The basement of Shadow Hill Mansion was colder than a freezer.

The walls were covered with strange machines.

Old glass tubes stood everywhere.

Strange liquids bubbled inside them.

Metal pipes moved across the ceiling.

And at the center of the underground laboratory stood an old man.

Dr. Victor Crow.

The scientist who disappeared fifty years ago.

The man who created monsters.

The man who apparently did not understand that creating monsters was usually a terrible hobby.

Max Miller stared at him.

“Okay.”

He pointed.

“I have one important question.”

Dr. Crow smiled.

“What is it?”

“How are you alive after fifty years?”

The old scientist laughed.

“Excellent question.”

Everyone waited.

Dr. Crow smiled proudly.

“I simply refused to die.”

Silence.

Benny Brown blinked.

“That is your explanation?”

“Yes.”

“That sounds impossible.”

Dr. Crow shrugged.

“I am a scientist.”

Benny nodded.

“Scientists always say that before doing something impossible.”

Max whispered:

“He has a point.”

Luna stepped forward.

“You created the Laughing Beast.”

Dr. Crow looked pleased.

“Ah.”

He smiled.

“You know about my masterpiece.”

Sir Giggles floated behind them.

“Masterpiece?”

His voice became angry.

“You created suffering.”

Dr. Crow looked at the ghost.

“Careful, little ghost.”

Everyone noticed.

Sir Giggles looked different.

Not funny.

Not playful.

Angry.

Max noticed.

“Sir Giggles…”

The ghost looked away.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Ask questions.”

Max frowned.

“That means there are definitely questions.”

---

Dr. Crow walked around the laboratory.

“Fifty years ago, I wanted to create the perfect being.”

He touched one of the machines.

“A creature without fear.”

“A creature without weakness.”

“A creature that could survive anything.”

Luna looked at the old papers.

“But you failed.”

Dr. Crow smiled.

“No.”

Everyone looked confused.

“The Laughing Beast was not a failure.”

He looked toward Sir Giggles.

“It was the success.”

The room became silent.

Max looked at Sir Giggles.

“Wait…”

He pointed.

“Sir Giggles?”

The ghost shook his head quickly.

“No.”

Dr. Crow laughed.

“Not him.”

He walked closer.

“The Laughing Beast was created from my strongest experiment.”

“Then what is Sir Giggles?” Luna asked.

Dr. Crow smiled.

“That is the most interesting part.”

Sir Giggles disappeared.

Everyone turned.

“Where did he go?”

Benny looked around.

“Did the ghost just leave because the conversation became awkward?”

Max shook his head.

“No.”

He looked at Dr. Crow.

“You scared him.”

The scientist smiled.

---

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the machines.

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

A red light started flashing.

Dr. Crow looked at the screen.

“Oh.”

Luna became worried.

“What happened?”

The scientist smiled.

“The Beast woke up.”

Max looked around.

“Can we tell it to sleep again?”

Nobody answered.

A giant metal door at the end of the room started opening.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

A dark shadow appeared.

Benny immediately moved behind Max.

“If something comes out, I want everyone to know I was brave.”

Max looked at him.

“You are hiding behind me.”

“Yes.”

“That is not bravery.”

“It is strategic bravery.”

The door opened completely.

Nothing came out.

Everyone waited.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

Max relaxed.

“Maybe it is gone.”

Then suddenly…

A huge hand grabbed the door frame.

Everyone screamed.

The Laughing Beast stepped forward.

It was bigger than before.

Its eyes glowed.

Its smile was terrifying.

But then…

It spoke.

“Did everyone miss me?”

Everyone froze.

Max blinked.

“The monster talks?”

The Beast looked offended.

“Of course I talk.”

It crossed its arms.

“I am not an animal.”

Benny whispered:

“It just insulted itself.”

The Beast looked at him.

“I heard that.”

Benny quickly smiled.

“I said you are very intelligent.”

“Better.”

---

The Laughing Beast walked around them.

“I have waited fifty years for this moment.”

Luna held her notebook.

“What moment?”

The Beast smiled.

“Revenge.”

Max looked serious.

“Revenge against who?”

The Beast pointed at Dr. Crow.

“Against my creator.”

Everyone looked at the scientist.

Dr. Crow laughed.

“You still believe I betrayed you?”

“You did.”

The Beast’s voice became darker.

“You created me.”

“You used me.”

“You locked me away.”

Dr. Crow shook his head.

“You misunderstood.”

The Beast roared.

“I understood everything!”

The machines shook.

Suddenly, Sir Giggles appeared.

“Stop!”

Everyone looked.

The Beast became quiet.

“You…”

Sir Giggles looked at him.

“I know the truth.”

Dr. Crow smiled.

“Of course you do.”

Max looked between them.

“Can someone please explain?”

Sir Giggles sighed.

“Fifty years ago…”

He looked at the Beast.

“We were brothers.”

Everyone froze.

Benny’s mouth opened.

“Ghost brothers?”

Sir Giggles nodded.

“Dr. Crow created two experiments.”

He pointed at the Beast.

“One was designed to have incredible strength.”

Then he pointed at himself.

“The second was designed to have incredible intelligence.”

Luna understood.

“You were both experiments.”

“Yes.”

Max looked surprised.

“But why are you a ghost?”

Sir Giggles became quiet.

“Because the experiment failed.”

A sad silence filled the room.

“Dr. Crow wanted to combine our powers.”

“He wanted one perfect creature.”

“The Beast survived.”

“But I…”

He looked down.

“I died.”

Nobody spoke.

Even Max looked sad.

Then Benny raised his hand.

“So…”

Everyone looked at him.

“You are telling me we have a super strong monster and a smart ghost because one scientist couldn’t stop playing with dangerous machines?”

Max nodded.

“Basically.”

Benny sighed.

“Humans really create their own problems.”

---

Suddenly, Dr. Crow pressed a button.

CLICK.

A metal cage dropped from the ceiling.

It trapped the Laughing Beast.

“What are you doing?” Luna shouted.

Dr. Crow smiled.

“Finishing my experiment.”

The Beast attacked the cage.

BOOM!

BOOM!

The cage shook.

Sir Giggles flew toward Dr. Crow.

“You promised you would never do this again!”

Dr. Crow smiled.

“I never promised you anything.”

Max stepped forward.

“Wait.”

Everyone looked at him.

“You need us.”

Dr. Crow laughed.

“Why would I need you?”

Max smiled.

“Because your machine is broken.”

The scientist stopped.

“What?”

Max pointed at the machine.

“The lights are flashing.”

Dr. Crow looked.

“The energy is unstable.”

Luna smiled.

“Max is right.”

Dr. Crow became angry.

“Impossible.”

Max shrugged.

“I may not look smart.”

Benny nodded.

“You don’t.”

Max ignored him.

“But I notice things.”

The machine started shaking.

BOOM!

A pipe exploded.

Smoke filled the room.

Dr. Crow panicked.

“No!”

The cage opened.

The Laughing Beast escaped.

Everyone ran.

The Beast grabbed Dr. Crow.

But instead of attacking…

It looked at him.

“You lost.”

Dr. Crow stared.

“What?”

“You wanted to create a monster.”

The Beast smiled.

“But you forgot one thing.”

“What?”

The Beast pointed at Sir Giggles.

“Even monsters can choose who they become.”

Sir Giggles smiled.

For the first time…

The Beast smiled too.

---

Suddenly…

A loud laugh came from above.

Everyone stopped.

Not the Beast’s laugh.

Not Sir Giggles’ laugh.

A new laugh.

A darker laugh.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

The walls cracked.

The floor shook.

Max looked terrified.

“Please tell me there is not a third monster.”

Dr. Crow became pale.

“There isn’t.”

Luna looked at him.

“Then what is that?”

The scientist whispered:

“The first experiment.”

Everyone froze.

“The one I buried.”

Max swallowed.

“The one before the Beast?”

Dr. Crow nodded.

“The one that was never supposed to wake up.”

The ceiling cracked.

A giant shadow appeared.

And a voice echoed:

“You created me…”

A pair of glowing eyes opened.

“…but you forgot me.”

The mansion shook violently.

Sir Giggles whispered:

“The real nightmare has arrived.”

---