After hanging up the phone, Bai Haorui continued to lurk behind the tree, watching "Katie" collapse step by step. Martha would not act rashly until he did something to harm Martha - he had to find the real Katie first and ensure her safety before he could completely deal with this shapeshifter.
In the evening, the three of them met at the hotel. Sam spread out "Encyclopedia of Monster Species" and pointed to one of the pages - there was a picture of a rickety and ugly creature with gray and shriveled skin, black eyes without pupils, and cracked mouth corners to the base of the ears, revealing densely packed fangs. "Changeling, a parasitic demon derived from European folklore." He said. Pointing at the text with his finger, his voice was solemn, "Key characteristics: the replacement human child lives in the family and sucks the mother's synovial fluid through the teeth marks on the neck to maintain the human form; after committing the crime, red mud will be left in the host family to mark the location of the nest; they are afraid of flames, which can directly burn their bodies; the real children who are replaced will be imprisoned in the nest as a backup host or subsequent food source."
Dean took out a sample of black mucus brought back from the auto repair shop and put it on the table. "This was scraped from a chainsaw. It is exactly the same as the secretion of the shapeshifter described in the book. It is thick, black, and has a fishy smell."
"I have confirmed the location of the nest. It is an unfinished vacant house on the edge of the town," Bai Haorui added, "The Yin Qi there is very heavy, and there are many auras of shapeshifters gathering there. The real Katie should also be imprisoned there. Martha has suffered a serious loss of Qi and blood. If he continues to be sucked, he may not be able to last three days. We must act as soon as possible."
Sam closed the manual with a determined look. "Excluding Wendigo (no mucus and teeth marks), evil spirits (will not take away the body, and will not leave physical traces), shapeshifters (prefer people living alone, and will not specifically target families with children), all clues point to shapeshifters. The question now is, how to completely eliminate the shapeshifters in the lair without harming the imprisoned children."
Dean clenched his fists. "Flame is their weakness. We can attack with gasoline and flames, but we must rescue the children first."
Just as the three of them were formulating a rescue plan, Dean suddenly remembered something and his face changed. "Oh no, I seem to have seen red mud on the windowsill of Lisa's house!"
Sam and Bai Haorui looked at each other, and they might have been targeted by the shapeshifter.
The night is getting darker, the party at Lisa's house has ended, and the guests are leaving one after another.
"Boy, stay in the house and don't run around. Lock the door. I'll be back soon." Dean rubbed Ben's hair with a hint of worry in his eyes, "If a stranger comes, no matter who it is, don't open the door and call me."
Ben nodded and raised the wrench in his hand. "Don't worry, Uncle Dean, I will protect myself and my mother!"
Dean smiled, turned around and got into the black antelope. He didn't know that this turning around gave the shapeshifter an opportunity.
Ben continued to twist the bicycle chain, but did not notice that in the shadow behind him, a figure that looked exactly like Dean was slowly walking out. The figure was wearing the same black leather jacket as Dean. The hairstyle, facial features and even walking posture were all imitated perfectly, but the eyes did not have the usual warmth and unruliness of Dean, only coldness and stiffness.
"Hey, kid." The figure spoke, deliberately lowering his voice, imitating Dean's tone, "Want to see a real muscle car engine? The one that's cooler than the Impala, I just found it, it's on the edge of town."
Ben turned back suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Uncle Dean? Aren't you leaving?"
The changeling grinned, and the smile was a little stiff, "I forgot to bring the tools, so I just took you to open your eyes, how about it?" It raised its hand to rub Ben's hair, but a trace of thick black mucus unconsciously oozed from its fingertips and stained Ben's hair.
Ben subconsciously took a step back and frowned - Uncle Dean's hand was dry and warm just now, but this hand was not only cold, but also stained with sticky things, which was very uncomfortable. Moreover, although the "Uncle Dean" in front of him looked exactly the same, it always made him feel that something was wrong. There was no sense of intimacy and dependence on him before.
He suddenly remembered the AC/DC band that he had talked about with Uncle Dean in the morning. His heart moved and he asked tentatively, "Uncle Dean, who was the guitarist of "Highway to Hell" you said this morning? I forgot, please tell me again."
The changeling's smile froze for an instant, and its eyes flickered, obviously not expecting Ben to ask this question suddenly. It was stunned for a few seconds, and then said vaguely, "Uh... forgot, it's not important, let's go see the car, we won't be able to see it if it's too late." It stretched out its hand to grab Ben's arm, with an astonishing force and a toughness that could not be refused.
"You are not Uncle Dean!" Ben yelled and shook his hand away. The sticky touch made him feel sick. "Uncle Dean knows the answer, and he won't grab me so hard! You are fake!"
The wrench hit the shapeshifter's arm, making a dull "clang" sound, as if it hit a hard stone. Something seemed to be crawling under the shapeshifter's skin, and its face was instantly distorted, originally imitating Dean's facial features became ferocious. "You brat, if you don't eat the toast, you will be punished with a drink!" It no longer pretended, its voice became hoarse and harsh, like metal friction, and sharp black claws quickly grew from its fingertips, flashing with cold light, and clawed at Ben's shoulder.
Although Ben was scared and his body couldn't help but tremble, he still tightened his grip on the wrench and turned sideways to avoid the grasp. He remembered what Uncle Dean had taught him about "fighting back", so he raised the wrench and hit the shapeshifter's knee hard. "My mother said that bad people are afraid of brave people! You monster, don't even think about hurting me!"
The changeling roared in pain, its knees were slightly bent by the impact, and its eyes became more fierce. It grabbed Ben's back collar and pulled him up. Ben's feet were off the ground, and he could only wave the wrench in vain and kick it in the belly. "Let me go! Mom! Help!"
The changeling completely ignored Ben's struggle and dragged him to a black pickup truck parked on the side of the road. He opened the back compartment and forced him in. Then he slammed the compartment door, quickly got into the cab, and started the car. The taillights of the pickup truck flashed and disappeared into the night, leaving only Ben's dropped wrench and a pool of black, sticky liquid in the yard.
In the kitchen, Lisa was clearing away the tableware. He vaguely heard Ben's shouts and arguments coming from the yard. He felt nervous and ran out immediately. But the yard was empty, with only the unrepaired bicycle, wrenches and black slime on the ground. On the road in the distance, the taillights of a black pickup truck were quickly disappearing into the night.
"Ben!" Lisa's voice tore through the night sky. She rushed out like crazy and chased a few steps along the road, but only caught a handful of icy air. The figure of the pickup truck got further and further away, and finally disappeared completely into the darkness.
She staggered back to the yard, looking at the wrenches and black mucus on the ground. Martha's words instantly echoed in her ears - "Her skin is sticky" and "She is a monster". Lisa was shaking all over, tears fell uncontrollably, and self-blame flooded her like a tide, almost drowning her. " It's all my fault, it's all my fault for not taking a fancy to you, Ben! It's my mother's fault!" She remembered Ben excitedly saying "Uncle Dean is here" in the morning, and remembered his smiling face holding the muscle car model, and the way he raised his eyebrows imitating Dean. Her heart felt like it was being torn apart by an invisible hand, and the pain made her unable to breathe.
But she quickly forced herself to calm down - crying couldn't solve any problem, Ben was still in the hands of the monster, she had to be strong. Dean said that when encountering supernatural danger, lock the doors and windows as soon as possible, call him and wait for rescue.
The sound of the wind outside the window was like howling ghosts and wolves, and the shadows of swaying branches were reflected on the window, twisting and deforming, like the sharp claws extended by a shapeshifter, ready to break in at any time. Lisa's eyes were fixed on the door, his fingertips were clenched until they turned white, and his nails were embedded in the palms of his hands, and he was not even aware of the bleeding. She thought of the short time she spent with Dean, of his gentleness despite his seeming cynicism, and of the softness and reluctance in his eyes when he looked at Ben, and a faint hope ignited in her heart. "Dean, please, please bring Ben back, please."
Dean's cell phone suddenly vibrated wildly, and the words "Lisa" on the screen hit his heart like a heavy hammer. He immediately answered the phone, and Lisa's crying voice came from the receiver instantly, broken and desperate. "Dean! Ben was taken away! It's something that looks exactly like you! There is black slime on the ground! It took Ben away!"
"Damn it!" Dean slammed the steering wheel, his eyes instantly ignited with raging anger, and the steering wheel creaked as he clutched it, "Lisa, listen, lock the door, don't open the door for anyone, stay in Don't go out of the house, we're going over there now!" After hanging up the phone, he stepped on the accelerator to the floor. The Impala's engine roared like an angry beast, speeding towards the vacant house on the edge of the town. "The lair, it must have taken Ben to that vacant house!"
Sam looked at the map in his hand and quickly located his location. "The vacant room is an unfinished building with three floors. It is surrounded by grassland. The place with the most red mud should be the basement entrance, and the children are most likely to be locked up there."
When we arrived at the vacant house, the night was thick, the moonlight was obscured by thick dark clouds, and the entire sky was pitch black. Only the lights of the small town in the distance seemed very far away. The surroundings of the vacant house were covered with dark red soil, which was sticky when you stepped on it, as if you were stepping on mud. The fishy smell was mixed with the rotten smell of the secretions of the changelings, which was disgusting and made you almost breathless.
The three sneaked into the empty house silently. The steel bars in the dilapidated building were exposed, like ferocious skeletons, the concrete floor was full of cracks, and weeds grew inside. The traces of black mucus were like snakes, extending from the entrance to the basement, exuding a pungent fishy smell. From the entrance to the innermost basement, Ben's angry roar came, clear and firm. "Let me go! I'm not afraid of you! You monsters!"
Dean The three of them looked at each other. Dean took out the gasoline can from his backpack, Sam gripped the crowbar tightly, and Bai Haorui's fingertips condensed with golden True Fire, ready for battle.
"Action!" Dean shouted and kicked open the basement door.
The sight in front of me was mind-numbing: the basement was dark and damp, the walls were covered with mold, a dozen iron cages were placed side by side, and a child was curled up in each cage. Their faces were pale, and their eyes were full of fear, but they did not dare to cry. Ben was locked in the middle iron cage. He did not curl up, but straightened his little spine, holding a rusty iron pipe picked up from the ground tightly in his hand, and was shouting angrily at the changeling outside the cage.
There were three changelings standing outside the cage. One was tearing at the iron cage railings with its sharp black claws, and its true body was exposed: its body was stooped, like a dead tree, and its skin was gray and shriveled, like soaked carrion, tightly attached to Bones, the eyes are lifeless and pitch-black, without the whites of the eyes. The corners of the mouth are cleft to the base of the ears, revealing dense, sharp yellow teeth. A slender straw-like mouthpart stretches out from the neck and is squirming slightly.
The two changelings next to them were still in disguise: one imitated John, wearing a blood-stained blue overalls, with a weird smile on its face, and holding a rusty steel pipe in its hand, which was the tool John used during his lifetime; the other turned into Sam He looks like E, with a tall and thin figure wearing a plaid shirt, but his eyes are cold and empty, without any warmth. He is using Sam's gentle tone to lure the children in the cage. "Don't be afraid, just stay here for a few days and we will send you home."
"Seeking death!" Dean roared angrily, raised his hand and fired a shot. The silver bullet made a sound of breaking through the air and accurately hit the chest of the shapeshifter imitating John.
"Zila--!" The moment the silver bullet penetrated the skin, a harsh burning sound sounded, and black mucus spurted out, splashing on the ground with a sizzling sound, and bursts of black smoke. The changeling screamed, the sound was so sharp that it almost pierced the eardrum. Its body melted at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the skin peeled off, revealing the crawling, sticky flesh and blood inside, and finally turned into a puddle of black smoky mud, exuding a disgusting burnt smell.
Upon seeing this, the shapeshifter imitating Sam roared, stopped pretending, and instantly deformed its body, revealing its rickety body. It suddenly extended its arms, and the black claws on its fingertips became more than half a meter long, shimmering with cold light, and went straight for Dean's throat.
Dean nimbly dodged sideways, and the black claws grazed his shoulders, leaving three deep scratches on the wall behind him, with cement debris flying. Bai Haorui had quick eyes and quick hands, and condensed a golden True Fire as big as a fist on his fingertips, and threw it violently - True Fire accurately hit the back of the shapeshifter, instantly igniting raging flames.
This is not an ordinary flame, but the pure Yang fire of "Three Altars Body-Tempering True Fire Art", which is designed to defeat evil things. The shapeshifter's body burned violently in the flames, and its scales burst, making a crackling sound, accompanied by an ear-splitting sound. It screamed in deafness. It frantically beat the flames on its body, but it burned more and more fiercely. The flames spread along its body and enveloped it completely. Finally, it staggered and hit the iron cage, turning into a ball of burning mucus, emitting a pungent burning smell.
The shapeshifter in the middle was completely enraged. It turned around and rushed towards Dean. The straw-like mouthparts on its neck spurted out a ball of black venom with a corrosive smell.
Dean pulled Ben's iron cage and retreated quickly. The venom splashed on the ground, corroding a black spot and making a "sizzling" sound. "Ben, cover your ears!" He shouted, raised his hand and fired three times, and the silver bullets hit the transformation monster's eyes and mouth respectively.
"Ouch--!" The shapeshifter let out a deafening scream. Black juice gushed out from its eye sockets and flowed like ink. Its mouthparts were pierced by silver bullets and emitted black smoke. It could no longer spray venom. It waved its claws wildly and rushed randomly. The iron cage was shaken by it, making a "clang, clang, clang, clang" sound, and the children in the cage screamed in fear.
Sam took the opportunity to rush over and used a crowbar to forcefully pry the door lock of Ben's iron cage. There was a "click" and the door lock was pried open.
Ben immediately got out, holding a rusty iron pipe, and without hesitation hit the shapeshifter's legs. "Don't hurt them!" The iron pipe hit the shapeshifter's legs, making a dull sound. Although it did not cause fatal damage, it stopped its movements.
Dean seized this opportunity, rushed forward, put the muzzle of the gun against the forehead of the changeling, with cold and determined eyes, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
"Bang!"
The moment the silver bullet penetrated the shapeshifter's head, its body froze suddenly, its movement stopped abruptly, and then it slowly fell down. Black mucus gushes out from its seven orifices and quickly melts into a puddle of black smoky mud, exuding a disgusting smell.
Bai Haorui looked around and found that there were still several lurking changelings hiding in the shadows of the basement, preparing for a sneak attack. He quickly formed seals with his hands, the golden light on his fingertips surged, and shouted, "Santan orders, True Fire Sets the Plain Ablaze!" Several golden True Fire shot out from his fingertips and landed in every corner of the basement like meteors. When they met the black slime, they instantly raised higher flames, illuminating the entire basement like daylight.
The changelings in the shadows had no time to escape, and were swallowed up by the blazing flames. They let out screams one after another, and finally turned into burning mucus and merged into the black mud on the ground. The weakness of the changelings in the original book that was afraid of fire was infinitely amplified under Pure Yang True Fire, and no one was spared.
The entire basement was blazing with flames, illuminating the mess on the floor. Silver bullet casings were scattered in the black mucus, and the golden True Fire was burning with the remaining evil aura.
The three people quickly opened all the iron cages and comforted the frightened children, "Don't be afraid, the monster has been eliminated. We will take you home."
Although Ben had dust on his face and his spine straightened, holding the iron pipe tightly in his hand, he did not forget to comfort a little girl beside him who was crying out of fear, "Stop crying, it's okay, we are safe."
When the three people rushed out of the empty house with their children, the unfinished building behind them had been engulfed in flames, and the flames shot into the sky, lighting up the night sky. The sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance - it was Sam who called the police in advance before departure, using the excuse of "child abduction" to cover up the supernatural truth and avoid causing unnecessary panic.
Martha rushed to the scene quickly. When she saw the real Katie being held in Sam's arms, she couldn't bear it anymore. She rushed over crying and held her daughter tightly in her arms. Tears burst out from her eyes. "Katie, my baby, my mother finally found her." It's your turn!" Real Katie's face was pale and her body was weak, but she still recognized her mother, hugged her neck tightly, and choked out: "Mom, I miss you so much." Martha hugged her daughter and cried heartbreakingly. All the fear and despair turned into the joy of reunion at this moment.
When the sky turned white in the east, the sky gradually brightened. Ben leaned in Lisa's arms. Although he was tired, he still opened his eyes and looked at Dean. His face was stained with dust and black mucus, and the claw marks on his arms had been simply treated by Sam and covered with gauze, like a little warrior.
Lisa The moment he saw Ben, he couldn't bear it anymore. He rushed over and hugged him tightly. Tears burst out from his eyes and his voice trembled. "Ben, my mother thought she would never see you again. She was so scared."
"Mom, I'm not afraid." Ben patted her back, his voice hoarse but firm, "Uncle Dean taught me to be brave, I did it, and I also protected other children."
Dean stood aside, looking at the mother and son embracing each other, with a tired but relieved smile on his lips. Sam handed Ben a wet wipe and said softly, "You are very brave, just like your uncle Dean."
Bai Haorui walked to Dean and took out a Safety Talisman folded from yellow paper from the canvas bag. Daoist runes were painted on it with cinnabar, and there were still traces of it. Faint golden light. "This is Safety Talisman blessed with Pure Yang True Fire. It can resist general evil spirits and protect peace. Give it to me, he is very brave and deserves this protection."
Dean took the amulet and felt a warm touch on his fingertips. He raised his head and looked at Bai Haorui, his eyes full of sincerity. "Thanks, brother."
"You are so polite." Bai Haorui rolled her eyes and lightly kicked him on the butt.
In the car, Ben leaned in Lisa's arms and fell asleep quickly, with wet tears still on his face. He held Safety Talisman tightly in his arms, and next to his hand was the muscle car model that Dean bought for him - it was bought by Dean at a toy store in a small town in the morning, and he originally wanted to give it to Ben after the party.
"He looks a lot like me, right?" Dean looked at the sleeping Ben and said softly, with a hint of gentleness and sadness in his voice that was imperceptible.
Sam nodded, looked at his brother's profile, and said softly, "They are really similar, even their temperament and personality are similar!"
Dean was silent, touching the dog tag on his chest, and there was a glimmer of despair in his eyes. He looked at Ben who was sleeping soundly, and thought to himself: Perhaps, this year of life is not only to repay the contract of the soul trade, but also to protect these people who are worth protecting, and to feel this heavy bond that I have never had before.
The car drove away from Town of Cicero, the sun rose, and the golden light shone on the road, dispersing all the darkness. The road to hunting the devil was still long and dangerous, but this time, Dean felt more concerned in his heart and had more courage to fight against fate. Lisa looked at Dean's back with complicated eyes.
Back at the hotel, Sam began to read information again on the table. The table was full of old newspapers and documents.
Suddenly, a blond woman's figure quietly appeared in the room, without any footsteps, as silent as a ghost. She was none other than Ruby, whom she had met by chance in a small town restaurant before, wearing a casual denim jacket and matching Wearing a pair of light-colored jeans, her dazzling blond hair draped over her shoulders, her delicate features with a sweet smile, she looked like a harmless girl next door. But there was a hint of subtle cunning and coldness in her eyes, which was in sharp contrast to her sweet appearance.
"You are indeed here." Ruby smiled and walked to the table, throwing a yellowed document in front of Sam with a soft tone.
Sam immediately became vigilant, stood up suddenly, subconsciously touched the dagger at his waist, and stared at her sharply. "What do you want to do?"
Bai Haorui also stood up from the bed in an instant. A ray of gold True Fire condensed on his fingertips. His eyes were cold and alert. He could clearly sense that this woman had a strong and pure demonic aura lingering around her. She was cold and evil. It was completely different from the evil aura of the shapeshifter. She was a higher-level and more dangerous existence.
"Don't be so nervous, I don't mean any harm." Ruby said with a smile. The smile was still sweet, but it made people shudder. "I just came to give you a gift." She pointed to the file on the table, "This is the death record of all Mary's friends. Take a look for yourself."
Sam picked up the file with hesitation and started flipping through it quickly. The file recorded the names of more than a dozen people, all of whom were friends of mother Mary when she was young. The dates of death were all after Mary's accident., the death methods are different, including electric shock, falling from a building, drowning, and even being accidentally injured by farm tools, but each one perfectly matches the "accident", and no trace of man-made traces can be found. Sam's pupils are getting wider and wider, and his heart is beating wildly - this is by no means a coincidence.
"Why are you telling me this?" Sam's voice was a little hoarse. He forced himself to calm down and stared into Ruby's eyes, trying to see through her purpose.
Ruby walked up to him, the smile on his face gradually disappeared, and a trace of pure black flashed in his eyes - that was the true form of the devil, pitch black without any impurities, cold and evil. "I know how to break the soul transaction contract and save Dean." Her voice was still soft, but like a cold knife, piercing Sam's heart.
Sam's heart jumped suddenly, his breathing became rapid, and the fingers holding the document turned white from the exertion. "What did you say? Can you save Dean?"
"The devil's deal always comes with a high price." Bai Haorui said coldly, staring at Ruby with sharp eyes, without letting down his guard at all, "What do you want? Stop beating around the bush."
"It's interesting." Ruby raised his eyebrows and looked at Bai Haorui, with a mocking smile on his lips, then turned to stare at Sam and said word by word, "I want you to find out Yellow-Eyed Demon's legacy plan, and the power you have - what do you think the 'perfect container' is? Why do you think Yellow-Eyed Demon pays special attention to you? There is a secret behind this that is more terrifying than you imagine, and it is related to the fate of all mankind."
She took out a dagger from her pocket and put it on the table. It was a strangely shaped dagger with complex runes engraved on the black handle. The blade was as sharp as ice, glowing with a faint cold light, exuding a weak aura of restraining demons. "This dagger can kill high-level demons, which is considered my sincerity." Ruby looked into Sam's eyes.
After saying that, Ruby's figure disappeared into the room in an instant, as if he had never appeared before, leaving only the black dagger, the documents on the table, and a trace of cold breath in the air.
Sam stared at the dagger on the table. He reached out and picked up the dagger. The cold touch of metal came from his fingertips and reached the bottom of his heart. He looked at Dean's room and said silently in his heart: No matter what the cost, I will save you.
Bai Haorui looked at his hand holding the dagger tightly, with a trace of deep worry flashing in his eyes. He knew that Sam had made up his mind to save Dean, and this deal with the devil was destined to involve them in deeper conspiracies and dangers. But it was good that they were all fuel to help me practice.