Chapter 107: The Offering

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This private school truly had money to burn. A perfectly good indoor swimming pool, abandoned and left to decay, and before being deserted, they didn’t even drain the water properly, leaving a whole pool full of algae. The walls were covered in a dull gray haze, and ivy crawled in through the windows, spreading wildly, forcibly transforming the once modern indoor pool into a secret chamber filled with a chilling atmosphere. Every time the moon rose, this place grew especially eerie. Perhaps for that very reason, people at the school generally avoided this corner.

Jennifer had already woken up, hugging her knees curled up in the corner, her gaze toward Gao Ning mixed with three parts resentment, five parts surprise, and two parts fear. After last night, Gao Ning had defeated her twice in a row. Previously, that might not have been a big deal, but after last night’s experience, Jennifer felt as if she had undergone a transformation, changed inside and out. Despite growing much stronger, she was still repeatedly overcome by Gao Ning’s hands. This left her somewhat disheartened.

Gao Ning had somehow found a small stool and sat quietly by the poolside, staring at the shimmering water without saying a word. Jennifer, who had been questioning him repeatedly before, received no answers and fell silent. Footsteps approached as Nidi walked in. She glanced at the two of them. “Gao Ning, you’ve gone too far. Jennifer may be out of sorts, but that doesn’t justify you treating a girl so roughly.”

Gao Ning replied, “Instead of wasting time on this, why not listen to Jennifer’s explanation? I believe she remembers very clearly what happened last night.” They both looked at Jennifer. Jennifer grew wary. “Nothing happened last night. What exactly do you want?”

Gao Ning snapped his fingers nonchalantly. “Nothing happened? My bar was burned to the ground. If something had happened, wouldn’t the entire Devil’s Hollow have been destroyed?”

Nidi earnestly said, “Jennifer, please, tell me what really happened?”

Jennifer looked at Nidi and sighed helplessly. “Alright. Something was definitely wrong last night. You’re right—I should have just left instead of getting into their van. The members of the Low Shoulder Band are really a bunch of bastards; they’re just Satanists with weird hairstyles.”

Jennifer paused. “They brutally killed me and offered me as a sacrifice to the devil!”

“Oh my god!” Nidi covered her mouth in shock.

Gao Ning nodded. “Just as I suspected. If I’m right, the devil’s sacrificial ritual went wrong. Although you were sent to him, the devil rejected you and spit you back out. It’s like biting into something and then spitting it out after being contaminated by the devil’s power. You’re no longer purely human, which is why you have this bloodthirsty urge.”

Jennifer said indifferently, “You might be right, or you might be wrong—I don’t know. You should be asking those bastards in the band, not me. I’m the victim!”

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Gao Ning turned his head. “You look terrible today, completely different from last night. What exactly happened?”

Nidi’s expression shifted slightly.

“Don’t want to talk about it? That’s fine.”

Gao Ning stood up. “Honestly, I don’t want to deal with all this messy stuff either. But as you’ve seen, even if Jennifer has devil powers, she’s no match for me. Same goes for the band, but what they absolutely shouldn’t have done was burn down my bar!”

“Wait, the music bar is your business?” Jennifer asked, curious. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“Sorry, I just found out this morning!” Gao Ning shook his head, clapped his hands, and shouted, “Are those idiots awake yet? Bring them in!”

The two girls looked puzzled about whom Gao Ning was referring to. At the door, several burly men wearing gray trench coats appeared.

Five of them entered, each holding a strangely shaped man. In the dim light, Jennifer and Nidi instantly recognized these five as members of the Low Shoulder Band. But at this moment, all five were unconscious, their heads lolling as they hung limply from the arms of the trench coat men, like ducks about to be roasted.

“They still aren’t awake?”

After being jostled around for so long, none of them had come to. Gao Ning silently gave a thumbs-up inside.

“Throw them in. Let them sober up!”

No sooner had Gao Ning finished speaking than the trench coat men tossed the band members straight into the pool. With a splash and spray of water, the sudden immersion finally woke them up. They struggled to swim and broke the surface, wiping their faces and glaring directly at Jennifer.

“Damn it! How is this possible? We already sacrificed you!”

The long-haired leader growled in disbelief.

Gao Ning snapped his fingers again. Two teams of trench coat men swiftly moved in from both sides, each holding a Chicago-type submachine gun, chambers loaded. Eight barrels aimed at the center of the pool, frightening the band members into silence.

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Without lifting his eyelids, Gao Ning said calmly, “Who set the fire last night?”

The five exchanged glances but said nothing.

Gao Ning slightly raised his hand, and simultaneously, the eight Chicago-type submachine guns on either side opened fire. The gunshots echoed together, water splashing wildly.

The trench coat men swayed slightly, their coats billowing, exuding a commanding presence.

Jennifer’s eyes lit up, her gaze on Gao Ning burning bright. Though she had become devilified, she was still, at heart, a materialistic and vain girl. She possessed the essence of jealousy and greed and naturally desired to possess someone like Gao Ning.

“Stop! Just stop! We—we’ll cooperate immediately!”

The long-haired man shouted. Gao Ning raised his palm, and the gunfire ceased immediately.

The five gasped for breath, and after a moment, the long-haired leader said, “Yes, we set the fire to the bar, but it was only part of the devil’s sacrificial ritual. Only disaster and death can summon the devil. Afterwards, we took this woman to be sacrificed. I clearly remember it was successful. So why is she still here?”

His expression shifted slightly, as if he suddenly realized something.

Qi Shan spoke slowly, “Have you ever seen the devil?”

“Never, but the devil does exist!”

“So, that’s your secret to success?”

Qi Shan’s question went unanswered, but Nidi clearly understood their answer and showed a look of disgust.

“Look, we’re sorry for burning down your bar, but it was unavoidable. We’ll compensate you fully—just let us go, okay?”

The long-haired man tried to negotiate.

“I’m not short of money. I’m more curious about one thing—what would happen if you used yourselves as sacrifices?”