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🕑 Added 2025-06-29 16:21:25 +0000 UTCChapter 164: Baby Milkshake
Just when Roy and Gerald were both at their wit's end, a sharply dressed man walked into the KABC-TV building.
If Roy had seen this man, he would have recognized him as none other than Jack Derle.
It was already 9:30 PM, but the TV station building was still buzzing with activity.
Working at a TV station is pretty wild – there's work going on from seven in the morning until midnight.
Even during the quiet hours between midnight and 7 AM, the station still needs people on duty to air reruns to fill the time.
This leads to TV station staff always being under a lot of pressure, and the competition is really intense.
Since the FEA's search of Jack Derle was conducted secretly, most of the TV station staff didn't say anything about Jack's sudden return. They were just a little weirded out that Jack had ended his vacation early to come back to the station.
Jack nodded and said hello to his colleagues at the TV station along the way, and soon arrived at the studio where he usually worked.
A director was walking by, muttering under his breath, and looked surprised when he saw Jack.
"Jack, what are you doing back?"
"Oh, nothing much, just happened to have a good idea and wanted to come back and do a special show."
The director chuckled.
"Jack, you're really something else, thinking about work even on vacation. Aren't you planning on finding a new wife?"
The expression on Jack's face changed slightly, but then quickly returned to normal. The director didn't even notice the shift.
"I'm working on it, it might just take some time! By the way, Sean, you seemed pretty upset just now. What happened?"
The director, Sean, looked completely helpless.
"You just got here, so you don't know. There was a riot on the east side of town, and the station sent a new anchor to do a live broadcast from the scene. Later, the federal government forced them to cut off the broadcast. I told the anchor to come back, but they went rogue and insisted on continuing to film! Now, wouldn't you know it, the helicopter crashed, and the general manager chewed me out. Ugh!"
Sean looked really bummed out. After all, he hadn't done anything wrong in this whole thing, but he was the first one to get yelled at.
Jack's eyes flickered for a moment.
"So, the general manager hasn't left work yet today?"
"Yeah, it's all because of what happened on the east side. The GM was dealing with that Federal Emergency Response Agency or whatever for a long time, but they still failed in the end. But I think the GM should be heading home soon. Do you need to see him?"
Jack nodded.
"Yeah, I actually wanted to chat with the GM about the special show. Well, Sean, I won't keep you."
"Alright, see ya tomorrow."
Sean walked off, sighing, while Jack continued towards the TV station's general manager's office.
Inside the office, the general manager was packing up to leave when a sudden knock on the door made him frown.
"Come in."
Jack entered the office with a big smile on his face, which startled the general manager.
Other people might not know about Jack's situation, but the general manager, as the de facto head of KABC-TV, definitely did.
After all, FEA agents had contacted the general manager about Jack more than once.
"J-Jack, what are you doing back so early?"
The general manager's voice trembled slightly because he had learned from the FEA agents that Jack was a dangerous cultist.
"General Manager, I just suddenly had the urge to do a special edition of 'Night Owl' tonight. I was wondering if that would be alright?"
The general manager forced a smile and readily agreed.
"Of course! I'll go tell the production team to get back to work right now. Just give me a second."
Right now, the general manager just wanted to get away from Jack and then call the FEA to report him.
Jack suddenly reached out and stopped the general manager.
"General Manager, you seem pretty scared of me?"
The general manager was already starting to sweat.
"What? No, not at all! I'm just in a hurry to get off work, so I wanted to get things arranged quickly."
Jack gave a very friendly smile, looking at the general manager.
"Is that so? Look me in the eyes!"
Jack's expression suddenly changed, startling the general manager, who instinctively looked into his eyes.
At this moment, Jack's pupils had turned golden, and the whites of his eyes, which were originally white, had turned blood red. It was clear that he wasn't a normal person.
The general manager was horrified and wanted to run, but then he found that his legs felt like they were filled with lead and he couldn't move.
Then, Jack took out a pocket watch with a chain and held it in front of the general manager.
"Watch this pocket watch!"
Jack began to swing the pocket watch at a steady pace in front of the general manager. The general manager desperately wanted to close his eyes, but Jack reached out and forcibly held them open.
After a while, the general manager's consciousness began to blur, and before long, his face became expressionless and his eyes glazed over.
Viewers who enjoyed watching KABC-TV's late-night programming suddenly discovered that tonight, without any prior announcement, a special live edition of the reality show "Night Owl" was being broadcast. This episode was titled "Devil Late Night Show"!
At this time, the FEA, led by Gerald, was dealing with the chaos on the east side of Los Angeles, and Saltana was still trying to find any trace of Jack.
So what was Roy doing? He was trying to figure out how to feed the baby because the little one's tummy was rumbling.
After much persuasion, Roy finally managed to explain Elrêsa's situation to Dahlia.
"So, Elrêsa is a demon, and one of those legendary succubi that specifically drain men's life force?"
The legend of the succubus is quite widespread in Europe and America, and most people have heard of it.
Dahlia looked curiously at Elrêsa, who was looking back at her with an innocent expression. It was hard to imagine such a pure look coming from a succubus.
"Why did she end up like this?"
Roy scratched his head.
"It seems like I destroyed her consciousness, leading to her rebuilding a brand new, blank one."
Dahlia didn't understand what Roy meant, but she roughly understood that the current Elrêsa was a complete blank slate, just like a newborn baby.
Well, maybe a little more mature than a baby, after all, babies don't usually say "Daddy, hungry, food!"
Just as he was thinking this, Elrêsa started hugging Roy's leg again, asking for food.
"Daddy, hungry, food!"
Roy felt helpless. He felt like being a parent was really too difficult.
"Well, tell me what you want to eat then?"
Elrêsa probably didn't know many words, and just kept rubbing against Roy's leg.
Roy was speechless. He vaguely felt that Dahlia was right, but this whole thing was just too outrageous.
Dahlia patted Roy on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Roy, we all know you're not her real dad!"
Roy glanced sideways at Dahlia, noticing that she was trying to hold back a laugh.
"Dahlia, you're getting mischievous!"
"Hehe! Roy, if you feel awkward, I can go outside and wait for you!"
In the end, Dahlia really did leave the apartment, giving Roy and Elrêsa some private space.
After doing some mental preparation, Roy finally made up his mind.
Elrêsa immediately jumped up and down happily.
After a long while, the little one finally had her fill and started rubbing her tummy and burping.
\[Ding! Acquired Elrêsa's Conquest Treasure Chest! Open it now?]
After eating her fill, Elrêsa continued to rub her cheek against Roy, just like a kitten kneading, which left Roy feeling speechless.
Just at this moment, Roy's phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Heather's phone number.
"Hey, Heather, what's up?"
Elrêsa started fussing again, which made Roy's cheek twitch slightly.
Logically, the little one should have been full already, but some creatures just have this habit, just like babies like to suck on pacifiers, and kittens even suck on male cats (the author has seen it with their own eyes).
"Roy, that Jack Derle you mentioned last time has shown up again!"
Heather's words startled Roy so much that he almost jumped up, and Elrêsa nearly choked on something because of the sudden movement.
"What did you say? Where did you see him?"
"It's at KABC-TV! That guy just suddenly started broadcasting a special edition of 'Night Owl' on TV!"
Roy quickly grabbed the remote control next to him and turned on the TV in Dahlia's apartment. After flipping through a few channels, he indeed saw the special program Heather was talking about.
He saw Jack sitting in the middle with a woman, and then a young girl and a middle-aged man who looked to be around fifty years old sitting on either side of them.
What was strange, though, was that some shots revealed that the audience members in the reality show also had the same expressionless faces and glazed-over eyes as the general manager.
This didn't look like a reality show at all. Roy would have believed you if you told him it was a funeral.
Seeing this scene, Roy couldn't sit still any longer.
Jack Derle had been hiding for so long and suddenly reappeared. It must be because Elrêsa had drawn the FEA's attention away, so he wanted to take this opportunity to complete his plan.
He had to admit, this guy's timing was impeccable. At this moment, neither Roy nor the FEA had time to pay attention to the TV station.
If Heather and Penny hadn't been watching TV at night and seen "Night Owl," Roy would definitely still be in the dark.
"Heather, quickly turn off the TV! Don't watch that show no matter what! Also, immediately call everyone you know and tell them not to watch 'Night Owl'!"
As he spoke, Roy stood up.
Elrêsa pouted, a little unhappy about him leaving.
But at this moment, Roy couldn't care less about Elrêsa's feelings. He quickly opened the apartment door.
"Dahlia, something's happened! I need to go to the TV station right now. Can you watch Elrêsa for me?"
"What's so urgent?"
"Just don't turn on the TV from now on! I'll have Heather and Penny help you take care of Ceci. I'm counting on you here!"
Dahlia could see that Roy was in a hurry, so she didn't ask any more questions.
"Okay, Roy, be careful! There are a lot of people waiting for you!"
These words touched Roy's heart.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely come back safe!"
With that, Roy forcibly pulled his hand away from Elrêsa and walked out of the apartment.
Elrêsa watched Roy walk away and immediately started rolling around on the floor and crying. Dahlia could only try to comfort her like a child.
After leaving the apartment, Roy immediately took out his phone and dialed Gerald's number.
"Mr. Olin, Jack Derle has appeared!"
"What did you say? Mr. Black, where is he?"
Gerald's reaction was similar to Roy's just now, like he was about to jump out of his skin.
"He's at the TV station right now, broadcasting a special edition of 'Night Owl' live!"
Gerald immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.
"What the hell! Didn't I tell that general manager that the moment he saw Jack, he should immediately report it to the FEA? What is he doing?!"
"Mr. Olin, this isn't the time to talk about that! We have to stop Jack Derle!"
Gerald was silent for a moment.
"I'll call right away to cut off the TV station's signal and dispatch FEAR to the station. Mr. Black, where are you right now?"
"I'm already driving towards the TV station! But Mr. Olin, we have to prepare for the worst. Since Jack Derle has shown up at this time, he must have made preparations!"
This was exactly what Gerald was most worried about, but there was nothing he could do. He didn't have a better plan.
"Mr. Black, this is all I can do. The rest is up to God."
Roy smiled helplessly.
God wouldn't care about the life or death of humans!
"We can only give it our best shot!"
"Mr. Black, if you can stop Jack Derle's conspiracy, the FEA will give you the most generous reward!"
"I'll do my best."
Roy hung up the phone.
This incident gave Roy a very ominous feeling.
From the dream about Room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel, to the exorcism by Pastor Max, and now Jack Derle's live special, everything hinted at a deep conspiracy.
It was clear that Jack Derle and his master, the demon king of greed, Mammon, had been planning this for a long time.
Roy looked out into the distance from his car. The TV station building in the distance was already under a dark cloud!
Devil Late Night Show still
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Chapter 165: Devil Late-Night Show
Inside a studio at KABC-TV, the special program continued its live broadcast.
Most viewers hadn't noticed anything unusual about tonight's show. After all, they rarely got a direct look at the faces of the audience members and staff in the studio.
Only the middle-aged man sitting next to Jack, who had been specially invited, felt that something was a little off.
This man had previously been a magician specializing in hypnosis, but because that field was just way too competitive, he switched careers to become a professional debunker, specifically exposing various scams related to ghosts, gods, and superstitions.
Then, this guy shot to fame, frequently appearing on various television programs.
The woman sitting next to Jack was someone who specialized in studying supernatural forces, known as Dr. Joan.
And the young girl next to Dr. Joan was her current research subject, someone born with supernatural powers.
Actually, there was a trend of researching supernatural powers back in the nineties. Both America and the former Soviet Union had legitimate laboratories studying things related to superpowers.
This trend even spread around the world, and the East was also somewhat affected.
However, in Roy's previous life, superpowers and the like had all been proven to be pseudoscience. But this world might be different.
After all, this world actually had angels and demons!
No one knew what secret and dangerous research the American government might be conducting.
At this time, the program had been going on for nearly an hour. Aside from the opening ten-minute dance performance, the following several tens of minutes were all Jack constantly recounting his own personal experiences with supernatural events, while the debunker was responsible for debunking him.
Today, Jack maintained his usual humorous style, and the show's effect was quite good. The viewers watching TV were all engrossed.
It was just that the audience in the studio seemed rather indifferent.
"Mr. McConnell, are you still unwilling to believe in the existence of supernatural forces?"
Jack smiled as he looked at the professional debunker, who pointed a finger at his own eyes.
"I only believe what I see with my own eyes, but so far, I haven't seen any real supernatural power! Am I just unlucky?"
Well, this guy appearing on this live television broadcast was indeed extremely unlucky.
At this moment, Jack cued Dr. Joan, who had been speaking very little.
"Dr. Joan, what are your thoughts on Mr. McConnell's comments?"
Dr. Joan was an intellectual and beautiful woman in her thirties. Although she didn't speak much, her words carried a persuasive power.
"It's not that if you can't see it, it doesn't exist, Mr. McConnell. For example, you can't see air, and you can't see cell phone signals, but these are all real things. The human eye can actually only see the material world; things in the spiritual world are invisible."
McConnell looked at Dr. Joan and shook his head with a smile.
Their worldviews were completely different. McConnell was clearly an extreme materialist, while Dr. Joan leaned towards idealism with a bit of materialism, placing her in the middle. Naturally, neither could convince the other.
"Dr. Joan, saying all this is useless. If you want me to believe, then you must let me see supernatural power with my own eyes."
McConnell's attitude was very stubborn, just like his public persona.
Jack clapped his hands, slightly cooling down the somewhat tense atmosphere of the show.
"Don't be impatient, Mr. McConnell. Actually, in order to convince you and all the viewers in front of the television of the existence of supernatural forces, I specifically invited Dr. Joan and Lily. They will definitely show you the scene you want to see. Right, Dr. Joan?"
Dr. Joan nodded slightly.
"I originally didn't want to bring Lily over because my laboratory has some agreements with the federal government. The federal government has a special department managing supernatural forces, ensuring the public can't know these truths. But Mr. Dell convinced me, so I decided to come on the show to expose all of this."
Dr. Joan's gaze at the host, Jack, was a little strange, making one wonder if it was persuasion or seduction.
However, Jack Dell was also a rather charming middle-aged man, definitely much better-looking than those researchers, so it wasn't surprising that he could captivate Dr. Joan.
The audience in front of the television all showed interested expressions. Conspiracy theories about the federal government were always very popular in America.
Whether it was aliens in Area 51 or vampires in the Freemasons...
Of course, these conspiracy theories might all be true in this world.
But there were also some particularly outrageous conspiracy theories, such as when a student named McKindu at the University of Memphis suddenly started claiming in 2017:
"Birds aren't real, they are an illusion, it's a lie. Wake up!"
He stated that all the birds in America had gone extinct, and the birds people saw now were actually mechanical birds manufactured by the federal government, responsible for monitoring people's every move.
McKindu was a philosophy major, and doing this was probably just to see the social impact and philosophical significance of internet rumors.
But what he didn't expect was that the rumor spread more and more wildly. A few years later, it had hundreds of thousands of followers. They would carry signs with various messages about "the birds around you are fake" and spread this rumor everywhere.
McConnell crossed his legs, striking a pose as if ready to watch a performance.
"Then let's get started quickly! Otherwise, tonight will be too boring!"
Hearing this, Jack made a bitter face and started to mock himself.
"Oh, Mr. McConnell, is my show really that boring for you?"
Unexpectedly, McConnell answered Jack frankly.
"Yes, it's indeed a bit boring for me. If something more exciting doesn't happen soon, I'm going to fall asleep."
This was McConnell's consistent image on television. Some viewers liked his straightforward and blunt style of roasting people.
"You definitely won't be disappointed!"
Jack flashed a strange smile, then looked at Dr. Joan.
Dr. Joan nodded and then introduced the young girl next to her.
(Lily on the left, Dr. Joan on the right)
"This is Miss Lily O'Baugh. She's a girl with a natural talent for witchcraft whom I discovered by chance."
Hearing this, Jack immediately put on a surprised expression, but it looked fake no matter how you looked at it.
Everyone knew that the host definitely knew about the guests, so this was considered a fairly common routine in variety shows.
"Wow, a witch! Is it the kind of witch I know?"
Lily gave a somewhat stiff smile.
This young girl had been in the laboratory for many years and had hardly any contact with the outside world, so her expressions were a bit strangely stiff. However, her eyes were very lively, making people unable to help but like her.
"I don't know what kind of witch Mr. Dell is referring to, but I do know that after tonight, this show will definitely go down in history."
This was exactly what Jack loved to hear. A smile appeared on his face.
"Miss Lily, can you read minds? Can you tell what my current wish is with just one look?"
McConnell couldn't help but interject with a sarcastic remark.
"Come on, Jack! All of Los Angeles knows you want to be number one in the late-night slot!"
Jack helplessly spread his hands.
"Mr. McConnell, can't you just pretend you don't know to make me happy?"
Dr. Joan and Lily both laughed, but the audience in the studio still didn't show much emotion. The atmosphere in the studio became increasingly strange.
This made McConnell feel vaguely uneasy, but after all, he was an extreme materialist, and in his heart, he guessed that the host Jack was trying to prank him.
Such prank shows weren't uncommon in America, so McConnell didn't pay too much attention, just became a little more cautious.
"Alright, enough joking around. Dr. Joan, can you tell me about Miss Lily's abilities?"
Dr. Joan nodded.
"Of course! Lily is the most talented child I've discovered. After she awakened, she caused a commotion, and an organization calling itself the 'Witches' Union' wanted to take her away. Fortunately, a secret government department intervened, allowing her to safely enter my laboratory."
Hearing this, McConnell scoffed, clearly not believing Dr. Joan's words.
Dr. Joan didn't mind and continued to introduce Lily's abilities.
"Lily possesses extremely strong intuition and can sense some special spiritual energy..."
McConnell couldn't help himself and directly interrupted Dr. Joan.
"Ha! You're not going to bring up that old chestnut about demonic possession again, are you?"
Jack glared at McConnell. The fierce look in his eyes made the professional debunker's breathing hitch for a moment.
"Please don't interrupt Dr. Joan! Dr. Joan, please continue!"
Dr. Joan's composure was quite good. Even though McConnell had interrupted her, she didn't get angry and continued to explain slowly and methodically.
"Mr. McConnell is right, the phenomenon I'm going to talk about is demonic possession. In fact, there are many energy radiations in the air that current scientific equipment cannot fully detect. I call it spiritual energy. Only some special groups of people can sense this spiritual energy, such as witches and some priests. If some people's physical constitution happens to meet these requirements and they are in a place rich in spiritual energy, they may be affected by this spiritual energy.
This is what we commonly call channeling or demonic possession."
Jack put on an exaggerated expression of sudden realization.
"What a wonderful explanation, it's enlightening! Dr. Joan, could you have Miss Lily demonstrate some of her abilities? I think the audience would definitely love to see that!"
Dr. Joan hesitated for a moment, but looking at the face of her idol, she still nodded.
"Alright, but Lily's constitution is quite special. She is a natural-born strong medium, particularly prone to attracting spirits or demons."
McConnell laughed again.
"Can you tell me what kind of demons she has attracted before? It just so happens that I also have some research in the occult!"
Since he was a debunker, he naturally had to understand some professional knowledge, so McConnell's knowledge in the occult was quite impressive.
This guy could sometimes debunk charlatans just by using his knowledge of the occult.
Dr. Joan looked at Lily. The little girl forced a strange smile on her face.
"I call it Mr. Wriggles."
"Mr. Wriggles? Why is it called that?"
Jack looked full of curiosity. Lily's expression became even stranger.
"It always wriggles strange ideas into its body."
This explanation was quite childlike but left the audience a bit confused. Dr. Joan quickly explained.
"Mr. Wriggles is just a code name. In fact, demons don't easily reveal their true names because once their true name is known, they can easily be banished back to hell. So far, I still don't know which demon Mr. Wriggles' true identity belongs to."
As soon as she finished speaking, the theremin in the studio suddenly started to make sounds. The sound was like a distorted scream, piercing and bizarre, causing several guests to cover their ears.
Only Lily's expression remained unchanged, as if she knew beforehand that the theremin would make a sound.
The theremin was the world's first electronic musical instrument, invented in 1919 by Soviet physicist Professor Lev Termen.
Unlike conventional instruments, the theremin doesn't require any physical contact to be played. It relies on two antennas that sense magnetic fields, producing sound based on the size and changes in the human body's magnetic field.
Theoretically, if the magnetic field changes drastically, it can produce sound even without someone manipulating it nearby.
The high-frequency sound emitted by the theremin directly shattered the glasses in the studio, startling Jack and the others.
McConnell finally couldn't take it anymore. He stood up, walked over to the theremin, and unplugged it. The sound immediately stopped.
"Hocus pocus!"
"That was Mr. Wriggles. He just heard you talking about him and got a little upset."
Lily looked at McConnell with a blank expression, her eyes somewhat dazed and numb.
"Enough! I've had enough of this cliché! Can't you come up with something new? If you've got the guts, then call out that Mr. Wriggles or whatever!"
McConnell pointed at Lily's face, his emotions very agitated.
At this point, the show had reached its climax. Viewers loved watching this kind of live conflict, and the show's ratings were soaring, very close to the top spot in its time slot.
Jack flashed a strange smile, but everyone's attention was mainly on Lily and McConnell, and no one noticed his change.
"I think Mr. McConnell's idea is great! Dr. Joan, could you have Lily summon that 'Mr. Wriggles'?"
Dr. Joan immediately rejected McConnell's suggestion.
"Summoning rituals must be performed in an absolutely safe environment. A live broadcast studio doesn't meet that condition!"
At this moment, the audience members, who had been very quiet all along, suddenly started to clamor, all saying they wanted to see it.
At the same time, Jack also looked at Dr. Joan with a peculiar gaze.
"Dr. Joan, I think you might want to reconsider!"
Under these circumstances, Dr. Joan had no way to refuse.
"Alright, but I have the right to interrupt the ritual at any time!"
"Of course, no problem! Then let's go to a quick commercial break to set up the summoning ritual. We'll be right back after the break, everyone please stay tuned!"
The scene cut away, and Dr. Joan angrily pulled Jack into a corner.
"Jack, this isn't what we agreed on!"
"Joan, listen, tonight is very important for both you and me! Sometimes in life, you have to take risks! Don't you think?"
There was no emotion on Jack's face. This side of Jack felt very unfamiliar to Dr. Joan.
"Fine, this will be the last time I help you!"
With that, Dr. Joan turned around to prepare, while Jack behind her revealed a sinister smile.
"There won't be a next time."
Chapter 166: King of Greed
As soon as the commercial break ended, viewers couldn't wait to switch back to the "Night Owl" special, "Devil Late Night Show."
The center of the stage had been transformed into two chairs. One of the chairs looked like a torture chair, designed to restrain someone. Lily was now sitting in this chair, her hands and feet completely bound. Dr. Jones sat facing her.
As for the host, Jack Derle, and the professional debunker, Mike Conner, they were sitting in the shadows in the distance.
A spotlight shone down from above, focusing all attention on Lily and Dr. Jones.
Dr. Jones looked at Lily with a hesitant expression.
"Lily, if you don't want to go through with this ritual, you can refuse."
This might have been Dr. Jones talking to herself, but Lily genuinely looked like she didn't care.
"I'm fine, Dr. Jones."
Hearing this, Dr. Jones sighed.
"Alright, then close your eyes and get some rest for a bit."
Lily obediently closed her eyes, and then Dr. Jones began to hypnotize her.
It was clear that Dr. Jones wasn't just someone who knew some theory; at least when it came to hypnosis, she was quite professional.
Lily quickly fell asleep, her head naturally drooping.
Dr. Jones cautiously tried a question.
"Lily, are you asleep?"
Hearing Dr. Jones's voice, Lily's body twisted strangely. When she raised her head again, everyone saw that her face was covered in horrifying, blood-red cracks.
"Heh heh heh, what do you think?"
Dr. Jones was startled. She had conducted summoning rituals in the lab before, calling forth the "Wiggling Mister" inside Lily, but she had never encountered anything like this.
In fact, the Wiggling Mister was a relatively easy-going demon, which is why Dr. Jones was able to bring Lily on TV.
If it were a dangerous demon that killed anyone it saw, Lily definitely wouldn't have been able to come out.
Lily let out a series of sinister laughs, her voice hoarse and dry, like the sound of metal scraping, making everyone feel deeply uncomfortable.
"Lily, that's enough!"
Dr. Jones sensed that something was wrong and hoped that Lily could use her own will to expel the possessing demon. However, she didn't know that the entity currently possessing Lily wasn't an ordinary demon.
"Shut up, woman!"
Lily was laughing happily when Dr. Jones interrupted her. She glared at Dr. Jones, who was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall.
This scene made all the viewers watching the show widen their eyes in shock.
Lily turned her head to look at Jack Derle in the shadows.
"Jack Derle, you've done a great job!"
Jack suddenly prostrated himself on the ground in a very humble manner. Mike Conner, standing nearby, looked at Jack in utter shock.
"Master, I only hope you can grant my wish!"
"I will never be stingy with rewards for those who are capable, Jack! But there's still one step left. Where is the sacrifice?"
Just as Jack was about to answer, Mike Conner suddenly stood up and interrupted their conversation.
"Aha! I get it! You're trying to scare me this way, right? I should have seen it coming! Whose idea was this? I have to say, you guys are really selling it!"
Mike Conner walked towards Lily, wanting to expose her. This action undoubtedly enraged the demon inside Lily's body.
"Get lost, you stupid pig!"
With a glare, Mike Conner was lifted up as if choked by an invisible hand, floating in mid-air.
Even an extreme materialist like Mike Conner couldn't explain this now, and he couldn't even open his mouth to speak anymore.
Lily glared again, and Mike Conner instantly turned into vengeful flames, his whole body engulfed in orange-red fire, burning fiercely in mid-air.
"Heh heh heh heh..."
This scene left all the viewers in front of their televisions dumbfounded. Their reason told them that something was very wrong, but they didn't turn off the TV. Instead, they continued to watch this bizarre spectacle.
After laughing for a while, Lily continued to look at Jack.
"Jack Derle, where is the sacrifice I asked for? This little girl can't contain my true form!"
"Master, everyone in this building has already been controlled by me. They are the sacrifices, along with all the viewers who are watching this show on TV!"
Lily revealed a satisfied smile.
"A very interesting idea. Then I shall begin my meal!"
As she said this, Lily tilted her head back, and her mouth suddenly split open all the way to her ears, turning into a gaping maw.
Lily took a deep breath, and the audience and staff on set all fell to the ground with their mouths wide open, as if something was being sucked out of them.
At the same time, everyone in the TV station building controlled by Jack Derle fell to the ground with their mouths wide open.
Lily smacked her lips with her gaping maw.
"Ah! Delicious souls! But it seems like it's still a little short. Oh well, I'll just have to make do!"
With that, Lily suddenly grabbed her chest and ripped it open with force. Her body was torn in half like a rag doll, and a bizarre creature crawled out from inside her.
This creature was five meters tall, almost touching the ceiling of the studio.
It had two vulture heads, all four of its eyes were blood-red, and a pair of golden wings spread out from its back. Its whole body shimmered with golden light, covered in gold and jewelry.
After stretching its body, the creature walked up to the camera lens and introduced itself to all the viewers in front of their TVs.
"Humans, I am Mammon, the King of Greed! Become my slaves!"
At this point, it was too late for viewers to change channels or turn off the TV. Mammon had already cast a spell, using the TV signal as a medium to absorb the souls of those who were watching the show.
This method of absorbing souls was undoubtedly slower, but the sheer number of people made up for it!
There were at least millions of people watching "Devil Late Night Show" right now. If Mammon successfully absorbed the souls of these millions of people, he would definitely be able to use that power to bring his true form into the human world.
At that point, it would be very difficult to stop Mammon.
"God said, 'Let there be light!'"
A beam of holy light suddenly descended from the ceiling. Mammon reacted very quickly, instantly conjuring a huge piece of gold to block the light, protecting himself from its damage.
However, the magic Mammon had just released was interrupted as a result.
"Uriel?"
Mammon turned his head to look at the white-robed nun who had suddenly appeared in the studio, recognizing her true identity at a glance.
Iris's face was as cold as ice. Mammon's appearance meant she had failed in her duty, which made her very angry.
"Mammon, you shouldn't be here! Return to your greedy hell!"
Mammon's two bird heads simultaneously extended long tongues, letting out sharp, coarse laughter.
"Uriel, I planned for so long to come to this world. Why should I leave just because you say so? Look at this materialistic world, everyone is selling everything for money. I really like this world."
Iris took a deep breath. After coming to the human world, she had witnessed too much human depravity, so she had nothing to say in response to Mammon's words.
However, concerning her duty, Iris would never allow Mammon to remain in the human world.
"Mammon, since you refuse to leave, then I will personally send you back to hell!"
As she spoke, six pairs of wings shimmering with holy light spread out from Iris's back. She fully released her angelic power.
Then, Iris in her angel form began to attack.
"God said, 'Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years.'"
A ball of light appeared in front of Iris, and the holy light illuminated the surroundings, instantly causing severe damage to Mammon.
"Damn holy light!"
Mammon cursed and used gold to create shields to block the holy light, but his body was too large, and there were always areas he couldn't protect.
Therefore, Mammon was forced to counterattack.
A golden spike suddenly appeared below Iris, wanting to pierce her body, but Iris seemed to have anticipated this situation and moved her body just in time, causing Mammon's attack to miss.
"Damn precognition!"
This wasn't the first time Mammon had fought Uriel. He knew she possessed the ability to foresee the near future.
This ability naturally put Uriel in an invincible position. You could only continuously wear her down until her energy was depleted and she couldn't continue to foresee the future.
"Mammon, knowing you are no match for me, why are you still so stubborn!"
"I will never willingly leave!"
As expected of the King of Greed, a single sentence of unwillingness expressed the gambler's mentality.
How many gamblers become blinded by their unwillingness to lose, wanting to win back their losses, only to get deeper and deeper into debt, eventually leading to ruin and the destruction of their families?
Well, Mammon's eyes were already red, so he was always in an agitated state.
"You like prophecy, huh? Then I'll bet on probability with you!"
As he spoke, a golden die appeared in front of Mammon. Iris frowned.
As the King of Greed and the number one gambler in hell, his special ability was to control probability to some extent.
Now, Mammon was preparing to use random attacks against Iris, not giving her a chance to foresee them.
Uriel's Eye of Foresight actually saw the most probable future among many possibilities. When the probabilities of different futures became equal, her Eye of Foresight would lose its effectiveness. Mammon's method had hit her right where it hurt.
"God said, 'Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.'"
Instantly, a large amount of seawater appeared around Iris, and Mammon had just thrown the die.
In an instant, the walls and ceiling of the studio grew a large number of golden spikes, all aimed at Iris.
Fortunately, with the barrier created by the seawater, Iris weaved through the golden spikes, barely avoiding being turned into a sieve.
But simply dodging wasn't a long-term solution. What's more, Mammon had already picked up the golden die, preparing to throw it again.
"God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures, each according to its kind: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.'"
A large group of strange insects suddenly appeared around Iris. They crawled onto the golden spikes and began to devour them, eating them like sugarcane.
"It's useless, Uriel! No one can stop me!"
The die landed for the second time, and a hurricane mixed with golden sand began to blow through the studio, sweeping away the seawater and the gold-eating insects around Iris.
Iris spread her six wings of light, barely resisting the power of the hurricane, but the golden sand mixed in the hurricane was impossible to defend against.
All of this golden sand contained Mammon's demonic power, and its destructive force was extremely strong. Iris's body was quickly covered in bloody holes.
Although Uriel was an angel, her human form, Iris, was just a mortal body. Taking damage would affect her combat power.
Helpless, Iris could only use the power of words to protect herself.
"God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.'"
A huge flower suddenly grew out of the studio floor, enveloping Iris within it.
This flower was extremely tough and remained standing no matter how the golden wind ravaged it.
Subsequently, the power of holy light appeared within the flower.
"Uriel, do you think you can escape my attack like this?"
Mammon threw the golden die for the third time, and the cables in the studio suddenly came to life, wrapping around the flower.
Iris realized that things were bad, but it was too late to try and escape at this point. After all, her speed couldn't compare to the speed of electricity.
"Ah—"
Instantly, electric light flashed everywhere, and Iris's hair stood on end from the shock.
Mammon was very pleased with himself.
"Hahaha! Uriel, you're finally getting what you deserve!"
At this point, a hint of despair could not help but appear in Iris's eyes.
Just then, Iris vaguely saw a figure sneaking into the studio.
Could it be him?
Iris made a decisive decision: she would buy time for the newcomer and draw Mammon's attention.
"Mammon, you will never defeat me! Justice will prevail!"
Mammon looked at Iris with a ferocious expression.
"The thing I hate the most is you people constantly talking about justice, honor, and holy light!"
"And that's why you were banished by God to hell!"
It turned out that Mammon was once an angel in heaven, his rank probably just below the four archangels.
Because he was too greedy and didn't even listen to God's commands, he was banished to hell.
Initially, Mammon was just a high-ranking fallen angel. His name even appeared in the 72 demons of the Ars Goetia, where he was known as Amon.
However, due to some opportunities, Mammon successfully seized the chance for promotion, rising to become the embodiment of the sin of greed, thus becoming one of the Seven Princes of Hell, on equal footing with his old superior, Belial.
It could be seen that Belial was indeed lazy. As the earliest embodiment of a sin, one by one, her subordinates rose up, but she didn't advance any further and was still just lying there.
Looking at it this way, among the Seven Princes of Hell, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Mammon were all from the 72 demons of the Ars Goetia, almost half of the Seven Princes of Hell.
The other demon kings, Leviathan the King of Envy, was as ancient as Belial, belonging to the original inhabitants of hell.
Lucifer, the right hand of God and the vice-ruler of heaven, was clearly sent by God to hell to control the situation, while Samael, who was also a fallen angel but held great hatred for God, was not happy about it.
"Shut up, Uriel! Are you trying to provoke me to seek a quick death? Don't worry! I will slowly torture you!"
Mammon was clearly very hateful towards his former colleagues. He was about to throw the die again when he suddenly sensed someone approaching.
"Who? Ah—"
Mammon
