Chapter 650: The Enigmatic Night on the West Coast (Part II) (Patreon)

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The sheen on the rim of the cocktail glass, under the illumination of the bar's lights at Light, always appeared exceptionally resplendent. It featured multi-layered shades of gradient blue, resembling an ocean beneath the glaciers, sending a shiver down your spine with just one glance.

This ambiance starkly contrasted with the warm nights of Los Angeles. There was no Gotham-like cold rain, nor the bustling of Metropolis. Instead, there was the electronic psychedelic music carrying the West Coast vibe, mingling with the classical melodies playing at the bar, creating an exceptionally melodious atmosphere.

As another glass gently met the surface of the bar, it produced a crisp sound. Through the translucent liquid within the glass, you could see the reflection of Lucifer Morningstar. He raised the glass to his lips and took a sip of his drink.

"Do you know," Lucifer Morningstar set down the glass and looked into Schiller's eyes, saying, "Some come to me to escape imminent death, some for wealth and fame, and others seek power or authority."

"And you, you're the first to come for seasickness treatment."

"I told you, I'm don't have an ordinary seasickness..."

"Are there seasicknesses that are not ordinary?" Lucifer Morningstar took a deep breath, as if he had reached his limit. After a moment, he said, "Alright, I'll play doctor for a moment. What are your symptoms? Tell me."

"Dizziness, nausea, cold sweats, weakness..."

"Isn't that just regular seasickness?"

Just as Schiller was about to retort, Lucifer extended a hand and said, "My dear Pope, if you have nothing else to do, go recruit some followers for me, find those who are passionate about their work, because I don't want to hear them complaining about how hard their job is."

"Do you think I'm passionate about my job?" Schiller inquired.

Lucifer Morningstar sighed and took another sip of his drink, saying, "Yes, your first request when you came to see me was to turn your annual leave into 36 days."

He leaned on his temples with his hand, saying, "If the Pope prayed to God for longer vacations, would he also be at a loss for words like me?"

"Do you know, in the 16 sentences you just spoke, 8 of them mentioned your father. I've encountered such a situation before, and my advice is, you need to see a psychologist."

"Aren't you a psychologist?"

"I am your Pope, and I am currently on vacation."

With a "ding," Lucifer Morningstar slapped the glass on the tabletop and said, "I've noticed that ever since you lost your memory, you've become increasingly unbearable."

"Then why don't you fire me?"

"I..." Lucifer Morningstar gripped the glass tightly, took a few slow deep breaths, and then said, "Why don't you go to the Vatican and be a Pope for God?"

"Do you know, that's actually quite rare?" Schiller took a sip of his drink and looked into Lucifer Morningstar's eyes. "Because when most people are in pain, they tend to call out for their mothers."

With a "snap," the glass shattered, and Lucifer Morningstar pointed to the door, saying, "Hurry up and get out! Don't let me see you again!"

"Don't rush, let's not discuss my seasickness for now. Let's talk about you. How did you meet that female singer just now?"

Lucifer Morningstar gave a disdainful snort but still answered, "Her name is Delilah. She used to be a resident singer and hostess at the bar. I thought she had a good voice and some songwriting talent, so I introduced her to a record company boss. Unexpectedly, her first album was a massive success, and now she's popular all over the West Coast."

"If you noticed she's troubled, why not use your mind-reading abilities to see what's going on?" Schiller asked.

"I told you, I don't like using such abilities on friends."

"I think you probably find it troublesome. If you see someone's trouble, you have to help deal with it, or you'll feel guilty about your friendship, so you'd rather not see it."

"I just want to be a regular person!" Lucifer Morningstar tapped the table with his cup and said, "Do regular people use mind-reading abilities? Can't they maintain friendships in the same way? Why can't I?"

"Of course, you can..." Schiller took a sip of his drink, lowered his gaze, and stared at the empty glass with a mysterious expression. "But, if you want to enjoy innocent friendships like a regular person, you have to be prepared to accept the sadness like a regular person, otherwise..."

Just as Lucifer Morningstar was about to ask what he meant, a loud "thud" came from outside the bar, followed by screams and commotion.

He quickly set down his glass and rushed outside. There, he saw a figure lying in a pool of blood—it was Delilah, who had just left the bar.

Lucifer Morningstar hurried over and held Delilah's lifeless body covered in blood. At this point, the female singer had already ceased to breathe; after all, no ordinary person could survive a close-range shooting.

Lucifer Morningstar placed his hand on Delilah's chest to stop the bleeding and kept her in this state, lying flat on the ground.

Lucifer Morningstar took a deep breath, stood up, and began looking around for the assailant. Suddenly, he saw a suspicious car across the street, and as he rushed over, he found that the assailant was already dead.

Lucifer Morningstar reached out and squeezed the throat of the assailant directly. In a moment, the killer's body jolted and began gasping for breath. Lucifer Morningstar pulled the man's soul from hell, resurrecting him.

"Why did you kill Delilah?" Lucifer Morningstar asked.

"I was just... I was just a hired gunman," the assassin stammered. He appeared terrified by the hellish sight but was soon confronted by an even more terrifying vision. A fleeting illusion of a demon crossed Lucifer Morningstar's face, and then the assassin returned to hell once more.

As Lucifer Morningstar walked back to Delilah's lifeless body, Schiller was already crouched there. Lucifer Morningstar joined him, and as Schiller examined Delilah's corpse, he asked, "Why didn't you just resurrect her?"

Lucifer Morningstar glanced around and said, "Delilah is a well-known female singer. Many people witnessed the shooting, and if I resurrect her, it would not only cause trouble for me but also for her. She would likely be hounded."

"You could erase everyone's memories; you just choose not to," Schiller said as he stood up, picked up the handbag Delilah had dropped.

After opening it, Schiller found a bag of white powder. A slight sniff told him it was some kind of drug.

At this point, Schiller had essentially recalled the plot from the American TV series "Lucifer Morningstar." There wasn't much to say about the show, to put it simply: Lucifer Morningstar encountered trivial and often comical matters in the human world, along with the family dynamics of the heavenly realm.

The specific romantic plots were similar to those in the "Twilight" series: the female lead possessed the ability to weaken Lucifer Morningstar, who, after being affected, would be attracted to her. Following that, there were the usual melodramatic twists and turns that the masses enjoyed.

The only issue was that the Lucifer Morningstar Schiller had encountered was not quite like the one in the TV series. The TV show's Lucifer Morningstar didn't have the ability to resurrect others at will. Evidently, the Lucifer Morningstar before him was the "one beneath God," as depicted in the comics.

Schiller didn't believe that anyone could weaken such a being's abilities. However, if Lucifer Morningstar could still be affected by the female lead as portrayed in the show, it could only mean he was susceptible to temptation, desiring romantic conquest.

When the police car arrived, two figures emerged from it, one male and one female. They approached Delilah's corpse, while Lucifer Morningstar had already returned to the bar. He evidently wanted to avoid getting involved with the police.

Schiller soon returned to the bar, sitting by the counter. He observed the scene outside, where the two officers were investigating the crime scene. Schiller also glanced back at Lucifer Morningstar's eye contact and, as expected, it seemed that he was interested in the female officer.

The female officer was indeed quite beautiful, with a mature appearance and a blend of grace and sensuality. However, Lucifer Morningstar did not exhibit any signs of being weakened. He was merely wiping his glass while keeping an eye on the situation outside.

In a murder investigation that occurred at the bar's entrance, they would naturally seek out witnesses in the bar first. Lucifer Morningstar and Schiller, who had remained at the counter with the best view, became the prime candidates for questioning.

The female officer, Chloe, entered first. As soon as she spotted the two of them near the counter, she hesitated for a moment, then quickly approached. She shook hands with Schiller and said, "You must be Professor Rodriguez, right? The renowned psychologist?"

"Correct, I am. Do you know me?"

"Of course, your photo is in the textbook for our criminal psychology course. You look a bit younger than in the picture, though."

"Yes, I've always thought they made me look too old in those photos." Schiller shook hands with the female officer and asked, "What's your name? Are you the detective in charge of this case?"

"I'm Chloe Decker," the female officer replied. "You can call me Chloe. I am indeed the detective handling this murder case. I wanted to ask if you saw anything suspicious?"

Just as Lucifer Morningstar was about to speak, Schiller interjected, "No, the incident happened so suddenly. We heard a gunshot, and by the time we reached the door, the lady was already..."

Chloe seemed to trust Schiller more, so she quickly asked, "Do you remember the exact time of the gunshot?"

"There's a clock right there; I remember it was around 00:03, with an error of no more than two minutes," Schiller replied smoothly.

At this moment, the male officer also entered, and his attitude was notably less friendly. He asked, "Did you see any suspicious individuals in the bar?"

His tone was somewhat harsh, causing Schiller to furrow his brow. Chloe touched the male officer's arm and said, "Don't be like this, Dan. This is Professor Rodriguez, the famous psychologist."

"Based on our initial investigation," Dan began, "the murderer should have been the person in the car. We found a gun and bullets in his vehicle, along with a significant amount of drugs. We discovered identical drugs in the victim's bag, so there may have been a drug transaction between them that escalated into a conflict and resulted in the murder."

Schiller looked at Chloe, and she appeared somewhat uneasy as she explained, "This is Dan, my colleague."

"You're just colleagues?" Lucifer Morningstar inquired.

Chloe gave him a sidelong glance without answering. She pulled Dan aside, and the two began conversing in low voices. Meanwhile, Schiller leaned against the bar and whispered near Lucifer Morningstar:

"I guess you want to share the clues you heard from the assailant with this female officer, demonstrate your uniqueness, and participate in this case in a reasonable manner to create a series of bizarre events that both terrify and intrigue her. Finally, you'll provoke a crisis to showcase your power."

Lucifer Morningstar slowly shifted his gaze to the other side, ignoring Schiller. With a smile, Schiller added, "The last person who did something like this was named Constantine."

Lucifer Morningstar let out a disdainful snort and remarked, "Guess who taught him?"

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 651: Stormy Seas of the Red Sea (Part One)