"This matter is really difficult to explain..." Catherine responded helplessly as she glanced at the unconscious Soren, then at Damien, standing beside her.
If Damien weren't present, Catherine might have pointed out Soren's erratic behavior earlier, but with Damien right there, she hesitated. Despite her growing suspicions due to Soren's sudden change, she couldn't bring herself to openly voice them. After all, Damien was still her son, and saying something like that in front of him could scar him for life. Even if he didn't understand now, it might affect him in the future and possibly lead to psychological issues.
"If you really don't know anything, this could become a big problem. I won't be going back with you. I need to stay and handle the embassy matters here. A few people will accompany you back, but once you return to the USA, the investigation will likely be much more thorough than you expect. They might not even listen to Soren's explanation..." The temporary ambassador hesitated for a moment before cautiously reminding her. He refrained from directly telling Catherine that Soren was already being prepared for swift disposal back in the USA.
"What? What should we do then?" Catherine immediately sensed the danger Soren was facing and, in a panic, looked at the ambassador for guidance.
If it had been an ambassador from another country, he might have smiled slyly and said, "You wouldn't want your husband to suffer, would you, madam?"
However, this ambassador wasn't that kind of person. He sighed and said softly, "You'd better reach out to your connections. Even if they can't fully clear Soren's name, saving his life is still important. Only if he stays alive can he prove his innocence later."
"I understand. I'll reach out to people immediately..." Catherine quickly took out her phone, ready to call in favors to help Soren.
"Mom, when will Dad wake up? You said that we shouldn't sleep during the day, or we won't be able to sleep at night. Why aren't you waking Dad up?" Damien tugged at Catherine's hand and whined playfully just as she was about to make the call.
Before Catherine could respond, Soren stirred with a groan. Cold sweat immediately broke out on his body as memories of his last moments before passing out rushed back.
"Damien! What do you want?!" Soren sprang up, his heart sinking as he saw Damien watching him. Despite his fear, he instinctively pulled Catherine behind him, shielding her as he stared at Damien warily.
"What do you mean, Dad? What are you talking about?" Damien looked at him with wide, innocent eyes, appearing confused and even a bit scared. "Daddy, please don't look at me like that. I'm scared..."
"Soren! What's wrong with you?" The ambassador frowned and hurriedly grabbed Soren's arm, trying to calm him down. Soren had already been in trouble for attempting to shoot Damien. If another conflict broke out now, it would completely ruin any chance of saving him.
But what the ambassador didn't expect was that Soren's body was trembling, and the fear in his eyes seemed genuine, not something that could be faked.
Even the best actor couldn't convey such raw terror. The ambassador had worked with Soren for many years and trusted him. To him, the idea of Soren attempting to shoot Damien had never made sense. Even if Soren had distanced himself emotionally from Damien due to the arrival of a new baby, there was no reason to go so far as to try to kill him. A bit of neglect would have sufficed.
The ambassador's mind raced as he pieced things together. Soren was wealthy enough to care for both children. Killing Damien would only create an unmanageable situation. How would Soren explain Damien's disappearance? The police would inevitably investigate.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, he began to understand Soren's mindset. Could Damien really be dangerous enough to justify Soren's extreme actions? Was this a supernatural event?
The ambassador's hand instinctively moved to his waist, where he usually kept his gun. But remembering that it was inappropriate for someone of his position to carry a firearm, he glanced at a colleague and gave a discreet signal.
"Huh? Oh! I see!" The colleague didn't catch on immediately but soon understood and nodded, hurrying to Soren's side. As he restrained Soren, he shouted, "Soren! Calm down! If you keep this up, things will spiral out of control!"
The ambassador was dumbfounded. He had been signaling his colleague to draw his weapon and point it at Damien, but instead, the colleague was holding down Soren.
Though the colleague's response seemed absurd, it was understandable. Even if they were closer to Soren, Damien was still just a child. No one wanted to point a gun at a kid, especially when the ambassador had only used subtle signals.
"Give it to me!" The ambassador reached for the colleague's gun, but because of Soren's struggles, he couldn't grab it. Frustrated, he barked, "Give me the gun!"
"The gun? Why do you need the gun?" the colleague asked, still confused as he tried to restrain the increasingly frantic Soren.
"Soren, calm down!" Catherine pleaded anxiously, fearing that the ambassador might turn the gun on her husband.
"There's no need for that. My gun is cutting-edge technology. If it misfires, it'll blow a hole through Soren's head. Look, I've got him under control," the colleague replied, smiling nervously.
"He doesn't want it for Soren..." A chilling voice suddenly echoed through the cabin.
"Not for Soren? Then who's it for?" The colleague blinked in confusion and looked at the ambassador, who was staring in horror at the other side of the cabin. Following his gaze, the colleague saw Damien holding a gun in his small hands and was utterly baffled.
"Wait, that's my gun! How did you get it? When did you take it? Kid, guns are dangerous. Put it down before someone gets hurt..."
"What happens if it misfires? Will someone die?" Damien asked with a playful smile, though his expression grew darker. His voice turned cold as he continued, "This was supposed to be a fun game. Why aren't you following the script I set for you?"
"Leave them alone! Come for me if you want!" Soren finally broke free from the colleague's hold and stepped in front of everyone, his voice trembling but resolute.
"I originally woke him up to give him another chance to kill me, to seal his fate with you all as witnesses. You could've survived. But now..." Damien sneered, completely ignoring Soren as he looked at the ambassador.
"Unfortunately, you're too smart for your own good. You trust this suspect—this brutal man who tried to kill his own son—over a sweet, innocent child like me. So now, none of you can leave here alive."
"Hmm, how should I rewrite this script? You all die, and I'm the only one who survives, pitied and taken in by a kind family. Sounds perfect!"
"Oh! I've got it! Just like before in the police station, Soren loses it when he sees me and tries to kill me again. But you, the brave souls, selflessly protect me. After a fierce struggle, you all die, and I'm the only survivor. You might even get posthumous hero medals for your efforts!"
"But what should I do with you, dear mother? And what about my little brother, the one I've never met?"
Damien's cold voice echoed through the cabin, filling everyone with dread. He was no longer pretending, or rather, he had grown tired of pretending. He decided to kill them all and start over with a new cast.
"You... planned this from the start? Why would you do this?" Catherine was the first to speak, her voice filled with both sorrow and fear as she confronted Damien.
"Of course, I planned it. I staged the whole thing for my dear father. I even gave him a chance to kill me. Oh, and Bellock was in on it too. She called the police ahead of time. Otherwise, how do you think they arrived so quickly?" Damien grinned, nodding as if he was proud of his plan. His face darkened as he added angrily, "But I didn't anticipate that damned Superman showing up. In my plan, the police would have shot Soren the moment he fired at me, sealing his fate."
"But Superman ruined it. He saved you, which complicated things..."
"Why are you doing this? We've treated you well, raised you with love..." Catherine's voice was filled with pain as she looked at Damien.
"Soren already told you. I'm a demon. Demons don't need reasons. I do what I want. I wanted to see tragedy unfold, and you two had the audacity to have another child! A great demon king can't have a brother to compete with for the throne," Damien said, his eyes flashing coldly as he looked at Catherine and Soren.
"Now, don't move. I need to adjust the positions to make this scene more realistic. Hmm... one gun isn't enough. I'll need a few more for it to look perfect..."
"Earth's technology has really improved lately. These guns are fantastic, no need to worry about bullet trajectory or anything..."
As Damien spoke, Soren, Catherine, and the others found their bodies no longer under their control. They moved like puppets at Damien's command, taking different positions in the cabin.
Handguns from the embassy staff's waists floated into the air, suspended at various angles, aimed at each person. They were all high-tech energy pistols, and they hovered ominously, pointed directly at each of them, preparing to fire.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Energy bullets whizzed through the air, lighting up the cabin as they raced toward their targets. Just as the deadly shots were about to hit Soren and the others, the energy bullets suddenly froze in mid-air.
Time seemed to stand still. The glowing projectiles hung suspended between life and death, casting an eerie glow in the cabin. Everyone stared in stunned disbelief, their breath caught in their throats. Even Damien's smug smile faltered as he realized something was terribly wrong.
"What... what's going on?" Damien's voice wavered, losing its usual cocky arrogance as he tried to understand why his carefully laid plans were unraveling. His control over the situation was slipping, and he didn't like it one bit.
Suddenly, a deep, powerful voice echoed throughout the cabin, seemingly coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. "You underestimated them, Damien."
Damien's eyes widened in shock and fear as the voice washed over him. His grip on the floating guns faltered, and the energy bullets dissipated, vanishing into thin air. He turned, scanning the cabin for the source of the voice, but saw nothing.
"You think you can play with people's lives, rewrite their stories like a puppet master?" the voice continued, dripping with authority. "But even a demon has its limits."
With that, the air around Damien grew heavy, and he felt an unseen force pushing down on him, pinning him in place. His powers, which moments ago seemed unstoppable, were suddenly useless.
"Who... who are you?!" Damien cried out, his voice tinged with desperation.
But no one answered him. Instead, the presence continued to crush his resistance, forcing him to his knees. For the first time, the self-proclaimed demon king was no longer in control.
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