Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

After focusing, James looked through the lens and saw the interior of the room.

His camera was not an old-fashioned film model but a standard DSLR, so the images captured were not subject to any distortion.

Yet, what was odd to him was that there were no anomalies inside the room under the lens—nothing but the sofa, television, coffee table, tea counter, bookshelf, and an Antique Clock hanging on the wall, along with an ugly doll crammed into a display cabinet.

"Where is the Evil Spirit?"

He mumbled subconsciously and began to shift angles, trying to find traces of the Evil Spirit.

Behind him,

the face of the Exorcist Harry was becoming paler by the moment.

Unlike other Exorcists, he could enter the Spirit Vision state more easily, facing the Evil Spirit's dark terror and malice head-on.

Upon arriving at the psychological counseling clinic, he already felt an overwhelming sense of suffocation and dread of death.

As if the ostensibly normal psychological counseling clinic was actually a den nurturing the Evil Spirit.

And when the other two teammates followed the Exorcist named Du Wei into the clinic, this fear magnified infinitely in his heart, forcing him directly into the Spirit Vision state.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

In the Spirit Vision state, he felt the entire clinic shrouded in a thin layer of black mist, with every item radiating malice.

The television, the Antique Clock, the sofa, the doll stuffed in the display cabinet, even Du Wei...

The oppressive feeling was rising like a tide, nearly causing him to lose his senses and collapse.

"James, I think we should leave this place,"

Harry gasped, his Right Hand clutching his stinging heart, breathing very rapidly.

Upon hearing this, James turned and glanced at him, saying gravely, "This is just a more unique case of an Evil Spirit incident. As Exorcists, it's our duty, and it also involves our new teammate."

Harry gritted his teeth, "But I've entered Spirit Vision, and I can feel the presence of the Evil Spirit."

James nodded, "Yes, which is why we need to address the issue. Compared to something far more terrifying and dangerous, this is just an appetizer."

Knowing James's character, Harry reluctantly said, "I hope we don't have to use those special items, something doesn't feel right."

James replied, "Facing an Evil Spirit is always a matter of life and death. As Exorcists, we deal with the terror between life and death. Harry, your Spirit Vision is sharp and you're smart enough. I think you should show our new teammate your abilities. After all, New York needs a leader, and I'm unlikely to stay here for long."

Harry fell silent, understanding James's intent, then pulled out a rope from his pocket, his complexion finally regaining calm.

Clearly, the rope in his hand was also something that could counter the Evil Spirit.

Seeing this, James no longer spoke and turned back to focus through the peephole lens into the room.

At that moment, he suddenly furrowed his brow and said quietly, "Strange, where has Mr. Du Wei gone?"

After closing the door and looking into the room again, he noticed that Du Wei, who had been sitting on the sofa supporting his chin with his Right Hand, had disappeared without a trace.

This was peculiar.

Normally, knowing that there were Exorcist teammates outside, one would not leave their peers' sight. Even if they had to leave temporarily, they should return promptly.

"Perhaps he went to the second floor,"

James said to himself and adjusted the lens angle to look at the ceiling of the room.

In an Evil Spirit incident six months prior, he had encountered a very strange Evil Spirit.

The Evil Spirit, for some reason, had taken over the homeowner's house, only revealing itself when he entered, throwing him into a state of Spirit Vision, yet the spirit remained elusive.

It was not until he looked up at the ceiling that he finally saw the Evil Spirit, which had been clinging there all along, moving as he moved.

Consequently, the Exorcism became extraordinarily difficult, and in the end, they had no choice but to burn down the house with the Evil Spirit inside, sealing off the area before matters settled.

"Huh... Why does the image in the lens suddenly look distorted?"

James leaned back in confusion, his view showing that the image in the lens had its color balance off, with the scenery completely altered from before.

It was like a reflection...

Moreover, James noticed that the captured image was blurry, as if stained on the lens or obscured by another layer.

So, he took the camera and inspected it closely.

Yet, what seemed even stranger to him was that the lens was spotless, without a speck of dust, let alone any stain.

He aimed the camera at the peephole again but with no change, the image remained blurry and distorted.

After thinking for a moment, James brought the camera close to the peephole and looked inside.

And this time, he saw an eye...

"Fuck!"

Startled, James cursed reflexively and immediately pressed the shutter button with the camera aimed at the peephole.

Click.

The captured image, however, failed to seize the eye.

James hurriedly looked through the peephole again, his eyes becoming terror-stricken.

"What did you see?"

Behind him, Harry's voice trembled; just then, he had felt an extremely malevolent gaze sweep over him and settle on James.

The dense malice was utterly undisguised, crudely provocative to the point of inexcusableness.

Yet James didn't immediately turn around; as an elite among Exorcists, with ample experience, he entered a state of Spirit Vision the moment he saw that eye.

He keenly realized that he was being targeted by the Evil Spirit.

"Don't come closer, Harry."

James waved his hand and then took a selfie with the camera.

After the click...

The camera screen displayed a half-body portrait of James. Experience new stories on empire

Then, he felt a sudden relief; the sensation of being watched by the Evil Spirit had not entirely faded, but it wasn't so intense as to keep him on edge or instill faint fear.

The half-body portrait in the photo, however, had an indescribable eeriness.

His form was clear, the color balance of his clothing undisturbed, but there was something terribly wrong with his eye, enlarged and showing faint blood vessels.

Looking at his own eyes in the image, James felt an unsettling sense of unfamiliarity.

It was as if a pair of strange eyes were superimposed on his.