Hell Demon - Chapter 8
"I'm going to the garage to get the car!" Zhang Wen said, getting up. The clock on the wall showed it was already three in the morning.
Ten minutes later, a black Mitsubishi Jeep drove away from the villa, onto a straight road, and far away from the villa area, heading directly onto a coastal highway running north along the sea. Zhang Wen was driving in the front seat, while An Li sat in the back, excitedly watching the night view outside the window. The brightly lit buildings and villas were rapidly receding into the distance, and a refreshing night breeze blew in through the window, making everyone feel invigorated!
"That's great, Wen! You haven't taken me for a drive in ages! You're always working, working..." Anli exclaimed happily, "Don't you get tired of it?"
"Don't worry, honey, I'll spend more time with you from now on. I feel like I owe you so much!"
"You're not kidding, are you, honey?!"
"Absolutely not, I've decided to go from workaholic to homebody!" Zhang Wen said calmly, his face expressionless.
"That's great, Wen! You have no idea, it was really weird when I was sleeping at home just now. It felt like there was something in the house. It was so scary! Could there be a ghost in the house?!"
"Hahaha," Zhang Wen laughed, "Don't be afraid, Ali, I'm here. I have imperial aura, I can kill any ghost I see!"
---Magpie Bridge Fairy
Reply [30]: Half an hour later, the jeep had driven far away from their city and onto another coastal road. In the distance, the brightly lit night scene of some Hong Kong islands could be faintly seen across the sea, looking magnificent against the backdrop of the sea and sky. On the coastal side of the road, as it sped along, one could see the waves of the sea rolling in layers of long white foam under the frost-like moonlight, gently and rhythmically lapping against the beach and reefs, producing a continuous sound of the waves. It was truly a beautiful night scene!
On the other side of the road were rolling hills covered with trees, shrubs, and grass, and cliffs! Zhang Wen had driven the car into a deserted suburb!
The car then turned onto an even more deserted road. Anli noticed that, under the pale moonlight, there were no other vehicles or people in sight. At the same time, the rolling hills were covered with gravestones under the moonlight, which was very unsettling.
"Where is this? Why haven't we arrived yet?" Anli frowned. They'd been driving for almost forty minutes, and they were still on a deserted mountain road through forests!
Suddenly, a vast expanse of white fog appeared on the road ahead, stretching as far as the eye could see. The thick fog reflected the moonlight and streetlights, creating a hazy and eerie atmosphere. An Li instinctively sensed that something was wrong with this white, gloomy fog! But before she could think further, Zhang Wen sped into the vast sea of fog, and in an instant, the misty fog engulfed them like a sea.
"Awen, why is it so foggy?" Anli looked up and saw that the thick fog had filled the area around the car, and the scenery on both sides was also instantly obscured by the fog and became blurry!
At the same time, from all directions, a series of eerie "ah-ah-am" cries of women suddenly came from the thick fog. The singing was very strange, as if it echoed, and was very desolate and terrifying, as if thousands of women were crying miserably, surrounding the jeep from all directions in the fog and mid-air!
At the same time, Zhang Wen's car automatically slowed down, and the fog all around became thicker and more eerie! The singing also became more eerie and sinister!
"No!" An Li felt a chill run down her spine. She instinctively felt that the terrifying and eerie singing was not a human voice. She screamed and pushed Zhang Wen in the front row, yelling, "Wen, get out of here! Get out of here!"
But suddenly, Zhang Wen in the front row let out a sinister laugh. Good heavens, it was a chilling, echoing laugh that sent shivers down one's spine. This terrifying laughter startled An Li, who screamed and jumped up and then sat down abruptly, her heart nearly leaping out of her mouth!
"You, you... what's wrong, Wen!" An Li trembled all over as she looked at Zhang Wen's back, her voice completely distorted!
"Hahaha," Zhang Wen let out another low, devilish laugh, then suddenly turned around sharply and uttered a woman's voice, "Look at me, who am I?"
Anli was fine until she saw it, and she was so frightened that she let out a horrified scream. She was so scared that she collapsed backward on the sofa in the back row, her whole body going limp!
Good heavens! The person in the front row wasn't Zhang Wen at all! The Zhang Wen who turned around had transformed into a woman who looked exactly like her. In the pale, foggy moonlight, this terrifying woman with the exact same face as An Li was staring at her sinisterly, her face reflecting light like white bones! At the same time, she let out a chilling "hahaha" laugh, just like An Li's. This echoing laughter made An Li dizzy and disoriented; it was like a nightmare!
The woman laughed sinisterly as she turned and leaned over Anli in the back row. A chill ran down Anli's spine, and she felt an overwhelming sense of terror engulf her. She tried to scream but couldn't make a sound, and she tried to resist but couldn't move at all!
The terrifying, snow-white woman slowly and menacingly approached An Li's pale face. At the same time, a blinding, blood-red light flashed in her eyes. An Li let out a final, inaudible scream… Half an hour later, on the highway back to Zhang Wen's villa area, a jeep sped along. A woman identical to An Li was driving back to the villa under the pale moonlight. A sinister smile appeared on her pale, terrifying face. In the moonlight, she let out a heavy, devilish groan, like that of an animal… Part Seven: "Ah, no… no…" Zhang Wen suddenly screamed, waking from his nightmare. He opened his eyes and found himself lying alone in his police station office. A ray of morning sunlight shone through the curtains, bathing the office in golden ripples on the desk! The fresh air flowing in from the window told Zhang Wen that it was already morning.
He quickly got up and checked his watch. Good heavens, it was already 8:30 in the morning.
"Damn it! How could I have fallen asleep!" Zhang Wen slapped his head hard. It turned out that last night, when he stopped at the traffic sign at the turn, his phone rang. It was a call from Police Chief Sha Dulong, demanding he return to the station due to an emergency! He rushed back, only to find Chief Sha and everyone else, who were about to leave work, claiming they hadn't called him and there was no emergency! Chief Sha Dulong thought Zhang Wen had misheard! This left Zhang Wen completely baffled; he was certain he had clearly heard Chief Sha's voice!
He then called home to his wife several times, but for some reason, he couldn't get through each time! When he was about to leave, he suddenly felt very tired all over, his head was heavy and his legs were light, as if the world was spinning, so he went back to the office intending to rest for ten minutes or so before going home. Who knew that he would fall asleep until dawn!
---Magpie Bridge Fairy
Reply [31]: Oh no! Anli must be getting impatient! Zhang Wen quickly made a phone call home, but the phone rang for a long time and no one answered!
"Will she go out for morning tea?" Zhang Wen wondered.
For some reason, he found himself with a very unsettling feeling after waking up in his office. He felt his nerves were on edge, and his eyelids and muscles were twitching uncontrollably! Something was very wrong!
He had a vague sense of foreboding, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. Yes, he vaguely remembered having a terrible nightmare before waking up this morning. He seemed to hear his wife's voice calling out, "Save me, save me..." The voice sounded so distant, as if it came from the ends of the earth. But strangely, he couldn't recall the details of the dream, only some fragmented memories.
"I want to go home!" Zhang Wen hurriedly put on his suit, rushed out of the office, and ran towards the parking lot... A white Toyota was driving through the buildings. It was Zhang Wen driving home. Although the sun was shining brightly, the sky was blue and the clouds were white, and there were cars and people coming and going, for some reason, Zhang Wen's whole body was still cold and he didn't feel any warmth at all.
As he neared home, he stopped his car in front of a flower shop. He remembered that Anli loved flowers, and he wanted to buy her a few bouquets!
As Zhang Wen stepped into the colorful Qiao's Flower Shop, a fragrant aroma wafted towards him from the air. The shop was filled with all sorts of famous flowers, including fiery red roses, delicate cherry blossoms, carnations, and many more! There were simply too many to count!
The florist was a fat, bald man with large, piercing eyes and Buddha-like ears. He was Qiao Moshan, the owner of the shop. Zhang Wen and An Li were his regular customers, so he dared not be negligent and quickly stepped forward.
"Zhang Sergeant, what do you want today? What kind of flowers would you like?"
"Mr. Qiao, could you give me a bouquet of roses? And please make sure the ribbon is tied nicely!"
"No problem! I'll give you an extra 20% off!" After saying that, Boss Qiao hurriedly went to wrap the roses.
At that moment, another middle-aged man, around forty years old and wearing a worn-out straw hat, was picking out flowers at the other end of the flower shop. He glanced at Zhang Wen's face and instantly showed a look of horror. He quickly took out a Bagua mirror from his pocket, held it in his hand, and looked at Zhang Wen's face. His expression of horror instantly became even greater. He put the mirror away, smiled inexplicably, and stared blankly at Zhang Wen with a very strange expression!
Boss Qiao quickly finished wrapping the roses, and Zhang Wen took them, paid quickly, and left.
Just as Zhang Wen reached the car and was about to open the door, a middle-aged man's voice suddenly rang out behind him, "Sir, you don't mind talking to me, do you?"
Zhang Wen turned around and found that a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a straw hat and an old white shirt, had been silently standing behind him. For some reason, Zhang Wen noticed a strange look in the man's eyes on his flushed face, as if a sharp gaze that could see into the depths of a person's soul was flashing within them. Zhang Wen had a feeling that this man was no ordinary person.
"What's up?"
"Your complexion looks bad; something terrible is about to happen. Can I talk to you?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenli's interest waned immediately. He interrupted the straw-hatted man impatiently, "Sorry, I don't have time for fortune telling," and quickly got into his car and drove away. Clearly, he had assumed the straw-hatted man was a fortune teller!
Watching Zhang Wenyuan's car disappear into the distance, the man in the straw hat didn't seem anxious. He sighed expressionlessly and returned to the flower shop, where Boss Qiao was trimming flowers at the entrance.
"Boss, may I ask who that gentleman was just now?"
"You don't know him? He's Zhang Wen, the famous detective from the Major Crimes Unit in our district. He's amazing! He's solved a lot of big cases. Brother, he doesn't believe in fortune telling, so don't waste your time!" Boss Qiao said with a smile, clearly having overheard the conversation.
“I’m not a fortune teller,” the man in the straw hat said firmly, “but this Mr. Zhang is currently in the midst of a calamity!”
"What calamity?"
"His face is dark, with a fierce white tiger marking his forehead, and a black aura of death hangs over his head. Within seven days, he will surely suffer a bloody disaster!"
"Aren't you exaggerating? What kind of bloody disaster could he possibly be facing?"
The man in the straw hat smiled and said, "I wish there were no demons in this world!" He turned back to Boss Qiao and said seriously, "Can you tell me where he lives?" "This...this..." Boss Qiao felt for some reason that what the man said was true.
“If you don’t tell me, he won’t escape this calamity. He will die. I mean it!” the straw-hatted man said seriously. That morning, in the Seven Dragons District Monastery, Father Mott also came to the director’s office. He told Jia Renlong everything about the series of strange events that happened at New Kangli Hospital yesterday, his suspicions about the sudden deaths of Zhang Xinyan and Zhang Shanling, and the terrible devilish phone call yesterday afternoon.
After listening to Father Mott's account, Dean Jia stared at Father Mott's face in silence for several minutes before speaking, "According to you, yesterday's crazy bell ringing, Zhang Xinyan's terrible sudden death, and Zhang Shanling's traffic accident were all caused by your visit to New Kangli Hospital."
"Yes, Dean, I believe there may be a terrible, evil demonic force lurking in that hospital. Last night, a serious murder case occurred there where a doctor killed someone!"
"I've seen that news too, it was indeed terrifying, but it was just caused by a mentally deranged doctor going crazy."
“No, I suspect it’s caused by demonic possession or demonic possession. Based on my rudimentary knowledge of demonology, some powerful and terrifying demons can use terrible magic to control ordinary people, causing them to completely lose their rationality and consciousness, and commit terrible and crazy murderous acts,” Father Mott said solemnly. “Dean, I think we should invite a priest who knows exorcism to perform an exorcism ceremony for this hospital.”
---Magpie Bridge Fairy
Reply [32]: “Hahaha” Jia Renlong couldn’t control himself and laughed. “Father Mott, your imagination is too rich. I personally think that this is just a series of coincidences that made you have a psychological illusion. If it weren’t for your usual work attitude, I would think you are mentally unstable!”
"I'm acting strangely? Dean, don't forget, we still haven't caught the person who was ringing the bell all day yesterday?"
“I’ve also studied demonology, Father Mott!” Jia Renlong said. “If a place is truly haunted by demons, they usually only manifest in the vicinity of that place, and generally only those who have lived there for a long time can sense them. But according to what you’ve said, this is absolutely insane. You only went to the hospital once, and it seems to have gone mad, chasing after you and killing you indiscriminately. Isn’t that too crazy? Furthermore, Father Mott, I remind you, if it really did provoke it because you went to the hospital, as you say, then why didn’t it just kill you directly, but instead went to kill Zhang Xinyan? As for Zhang Shanling’s accident, that was a traffic accident! Traffic accidents result in deaths almost every day in Hong Kong. As for that demonic phone call, I think it’s just your hallucination! What you’re saying is completely illogical!”
“Dean Jia, I don’t know why it’s like this, but I believe what I’m saying is not an illusion. Dean Jia, none of the priests I know know exorcism. I don’t care whether you believe me or not, but please, for the sake of the Lord, introduce me to one.” Father Mott seemed anxious.
Jia Renlong gave a wry smile. "Science is becoming more and more advanced now. In recent years, we haven't had a single monk here willing to learn exorcism magic, nor have the other brother churches nearby. You know, if we go out to preach and start talking about exorcising demons and monsters, wouldn't we become like the sorceresses in the Wong Tai Sin area? That would seriously damage our reputation. So, in recent years, I haven't sent anyone to Italy to learn exorcism magic!"
"Really not a single one?" Father Mott felt utterly hopeless.
"Yes, not a single one. I suggest you go on a trip for a few days to clear your mind."
“I am perfectly clear-headed, Dean. Have you forgotten the sacred duty of a Catholic priest? If there really are demons or evil spirits wreaking havoc in that hospital, then a great disaster will befall it sooner or later!”
“Father Mott, according to the information I have, many so-called haunted houses and cases of evil spirit possession in various places, in the end, are just caused by mental illness, paranoia and electromagnetic pollution from nearby factories. Mott! My feeling is that all of this is just your subjective judgment, but…” “But what?” Father Mott seemed to find a glimmer of hope in Dean Jia’s eyes.
"There was one person who knew exorcism magic, but he was fired by us twenty years ago!"
"Who is he?" Father Mott was instantly filled with hope, his despair turning back into despair.
“His name is Wright, a priest of half Indian and half Caucasian descent. I worked with him when I was young. He’s a fiery old man. He currently lives on a small island called the North Circus. I can write you a letter of introduction so you can go find him, but… but…” Dean Jia seemed hesitant.
"But what?"
"I don't know if I should let you know him. Do you know why he was expelled from the church?"
Father Mott quickly shook his head.
"That's because he was a sorcerer. Before he joined the church at the age of thirty, he was a disciple of a sorcerer in Malaysia. Later, when he heard that the sorcerer wanted him to harm people, he refused and even injured his master in a battle of magic. So he left Malaya. After he came to Hong Kong, he joined the Catholic Church by listening to sermons. He was not the kind of sorcerer who used witchcraft to harm people."
Jia Renlong paused for a moment, then continued, "Unfortunately, this also ruined his qualifications as a priest. After joining the church, he successfully exorcised demons from several haunted houses and even saved a boy possessed by an evil spirit. Because of his outstanding achievements, he aroused the jealousy of the former dean of the church, who expelled him on the grounds that he had previously learned black magic and violated the church rules."
"Then quickly write me a letter and tell me to go find him!" Father Mott didn't care whether this was against the rules of the church.
Jia Renlong laughed and picked up a pen to write.
"I hope he can defeat this demon that's attached to New Conley Hospital!" Father Mott murmured to himself.
As Jia Renlong wrote, he looked up and said, "I think the existence of demons in this hospital is just your imagination. However, if it is true, Father Mott..." Jia Renlong looked seriously into Father Mott's eyes.
"What will happen then?"
“By doing this, you are essentially getting yourself completely and deeply involved in this matter. That supernatural evil force will definitely not let you go.” Jia Renlong said while looking down and writing.
This was the sentence that Jia Renlong said that chilled Father Mott the most.
Zhang Wen's car quickly drove back to his villa. After parking the car in the garage, he came out and walked briskly to the front door.
For some reason, when he looked up at the roof of his villa, he suddenly felt a blinding light. In the bright sunlight, it seemed as if a flash of white light had momentarily streaked across the roof, making him feel inexplicably dizzy. He quickly regained his composure and looked up again, but the roof was now empty, back to normal. He unconsciously touched his face and found it had become very, very cold.
He unconsciously walked up the steps and was about to ring the doorbell when he suddenly felt someone watching him from behind. He quickly turned around and saw a little boy riding a bicycle smiling at him from outside the iron gate of the yard. The boy waved to him and then rode away as fast as the wind.
"Probably just some kids from around here!" Zhang Wen thought as he turned around. He glanced at the sky and, lo and behold, the clear blue sky with its white clouds was changing color, turning gloomy in an instant. Large swaths of dark clouds were rolling in from the north, and the weather was rapidly deteriorating, as if a storm was brewing.
"Why has the weather become so strange?" Zhang Wen rang the doorbell several times, but there was no response, as if no one was home! He then took out his keys, opened the door, and went inside. Strangely, the house seemed deathly silent.
---Magpie Bridge Fairy
Reply [33]: What came into his view was a quiet and silent living room. He called out loudly several times, "Anli! Anli!" but the only response was an empty silence. The whole villa seemed to be lifeless and very strange!
At the same time, gusts of wind blew in from the west-facing floor-to-ceiling glass wall, causing the long curtains to flutter high. Oh my god, it turned out that the glass door to the balcony had been opened.
"Are you kidding me?!" Zhang Wen rushed over and slammed the glass door shut. He then noticed that the weather outside had become even more gloomy. Gusts of wind, like the pre-storm gusts, whipped sand and stones into the air, scattering fallen leaves that swirled and danced wildly. Even black garbage bags were being spun and flung about – it was terrifying! The sky grew even darker, with swirling, black clouds like endless waves covering the heavens, instantly turning a bright, sunny morning into the darkness of dusk! It was inexplicably chilling!
For some reason, looking at the rapidly deteriorating weather, Zhang Wen had a strange feeling that the weather might be targeting him.
"Anli! Anli!" Zhang Wen turned around and searched all the rooms on the three floors, but still couldn't find Anli. Even the servant, A Geng, was nowhere to be found. The darkening sky outside the window made the entire villa's living room gloomy, extremely desolate and silent!
As Zhang Wen passed by the north side, he discovered that the entire mahogany altar enshrining Guan Yu on the north side had been torn off to the ground. The ceramic statue of Guan Yu had been smashed to the ground, shattering into countless fragments that scattered haphazardly outwards. Zhang Wen could tell that the statue of Guan Yu seemed to have been violently thrown by some force, and he could sense that this force harbored extreme hatred for statues and the like.
Because Zhang Wen was a policeman, he had always had the habit of worshipping Guan Yu. Looking at the shards that had been thrown five or six meters away, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart!
He turned around, wondering if his wife and the others had gone out. As he thought this, he walked into the bathroom next to the living room on the first floor. He went to the sink, turned on the tap, and picked up a towel to wash his face, trying to clear his head. Unfortunately, he didn't notice that while he was washing his face, a square mirror hanging on the bathroom wall suddenly rotated automatically, reflecting Zhang Wen's back as he washed his face. At the same time, a terrifying, low groan came softly from beside the mirror.
Zhang Wen was wiping his face with a towel when suddenly, he instinctively felt something was wrong. He stopped wiping his face and suddenly realized what was happening! There was something behind him because he heard a terrifying "whoosh-whoosh-whoosh" breathing sound behind him.