Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

"Exorcist, Sir, please forgive me, but I cannot agree with what you're saying."

"My child is perfectly normal; how could she possibly be possessed by an Evil Spirit."

"Mrs. Mina, I am not joking with you, and I have the capacity to resolve this matter."

"Resolve it? An Exorcism Ritual? Kelly has been through enough shock as it is, and I still don't know how to explain to her that her father died out of the blue, and we can't even find the body!"

"Please calm down. A person possessed by an Evil Spirit, to a certain extent, is no longer the daughter you remember. She might even threaten your safety. Think about the dream you had..."

"We still have at least three days."

"Good, then I suggest you seriously consider it."

"I will, Exorcist, Sir."

...

Ten minutes later.

Opening the door, both of them entered the house.

Mrs. Mina, looking at her daughter and although strongly disagreeing with Du Wei's words, couldn't help but feel somewhat unusual.

She took a deep breath, smiled, and tenderly took Kelly's hand, saying, "Hey, sweetheart, it's time to go home."

Kelly, with her head down, responded with a sound of acknowledgment.

Seeing this, Du Wei shook his head and said, "If you change your mind, you can call me at any time. Until then, what I've given you should offer some help."

"Thank you..."

Mrs. Mina paused as she was leaving, and then left without looking back.

Du Wei watched her departing figure and that of the blonde little girl named Kelly, his gaze deep and profound.

He had just had a conversation with Mina, but the outcome had not been favorable. However, he understood.

From a psychological perspective, this is called self-deception.

But...

For Du Wei, he hadn't lost anything.

In New York, he was currently the only exorcist; she would eventually seek him out.

And that time, he suspected, would come in less than three days.

"Just wait a bit... there will be a result..."

Du Wei reassured himself inwardly, contemplating increased contact with even more dangerous Evil Spirits to accelerate the Evil Spirit Transformation as his current plan.

With it, he intended to confront the source of the curse—the Nun.

He disliked depending on others, preferring to be in control, even if from the shadows.

The matter with Mrs. Mina was merely an opportunity to assimilate into his Exorcist role.

With that in mind, Du Wei returned to the sofa.

Casually, he picked up the medical case history and on Mrs. Mina's information page, under the column for her condition, he added a note.

[Remark: Suspected of being corrupted by an Evil Spirit, Spirit Vision state manifests as dreaming of Evil Spirits committing murder, but it is unclear whether it is limited to those with a special connection, continued observation necessary]

Then, he flipped through the pages to the very beginning, pausing at the earliest entries.

"The doll named Annabelle... the imagined Hoddy... the monster with the form of a Clown..."

Du Wei lit a cigarette and, while smoking, absent-mindedly tapped his fingers against the table, producing a crisp and regular sound.

He felt he needed to choose one and attempt contact.

"In some legends, a doll is synonymous with curses and oddities, indestructible and inescapable. For the time being, I haven't encountered such a case."

"Hoddy... is related to Spirit Summoning games... I really wanted to contact it again before, but now it seems that the girl named Reagan has been possessed by an Evil Spirit for quite some time, in a much more serious state than Kelly's."

"As for the monster with the form of a Clown... it seems to have a physical presence..."

Du Wei exhaled a puff of smoke and flipped to the page regarding Annabelle.

"It seems to be the least dangerous."

Having made his decision, Du Wei was ready to perform a follow-up on the condition.

This family hadn't experienced any deaths, because in recent times, he had still been receiving updates about their condition.

Of course, his initial judgment was that the fear of the doll induced a delusional persecution complex, with indications of masochistic tendencies.

Possibly, they haven't yet stopped the medication...

Du Wei massaged his forehead, took out his cell phone, and went to his contacts, pondering over how to phrase his communication with them...

And just then.

The ringing of an incoming call sounded.

Caller ID—Officer Tom.

Du Wei hesitated for a moment before pressing the answer button.

Next, he heard the other party's voice, desperate and agitated.

"Hey, Dr. Du Wei, where are you right now? You need to come down to the station, you know? You're in big trouble!"

As he spoke, he corrected himself, "Never mind, don't come to the station, this matter is too sensitive, let's meet somewhere else."

"Can't you tell me over the phone?"

"Of course not, I remember there's a café near your house; I happen to have a couple of tickets, let's meet at the café."

"Alright, as you wish..."

...

Twenty minutes later.

In the café near Du Wei's home.

In the most secluded corner by the window.

Officer Tom, in plain clothes, looked around warily, ensuring no one was eavesdropping before he finally relaxed.

Du Wei, not quite understanding the situation, asked directly, "Officer Tom, can we start now?"

"Of course!!"

Tom licked his lips, staring at Du Wei with bloodshot eyes, as if he hadn't slept well.

"Mr. Du Wei, first you need to explain to me why every woman who has had contact with you either disappears or dies mysteriously. Are you a female killer?"

Du Wei asked with a frown, "A female killer?"

"Heh..."

Tom gave a cold laugh and pulled a photo from his clothing, placing it on the table and pushing it toward the Asian man across from him.

"How do you explain this?"

Du Wei glanced at the photo and then fell silent.

He felt a headache coming on, not knowing how to explain.

The person in the photo was Linda, the woman who had died on the bus.

Tom crossed his arms, fixating on Du Wei, "I'm really curious how you managed to appear on the outskirts of Esselgreen all of a sudden. If it weren't for this woman named Linda who was live streaming at the time, and viewers recorded the video causing some commotion online.

The NYPD probably still wouldn't know that another woman had mysteriously disappeared, and you were at the scene."

"Seriously, Mr. Du Wei, there are some things I've only recently been exposed to, but they've already instilled an unbearable fear in me."

"Please tell me, where is this person named Linda."

"Right now, all evidence points to you; you're the prime suspect, the number one criminal suspect! Spill it!"

As he said this, Tom tried to discern something from Du Wei's face, but to his disappointment, could the Asian man be expressionless? Not a hint of emotion revealed, making all those self-taught criminal psychology and micro-expressions techniques utterly useless.

"She's already dead."

Only then did Du Wei withdraw his gaze, frowning and shaking his head.

Then, looking up to meet Tom's eyes, he calmly said, "Also, if it's really as you say, and I'm the prime criminal suspect right now, then we should be meeting at the police station, not in a café, Officer Tom. Are you staring at my face, trying to analyze my micro-expressions?"

His tone was casual, yet it carried a sense of mockery.

Tom's face turned ugly in an instant.

"Fuck! I'm interrogating you, not the other way around!"

Du Wei looked at him, silent.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Tom's mouth twitched, and he cursed again inwardly.

Their eyes met!

Clearly, Tom had failed; he clenched his fists and said helplessly, "You may not realize how terrifying the situation you've encountered is. Regarding the video, the authorities have completely locked it down now, but you need to know, you're really in big trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"... Trouble that might overturn your understanding, on a logical level, or perhaps, a faith level."

"Did you know? There are ghosts in this world we live in."

"Hm! I know that!"