Chapter 69: The Wrathful God of Death
A screeching brake sounded beside a remote gas station in Texas.
Johnny turned off the engine, took a coin from his pocket, and rolled it repeatedly over his knuckles, his gaze fixed on the distant highway. That direction led to the city where Roxanne was.
He wanted to go find her, to tell her everything, to hold her and feel the only warmth that could bring him peace.
But Lin Huai's words were like a cold needle, piercing his heart.
"I don't recommend you go find her."
That wasn't a recommendation; it was a warning. He was already a Monster who could lose control at any moment, only bringing misfortune to those around him.
The coin slipped from his trembling fingers and fell to the ground.
Johnny took a deep breath, turned his back, and twisted the throttle again. The motorcycle roared, turned around, and headed down another road.
He still had a home. His motorcycle team, the brothers who had gone crazy with him, laughed with him, and broken bones with him, were still waiting for him.
Clutching at his last shred of hope, he raced at full speed. However, when he finally reached the team's temporary camp in the suburbs, everything before his eyes made this man collapse once more.
It had become a living hell. Over twenty corpses he knew all too well were scattered around the camp in various bizarre poses.
His agent Mike, the fat guy who always nagged in his ear about the next sponsorship, was now completely withered, like a mummy drained of all moisture, his face still frozen in a terrified expression.
His most capable mechanic, Archie, was soaked and floating in a huge oil drum filled with water, his skin pale and bloated from soaking, his eyes wide open as if he had been drowned alive.
And many more had been cut into scattered pieces, completely unrecognizable.
Not a single survivor was left.
Johnny's World completely collapsed at that moment, silently shattering into billions of pieces. His mind went blank, the immense shock making his vision go dark as he fell straight backward.
Before completely losing consciousness, he heard a voice filled with arrogance and mockery.
"Welcome home, Rider."
...When he woke again, it was nearly dusk. The setting sun was like blood, burning the sky into an ominous dark red.
Johnny found himself tightly bound to a rusted metal pole with rough iron chains.
Four men and one woman surrounded him, as if admiring a trophy. The leading man, with a pale face and an aristocratic arrogance, was none other than Black Heart Demon.
"Tell me, where is the zarathos contract," Black Heart Demon's voice was casual, "or your fate will be the same as theirs."
Johnny raised his head, his empty eyes sweeping over the horrific scene in the camp, and the last flicker of the will to live in his heart was completely extinguished.
He let out a mournful howl like a Beast.
"Kill me..." he rasped, "please, kill me. I only bring misfortune to others... Kill me, and it will all be over."
"Want to die?" The Spirit Guide stepped forward, a cruel curve forming at the corner of her mouth. "Just tell me what I want to know."
She extended a pale finger, pointing toward Johnny's forehead from a distance, when suddenly a flash of pale blue flame passed by.
"Hiss! His soul... actually has another force protecting it, or rather, monitoring it." The Spirit Guide revealed a knowing, cold smile. "No matter, there's always a way to make you talk."
She turned around, facing the scene of the massacre, and uttered a few ancient, awkward syllables. Wispy, faint shadows rose from the mangled corpses—the souls of all the deceased team members!
They looked blankly at their own bodies, then all their gazes focused on Johnny.
"Johnny... why... why is this happening?"
"You Monster! You brought this disaster upon us!"
Cries and curses surged from all directions.
Johnny's psychological defenses were completely shattered in that instant. He shook his head desperately while sobbing uncontrollably: "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to!"
"Tell us where the contract is," Black Heart Demon's icy voice rang out again, "or... I'll devour these delicious souls one by one right in front of you."
"I don't know! I really don't know!" Johnny roared in endless despair.
He was telling the truth. But Black Heart Demon clearly didn't believe him.
"Seems it's still not enough." The Spirit Guide raised her hand again, expressionless.
This time, the corpses lying on the ground began to twitch and twist in a way that defied the laws of physics, slowly rising from the ground. Their empty eye sockets turned toward Johnny, their throats emitting incomprehensible growls as they dragged their broken bodies, step by step, closing in on him.
Seeing this, Johnny's sobbing abruptly stopped.
"Why? I just wanted to be an ordinary person. We didn't do anything. Why are you doing this to us?"
As the sunlight slowly faded, the despair in his eyes rapidly receded, replaced by a burning anger.
Just then, Black Heart Demon took a step forward. His tall figure blocked the last ray of sunlight about to disappear at the horizon.
"Give me the contract. I remember you still have someone you care about."
The entire World plunged into complete Darkness.
The last light in Johnny's heart, called "humanity," was extinguished along with it.
"Roar—!!!"
No longer a painful wail, but a roar from the depths of his soul, filled with endless rage and resentment!
Orange-red Hellfire erupted violently, instantly melting the iron chains binding him into molten metal! His flesh rapidly peeled away in the flames, turning to black ash. A burning skeleton, wreathed in towering flames of anger, stood once more upon the earth.
This time, it wasn't for judgment, but for revenge! An angry spirit of vengeance, an existence completely transformed into a malevolent ghost, was born!
The Ghost Rider didn't hesitate for even a moment. The instant his transformation was complete, his body turned into a burning projectile, charging without hesitation toward the five figures of Black Heart Demon directly ahead!
"Boom—!!!"
Terrifying Hellfire erupted violently, spreading wildly in all directions like a supernova explosion, turning the entire camp into a sea of fire!
"Damn it!"
The relaxed expression on Black Heart Demon's face vanished for the first time. He crossed his arms in front of him, dense dark energy forming a barrier. The Three Elemental Demons behind him also activated their powers simultaneously—a Wind Wall, a Water Curtain, and an Earth Barrier instantly rose, layered with the Spirit Guide's pale white protective shield, all working together to withstand this sudden, destructive impact!
...As the Spirit Guide used her spirituality to defend against the Hellfire.
Far away, inside a quinjet on the Arctic route.
Lin Huai, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly shuddered, as if a high-voltage current had instantly passed through his spiritual body.
It made him open his eyes at once.
He remembered something.
"Damn it, that probe set a trap for me."