New York, Queens, inside Chu Feng's Exorcism Agency office.
A week had passed since the last phone call with Boris.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the window, softening considerably.
Chu Feng sat in his office, smiling at his computer screen. In the center of the display, a mushroom cloud was majestically rising.
He picked up the glass of red wine from the desk and took a gentle sip. "Miss Mary Shaw, I hope you enjoy this gift from humanity."
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
After a series of light knocks, before Chu Feng could say anything, the doorknob turned with a CLICK as the lock core rotated.
Then the door was pushed open, and Taran, dressed in a pale blue skirt suit, entered, her low-heeled leather shoes making a CLACKING sound.
"You seem quite at ease, big boss..." Taran remarked, observing Chu Feng sitting leisurely in his chair, wine glass in hand.
Taran flicked her chestnut bob and, her heels CLACKING, walked to the front of the desk. She picked up a clean wine glass and poured herself a drink without asking.
After taking a light sip, she raised her arm and handed the docunt she was holding directly to Chu Feng.
"Take a look, my dear boss!"
Putting down his wine glass, Chu Feng casually took the docunt. "What's so important that it brings Manager Taran of our Exorcism Departnt all the way here?"
Listening to Chu Feng's teasing, Taran sipped her red wine. She shot her boss a look before lowering the glass from her lips to speak.
"What else could it be? A major client just contacted the agency. They're specifically requesting you and want a swift resolution."
"Oh?" Chu Feng raised an eyebrow at this and began to look through the docunt in his hand.
The client's identity, listed at the beginning of the docunt, made Chu Feng pause in surprise.
"San Francisco City Governnt?"
This seed to be the first governnt agency to commission an exorcism from his agency...
The federal governnt had previously enlisted Chu Feng's personal services to deal with the three Gate of Breaking Boundary incidents in Portland. That, however, was a private job, not one taken through the agency.
Demons? Where did these co from? Chu Feng wondered, reading the docunt. Then he rembered the demons that had slipped through the Gate of Breaking Boundary in Portland.
And those were only the ones Chu Feng had personally witnessed or knew about. As for how many had escaped when he wasn't there, that was even more uncertain.
Lifting the docunt, Chu Feng looked at Taran, who was still savoring her red wine.
"Is this the only demon from Portland that has surfaced?"
At Chu Feng's question, Taran, swirling her wine glass, paused.
"How could there be just this one?" Taran retorted. "According to our agency's intelligence channels, the number of demons that have appeared is no less than five." As she spoke, Taran raised a hand and fluttered her fingers before Chu Feng's eyes.
"That really is quite a few," Chu Feng nodded.
"The number of demons isn't small, but so far, this is the only exorcism commission our agency has received for them!"
A hint of regret tinged Taran's voice when she spoke of the number of demons. She was clearly bothered that other areas troubled by demons hadn't commissioned the agency for exorcisms.
"No need to worry about that. There's always money to be made. Besides, the demons are out there. I'm sure people will co to us eventually." Chu Feng smiled lightly, clearly confident in the agency's future.
"Well, I hope what you say happens soon. You look far too relaxed in the office every day!" Taran said, then drained the remaining red wine from her glass in one gulp and chuckled lightly.
"Hey! Don't be ridiculous! I occasionally go out and clear so of the Exorcism Departnt's backlogged commissions," Chu Feng quickly countered upon hearing Taran's jab.
"What's your hurry? You're the boss of the agency; it's not like anyone can tell you what to do, right?"
"Slander! This is slander!" Chu Feng exclaid, his tone strikingly similar to a character from a certain movie.
Hearing Chu Feng's peculiar tone, Taran's shoulders shook as she covered her mouth and burst out laughing.
"Chu Feng, just give a definite answer, will you? I need to get back to the client!" Taran said, stifling her laughter and refocusing on agency business.
"Alright, I'll take this commission," Chu Feng said with a smile, tapping the docunt on the desk. "After all, their offered paynt is quite generous!"
"Great. In that case, I'll go back and discuss the next steps with them. You enjoy your leisurely afternoon..."
Placing her wine glass gently on the desk, Taran stood up. With the CLACKING of her heels, she walked straight out of Chu Feng's office.
「anwhile, on the west coast of Arica, in San Francisco, California.」
San Francisco, an important financial center on Arica's west coast, is known by a few different nas.
Today, however, San Francisco seed to have lost its usual prosperity.
The streets were chaotic with crowds. Countless thugs took to the streets, looting and vandalizing, employing all sorts of criminal tactics at will.
Innurable vagabonds, idlers, and gang mbers were also taking advantage of the chaos to fish in troubled waters. They used all kinds of tools to break into shops before swarming them.
After a brief period of looting, the crowds poured out, leaving the shops in complete disarray.
The sound of gunfire was continuous throughout the city, like a symphony resonating through its streets and alleys. Countless lives dissipated like smoke in this turmoil.
At this mont, the entire city seed to have beco a criminal's paradise, with the flowers of wickedness blooming everywhere.
As for the San Francisco police, who were supposed to be maintaining order, they were now utterly overwheld.
High in the sky, a demon with a dark-red body and a pair of huge bat-like wings pursued police officers. It even targeted so brave civilians who were attempting to maintain order.
"More chaos! Even more chaos! HAHAHA..."
The demon in the sky laughed maniacally. Looking down at the increasingly tumultuous scene in the city below, its heart filled with unbridled delight.
The scent of blood and the sound of human screams stimulated its sensitive nerves, intensifying the frenzied excitent in its eyes.
"Maintain order? No, no, no! This city doesn't need order! It craves chaos—unparalleled chaos!"
The demon's talons closed around a fully ard policeman. It toyed with him, watching the despair fill the officer's eyes.
"You people don't belong in this city anymore!"
Its massive talons tightened. The policeman's bulletproof vest offered no protection; it was instantly shredded by the demon's claws.
Then, scarlet blood stread down the demon's palm.
"Ah! Such a sweet taste!"
The demon, intoxicated, brought its bloodied palm to its wide nostrils and sniffed lightly, its face contorting into a horrifying expression.
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