Demons Beside You

Fali did not go to Sienna’s house. Instead, she asked Sienna, David and Chris to come over.

The group sat in a circle in the living room, enjoying a hotpot together. As he ate, David said, “How can I miss such an interesting event?”

As a supernatural event lover, he would clearly not allow himself to miss such an opportunity, even though in the last two supernatural incidents, running away was the only thing he did.

Nevertheless, David never seemed to be tired of it. On the other hand, Sienna admitted, “I’m only here for the free food. Tell me if you need help.”

Chen Zhao looked at Chris. “How about you? Why are you here?”

“I’m here to hinder your progress,” Chris said.

“Actually, Chris came here because she’s scared of living alone,” David explained for Chris.

“Chris and I are working together now. She’s in charge of finding customers, and I’ll dispel evil spirits.” Sienna’s mouth was filled with food.

“We don’t have much money for now,” Chris said, somewhat embarrassed.

“Tell me what’s the situation now.” Sienna put down her bottle of beer. She could really eat all she wanted at Chen Zhao’s place.

After all, she could hardly have a satisfying meal. However, her behavior was nothing compared to David.

David was pouring the boiling hotpot soup into his mouth directly. Chen Zhao stared at him, speechless.

“Someone in the town wants to summon a demon,” Chen Zhao said.

“Summon a demon? Like the last time?”

“No, it’s more severe this time. The last one was only the projection of a demon via a medium. This time, there might be a complete demon.”

“Can you settle it?”

“While it might be a complete demon, it probably wouldn’t be too powerful. I’ve asked a professional for advice,” Chen Zhao said.

“Which means you can end it yourself?” Sienna asked.

“As long as the person doesn’t summon a great lord or a demon king whatsoever, I can settle it with the help of my pets.”

“Then why did you ask me to hide?”

“I can settle the demon, but not necessarily the murderer. To complete the summoning ritual, I think that the murderer has to kill a few more people. If he shoots my head with a gun, I’ll die too, so why are you even here? To create more trouble? If the murderer targets us, none of us can escape.”

“I have a gun as well. Don’t forget I’m a cop,” David said confidently. “Next time, you settle the supernatural things. Just leave the criminals to me.”

“But we still have to work, right? We can’t be sitting here and investigating the murders in town all the time,” Chen Zhao pointed out.

“Don’t worry about it. Leave it to me. I’ll find the murderer for you.”

“No. I can’t confirm if the murderer has any supernatural powers. You’re not safe even with a gun.”

“If you pay me, I’ll team up with David for now. If he encounters any supernatural forces, I’ll protect him,” Sienna suggested.

“Take this meal as your deposit.”

“What? I would rather set up a booth outside. Chris and I are so poor now that we can’t even fill our stomachs.”

“I can understand your situation, but why is Chris also jobless?”

Although Chris had resigned from her position at the clothes store, given her appearance and professionalism, it should not be difficult for her to find a similar job.

“I feel that my life in the past was too plain. I like being with Sienna,” Chris said. After a brief pause, she added, “Also, I feel safe around her.”

“Sienna, Chris, are you…” David sounded both shocked and bitter.

“In any case, you wouldn’t have a chance.”

Knock, knock…

As the group chatted, they suddenly heard a knock at the front door.

Chen Zhao went to open the door and saw Bant outside.

Standing in the pattering night rain, Bant looked fairly panicked.

“Chen, Ken just told me about the stupid things he did. What should I do? Should I call the police?” Bant said painfully.

He did not even know if Ken was telling the truth and if he really did not kill the victim.

“Bant, calm down. I just went to the crime scene. I can guarantee you that Ken is not the murderer. As for the things he did in the past, I can’t comment on them.”

“Where’s Ken and Mary?”

“Mary is working as a maid for a family in Los Angeles. I don’t dare to tell her about it. Ken’s home.”

“Come in and have some food. I’ve a friend inside, a cop. I’ve told him about it and asked him to help in the investigation.”

“Chen, thank you. I… I don’t know how I can thank you enough.”

Chen Zhao patted Bant’s shoulder. “Just relax and stop thinking about it. I’ll try my best to help. Ask Ken to come here as well and tell my friend the details. Maybe it’ll help.”

“Chen, will your friend…”

“Don’t worry. He’s just my friend now, not a cop.”

Bant nodded. He ran back and brought Ken over.

After entering the house, Chen Zhao introduced everyone present.

When it was Sienna’s turn, she actively introduced herself and took out a name card. “Hi, I’m a spiritualist. Feel free to find me if you need my help.”

“Err… she’s the spiritualist that cleansed my house. I’m not too sure if she’s good though,” Chen Zhao said awkwardly.

“Ken, tell us the entire story. Maybe we can help you discover some details that you’ve overlooked.”

Ken glanced at Chen Zhao, still somewhat hesitant. After all, he had gone into a person’s house alone and the person was dead.

“Don’t worry. Since Chen said that you’re not the murderer, I’ll believe you,” David assured.

“Ken, stop delaying. Just speak!” Bant roared angrily. He was not polite towards his son at all.

“Deppler and I were friends. We used to play and take drugs together.” Ken lowered his head, not daring to look at his father in the eyes. “But there was a period when I was broke and couldn’t buy drugs. Deppler incited me to steal from the winery.”

“What did you steal?”

“The winery’s account book.”

“Account book?” Everyone was stunned. They thought that Ken must have stolen something valuable, not an account book.

“Deppler wanted it. He said that someone wants the winery’s account book.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me who that person was.”

“Since you’ve taken the account book, you must know the winery’s situation. Did you learn anything useful?”

“I slipped into Mr. Trede Pemton’s office and copied the account book with a thumb drive. I didn’t look at it.”

Ken paused and then added, “I sold it for a thousand dollars.”

“So when Deppler threatened you and said that he had proof of your theft, he must be referring to this thumb drive, right?” David questioned.

“Maybe. I’m not entirely sure.”