Chapter 123The World is Approaching Doomsday(7/7)
"Excuse me, but Lucifer is a criminal," Vanessa said, looking at Patrick. Despite his rank, Patrick maintained his stern demeanor. Outside, the chanting of slogans was nothing more than a headache.
"Do you know why these people are chanting?" Patrick asked, sighing as he listened to the anti-Devil slogans echoing in the air. A video of Jack fighting Terry had surfaced online. It had spread for barely a minute before authorities intervened.
Although officials quickly moved to remove the videos, the internet was vast. Soon, news outlets picked up the story, and people came to know the truth—Lucifer was real.
Terry's hand piercing through his opponent's stomach, the trail of destruction, and the powers used by the three young individuals were all caught on camera. Coupled with the explosion of six buildings, some religious fanatics began blaming Jack, chanting outside the department for an entire day.
Unlike the crowd, Patrick knew the truth. That Terry kid was behind everything. Though Patrick didn't know how, an entire school had been massacred, and six buildings exploded after Lucifer's arrest.
Patrick was aware of what the Director had done. The Director had sent agents to capture Terry without informing either Patrick or Prime Minister Dominic, acting entirely on his own authority to manipulate the FBI.
Patrick wondered where the Director had found the audacity to pull such a move. Terry had escaped, leaving a trail of mass destruction and death. Patrick believed the public's anger was justified.
Meanwhile, Vanessa argued with Patrick. Despite the rank difference, Vanessa was a tough woman. She refused to let even the Deputy Director release Lucifer.
Patrick couldn't decide whether to thank Vanessa for being such a dedicated officer or sigh at her insistence on keeping someone as important as Lucifer detained.
"Look, I understand where you're coming from, but Lucifer is far more important than you think," Patrick said seriously. Vanessa sighed, waiting for Patrick to continue.
"You've seen the video, haven't you? The one about the school," Patrick added. Vanessa nodded, recalling the footage. In the recordings, Ethan, Gwen, and Sam fought Terry before Lucifer arrived and, with alarming ease, pierced Terry's stomach with his hand.
Without the camera footage, Vanessa might have thought she was going insane. Had they really arrested Lucifer? The Devil? Only God could know.
"Lucifer is the prime suspect," Vanessa said firmly. "Even if he's not responsible for the explosions, he still has vital information."
"And that's because you let that Terry kid escape," Patrick said, frowning. Vanessa winced but maintained her respect. Patrick, however, grew angrier.
"That boy caused the deaths of so many people because of your negligence. You should be glad you still have your job."
"I—"
"That's enough, Detective," Patrick interrupted, his piercing gaze silencing Vanessa. "Lucifer was trying to stop Terry, but your intervention disrupted him and triggered this chain of events."
Vanessa paled, looking down in shame. Embarrassed, she avoided Patrick's gaze, but Patrick softened and held her gaze steadily. "Release Lucifer and his associates immediately."
As Patrick turned to leave, he gave Vanessa one last warning. "If you don't, you'll be held responsible and lose your career."
Although Patrick's words sounded like a threat, they carried no malice. Vanessa felt the weight of his seriousness as she stood there. As Patrick left, James, who had witnessed everything from the corner, approached Vanessa to comfort her.
"Vanessa," James said gently, his tone consoling. Vanessa lowered her gaze and sighed. Even James could sense her sadness.
"Vanessa, don't worry. You were just doing your job. You couldn't have known any of this." James spoke seriously, trying to lift her spirits. Vanessa turned to him. "Mr. Patrick is right, James."
"But—"
Before James could continue, Vanessa interrupted, speaking firmly. "If we had kept an eye on Terry, none of this would have happened. It's all my fault."
James frowned, placing his hands on her shoulders. In a firm voice, he said, "As I said before, you were just doing your job. If they fire you, then I'll resign with you."
"There's no need for that," Vanessa said calmly. James was surprised as Vanessa continued. "I'll release Lucifer."
"What?" James was at a loss for words. While it was true Lucifer had nothing to do with the explosions, he was still the prime suspect in Terry's death.
"Mr. Patrick instructed us to do so," Vanessa explained calmly. "And we both know, James, that the delay in orders from above means they want to pin this on us."
James cursed under his breath. Even after a day, no orders had come regarding such a critical issue. It was just like what had happened during a previous scandal—blame was shifted to innocent officers.
Back then, James had witnessed the higher-ups scapegoat innocent agents. Now it was happening to them. The upper management wanted Vanessa and James to take the fall for the public's anger.
Recalling Patrick's warning, Vanessa didn't hesitate any longer. She arrived at Lucifer's cell. "Get out."
Without further explanation, she spoke curtly. Jack, despite his apparent unhappiness, maintained his smug demeanor but remained silent.
"Your friends are waiting for you outside. I suggest you don't keep them waiting," Vanessa said, not wanting to look at Jack any longer. She wanted this over with. Jack smiled. "Very well. Have a good day, Detective."
Vanessa merely grumbled as she unlocked his cuffs. Jack stretched his arms with a grin before leaving without another word.
As Jack walked through the department, everyone cleared his path, avoiding him entirely. Vanessa frowned, initially thinking they were avoiding her, but she was wrong.
Everyone was avoiding Jack. Some even averted their gaze as if scared to meet his eyes. Vanessa didn't know what to make of it. She still couldn't believe Jack was Lucifer. Her logical mind wouldn't accept it.
But others thought differently. For them, the footage had confirmed Jack was the Devil. Appearing out of thin air, effortlessly piercing Terry's stomach…
Such power was beyond human comprehension.
"The Devil is here! The Devil is here!"
A group of eight or nine people chanted loudly. Jack smirked at the sight, amused. The idea of him being Lucifer was absurd. Who would believe Lucifer would willingly remain detained in the human world?
"There he is! Look!"
Apparently, a middle-aged man was their leader. Vanessa was far from pleased to see him. Even the town fool seemed more rational than this man—he was nothing but an idiot.
"Devil! God will punish you! Prepare to pay for the sins you've committed against us when the day comes!"
"You have sinned, didn't you do it of your own free will?" Jack mocked as a woman pointed her phone camera at him. It seemed the man was agitated. "Demon! Your existence is the reason our father Adam and mother Eve were cast out of Eden. You are guilty of all humanity's crimes. If I could, I'd kill you!"
Jack squinted his eyes, smirking mockingly. "Go ahead, try."
The protester, who had caught a glimpse of Jack's briefly glowing red eyes, stepped back in fear. As the crowd cheered, Jack was growing increasingly bored of the situation.
Perhaps he should have chosen the name Michael instead of Lucifer. At least then, he wouldn't have these kinds of problems. "Look, I have no business with you, so get out of my sight."
Sensing Jack's growing aggression, Vanessa grabbed his arm, stopping him from doing anything rash. Jack sighed and glanced at her. "Honestly, Detective, instead of holding me back, you should deal with these people yourself."
Vanessa said nothing and ignored Jack. The protestors, emboldened by her silence, pressed on.
"Demon, repent for your sins!" The leader of the protestors stepped closer to Jack and grabbed him by the collar. Jack was momentarily surprised by the move but then calmly took hold of the man's hand and twisted it lightly.
"Ahh!" The man's hand broke, and as Vanessa immediately pulled at Jack's shoulder, trying to stop him, her efforts were futile. He didn't budge an inch, as immovable as a wall.
"Don't touch me," Jack said, still mocking, and lightly tapped the terrified and agonized leader on the forehead with his index finger. The man stumbled back and fell as silence fell over the protestors.
"Was that enough for you?" Jack asked, his gaze piercing each protestor. They all froze, afraid of the power emanating from him.
As they all remained silent, Jack finally pushed Vanessa's hand aside. "Thanks for escorting me this far, Detective," he said with a smirk. Seeing Ethan, Sam, and Gwen waiting for him in the distance, he no longer wanted to linger here.
"Let's hope we don't meet again, Detective," Jack said, noticing the tears welling up in Vanessa's eyes. He was surprised and a bit confused. Had he been too harsh on her? He didn't know, nor did he care.
"Goodbye," Vanessa muttered before turning away and leaving. She had experienced more than enough for one day. That explosion had left a heavy ache in her heart, filling her with regret and sadness.
As Jack walked away, Vanessa headed straight home. She sighed and sipped her wine. She had no family anyway, having devoted her entire life to her career. She had endured being disliked by her colleagues at the department for years.
But now, she was an outcast to everyone, including Patrick. Vanessa laughed, finding the escalation of the situation absurdly funny.
She was the officer who handled the most cases, solved the most problems, and had the highest success rate in the department. She loved her job. She loved seeing people smile and being grateful for her help.
It made her feel happy and fulfilled. But now, everything had suddenly turned upside down. Walking alongside Lucifer and being forced to let him go had ruined everything.
She wouldn't even be surprised if people started blaming her now. It wouldn't be long before she got fired. The Prime Minister was soon to make a statement about the incident.
Even if she were found guilty, it wouldn't matter to her anymore. Looking pensively at her gun, Vanessa sighed and turned off the safety.
"I can't— I just can't take this anymore," Vanessa muttered, swallowing two or three of the antidepressants prescribed by her therapist and taking another sip of her wine.
"Why isn't this damned stuff working?" Vanessa threw the pill bottle at the wall, running her fingers through her hair in frustration. Her head was pounding. She hadn't even eaten.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, her beautiful face contorted with pain. She pressed the gun to her temple, taking a deep breath.
"Come on, Vanessa," she whispered, trying to convince herself to pull the trigger. "You have no family, no one. No friends, no one behind you—a grandfather, a son, a daughter, a friend. You're just a useless, cold-hearted witch."
Vanessa sobbed, her eyes hardening. "Just do it already!"
As she was about to pull the trigger, a voice echoed in her mind.
"Human, I can grant you the happiness you desire..."
"Who are you?!" Vanessa lowered the gun from her head, startled, her instincts kicking in as she sternly demanded, "Show yourself!"
"I am Azazel, the King of Demons. I can help you... all you need to do is obey me, human..."
Vanessa, shocked by what was happening, suddenly felt her consciousness fading as she collapsed to the floor. The last thing she heard was the laughter of a mysterious presence echoing in her mind.