Chapter 14

"Hello, Mr. De Niro." O'Karl stood at the door, greeting the man who looked quite portly. Christina hid in the room, not wanting to come out.

"Hello, can I meet Miss Christina herself?" De Niro's small eyes glanced upstairs, as if he could see Christina's graceful figure descending.

"Please wait a moment!"

O'Karl invited De Niro to sit down and went upstairs to knock on the door.

"Christina, Mr. De Niro is here! He's waiting for you downstairs!"

"I know, I'll be right down!"

Christina looked at her slightly bruised eye sockets, using heavy eye shadow to cover the bruising, but she still looked listless.

When O'Karl saw Christina, he was slightly taken aback by her beauty. He silently praised her and then smiled, trying to maintain a gentlemanly demeanor.

"Miss Christina, I'm glad to be of service to you! Can you tell me about your situation now?" De Niro felt confident that he could gain Christina's trust. This Hollywood beauty had a fortune that he could extract.

"It's a nightmare!" Mentioning this, Christina's face turned uneasy. This was why she was reluctant to face those useless mediums; each time she faced them, she had to relive the nightmare.

"Can you tell me more specifically?"

De Niro was very serious.

Christina hesitated, but seeing O'Karl's encouraging look, she clung to the last shred of hope and mustered the courage to describe her nightmare.

"It's like a hellish scenario, filled with demons. I suffer greatly in it. I don't know what to do; struggling and calling for help are useless. They devour my soul and my flesh. The torment feels so real. Every time I wake up, I feel as if I've experienced it firsthand, and my whole body aches..."

Christina looked as if she was suffering again, her eyes filled with fear.

"Let me take a look!"

De Niro felt he should step in. He stood up solemnly, circled Christina, and gradually furrowed his brow.

"What do you see?"

O'Karl asked nervously. Even Christina looked at him with a glimmer of hope.

"Do you believe in God?"

De Niro asked a serious question.

When he asked this, Christina felt a sense of familiarity.

"Yes, I believe in God. I've prayed many times for God to free me from the nightmare and to get my life back on track! But... but nothing has changed!"

"Take my hand!"

De Niro nodded and extended his hand.

Christina hesitated, then raised her hand. De Niro gently held it, closing his eyes.

"Don't move, let me sense the nightmare within you."

De Niro's serious face and cautious movements calmed Christina, and that glimmer of hope grew.

"Close your eyes, think of nothing, and relax! Listen to your breathing!"

De Niro spoke slowly, waiting for Christina to relax.

O'Karl stood aside, not daring to move, afraid of disturbing De Niro's mediumship.

Suddenly, De Niro's hand tightened, and his body began to tremble violently.

Christina opened her eyes, looking at him nervously. O'Karl was also panicked. De Niro trembled severely, soon foaming at the mouth, and then collapsed on the floor, releasing Christina's hand and shouting, "Get out, don't stay here!"

De Niro's collapse was sudden. As soon as he released Christina's hand, he fainted on the floor. Christina and O'Karl rushed to help him up.

"God, God!" O'Karl was panicked. "I'll call 911!" He took out his phone, but before he could dial, he heard De Niro groan. He woke up.

O'Karl moved his finger from the keypad. She didn't want to make a big deal out of it, as it wouldn't be good for Christina and could have negative consequences.

"I'm sorry, just now... the evil spirit's power was too strong!"

De Niro's first words upon opening his eyes stunned Christina and O'Karl.

"An evil spirit?"

Both of them exclaimed in unison.

De Niro nodded with difficulty, affirming, "Yes, an evil spirit, a demon released by Satan. This is a long-standing evil spirit that may have invaded Christina's body due to a special event, such as when her body was weak, making it easier for the spirit to invade..."

Christina suddenly gasped.

"That's right, ever since I came back from the set, I started running a high fever, and then... then I started having this nightmare. God, is it real? What should we do?"

O'Karl was also flustered by Christina's words.

"Mr. De Niro, do you have a solution? I know you must have one, and I'm willing to pay whatever it takes..."

De Niro nodded. "I will charge a fee, but I need to confirm something first. This evil spirit is too powerful, and I need to prepare some things. You know, the items needed to subdue evil spirits are very precious and hard to obtain..."

"Ten thousand dollars!"

Christina was also moved by De Niro's words. Seeing that he didn't seem to be faking it, she blurted out the amount.

"Um..."

De Niro looked a bit hesitant.

"Three hundred thousand dollars, if you can do it, I'll write you a check right away!"

O'Karl wanted to say something but held back.

"Alright, you know, this three hundred thousand is just for preparing the tools. I accept!" De Niro immediately agreed. Christina went to her room and wrote a check.

"I hope you can cash it immediately!"

De Niro's eyes gleamed.

Christina was clearly hesitant, and O'Karl remained silent.

"Here's the thing, without this money, I can't prepare anything!" O'Karl shrugged and placed the check on the table. "Without it, I can't do anything. Please take it back, Miss Christina. Thank you for your trust, goodbye!"

He made an elegant farewell gesture and turned to leave the living room.

"Wait, Mr. De Niro, as you wish!"

Christina bit her lip and finally agreed.

"I'll call the bank right away! You can cash it anytime!"

"Thank you! You will be well rewarded!" De Niro turned, nodded, and left.

"How did you find this person, O'Karl!"

Christina watched De Niro leave and asked O'Karl.

"I heard about his reputation. At a private party in Texas, I heard people talking about him, and more than one person said the same thing. I also met him in person and talked to him. Judging by his performance today, I think he might have some real skills and is trustworthy."

O'Karl suddenly felt a sense of unease.

"I hope so. I trust you, O'Karl. You won't abandon me!"

Christina sighed. De Niro's demeanor just now really seemed... like he had some skills. Maybe she was overthinking it!

In the suburbs of Los Angeles, at Lake Betel.

At the three locations where people had drowned, a sign was erected, prohibiting any activities in the underground lake. So this place was almost deserted, looking quite desolate.

"Did you bring your swimsuit?" Zhen Fan asked.

"What for?"

"Seeing such clear lake water, I can't resist the urge to swim."

Sarah rolled her eyes at Zhen Fan and walked to the lakeside, looking at the vast expanse of water.

"I checked here. The water isn't the deepest, and the terrain isn't steep, making it unsuitable for a single person or a car to come here. I also asked the relatives and friends of the victims, and they were all mentally stable, with no emotional fluctuations or unresolved issues."

"Did you talk to the owner of the coffee shop? Is there any problem?"

"I did. He's not a suspect because the victims all showed signs of suicide, and he has an alibi. Even though the people who committed suicide were the ones he invited to perform."

Sarah shrugged helplessly, spreading her hands to show she was at a loss.

"Do you know what I'm looking at?"

"Yes, you're looking at Lake Betel!" Sarah tried to make a joke.

"You're absolutely right!"

Zhen Fan said seriously, cutting off Sarah's attempt at humor.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to invite you to spend the night here and enjoy the lake. The scenery is beautiful, with water birds and a grassy beach. I believe this used to be a great place for camping, fishing, barbecuing, and more..."

Zhen Fan painted a charming picture.

"I know what you're thinking, you arrogant, perverted, sex-crazed man! You can come here alone tonight and take care of yourself!"

Sarah was angry. Was it a huge mistake to hire him as a consultant?

"What are you thinking?"

Zhen Fan turned in surprise, seeing Sarah about to storm into the car. He opened the door and sat in the passenger seat.

"What are you planning?"

Sarah was furious.

"I just said we should spend the night here. What's the problem? Oh... I see..."

Zhen Fan finished, pointing and laughing in a way that made Sarah's teeth grind.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not interested in you. We're just working together, and I won't think about anything else. Even if you want to, it's not happening. Don't try to take advantage of me!"

"Asshole!" Sarah shouted in anger, realizing she had misunderstood.

"If you want to know why they all came here to commit suicide, you'll have to come tonight!" Zhen Fan looked at Sarah seriously. "Don't doubt me, it's the truth."

"Alright, I hope you find something! Otherwise, I'll rip off your pants and make you run naked down Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, to achieve your good reputation!" Sarah threatened, stepped on the gas, and the car sped away, kicking up dust.

The lake water was calm in the quiet sunlight.

---

The page turned, and the advertisement began.

The page turned, and the advertisement ended.