Chapter 59

After calming the victims' families, Mike sighed as he got into the car. But seeing Jackson's nonchalant expression, he couldn't help but sigh again.

"Ugh."

"What's wrong?" Jackson asked.

"It's nothing."

Mike was unsure how to explain to his teammate. He felt that the clown had become increasingly unhinged. It used to feed on human fear and souls, but now it seemed far more brutal.

The three crime scenes they had just visited were all horrific and blood-soaked. Jackson even claimed they were more terrifying than squashed watermelons.

"So, where are we heading now?" Jackson asked.

"Let's head out."

Mike pulled out his phone and, upon opening it, saw a flurry of messages in their group chat, all expressing mourning and anger.

Mike scrolled through the chat history and quickly found the chief's message from an hour ago.

"Attention all officers! Effective immediately, solo patrols are prohibited. One of our brothers has been attacked…"

Attached were three photos: a charred corpse, a police dog with its throat slit, and a broken red balloon.

The comments from the officers were all curses aimed at the clown.

Mike had reported the clown as a deranged killer, but he had not disclosed its true nature as a supernatural being. He thought the red balloons at the crime scenes were likely a copycat act rather than the clown's signature.

Mike showed Jackson the photos. "Jackson, there's some very bad news."

"Oh, it's one of my good brothers, huh? How come he's so blackened? Oh, damn, my only black buddy is dead!"

Jackson was deeply saddened. "Looks like I'll need to find a new black buddy."

...

Randy had put a lot of effort into transforming the town. He first went to the library to research the town's history.

The history of Dever Town was filled with the blood and tears of its indigenous people.

The town had been established over two hundred years ago. The story went that the Native Americans, unable to endure the oppression of slavery, "invited" the white settlers to help with their revolution. Unfortunately, the settlers were weak and died off over the years. The survivors either became shoemakers or craftspersons.

The dead were buried beneath the land, which was now where Randy stood. Two hundred years ago, it was still a forest.

The large number of deaths and the lingering resentment over time had made this land strange, turning it into what people called an Indian graveyard, from which various monsters would emerge.

Randy noticed on the map that this graveyard covered a significant area, including Central City, West City, and the Eastern Suburbs, but not the Upper City, which was inhabited by the wealthy.

Later, the surrounding small towns, unable to bear the disturbances caused by these monsters, cut down the forest and built the new town of Dever Town on the land.

As the population increased, the supernatural disturbances did decrease, but a more terrifying monster emerged in its place.

Randy found a painting of Pennywise, but unfortunately, there were few records about this creature.

"It seems Pennywise has altered the town's memory to downplay its presence," Randy mused.

After reviewing the history, Randy turned to the town map and frowned.

"The town's feng shui is terrible. There's too much evil, and it's become a hotspot for dark forces. It's going to spawn new monsters in a few years. The frequency is too slow; the townspeople need to live in constant fear to highlight my church's grand image."

"Of course, it can't be too terrifying, or it might cause mass migration. Maybe I should make the surrounding areas more malevolent, and every time a new monster appears, I'll step in and recruit!"

Randy identified several key points on the town map, planning the first phase of his transformation.

Currently, he was like a wood spirit from heaven. Environmental transformation was a basic ability, and altering the feng shui was easy. Once he established a solid foundation in Dever Town and gathered enough followers, he would evolve into a different form of deity.

Thus, Randy bought a town map and prepared for the first round of layout and foundation work.

The seeds he planted were ordinary, not imbued with much divinity. However, once the formation was activated, it would still lead to a revival of spiritual energy.

However, he encountered trouble during the transformation process.

Randy kept running into police officers as he walked down several streets, often in pairs, and he had been questioned multiple times.

Fortunately, he had already treated the balloon smells, ensuring they all had floral scents, so he was not too worried about being discovered.

Randy could have dealt with the police quietly, but he was concerned that too many deaths might attract the attention of mysterious departments.

After being stopped and checked for the third time, Randy finally asked, "Officer, what's going on in the town? Why is it that even walking around isn't allowed?"

"Well, it's…"

The officer immediately stopped speaking and, after a more serious expression, said, "We're just conducting routine checks. If you don't have anything urgent, it's best to head home."

Then, the officer hurried off.

Randy realized something was amiss. The clown's chaos was affecting his operations as well.

With police everywhere, Randy could not continue his plans.

"Time to pause the operation."

Just then, Randy's phone rang again. It was Mrs. George.

Checking the time, Randy saw it was almost noon—time for their scheduled meeting.

"My dear Randy, where are you now?"

"I'm still in town, preparing to buy some snacks nearby."

"What snacks? You can eat anything my daughter has. Don't be so polite."

Her voice was irritating, like it would never be pleasant.

"Oh, no need to be so formal, Mrs. George."

"I told you to call me 'sister'!"

Their conversation was interrupted by George's protest, but it was quickly silenced by Elizabeth.

With the mood disrupted, Mrs. George could only insist Randy come over quickly since her family was about to leave.

"Alright, I'll be there soon."

This also provided Randy an opportunity to further investigate the clapping lamp.

Additionally, he could observe Beverly's situation in the vicinity. The clown might not be able to resist coming out to scare people in the afternoon.

When Randy arrived at 15 Lampbridge Street again, the George family was already packed.

Mrs. George looked more radiant and warmly greeted Randy with a kiss on the cheek.

George, however, looked displeased and didn't greet Randy.

Randy could understand, and even found him quite generous.

Their daughter, about ten years old, blushed and climbed into the car upon seeing Randy.

Mrs. George didn't introduce her.

"We're about to leave for a week to visit friends in Maple Leaf Country. Randy, just treat this place like your own home."

"I will," Randy nodded, adding before George could speak, "I'll take good care of the flowers and the dog."

"Good. Then we'll leave."

Mrs. George nodded and got into the car. As soon as she closed the door, George eagerly started the car.

"Looks like they're a glued-together family," Randy thought.

It refers to a couple who, despite having no feelings for each other, stay together for the sake of their children or to prevent financial ruin.