140: Chapter 140 Changing the Plan

A cluster of blinding flames barreled around the street corner.

The Ghost Rider sat astride his hell cycle, hellfire flickering wildly within his hollow eye sockets; he had clearly caught Witch-Heart Demon's scent.

Hearing the commotion, Gabriel slowly turned his head, seemingly scrutinizing the newcomer.

He appraised this spirit of vengeance, an entity reeking of the Hell dimension's sulfur, yet one that carried out the most old-fashioned duty of "judgment."

The Ghost Rider's burning gaze met the pure, holy radiance emanating from Gabriel.

Before this unreasonable, supreme divine authority, the flames abruptly extinguished.

The skeletal frame that had been radiating a terrifying pressure just a second ago instantly grew back its flesh.

The violent Ghost Rider vanished, replaced by Johnny Blaze in his leather biker jacket.

Before he could even utter a single line, his legs gave out, and he tumbled right off the stalled motorcycle. With a heavy thud, he fell to his knees, his head lolling to the side as it slammed against the pavement, knocking him out cold.

The entire area fell silent.

Witch-Heart Demon, pinned under Gabriel's foot, finally seized this fleeting opportunity.

Taking advantage of Gabriel's distraction by the Ghost Rider—which caused a momentary lapse in the holy suppression—Witch-Heart Demon violently bit the tip of his tongue.

Black demonic blood gushed out.

Recklessly, he detonated the majority of the Hell essence within his body, and his physical form instantly disintegrated into a cloud of thick, impenetrable black mist.

Like a startled loach, the black mist hugged the cracks in the ground, scurrying toward the sewer grate in an almost comical escape.

"Hmph, trying to run?" Qin Ming, however, made no move to give chase.

In truth, with just a thought, he could have had Gabriel's greatsword pin the mist to the sewer entrance.

But Qin Ming stopped because, at that same moment, a crisp electronic chime rang in his mind.

[Ding! Killed Low-tier Elemental Demon (Water Demon). Gained 80 points.]

Qin Ming raised an eyebrow.

The points had arrived, which meant the battle in the nearby warehouse had concluded.

He glanced at the sewer grate where Witch-Heart Demon had disappeared, a playful arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

Forget it, let him run for a bit.

Light footsteps echoed from the dilapidated warehouse nearby.

"Tap, tap, tap."

Emma emerged from the wreckage of the warehouse doors, holding a slightly bent and deformed pure silver crucifix upside down.

A faint layer of golden holy light clung to the surface of her body.

This holy light didn't just dispel the darkness; its intense heat also instantly evaporated the murky moisture clinging to the air around her.

"Sizzle—" White mist billowed upward.

"Aww, he was too weak."

Emma pouted, then looked up. Her gaze passed over Qin Ming and was instantly captivated by the phantom of Gabriel standing in the middle of the street.

That towering physique, those cool six golden wings, and that light sword that looked like it could cleave a person in two.

Emma's eyes lit up instantly.

She hurried to Qin Ming's side, grabbed his arm, and shook it vigorously while pointing at Gabriel.

"Brother, Brother! This one looks good! This is so cool!" Emma stood on her tiptoes with excitement, her large eyes sparkling with undisguised possessiveness. "Can I have one of these big guys with wings?"

The smile on her face was more radiant than an angel's.

Qin Ming looked down at Emma. "Well, not right now."

Qin Ming said with a smile, "This is rare equipment, and I only have one for now. I'll get you something even more fun later."

"Pinky swear!" Emma immediately stuck out her pinky finger.

Qin Ming cooperated and hooked his finger with hers.

With a thought from Qin Ming, Gabriel's phantom dissolved into countless golden specks of light in midair, scattering with the wind.

The holy pressure on the street completely receded, leaving only the cool night breeze and Johnny lying in the middle of the road.

Emma let go of Qin Ming's hand and walked over to the unconscious Johnny.

She looked down at the leather-clad star and then unceremoniously nudged Johnny's head with the tip of her shoe.

Johnny remained unresponsive, like a dead pig.

"Brother, I killed that leaky guy, but the one emitting black smoke got away."

Emma stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the empty street. "Are we going to catch him now? That guy smells much more high-grade than the leaky one."

"No rush."

"I originally planned to take out Witch-Heart Demon tonight and fulfill the contract with Mephisto."

Qin Ming looked toward the brightly lit New York City skyline in the distance. "But since he ran, let him live a few more days. We'll change the way we play."

"What way?" Emma asked curiously.

"Go find the Contract of San Venganza." Qin Ming narrowed his eyes slightly.

A contract for a thousand fallen souls should be worth at least a thousand points.

Witch-Heart Demon dreamed of obtaining it to establish Hell on Earth, but to Mephisto, it was just an after-dinner dessert.

Regardless, Witch-Heart Demon would eventually seek out the Covenant. As long as the Covenant was in his hands, Qin Ming would hold absolute initiative.

"But..." Emma pointed at Johnny on the ground. "What about this big star lying here? Should we bury him? There's a sewer right next to us."

Emma's gaze was very serious; she had already begun looking around for a suitable tool.

"It would be such a waste to bury him." Qin Ming smiled and glanced at the time on his wristwatch.

According to the original plot, Johnny was supposed to go on a date with Roxanne tonight.

Although he had been forced into the Ghost Rider by Mephisto, the Rider had been forced to 'log off' for now.

Qin Ming was a helpful person.

"Larry." Qin Ming snapped his fingers.

A discarded electronic screen hanging on a nearby lamppost instantly flickered to life.

Amidst the screen full of static, a large smiley face symbol appeared.

Qin Ming pointed at Johnny on the ground. "Find a car and send him to that high-end restaurant where his ex-girlfriend is."

Immediately after, a crackle of electricity sounded, and Larry's unique synthesized voice came through.

"Your exclusive driver... is online! Fast as lightning, mission accomplished!"

"After all," the smile on Qin Ming's face grew wider, "the same person can't stand someone up twice for the same date, can they? That would be too impolite."

As Qin Ming finished speaking.

At the end of the street, an old taxi parked by the curb suddenly lit up its headlights.

The engine roared, and the car, in an unmanned state, pulled up in front of Qin Ming.

The rear door popped open automatically with a thud.

The taxi's radio turned on automatically, playing a cheerful wedding march.

Salvatore - Lana Del Rey

Ah-ah-ah-ah

Ah-ah-ah-ah

Cacciatore

La-da-da-da-da

La-da-da-da-da

Limousines

Qin Ming stepped forward, grabbed the back collar of Johnny's leather jacket, and tossed him into the back seat of the taxi.

"Bang." The door closed.

"Have a... pleasant journey! Yay!" Larry's goofy voice came from the radio.

In the next second, the taxi's accelerator hit the floor, and it shot off like an arrow from a bow, carrying the unconscious Johnny toward downtown New York, quickly disappearing into the night.

Only Johnny's magic-less vintage motorcycle was left lying lonely in the middle of the road.

"Alright, the charity service is over." Qin Ming clapped his hands and turned to Emma. "Let's go, it's time to pay a visit to the retired previous Rider."

Emma walked with her hands behind her back, skipping along beside Qin Ming.

"Brother, does the retired Rider also have bones with fire? Can we knock them off and use them as firewood?"

"Maybe, if he isn't polite enough."