Demons Beside You

The man from the agency came. He was an experienced middle-aged man in a suit.

He gave Chen Zhao a curious look. Clearly, even he didn’t anticipate anyone would take this house, especially after knowing that six kids had died consecutively here.

Upon entering, Chen Zhao noticed that the layout was no different than the other houses. At least, he didn’t see anything unclean. Besides, the uncleanest thing was right beside him.

“Blackie, is there anything good about this home?”

“Look at the basement. It’s connected to a spatial crevice.”

“What spatial crevice?” Chen Zhao asked in confusion.

“Didn’t I tell you before? We Soulbringers don’t live in the human world or Hell. Instead, we live in a crack between them. However, each Soulbringer has a personal spatial crevice. We live alone and rarely communicate with each other. Some spatial crevices are abandoned after their owners die. Others, though, get accidentally connected to the human world for some special reasons. It’s like the owner leaves but forgets to close the door. The souls left behind by the Soulbringer start to move in and out of the spatial crevice, but they can’t leave, so this aura of death just paces in this area.”

“Is there a way to get rid of it?”

“Yes. Wait one or two hundred years for all the souls to dissipate.”

“Like I have that longevity to wait. Is there any another solution?”

“Or I can move over, remove the abandoned spatial crevice, and take up the space. That will work.”

Chen Zhao thought for a moment. If the spatial crevice remains unattended, unpredictable incidents might occur. But if Blackie was in charge, he could at least control it and Chen Zhao would be less worried.

Otherwise, he would have to give up on this place and the cheap rent.

“Mr. Chen, do we have a deal?”

“If it can be cheaper, I wouldn’t mind renting this place.”

“What price range are you comfortable with?”

“Four hundred dollars.”

“Mr. Chen, if you’re willing to pay six hundred per month, this place is yours.”

“Deal.”

“Mr. Chen, are you living by yourself?”

“Yes. Any problems?”

“Excuse me, but are you interested in sharing with a roommate?”

“Pff… Would anyone be willing to live here other than me?”

“You never know. If you want, you can list it with my company. We’ll recommend any suitable clients to you.”

“Sure, but I only want pretty girls. No men.”

The rent was already cheap enough. Chen Zhao didn’t think about finding a roommate. If it was a pretty girl, he could live with it. But unless he was crazy, he would definitely not accept a male roommate.

After signing the contract, he was officially the tenant of the house.

“Chen, are you really going to live here?”

“I signed the contract. Where else should I live?”

“Okay, your call. Can we go eat that seafood feast now? I know a restaurant that makes delicious seafood. I strongly recommend you go there.”

“Sure, but don’t you think you should go find a renovation company with me?”

“Motherf*cker, do you think I’m a physical laborer?”

“Don’t forget that you made twenty hundred dollars off me today.”

“I deserved that!”

“Shut up and drive. Take me to a renovation company.”

After they found one, he paid the deposit and they promised to complete the job in a week.

The house had been empty for more than a decade, and many of the appliances needed to be replaced. The water and electricity had to be arranged again, as well as the Internet and cable TV.

It took the whole afternoon to settle everything with the house.

Chen Zhao fulfilled Ethan’s request and went to the seafood restaurant that he strongly suggested and cost Chen a total of three hundred dollars.

…

“Hey, John senior, are you sick?” Zola greeted the business partner that caught her eye.

“Zola?” Old John was a bit surprised to see Zola at the hospital. “My son is here.”

“Oh, that’s the child you had with that young wife of yours, right?”

“Yes, John is only seven years old, but he’s already been here for two years.” Old John was in low spirits.

“How’s John Junior?”

Zola asked despite the obvious answer. With John Sr.’s wealth, he wouldn’t let his kid live in the hospital for two years unless it was an illness that not even money could cure.

“Oh…I wish there’s hope of him getting better, but I received a terminally ill notification yesterday. It’s my third time receiving it in the past half-year.”

Just then, Faur walked over. She recognized Zola with a glance. It was the companion of that Asian man who’d broken into John’s room this morning.

“Sir, I have good news. John Jr.’s illness is under control.”

“Under control? What? You sent me a terminally ill notification yesterday. Now you’re suddenly telling me that he’s getting better?”

“Well…I’m not certain about the specifics either, but it’s the truth. We checked John Jr.’s tumor and it’s miraculously shrunk by half. This means that little John has at least half a year to live. He doesn’t have to stay here for this half-year either, but I still hope that he can come for a checkup once a month.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, as strange as it is. Little John’s brain tumor was already on his nerve, but at four am this morning, he mysteriously woke up. His taste buds destroyed by the chemotherapy have recovered, too. It’s practically a miracle.”

“Thank you so much. It’s all because of you all. Thank you!” John Sr. was very excited.

After all, this son had been born in his old age. John Sr. had put too many feelings into this kid.

Zola left with a thoughtful expression. She didn’t believe in miracles. She believed that everything had a cause. However, she doubted if that man really could suppress cancer cells.

How could it be so fast too? After all, even the most mainstream treatment method—chemotherapy—is a mostly passive treatment. It had slow effects and would cause irreversible damage to the body.

Could that man really suppress cancer cells or even cure it?

She also thought about her father who’d practically been given the death sentence and was somehow dragged back from the brink of death. Zola started to believe that that man was truly the one behind these miracles.

She had to treat him cautiously—not only for her father but also for herself and her other relatives.

“Father, I have something to tell you.”

Zola was back in Rasfa’s room. Rasfa had a great appetite today and he practically ate more than the past seven days combined. He even thought that he’d recovered completely.

“I just met John Sr. His son is hospitalized here too with a brain tumor. They sent out the terminally ill notification yesterday.”

“His son? Phil or Danny?”

“Neither. He’s even younger, only seven years old.”

“God bless that kid.”

“I don’t know if God will bless him or not, but little John suddenly woke up today. The brain tumor that was pressing down on his nerve actually shrunk in half too.”

“What a miracle. What happened?”

“That Asian doctor was in little John’s room today. The doctor on shift thought he was an intruder and almost called the cops, but he just said that he went into the wrong room.”