In a dim room, the glow from several computers illuminated a disheveled, unkempt woman.
She was squatting on a stool, wearing a tank top and shorts, revealing an explosive figure, though unfortunately, no one was there to see it. Listening to the voice coming from her phone, she tilted her head, her gaze a little puzzled.
"Vance? The Little Black Gang?"
She held the phone between her shoulder and cheek, muttering to herself, her hands dancing across the keyboard with a rapid clatter, so fast that afterimages appeared.
"Mm." York replied as he walked. "It should have been established for a while now, and it's connected to the Grizzly Gang. I suspect its core members are from the Grizzly Gang."
"Grizzly Gang?" The woman's dyed eyebrows raised slightly, and her hands moved even faster. As she worked, the screens of several computers rapidly displayed information about the Grizzly Gang, its activities, and other related news... York seemed to hear the incessant clicking and said calmly.
"Yes, that's all I know."
Modern intelligence dealers keep up with the times; besides their own resources, their hacking skills are also quite advanced. Hanna, whom he knew, was precisely such a person. For many things, she only needed to use the internet to search for reliable information and then combine it with the intelligence she already possessed, which was usually spot-on.
When it came to exorcisms, intelligence dealers like Hanna were the most useful. He would usually entrust her with investigating the backstory, such as who had died in a house, what events had occurred, or family details.
This saved a lot of time and effort, and also allowed him time to plan.
Of course, he also spent a lot of money, which is why he felt he didn't have enough.
"There's very little information. I'll need to go into the dark web and ask my peers to find out."
A lazy, mature female voice came from the phone. York could imagine Hanna's current posture, but imagination aside, he also knew the underlying meaning of Hanna's words: she wanted money.
"How much?"
"Heh heh." Hanna, still sifting through information, showed a hint of a mischievous smile in her eyes.
"One hundred thousand!"
However, she didn't expect to hear an agreement from the phone.
"Alright, the usual account, right?"
Hanna blinked, her rapidly dancing hands coming to a halt. She said in surprise.
"Father, are you that rich now?"
In her memory, the man in the priestly robe would always righteously cut the price in half and then haggle with her.
"No money."
The man's perpetually calm reply sounded, and then *beep beep beep*... Hanna's expression froze for a moment. She hadn't expected him to hang up so quickly.
"Fk! Damn Father, go die!"
Curses, accompanied by increasingly furious key presses, echoed in the small room.
Meanwhile, York had already arrived at his church. He didn't know anyone was cursing him, and even if he did, he wouldn't care, as even fierce demons cursed him to hell.
Entering the main building, York looked at the altar in the hall, still illuminated only by candlelight. As he walked towards the Jesus Statue, he took off his chasuble, stole, maniple, and alb.
He still found these items too troublesome; not only were they heavy, but they were mainly too complicated. Just a simple priestly robe was better.
Reaching the Jesus Statue, York stopped, closed his eyes, made the sign of the cross towards the Jesus Statue, and continued towards the adjacent lounge.
However, lately, things seemed to be piling up, and at that moment, his phone rang again.
Hearing the ringtone, York walked into the lounge towards the cabinet, taking out his phone.
"Gabriel?" The caller surprised York. As soon as he answered, the other party's deep voice came through.
"York, I heard you exorcised another demon and a spirit?"
York's eyebrows raised slightly, "How did you know?"
Vatican.
In a room lined with bookshelves, a stout priest with frosted temples sat in a chair. He looked at the setting sun outside the window and smiled.
"Your carrier pigeon arrived long ago. The letter is being archived and stored in the secret chamber. You know, I'm about to enter the secret chamber and have the right to review it."
York paused. He thought of the old priests in the headquarters' secret chamber; those old priests were guardians of the headquarters and also exorcists. In short, the old priest who had introduced him to the order was about to retire.
"Have you made up your mind?"
"Yes, I've gotten used to it. Coming out would feel unnatural instead."
"Alright then." York didn't try to persuade him further. The headquarters' secret chamber was a cage to him, but for a faithful and pure priest, it was an honor.
"You called me just to tell me this?"
"Of course not." Gabriel, with his grizzled temples and stout build, maintained a calm expression.
"I'd like you to help me assess Archibald, the seminarian. Today is his day to be ordained, which means Archibald is about to perform his first exorcism."
Hearing this, York shoved the items in his hands into the cabinet and said.
"That's not within my duties, is it? Gabriel, you should know my purpose. I joined the church to exorcise, not to be a babysitter."
Gabriel's head began to ache faintly. The other party was his most satisfactory successor, yet also the most troublesome person, constantly threatening to leave the church.
"York, just this once. If I weren't busy, I wouldn't have asked you. Archibald should be here by now."
Listening to the voice from the phone, York seemed to sense someone entering the church. He maintained his phone-holding posture, walked out of the lounge, and entered the main altar hall.
As he came out, York immediately saw a seminarian in a priestly robe, carrying a backpack, carefully walking down the aisle between the rows of pews.
"Someone seems to have arrived. Just this once, Gabriel. If you want him to become a true exorcist, let him bear the risks of exorcism himself. Otherwise, becoming an ordinary priest is also quite good. I'm very busy, Gabriel..."
He was indeed busy. After getting intelligence on the Vance gang, he still had to avenge Old Brown.
Gabriel's face stiffened, and finally, he said helplessly.
"You should take a look at this child first."
"Fine!"
York unceremoniously hung up the phone and shook his head as he looked at the seminarian, whose face still showed a hint of immaturity.
He knew exactly what Gabriel wanted him to do; simply put, it was to be a babysitter and ensure the seminarian's safety.
However, York also didn't understand why this kid wanted to become an exorcist, as exorcism carried a certain degree of danger, and in severe cases, it was possible to die during the process...