Chapter 116Lucifer(4/4)
Chapter 116Lucifer(4/4)
"Damn it," Sam said, sitting down on the couch with a sigh. "What did that guy even want from us?"
Gwen didn't seem as worried as Sam. She wasn't sure how the man knew about the creature's skin, but she wasn't concerned. After all, the man had been arrested.
"He won't be a problem anymore," Gwen said with a smile, sitting down on the couch. She turned on the TV with the remote. Meanwhile, Sam was bothered by how relaxed Gwen seemed.
Realizing that no matter what he said, Gwen wouldn't take him seriously, Sam decided not to argue further with her. He turned to Ethan and noticed him staring intently at the creature's skin.
"Ethan?" Sam called out, but Ethan didn't respond and continued staring. Sam tried again. "Ethan? Are you okay?"
Sam touched Ethan's shoulder, and when Ethan finally turned his gaze to him, Sam shuddered for a brief moment. A sense of fear washed over him, but it faded quickly.
"Sam," Ethan said calmly. "What's wrong? What did you ask?"
Sam swallowed nervously and tried not to show it. "You just seemed lost in thought. I was asking if you were okay."
Ethan paused for a moment before giving a faint smile. "I'm fine."
"I see." Sam nodded and then turned his attention to the television. The news was still covering the same incident, with no new stories being shown.
"This is so boring," Gwen muttered as she switched channels. "There's nothing on. How much longer are they going to keep reporting on this?"
"I have a feeling this isn't over yet," Sam said calmly. "I hope the truth comes out soon."
Gwen grumbled but said nothing. She stopped when she landed on a news channel. The anchor's words shocked them.
"This must truly be a cursed day," the anchor said before glancing at her papers and continuing. "Unexplained explosions, military casualties, and so much more."
"But the most intriguing part is Professor Joseph's statements," the anchor added in a calm tone. Gwen smiled upon recognizing the name. "Professor Joseph is a great genius and scientist, often compared to Einstein of our time."
Sam was surprised to see Gwen interested and asked, "Do you know him?"
Gwen nodded indifferently. "Yes, I've read his books before. They were excellent."
The anchor went on, "Professor Joseph claims humanity is in grave danger. He made bizarre statements about God abandoning us and Lucifer trying to save us."
With a mocking tone, the anchor added, "The government is meeting today to evaluate Professor Joseph's claims and whether to suspend his professorship."
Gwen was stunned, her face showing anger. "How can this happen? Professor Joseph would never lie. He's one of the country's greatest scientists."
"Maybe people just find it hard to believe him?" Sam suggested hesitantly, glancing at Ethan. Strangely, Ethan, who usually loved discussing theories, remained silent.
Sam found this odd, though Gwen ignored it. Sam sighed and, with growing unease, said, "I think we should get rid of that piece of the creature's skin."
"I agree," Gwen supported. "That thing seems like it's going to cause more trouble."
Gwen imagined hundreds of FBI agents at their door and smiled. She didn't want to live her life with a five-star wanted level.
Ethan, however, seemed to react to their words. His eyes narrowed. "No, it's mine. I'm not throwing it away."
Ethan's voice was firm, and he glared at Gwen and Sam in irritation. "Why don't you focus on your own business instead of meddling in mine?!"
Sam was startled and said cautiously, "We're not accusing you. We're just sharing our thoughts, Ethan."
Gwen frowned and pouted at Ethan. "I think that thing is affecting you negatively. Hand it over to me."
"No!" Ethan stood up and shouted. Gwen was taken aback and raised her hands in surrender. "Calm down, cowboy. I'm not going to take it by force. Just give it to me for safekeeping."
Sam stood up, siding with Gwen. "She's right, Ethan. That thing is making you paranoid. Do you remember what that guy said? There must be something we don't know about it."
Ethan looked at his two friends with a sense of betrayal and disappointment. "Are you turning against me?"
Gwen's face twisted in frustration as she sensed something wrong with Ethan. "Ethan, what's happening to you? It's just a piece of skin. This so-called creature's skin is just that—skin."
"Please," Ethan almost begged. "I need this. I must protect it. Just let me keep it, please?"
"But Ethan," Sam said, worried for his friend. Gwen sighed and softened her expression. "Look, I don't know why you're so attached to that thing, but sooner or later, they'll find you. And when they do, our lives will be ruined alongside yours."
Ethan stared seriously at Gwen. Though he sensed the gentleness in her words, something inside him insisted he should never give up the skin. His thoughts became more paranoid.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at his two friends. "There's no need. Besides, the creature's skin isn't affecting me. It's just skin."
"Even so—" Gwen smiled faintly and approached Ethan. "That thing should stay with me. For your own good."
When Ethan saw Gwen reaching for the creature's skin, he quickly clenched it in his hands and hid it behind his back.
Determined, Gwen grabbed Ethan's arm and tried to take the skin by force. Ethan was just as stubborn.
"Let go, Gwen," Ethan said angrily, growing more frustrated with the situation. Gwen, ignoring his irritation, kept trying to snatch the skin.
Finally, Ethan couldn't hold back and pushed Gwen gently. "I said let go!"
Though the push was soft, Gwen was caught off guard and stumbled backward, hitting the wall with a thud before collapsing to the floor. Sam rushed to her side.
"Gwen! Are you okay?!"
"I-I'm fine," Gwen said, getting up and holding her sore back, but her eyes remained on Ethan. Ethan backed away, intent on leaving.
"Forget me, Sam! Catch Ethan!" Gwen said resolutely, hiding her pain. Sam hesitated, but it was too late.
Ethan opened the door, intent on leaving, but collided with someone, falling backward. The creature's skin slipped from his hands and fell to the floor. Dazed, Ethan looked up to see the man standing at the door.
It was Jack. He calmly glanced at the fallen Ethan, then at Gwen and Sam. Finally, his eyes rested on Ethan with a cold, calculating stare.
"Did you do this?" Jack asked calmly. Ethan froze in fear upon seeing the man again. But the sight of the creature's skin on the ground filled him with even greater dread.
Ethan's eyes widened as he reached for the skin, but Jack acted swiftly, stepping on Ethan's hand before he could grab it.
"Wait there," Jack said. Ethan gritted his teeth in pain, while Sam and Gwen looked at Jack with concern. Jack simply ignored them and took the monster's skin from the ground.
The monster's skin began to glow brighter as Jack got closer. Jack just mocked it and, with a simple motion, took the skin. "This thing can possess minds, son. You must have been possessed as well."
Jack said coldly. If it had been his old personality, he would have mocked and walked away. But now, he had become accustomed to living like a god. Even unknowingly, his behavior had changed greatly.
"Should I kill you for this?" Ethan's eyes widened in fear, while Jack coldly stared into his eyes. Similarly, Gwen immediately stepped forward and looked at Jack fiercely.
"You can't do this!"
"Why not?" Jack asked, showing the monster's skin to her. "You told me to give this thing to you, or your friend would be in danger. Looks like that's happened."
Jack glanced at Ethan lying on the ground with fear in his eyes. Gwen furrowed her brows, a look of worry overtaking her face. Who could have thought that this man might come back?
He had found their address. Even if they ran, how far could they get? Gwen's only hope was to reach an understanding with him. "Look, we were foolish, but we promise. We won't stick our noses in things we don't know about again."
Sam also supported Gwen and agreed with her words. Jack watched his two friends for a while and then his gaze turned back to Ethan on the ground. He was deep in thought.
Could this monster have already taken over Ethan's mind? While Jack considered the possibility, he believed that the monster's skin could be easily destroyed, solving the issue.
Jack then looked at the monster's skin. As dark energy suddenly destroyed it, a scream-like sound echoed in the room.
It was a scream from the monster's skin. Oddly, seeing that Ethan, Sam, and Gwen didn't react, Jack thought it must be a mental sound.
"Wh-what is this...??" Sam watched in astonishment as the Darkness gathered in Jack's palm. Suddenly, the monster's skin wriggled as dark light penetrated it.
"This is Mana," Jack said quietly. "Something you don't have."
"Wait!" Gwen exclaimed in surprise. "Is this some kind of spell?"
Seeing Gwen's excited and curious expression, Jack shook his head. "This monster's skin tried to take over your friend's mind. If I hadn't been here sooner, it would have succeeded."
"We didn't know!" Gwen quickly said, as Jack seemed to be about to do something bad. Jack sighed and stepped back. "Well, I hope you'll be more careful from now on."
Now that Jack had destroyed the monster's skin, there didn't seem to be any more trouble. Ethan seemed to be coming to his senses as well. It was probably time to leave.
As Gwen relaxed, they were surprised again when two people entered through the door. It was Vanessa and James, both drawing their weapons.
"What's going on here?" Vanessa entered and the first thing she saw was Ethan lying on the floor and Sam, full of fear. She immediately pointed her gun at Jack and said sharply.
Jack smiled, but his eyes didn't match the smile. They had found him too quickly. He cursed his luck and took a step back. "Calm down, detective. There's nothing left now."
"This time, you're not fooling us," James said seriously. Seeing the anger in James's eyes, Jack could only smile.
"You fooled me before, but I won't fall for it again," James said sternly. Ethan stood up, confused, and looked at the people who had just entered.
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"What are you doing in my house?"
"Don't you remember?" Gwen asked in astonishment. Ethan held his head and found it strange that he couldn't remember anything. "We were leaving the café... I don't remember the rest."
Vanessa furrowed her brows and looked at Jack, who was the only one she considered suspicious. Jack sighed. "Look, I caused you trouble there, but it was for a good cause. Please trust me."
"He's telling the truth," Gwen said seriously. Vanessa turned to Gwen, not understanding why she was supporting the suspect. "Why are you defending him?"
Gwen sighed and looked at Jack seriously. "He's been helping us from the beginning. Sorry, but we won't be pressing charges."
"What?" James even asked in surprise. He hesitated to lower his weapon. Jack smiled and felt indebted to Gwen.
"I'm not pressing charges either," Sam stepped forward and said. He gestured to Ethan to say something. Ethan, still confused, quickly answered when he saw Gwen's stern look.
"I'm not pressing charges," Ethan said calmly. Vanessa and James lowered their weapons. Vanessa thought Jack should be arrested for fleeing.
Jack had already left James's wallet and ID on the table. Though James suspected something, neither of them had any solid proof.
Moreover, they hadn't reported Jack. Considering how easily Jack had escaped, Vanessa hesitated and took a step back.
"Alright, but I'll be keeping an eye on you." Vanessa gave Jack one last warning and left. James also looked at Jack with suspicion but said nothing, and they left.
Jack turned and thought about what to say to his group of friends. He smiled and introduced himself with a gesture. "Then I'll introduce myself first. I'm Lucifer. The one everyone's been wondering about..."
"What?" The only reaction was astonishment. Seeing their reactions, Jack laughed. Then he started to explain everything.