40: Chapter 40 My lord, times have changed!
A half-meter-long tongue of blue and white fire erupted from the muzzle, nearly illuminating the entire Lambert home.
The holy silver slug, carrying purifying holy flames, shattered the demon's entire head at point-blank range.
There was no splattering of brains.
Only countless black ashes, accompanied by shrill wails, instantly vaporized in the air.
It was a complete erasure on the soul level.
【Ding! Killed Otherworldly Demon: Lipstick-Face.】
【Points +50.】
【Current remaining points: 255.】
Qin Ming casually shouldered the still-smoking shotgun.
At that moment, his originally youthful figure exuded an indescribable, wild, and domineering aura amidst the gunpowder smoke.
Everyone in the living room had completely lost the ability to speak.
Elise took off her gas mask and looked at the spot where the demon had been, now leaving only a plume of dissipating black smoke.
The corners of her mouth twitched a few times.
"Is... is this what God entrusted?"
She had always thought that God's way was singing, praying, or sprinkling holy water.
She had never imagined that God would send a child to hold a riot gun and kick a demon's head around like a ball.
"Holy crap..."
Tucker, the most unreliable of the assistants, finally squeezed out an expletive.
"So exorcism... can be done this way?"
Qin Ming turned around, pulled a neatly folded silk handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped a speck of black ash from his cheek.
His movements were as elegant as if he had just finished listening to a concert.
"I said it before, we are professionals."
Emma wiped the black blood-stained Phantasmal Sword on the sofa cushion, and it vanished, turning her back into that well-behaved little cutie.
"As long as it solves the problem, the method doesn't matter."
"Dalton is not in that body."
Elise took off her gas mask and looked at the boy lying on the sofa with a grave expression.
"He is a natural astral projector, just like you, Josh."
"He wandered too far in his sleep and got lost in 'The Further'—that is the world of the dead, a dark abyss with no concept of time."
Josh looked at his unconscious son and took a deep breath.
The floodgates of memory were opened.
He remembered the old woman in black who always appeared in photos during his childhood, and he remembered the fear of being watched.
"What should I do?"
"Go and bring him back."
Qin Ming stood by the window, watching the thick fog that had suddenly risen outside.
Within that mist, shadows flickered, as if countless eyes were spying on this house.
The death of the Lipstick-Face demon did not deter them; instead, it was like a piece of fresh meat falling into water, attracting even more sharks.
"Only you, as his father, can find him in that world."
Qin Ming turned around, the halo behind his head rotating slightly, emitting a faint hum.
"As for your physical body, leave it to me."
Ten minutes later.
Josh sat in that old armchair, and amidst the ticking of the metronome, he slowly closed his eyes.
His breathing became long and steady.
His soul left his body and stepped into that door leading to the darkness.
The temperature in the room plummeted.
"They are coming."
Emma toyed with two magical Phantasmal Swords in her hands, licking her lips excitedly.
This house was like an unlocked vault at this moment, and the empty husks of Josh and Dalton were the cash laid out on the table.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.
A strange, rubbing sound came from the direction of the nursery.
Renai turned back in terror.
A man with a twisted body and long hair covering his face was clinging to the ceiling, crawling rapidly like a gecko.
Long-Haired Demon.
It was the most loyal lackey of the Lipstick-Face demon.
It opened its mouth full of fangs and lunged directly at Renai, who was guarding Dalton.
"Get lost."
Qin Ming didn't even lift his head.
He just flicked his finger.
The golden halo floating behind his head instantly flew out, tracing a perfect arc in the air.
Zzzzt!
The halo cut into the Long-Haired Demon's chest like a red-hot iron into butter.
"Ah—!"
The demon let out a shrill scream.
For this kind of low-level spirit, holy light was simply a dimensionality reduction strike.
It didn't even have time to land before it was evaporated into a wisp of blue smoke by the high temperature in mid-air.
【Ding! Killed Long-Haired Demon, Points +1.】
In the corner of the living room, the music of an old record player suddenly sounded.
《Tiptoe Through the Tulips》.
A little boy wearing vintage children's clothing hopped out from the end of the hallway, expressionless.
His movements were stiff, like a marionette, hopping toward Dalton's body step by step.
Dancing Boy.
Its task was to lead the way, and also to possess.
"I don't like your dance steps."
Emma's figure appeared in front of the boy like a ghost.
She raised her foot, wearing a small black leather shoe, and kicked the Dancing Boy's knee hard.
Crack.
The sound of bone breaking was crisp and pleasant.
The Dancing Boy lost its balance and fell to its knees.
Before it could react, a flash of cold light swept past.
The machete in Qin Ming's hand (kindly sponsored by Jason) had already swung down.
Pfft.
That little head with parted hair rolled onto the ground, and the body turned into black ash and dissipated.
【Ding! Killed Dancing Boy, Points +1.】
"Hee hee hee..."
A burst of hair-raising laughter rang out, overlapping.
Two little girls in white dresses appeared at the top of the stairs, holding hands.
Their faces were ghastly pale, with bloody holes on their foreheads left by blunt force trauma before death.
Twin Specters.
Victims of this house in the past.
Behind them, the silhouettes of two adults vaguely emerged.
One was whistling an eerie tune; that was the father.
One was holding a scorching hot iron; that was the mother.
The whole family, all together, had all turned into earthbound spirits.
"What a touching family reunion."
Qin Ming stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up.
A trace of compassion appeared on his youthful face, but in the depths of his eyes lay cold killing intent.
"Since you are all here together, let's go on the road together."
Hum!
【Brilliant Sword Circle Formation】 activated.
Five magical Phantasmal Swords, like homing missiles, roared toward the stairs with blue exhaust trails.
At that same time, Qin Ming formed a hand seal with one hand, and a holy light shockwave exploded with him at the center.
Boom!
No nonsense.
No entanglement.
In the face of absolute power, these ordinary specters were as fragile as thin sheets of paper.
The screaming stopped abruptly.
Only a pile of dissipating black ash remained on the stairs.
【Ding! Exorcised Twin Sisters, Points +2.】
【Ding! Exorcised Whistling Father, Points +1.】
【Ding! Exorcised Ironing Mother, Points +1.】
"This money is way too easy to earn."
Qin Ming glanced at the system panel, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
But this was just the appetizer.
The real party was still to come.
Deep in The Further.
Josh held Dalton and ran wildly through the dark mist.
Behind him were hundreds of lonely ghosts and wild spirits.
They were like hyenas that had smelled blood, frantically chasing after these two living souls.
"Dad, I'm scared!"
"Don't be scared, run forward! Don't look back!"
Josh rushed into his own house.
But in The Further, this house was already stuffed with ghosts.
They crowded on the windows, hung from the chandeliers, and even crawled out from the cracks in the floor.
They craved life.
They craved to return to the human world.