"Not hungry." Dean said casually.
Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You're not hungry? This is a double cheeseburger."
"What's the matter if you're not hungry?" Dean turned away and looked at the crowd on the dance floor. He himself felt a little strange. Usually he would start devouring the food when he smelled the smell of burgers, but today he had no appetite at all. He felt empty in his heart, as if a piece of it had been taken away and nothing could be filled in.
Bai Haorui sat next to him, holding a cold beer glass between his fingertips, and didn't say much.
The stronger the atmosphere of desire in the bar, the more agitated he became.
The thoughts in my mind were turning over and over again, even more than when I was in the hotel - Late Stage of Refining Qi into Gang, Refining Spirit and Returning to Emptiness, break the damn script of God, return to my hometown, let Dean and Sam escape from fate... These desires are like small flames burning up, running up the meridians, and even the True Gang in the Dantian are beating faster and faster, almost breaking through his restraint.
He quietly picked up "Three Altars Body-Refining True Fire Art", and the purple-gold Pure Yang True Fire slowly flowed along the meridians, warming his mind with gentle fire and suppressing the restless thoughts bit by bit.
"Then if you don't want to eat..." Seeing that Dean was really not interested, Cass stretched out his hand to pull the plate in front of him, picked up the burger and took a big bite, chewing it with gusto, and the bread crumbs stuck to the corner of his mouth.
The two brothers looked at each other and saw the shock in each other's eyes.
Bai Haorui also raised his eyes, a little surprised - angels feed on energy, but they are actually greedy for human food?
At this moment, Cass suddenly stopped chewing, raised his eyes towards the bar, and said with concentration, "He's here."
"Where is it?" Dean craned his neck and looked around, only to see a couple of men and women hugging each other and kissing each other at the bar, "You mean the couple over there at the booth?"
"Wait for me in the back alley." After Cass finished speaking, his figure instantly disappeared into the booth.
The three of them went out and walked around to the back alley of the bar. The cold wind made the trash cans clang, the street lights were dim, the light was dim, and the ground was full of wine bottles and paper scraps.
Dean and Sam stood there and looked around, Bai Haorui stood half a step behind them, and Divine Sense spread out quietly, alert to the movements around them.
"Where is the person?" Dean lowered his voice and touched the dagger behind his waist.
"I have trapped him." Cass's voice came from the air, and then he chanted a spell, with ancient and obscure syllables, "Zoda Kama Mahrana. Show yourself."
As soon as he finished speaking, a naked, chubby middle-aged man suddenly appeared behind Dean.
He was chubby, with white and tender skin, a bright and honest smile on his face, a bulging belly, and sparse hair. He looked like an ordinary middle-aged fat uncle, without the agility of Cupid in the myth. Without saying a word, he hugged Dean and lifted it up, saying in a cheerful voice, "Hi! I'm so happy to see you!"
Dean was choked so hard that he couldn't breathe, and his hands and feet were flapping. "What are you doing! Let me go!"
Cupid put down Dean, rushed to hug Cass, and then ran to Sam and gave him a solid bear hug.
Finally, he looked at Bai Haorui standing at the end, his eyes lit up, and he opened his arms to hug him.
Bai Haorui turned sideways and avoided it slightly. His fingertips subconsciously rested on the hilt of the mahogany sword, and his whole body True Gang tensed up a bit. He nodded lightly and said in a steady voice, "Hello."
Cupid didn't mind either. He rubbed his hands and stood there happily, with a pure smile on his round face, not feeling the slightest bit unhappy about being left out.
"Is this Cupid?" Dean straightened his tie and rubbed his arms with a look of disgust, "It's too far from what I thought."
"Yes." Cass nodded, "This is a greeting from the cherubim to express friendship."
"Whoever likes this broken etiquette wants it." Dean rubbed his sore ribs, feeling uncomfortable all over.
Cupid finally calmed down, tilted his head and looked at them with bright eyes. "What do you want from me?"
"You still dare to ask?" Dean took a step forward and said with an angry tone, "Those people you marked killed each other! What on earth do you want to do by shooting arrows everywhere and forcing people to become murderers?"
The smile on Cupid's face suddenly collapsed, his eyes instantly turned red, his mouth slumped, and he burst out crying, "What... are they dead? How could they be dead? I just followed the procedure and made the mark..."
Dean was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect his reaction to be so big, but he was a little at a loss.
Sam touched Dean's arm and whispered, "How about... go and coax him?"
"You go, Cass, you go." Dean pushed Cass forward.
Cass stood stiffly in front of Cupid, with a dry tone, as if he was reading from a script. "Uh... we didn't mean to... hurt your heart."
"Love is more than just a word to me!" Cupid cried so hard that his shoulders twitched and tears fell, "I love 'love'! I love it so much! If this is wrong, I would rather never be wrong!"
"Yes, yes, I understand." Cass looked confused and didn't know how to comfort him at all. He turned to look at the brothers and mouthed: I don't understand what he is saying at all.
Bai Haorui stood nearby, watching Cupid cry sincerely, not as if he was faking it, and the doubts in his heart became more and more serious.
If Cupid really lost control and killed people, this would not be the reaction.
He was about to ask for some details when Cupid spoke in a whimpering voice.
"I'm just following the process as ordered. What they do after marking it has nothing to do with me. If you don't believe it, you can read my mind."
Cass raised his hand and pressed it on his forehead. After a moment, he withdrew his hand and nodded to the three brothers. "What he said is true. The mark is only responsible for pulling the strings and will not make people crazy."
Dean frowned. "Wait, you said you acted according to orders? Whose orders?"
"Heaven, you idiot." Cupid sniffed, "Some bloodlines and some destinies must come together. For example, your parents, John and Mary, that is a top-priority matching task."
The brothers froze instantly.
The cold wind in the back alley blew by, and Dean's voice suddenly became tight. "What did you say? You arranged for my parents to be together?"
"It's not me, it's another colleague." Cupid waved his hands, and said with a bit of pride in his crying tone, "But it's difficult! They didn't like each other at first, and it took a lot of effort. But in the end they were perfect, a match made in heaven!"
He even hummed a tune, looking innocent.
"Perfect?" Dean's voice instantly turned cold, like ice, "They are all dead!"
Cupid was stunned for a moment, and said in an apologetic tone, "I'm sorry... but the order is very clear. You and Sam must be born. Your parents... are a destined combination. It is a match made in heaven."
These words were like a match, instantly igniting the fire in Dean's heart.
He clenched his fists loudly, took a step forward, and punched Cupid in the face.
Cupid was not injured, but he cried harder, sobbed twice, and disappeared from the spot without even leaving a shadow.
"Where did he go?" Dean shook his hand, his knuckles turned red.
"You made him cry." Cass said calmly.
"What's wrong with making you cry?" Dean scratched his neck and his chest heaved violently, "This is the bastard I beat!"
"Dean! That's enough!" Sam grabbed him, "You actually hit Cupid! He's just a businessman!"
"What I hit is a bastard." Dean shook off his hand, hiding an unconcealable frustration beneath his anger - even the meeting of his parents was arranged, so what in the world did they choose in their lives?
Bai Haorui stood aside, frowning tightly.
He was much calmer than the furious Dean, and quickly grasped the key point: Cupid was just marking according to the order, and was not aggressive. The couple went crazy and lost control of their desires, which had nothing to do with him. The real culprit was someone else.
He just thought Sam's cell phone rang again - there was a new murder in the hospital.
Several people rushed back to the hospital. At dawn, new corpses were brought to the morgue, more than one.
Lying on the autopsy table was a skinny male corpse. His limbs were as thin as firewood, but his belly was as bulging as a full-term pregnant balloon. His clothes were stained with dried cream, mixed with gastric juice and blood, making him extremely dirty.
Forensic doctor Corman stood nearby, frowning, and his tone was filled with undisguised discomfort:
"Lester Finch, who used to weigh more than 400 pounds, had gastric bypass surgery and lost weight to 180. He has been under good control and has regular check-ups. But last night, he suddenly went crazy and ate cream cupcakes. He kept eating, and the gastric band burst, and his stomach exploded."
Sam felt his stomach churn when he heard it, and he looked away and calmed down.
"It's not over until you can't swallow it," Corman continued, taking out a toilet brush wrapped in a plastic bag from the pocket of his white coat. "He used this to stuff the cake into his throat, like filling the barrel of a cannon. When he found it, the toilet brush had been inserted into his esophagus. There was also a cook from a fast food restaurant who fell face down into the frying pan. Half of his face was blown away. He was still holding French fries and stuffing it into his mouth."
"This is too abnormal." Sam said in a deep voice.
"Who says it's not?" Corman sighed, took out a stainless steel flask from the inside of his white coat, unscrewed the lid and took a sip.
Sam looked at his actions and felt a little in his heart - when we met for the first time yesterday, Corman said that he had been abstaining from alcohol for 22 years. He almost had a medical accident due to alcoholism at the time, and he stopped drinking after that.
Bai Haorui stood beside him, his fingertips resting on the deceased's wrist. A wisp of Pure Yang True Gang penetrated it for a moment and then pulled it back.
The heart of the deceased was clean and there was no silver mark of Cupid. The cause of death was purely due to overeating and bursting the internal organs. He raised his eyes and looked at Sam and shook his head. "There is no angel mark. This is another case."
Sam nodded, took out his mobile phone and looked through the town's police records. His fingertips moved faster and faster, and his face became darker and darker. "From Wednesday to now, there have been eight suicides, 19 drug overdoses, and three deaths due to fights. This is five times the number for the same period in previous years. This is not a matter of love, but the whole town is going crazy."
Bai Haorui's heart sank suddenly.
A wide range of desires were out of control. It was not a ghost, not a demon, not a low-level angel, nor an ordinary curse... An idea came out of his heart, and the figure of Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse flashed through his mind. Just as he was about to speak out his guess, Sam suddenly changed his face and stared at the end of the corridor.
At the end of the corridor stood a bald man in a black suit, carrying a black briefcase, and a faint black smoke rising from his body - he was the devil.
"I'll go take a look, please notify Dean." Sam tightened his grip on the devil's dagger in his pocket and followed quickly.
Bai Haorui wanted to follow, but Sam waved his hand and motioned for him to go to the hotel to meet Dean.
Bai Haorui thought for a moment, then turned and walked towards the hotel - he also needed to go back and sort out the clues to verify his guess.
In the back alley, Sam rushed over and pressed the devil against the cold brick wall. His eyes were fierce and he was breathing heavily. "I can smell you, damn devil."
The sharp edge of the dagger scratched the devil's cheek, and black smoke immediately came out. The devil hissed in pain, tilted his head to see his face clearly, and said viciously, "Winchester. How dare you show up here."
The two struggled with each other, and the devil took the opportunity to push Sam away, turned around and ran away, dropping his briefcase on the ground.
Sam stood there panting, staring at the demon blood on the dagger, his eyes straightened. A familiar thirst arose in his throat, and the sweet smell of blood hooked his nerves like a hook. He shook his head and quickly wiped off the blood with his sleeves, his fingertips trembling.
He thought he had given up long ago, but the desire never really went away.
In the evening, the three of them gathered at the motel, with a black briefcase placed in the center of the table. Dean, Sam, and Bai Haorui looked at each other, and Dean slowly opened the lock.
A dazzling white light instantly poured out of the box, and the three of them subconsciously raised their hands to shield their eyes. When the light dissipated, they saw Castiel standing in the room, holding a large bag of hamburgers in his arms, chewing on it, and the corners of his mouth were full of crumbs.
"This is the human soul." Cass said vaguely with his mouth bulging.
Dean looked at him eating non-stop with a ridiculous look on his face. "What's going on with you? Burger thief?"
"I'm suddenly addicted to ground beef." Cass took another big bite.
"Can't you bear it?"
"I am an angel, I can stop anytime I want." Cass said confidently, but his hands did not stop.
Sam didn't care about what they were eating. He frowned and asked, "What does this have to do with the weird things in the town?"
"It just so happens that my hunger is the clue." Cass put down the burger and his expression became serious, "This town is not cursed by excessive love, but by hunger. To be precise, it is Famine in Famine--Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."
"Famine? Four Horsemen?" Dean's heart sank. They had just come into contact with Horseman of War, and Famine came so quickly.
"I thought Famine just had no food and was hungry." Sam said.
"Yes, but it's not just food." Cass shook his head, "Everyone is longing for something: sex, attention, drugs, love...Famine amplifies these desires into crazy greed. Those couples marked by Cupid are already longing for love, but when Famine comes, they immediately go crazy. People who are gluttonous, alcoholic, and drug addicts all have their desires in their hearts amplified by him."
Bai Haorui stood by the window and nodded slowly when he heard the words. All the clues were connected - the love of lovers, the appetite of gluttons, the alcohol addiction of drunkards, and the drug addiction of drug dealers, all are the result of infinitely amplified desires. His previous impatience and the idea of quickly improving his cultivation were not a problem with his injuries at all, but the power of Famine seeping into his Divine Sense.
"What about you?" Dean looked at Cass, "Even angels like burgers?"
"It's my container Jimmy. His appetite for red meat was affected by Famine." Cass paused and said slowly, "Then Famine is coming, riding a black horse. He comes to the land of plenty, and the knight's hunger is endless, because he himself is hungry. His desire will seep out and poison the entire air."
The room became quiet.
Bai Haorui raised his hand and pressed it on the Dantian, and the purple-gold True Gang slowly moved, stimulating the mental method of "Three Altars Body-Refining True Fire Art" and suppressing the restless desires in his heart little by little. He raised his eyes to look at the three people and said in a calm tone, "Famine sucks human souls, and that briefcase is to deliver 'food' to him. Follow the devil who sends the soul, and you can find his location."
"We used to win the war by snatching away his ring." Dean knocked on the table, "Without the ring, he has no power. He will just run away, and the people affected will wake up. Famine also has a ring."
Cass nodded. "That's right."
"Then what are you waiting for? Find him and chop off his fingers." Dean stood up and was about to tell Sam to leave, but found that Sam had his head lowered and did not move.
Sam was sweating coldly on his forehead, and clutched the edge of the table so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"Dean...Haorui... I can't." His voice became hoarse, "I seem to be affected... I... I long for that."
Dean's heart skipped a beat. "What do you desire? Demon blood?"
Sam nodded with difficulty, not daring to look into his brother's eyes. He was panicked and afraid, and the familiar, depraved pleasure was calling him again. He suppressed it with all his strength, but desire surged up like a tide, almost drowning him completely.
Bai Haorui immediately walked over, took out three Clear Heart Talisman from the talisman bag, and handed it to Sam: "Keep it close to your body. The talisman contains the power of Three Altars True Fire's pure heart. It can Press it." He paused with his fingertips and took out a small porcelain bottle, "Here are Pure Yang True Fire's condensed pills. If you really can't hold it, just take one. It can burn away the inner demons, but your body will also be burned by True Fire."
Sam took the thing and said thank you in a low voice.
"Cass, take him away and teleport to a place like Montana. The further away from here the better." Dean said immediately.
Cass shook his head. "It's useless. He has been infected, and hunger will follow him."
"What should we do?" Dean scratched his hair irritably.
"Go and chop off that bastard's ring." Sam raised his head, with pain and determination in his eyes, "But before you go... lock me up, lock it tighter. Lock me in the bathroom, and weld the door shut from the outside."
Dean looked at him, feeling hurt and blocked in his heart, but finally nodded.
In the dark, a black Cadillac parked slowly in front of the Biggerson restaurant. Several demons in black suits got out of the car and carefully helped the old man in the wheelchair down.
The old man was so thin that he only had a handful of Bones, his skin was as wrinkled as dry bark, his face was covered with an oxygen mask, his fingers were as dry as branches, and there was a dark black ring on his knuckles, giving off a heavy air of death.