The Exorcism Began in America.

The theater before them seemed out of place in Ravens Town. It boasted a classical architectural style, occupied a large area, and they could even vaguely see a garden-like space behind it.

The theater's lights were bright. The pair, having just stepped out of their car, could clearly hear intermittent bursts of intense applause. This indicated a large audience, and the performance was undoubtedly marvelous.

"Could the information be wrong? It seems like all the town residents are just here for a theater performance!" The young woman's expression softened considerably. She turned to the man beside her, asking with a hint of puzzlement.

"We should still go in and investigate."

Although he voiced the decision to investigate, his own relaxed expression revealed he somewhat agreed with her assessment.

However, their superior's orders still echoed in their minds, compounded by the pinhole camera on the woman's chest.

They had to investigate this bustling theater to complete their mission.

With their relaxed demeanor, the pair genuinely resembled tourists eager to explore uncharted territory.

Upon entering, they scanned their surroundings, feigning curiosity at every unfamiliar detail.

The vast auditorium was packed; not a single seat was empty. All the town's residents sat ramrod straight, engrossed in the stage performance. Astonishingly, no one seemed to notice the two new, unfamiliar faces that had just appeared at the back.

The moment the young man and woman stepped inside and took in the scene, an intensely strange sensation washed over them, yet they couldn't pinpoint its source.

A simultaneous thought struck them—an immediate, overwhelming urge to retreat.

"Look, Billy has found two new friends!"

Before they could make a decision, an excited voice suddenly came from the stage.

The instant the voice from the stage ceased, the man and woman discovered, to their horror, that every single town resident had turned their heads. They were all staring intently at the pair, each face fixed with a bizarre smile.

The woman, utterly terrified by this grotesque sight, let out a piercing scream that echoed throughout the entire theater.

"Beware the stare of Mary Shaw, she had no children, only dolls. If you see her in your dreams, don't you dare to scream or she'll rip your tongue out at the seam."

It's unclear when it started, but the nursery rhyme gradually drowned out the woman's screams. Just then, an elderly figure materialized before her.

The screams ceased abruptly. Under the harsh glare of the lights, shockingly crimson blood splattered across the floor.

The man, having witnessed the full horror of the woman's death, could no longer contain his terror. Under the immense pressure, his only instinct was to scream, to vent the fear consuming him.

And scream he did.

"AHHH!"

His scream, somewhat deeper-toned than the woman's, once again ripped through the theater.

Then, the sound abruptly stopped.

THUD.

The sound of a heavy object falling echoed once more.

The town residents witnessing this horror showed no fear. They remained seated, utterly still, their necks not even twitching from the fixed angle.

The only perceptible change, perhaps, was that the smiles on their faces had stretched a fraction wider.

"Beware the stare of Mary Shaw, she had no children, only dolls. If you see her in your dreams, don't you dare to scream or she'll rip your tongue out at the seam."

The nursery rhyme echoed through the theater once more, intensifying the eerie atmosphere.

Far from Ravens Town, amidst five black SUVs, a middle-aged woman clutched a military-grade laptop. She stared at its now-dark screen, lost in a daze for a long moment.

"Everyone, into the vehicles, now! We're evacuating immediately!" Snapping back to reality with a jolt, the middle-aged woman grabbed the communicator by her mouth and barked the new order.

No one questioned her command. The personnel dispersed around the perimeter, standing guard, immediately secured their weapons and sprinted towards the SUVs.

Seconds later, the five black SUVs executed sharp U-turns and sped back down the road they had come.

Half an hour after the group had left, a familiar black sedan pulled up where they had been parked.

A young man and woman inside the sedan scanned the surroundings, their faces cold and expressionless.

"They ran quite fast! It seems I've been discovered by humans..."

The young duo restarted the car and headed back towards Ravens Town.

The five black SUVs sped along. Under the middle-aged woman's stern commands, they reached their original departure point at least twenty minutes ahead of schedule.

Before the vehicles had even fully stopped, the woman, frantic with urgency, leaped out. Clutching her laptop, she rushed towards the Maine State Government building.

Inside a secure conference room, the incumbent Governor of Maine, several legislators, and a few shadowy figures attending via video conference watched the footage recovered from the woman's laptop.

After the video ended, the conference room fell into a prolonged silence.

"Can Mr. Chu Feng come and deal with this Bizarre entity?" the Governor of Maine mused for a long while before being the first to voice the question.

"I certainly hope he can handle this Mary Shaw," a burly African American man in military attire said via video conference, shaking his head, "even if it costs us more US Dollars..."

"What is it? Is there a problem with Exorcist Chu Feng?" the Governor pressed eagerly.

"Not exactly. It's just... he was the one who informed us about this Bizarre entity's existence. He also admitted that, for now, he has no guaranteed way to defeat it."

"So? Does Mr. Chu have any recommendations? At least something to stop it from expanding its sphere of influence?"

Clearly, the Governor was deeply alarmed by the presence of such a ticking time bomb within his state.

On the large screen, the attendees from Washington exchanged glances.

"A nuclear bomb," the military-clad man finally said after a moment's hesitation. "That was Mr. Chu's suggestion."

"Furthermore, based on what we saw in that video, we can be almost certain... there are no living people left in all of Ravens Town."

The words "nuclear bomb" plunged the conference room into silence.

These bastards make it sound so simple! Detonate a nuclear bomb in the heart of our state? What about my future votes? a few legislators fumed internally.

The officials in Washington understood the concerns of their Maine counterparts. However, convincing the Maine State Government to authorize a nuclear detonation was their objective, so they pressed on.

"Furthermore, according to research from our various labs on these Bizarre phenomena, Mary Shaw is highly likely to attack other nearby towns, and eventually cities, in the near future!

At that time, with her then strength, even a nuclear bomb might not be able to harm her.

All of you in Maine need to consider this very carefully!"