Chapter 85: Bullying the Honest?

The clown cared nothing for how these people reacted; his only concern was to complete the task Xiao Zi had entrusted to him. With this thought, he finally produced the items he had brought and laid them out carefully on the ground.

“I’m not running away. I just went to fetch some equipment. Whether you can use these or not, I’ll leave them here for you. Soon, I’ll be on my way. At least I won’t have failed in my duty as a demon hunter.”

Everyone’s gaze toward the clown changed at once, a murderous intent flickering in their eyes. Good heavens, what did he mean by not failing his duty as a demon hunter? Although none of them had ever heard of such a profession, the name alone made it clear—it was a job for hunting demons.

And that monstrous vengeful spirit was precisely a demon—shouldn’t it be your job to hunt it?

But none of them dared voice their anger, fearing that if they offended the clown, he might take back the equipment and leave them with nothing.

“This is a crucifix. It can temporarily seal the power of that monstrous vengeful spirit.

“This is a demon-slaying spike. Drive it into that person’s heart and you can kill him completely.

“And this bottle—holy water. Once he’s dead, pour it over him, and it will utterly destroy the vengeful spirit.”

With those words, he turned and walked away.

The crowd stared at the three items on the ground and then at the receding figure of the clown, tears almost springing to their eyes. This demon hunter was truly a scoundrel!

They glanced at one another, indecisive.

“What should we do now?”

“I don’t know. Sheriff Raymick has always treated us well. But if…”

“But if he doesn’t die, then we’ll all die!”

“Yeah, and even if we don’t kill him, that vengeful spirit will kill him anyway…”

For a while, the group descended into heated argument, only to be interrupted by a contingent of armed men who swiftly arrived.

After firing a few shots into the sky, they shouted, “Everyone, get back to what you were doing. We’ll take charge of these three items!”

These newcomers were Raymick’s former subordinates—the local police force.

Though Raymick was only a sheriff, there was a chief and a deputy chief above him, both C-ranked spirit tamers with considerable power. Yet even they couldn’t determine exactly what that monstrous vengeful spirit was, so they had no choice but to trust the demon hunter’s words, for now.

But as for killing Raymick themselves…

If word of this reached the authorities, their positions would surely be forfeit…

After much deliberation, the two chiefs decided to leave such a dirty deed to their subordinates. They handed over the three items and hinted heavily at their meaning before the men finally caught on.

Now, they stared at each other, none willing to be the one to act. Raymick had always treated them well. If one of them did this, wouldn’t they have to live with the guilt forever? And with Raymick’s high standing among the townsfolk, harming him might incite public outrage—making future work all but impossible.

So, after further deliberation, they decided to push the task onto the local gangsters.

The gang leaders exploded at the very suggestion. What kind of nonsense was this? If their gang took the blame, wouldn’t the authorities use it as a pretext to wipe them out?

After a great deal of thought, the gangsters resolved to push the responsibility onto the ordinary people—it was the easiest solution.

And so—

Under the blazing sun, Raymick was tied up, left to bake in the heat, a crucifix standing behind him.

“Water… Just a sip of water,” he begged, his lips cracked, eyes squeezed shut against the sunlight, voice barely more than a whisper.

Before him, a crowd had gathered, all of them regarding him with a mixture of conflicting emotions, but not one stepped forward to offer water—not out of malice, but out of fear of the monstrous vengeful spirit inside him.

Just as everyone stood at a loss, Raymick began to thrash violently.

It was as if black threads had wrapped themselves around him, crawling upward over his body at a speed visible to the naked eye. The crowd believed that, at this rate, he’d soon be completely enveloped.

Though they didn’t understand exactly what was happening, it was clear enough—the vengeful spirit within him was about to break free.

“What do we do?” Panic spread through the crowd.

According to the demon hunter, the crucifix could only temporarily seal the spirit. Sooner or later, Raymick would be wholly possessed and turn into a rampaging monster.

But to kill Raymick…

They were just ordinary people. Killing their own sheriff, a man who had always protected them, was unthinkable. Most couldn’t even imagine killing a stranger, let alone him.

A heavy silence fell.

Suddenly, Raymick’s expression shifted from agony to a sinister, chilling smile.

Hidden among the crowd, the government agents exchanged glances, instantly understanding one another. They began to sway public opinion.

“If we don’t act soon, that monstrous vengeful spirit will break free and we’ll all be doomed!”

“Not just us—our families and friends too…”

“I believe, if Sheriff Raymick were still conscious, he’d gladly give his life to save us all!”

As soon as the words were spoken, Raymick summoned the last of his strength to roar, “I’ll be damned if I do! Get lost!”

The crowd fell silent.

“See that? That was the vengeful spirit speaking through him! Would Raymick ever use such crude language otherwise?”

Raymick: “…”

“There’s no time! Get the demon-slaying spike—stab it into his heart!”

In the midst of the uproar, a slow-witted, honest man was pushed to the front, spike in one hand, hammer in the other, staring blankly.

“What are you waiting for? Hurry!”

“I—I…” he stammered, unable to get the words out.

By now, the cowards had all fled; those left were either bold or not especially bright.

This one, evidently, was the latter.

“Hurry! Do it and we’ll introduce you to a fine young lady!”

At this, a sly gleam flashed in the honest man’s eyes, and he shuffled forward toward Raymick.

Yes—government agents bullied the gangs, the gangs bullied the townsfolk, and the townsfolk ganged up on the honest man. Such was the way of things.

Some among the crowd were already planning how to denounce him afterward.

He reached Raymick, trembling, unable to meet the sheriff’s furious gaze.

“Sheriff… They say if I don’t kill you, everyone will die. You wouldn’t want us all to die because of you, would you?”

Stammering, he finished, his eyes flashing with sudden resolve as he lunged at Raymick.

The crowd held its breath.