“Ding-dong!”
Just as Kent was wallowing in misery, the doorbell rang.
Who could possibly be visiting him at a time like this?
He opened the door and was surprised to find the TV host from two days ago standing outside, with a cat perched on his shoulder.
Liam wore a friendly smile.
Looking at him and then thinking about everything he had suffered over the past two days, Kent couldn’t help feeling a little jealous.
“What do you want? I already paid you for the birthday party, didn’t I?”
Seeing how exhausted Kent looked, Liam could tell the man had been through hell these past two days.
But that was fine.
Liam was here now.
He placed a hand on Kent’s shoulder and said enthusiastically, “I’m here about that clown costume. Don’t worry. I found an expert who can help you get rid of it.”
The words “get rid of it” alone were enough to make Kent light up.
He looked past Liam’s shoulder, but aside from a bear, he couldn’t see anyone else.
“Liam, where’s this expert you’re talking about?”
“Right here.”
Liam pointed at Lily on his shoulder.
Lily cooperatively let out a meow.
Now that she had left the forest, Lily didn’t want too many people knowing about her existence.
Liam, however, insisted that he shouldn’t take credit for the kitten’s work.
The result was the bizarre sight of him apparently having a conversation with an ordinary cat.
Kent finally lost his patience.
“You lunatic! Get away from my house!”
“No. It looks like the clown costume’s corruption has already started affecting your mind. Don’t worry. I’ll save you.”
With that, Liam hooked an arm around Kent and started dragging him inside.
“Let go of me! What the hell are you doing?”
Kent struggled desperately, grabbing Liam’s arm and trying to pry it loose.
To his shock, Liam was absurdly strong.
Even using all his strength, Kent couldn’t break the grip of a single hand.
Liam calmly hauled him into the living room and shoved him down onto the couch.
When he looked up, he found Meg standing there with a kitchen knife, while Jack hid behind her.
Liam gave them a friendly smile.
“Meg, Jack. Don’t be scared. I’m here to help.”
Kent struggled on the couch and shouted, “Meg, take Jack and run! He’s gone crazy!”
Meg immediately tightened her grip on the knife.
“Mr. Liam, don’t do anything you’ll regret. There has to be a reason you’re doing this, right?”
Nobody in the room seemed willing to cooperate, and Liam found himself getting frustrated.
Maybe he should just knock them all unconscious and deal with the clown costume afterward.
“Dad, I trust Liam.”
Kent and Meg both froze.
Jack continued, “Dad, Liam really is a good person. His show tells people a lot of truths. Even when everyone else doubts him, I still believe him.”
Jack’s words finally snapped Kent out of his agitation.
He had also begun to realize that something had been wrong with him over the past two days.
His emotions had been swinging wildly, nothing like his usual self.
“All right. If you trust him that much, I’ll give it a try.”
Then he looked at Liam.
“Mr. Liam, this costume has been tormenting me for days. If you really know how to get it off, please help me.”
Liam rubbed Jack’s head, genuinely pleased.
At last, his show was beginning to pay off.
Even something this small was enough to make him feel encouraged.
He looked at the kitten on his shoulder.
“Lily, what should we do about whatever’s attached to Kent?”
Lily meowed.
Liam nodded.
“Got it.”
Then he looked at Kent.
“Mr. Kent, do you have any cigarettes?”
Kent paused, then pulled a half-empty pack of Marlboros from his pocket and handed it over.
Liam took out the dozen or so cigarettes still inside and lit them all with his lighter.
He hesitantly took a puff.
“Cough! Cough! Cough!”
“First time trying this method. Sorry, I’m still getting the hang of it.”
After explaining himself, he took another puff.
Following Lily’s instructions, Liam didn’t inhale the smoke into his lungs.
He held it in his mouth instead, then slowly breathed it back out.
He repeated this several times until the living room was thick with smoke.
Next, Liam walked outside, pulled up a handful of grass from the lawn, and fetched some water from the kitchen.
He rubbed the grass and water together in his palms, essentially making some artificial dew, then sprinkled a little of it onto Kent’s face.
Finally, he drew in all the remaining smoke at once and blew it over Kent.
When that was done, Liam dipped his fingers into the dew and slapped Kent hard across the forehead.
“SMACK!”
The blow was so strong that Kent toppled off the couch and landed face-first on the carpet.
“Dad!”
Jack hurried over.
Kent slowly sat up, swaying slightly, his eyes unfocused.
“Who are you? Who am I?”
Then realization returned.
“Oh, right. I’m Kent, and you’re my son.”
The wig and red nose suddenly fell right off.
“Yes! I’m finally free!”
Kent was so overwhelmed that tears came to his eyes.
Liam immediately ruined the moment.
“Don’t celebrate yet. We still haven’t dealt with the main problem.”
He pulled Kent to his feet, lifted the collar of the clown costume, and examined it.
Sure enough, the edge of the collar had begun to wrinkle.
When Liam rubbed it between his fingers, a small gap appeared between the costume and Kent’s skin.
“Just as I thought. It worked!”
Liam shouted excitedly, and everyone around him cheered.
Then he started peeling the clown costume downward.
“AARRGH!”
Kent let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Liam leaned closer and saw that he had already managed to peel away a small section.
“Hang in there, buddy. Don’t be afraid of a little pain. We’re almost there.”
Kent immediately grabbed Liam’s hand.
“Wait! Mr. Liam, give me a second. I need to prepare myself.”
“Looks like the demon has already clouded his judgment.”
Liam turned to Meg and Jack.
“Come help me hold him down.”
Meg hesitated when she saw how much pain her husband was in.
Jack, however, didn’t hesitate at all.
He stepped forward and held his father down.
“Dad, hang in there! Don’t let the demon beat you!”
Hearing his son cheering him on, Kent’s pride as a father kicked in.
He gritted his teeth and looked at Liam.
“Mr. Liam, I’m ready. Tear it off.”
“That’s what I was waiting to hear.”
Liam grabbed the costume and yanked hard.
“NGH!”
Kent forced himself not to scream.
His entire face had turned bright red.
He looked at Jack.
“Your dad’s tough, huh?”
“You’re awesome, Dad!”
At his son’s praise, Kent managed a painfully distorted smile, then nodded at Liam.
“RIIIP!”
The sound of tearing fabric filled the room again and again.
Kent’s face went from red to purple, then finally pale white.
When Liam tore away the last piece of the clown costume, Kent finally reached his limit.
He collapsed to the floor.