Demons Beside You

“I’ll take you to Angel Beach,” Chen Zhao said.

Fali didn’t drive, so Chen Zhao brought her from the airport to the Coastal Rescue Team’s office. Along the way, he got a call.

It was Zola. “Chen, there’s a show at my company tomorrow night. Do you want to come?”

“What show?”

“The fashion show for my company’s new products. You can come with your girlfriend.”

Chen Zhao thought for a bit. He wasn’t interested in fashion shows. After all, he didn’t understand that kind of fashion. He’d rather watch Victoria’s Secret.

However, he didn’t know if Fali was interested. Turning, he asked, “Fali, my friend has a fashion show tomorrow. She invited us. Do you want to go?”

“Sure.”

Women would always be women. They couldn’t resist things about clothes.

Fali answered without hesitation and asked, “But we have to dress formally for that kind of event, right?”

“Should I go dress shopping with you tonight?”

“Sure.”

…

“Chen, Odutra is imprisoned here,” Caprice called Chen Zhao. “When do you want to ‘visit’ him?”

Chen Zhao remembered Odutra. Originally, he thought it would take half a year for Odutra to be put through trial and be imprisoned. He didn’t expect it to take less than a month.

“He’s in prison so soon?” Chen Zhao asked doubtfully.

“Ha, he’s a top criminal. The court doesn’t feel confident if he’s only detained. Plus, his crime and evidence are all clear, so the L.A. court quickly gave him a sentence.”

“How long is it?”

“For life and without parole.”

“Is there a possibility for him to come out?”

“Technically, yes,” Caprice said. “But if you’re worried that he’ll come out in 30 or 40 years and take revenge on you, there’s no need. He won’t live that long.”

The average criminal could live a few decades in prison if they didn’t do anything stupid. However, Odutra was a gang leader. He had more rivals than followers. Would his rivals let him be released?

Plus, his men probably wanted him to die in prison, right?

Odutra had planned on gang-raping Fali that night.

Chen Zhao would never let him go so easily. After all, he’d disabled four rapists just last night. This was just the basic punishment. Odutra would definitely get something more.

“You guys help me think. What is very painful but won’t have any visible signs?”

“Master,” Carrie said. “I have a good friend who’s a painful torturer. She’s amazing at torturing souls.”

“Is she in Hell right now?”

“Yes. You just have to kill your enemy and have his soul go to Hell.”

Chen Zhao shook his head. Killing his enemy felt nice, but it was too costly. It could affect Caprice too.

“Human,” Raymond said. “I thought of an idea.”

“What idea?”

“Let me give him great sexual desire, hehe…” Raymond said while snickering.

He had a good idea, but this couldn’t satisfy Chen Zhao. “Not enough. This is just appetizer, at most.”

“Make him never be able to feel full,” Beelzebub added. “Make him feel starved forever.”

“Still a bit lacking. Keep thinking.”

“Why are you making it complicated?” Blackie asked. “Why can’t you just use what you did to Philip Quinn?”

“No, that’s too obvious,” Chen Zhao declined the suggestion.

Philip Quinn’s case was too unique. If another case came up, it would be easily connected to him.

“Then, I’ll learn a spell. Oh…what about the Age Spell?” Chen Zhao’s eyes brightened. “Which of you know Age?”

“No.”

“No.”

“No.”

Chen Zhao was speechless. “None of you?”

“The effect is too low for demons. There’s no point in learning it, so no demon would go learn it.”

“Is the effect that weak?”

“Humans have no resistance against magic, so Age can make them die from old age within 30 days.”

“Beelzebub, who in your territory knows the spell?”

Chen Zhao had the demonic ritual implements of many inferior demons of Beelzebub’s territory. He thought that if he was lucky, one of them would know Age.

“I don’t know. I don’t care about those lowly bastards.”

Chen Zhao wanted to kick Beelzebub. He only knew how to say useless words but couldn’t do anything he was asked to.

“I have an idea,” Blackie said.

“Feel free to speak up.”

“We’re not very familiar with curses, but I know necromancer spells.”

“And then?”

“In necromancing, there’s a type of marrow-eating insect. The host loses as much vitality as the insect sucks away.”

“Are they easy to discover?”

“There’s a possibility they’ll be discovered with X-ray because they’re visible to the naked eye, but they can be taken out.”

Chen Zhao had to learn how to summon the marrow-eating insects though. Blackie couldn’t hurt living creatures directly—not even a horribly sinful criminal.

Chen Zhao thought and then called Caprice. “Caprice, I’m not ready yet. I need a few days to prepare.”

“What are you planning?”

“Obviously something that can take revenge without hurting you or me,” Chen Zhao said matter-of-factly.

“There’s more than enough time,” Caprice said. “No hurries.”

After hanging up, Chen Zhao drove to Ethan’s motel. Ethan’s clients for Chen Zhao had decreased dramatically, but they were all big cases. Ethan must have chosen them specifically because he knew Chen Zhao needed money.

Of course, he would also earn much more.

“Auntie Li, where’s Ethan?” When Chen Zhao entered, he saw Li Qing standing behind the front desk.

Li Qing looked at him and her brows furrowed. “Mr. Chen, where’s your peace knot?”

“Huh? It’s in my wallet.” Chen Zhao took out his wallet but discovered that the peace knot was untied. “Hey, what happened? It was still fine yesterday.”

“Mr. Chen, did you run into danger yesterday?”

“Uh…”