As they spoke, a few young city women walked past them.
Dean’s gaze followed them involuntarily, watching them leave before turning back to face his brother Sam’s disdainful look.
“Is this what you call ‘focusing on what we need to do’?”
“Of course not. We’re… damn, this really is a big city. Look, that girl’s figure is something else…”
While talking, Dean winked at one of them.
Although exasperated, Sam didn’t say much more.
Because he felt a similar pang of awe.
Weren’t all the supernatural cases they’d dealt with before in the middle of nowhere?
Either remote small towns or abandoned apartment buildings.
Finally coming to a major metropolis, of course they wanted to take it all in.
Hunting monsters doesn’t mean you can’t live a little, right?
Sam glanced at the uniformed officers chatting in pairs at the intersection.
“In this situation, we can’t exactly get a car either. The patrols here are a lot more troublesome than the ones we’re used to… Let’s just take a cab.”
…
Over twenty years ago, one night, the once happy Winchester family was struck by tragedy.
The brothers’ mother was found pinned to the ceiling, and she ultimately died in a fire.
From that point on, their father John took four-year-old Dean and the still-babbling Sam, embarking on a life of hunting monsters and seeking revenge for their mother’s killer.
From a young age, Sam and Dean were trained by their father to be soldiers, constantly moving and fighting across the country.
But soon, Sam couldn’t bear this life any longer. He broke away from them, wanting to live a normal, peaceful life like ordinary people.
Dean, pulled into hunting by their father since childhood, never had time for school.
Sam was different. A natural student, after leaving his father and brother, he successfully got into Stanford University.
But just before his law school interview, Dean, whom he hadn’t seen in two years, showed up to tell him their father was missing.
And so, the brothers set out on a journey to hunt monsters and find their father.
The brothers’ purpose for coming here this time was to find a specific psychic medium.
“Seems like there are a lot more psychics popping up lately.”
After getting out of the cab, Sam couldn’t help but comment.
“That’s normal. It’s a tricky business to tell the real from the fake. You never know which ones are just charlatans muddying the waters and which ones are genuine practitioners until you meet them face-to-face.”
Dean walked and talked with his brother.
“But from what I’ve seen, most of the ones with fancy websites are just attention-seeking clowns.”
“Well, that’s inconvenient. The one we’re looking for this time seems pretty famous online too.”
Sam smiled wryly.
“Psychic Elise. Didn’t you look her up?”
Dean pursed his lips and rubbed his nose.
“She only recently started working with those two idiots. She doesn’t count in that bunch.”
“No idea what really happened that spooked that lady into silence.”
They didn’t actually know Elise; they were referred to her by another psychic.
That psychic was the one who had set their father on the path of hunting, possessing telepathic abilities.
The brothers had originally gone to seek her help, only to find her unwilling to say much, as if severely frightened by something.
“I looked it up. Around that time, there was a severe thunderstorm in New Orleans. The damaged blocks were pretty much devastated.”
“Other than that, nothing particularly special.”
Sam recalled the information he had found.
“But the damage was precisely contained within just three blocks,”
“It’s hard not to think some kind of supernatural force was controlling it.”
Dean voiced his speculation.
“If there really was something like that, no wonder she wouldn’t talk.”
Sam nodded.
The African-American psychic wouldn’t say more, which is why she referred them to Elise in Los Angeles.
This particular case was more troublesome, and it involved their old family home.
Dean and Sam couldn’t quite figure out what exactly was causing the haunting, which is why they went through the trouble of coming to LA.
“Are you sure this is the place?”
Walking along, Dean couldn’t help but ask.
“Our cab fare only covered this far…”
Sam said expressionlessly.
“If the car hadn’t broken down, we wouldn’t be stuck with all this crap!”
Dean spread his hands and shook his head, his tone tinged with frustration.
Their plans to find the psychic Elise kept getting delayed, and now it was almost evening.
The brothers had to give up on visiting her today, wandering the streets while looking for a suitable place to stay.
As they strolled around, hoping for a change of scenery, they found themselves on Hollywood Boulevard.
The bustling commercial pedestrian street and the lively crowd did indeed ease the irritation they felt from all the setbacks.
Walking along, Dean slowed his pace.
“An antique shop on a commercial pedestrian street?”
Compared to the foot traffic in other stores, the antique shop seemed rather deserted.
“I’ll bet the owner is either loaded with money to burn or a complete amateur at business. Who comes here to hunt for antiques?”
Dean leaned towards his brother behind him, muttering under his breath.
“And looks like it’s antiques from China.”
Sam added.
The two brothers looked at each other, simultaneously reading the same thought in the other’s eyes.
“Wanna go in?”
“Let’s go.”
Pushing open the antique shop’s door.
Under the warm-toned lighting, the elegantly classic interior decor came into Dean and Sam’s view.
“Alright, the taste is actually pretty good.”
Dean looked around the shop and couldn’t help but compliment.
Although not well-versed in Chinese aesthetics, the shop gave off a feeling of refined restraint; it just looked comfortable.
Before Dean could finish looking, he got a light elbow nudge from his brother.
He then noticed the young Asian man sitting behind the inner counter, reading a book.
Taking a closer look, Dean’s expression stiffened.
Wasn’t this the guy who was in the car with those two cops during the day?
What are the odds?
Dean instinctively wanted to leave with Sam, but before he could move, he saw the young man opposite them look up.
Not good.
“The two from earlier today?”
“What a small world. You’re out already?”
The young man offered them a faint smile.
“Yeah… just a little misunderstanding earlier. The detectives finished their checks and let us go.”
Dean remained calm and collected, Sam beside him doing the same.
Over the years, to investigate supernatural cases, the two of them had impersonated countless professions.
Telling a little white lie was second nature.
“The detectives were just doing their job. We understand.”
Sam chimed in as well.
“I see.”
The young shopkeeper across from them nodded, his expression unchanged, making it impossible for them to tell if he believed it or not.
“Here to look at antiques?”
“That’s right.”
“Need me to introduce anything?”
“No, no need. We’ll just look around ourselves.”
Politely declining, the two pretended to browse around the shop.
Not far away, the young shopkeeper watched these two actors with amused interest.
