The Exorcism Began in America.

"It's been a long time since I've seen such a clear night sky!"

The bright full moon and twinkling stars adorned the Sky Vault. The cloudless night sky was as clear and translucent as if washed with water.

Chu Feng, standing by the window, was admiring the beautiful starry sky when suddenly his gaze sharpened, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared.

In the sky, several faint cracks appeared out of nowhere and quickly vanished with time.

If his vision hadn't long surpassed that of a normal human, he might not have noticed the anomalies in the night sky.

At the same time, a barely audible thumping sound suddenly rang in Chu Feng's ears, ethereal and almost imperceptible.

"What is this?" As the familiar cracks reappeared, an oppressive feeling suddenly emerged in his heart.

THUD. THUD. THUD...

The dull thumping sounds kept emerging, and the faintly visible cracks in the night sky also reappeared time and again.

It was as if there was a giant behind the night sky attacking a wall.

For some reason, Chu Feng's mind suddenly conjured up the image of the underground base in Portland, that finger from Hell.

Could it be that behind that patch of sky was the owner of that finger!

CRACK.

As Chu Feng was lost in thought, amidst the numerous dull thumping sounds, a crisp cracking sound suddenly emerged.

His heart tightened, and he immediately looked up at the night sky.

But the sky, which had been intermittently showing cracks, was now intact, without any sign of anomalies. Even the cracks that had regularly appeared before were now gone without a trace.

Knowing something must have happened, Chu Feng stared intently at the night sky, afraid of missing anything.

But in the time that followed, the dull wall-hitting noises did not reappear. Until the sun rose, he did not see any trace of the cracks again.

It was as if the crisp breaking sound had been an illusion.

"Something definitely happened!"

Chu Feng, who had been standing quietly by the window all night, didn't show the slightest sign of fatigue; instead, his expression became even more solemn.

If the thumping noises and the cracks no longer appeared, could it mean that the other party's goal had been achieved?

「...」

"A mission from Maine?" Chu Feng's surprised voice echoed in the office.

Looking at Taran nodding in front of him, he slowly sat up straight.

If he remembered correctly, Mary Shaw had been there! And he wondered about the final outcome of the nuclear bomb he had suggested deploying.

"Yes, and they specifically requested that you personally complete this mission," Taran said as she handed a document to Chu Feng.

"Hmm? They want me to act?" Chu Feng's interest was piqued. He opened the document, wanting to see what the situation in Maine was that required his presence so urgently.

After all, on the firm's current price list, Chu Feng's price for completing a commission was in the hundreds of millions.

For ordinary Bizarre events, those stingy state governments certainly wouldn't want to spend so much money.

As Chu Feng read through the document, his eyes gradually narrowed, and the smile on his face quickly faded.

"Puppet Billy? A doll?"

Looking at the photo on the document, he immediately realized that Mary Shaw had somehow survived the nuclear attack.

Her strength was likely as he had initially anticipated; she wasn't someone he could have dealt with back then.

"However, now might be a good time to give it a try!"

Looking at the various Attributes on his system panel now, a smile appeared on the corner of Chu Feng's mouth.

If things went smoothly this time, he should soon be able to take another step toward advancing to Second Rank.

SNAP. Chu Feng closed the file and looked up at Taran, nodding as he said, "OK, I'll take this commission!"

Taran wasn't surprised by Chu Feng's answer. With a calm expression, she took out another document and handed it over.

"These commissions are from the New York State Government. Do you know about them?" she asked, staring intently at Chu Feng's eyes, her question laden with implications.

Seeing Taran's seemingly perceptive demeanor, Chu Feng couldn't help scratching his head.

Could it be like Jefferson? Has someone else been exposed?

Chu Feng's puzzled look only made Taran more certain of her guess.

Someone inside the New York State Government must have been bought by Chu Feng! And that person's position is probably not low. Otherwise, how could the New York State Government be so cooperative with the firm's work, never posing any difficulties? Even many of the simple but lucrative commissions came from the State Government. Other Exorcist organizations have never received such treatment.

"Alright, you don't need to answer; I pretty much understand!"

Taran smiled and waved her hand dismissively. She indicated it was enough for everyone to be aware, without needing to know the details too precisely.

"By the way, please thank that person from the New York State Government on behalf of the firm's Exorcists for these quality commissions."

After leaving these words, Taran swiftly turned and left the office.

She still had to check with Maine's State Government to confirm if there were any new changes to the commission.

"Wait! What do you understand? Whom should I thank?"

Chu Feng, sitting in his chair, was somewhat baffled by Taran's last words.

That person from the New York State Government? Who could it be? He couldn't recall! Besides the people in the State Legislature, he hadn't paid much attention to others, had he?

Shaking his head, Chu Feng stopped pondering Taran's last comment. Suddenly, the sunlight shining on his desk attracted his attention.

"This light... has it changed somehow? Why does it seem somewhat red?"

He looked around but couldn't find anything that could be casting a red glow.

CLICK. The door to the office suddenly made a sound as Taran returned, having just left.

"Chu Feng, take a look outside quickly. I don't know if it's just my imagination, but it seems like something has happened to the sky," said Taran, her brows furrowed as she hurried to the office window.

「At the same time,」

New York City's City Council had just unanimously passed a construction proposal: "The Last Day Safe Zone Project."

The proposal aimed to prevent a potential large-scale resurgence of the Bizarre in the future.

However, it was clear that some citizens of New York State did not approve of this proposal.

They gathered in front of the Parliament Building, holding banners and loudly protesting. Their argument was that the State Government had the money and should use it to properly develop infrastructure. In their view, this so-called "The Last Day Safe Zone Project" was nothing more than a tool for politicians to embezzle funds.

As the crowd in front of the building continued their uproar, the Parliament Building's doors suddenly opened, and the legislators walked out one by one.

If it weren't for the police officers with guns forming a human wall to hold back the surging crowd, these suddenly enraged citizens might have rushed forward to teach these "damn bastards," as they saw them, a lesson!

Legislator Julia, who had just walked out of the Parliament Building, shook her head at the chaos outside.

"It seems New York State has protected some people too well!"