Chapter 244: The First Performance: The Death of Basheba

The Warrens?

Aren’t they exorcising? Why did they suddenly rush over? Oh, there’s another malevolent spirit heading this way—so that’s why. They’re chasing it.

Forget it, should we stop them now?

Moments later, Louis still made no move to intercept them, letting them enter the base’s perimeter.

Because he noticed the “big green fly” below had already detected the Warrens’ presence—likely due to Luo Lin.

When a medium perceives others, those others can also perceive the medium.

This is inherently risky.

If so, let the Warrens enter first and “take the stage”—they can warm things up while the other “performers” arrive.

Still, we must keep watch. Though Luo Lin sealed a fragment of Varaq’s power in Summoning 2, that was achieved through trickery.

Louis hadn’t seen any particularly powerful mystical abilities in the Warrens—they might still fail.

If necessary, I’ll intervene.

……

Below.

The vehicle sped toward them; Ed stared in shock at the concealed massive structure. “When did this thing appear here?”

Luo Lin shook her head, her face still pale. “Basheba entered this place—but no, there are other malevolent spirits inside. No—demons!!”

Luo Lin’s eyes suddenly widened; her pupils trembled uncontrollably again, that vision spinning in her mind.

“Flies, plague, stench…”

“Flies beside the Gluttony Demon King…”

Swish!!

She snapped back to reality, looking at her husband. “There’s a summoning ritual inside. The demon has already emerged—it’s a subordinate demon of Beelzebub.”

“Ed, what do we do?”

Ed froze in place, gripping the steering wheel tightly, silent—he was thinking.

A subordinate demon of the Demon King Beelzebub—first, it certainly isn’t a demon god, but there’s a good chance it’s a great demon. Yet great demons cannot manifest their true bodies in the mortal realm.

So… it’s probably just an ordinary demon.

Then the question arises: do I have the strength to deal with a demon?

Taking a deep breath, Ed suddenly realized this might be the strongest supernatural entity he’d ever faced in his career.

“Luo Lin, listen to me—this is probably beyond our capability. So we’ll drive in, check on the people inside, and if things get too bad, we leave immediately.”

“Alright.”

Then Ed pulled out his last resort: a Bible long used by a cardinal. As they drove forward, the couple opened their hardcover Bibles and began reciting.

As they advanced,

they smoothly breached Louis’s barrier.

The moment they entered, they heard a chorus of piercing screams and wails.

Layer upon layer—every sound was the desperate cry of humans suffering in terror. Just hearing them evoked an immediate sense of sorrow and dread.

“Something’s definitely happened here.”

Before the words had fully left his mouth,

Buzz!!

A swarm of green-headed flies, hovering midair and feasting on a bone, surged toward them.

Black as a curtain descending, Ed raised his Bible and slammed the accelerator.

Boom!!

The swarm was simply smashed apart by the car—none entered the vehicle.

The cost: one page of the Bible quietly burned to ash.

Ed gripped the Bible, watching the scene, his resolve hardening. He then drew upon his deep theological knowledge: “Beelzebub, one of the Demon Kings, the Sin of Gluttony. This king delights in inciting living beings, rotting food, and spreading plague.”

“But the flies around him—I recall a text describing them: hatched from rotting flesh, feeding on the blood and flesh of living things. They fear only purity and cleanliness. Purify them with holy salt and the rite of mass.”

Click-click!

Ed swiftly retrieved a can of holy salt from the back seat. Holy salt—like holy water—was merely a blessed sacred item.

Of course, as a ghost expert, his holy salt wasn’t ordinary; he’d bought it specifically from a renowned cathedral.

Its effect should surpass ordinary holy salt.

Moreover, he had some special applications…

Boom!

The car drove into the base.

“What… is this?”

Bones covered in green-headed flies gorging themselves—human flesh rotted, organs torn open…

Gunfire! Corruption! Shattering!

Every imaginable horror could be seen here.

Some victims had half their faces rotted away, their exposed flesh crawling with dense swarms of green-headed flies, wriggling—deeply grotesque.

“Hurry, go!”

“Hurry!!”

The man screamed at Ed and Luo Lin, then collapsed to the ground.

Plop!

His body hit the ground with an odd sound—not the heavy thud of a human corpse, but lighter… and faintly, plop-plop-plop, like something bursting. Something was wrong.

Before Ed could react,

the corpse’s head separated from its body, rolling away, and from the neck stump, worms crawled out, gnawing at skin and flesh, rapidly transforming into flies…

“Ugh~”

Luo Lin gagged, staring in horror—too disgusting, too terrifying.

Ed’s face darkened. “What a sin!”

“A cruel demon!”

No—judging by its spread and impact, this demon is far more terrifying than imagined. Our current tools won’t suffice.

Ed quickly flipped through his gear and pulled out two specialized firearms, pouring holy salt into their chambers.

“Holy salt shotgun shells—hope they work.”

Then,

Ed fired at the corpse on the ground.

Bang!!

Salt grains sprayed like sand, striking the corpse and reacting violently—like water hitting hot oil, crackling, popping!

The pure white salt turned red-hot, then burst into flame, instantly incinerating the corpse and every fly upon it.

At that moment,

the gunfire drew attention.

Hoo~ Hoo~

A figure in protective gear advanced, orange flame jets scorching the green-headed flies. Behind him, five or six armed personnel followed, each holding not just guns but also flame projectors.

Seeing the Warrens, they grew visibly agitated and hurried toward them.

Both groups halted at a distance. Ed spoke first: “Who are you? What happened here?”

The only one in protective gear lifted his mask. “I’m Shi Misi. We’re employees here. A demon summoning occurred…”

Seeing the Warrens didn’t doubt him, he continued.

After a brief summary, Shi Misi urgently asked, “Can your car still run?”

Having confirmed the demon was not a projection but a true manifestation, Ed nodded.

“Great! Mr. Warren, let’s make a deal—you drive us out of here, and we’ll pay you a fortune!”

Shi Misi’s words tumbled out like machine-gun fire—so fast, one might suspect he had Black ancestry.

“I know this sounds unrealistic, but all the fuel in the vehicles here has been corrupted. The demon’s power (the flies) can rot food and water. Every vehicle is dead. Your car is likely the only one still operational.”

“We need your car’s mobility to get everyone out—fast. I don’t know if the demon will come this way. We can’t predict a demon’s actions.”

In truth, if not for Ed holding a shotgun and Luo Lin inside, Shi Misi wouldn’t have wasted a single word—every second counts now!

Who knew what might happen next?

Faced with Shi Misi’s plea, Ed hesitated.

Should we really go further in?

A demon manifesting its true body!

A demon of this level…

Taking a deep breath, Ed made his decision: “Alright. I’ll take you all out.”

Exorcism doesn’t mean recklessness. When the power gap is too great, strategic retreat and seeking aid is a valid choice.

Shi Misi beamed. “Quick, quick! Everyone, get in!”

The Warrens’ car was a regular sedan—not a Wuling. Now seven large men piled in; the doors were left wide open, and one man even climbed onto the roof.

Vroom!!

The engine roared as the car turned and sped outward.

But.

The swarm of flies in the sky moved as if conscious, surging forward and enveloping them from all sides.

Smith panicked, leaning half his body out and firing his flamethrower at maximum power—intense flames capable of burning a person to ash in an instant, yet now only incinerated most of the double-sized green-headed flies.

A few scattered flies, as large as a palm, were merely charred black, their flight slowed but still lunging toward them.

Taptaptap!!

Flames lashed out.

Three more flamethrowers extended, accompanied by gunfire—bullets and fire erupted together.

But they still hadn’t wiped them all out—too scattered!

Ed glanced at a side panel ahead, gritted his teeth, and slammed the accelerator to the floor.

The speed surged abruptly.

Creakcreeeak—

The wheels crushed the side panel.

The vehicle leapt upward.

“Aaaaaaah—”

In midair, someone nearly tumbled off, clutching the door with all his strength.

Thud! Creak—

Fortunately, the vehicle landed steadily.

Though the vehicle emitted another grating, teeth-on-edge creak, it continued moving forward.

As for the flies behind, they had been slightly outpaced.

Ed’s whole body trembled. “Fuck!”

This was even more intense than exorcism!

Smith on the backseat let out a long breath.

Who would’ve thought—Mr. Warren actually had decent driving skills!

Only the warrior clinging desperately to the roof was dizzy, vomiting helplessly—so nauseating (﹏)

The base exit drew nearer.

Smith relaxed slightly.

“Mr. Warren, once we’re out, I’ll treat you to dinner—no, to racing! Haha!”

Ed shook his head. “Fine. Next time, you ride in my car—I’ll show you my driving.”

“No thanks. One time was enough.”

“Hahaha…”

At that moment.

Luo Lin, who had been sitting silently in the passenger seat, suddenly widened her eyes and shouted, “Ed! Stop the car!!”

Creak!!

The vehicle slammed to a halt.

Whoosh!

The warrior on top finally couldn’t hold on—he rolled off the vehicle. “Why???”

“Luo Lin, what’s wrong?”

“Bashiba.”

She stared fixedly at the base exit.

There, a pale female wraith grinned hideously, swallowing one spirit after another—those spirits… were the souls of residents she had murdered!

She was devouring other wraiths!

At that moment, Ed did not hesitate.

Bang!!

A holy salt shotgun extended from the window and fired a full burst.

Fine grains of salt sprayed out in all directions.

Upon striking the ground, they instantly glowed red, grew hot, and burst into flame!

“Aaaaaaah!!”

A piercing scream rang out.

Bashiba, unprepared for Ed’s decisiveness, took the full hit and was forced into visibility.

At that instant, Smith and the others saw Bashiba’s true form. The soldiers, specially trained to deal with such entities, reacted instantly—pulling out animal teeth from their gear and hurling them like grenades.

These were methods from a certain Native American tribe—capable of slightly repelling evil spirits, a primitive exorcism technique using the fangs of beasts slain single-handedly by warriors, symbolizing victory, protection, and warding off evil—perhaps a commonality among many ancient civilizations…

Smith also pulled out a peach-wood cross and threw it.

Yes!

A peach-wood cross.

Made by Louis.

The Kanuo family sold these items; how could W Company have missed them? They bought a portion for research, but failed to understand their mechanism, so they simply issued them to members of the special armed units.

Never expected to use them now.

Bashiba’s cruel, inhuman pupils flickered with a trace of fear.

Why?

I’d just received the power of dear Satan, wanted to show off a little—and now I get a direct, brutal strike? Worse still, so many exorcism items…

Bashiba, already anticipating the pain, had barely time to scream before being obliterated by the barrage of exorcism items.

Bang!!

She truly exploded.

Her pale body shattered into smoke and vanished.

After all, Bashiba was merely an ordinary wraith with witch blood—despite the enhancement from Gula’s power, she had not reached demon rank, and was overwhelmed by a storm of premium holy salt, countless beast fangs, and peach-wood crosses.

It would’ve been strange if she hadn’t been destroyed!

(End of Chapter)