Chapter 94

Second question, what is your identity?"

Bee continued to ask.

"Well, Derry Town is my territory, and there can only be one cult here—my Lotus Sect. Bee, I warned you long ago that real evil is not what you think it is. I also warned all of you to leave this place. I could have pretended that nothing had happened, but unfortunately, no one listened to me."

Randy answered the question honestly.

The others listened with complicated feelings. They had thought that escaping the witch's domain meant they were free to do as they pleased, fantasizing about continually manipulating evil rituals and achieving their dreams. Little did they expect to fall directly into another pit of danger.

This was even more terrifying than the witch they had escaped from, someone who directly killed the leader of their group.

In truth, none of them were entirely innocent. While they might not have committed every evil act imaginable, at least they all had a dark side. Every one of them knew that to perform a sacrificial ritual, a human had to be the offering, along with the blood of a pure-hearted person.

Yet they still chose to proceed, indicating that their moral compass wasn't exactly high.

Now it was time for the last question.

Bee had many things she wanted to ask; her curiosity was far from satisfied. However, at this crucial moment, she had to think about self-preservation.

"Last question: what must we do for you to spare us?"

Randy silently glanced at the others. Aside from Bee, no one dared to meet his gaze.

To be honest, Randy hadn't planned to kill them all initially. He only intended to keep Bee as a helper, kill three others to use as resources, and let two go after altering their memories.

But now, this question made Randy think differently.

Though these people varied in quality, they could still serve as assistants. Why not have Bee act as a leader, with the others as her subordinates, helping out with minor tasks now and then? That would be making the best use of their abilities.

"When two forces meet, there are only two outcomes: death or submission."

His words were clear, and Bee immediately bowed her head.

"Boss."

The other four quickly caught on and followed suit, bowing and shouting, "Boss!"

Randy nodded, acknowledging their status. However, there was still something that couldn't be omitted.

A seed sprouted in the palm of his hand, and he presented it to Bee.

"Swallow it; it's for your own good."

This was the seed of possession, allowing Randy to control the individual as his puppet with just a thought.

But it had its advantages, as it could make the host share abilities with him, which was essential for the practice of his esoteric techniques. To put it simply, it made spellcasting more efficient, even allowing for the use of most techniques without cooldown periods.

This seed could also bloom into a flower of faith that Randy could absorb.

The only downside was that it couldn't draw power from its host.

Without hesitation, Bee took the seed, placed it in her mouth, and swallowed it. Then she opened her mouth to show that she had swallowed it completely.

"I will teach you the method later. From now on, ordinary people will no longer be your equals."

As for the others, Randy merely glanced at them without implanting the possession seeds. After all, the faith they could provide meant little to him. It would be better to wait until Bee's seed sprouted and blossomed before giving seeds to the others, allowing Bee to control them.

"Well, since we're all on the same side now, there's no need to continue the game. Now that we have a sacrificial offering, show me how you conduct your ritual. Honestly, I'm quite interested in seeing a group of half-baked cultists pull off a wish-granting ritual."

Upon hearing this, Bee was about to get up.

"If you have to do everything yourself, what's the point of having others around?"

Bee immediately halted her movement and looked helplessly at the others.

"Right! We can help!"

"Leave it to us, Boss Bee!"

The others scrambled to their feet, though their legs were weak, like people stumbling around drunk.

Randy considered them useless, no better than bumbling thieves. They probably wouldn't be able to take on even a small child.

Still, they could do some dirty work now and then.

Seeing them fumbling around, Bee sighed helplessly. "The book is in the laundry room, in the middle drawer of the dryer."

Finally finding their target, they dashed off.

"Bee, go upstairs and get some of Emma's blood," Randy continued. "She should be pure enough for the ritual."

Bee nodded and headed upstairs. She adapted quickly to her new role, but it still felt strange, mainly because Randy had suddenly become kind and gentle toward her. He no longer ordered her around harshly, which she considered a small blessing. At least there was some respect. If she had to live in humiliation every day, she would truly snap.

However, she soon poked her head out from upstairs, looking exasperated.

"I think you need to come up. Emma locked the door."

"???"

Randy was puzzled; he had personally closed Emma's door.

He speculated that perhaps Emma woke up midway and cautiously locked the door? Or maybe she only pretended to drink the drugged water and spat it out once he left?

Had she witnessed what happened downstairs just now?

He had focused all his attention on the group downstairs and hadn't paid much mind to the situation upstairs.

These people were a constant source of trouble.

Randy sighed and made his way upstairs.

Bee stood at the corner, holding a small syringe meant for drawing blood. When she saw Randy, she tightened her clothes nervously.

"What are you afraid of? We're on the same side now."

"Ha, the same side. I'd love to shove this syringe into your mouth so you'd know how uncomfortable it is to have a foreign object inside."

People's personalities are hard to change. Bee raised the syringe high, speaking without any hint of deference.

Randy didn't take her words seriously.

"I'm helping you cleanse away resentment and remove obstacles. This is a great opportunity."

Randy smiled and explained, "I admired your courage earlier. Now that tonight's events have unfolded, I believe those around you will certainly look up to you in the future. I'm helping you establish your authority."

Randy kissed her forehead, a gesture of recognition from the cult leader.

"Heh."

Bee was still angry and flipped him off as he turned his back.

Randy noticed but ignored it. He went to Emma's room and effortlessly opened the door, revealing the scene inside.

A beam of light from the hallway illuminated the room. Little Emma lay peacefully on the bed, a sweet smile on her face.

"Let's hope we don't wake her."

Bee, clearly tricked into believing Emma was asleep, approached carefully and drew a small vial of blood with great tenderness.

"Is this enough?"

"If it's not, we can always take more; drain her dry if need be."

Bee had a soft spot for children and frowned at Randy's joke. "Let's just get this over with."

She quickly left the room, and the door closed behind her.

Emma cautiously cracked open her eyes, just a sliver, to check the situation. She squinted as she saw Randy standing by the door, reaching out to turn on the light.

"Stop pretending."