The living room was pitch-black, filled with screams.
From Rebecca's panicked words, it was clear that her boyfriend, Brett, had been dragged away while protecting her.
Little Martin swept his flashlight around the room.
Sophie stood in the kitchen, muttering toward the basement as though she were talking to thin air.
Li Dan rushed out and asked what had happened. It turned out that Sophie, their mother, had deliberately shut off all the lights so her two children could accept Diana's existence.
She hoped Diana would come out and meet them.
Brett had never seen anything so black before—blacker than a Black man.
He immediately pulled out his phone to call the police, only to be dragged away by Diana.
No matter how strong Rebecca was, she was now sobbing helplessly.
"We have to save Brett. This is all my fault."
Li Dan glanced at Art and Bat Person. They immediately understood and rushed into the basement to rescue him.
Evil Spirit Wendigo was too large for such a cramped space, and far too terrifying.
Soul Severing Clown was fine. To other people, he just looked like a clown.
Bat Person was wrapped up tightly from head to toe, so at most, people would think he was some kind of weirdo.
Rebecca did not ask, but she could tell that these two strange people were the exorcist's helpers.
Li Dan turned the lights back on and fell into thought.
What could he use to restrain Diana?
He had considered pinning Diana down with something that emitted light, but she vanished the moment she came into contact with light.
Li Dan suddenly thought of something.
Ultraviolet lamps. But where was he supposed to find those in the middle of the night?
Before he could think further, the basement door burst open. Bat Person came out carrying Brett, while Art did not come up.
He was probably suffering in Brett's place down in the basement.
As Rebecca looked at Brett's battered, ruined state, she thanked Bat Person while breaking down and crying out her boyfriend's name.
Little Martin hid beside Li Dan, curiously studying Bat Person in his long coat.
The child seemed very interested in this strange man. From a child's perspective, anyone who could snatch someone back from a monster was incredibly impressive.
Li Dan was still thinking.
Diana, the mental hospital, a friend...
All the clues seemed to point to one place.
If this were a domestic horror movie, then Rebecca's mother would surely have schizophrenia and hallucinations. In reality, she herself would have been the one hurting her son and daughter.
But this was American Horror Story.
Li Dan had just personally experienced that suffocating feeling.
Still, he felt he had to try. What if there really was a connection?
"Rebecca, I won't hurt your mother. But I suspect the evil spirit's appearance has something to do with her, so I need to talk to her. Tell me everything you remember, quickly."
Rebecca said, "Mom... I think she hasn't taken her medicine in a long time."
She had only mentioned it now because she had thought taking medicine had nothing to do with an evil spirit.
Li Dan understood. He stepped forward and stopped Sophie, who was about to enter the basement.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Is Diana your friend?"
Sophie hesitated before nodding.
"Yes. Diana is my friend. Her mental state has always been poor, so please don't hurt her. Let me talk to her properly."
Li Dan's mouth twitched as he looked at the muttering old woman.
She had already fallen completely into her delusion.
Seeing this, Li Dan stopped wasting words and slapped Sophie hard across the face. The old woman, who had been muttering to herself, froze in shock and suddenly came to her senses.
She stared at Li Dan in disbelief, seemingly unable to understand why the young man who had been speaking so politely just moments ago had suddenly hit her.
Li Dan pointed at the three people in the living room.
"Mrs. Sophie, take a good look at how your friend Diana has hurt your daughter and son. What you're doing will also harm your friend, Diana."
"If you're sick, you get treated. If you get beaten, stand at attention!"
"Diana is sick, seriously sick, just like you are, ma'am. You're her friend. If there's something wrong with her, you need to say it so she can be treated."
Li Dan simply followed Sophie's own logic. Since she said Diana was mentally unwell and sick, then she needed to explain Diana's illness and find its cause so it could be treated, didn't she?
Sophie froze, then looked at the frightened, tearful expressions on Rebecca and Martin's faces. As a mother, she finally wavered.
"You're right, child. If you're sick, you have to get treated... I met Diana at a mental hospital. She was like me, but her condition was much worse. She also had a skin condition called photosensitivity..."
As Sophie spoke,
the room suddenly plunged into darkness. It seemed the entire neighborhood had lost power.
Li Dan: "?"
You've got to be kidding me.
Just when the truth was about to come out, something went wrong. Classic.
The commotion in the basement grew even more frenzied.
The next second, the front door opened by itself.
A black shadow instantly grabbed Sophie by the ankle and dragged her toward the basement. Li Dan reacted quickly, throwing himself onto the shadow and pinning it down. The evil spirit struggled even more fiercely.
She could have escaped, but she was unwilling to give up Sophie.
Li Dan nearly got thrown off, but fortunately, he held on tight... Wait, something felt wrong.
Li Dan could clearly feel the softness against his palm. He instinctively gave it a squeeze.
Not bad. It actually felt pretty good.
The sudden silence came without warning.
Li Dan had thought she would be furious, but instead, a demonic whisper filled the air. Goosebumps rose all over his body, and terror seeped deeper into him.
This kind of whisper was horrifying on a mental level, especially in the darkness.
Li Dan had never believed horror movies could scare people to death, until one day when a demon's whisper sounded beside his ear.
Bang!
A dull impact rang out, and the evil spirit's whisper vanished.
Soul Severing Clown, now with only one leg left, raised a blood-covered hammer and smashed it into Diana's head, apparently stunning her.
Li Dan hurriedly called Bat Person over to help restrain Diana, then shook Sophie awake and told her to reveal the truth.
He refused to believe they could be interrupted again this time.
As Sophie spoke,
the truth from back then slowly unfolded before Li Dan.
Diana was mentally ill and suffered from photosensitivity, but before entering the mental hospital, she had been a cultist who worshipped an Evil God.
Calling it an Evil God was not quite right. No one knew what kind of evil entity it was or where it had come from.
When she died, she had even sacrificed her life to that entity.
That entity was actually the evil spirit. After Diana sacrificed her life, it possessed her body.
Sophie had been Diana's friend and often visited her, so naturally, the evil spirit set its sights on her.
It first killed her husband, then prepared to target her two children.
So after possessing Diana's body, the evil spirit was also affected by that shell. It could only appear in shadows, which was why the evil spirit only emerged after the lights were turned off.
After hearing this, Li Dan felt that Diana's body itself was the key to restraining the evil spirit.
"Ma'am, have you taken your medicine?"
"Not yet."
"Where's the medicine?"
"I hid it. If I take it, Diana won't come see me anymore. But I know where it is."
"Go get the medicine, quickly. Take more yourself, and give Diana more too."
The old woman ran off to find the medicine in a daze.
Li Dan then told Art to keep smashing her with the bloodied hammer. Looking at the blood on that hammer, he remembered that it had not seemed to be there last time.
It could actually inflict stun damage on Diana.
"Art, where did the blood on your hammer come from?"
Art the clown raised his head and looked at Li Dan blankly.
Li Dan realized he had asked a completely pointless question.
"Never mind. Go play."
Before you continue