60 Chapter 59: The Massacre
The air in the restaurant was thick with tension, the clatter of cutlery and the hum of conversation abruptly silenced as the patrons of the establishment turned their attention to the unfolding spectacle. A collective gasp echoed through the restaurant as they beheld the grotesque transformation of Wu, their host.
"Monster!" someone shrieked, the word slicing through the silence like a blade. Panic ensued, the diners scrambling to escape the nightmare that had intruded upon their meal.
Wu, his human facade now discarded, glared at Jon with a venomous intensity. "You insolent cur!" he hissed, his voice a guttural growl. "You dare disrupt my affairs?!" His body contorted into an unnatural stance, and he lunged at Jon with a force that belied his monstrous form.
Jon, however, was unfazed. He caught Wu's fist with an ease that was almost casual, his other hand reaching out to rip away the remnants of Wu's human disguise. The restaurant fell silent once more as Wu's true form was revealed - a gargantuan alien worm, its grotesque body writhing in the dim light.
"Who...are you?!" Wu's voice was a tremulous whisper, its bravado from moments ago now replaced with palpable fear.
Jon's lips curled into a smirk, his eyes gleaming with an eerie flame. His body erupted into flames, the inferno engulfing him without causing harm. When the flames subsided, Jon was no more. In his place stood the Ghost Rider, his skeletal form radiating an ethereal glow.
He opened his palms, and hellfire danced in his hands. The flames coalesced into a fiery fist, which he drove into the body of the alien worm with a force that shook the restaurant. Wu let out a guttural cry, its body convulsing before it fell lifeless to the ground.
[Ding! Side mission update: Judge at least five interstellar criminals. Current progress: 1/5]
[Ding! Legendary mission update: Judge a thousand sinful souls across all worlds. Current progress: 59/1000]
Ghost Rider stood amidst the chaos, his gaze sweeping over the restaurant. His attention was drawn to the back of the establishment, where Wu's henchmen were emerging from the kitchen. Among them was the rotund man Jon had been tailing earlier. Their faces were a mix of shock and rage as they took in the sight of their fallen boss, but their expressions quickly morphed into terror as they beheld the Spirit of Vengeance.
"What the hell is that?!" one of the aliens stammered, his voice barely a whisper. They were a motley crew of extraterrestrials, their forms as diverse as they were bizarre. Some had scaly hands, others bore heads reminiscent of lobsters, and a few even sported long hair and masks, akin to the Predators of Earth's lore.
The rotund man, his human disguise now discarded, had transformed into a colossal squid. Ghost Rider's gaze lingered on him, a predatory grin spreading across his skeletal face. These aliens, he knew, were steeped in sin, and the Ghost Rider was drawn to them, an instinctive hunger for their tainted souls.
"Sinful souls...delicious food..." Ghost Rider murmured his voice a chilling whisper that echoed through the restaurant. His eyes, burning with hellfire, were fixed on the aliens, his grin widening as he prepared to mete out his judgment.
One of the aliens, a reptilian creature with scales shimmering in the dim light, stepped forward. He brandished an alien pistol that hummed with an otherworldly energy, its design a testament to the advanced technology of his race. With a swift motion, he fired a beam of green light at Ghost Rider.
The laser hit its mark, but Ghost Rider remained unscathed. He stood there, the green light dissipating against his skeletal form, leaving no trace of damage.
"How is that possible?!" the alien exclaimed, his voice a mix of disbelief and fear. His weapon, known for its lethal potency, had failed to inflict even the slightest harm on the spectral figure before him.
Ghost Rider responded with a dismissive wave of his hand. A chain materialized from the flames, its links glowing with the same hellfire that danced in his palms. With a swift motion, he lashed out at the alien, the fiery chain cutting through the air with a deadly precision.
The chain struck the alien, its fiery touch reducing him to ashes in an instant. His weapon clattered to the ground, the only remnant of his existence.
[Ding! Side mission update: Judge at least five interstellar criminals. Current progress: 2/5]
[Ding! Soul Sacrifice function successfully used. Soul exchanged for 100 penalty points]
Despite their heinous crimes, Jon knew he couldn't acquire the abilities of these aliens. Their powers were tied to their race, beyond the reach of a human like him. All he could gain were fragments of their memories, which held little value to him. Instead, he chose to exchange their souls for penalty points, a more beneficial transaction.
Ghost Rider's gaze fell on the fallen laser gun. A spark of interest flickered in his eyes, curiosity piqued by the alien technology. He began to move towards the weapon, his steps slow and deliberate.
Suddenly, the squid-like alien lunged at him, its tentacles flailing wildly. Ghost Rider reacted swiftly, his flaming chain lashing out and piercing the creature's body. It fell to the ground, its life extinguished as quickly as it had attacked.
Ghost Rider bent down to pick up the laser gun, his skeletal fingers closing around its handle. He turned to face the remaining aliens, who had drawn their weapons and begun to fire. Green lasers filled the air, but they were as ineffective as the first. Ghost Rider remained unharmed, his form untouched by their futile attempts.
"Now, it's my turn!" Ghost Rider declared, his voice echoing ominously through the restaurant. He raised the laser gun, the weapon glowing as it was imbued with hellfire. He took aim at one of the aliens, his skeletal finger pulling the trigger.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A deafening boom filled the restaurant, the sound reverberating off the walls as Ghost Rider unleashed the power of the alien weapon, now enhanced by his own hellfire energy.
The laser gun in Ghost Rider's hand hummed with a newfound power. The once green laser had transformed into a fiery red beam, its color matching the hellfire that coursed through Ghost Rider's bony skeleton. The beam shot forth like a stream of molten lava, reducing an alien to ashes in an instant. The force of the blast was so intense that it tore a gaping hole in the wall behind, the debris falling to the ground in a cloud of dust.
[Ding! Side mission update: Judge at least five interstellar criminals. Current progress: 3/5]
[Ding! The soul Sacrifice function successfully used. Soul exchanged for 50 penalty points]
The restaurant echoed with the sound of Ghost Rider's weapon, each shot a death knell for the remaining aliens. One by one, they fell, their bodies disintegrating under the onslaught of the hellfire-infused laser.
[Ding! Side mission update: Judge at least five interstellar criminals. Current progress: 4/5]
[Ding! Side mission completed: At least five interstellar criminals judged. Reward: 1000 penalty points]
[Ding! Additional interstellar criminal judged. Reward: 50 penalty points]
[Ding! Additional interstellar criminal judged. Reward: 50 penalty points]
With each alien he vanquished, Ghost Rider's penalty points increased. Their souls, tainted by their crimes, were exchanged for points, their memories and abilities of no use to him.
[Ding! Soul Sacrifice function successfully used. Soul exchanged for 50 penalty points]
[Ding! Soul Sacrifice function successfully used. Soul exchanged for 50 penalty points]
[Ding! Soul Sacrifice function successfully used. Soul exchanged for 50 penalty points]
The restaurant was now silent, the chaos of moments ago replaced by an eerie calm. Ghost Rider stood amidst the ashes of the fallen aliens, his mission accomplished. The Spirit of Vengeance had passed his judgment, and the guilty had paid the price.
***
After the last of the aliens had been reduced to ashes, Jon's form flickered, the flames that had engulfed him dying down. He was human once more, the spectral figure of the Ghost Rider replaced by his mortal form. He held the alien gun in his hand, a sigh of relief escaping his lips.
"Stop, don't move! Put the gun down and put your hands up!" A voice echoed through the restaurant, its authoritative tone cutting through the silence. Jon turned towards the source of the voice, his eyes widening in surprise as he recognized the man standing in the doorway.
Dressed in a black suit, the man was a familiar figure. He was Agent J, the protagonist of the Men in Black series, his laser gun pointed at Jon with a steady hand.
"Didn't you hear what I said? Put the **** gun down and raise your hands!" J demanded, his voice firm.
Jon chuckled, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Hey, you just told me not to move, and now you ask me to put the gun down and raise my hands. Even if I were an alien with multiple arms, I couldn't do it at the same time, right?" he retorted.
J's expression hardened. "Don't play with words, put the gun down!" he ordered.
"Okay, okay~." Jon shrugged, tossing the gun onto the ground with a clatter.
"Kick it over here!" J commanded. Jon complied, sending the gun skidding across the floor towards J. The agent quickly picked it up, his gaze never leaving Jon as he asked, "Did you do all that?"
His eyes flickered to the ashes scattered across the floor, the remnants of the aliens Jon had vanquished.
"Yes, I did it," Jon admitted, his voice steady.
"Why are you doing this? Also, who are you and which planet are you from?" J questioned, his voice deep and serious. He was cautious, aware that the man standing before him was no ordinary human. Only agents of his agency and aliens were privy to the existence of extraterrestrials, and Jon had just proven that he was more than capable of handling them.
However, Jon's response was unexpected. "I am not an alien, I am a native of Earth!" he declared, his voice echoing through the restaurant.
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