Chapter 267: Constantine Refuses Namus's Kiss Invitation

"Truly not easy."

Looking at the system's prompt, Ma Ma Zhaodi let out a long breath; after investigating this matter for so many days, there was finally some comforting good news today.

He released "I did not kill anyone" toward the cloud of insects inside the man's body, then watched as the man, reduced to skin and bones, collapsed onto the ground; though barely clinging to life, he had not yet drawn his last breath.

And after finishing the devouring, that swarm of insects burst out of his body, buzzing as they flew away into a narrow alley.

"This guy is finished."

Constantine suddenly spoke from the side; at this very moment, he no longer looked at the man on the ground: "I long ago understood one truth: if you like eating meat, there is absolutely no need to go become a vegetarian. Vegetarianism is just vegetarianism; liking to eat vegetables is a simple preference, no different from liking to eat meat, that is all. But clearly, some people do not understand this truth."

Having said this, he chased after the fly swarm that had flown out of the man's mouth, rushing quickly into the alley: "People say following bees leads you to the hive; I wonder if following flies works the same—Old Ma, come quickly."

Ma Ma Zhaodi shook his head and said to Constantine and Emma: "You two go first; I will be right there."

"Hurry up!"

Ma Ma Zhaodi looked at the crowd aggressively surrounding the scene; after thinking for a moment, he pulled his hood, using its wide brim to cover his face, then hid a piece of fruit candy in his hand and offered it.

He stepped forward, crouched down, and said to the woman still weeping while holding the man: "His condition does not look good; let me check his pupils and breathing."

"Are you a doctor?"

Facing the woman's half-skeptical question, Ma Ma Zhaodi did not answer; he simply bent down, used his body to block others' view, raised his hand, and shoved the candy into the man's mouth.

"Oh, I am not a doctor," he replied while lowering the man: "Mainly out of curiosity; since the ambulance hasn't arrived anyway, I thought I'd check first to see if the person is dead."

The woman's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Ma Ma Zhaodi; her lips trembled slightly, clearly brewing a storm of curses.

Ma Ma Zhaodi certainly did not want to lose both parents; he swiftly slipped into the alley before the woman could make a sound.

On the other side, Constantine and Mary moved forward along the trail of the insect swarm until they arrived beside a church.

"We have arrived," he said: "It seems following flies can be useful after all."

He reached his hand toward the church door covered in various insects, yet felt no disgust; at this very moment, his heart was tense, excited, and eager to act—perhaps the man's gruesome death on the street before his own eyes had ignited his anger; or perhaps the necessity of using a friend's help made him feel guilty and pained. In any case, at this moment, Constantine directed all his fury at Namus.

As an exorcist, his primary purpose was to resolve demons, and at this very moment, this craving had reached its peak within his heart.

So he pushed open the church's great doors, and Emma followed him inside.

Neon lights from outside the window pierced through the glass, spilling into the interior of this small church; aside from that, the candles on the altar were the only source of light here.

Behind the crucifix statue of Jesus' suffering standing on the platform, stained-glass depictions of the Virgin Mary, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were projected onto the ground by the light. The moment Constantine entered, amidst a gorgeous halo of colored light, he saw a dark shadow; the buzzing of demons was deafening, indicating that Namus was inside the church.

The church was nearly empty at this moment; that black shadow held a cross in its hand and loudly chanted the name of Jesus Christ aloud—it turned out he was not Namus, but the church's priest.

His eyes looked up at the church's dome, revealing an expression of utter terror; so Constantine looked up as well; that was where Namus's true form resided.

Amidst the deafening buzzing, countless dense mosquitoes, flies, and other insects converged into a terrifying tide; they combined, merged, and formed a terrifying giant insect-type demon in the air.

Its green compound eyes stared tightly at Constantine and the priest on the ground; sharp, furry limbs ended in three-fingered claws; its pale mouthparts opened and closed slightly; the huge hollow on its face seemed like an abyss; a long green tongue extended from it, greedily licking the scent of fear in the air.

The portion of the insect swarm that had flown in from outside the church, carrying the man's flesh and blood, entered its body through the hollow on its face; thus, one million noisy buzzing insects emitted a joyful and satisfied sigh all at once, finally coalescing into Namus's voice.

"You want to eat the priest, don't you?" Constantine sneered; he could sense the demon's greed and craving; he knew he had interfered with the other's feeding, and now, Namus had to choose between him and the priest.

An opportunity to fight a demon face-to-face—truly couldn't be better; let's resolve it using this chance.

"Come on, rotten flesh breeding maggots in hell, come eat me!" he roared: "Choke to death, you damn thing!"

"John, you fool," Emma cried out to Constantine: "You are not strong enough; do not confront it head-on!"

However, Constantine ignored her; at this very moment, only the noisy whispering of the insect swarm filled his ears, which made him even more furious, wanting to eliminate this harmful monster before him once and for all.

Thus, the giant insect shadow slowly descended from the church's ceiling—it had made its choice between the two prey.

Namus opened its blood-filled maw, approaching Constantine; the terrifying pressure grew more obvious as it drew near, as if even the surrounding air had been compressed into solid matter, making limbs stiff and unable to move. Yet at this moment, Constantine remained full of rage; he stared tightly at Namus's figure, completely unaware that his own body was already experiencing bile reflux due to intense fear, as if his brain and body were living separate lives.

"Constantine, retreat!"

Emma cried out again, but to no avail; her voice sounded as if passing through a barrier in Constantine's ears, muffled and unclear.

Namus drew closer and closer; a human-like smile even appeared on its insect face; it extended its long tongue, slowly swallowing Constantine's anger—fear, hunger, flesh and blood; no matter what the food, it accepted everything offered.

Only after the anger was completely devoured did the hot-blooded Constantine finally come to his senses.

"Oh my god, what exactly am I doing..."

Just at this moment, Namus's thin long tongue extended to right before Constantine's eyes; having finished eating the fear, it was about to begin enjoying the flesh and blood.

"Damn, this ghost thing is going to kiss me!"

At this moment, Emma's hoarse, desperate shout finally broke through the barrier, ringing like thunder in Constantine's ears.

"John, run quickly!"

(End of this chapter)