Cthulhu America, I can see the kill line.

10 (X)?

A vision flashed through Kong Jiu's eyes.

That was when he was in the sewers, and Squiritch showed his front paws.

XIII.

A faint green light emerged from the brand on Squich's forepaw, flickering intermittently.

Squich once said that it was not only a symbol, but also a sacred number, and a symbol of the origin of its protection of human life.

Since "thirteen" carries such a profound concept, what about "ten"?

Does it also contain some hidden meaning unique to that existence?

A chilling thought crept into Kong Jiu's mind.

Could it be that some supreme being is secretly conducting rituals related to sacred numbers in Xinxiang?

Kong Jiu clearly remembered the respectful, even fearful, expression on Eller's face when facing Squich.

He understood that although Squich was very casual when communicating with him, the power it possessed was far beyond his comprehension.

If such a person also exists in Xinxiang...

If this being is implementing a plan that requires ten sacrifices to achieve its goal...

Now, have nine of the ten sacrifices been completed?

A chill ran down his spine, Kong Jiu's face paled slightly, and a hint of unease flashed in his eyes.

"I feel like my guess is right..."

Kong Jiu stared at the blood-red X, his eyes growing increasingly uneasy.

No, we must be vigilant whenever possible!

Kong Jiu's expression grew increasingly uneasy. He then turned to the two women and said, "I have a very bad feeling and I must report it to ICE immediately."

"Need a phone?" Viper pulled out the phone that could make subspace communications.

Kong Jiu took it and dialed Betty's hotline.

"Viper, what do you want now..." Betty's voice came from the other end.

"It is I, Kong Jiu."

Kong Jiu interrupted her, his brows furrowed and his tone anxious.

"There's no time for details, Betty. Contact ICE immediately and investigate any signs of sectarian activity related to the sacred number 'ten' in the Xinxiang area, including their symbolic meaning and purpose. I'm coming to find you now; we'll discuss this further when we meet!"

"Sacred Numbers? How do you know the top secrets of the Summoning Department...?"

Before Betty could finish speaking, Kong Jiu hung up the phone.

He quickly put on his winter coat and gave Viper and Mina a wink.

"Hurry, time is running out."

……

Lixin Township, Red Square Hall.

It was daytime, during a truce. Many of the spirits belonging to the Summoning Department were still busy with their own affairs in various parts of Lixin Township. There were no translucent spirits here to read messages, making it seem empty.

Betty remained seated at the bar, her neck and neck shrouded in smoke.

Watching Kong Jiu's hurried figure approach, she quickly stood up, her tone tinged with a hint of probing:

"I thought you were here to question me about revealing your information to Mina. I can explain that while Red Team Betty carries my memories, her will is not entirely aligned with mine..."

"Now is not the time to talk about these things."

Kong Jiu strode across the hall, almost running to Betty, and slapped a newly printed map of Xinxiang onto the bar.

His fingers eagerly traced the locations marked in red on the map.

Canal Street, Bowery Street slum, Titan Building... these locations where shriveled corpses once appeared, when connected together, form a huge "X".

Kong Jiu tapped the marks on the map heavily with his fingertips, his voice slightly hoarse from the rush.

"Betty, haven't those ICE agents who call themselves the 'Magic and Holy Grail Enforcement Bureau' ever considered this possibility? 'X' might not be a letter, but a number?"

Betty remained silent for a moment, her face obscured by smoke, making it difficult to discern her expression.

She lowered her head slightly, looking at the map that was almost right in front of her eyes, her voice a little softer than usual.

"no."

She gently took the map, the smoke from it trembling slightly with her movement.

"For over a century, ICE has consistently denied the existence of psychic powers, making it difficult for us to recruit outstanding talents like Abel."

Concepts like "sacred numbers" now only exist in the records of the highest levels of the Summoning Department. No one would consider such ethereal things, since those techniques have long been lost, and the success rate is less than one in ten million.

"But what if...it succeeds?"

Kong Jiu stared intently at Betty's eyes, which were formed from condensed smoke and had no physical form, as if trying to pierce through the fog to see the truth.

What exactly does 'X' represent? What will it bring?

Betty didn't answer immediately. She silently took out a crystal from her uniform pocket and infused it with a wisp of spiritual energy from her fingertip.

A dreamlike mist gradually rose from the surface of the crystal, swirling and condensing until a picture finally emerged:

Ten X-shaped crosses floated above the churning sea of ​​blood. On each cross was a pale-skinned human figure, their limbs stretched and bound to the four ends of the X-shaped cross. They lowered their heads and stared at the surging waves of blood below.

"When you called just now, I immediately contacted the archivist and checked the records related to the sacred number 'ten'."

Betty held the crystal, her voice trembling slightly, "It represents restraint, law, and blood... it is the sacred number of the Blood God 'Ten Sons'."

"Ten Blood Sons? What's that?" Kong Jiu frowned as he looked at Mina.

Mina, a bloodline transmuter, shook her head blankly.

Viper, standing nearby, chimed in, "Weren't the Blood Ten long extinct? According to Amerigo Vespucci's historical records, hundreds of years ago, President Abel sealed away ten Blood Kings during the Civil War, completely severing this lineage."

Abel?

Kong Jiu was startled.

He seemed to have heard the name before—it was Eller! Eller had mentioned the name!

"It is true that Abel, the founder of ICE and the great President Abel, did indeed wipe out countless blood relatives."

Betty manipulated the smoke, causing the scene within the crystal to continue to shift, "But to completely annihilate the ten Blood Kings... is still too difficult for him."

In the video, a bearded man bravely plunges a wooden stake into the chests of several blood relatives, nailing them to an X-shaped cross.

However, as the smoke swirled, the man gradually aged and was eventually ambushed from behind by a pale-skinned blood descendant, collapsing into a pool of blood.

"The physical bodies of the ten Bloodline Kings were sealed and cast into a warp rift that can never be found. But their souls have always lingered in this land, waiting for their successors to summon them back into the world through the sacred ritual."

Betty spoke, dispelling the smoke from the crystal, and nervously put it back into her pocket, then took out a report.

"The minister confirmed that although there is no existing deity corresponding to the sacred number 'X,' the concept of it has not been annihilated. Summoning it through a specific ritual... is indeed possible."

"Of course I know it's possible!"

Kong Jiu couldn't help but interrupt her; his patience was almost exhausted. He braced his hands on the edge of the bar, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

"Betty, I don't want history, I don't want the origins, I want the consequences! What will happen if the ritual succeeds? And who in Xinxiang might perform this kind of ritual? And how exactly can the ritual be made successful?"

Kong Jiu impatiently threw out a stack of files.

"Nine! Nine lives lost in a case where the prestigious ICE couldn't even imagine a tenth? If the hypothesis of the Holy Number is true, even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance of a tenth case, what kind of monstrous sea of ​​blood would be unleashed if the concept representing X were to return to the world?"

Kong Jiu stared aggressively at Betty, the agent. He simply couldn't believe that these elites of the Magic and Holy Grail Enforcement Bureau could be so indifferent to the people.

"You mean, someone is using sacred numbers to perform a ritual to summon ten souls?" Betty was silent for a few seconds, the outline formed by the smoke undulating slightly.

She finally connected these nine cases with the sacred numbers described by Kong Jiu.

"No, it shouldn't be... All Americans of blood have already sworn a blood oath with the federal government. Under the Iron Curtain, how could they possibly harbor rebellious thoughts..."

Betty muttered in a low voice.

"Under the Iron Curtain?"

Kong Jiu keenly caught a key word.