The Exorcism Began in America.

At this moment, on the rooftop of a building on the other side of the Gate of Breaking Boundary that was currently being destroyed.

A handsome young man in an indigo blue suit looked at the distant, collapsing black hole, his deep blue pupils faintly twinkling.

"It seems that person has arrived. Go prepare the car; we need to leave! Otherwise, ending up like those fools from the New York branch... that wouldn't be good at all."

"Understood, Priest Sirio!" the blonde secretary responded. With a sultry twist, she turned, opened the rooftop door, and descended.

Watching the blonde secretary's hips sway as she quickly departed, the young man let out a soft chuckle. A satellite phone suddenly materialized in his hand.

BEEP... BEEP...

After several rings, the call was answered.

"I've delivered the Hell Creatures you needed. Where's my item?"

A brief silence followed before a woman's voice responded, "Mr. Sirio, we will send you the Stigma girl's current location shortly. You can dispatch someone to retrieve her directly."

"Okay, I'll await your message. Pleasure doing business with you!"

The woman on the other end, however, offered no reply and simply hung up.

Priest Sirio looked at the disconnected phone, smiled, and shook his head. Such impolite humans!

***

In a basement in the Portland District, siblings Ryan and Laila, who had celebrated their eighteenth birthday with their parents just two days prior, were huddled quietly together.

Both clutched Remington 870 shotguns tightly to their chests. Beside them, several newly manufactured 12-gauge exorcism shotgun shells from the Klein City Army Ammunition Factory lay scattered on the ground.

An abrupt loud BOOM! from outside jolted the two drowsy figures instantly awake.

Eyes wide with panic, they forcefully suppressed their instinct to scream, nervously aiming their shotguns at every corner of the basement.

After scanning the area with their weapons for some time and finding no sign of any Bizarre intrusion, they finally sighed in relief and slowly lowered their shotguns.

Wiping the fine beads of cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, Ryan then recalled that the loud noise seemed to have originated from outside.

Gesturing for his sister to remain quiet, Ryan mustered his courage and slowly approached the basement exit leading outside.

Leaning against the staircase that led to ground level, he placed his shotgun beside him and gently pushed open the basement's trapdoor, creating a small crack.

Cautiously peering through the opening, he once again beheld the outside world.

The area around his home hadn't changed much compared to two days ago.

Aside from the deathly silence, the only anomaly was perhaps a bloodstained pickup truck that had suddenly appeared at the neighbor's front door.

After surveying the vicinity, Ryan suddenly sensed something was amiss and his gaze snapped to the distance.

Where did that black hole go? Why has it disappeared? Seeing the distant scene, his eyes widened in shock.

The last thing he and his sister had seen before entering the basement was the black hole formed by the serpent's transformed pupil. Now, it had vanished.

Even the shopping mall beneath the black hole and the adjacent buildings had disappeared without a trace.

He didn't know if this sudden change would bring any improvement to their situation, but any change was far better than things remaining static.

As he fruitlessly searched the area where the black hole had been, his trouser leg was suddenly tugged gently a few times.

Ryan whirled around to find his sister Laila had somehow appeared behind him.

He gently lowered the trapdoor and, at Laila's gesture, stepped aside. Hopefully, his sister would discover something!

It wasn't long before Laila turned her head, her excitement barely contained, and whispered, "Someone's here!"

Hearing this, Ryan, despite the cramped space on the stairs, squeezed his way to the trapdoor.

Through the narrow crack, the figure of a person in a black trench coat carrying a long saber entered his vision.

As the figure drew nearer, Ryan could finally make out the person's features.

A wave of ecstatic excitement instantly washed over him, his face flushing red.

"It's Chu Feng... the First Exorcist!" Ryan exclaimed, overjoyed, and embraced his sister tightly.

"Laila, we can survive this!"

"That's wonderful, Ryan! Thank the Lord for His protection..."

Finally, under their expectant gazes, Chu Feng walked along the road and gradually approached their house.

At that moment, unable to contain themselves any longer, the two of them flung open the basement's trapdoor and ran out excitedly.

***

With the aid of the Spirit-Seeking Compass, Chu Feng traveled for over half an hour before finally locating a low-risk area with few Bizarre entities and low power levels.

Along the way, thanks to the effects of his Revival Skill, Chu Feng's Spiritual Power recovered very quickly.

Now, about one-tenth of his Spiritual Power had been restored.

To avoid any unexpected situations on his way back, he decided to first find a safe place to fully recover his Spiritual Energy Value.

Stopping in the middle of a residential community, Chu Feng's Spiritual Perception detected two flickering light signatures—one bright, one dim—in a basement to his right. After a moment's thought, however, he headed towards an empty house on his left.

"Mr. Chu Feng! Mr. Chu Feng..."

To his surprise, the two people hiding in the basement emerged and ran towards him, calling his name.

Turning around, Chu Feng raised an eyebrow as he watched the two approaching figures, their faces strikingly similar.

"Yes? Can I help you two?"

Ryan's somewhat slender frame was clearly unaccustomed to sprinting. He bent over, gasping for breath, then looked up at Chu Feng. Laila, following behind him, seemed unaffected, her breathing steady.

"Mr. Chu Feng, I'm Ryan, and this is my sister, Laila," Ryan said, looking earnestly at Chu Feng, his eyes filled with pleading.

"I know this is presumptuous, but I beg you, could you help us escape this city?"

Hearing his request, Chu Feng didn't answer immediately. Instead, he frowned and scrutinized the two before him more carefully.

"You two? I can take you out. As for her... no." Chu Feng shook his head, looking at Laila, who had remained quiet behind Ryan.

Ryan grew frantic at Chu Feng's words.

"Why? Mr. Chu Feng, has Laila done something to offend you? I'll apologize on her behalf! Please, I beg you..."

Ryan dropped to his knees, his eyes brimming with hope as he looked up at Chu Feng.