty of people like him; he's full of hot air. If even one out of ten words he says is true, that'd be a miracle."

"But it doesn't matter. He hasn't broken any laws, just living a bit miserably. Give him twenty bucks, tell him to get lost, and we've done our job. End of story."

So that was it!

It had to be said, having been a police officer for twenty years, Otis truly possessed the wisdom to handle such matters.

However...

Getting entangled with the Gallagher family might not be so easy to shake off.

Not to mention that Otis had basically given away all his own personal information.

Shaun grunted in acknowledgment.

He, of course, knew that everything Frank said was fake.

But he also knew that this man, Frank, although a drunkard, a con artist, and an incompetent father, possessed a special ability...

He could always survive.

No matter what happened, no matter what desperate situation he fell into, Frank Gallagher could always find a way to crawl out, while taking advantage of the situation along the way.

But that wasn't the point right now.

The point was, if this world had Frank, did it also have the other characters from shameless?

Were there other American TV shows as well?

It was no wonder Shaun kept mulling this over; the news of Frank Gallagher's appearance was just too explosive.

It made Shaun have to think it over carefully...

...

"Car 17, acknowledge if received!"

Just as Shaun was pondering, the radio crackled to life.

Otis pressed the talk button. "Car 17 receiving, go ahead."

"Someone reported a disturbance at Robichaux Manor in the suburbs, claiming to hear fighting and gunshots. There are no other patrol cars nearby, so head over and take a look."

Otis clicked his tongue. "Great, there goes afternoon tea. Let's go, heading to the suburbs."

He turned the car around.

Shaun looked out the window, his mind still on Frank Gallagher.

Robichaux Manor.

That name sounded familiar.

But he couldn't quite place it at the moment.

Never mind, it probably wasn't anywhere important.

The police car drove toward the suburbs, gradually leaving the city's hustle and bustle behind.

The houses on both sides of the road grew fewer, replaced by stretches of forest and the occasional abandoned warehouse.

Twenty minutes later, Otis slowed the car down.

"We're here."

Shaun followed his gaze.

Then he froze.

A massive black wrought-iron gate stood by the roadside, featuring a pattern of a circle with three intertwined wavy lines inside.

Behind the gate was a long driveway, leading to an old plantation-style manor at the end, its white exterior walls glaring under the afternoon sun.

Two rows of old oak trees stood straight, leading toward the main residence, their canopies blocking out the sky.

Robichaux Manor.

Shaun stared at the pattern, his brain suddenly buzzing.

He remembered!

It wasn't in the real world that he had heard this name!

It was on Netflix!

One late night, tucked into warm blankets, he had been curled up in bed, binge-watching the third season of American Horror Story.

Coven.

This manor was the school for the witches.

That pattern was the symbol of the Coven.

And the people living inside weren't some rich folks, but a group of... witches!

"How did this gate open?" Otis muttered.

Shaun snapped back to reality.

The iron gate was slowly opening.

It wasn't being pushed by anyone; it was moving on its own.

There were no motors on the gate, no remote control devices, nothing at all.

At the end of the driveway, the door to the main residence also opened.

A blonde woman stood at the doorway, watching them from afar.

The distance was too great to make out her expression.

"Let's go," Otis stepped on the gas. "Let's go in and see what's going on."

Shaun wanted to speak; he wanted to say "Don't go in," he wanted to say "Let's turn back."

But he had no reason to, and in the split second, he just followed the car inside.

The police car moved slowly along the oak-lined driveway.

Shaun gripped his seatbelt, his mind rapidly recalling the plot of Coven.

The Supreme Witch Fiona Goode, her daughter Cordelia, and that group of young witches—Madison, Zoe, Queenie...

And the witch hunters.

And the Voodoo Queen.

And...

"Shaun," Otis suddenly spoke up, "why is your face so pale?"

Shaun snapped out of it. "It's nothing, just a bit... hot."

"Hot?" Otis glanced at the air conditioning vent. "The AC is on."

Shaun didn't respond.

He stared at the approaching main residence, a thought suddenly popping into his head...

If he asked Otis to turn around now, saying he'd received another emergency call, would it work?

No.

The incident report was there; leaving without authorization would be impossible to explain later.

What if he didn't look at anything inside, didn't ask anything, and just left after making a show of it?

That wouldn't work either.

The way that blonde woman was standing at the door earlier, it was clearly waiting for them.

This manor had a history of over a hundred years and had never called the police. Today, someone suddenly called, and the witches weren't nervous; instead, they opened the door to welcome them...

It was too abnormal.

Unless...

"Ding."

Shaun paused.

What was that sound?

"Ding! Host's first scene integration detected, system activating!"

Shaun sat up straight abruptly.

System?

There really was a voice in his head; it wasn't heard by his ears, but rang directly in his mind.

The feeling was very strange, like someone speaking in his mind, yet also like he was thinking it himself, but those words were definitely not something he had thought up.

Immediately, a book suddenly appeared in his mind!

It wasn't a metaphor, not a hallucination, but a real, clear book that seemed to be right before his eyes.

That book appeared out of thin air in the depths of his consciousness, the texture of the cover exceptionally real.

A dark brown leather cover, the corners wrapped in oxidized, darkened brass; it felt like it would have that cold touch unique to old metal if touched.

There was no text on the cover, only an embossed pattern—a circle with three intertwined wavy lines inside.

Shaun subconsciously wanted to reach out and touch it, but realized what he was doing halfway through.

This book was not in the real world; it only existed in his mind.

But he could simply "see" it, and even "feel" its weight.

The spine was very thick, at least three or four hundred pages.

The edges of the pages were slightly yellowed, with some places having that frayed edge unique to old books, looking as if they had been flipped through countless times.

With a thought, the pages flipped open automatically.

The first page was blank. Shaun was just wondering about it when he saw the words inside appearing stroke by stroke, as if written by an invisible hand.

"Plot character unlocking initiated, Frank Gallagher..."