Capítulo 41: Chapter 41
On the way out, Randy rode ahead, leading the way, with Emma following behind.
David still felt a bit sour.
"Emma, what were you talking about? You seemed quite happy."
"Nothing much, just chatting about studies."
Emma answered casually.
Back by the river, she had quietly asked Randy, "I can't stand the teacher. Is there a way to get rid of her without getting caught?"
Randy had simply said that one shouldn't be too extreme.
Emma then asked about the Joker, whether he was another identity of Randy.
"I'm not the Joker, but don't worry, that monster isn't interested in people with your personality flaws, and it will be dealt with soon."
In the Joker's eyes, people without fear were just uncooked meat.
Emma also inquired whether the underwater Milo's body would be discovered.
Randy assured her to not worry; the blame had been pinned on the Joker, and it couldn't shake it off.
Then came some mentally immature questions, which Randy sometimes answered and sometimes pretended to be mute.
David felt conflicted; if it were any other time, Emma wouldn't be so talkative with him.
But letting his daughter open up and chat more was fine, especially after the cold atmosphere before and the dangerous events of yesterday. Talking more could help her vent her emotions.
Soon, Randy's car stopped in front of the house, and Emma and her daughter got out one after another.
Emma, straightforward as always, said, "This house is too small, it doesn't look at all like someone rich lives here."
"Emma, that's very impolite," David quickly reminded her.
"It's okay, although it's a bit small, it's still very cozy," Randy said, noting that the neighbors, the Carr family, weren't around. They were likely at church for mass, which was a crucial activity for them, involving scripture recitation and meals with the congregation every Sunday.
He opened the door and invited the two inside, while also curiously asking, "Mr. David, don't you go to church?"
"We don't observe the Sabbath. We pray on Sunday evenings instead," David replied.
Randy nodded, arranged seats for the two, then brought out cups, added tea leaves, and made tea. He also turned on the TV and tuned into an animated show for Emma.
Unfortunately, Emma seemed more interested in the house, and as soon as she sat down, she stood up again.
"This living room is even smaller than my room."
David reminded her once more, "Emma, you weren't like this before."
Before, Emma had been polite and well-mannered, the ideal child in the eyes of her parents.
It was only after finding someone like herself that she let her true nature show.
Randy didn't pay much attention to her words, recognizing her as just a girl seeking attention.
"Are you hungry? Do you want some snacks to tide you over? I'll go prepare lunch now."
"No need, a simple arrangement will do, Randy," Emma volunteered to help in the kitchen.
As soon as she entered, she whispered, "I thought your house would smell, like it had bodies or something."
"Let's not talk about that during meal time."
"My medal, where is it? I want it now!"
"Wait a bit, I'll give it to you after we've eaten."
Randy didn't showcase any elaborate Chinese cuisine, fearing criticism. He simply prepared some quick meals and fried a few pieces of meat.
Emma and her mother didn't mind, adding extra seasoning, and immediately praised the food.
Soon after lunch, Randy secretly returned the medal to Emma and seriously warned her, "This could be a potential hazard; you must hide it well."
"Don't worry, I'll hide it under the bed and won't take it out for a week!" Emma promised.
David and Emma stayed a bit longer before taking their leave.
David invited Randy to dinner at his place another day.
"Definitely, definitely," Randy agreed.
Randy continued tidying up the room, planning to head to the beach later that afternoon to continue his preparations for the upcoming situation.
Just as he finished packing, Randy heard car noises outside.
Looking out the window, he saw that the Carr family had arrived.
It was still the old car, but because they were going to mass, Margaret and Carrie were dressed formally.
Margaret, in particular, was wearing a white vestment reserved for mass.
After getting out of the car, she first checked in Randy's direction, then carefully lifted her dress, seemingly unwilling to let the sacred garment touch the dirt.
"Carrie, bring all the holy objects from the car inside."
"Yes."
Carrie, dressed in black and white, then got out of the car, her sealed beauty enhanced.
Once Margaret entered the house, Carrie sighed and carefully carried a wooden box from the car, placing it carefully in the room.
The car door was left open, indicating there were still things inside.
Randy, quick on his feet, opened the door and started moving. Margaret had been on high alert recently, and this was a rare chance to interact.
From his understanding of Margaret, a fanatic, even removing the vestment would likely require multiple rituals like prayer and praise before she would be free. This would give him and Carrie a brief moment to talk.
Randy jogged to Carrie's yard, glanced into her living room, and saw no sign of Margaret, only Carrie looking for a place to put things.
So he boldly stood at the door, knowing the upstairs couldn't see him from this position.
When Carrie came out after putting the box down, she was startled to see Randy at the door, her expression a mix of surprise and delight.
She whispered, "Randy!"
"It's me, Carrie. You look lovely today."
Compared to before, Randy was much more enthusiastic and even generous with his compliments, though he spoke softly.
"Ah?"
Carrie's face turned red immediately, her hands nervously unsure of where to place themselves. It was her first time receiving such praise and she didn't know how to respond.
So Randy continued, "Did you just get back from mass?"
"Yes… yes."
Carrie felt her heart racing, almost as if she wanted the ground to shake with her heartbeat.
Randy continued, "It's been really hard to see you these days. You're just like the Lettuce Girl from the castle."
"The Lettuce Girl?"
Carrie looked puzzled.
"?"
Randy was also puzzled. She wouldn't not know this story, would she?
It was a famous tale from the Brothers Grimm, comparable to Snow White and Cinderella, akin to a Chinese person not knowing the story of the White Bone Demon.
Indeed, just like a canary in a cage.
"It doesn't matter if you don't know. I'll tell you about it tonight."
"Tonight?"
Carrie was even more confused and anxious.
What did this mean? Was he asking to date her tonight?
"Randy… Randy, I can't go out tonight. My mother only allows me to stay at home…"
"It's okay. I'll come find you tonight. Just remember to leave a window open for me."
"Ah?"
Carrie was even more shocked, her mind almost shutting down. She repeatedly lifted and lowered her head but couldn't find the words to say.
At that moment, Margaret's voice suddenly came from upstairs.
"Carrie, have you brought back all the holy objects?"
Margaret, during her prayer, had inexplicably found it hard to calm down. Feeling something was off, she looked down from upstairs and saw only the open car door in the yard and not Carrie's busy figure, so she called out.
Carrie was startled by the sudden call, her expression full of fear as she quickly responded, "Oh, oh, coming right away!"
Then she whispered quickly to Randy, "You have to leave quickly. My mom seems to have noticed something."
Randy feigned ignorance, "I'll come find you tonight."
"This…"
Carrie's face reddened further.
"Carrie! Can you hear me?"
Margaret's voice came again from upstairs, seemingly realizing something was wrong. She didn't even bother removing her vestment and prepared to go downstairs to check the situation.
Carrie became more anxious, her hair starting to move as if by itself, "Yes, yes!"
She continued to Randy, "Randy, you need to go now. If my mom sees us, we're done for."
Randy remained unmoved, "So about our arrangement tonight?"
Upstairs, there was the sound of a door handle being turned and then the loud knocking on the door.
Margaret wanted to go downstairs, but the room door suddenly wouldn't open.
"What's going on? Carrie, did you lock the door? Is someone in our house?"
"No, Mom. I'm in the living room, preparing to move things."
Carrie had quickly started lying without needing a script, and she had also tampered with the door to prevent Margaret from coming downstairs.
But this trick didn't solve the problem.
"So about our arrangement tonight?" Randy continued to ask.
Carrie, embarrassed, lowered her head and whispered so quietly it was almost inaudible.
"Mm."
"Good. Remember to leave a window open when you go to sleep. See you tonight, my Lettuce Girl."
Randy waved with a smile and then jogged out of Carrie's yard, heading back to his own house.
Meanwhile, Margaret finally managed to open the room door upstairs.
But there was no one outside, and a close examination of the door lock showed no issues.
"Damn it, there must be a demon in this house! That damn Asian must have been here!"
Fuming, she rushed downstairs and saw the holy objects piled up on the living room table and Carrie looking innocent.
"Carrie? Did that kid from next door come over just now?"
"No, Mom?" Carrie waved her hand innocently.
Margaret was puzzled, but upon closer inspection, she noticed her daughter's abnormality.
"Something's wrong. Why is your face so red?"
"Ah?"
Carrie touched her face and then looked at the holy objects on the table, which she had just retrieved using her telekinesis. She quickly made up a new excuse.
"Maybe it's because I was moving things too quickly, so I'm a bit tired."
"Is that so?"
Margaret remained suspicious but found no reason to act out, so she could only reprimand Carrie about the arrangement of the holy objects on the table.
"These are all holy objects I purchased at a high price from the church. They are meant to drive away demons. Handle them carefully. Make sure to hang them up later. As long as that Asian kid from next door gets close, these holy objects will reveal his true form!"
"Understood."
Carrie nodded quickly and carefully opened the wooden box, which contained ordinary crucifixes and images of Jesus.
Margaret regularly bought these blessed holy objects from the church, only to donate them back after a while, asking the priests to rebless them.
This almost occupied half of their home's storage.
Carrie had long realized this was a scam. Once, when returning the holy objects, she had daringly reversed one of the Jesus images in a frame, so that it was displayed upside down with a reversed cross.
But the holy objects returned to the church were exactly the same, only with a new box for packaging.
So she was sure that the people in the church were frauds; they didn't even check the holy objects, merely repackaging them.
Unfortunately, she didn't have the courage to tell her mother or to expose her mother's faith.
Watching her mother's devout expression and her departure upstairs, Carrie felt helpless and dejected.
But thinking about the events that would happen tonight, Carrie felt a mix of anticipation and fear.
For someone with no knowledge of relationships, she only felt her legs growing weak.
Just then, Randy, who had rushed home, felt relieved.
The safety for tonight was ensured.
If Penny Weiss dared to come to Carrie's house, he would show him what it meant for a new generation to surpass the old.
Carrie's strength was visible; she was practically a source of demonic energy.
When he first saw her awakening, her body was filled with powerful and chaotic magic, which had deeply shocked Randy.
Now, up close again, Carrie's magic had become stable, indicating she had mastered this energy, though she still didn't know its precise application.
The spells she could use were essentially relying on telekinesis to create shockwaves or ignite flames, and if her mood was unstable, she might even cause minor earthquakes.
Though clumsy, her power was not to be underestimated.
While the spells of Qi Refinement Stage cultivators looked glamorous, the difference between their power and that of a newborn cultivator's plain attacks was not insignificant.
And facing Penny Weiss last night, though strong, he was still no match for Carrie, even if he significantly improved tonight.
Randy thought about this and picked up his phone to call Officer Mike.
He wanted to know what kind of chaos Penny Weiss had caused recently.
The call was quickly answered.
"Hello, Officer Mike, this is Randy."
"Randy, what's up? Did the church people come to talk to you?"
The church people?
Randy was puzzled; he hadn't seen any church visitors. Maybe they came in the morning while he was away, but that was fine; he hadn't been disturbed.
"Officer Mike, the main reason I called was to ask about something else. I've heard there have been many recent unsettling incidents in town. Is the town currently dangerous?"
"Uh…"
Mike hesitated before replying, "There have indeed been many cases, but don't worry. With us American police officers here, we will ensure the safety of all town residents. Any evil will be brought to justice."
"Thank you for your hard work."
It seemed he wouldn't get any information from him, so Randy quickly made some polite remarks before hanging up and immediately dialed Jack's number.
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