DING.
After a crisp sound from the elevator, the doors slowly opened.
"Oh, Xie Te!"
"Oh, Xie Te!"
Upon seeing the scene inside the elevator, both their eyes instantly widened, and they hastily retreated.
In the not-so-spacious elevator, at least a dozen desiccated corpses were piled up haphazardly.
From the clothes on the desiccated corpses, it was evident they were officers who had recently been moving in and out of the building.
The intense visual shock left the two Exorcists momentarily disoriented. Ignoring the desiccated corpses in the elevator, they turned and ran toward the building's exit.
The bizarre force that had turned so many officers into desiccated corpses so quickly and quietly was not something they could handle.
"You two, don't run! Weren't you going to stuff my mouth with garlic?" a soft, alluring voice suddenly whispered beside their ears.
Feeling a soft warmth on their shoulders, the two Exorcists turned pale. A hint of ferocity flashed in their eyes as they glanced at the building's main entrance, now so close.
"Right, there's one thing I need to correct. I... am certainly not a vampire."
The moment the figure holding their shoulders finished speaking, the two Exorcists spun around. Spiritual Power surged within them, and their clenched iron fists, crackling with this power, shot out behind them.
The two had intended to use this strike to repel the Bizarre behind them and escape the building, but they had obviously underestimated the Bizarre's strength.
Their iron fists plunged directly into a soft, yielding space.
Upon closer inspection, they realized their fists had sunk into the abdomen of a blood-red figure.
The surging Spiritual Power on their fists was drained in the blink of an eye by the bizarre energy within the abdomen.
"Xie Te! What the hell is this thing?"
The two cursed, trying to retract their fists, but found they were completely powerless.
It was as if countless tentacles within the Bizarre's abdomen were gripping their fists tightly, preventing them from pulling back.
The monster, seemingly formed from viscous blood, regarded the two struggling Exorcists, its voice suddenly turning icy.
"Since you've come, don't even think about leaving!"
Countless writhing, crimson tendrils abruptly burst from the monster's surface.
They writhed in mid-air, speeding towards the two immobilized Exorcists.
CRACK.
A sharp snap sounded nearly simultaneously from both their necks, as the crystal stones used for Passive defense shattered into dust after only a few seconds.
It's over!
Just as this thought surfaced in both their minds, countless crimson threads pierced their bodies simultaneously.
As their blood was siphoned away by the threads, the Exorcists' bodies visibly shriveled at an alarming rate.
In less than ten seconds, two new desiccated corpses lay on the floor.
"The blood of Exorcists..." The blood-red figure licked the corners of its lips, as if savoring the taste. "Just as Lord Sirio said, truly delicious!"
Outside the building, a police officer had witnessed the demise of the two Exorcists—men he had been chatting with just moments before. He was now fleeing frantically into the distance.
Minutes later, clinging to his last shred of sanity, he managed to retrieve his walkie-talkie.
"There's a Bizarre! Requesting backup! Requesting backup!
Damn it, you bastards, hurry up with that support! The vampiric Bizarre has appeared!"
...
Accompanied by the roar of airplane engines, a private jet that had taken off from New York had just landed at Portland Airport.
Chu Feng disembarked alone and walked through the airport corridor. He raised an eyebrow slightly as he noted the surrounding silence.
It seems like the situation in Portland doesn't look very promising!
If not for the Federal Government's liaison and confirmation from the Agency, Portland, currently under martial law, would not be accepting any flights.
"Welcome back to Portland, Mr. Chu Feng!"
Just as he stepped out of the passage, he was greeted by a blonde beauty with an excellent figure. Chu Feng was slightly taken aback when he saw the police uniform on her.
He didn't seem to have any involvement with the Portland police, did he?
"And you are?"
"You can call me Selina. The mayor himself sent me to greet you."
Seeing her radiant smile and outstretched, delicate hand, a thought flashed through Chu Feng's mind: Is this a test for the officials?
He shook his head, casting aside the stray thoughts, and reached out to shake her hand.
"I'm sure you're aware that I'm only in Portland to complete an assignment for the Federal Government. There was no need for you to go to this trouble."
He had planned to wait for Terry in Portland and then take care of him directly. And easily pocket a billion US dollars.
But he hadn't expected the Portland government to send someone to pick him up from the airport.
However, remembering the vampire rumors in Portland, he could roughly understand the reason behind their actions.
After hearing Chu Feng's words, a blush surfaced on Selina's face.
"Mr. Chu Feng, I came here voluntarily.
You saved us.
Back then, the three Gates of Breaking Boundary in Portland nearly sent us to Hell.
You saved our city. No amount of gratitude could ever be enough."
He smoothly withdrew his hand from hers and took a small step back.
"Anyway... we should get going. I'd like to complete the Federal Government's assignment as soon as possible."
Leaving those words behind, he turned and walked towards the exit.
Her enthusiasm was a bit too much for him, making him slightly uncomfortable.
Watching Chu Feng's retreating back, Selina glanced down at her hand, a faint smile touching her eyes.
Seeing Chu Feng nearing the exit, she quickly lengthened her stride to catch up.
"Mr. Chu Feng, my car is this way. Portland is under martial law, and I think you might need my help!"
...
Selina drove along the deserted streets. Glancing at Chu Feng, who sat beside her looking out the window, lost in thought, she spoke, as if casually.
"Mr. Chu Feng, is the Federal Government's assignment very difficult?"
"It should be manageable," Chu Feng replied nonchalantly, his mind already calculating when Terry might arrive.
"True, with your abilities, you should be able to take care of it quickly!"
Selina nodded thoughtfully before asking, "So... after you complete this assignment, will you have any free time?"
At her words, Chu Feng glanced at her face.
"After this assignment, I should be heading straight back to New York. Why, is there something you need?"
"Have you heard about the vampire incident that's been reported in Portland recently?"
Seeing that the conversation was finally getting on track, a smile appeared on Chu Feng's face.
"I've heard a little. You mean after all this time, you still haven't caught that vampire?"
Chu Feng's rhetorical question made Selina's expression freeze for an instant, and she gave an awkward smile.
"Indeed, we haven't. Actually, the vampire rumors aren't entirely accurate. Ever since the first desiccated corpse appeared, we still haven't confirmed the identity of the Bizarre."