Chapter 270 — The Clown in the Town (Part 7)
"Demolish the house?" Chief Rell looked puzzled.
"That's right." Gideon nodded.
He then turned to face the officers and the children, giving what was essentially a crash course in "anti-horror awareness" for North Americans.
"Old houses like this have complex internal structures. On top of that, the materials have degraded over time."
He pointed behind him.
"If we go in recklessly, we might disrupt the internal balance and cause a collapse."
"More importantly—we're cautious because we know there's a monster inside."
"But without that knowledge, it becomes easy for it to exploit us."
"For example—children might see something abnormal, while adults dismiss it as fear."
Chief Rell nodded thoughtfully.
"So… that's why the adults in town never noticed the clown?"
Gideon raised an eyebrow, slightly impressed.
"There are supernatural elements involved, but… yes, you can think of it that way."
"I understand now. Thank you, Father Gideon."
Rell's tone turned serious.
"That explains many inconsistencies in past testimonies."
Seeing everyone become more alert, Gideon nodded in satisfaction.
He picked up a chain and walked to the gate, placing a holy statue at his feet.
Buzz—
A faint white glow spread across the ground.
Something unseen in the air seemed to disperse.
Everyone stared in shock.
Suddenly—
The weeds in the yard began thrashing wildly.
The front door of the wooden house creaked open, and a freezing wind surged out.
But everything stopped abruptly at the boundary of the holy statue.
A sacred domain—
no evil could cross it.
Once the energy stabilized, Gideon moved forward.
Soon, chains were wrapped around the entire house.
On the road, Chief Rell personally drove the heavy vehicle.
With a thunderous crash—
Dust filled the air.
Gideon had expected it would take four pulls to bring the house down.
But after just one support beam snapped, the entire structure collapsed—
Ending decades of decay in an instant.
"Once the dust settles, we can go in," Rell said, jumping down.
"Not yet," Gideon replied, walking over.
"There's still overgrown grass in the yard. We need to burn it clean."
"B-Burn it?"
Rell blinked, his expression turning strange.
Selling goods with police cars… demolishing property… now arson?
As a law officer, he suddenly felt like he'd turned into a criminal.
Are these kids going to grow up the wrong way…?
Still, he didn't stop it.
Gideon had already grabbed gasoline, soaked wooden sticks, lit them—
—and tossed them into the yard.
Whoosh—
Flames spread instantly.
Crackling sounds filled the air.
The boys were excited.
Working with police and a priest like this felt thrilling.
Beverly, meanwhile, watched Gideon closely.
She had never seen a priest this… bold.
In the shadows of the ruins—
A pair of pale yellow eyes glared outward.
Hatred burned within them.
Pennywise flexed its newly regenerated hand.
After a moment's thought—
It vanished into the darkness.
Half an hour later, the fire was extinguished.
The land was left in ruins—
But the oppressive, twisted atmosphere was gone.
Gideon instructed everyone to stay outside.
Only he and Judy would proceed.
Rell understood—ordinary people would only become liabilities.
He nodded and told them to be careful.
Before entering, Gideon gave one final warning:
"The clown's influence has lingered in this town for a long time."
"There may still be residual energy."
"You might encounter abnormalities—"
"Judy and I returning suddenly… or seeing someone close to you…"
He listed dozens of possible scenarios—
Covering nearly every situation.
Then gave instructions on how to respond.
"Let's go."
Gideon patted Judy's shoulder.
The two stepped into the yard.
Behind them, the children and Rell looked exhausted.
"I… I feel more tired than reciting scripture…" Stanley muttered.
Rell lit a cigarette.
"No… this is worse than an investigation."
"I can't imagine what happens to the monsters he 'purifies.'"
Inside the ruins
Near the charred doorway, Gideon took out a [Smiling Mask] and handed it to Judy.
"What is this?" she asked.
"An exorcism tool. It protects your mind from corruption."
Pennywise could distort the human soul.
So Gideon needed to ensure Judy's safety.
"Remember—don't take it off until the purification is complete."
"Got it!" Judy nodded seriously.
Gideon didn't mention the side effects.
No need to burden her mentally.
Though… he was a little curious about what would happen.
"First, cleanse the area. Then find an entrance underground."
But Judy didn't respond.
Gideon turned—
She was standing still.
The mask had already merged with her face.
Outwardly, she looked the same.
Then—
She tilted her head back and inhaled deeply.
"Fresh… such a fresh scent of evil spirits."
Her voice had become low and unsettling.
Gideon handed her some holy artifacts.
She grabbed them—
Then said coldly:
"You can leave now."
"…Leave?"
Gideon twitched.
That personality shift is insane.
Before he could react—
Judy had already dashed off.
Gideon followed cautiously.
The once gentle girl was now sprawled across broken boards—
Completely disregarding her appearance.
"It's here… I can smell it…"
She licked her lips, caressing the wood.
"Where are you… Mr. Clown?"
"Come out. I can't wait to play with you."
"…Her soul is stable. Just strong side effects from the mask."
Gideon nodded to himself.
Since she was fine, he resumed his work.
After some time—
The surface purification was complete.
Then—
Judy's voice rang out:
"I found you!"
Gideon rushed over.
She was kneeling beside an old well.
It wasn't large.
Located beneath what used to be the house.
Only revealed after the collapse.
Judy leaned over the edge—
Her face pressed against it—
Even kissing the rim occasionally.
"…Maybe I should take the mask off," Gideon muttered.
If her parents saw this—
They'd probably beat him with a cross.
Before he could decide—
Judy suddenly jumped.
Gideon instantly appeared at the edge.
Looking down—
She was descending rapidly, using the narrow walls with agile movements.
He had noticed before—
The mask allowed users to fully utilize their physical abilities.
But that didn't guarantee safety.
Golden patterns appeared in Gideon's eyes.
He saw abnormal energy floating within the well—
And wind rising from below.
This leads somewhere.
This was the entrance to the lair he'd been searching for.
Without hesitation—
He tossed down a bottle of holy water—
Then jumped.
Boom!
He landed steadily at the bottom.
Dust rose.
The walls resembled a cave—
But faint metal structures could still be seen.
This was clearly part of Derry's underground drainage system.
The air was damp—
Filled with rot and decay.
"Judy?"
Using his Holy Sight, Gideon scanned the area—
And quickly spotted footprints leading in one direction.
Here is the refined English translation of this intense continuation:
Gideon immediately followed the trail.
Before long, the space ahead suddenly opened up—
A vast underground chamber appeared before him.
It was piled high with mountains of garbage.
Broken bicycles, torn sofas, scattered shoes…
It was even more chaotic than Derry's waste transfer station.
But something was… off.
None of it felt stable.
A large sofa would suddenly shrink to the size of a toy—
Then moments later return to normal.
A pair of ordinary shoes would swell to the size of a television.
Even stranger—
None of these objects fully touched the ground.
They floated in midair.
Gideon reached out and lightly touched one of the shoes.
The next instant—
It bounced away effortlessly, as if weightless.
He narrowed his eyes.
The holy light barrier around him had already been activated.
After walking a few more steps—
Light suddenly filtered down from above.
He looked up—
And saw a breathtaking sight.
Above him was a massive vertical shaft.
Light streamed down through a metal grate.
Below—
A towering mountain of garbage, dozens of meters high.
But what truly caught his attention—
Was what surrounded it.
Bodies.
Floating in midair around the garbage mountain—
Children.
Some looked fifteen or sixteen.
Some were mere infants.
But every single one of them—
Was dead.
"…Don't come closer… please…"
"…I'm… hungry…"
Countless voices suddenly echoed in Gideon's ears.
He frowned—
And realized something horrifying.
The garbage mountain wasn't just trash.
At its peak—
Were piles of bones and severed limbs.
The souls of these children were trapped there.
Bound by dense, malicious energy.
They had died unjustly—
And been imprisoned by Pennywise.
Unable to pass on—
They were slowly transforming into evil spirits.
Gideon's expression darkened.
If this many malicious spirits were released—
It would easily escalate into a disaster-level event.
Tick… tick…
A music box on the ground suddenly began to turn.
Then—
A shrill voice echoed from the base of the garbage mountain:
"Intruder…"
"Thief…"
"You took something from Pennywise…"
"You… will die."
The next moment—
The base of the garbage mountain split open.
Inside—
Was a small stage.
Backdrops. Curtains.
And standing at the center—
The clown.
Gideon, by contrast—
Had become the "audience."
A bizarre, upbeat tune began to play.
Pennywise started dancing along to the rhythm.
But its face was cold.
Its eyes locked onto Gideon.
A few seconds later—
The music stopped.
Gideon looked unimpressed.
"The environment stinks."
"The music is tasteless."
"And your dance moves are painfully basic."
"Even grandmas in the park dance better than you."
"In conclusion…"
He casually wrote in the air:
OUT.
Silence filled the space.
Then—
Pennywise's face twisted into fury.
It leapt from the stage—
Charging straight at Gideon.
Bang!
Its claws slammed into a holy light barrier.
It opened its mouth wide—
Rows of sharp teeth gleaming.
Deep in its throat—
Three glowing orbs spun rapidly.
At the same time—
Garbage all around began to float into the air.
Everything—
Except the ground beneath Gideon's feet.
The next moment—
A wave of energy blasted from the clown's mouth.
But—
The moment it touched the barrier—
It disintegrated.
Even Pennywise's hand began to burn.
"Attempting to attack the judge during the performance," Gideon said calmly.
"You're disqualified."
He pulled out a cross—
And drove it into the clown's chest.
Thud—
Pennywise was blasted backward—
Like a deflated balloon drifting through the air—
Before crashing to the ground.
Looks like Judy hasn't been captured, Gideon thought.
Otherwise, the clown would have already used her as leverage.
As if proving his thought—
A figure appeared near where the clown landed.
Judy.
Expressionless.
Walking slowly toward Pennywise.
The clown had just managed to pull the cross out—
When it met her gaze.
A smile crept onto its lips.
"Seriously… is this a flag?" Gideon cursed inwardly.
"I was just stating facts!"
In the next instant—
Pennywise lunged forward—
Dragging Judy into its grasp.
Its hand tightened around her throat.
"Hehehe… Father," it sneered.
"What will you choose now?"
Gideon gripped his cross tightly—
But his expression turned… strange.
"I think…"
"The one who needs to make a choice… is you."
Pennywise frowned.
It looked down—
Judy was staring back at it.
Smiling faintly.
"Mr. Clown…"
"I finally found you."
Pennywise didn't understand—
But remembering Gideon's unpredictability—
It immediately opened its mouth—
Revealing the glowing orbs in its throat.
"Ah… such a beautiful piece of art," it said.
"I'll make sure to treasure it."
But suddenly—
Shock flashed across its eyes.
Its power—
Had failed.
And Judy—
Broke into a delighted smile.