At the end of the shadowy corridor stood a pitch-black door.
Was there really a basement?
Vanessa's shock was immeasurable. She had lost count of how many times she had been stunned that night.
Never mind where that bizarre axe had come from—how much strength did it take to smash through half a meter of solid concrete in one swing?
After so many shocks, her face had gone numb.
Only her gaze toward Ryan grew increasingly peculiar.
"Wait here. I'll go down and check."
Ryan studied the door at the end of the hall.
Its entire surface gleamed silver, either because it was forged from pure silver or because it was heavily plated with it.
In Western culture, silver symbolizes purity and divinity and is believed to ward off darkness and evil.
Unfortunately, whoever crafted this door had used ordinary silver.
Its spirit-repelling properties were weak.
It might have worked against weaker spirits, but it was useless against the true evil lurking below.
Otherwise, so many people wouldn't have died in this villa over the years.
Clearly, the original owner knew something was wrong with the basement.
That's why they built this door and sealed the entrance entirely.
As for their fate?
The villa had changed hands multiple times. The original owner was likely long dead.
Now, the door had even corroded black from the malevolence behind it.
"Mhm."
Vanessa nodded quickly and took her daughter outside.
The oppressive aura weighing on them vanished the moment they stepped outside.
"Mommy, what's the uncle doing inside?"
The little girl hugged her legs and looked up with innocent curiosity.
"He's cleaning."
Vanessa forced a smile, though worry gnawed at her.
Please let nothing go wrong.
---
"Someone really went all out with this setup."
Ryan descended the stairs and stopped before the blackened door.
Thick chains bound it shut, and a large cross was carved into its surface, surrounded by engraved Bible verses.
The intent was good, but the materials were lacking.
CRASH!
Ryan swung the axe.
The chains snapped and the door split open.
A surge of malevolent energy rushed out, strong enough to make Ryan frown.
It wasn't even Halloween yet.
If they waited until then, the dark power here would multiply.
Dealing with the source would be a matter of life or death.
Flick. Flick. Flick.
Ryan chanted a spell and wove hand signs.
A sphere of light bloomed, illuminating the entire basement.
"Light Cantrip."
It was a beginner's trick—barely even magic.
Its only function was to light an area for ten minutes.
As the darkness receded, Ryan sucked in a sharp breath.
The basement was damp and untouched by sunlight for years.
It was vast, easily over a hundred square meters, with a bloodstained operating table at its center.
The floor was covered in dried, blackened bloodstains.
Glass jars containing transparent liquid lined the shelves that were set against the walls.
Human organs and limbs floated inside them.
Hiss!!
How many people had to die to collect this many organs?
At least several dozen.
And these were just the ones he could see.
Ryan approached the operating table and spotted a yellowed journal on a nearby desk.
He flipped through it.
The diary belonged to a doctor.
According to the entries, a top surgeon named Pitman bought this villa and spent a fortune renovating it.
Life had been perfect until he lost his prestigious job.
To maintain his wife's extravagant lifestyle, Pitman turned to illegal work.
The U.S. had banned abortions under any circumstances for a long time.
Pitman converted the basement into an operating room where he performed illegal abortions on wealthy celebrities and their mistresses in exchange for hefty payments.
At first, everything went smoothly. But then tragedy struck.
Pitman had aborted the child of a powerful tycoon's mistress—a child the tycoon had desperately wanted.
Consumed by vengeance, the tycoon hired a local gang to kidnap Pitman's three-year-old son.
Three days later, the boy's dismembered organs were delivered to Pitman's home, preserved in glass jars.
Driven mad with grief, Pitman became obsessed with finding a way to resurrect his son.
He delved into biology, ancient rituals, and dark sorcery, determined to bring his son back to life.
Shockingly, Pitman was a genius—he actually succeeded.
After over a decade of research, he stitched together human organs and restored them to life.
However, when the resurrection ritual was complete, it wasn't his son that emerged.
It was an evil spirit in the form of a monster.
---