Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

16:01.

The coffee shop near the psychological counseling clinic.

Du Wei and Officer Tom sat in the corner by the window.

On the table in front of them were three photos of dead bodies.
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The photos were taken in different locations: a garbage heap, a hallway, and at home.

What was the same was that each body was Asian, and their appearance somewhat resembled Du Wei.

"The locations where the bodies were found started at the border between North Brook District and Orlando Area, and then, like arrows, they extended towards your home, Mr. Du Wei. I think this might be targeted at you,"

"Also, take a look at this."

Tom looked at Du Wei, who sat across from him with an expressionless face, then took out his cell phone, opened the saved surveillance video, and handed it to him.

Du Wei took the cell phone, and his gaze was immediately drawn to the surveillance video.

The surveillance video was black and white and a bit blurry due to lighting issues, with the location being inside a hallway.

First, an Asian man appeared in the hallway, leaning against the wall and smoking cigarette after cigarette.

He did look a bit like Du Wei, but he was shorter, and his demeanor was dejected, not at all the same type.

After thinking for a moment, Du Wei narrowed his eyes and fast-forwarded the video.

Suddenly, a tall man in a raincoat, holding a sharp dagger, stepped into the hallway step by step.

His pace was strange, not like that of a normal person walking, or like someone with a leg disability, but rather more mechanical and stiff.

Because of the angle, Du Wei couldn't see the man's face, only that the Asian man, who looked a lot like him, was instantly startled when he appeared.

That panicked, terrified look was as if he had seen a ghost.

The cigarette fell from the Asian man's hand, and he violently ran backwards.

Then, the man holding the dagger suddenly thrust it forward.

The dagger pierced straight through the Asian man's back and chest, and blood instantly covered the floor.

Next, the man walked up to the Asian man who was on the ground, trembling, with a stiff neck, pulled out the dagger and placed it under his chin, and gently made a cut.

Blood gushed out in an instant, but in the black-and-white footage, one could only see a large amount of fluid spilling out, spreading gradually on the floor, and slowly creeping down the stairs of the hallway.

Then, the tall man in the raincoat walked away.

At this point, the video progress bar had reached the end, and Du Wei was about to hand the phone back to Tom, but just then, the surveillance video suddenly started playing again.

But this time, it seemed to be in reverse...

The man in the raincoat, walking backwards step by step, returned to the surveillance camera and abruptly lifted his head.

In an instant, a gaunt face with eyes gouged out and hexagram patterns appeared on the screen.

Is this thing an Evil Spirit? But it seems related to the Veda Sect...

Du Wei pondered to himself, his gaze unnervingly calm, as if he hadn't seen a thing.

He shielded the screen with his hand while asking Tom, "At the end of this video, does a face appear?"

Tom looked at him in surprise, "No, isn't it just the killer leaving at the end of the video?"

Du Wei nodded in understanding and said softly, "This is related to those cultists. It seems they've conjured something like an Evil Spirit and want to kill me."

Tom frowned and said, "Because of what?"

Du Wei shook his head and said, "I'm not sure of the specific reason, but this thing has probably set its eyes on me now, and I estimate it will come for me tonight."

"What?"

Tom's face changed immediately and he said, "I will arrange for someone to protect you. These damn cultists should be sent straight to hell."

Du Wei looked at Tom and said indifferently, "No need, ordinary people can't handle this kind of thing. I will deal with it myself. If you really want to help me, you should take care of the aftermath once it's all over."

Tom, troubled, said, "Are you sure you can handle it? It seems like it has a physical form?"

Du Wei smiled faintly, "Of course I can."

As he said this, his heart was cold. These cultists were like rats hiding in the dark sewers, fond of scurrying about, not only revolting but also terrifyingly fanatical.

If possible, this time he planned to give them a surprise.

Seeing Du Wei's insistence, Tom could only helplessly say, "Alright then, I'll leave it to the professionals. You're an exorcist, so I'll stay out of this."

As he spoke, it seemed he recalled something and added another sentence, "By the way, a wealthy man named Alex reported your disappearance to the police, and some of my subordinates told me that it seems you made a trip to the Hill Psychiatric Hospital?"

Du Wei hummed in acknowledgment and said, "Yes, there was an Evil Spirit incident there. I went with the church's exorcists, and we've already resolved it."

Tom spoke with a strange expression, "Well, your way of resolving things is really violent. Half of the psychiatric hospital was burned down in a fire, and the director's head was twisted off. It hasn't been found yet, and the way he died is exactly like those cultists."

"Also, a mentally ill patient named Ryan has gone missing."

Hearing this, Du Wei furrowed his brows. After some thought, he said, "I think I understand. Are you investigating Ryan's whereabouts?"

Tom sighed and said, "Of course we are, and we've even gotten some information from another mental patient."

"He said a group of people entered his mansion without permission, claiming the mansion belonged to his dearest woman and took Ryan away..."

Du Wei felt a headache coming on. Although Ryan had nothing to do with him and was still a mentally ill patient, he had helped him, after all.

But at the moment, his fate was unknown.

He closed his eyes and thought calmly.

Those people must have appeared after he and James and the others had left; otherwise, Father Tony would have mentioned it on the phone.

That meant a group had been keeping an eye on what was happening at the psychiatric hospital.

Was it the Veda Sect... or some other organization?

With insufficient information, Du Wei could not make many useful deductions.

Perhaps Father Tony knew something, but he could not go to the church now, nor did he want to contact Father Tony.

Because the Evil Spirit Transformation had not stabilized, there was a chance he could expose himself in public.

If Father Tony discovered he was a hunter capable of Evil Spirit Transformation, considering the church's stance, they probably wouldn't give this "excellent" exorcist any leeway.

"Let it be for now..."

He stood up and said calmly to Tom.

Tom shrugged and said, "Well... I'll inform you if there's any news. When do you think you'll take care of that Evil Spirit? I'm probably going to the Red Light District on duty today and might only have some free time tonight."

Du Wei asked in surprise, "Are you sure you're going to the Red Light District on duty? And not for something else?"

Tom touched his nose and said sheepishly, "How could I possibly be going for anything else? As a New York police officer, it's my duty to crack down on the unsavory elements there. Besides, there have been too many cases lately, and we need some action to divert the public's attention."

"Actually, I don't really want to go personally, but recently, every time I get off work, my beautiful neighbor has been looking at me longingly from her third-floor window. I'd really like something to happen with her, so the Red Light District isn't that appealing to me anymore."

Du Wei didn't know what to say and could only nod and reply, "I'll probably take care of that thing tonight. I'll call you then."