Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

Hawaii.

Lorraine's fingers pressed on the location of the islands scattered in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Her fingertips were slightly white, as if she were pressing on a wound she dared not let go of.

"These seventeen purple zones were marked out by countless lives," Ed said in a hoarse voice.

"Every time we confirm a location, we lose several reconnaissance teams, or an entire squad of exorcists."

Ed stopped.

Jianzi noticed that Ed's hands were trembling slightly.

It's the kind of uncontrollable trembling that comes when someone who has been overworked for a long time can finally take a short break from their burden.

"But." Ed raised his eyes, and on his face, etched with the wrinkles of time and darkness, appeared an expression that Jianzi had never seen on anyone else's face.

It was a strange expression mixed with fear and horror.

"That's not all."

"These evils, which are beyond human comprehension, are merely the tides before the great wave."

Lorraine closed her eyes, as if trying to dig out something from the depths of her memory that shouldn't be remembered.

"These things are merely the ripples before the awakening of something ancient."

Jianzi felt the temperature in the conference room suddenly drop several degrees.

As a cultivator born with the ability to see ghosts, Miko has experienced countless supernatural events in Japan.

Her teacher, Shen Jue, was almost a deity walking among humans.

Even now, Jianzi still felt a deep chill creep up her spine.

"Something's about to wake up," Shen Jue said, looking at the map.

"Based on my perception, that thing should be sleeping underground in accordance with an ancient sealing contract."

"But now, that thing is about to awaken."

"Indeed," Ed said respectfully, his fear gone, "Nothing can escape your sun-like eyes."

Shen Jue's eyes were calm as still water, and his floral shirt still looked out of place under the cold white lights of the conference hall.

But faint sparks of electricity appeared at his fingertips, producing extremely subtle crackling sounds in the air.

Ed organized all the files and put them back into the leather briefcase engraved with protective runes.

His movements were slow, as if he were sorting through a pile of extremely heavy stones.

"We don't know what it is," Ed said.

"We don't know where it came from, or how long it has been dormant deep within the Earth's crust."

"I don't know why it's starting to wake up now."

"We don't even know how big it is," Lorraine added in a low voice.

"There's no need to worry too much," Shen Jue said, interlacing her fingers, "because I'm here."

"Let's start with New York."

"Sweep away these demons, evil spirits, ghosts and such."

"That's exactly why I came here."

Shen Jue said softly, "Otherwise, why would I be here?"

Ed and Lorraine stood up from their chairs at the same time.

"Emperor of the Sun." Ed spoke in Chinese with a heavy accent, but every word seemed to be dug out from the depths of his chest.

"We...we've waited too long."

"Your feats of capturing a dragon with one hand in China and slaying a nine-tailed fox that feeds on resentment in Japan are known to everyone from Northern Ireland to Southern Africa."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Lorraine said, "We have lost so many people."

"Exorcists, church priests, witch hunters, and many other righteous and courageous people."

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

Shen Jue remained silent.

The miniature solar halo behind him steadily emitted a warm, golden light.

In the eyes of cultivators, the halo behind Shen Jue neutralized the cold white lights of the conference hall, transforming them into a color close to dusk.

"OK."

"Then let's get to work," Shen Jue said.

Ed took a deep breath.

A fine sheen of tears appeared in the corner of his eye, but he quickly wiped his eyes with his injured hand, as if wiping away sweat.

"Thank you." His voice steadied, and he returned to being the man revered as "Daddy" in the American exorcism community.

"I can't speak for all of humanity in America, but I speak for Lorraine and me, for our family, and for every friend we've buried with our own hands..."

"No need," Shen Jue said, raising her hand to interrupt him.

The gesture was very light, but Ed felt as if an invisible hand had pressed down on his shoulder, and his words came to an abrupt halt.

"Save your thanks. I'm not here to do charity." Shen Jue tilted her head, her gaze passing over Ed's shoulder to the closed door of the conference hall, and the faint, still ongoing singing and cheering that could be heard outside.

"Speaking of which, who arranged the welcoming ceremony outside?"

Ed paused for a moment.

The turn of events was so sudden that it took him two seconds to recover from his previous emotions.

"Uh." Ed and Lorraine exchanged a glance, and then his expression underwent a subtle change.

He went from a tough guy on the verge of tears to a slightly awkward middle-aged man.

"This is...a rather long story."

"I have plenty of time," Shen Jue said.

Ed coughed.

"Commissioner Smith," he said, his tone carrying a complex mix of emotions.

There was helplessness, a mix of amusement and exasperation, a subtle gratitude, and a clear sense of resignation that "this matter will have to be explained sooner or later."

"This matter was proposed and fully overseen by Commissioner Smith."

Shen Jue raised an eyebrow.

"Commissioner Smith?"

"This commissioner's name... seems to be widely known throughout the world?"

"CIA Special Operations Division, Smith," Lorraine replied, her lips twitching involuntarily.

He claimed to be... an expert on China.

"China expert." Shen Jue repeated the three words, his tone subtle.

"Yes." Ed closed his eyes, as if trying to gather some courage for himself.

"His business card inside the CIA listed his title as 'Joint Commissioner for East Asian Affairs and Paranormal Threat Response'."

"But on another business card he made for himself, it said..."

"The Sun Emperor's kindness is never-ending!"

Shen Jue listened to Ed's description and remained silent for a few seconds.

"This Commissioner Smith," he finally spoke, a rare and genuine hint of bewilderment in his voice.

"Is he sure he's not a North Korea expert?"

"Did he also choose the background music?" Shen Jue continued to ask.

"Yes," Ed said. "He said that song best represents the Chinese cultural message of winter turning into spring and light triumphing over darkness."

"Commissioner Smith went to great lengths to persuade the government to adopt the song and to gather girls from all over the country, owing many favors in the process."

Shen Jue's lips tightened.

"Is there anything else?" Shen Jue asked.

"There's something else really interesting," Lorraine said.

"That Commissioner Smith always claims that you shot down a nine-tailed fox in the sky with a pebble in Japan."

"He described it very vividly and clearly."

An eerie silence fell over the conference room.

Jianzi covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling slightly.

The silk scarf around her neck swayed gently as she suppressed a laugh, the runes on it flashing as if they were glowing in sync with her breathing.

"This Commissioner Smith." Shen Jue said the name for the second time, his tone more subtle than the first.

"That's very interesting."

"But actually, I beat that fox to death with my fists, punch by punch."

"Although the large formation that was set up did have some effect."

"I'll see you," Shen Jue said.

"Yes...yes, teacher." Jianzi tried her best to stand up straight; she had been holding back her laughter so hard she was bent over.

"Ready to depart."

"Now?" Jianzi hesitated for a moment. "Aren't we going to eat first?"

"Let Commissioner Smith eat for us," Shen Jue said, raising her chin.

"I think Commissioner Smith has quite an appetite."

"He can eat any amount."

Ed and Lorraine took a step forward at the same time.

"What equipment do you need? We can contact the military immediately."

"Equipment?" Shen Jue looked down at his floral shirt, then at the New York City outside the window, and thought for a moment.

Then he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

Just moments later, Shen Jue and Jian Zi had changed clothes inside the airport.

Beside Shen Jue, a dark brown leather gun belt appeared at his waist, with a holster hanging on the belt, inside which was an oversized revolver.

He put on dark gray canvas overalls, tucking the cuffs into a pair of brown cowboy boots.

The spurs on the heels reflected a dim silver light under the lamp.

Finally, a black Stetson cowboy hat appeared on his right hand, which he held up on his head with one hand, the brim casting a perfectly placed shadow on his face.

Shen Jue looked down at his attire, took the revolver out of its holster, and twirled it between his fingers.

The gun body was matte black, the barrel was longer than that of a regular revolver, and the grip was engraved with fine runes that were flowing at an extremely slow speed, like some kind of living thing.

The magazine contained six bullets, each with a primer that glowed with a pale golden light.

This is the Witcher Rune Revolver that Ed chose for Shen Jue, a special church-supplied weapon.

Jianzi changed into a light brown denim shirt with a dark red square scarf tied around her neck.

He paired it with dark brown leather riding breeches, with two rows of fine rivets along the seams.

The canvas shoes were replaced with dark brown denim ankle boots.

Next came the belt, the holster, a light gray Stetson cowboy hat that was a size smaller than Shen Jue's, and finally the silk scarf around Jian Zi's neck.

The scarf itself remained unchanged; it was a protective magic item that Shen Jue had personally crafted using the fur of a nine-tailed fox.

Shen Juezhen then made a scarf for Jianzi using the fur of a nine-tailed fox.

As for Shen Jue's protective artifact made from that evil dragon?

It has already been thrown back to China by Shen Jue and is regarded as one of the nation's most important treasures by Chinese cultivators.

Seeing Zi turn around in place, she touched the holster at her waist, where a revolver was also inserted, only shorter than Shen Jue's, and the runes on the handle were more intricate.

After saying goodbye to Ed and his wife, the two left the airport and arrived in the bustling city of New York.

"Let's go." Shen Jue didn't wait for her to finish speaking before stepping onto the streets of New York.

"Teacher, where are we going?" Jianzi followed behind him, her cowboy boots making a rhythmic clattering sound on the cement ground.

"Let's take a look at the different neighborhoods in New York first," Shen Jue said.

"This city appears prosperous and peaceful on the surface, but if you look closely with your own eyes..."

"You're sure to see those disgusting things in the corner."

Jianzi paused for a moment.

Her eyes, those naturally formed yin-yang eyes that had been opened without any later cultivation.

Now, after practicing the cultivation method taught by Shen Jue, his eyes have been enhanced by Jian Zi to the point of being almost supernatural!

She reached out and pulled down the brim of her cowboy hat, then took a deep breath and infused her eyes with a wisp of the Great Sun Magic that Shen Jue could hardly bear to look at.

The perspective has changed.

The Statue of Liberty's protective glow still envelops the entire city of New York.

The protective shield woven from the power of human faith burning on the torch is warm and bright.

But beneath that golden light, between those skyscrapers, and in the gaps between those bustling streets.

Jianzi saw something else.

Some shadows, like eerie black lines, lurked and drifted within the barrier.

Seeing that her breathing had unconsciously quickened a few beats.

She placed one hand on the holster at her waist, her fingertips touching the cool metal and warm runes on the grip of the revolver.

"You saw it?" Shen Jue's voice came from ahead.

"I saw it," Miko said, her voice much more steady than she had expected.

"They're hiding in the corner."

"Some of the smaller ones are hiding, but there are a few larger ones..."

She squinted, channeling more of the sparse power of the Great Sun into her eyes.

As the field of vision expanded further, Jianzi's gaze pierced through the reinforced concrete structure and through the thick darkness deep within the subway tunnel.

"Some are in the underground tunnels," Miko said. "Some are hiding at the edge of the barrier."

"And some of them even live among other people."

The shadow of Shen Jue's hat brim obscured the upper half of his face, revealing only a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

“Very good,” he said. “Then let’s start with the evil spirits that live among humans.”

Shen Jue and Jian Zi stopped in front of an old apartment building with a brown sandstone exterior.

This seven-story building is nestled between two bustling streets on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The iron frames of its fire escape are rusty, and the lights in the lobby on the first floor flicker.

Across the street is a popular bagel shop with a long queue of tourists taking photos with their phones, but no one gives this building a second glance.

"Teacher." Jianzi's yin-yang eyes had already locked onto the target. "There's something on the fourth floor, in the room near the fire escape."

"Hmm." Shen Jue pushed open the door of the apartment building without asking any further questions.

The stairwell was filled with the musty smell unique to old wooden buildings, mixed with disinfectant and some indescribable sweetness.

The sound of their cowboy boots clicking on the narrow stairs was like some kind of metronome.

At the corner on the third floor, a fluorescent light was flickering at an abnormal frequency, and between the flickering light and shadow, several shadows that did not belong to anyone appeared on the wall.

We've reached the fourth floor.

The corridor was long and narrow, with peeling wallpaper revealing blackened plaster underneath.

The fire escape window at the end of the corridor was covered with a layer of grayish-yellow grime, turning the sunlight that shone through into a murky, dark yellow.

Then Jianzi heard that voice.

Click, click, click.

It wasn't human footsteps, but the sound of plastic shoe soles striking hardwood floors.

Light and crisp, like a three- or four-year-old child taking its first steps.

This was followed by a burst of laughter.

A hoarse laugh, as if something was blocking its throat, came from a height where laughter shouldn't have been heard.

It's about forty centimeters off the ground, which is exactly the height of a toddler.

But there was no childlike innocence in that laughter, only a kind of malice that only adults possess, steeped in alcohol and violence.

A head peeked out from the shadows at the end of the corridor.