The rain poured down.
Lightning streaked across the dark, oppressive sky, creating a terrifying scene.
Boom! A muffled clap of thunder exploded.
The torrential rain incessantly hammered down on a sedan driving away from Kennedy International Airport.
York leaned back in the rear seat, glancing at the rain streaming down the car window. He didn't feel terrified, but rather reflective and peaceful.
Although New York was known for frequent rain and was one of the more humid cities in America, it hadn't rained this heavily in a long time.
Thinking of something, York turned his head to look beside him.
The Novice Nun, Eileen, wearing a white novice habit, was sitting obediently, her posture very straight.
"Relax," York said with a gentle smile.
Boom! Muffled thunder continued to sound.
Eileen instantly stiffened all over, but she still spoke,
"I will, Father."
Looking at Eileen's hands gripping her habit tightly, York smiled.
"Are you afraid of thunder?"
Eileen answered truthfully, "A little, but Father, please believe me, I will adapt to the climate here quickly and won't interfere with your work."
Hearing this rigid, formal reply, York, who was used to working alone, could only respond with one sentence.
"Alright."
Just then, he felt the phone he kept in his pocket suddenly vibrate.
"At this hour?"
York glanced at the central control display in the front row.
[22:21]
A call after ten o'clock at night usually means something is wrong.
With this thought, York took out the constantly vibrating phone and looked at the screen.
Unexpectedly, the call was from an unfamiliar number he didn't recognize.
Yet, this strange number reminded York of Hailey's girlfriend before he left on his trip.
Was her name Bridget?
Because it concerned a random mission, York did not refuse the strange call. Under Eileen's gaze, he tapped the answer icon.
Before he could speak, a small, tearful voice came through the phone first.
"Father Yorkes! I'm Bridget, Hailey's girlfriend. There's something foul in my house right now! Can you come over?
Please save us! Please!"
Hearing this string of words, York felt no surprise. He habitually narrowed his eyes and instinctively began analyzing the situation.
The voice was breathy and hoarse, making it easy for him to deduce that Bridget was hiding somewhere, avoiding something—perhaps the demon he had previously judged it to be.
Thinking this, York asked nothing, speaking calmly.
"The address!"
The moment he said this, Bridget on the other end seemed overjoyed. Coincidentally, the location she gave was the area where Kennedy International Airport was situated: the Huanghou District, also known as the Kunqi District.
"Reed Apartment Building on Tenth Avenue, Woodside, Huanghou District..."
However, just as the address was relayed, footsteps sounded, accompanied by the sound of something dragging across the floor.
"Hey! My darlings, where are you hiding?"
"..."
Snap, the call was cut off.
York stared expressionlessly at the phone screen, recalling the last sentence. The tone sounded like a demon teasing its prey, incredibly smooth.
So, how far along was this possession? York looked at the driver arranged by the church in the front seat.
"Go to Tenth Avenue, Woodside..."
Given his personality, he would usually prepare sufficient exorcism tools before acting, but unfortunately, there wasn't much time left for preparations in this situation.
The driver in the driver's seat immediately nodded, turning the steering wheel to change direction.
"Yes, Father Yorkes."
York lowered his head, continuing to look at the phone screen, swiping a few times to tap on his contacts.
"Father, what happened?" Eileen asked.
"A supernatural incident involving a demon."
York smiled faintly and tapped the contact of Hanna, the master hacker whom he called his informant.
At this hour, that fellow shouldn't be asleep yet.
He lacked too much information; the few words spoken by Bridget were not enough to meet the requirements for triggering a random mission.
Of course, going to the apartment building where Bridget was located would probably also trigger the random mission, but gathering information beforehand wouldn't hurt.
At the very least, once the random mission was triggered, the mission reward would let him know the difficulty, allowing him to make some preparations, and the mission requirements would tell him what he was about to face.
Before long, the call was answered, and Hanna's voice came through.
"Yo, yo, yo! Father Yorkes, got a job?"
Ignoring the implication of her words, York spoke calmly.
"Help me look into the origins of the Reed Apartment Building on Tenth Avenue, Woodside, Huanghou District."
Having said that, York hung up the phone.
Beep!
In a certain bathroom.
"Looks like it's urgent. Reed Apartment Building..."
Hanna, who was lying in the bathtub, raised an eyebrow slightly, placed the phone down, pushed herself up directly from the pile of bubbles, and walked out naked, revealing a flash of skin.
Boom!
The muffled thunder continued to roar.
While waiting for the data, York looked toward the front row.
"How much longer?"
The driver's expression was calm; he knew what York meant and answered.
"Ten more minutes, Father Yorkes."
"Mhm."
York replied expressionlessly. This amount of time was a bit long, but it allowed him to make some preparations.
Several tens of seconds later.
Hanna, who had already pulled a blanket over her graceful figure, looked at the information found on her laptop and clicked the Enter key.
"Send!"
As she muttered to herself, a "Sent Successfully" window appeared on the laptop screen.
At the same time.
York felt his phone vibrate, picked it up, looked at the icon that appeared on the screen, clicked the encrypted email sent by Hanna, quickly entered the password, and began viewing it.
Surprisingly, the history of this apartment building seemed rather complicated.
According to the data sent by Hanna, the Reed Apartment Building was a very old structure, built on the site of a bank from the early 20th century... and now the Reed Apartment Building had reached its maximum age and was facing demolition... This information was unremarkable, but as he scrolled down, York stopped scrolling, staring at a historical photo in the file.
The photo featured two main figures: a priest wearing vestments and a capitalist wearing a proper suit.
In the background behind the two, the sign was clearly visible.
"Reed Bank..."
York narrowed his eyes, silently reading the name. Immediately, the mission prompt that sounded in his ear made the corner of his mouth twitch.
[Random Mission Triggered]
[Exorcise the Demon from the Entire Reed Apartment Building]
[Mission Reward: +27 Attribute Points]
[Accept/Decline]
[...]
"A 27-attribute-point difficulty. Accept mission."
York stared at the virtual window, which had changed to the "Accept" status, closed the email on his phone screen, having achieved the goal of triggering the random mission. There was no need to view the rest.
[Acceptance Successful]