Carrying the sword case and the box, Su Fan left the antique shop and headed toward the car — but suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Someone was watching him.
Not a malevolent spirit, but a human being.
The gaze was very subtle, suggesting a professional.
Su Fan’s eyes then landed on two figures. They were dressed like ordinary office workers in the city, but their movements were sharp and efficient — clearly trained.
When they saw Su Fan emerge from the antique shop, they walked around his parked car and came straight toward him.
“Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
As they approached, one of them held up his badge.
“Mr. Su Fan, we need you to cooperate with us in an investigation regarding certain incidents. Come with us.”
The mustached agent on the left spoke in a cold tone — not exactly overbearing, just strictly business.
The slick-backed agent next to him, however, was different. There was a faint hostility in his eyes.
“Unfortunately, I’m in a hurry to take care of something right now. You can wait a couple of days.”
Hearing this response, the two agents showed little surprise. They’d encountered refusals to cooperate many times before — they knew how to handle people like this. And this time, they’d come fully prepared.
“This isn’t an invitation. It’s a notice.”
“As a U.S. citizen, you have an obligation to cooperate with our investigation.”
“Consider this a warning. If you still refuse to comply, we will be forced to take action. You’d be wise to come quietly.”
The slick-backed agent spoke with a tone full of threat, gesturing toward the black van parked not far away.
The mustached agent glanced sideways at him but ultimately said nothing.
…
Hearing his partner’s tone, Adam knew that Davis was letting his personal feelings bleed into the assignment. The task of making contact with this young Asian man had been assigned to them a couple of days ago. As the lead officer on the operation, Adam had access to intelligence that other agents didn’t.
And that was precisely why he understood just how dangerous this mission was. Before they’d set out, he’d warned Davis repeatedly — yet still, things had gone wrong.
The words were already out there. They couldn’t be taken back. All Adam could do now was improvise and prevent the situation from spiraling in a bad direction.
He hoped the target of this contact would be as even-tempered as the file suggested.
But disappointment always came when you least expected it.
“What mandatory measures? You mean those agents you brought along?”
The black-haired young man across from them flashed a casual smile. Then, with pinpoint accuracy, he listed the locations of the other agents.
“Two across the street diagonally, two inside the luxury store opposite, one on the side, one on the rooftop of the building across…”
As Su Fan rattled off the agents’ positions, Davis’s expression grew increasingly strained.
“Who tipped you off?”
Su Fan didn’t answer. Instead, he spoke again — and what came next made both Adam and Davis’s blood run cold. He started revealing even more specific details!
“The guy in the shirt and jeans diagonally across — he’s a rookie, isn’t he?”
“You—”
“He’s glanced this way too many times. Might as well be staring outright.”
“He looks relaxed, but his hand keeps hovering around his waist.”
“As a surveillance operative, at least try to hide your basic training habits…”
“Then there’s that couple in the luxury store — they’ve been in there for ages without even looking at a single item. And weirdly enough, no salesperson has come up to them either…”
Without turning his head an inch, his gaze fixed on them the entire time, the black-haired young man systematically pointed out the subtle flaws of every agent around them.
Suddenly, an interested look crossed his face.
“Oh, you might want to send backup to the agent diagonally across. Looks like he’s been spotted by some gang members.”
“Better hurry — I think they’re already considering whether to take him out.”
Adam froze. At that very moment, a frustrated voice crackled through the comm channel.
“Damn it, these gangsters are picking a fight for no reason… I need backup!”
The voice at his ear was supposed to be for Adam’s ears only. But the young man across from him simply spread his hands with an amused smile.
“He’s asking for help. Aren’t you going to check it out?”
Adam didn’t respond, but cold sweat was beading on his forehead.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Davis wasn’t wearing a radio and assumed Su Fan was just rambling.
“Didn’t your superiors give you the full file?”
Su Fan turned his head and asked in return, leaving Adam unsure how to answer.
There had always been rumors — things that couldn’t be proven — but Adam had never imagined he’d one day have to face such an existence face to face.
Recalling the photos of that community, nearly flattened to the ground, Adam suddenly realized that every plan they’d prepared beforehand was now completely unworkable.
Davis, hearing no response from Adam, also felt uncertain — but still put up a tough front.
“Keep putting on your act. Sooner or later, you’ll realize how ridiculous your little charade is!”
“Don’t waste my time. Get lost!”
Su Fan had no patience for this slick-backed idiot, but he maintained basic restraint — not because of the man himself, but because of the state apparatus he represented. If it wasn’t absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to earn the FBI’s enmity.
But if these two insisted on blocking his way, he’d have no choice but to use some “mandatory measures,” as they’d put it.
“Are you heading off to deal with the matter now?”
Suddenly, Adam — who had been silent all along — spoke up.
“If you’re talking about exorcism, then yes, I am.”
Su Fan cut straight to the point.
At the word “exorcism,” the slick-backed Davis’s expression immediately turned agitated. He was about to speak, but Adam placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
“I can let you go about your business — but I have one condition.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“I want full tracking and recording of your operation from here on out.”
Hearing Adam’s request, Su Fan frowned briefly, then replied.
“Fine. But if you run into any danger, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
If they wanted to follow, then let them follow. They’d learn their lesson once they actually ran into a demon.
Su Fan glanced at his car not far away. Seeing Teresa safe and sound inside, he waved at her — and his mood lifted just a little.
“Then it’s settled.”
Adam nodded, then opened the comm channel.
“Change of plans. Operation aborted.”
Surveillance equipment and recording devices were no trouble for them — they could get their hands on those anytime, anywhere.
Adam turned and headed for the van, with Davis quickly catching up from behind.
“You’re just giving up the arrest and letting him run free?! Are you crazy?”
Davis kept his voice low, but his tone was urgent.
“You don’t actually believe he can exorcise demons, do you? This guy’s just a terrorist who blew up a residential area and got away with it!”
“If we miss this chance, who knows when we’ll find him again!”
But Adam had no intention of answering. He stayed silent until they’d both settled into the driver’s and passenger’s seats.
“I don’t need to explain that much as the operation lead. But as your partner, I can tell you this: this is the best option we have right now.”
“The main purpose of our mission is to determine whether he truly is a superhuman with abilities — not to cuff him and drag him in.”
“The existence of superhumans isn’t exactly a secret internally, and you know that.”
“If he really is a superhuman with formidable power, provoking him will only bring us endless trouble.”
“Putting everything else aside — you and I, being closest to him, would most likely be the first to die in the line of duty.”
Adam watched as the vehicle ahead pulled away, and started the van to follow.
“He said he’s going to perform an exorcism. That’s a perfect opportunity.”
“We’ll know soon enough whether he’s a fraud or the real deal.”
“If he’s a fraud, then he’s just an ordinary person — no threat to us. We detain him on the spot for questioning.”
“If he really is a superhuman, we record the process and file our report.”
Did they really need to record it?
Adam recalled the young man’s uncanny perception earlier and let out a soft sigh. What he’d told Davis was mostly to keep his partner’s morale in check.
In truth, he’d already made up his mind about whether Su Fan was superhuman.
“…I know you have a terrible impression of so-called exorcists because of what happened to your mother. But as an FBI agent, you can’t let your personal feelings affect your actions — let alone override the mission’s objective.”
“The way you handled the target earlier was terrible. But I’ll decide whether to report this based on your performance going forward.”
“I hope you seize this chance.”
“…I understand.”
Davis was still resentful, but Adam’s words were beyond reproach. He had no choice but to comply.
…
Seeing the black van catch up from behind, Su Fan withdrew his gaze.
“Did they give you a hard time?”
Teresa had held back her question earlier, but now she couldn’t contain it anymore. She’d been watching the exchange from inside the car the whole time. Even though she couldn’t see the agents’ faces, she could clearly read Su Fan’s expression — gradually turning cold.
No need for elaboration — those people must have said something or had a bad attitude that upset him.
“Not really. It’s just that the slick-backed guy has some screws loose. Luckily, the other one’s a reasonable person.”
Su Fan preferred dealing with smart people. A few words were all it took to get things across. Talking to brain-dead idiots was exhausting — like that slick-backed guy with his inexplicable hostility.
Made him want to treat the guy to a nice, invigorating round of Bajiquan.
“Why are they following us?”
“Basically, they want to see if I’ve actually got the goods. If I do, they’ll back off. If I don’t, they’ll take me in for a cup of tea.”
Su Fan gave Teresa a rough summary of what had just happened, and the nun’s brows furrowed deeply.
“When they talked to me earlier, they weren’t like that.”
“You’re with the Vatican. You’ll be heading back soon — mishandling your situation could turn into an international incident. But I’m different. I’m a long-term resident here, under their jurisdiction.”
“Sure enough, government officials are the same everywhere — bossy and unpleasant.”
Teresa seemed to recall some unpleasant memories.
“Them tagging along will only cause trouble.”
