Soothing country music was playing in the restaurant, the wooden tables and chairs were polished to a shiny finish, and there were posters of Sonny and Cher on the wall, as well as campaign posters for Nixon. Dean and Bai Haorui pushed open the glass door. Walking in, Dean sat down in front of the bar. Next to him sat a young man wearing a casual jacket with a youthful face, with an outline that Dean was familiar to his bones - John·Winchester, who was in his twenties.
Bai Haorui was sitting next to Dean. Five Emperor Coins on his fingertips suddenly paused. He frowned slightly, and Spiritual Sense spread out. He could clearly feel the faint smell of sulfur remaining on John, and there was also a hint of Demon Mark, as if he was being watched by something.
The bartender behind the bar wiped the glass, Dean cleared his throat and asked, "Jaybird Diner, okay, thank you. I was asking, which city and state is this?"
"Kansas, City of Lawrence." The bartender raised his eyes and replied casually.
Dean murmured to himself, "Sure enough..."
John, who was next to him, turned his head and looked at him with a trace of good-natured doubt in his eyes. "Hey, man, are you okay? You don't look good."
"It's okay, I just had a bad time last night." Dean twitched the corner of his mouth and forced a smile.
John shouted to the bartender, "Hey, Reg, bring me a cup of coffee."
"Okay, come right away."
Dean held up the unserviced mobile phone in his hand and asked without giving up, "Do you know where this thing can get a signal?"
John was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud, with the cheerfulness of a young man. "Enter Starship Enterprise?"
Dean put away the phone in embarrassment and laughed twice, "Thanks. The clothes are very fashionable. By the way, you know that Sonny and Cher broke up, right?"
The smile on John's face froze instantly, and his eyes were filled with shock. "Sonny and Cher broke up?"
Dean didn't answer, his eyes fell on the newspaper sitting next to him. The date on the front page was clearly printed: April 30, 1973. He murmured to himself, "73 years... is actually true."
At this moment, a regular customer wearing work clothes walked into the restaurant, waved to John, smiled and shouted, "Hey, Winchester."
John stood up immediately with a smile on his face, "I'll go, it's you. How are you doing, Corporal?"
"Hey, Mr. D. I heard that you are back from Vietnam. It's great to welcome you home." A regular customer patted his shoulder, "By the way, say hello to your dad for me."
"No problem, Mr. D."
After the regular customer left, John turned his head and looked at the shocked Dean, his eyes a little more wary. "Do we know each other?"
Dean calmed down, his voice was trembling slightly, and he shook his head. "I don't think I know you. See you later, buddy."
"Okay."
John took the coffee and turned to leave. Dean froze in place, muttering to himself repeatedly: Is this true? I actually saw my father when he was young... Not to mention that my father was quite handsome when he was young."
At this moment, Dean saw Castiel suddenly appearing in the corner outside the restaurant through the glass door, looking at him quietly. Dean immediately stood up and walked out, Bai Haorui followed behind him, True Fire raised his body slightly, always keeping alert.
Dean looked at Castiel, angry and confused, "Okay, the angels of love also got DeLorean Time Machine? How did I get here?"
"Time flows, Dean." Castiel's voice remained calm, "It's not easy, but we can occasionally reverse its direction."
"Twist it back." Dean gritted his teeth, "Tell me, what on earth am I doing here?"
"I told you, you have to stop this."
"Stop what? Is there something targeting my dad?" Dean's emotions suddenly became excited, "Please, can't you just speak plainly, you bastard?"
Before he finished speaking, Castiel's figure disappeared instantly, as if he had never appeared before. Dean cursed at the deserted street corner and turned around to follow the direction John left.
Bai Haorui immediately reached out and grabbed him, with a serious tone. "Wait a minute, Dean. In the restaurant just now, John said that he smelled sulfur and felt a cold breath. Do you remember?"
Dean was stunned for a moment and slapped his forehead. "Yes! He just said that! I didn't pay attention!"
"A demon is already targeting this place, targeting John." Bai Haorui's gaze swept across the end of the street, "Let's follow him, act according to the situation, and don't mess up the situation. First find out what he wants to do."
Dean carefully thought about the conversation with his father in the morning: It turns out that my father was born with a sense of these things... No wonder he became such a powerful hunter later. If it hadn't been for the fire, he would have been a gentle ordinary person all his life, with a stable home, and no need to live in hatred all his life.
The dealership is filled with brand-new cars. The sunlight shines in through the glass curtain wall and falls on the car paint, shining brightly. John is standing in front of an off-white Volkswagen van, discussing the price with the salesman, with excitement about buying a car on his face.
"For a young guy like you who is just starting out, how about I give you another $250 off?" the salesman smiled and handed over the quotation.
John nodded and said simply, "That's it."
"Okay, I'll get the contract." The salesperson turned and walked to the office.
As soon as the salesperson left, Dean came over and said to John, "You shouldn't buy this car."
John instantly became alert, took a step back, and looked at Dean: "Are you following me?"
"No, no, I was just passing by." Dean immediately waved his hand and smiled, "I was in the restaurant just now, and I didn't thank you for the coffee. I was a little confused at the time."
"It's more than just chaos." John raised his eyebrows, the vigilance in his tone not diminishing.
"Let me return a favor to you." Dean pointed at a black car parked next to him, his eyes so bright that it was scary, "This is the car you should buy."
John looked in the direction he was pointing. It was a 1967 Chevrolet Impala. The black body had smooth lines and a strong sense of muscle. It shone calmly in the sun.
"Oh? You know a lot about cars?"
"Of course, my dad taught me everything about cars." Dean smiled and patted the hood, his tone full of pride, as if he was introducing his family, "This car is definitely a good product, 327 four-chamber carburetor engine, 275 horsepower. As long as it is carefully maintained, this car can still look like a brand new one thirty or forty years later."
Dean: Baby, we meet again. It turns out... I personally gave you to your father. Hehehe, as expected of me, I have such good taste.
John laughed and nodded, "Hey, man, you're right. Then what do you think I bought that van for?"
"I promised someone else to buy it for him," Dean answered casually, then leaned over and patted Impala's car door, "Just for a broken van? Come on, this is a car that can last a lifetime. Believe me, this car will still look cool even after 40 years."
Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, John finally let down his guard, stretched out his hand, and said with a smile, "John·Winchester. Thanks, man."
Dean held his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly, and used the pseudonym he had long thought of, "Dean·Fan·Helen. It's me who should say thank you. My state was really bad this morning, right?"
"That's right." John smiled, then frowned, "It's strange to say that I've been hungover before, but just now in the restaurant, I always felt chilly. Didn't you feel something cold?"
Dean was stunned for a moment, and just as he was about to speak, John continued, "I also smell a strange smell, like rotten eggs. You don't smell any sulfur, do you?"
"Okay, sir, stop talking." Dean interrupted him immediately, alarm bells blaring in his heart.
Dean turned around and left the dealership, still muttering to himself, "If only I knew what to stop."
As soon as he left, the salesperson came out of the office with the contract in hand and shouted to John, "Lamont, there is a customer in the waiting room who wants to trade in his old one for a new one."
John shouted to the colleague next to him, "Johnny, there is a client looking for you in the waiting room."
The salesperson looked confused. "So? Do you still want to sign the contract?"
John smiled and pointed to the black Impala next to him, and said firmly, "I won't sign it. I want this car."
Bai Haorui leaned against the door of the dealership, watching this scene with a helpless and gentle smile on his lips.
The setting sun dyed the sky warm orange, and the small single-family houses in the suburbs had white fences and roses planted in the yards, giving people a warm and sweet feeling. John drove the newly purchased black Impala, parked steadily in front of the house, and turned off the engine.
The car door opened, and a young and beautiful blond girl ran out of the house with a bright smile on her face and threw herself into John's arms - it was Mary·Campbell who was in her twenties. Her hair was shining in the sunset, her eyebrows were lively, and she was full of heroism. She was similar to, but completely different from, the gentle mother in the photo in Dean's memory.
Dean was hiding behind an oak tree not far away. He looked at Mary who threw himself into John's arms. His eyes were wide open with shock and disbelief all over his face. He couldn't help but Whispering: "Mom. Sam, no matter where you are... Mom is so good-looking. I'm going to Hell again now. I should really go over and say hello to him."
"Don't be impulsive." Bai Haorui stood beside him, patted his shoulder lightly, and lowered his voice, "She doesn't know you now, and rushing over there will only arouse suspicion. Let's check the situation first, don't disrupt the rhythm."
In the yard, John hugged Mary, smiled and pointed at Impala behind him, with a tone full of showoff. "How is it? My new car."
Mary was stunned for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Where's that van? Didn't you promise your dad to bring one for him?"
"Mary, this is much better than a van." John opened the door and let her see the interior, "327 engine, four-chamber carburetor, full of power..."
Mary listened to him with a smile, stood on tiptoes, and kissed him on the lips. John was stunned for a moment, then put his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss.
Dean immediately turned away with a blank expression on his face, tutted twice, but couldn't help turning his head secretly, looking at the two people embracing each other, his eyes slowly turned red.
: It turns out that when my mother was young, she was so heroic and lively. Not the blurry shadow in the fire, not the gentle smile in the photo, but a living girl who could laugh, make trouble, and throw herself into the arms of her lover. She should have had such a stable and happy life all her life because of Yellow-Eyed Demon...
Bai Haorui looked at Dean from the side: Dean's obsession for more than twenty years was right in front of him. The perfect family he had been pursuing all his life turned out to really exist. Unfortunately, this beauty was destined to be only a phantom in his life.
The night was getting darker, with warm yellow lights on in the restaurant. John and Mary were sitting by the window, with steak and red wine in front of them, and were dating. Dean was sitting in a car parked outside the restaurant, looking at the handsome John through the car window, holding John's Witcher Diary in his hand, and his knuckles turned white.
Bai Haorui was sitting in the passenger seat with his eyes slightly closed. Spiritual Sense spread out like a tide, covering the entire restaurant and the surrounding blocks, alert for any sinister and demonic aura.
In the restaurant, Mary put down his knife and fork, sighed, and said to John, "My dad still doesn't like you. He always feels that you are too naive and not the same person."
The smile on John's face faded a little, and he picked up the wine glass and took a sip, with a hint of disappointment in his tone. "I know. I will try my best to make him accept me."
Mary looked at him with tenderness in his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, John suddenly took out a velvet box from his pocket, placed it on the table, and slowly opened it. Inside was a simple silver ring, shining under the light.
Mary immediately covered his mouth, tears filling his eyes.
"Mary·Campbell." John's voice was a little nervous, but extremely firm, "I know your dad doesn't like me, and I know I'm just an ordinary person who just came back from the battlefield and can't give you anything. But I will treat you well all my life. Will you marry me?"
Mary's tears fell, and when she was about to speak, she suddenly paused. She looked through the window and glanced at the car parked outside. She smiled calmly and said to John, "I'm going to the bathroom and I'll be back soon."
John nodded, his eyes full of expectation.
Mary stood up and walked out of the side door of the restaurant without going to the bathroom. He walked lightly without making a sound, perfectly avoiding Dean's sight and walking around to the back of the car. Dean was staring at John in the restaurant, completely unaware of the person behind him. As soon as he opened the door and got out of the car, a hand was locked on the back of his neck, and his whole body was pressed against the cold body of the car.
"You have been following us since my home." Mary's voice was cold, and the strength in his hands was a little heavier, "Your name is Dean, right?"
"Whoa, whoa, don't do it!" Dean struggled. He didn't expect that his mother would choke him. He was shocked and confused.
The two of them instantly struggled with each other. Mary's fighting skills were clean and deadly, all of which were killing moves. Dean did not dare to attack her, so he could only defend passively. After several rounds, he finally found a chance to subdue Mary and held down her arm.
At this moment, Dean's eyes fell on Mary's wrist - she wore a silver bracelet on her wrist, which was densely engraved with anti-possession charms. It was the standard equipment used by demon hunters to prevent demonic possession.
Dean instantly let go of his hand, his eyes full of shock. "Wait, wait! This bracelet... has an anti-possession charm engraved on it. Are you a hunter?"
Mary broke away, took a step back, took out a dagger from his waist, and pointed it at Dean, his eyes full of shock and vigilance. "How the hell did you know?"
Bai Haorui immediately got out of the car, with a faint red-gold True Fire lingering on his fingertips, but did not make a move rashly. He knew that this was the first real goodbye between Dean and his mother. He could not interrupt rashly, but could only be prepared at any time. It was not until Dean subdued Mary and saw the bracelet that Bai Haorui accepted True Fire, walked over slowly, and nodded slightly to Mary.
"We are the same kind of people as you." Bai Haorui's tone was gentle, but with convincing power, "There is no malice."
Dean lowered his head: I was actually choked by my mother... No, my mother is actually a hunter! It has been more than 20 years, and I don't know anything about it! My father never told me! He never told me that my mother came from a family of hunters, and she already knew these things...
Mary's dagger was still pointed at the two of them, his eyes swept over the faint True Fire around Bai Haorui, and the suspicion in his eyes became heavier. "This kind of people? What on earth do you want to do?"
Dean raised his head and looked at Mary, his eyes were a little red, and his voice softened. "We... we just want to remind you that Lawrence is not peaceful recently, and there are demons active nearby. We don't mean any harm, really."
"Devil?" Mary's brows furrowed even more tightly, "How do you know?"
Bai Haorui thought: Dean He had thought that it was the fire that dragged them into the quagmire of hunting monsters, but he did not expect that from the very beginning, the fate of hunters was engraved in their blood. This time travel was destined to shatter all his knowledge.
As the night got darker, John drove Impala and took Mary home. The car parked outside the fence, John took Mary's hand and asked again, "You haven't given me an answer yet about the proposal."
Mary smiled, stood on tiptoes, and kissed his cheek. "I will give you a satisfactory answer. Be careful on the road."
John smiled and nodded, started the car and drove away from Campbell's house.
Mary turned around and was about to walk into the house when she saw Dean and Bai Haorui standing behind the oak tree not far away, waiting for her. She stopped, quietly touched the dagger behind her waist, and looked at the two of them warily. "You followed me here? What on earth do you want to do?"
"Have I passed your test?" Dean raised his hands to show that he had no ill intentions and smiled.
Mary raised his eyebrows and put away the dagger. "Forget it. Your fighting skills are good, and you are a serious hunter."
"Listen, I know what you do. You and I are the same kind of people." Dean took a step forward, his tone extremely serious, "I want to talk to your dad. Samuel·Campbell, right?"
"Why should I take you to see him?" Mary crossed his arms and looked at him.
"Because I think something big is going to happen here, something very bad." Dean's tone became serious, "And I think your dad is already investigating. About that Yellow-Eyed Demon matter."
Bai Haorui took a step forward and added, "We know the details of that devil and his modus operandi. He has already taken action on Lawrence. The case of Wilt Farm was committed by him. This information will be useful to you and your family."
Mary stared at the two people for a few seconds, and her eyes lingered on the faint Pure Yang True Fire around Bai Haorui for a moment. She could feel that this power did not have any sinister aura, but was frighteningly pure, and was a power specifically designed to restrain demons. She hesitated, and finally nodded. "Follow me. But I warn you, if you dare to play any tricks, my dad will not let you go."
Mary: These two people are very strange, especially the one named Dean. He always looks at me with an indescribable sadness and tenderness, as if he has known me for a long time. But there is no evil aura on them. The True Fire on Bai Haorui is designed to overcome evil and cannot deceive anyone. Take them back first and let Dad see what they are.
The house is lit with warm yellow lights, and there are many shotguns and knives hanging on the wall of the living room, as well as some exorcism charms. It looks like the home of a senior hunter. Samuel·Campbell is sitting on the sofa He was holding a gun cleaning cloth in his hand, carefully wiping a shotgun, with a hardened and wary look on his face. Deanna·Campbell was busy in the kitchen, and there was the sound of clinking dishes.
Mary walked into the door with Dean and Bai Haorui. Samuel immediately raised his head and pointed the shotgun in his hand at the two of them, his eyes as sharp as an eagle.
"Dad, don't do anything." Mary immediately stopped him, "They are also hunters, they don't have any malicious intentions."
Samuel put down the gun, but still looked wary, looked at Dean, and asked Mary: "This is?"
"Dad, this is Dean, and Bai Haorui, they are also hunters." Mary explained, "They said they have a case about demons that they want to talk to you about, and they know the inside story about Wilt Farm's case."
Samuel raised his eyebrows, put down the gun cleaning cloth in his hand, looked at Dean, and said in a testing tone, "Really? Then let me test you. How to kill vampires?"
Dean didn't hesitate and opened his mouth. "Silver instrument pierces the heart. But then the head must be cut off, otherwise it will not be killed. It must be pure silver, silver-plated ones are useless."
Samuel's expression softened slightly, but he still did not let down his guard.
Bai Haorui followed Dean and thought: I don't have to go to such trouble anyway, I can just burn True Fire and the ashes will be spread for him.
"What are you doing in this town?" Samuel continued to ask, staring intently at Dean.
"Passing by, I heard that you might be investigating a case." Dean replied.
"Really?"
At this moment, Deanna walked out of the kitchen with a plate of roast chicken, with a gentle smile on his face, and patted Samuel on the arm. "Okay, Samuel. Where have all your politeness gone? I am Deanna. Welcome, kids."
"Deanna, we don't know these two children at all." Samuel frowned, his tone still strong.
"Nonsense, Mary's friends are our guests." Deanna glared at him, smiled and said to the two of them, "You guys stay for dinner, that's it."
Dean looked at Deanna and instantly realized that his and Sam's names came from her. His voice trembled slightly, and he nodded slightly to Deanna: "Deanna... Thank you, madam."
Bai Haorui also nodded slightly to Deanna and said in a gentle tone, "Sorry to trouble you."