Demons Beside You (The Demons Beside Me)

Before Chen Zhao went to the Gate of Hell, Chen Zhao heard Lao Hei mention the Gate of Hell twice.

The first time I heard about it, I just discovered it. The second time was when there were changes in the Gate of Hell, and I discovered that someone in the town was secretly performing some kind of sacrificial ritual.

If the gate of hell changes, it means someone has made a sacrifice.

The fire happened after Lao Hei mentioned it for the first time and before he mentioned it for the second time.

Eight people died in the fire. Could these eight people be sacrifices?

If this is indeed the case, then the situation becomes clear.

The fire in the winery was caused by Trad Pampton himself, or he asked Deppler to do it.

And he knew very well that after the fire, he was bound to face huge compensation.

So he transferred assets by hiding the operating conditions of the winery.

As long as he does it properly and directly applies for bankruptcy protection, he does not need to use all his property to compensate.

Deppler wanted to use this to blackmail Ted Pamperton, but Traeder Pamperton became so angry that he refused to do anything and directly sacrificed Deppler.

Pierce Nan looked at Chen Zhao: "You seem to have thought of something."

Chen Zhao glanced at Pierce Nan, then turned to David and said, "Let's go."

"Are you just leaving like that?"

David turned to look at Pierce Nan: "What, do you want us to silence you?"

"Okay, bye." Pierce Nan shrugged.

…

"Chen, did you think of something?"

"I now feel that Ted Pamton may really be the murderer."

"you sure?"

"Not sure, and I don't have any evidence."

"Tell me your analysis."

Chen Zhao began to tell David his thoughts and analysis, and David was moved.

"You said that to complete the Gate of Hell, you need the sacrifices of many people, right?"

"Yes." Chen Zhao nodded.

"How many lives will it take to complete the sacrifice at the Gate of Hell?"

"Thirteen."

"Assuming that the eight victims of the winery fire were sacrificed, and Dai Pule was also sacrificed, that means there are still four people left. Could it be that the sacrifice had already begun before the winery fire? .”

"you mean?"

"Did any other homicides occur before and after the fire in Dashan Town? Or were there more suspicious deaths?"

Chen Zhao suddenly remembered that a case had occurred not long ago.

But that was a very vicious wanted criminal. On the surface, it seemed that the wanted criminal committed suicide out of fear of crime.

Chen Zhao also communicated with Meyerson at that time, and Meyerson speculated that the deceased did not commit suicide.

At that time, Chen Zhao didn't think much about it. After all, the person who died was a wanted criminal and had nothing to do with him.

But, thinking about it now, it's very suspicious.

Chen Zhao told David about this, and David thought for a while: "First of all, we need to confirm whether the previous deceased was called to the town, or whether he entered the town by coincidence."

Chen Zhao's eyes suddenly lit up: "The deceased lived in a duplex. A wanted criminal probably doesn't have enough money to live in such a big house."

"Do you know the landlord?" David asked.

"I don't know him, but Bant must know it. Let's go back and ask him."

…

There are only so many people in Dashan Town, so it is not difficult to find the owner of a house.

When Chen Zhao and David returned to the town, they went straight to Bant's house.

"Bant, are you home?"

Not long after, Bant opened the door. When he saw Chen Zhao and David, he was still very happy.

This may be the only thing that makes Ken happy after he was taken away by the police for investigation.

"Chen, David, come in and sit down."

"Bant, do you remember the wanted criminal who died in the duplex opposite the outdoor restaurant last time?"

"Remember, what happened? Is this related to Dai Pule's death?"

"We suspect it's the same person, so we want to know who the landlord of the duplex is."

"That house belongs to the old witch in the town, Onri Costa."

"Old witch?"

"Yes, an old woman with a weird temper and loneliness." Bant said: "People in the whole town don't like to have contact with her. They think she is very scary."

Chen Zhao and David looked at each other. When they heard the nickname Old Witch, they would feel connected to it.

"Is she acting strangely?"

"There were always dead animals around her house. The one I remember most clearly was when I was very young, I had a dog named Ken."

"Wait a minute...you said the puppy you had when you were a kid was named Ken?"

"Yes, that's why I named my son Ken, just to commemorate my puppy."

"Very well, let's continue."

"I was only eight years old at the time. One day, I found that Ken was missing. Then I looked everywhere. Finally, I found Ken hanged at the door of the old witch's house. My parents had a big fight with the old witch for this. Have a fight.”

"If she did it, she wouldn't hang the dog in front of her house, right?"

"I don't know if she did it, but my parents are very sure that the old witch has a criminal record."

"You are in your forties this year, right?"

"Forty-eight."

"In other words, this incident happened forty years ago, so the old witch you are talking about must be quite old, too?"

"I don't know how old she is, but she is much older than my parents."

"Then your parents..."

"Ken's grandpa is seventy-eight years old."

"What does it mean to be much older than your father?"

"It seems that the old witch was already over sixty years old at that time."

Forty years ago, Bant's father was thirty-eight years old, and the old witch was nearly thirty years older than Bant's father. In other words, the old witch may have turned a hundred years old this year.

Both Chen Zhao and David couldn't help but take a breath. Bant looked at the two of them: "Chen, does this matter have something to do with that old witch?"

"I'm not sure yet." Chen Zhao asked, "Does she usually live in the house where the accident happened?"

"No, her house has been vacant for a long time. If the man hadn't died in her house last time, I wouldn't have known she rented it out."

"Then where does she live now?"

"She lives outside the town. Do you want me to send you there?"

"No, just tell us your address. This matter may be dangerous, so don't get involved."

"No, I can't let you take risks."

"Bant, don't be too impetuous. Don't worry. David and I are both capable of fighting. Let alone an old witch in her early hundred years. Even three or five people with your physique may not be able to beat the two of us." .”

After leaving Bant's house, David asked: "Chen, is there any magic that can make people live for such a long time?"

"I don't know. You should find a professional in this area, such as Sienna."

"But Sienna is not as powerful as you, and you don't even know it. Will Sienna know?"

"That's not necessarily true. If you don't ask her, how do you know she doesn't know."

"Okay, I'll call and ask her."

Although he is very tired, Han Bao seems to have been on stimulants in recent days and is in a state of excitement every day.

Hanbao’s requirements are not high, I just want to be in the top ten of the monthly ticket sales for the new book. Even if it is released in the middle of the month, I will not give up.