A police transport vehicle, carrying fully armed officers, was en route to the northern community.
The officers inside were silent; most clutched the crosses they carried, praying quietly.
The detective had already explained the unique nature of this operation at the station.
The enemy were cultists who gained special abilities by worshiping a demon, and they had occupied almost the entire community.
Participation was voluntary.
The city was in turmoil, with security incidents breaking out in various places. Those unwilling to go to the community could be assigned elsewhere.
As paranormal events became more frequent, many officers had come to understand just how dangerous such cases were for ordinary people.
But they still got on this vehicle.
The detective looked up and scanned the officers around him.
This was all the manpower available for this operation.
Given the severe shortage of officers, mobilizing this many was already the limit.
The incident site wasn’t far from the station, and soon the officers arrived at their destination.
The moment they stepped out, everyone was stunned by the sight before them.
“My God…”
An officer muttered unconsciously, clutching the cross in his hand.
The sky was overcast with dark clouds, as if a terrible storm was about to break.
But even more abnormal was the community below.
The ordinarily unremarkable buildings were now shrouded in a layer of crimson mist, as if a thin fog had spread.
They could clearly feel strong gusts of wind blowing, yet strangely, the wind had no effect on the mist below—a clear sign of its abnormality.
“Carl, is this fog the same as what you saw that night?”
The detective turned and asked.
“No, I’m sure it’s not.”
Carl shook his head, his expression grim.
“Although it’s thinner than the fog we encountered the night before last, it’s clearly more dangerous.”
Hearing this, the detective looked back at the red mist.
According to Carl’s description, the white fog drove people insane, caused hallucinations, and even led to uncontrollable self-harm.
Before the operation, he had ordered all officers to wear gas masks.
But could a gas mask really block this fog?
The detective reached into his coat, took out his talismans, and began counting them.
He bought talismans from Su Fan every now and then, and occasionally Su gave him a few as gifts.
Over time, he had accumulated about a dozen.
But that still wasn’t enough.
The danger of this situation was palpable.
The white fog had already shredded one of Carl’s talismans, let alone this even more terrifying red mist.
One per person wouldn’t be nearly enough!
“Carl, how many talismans do you have left?”
“Two.”
The detective looked up in surprise, about to ask, when he noticed the young man’s lips curl up with a hint of pride.
“I’ve already given away the extras, Detective.”
The detective paused, then smiled and handed over his talismans.
“You’re more thoughtful than I am. Take these and distribute them again, making sure everyone has at least two.”
“Got it!”
Carl took the talismans and began distributing them.
The detective watched as Carl handed them out, feeling a twinge of reluctance.
Su was still in there, dealing with those damned lunatics, but he couldn’t just let his officers walk into a death trap.
Soon, the talismans were all distributed.
With their protective charms in hand, the officers’ confidence soared, and they prepared to follow the detective in.
But just then, a phone rang, shattering the moment.
The detective frowned and answered the call.
“Who is this?”
“With the city in chaos and reinforcements yet to arrive, you’ve taken it upon yourself to divert police resources elsewhere.”
“I think you owe me a proper explanation, Detective Dyson… or should I say, Acting Captain Dyson.”
The voice on the other end was laced with barely concealed fury.
“The situation arose suddenly and is critical. This dangerous religious activity has already resulted in fatalities. I’ve now arrived at the target location…”
Before the detective could say much more, he was rudely interrupted.
“You listen to me. I don’t care where you are. Take your officers immediately and head to Beverly Hills for warning!”
Hearing this, anger flared in the detective’s chest, but he tried to keep his voice steady.
“A major incident is unfolding right before my eyes. I can’t just ignore it. I cannot abandon my duty to maintain social order!”
“Don’t give me that crap about maintaining order!”
“Do you think the station’s generous annual funding comes from thin air? From the taxes of those poor people?!”
“Without donations from the wealthy, do you think you’d still be sitting in the station, enjoying the air conditioning, and shooting the breeze in the gym?!”
“Don’t forget who promoted you!”
The chief’s roar came clearly through the phone, heard by everyone present.
His shameless words, his blatant fawning over the wealthy, his aggressive tone…
Only then did Carl realize how rotten the upper echelons of the police department had become!
Rage ignited in his eyes, and he stepped forward, ready to snatch the phone.
But at that moment, a voice came from not far away.
“Could I have a word with him?”
Everyone turned to see a group of people approaching.
The woman leading them had fair skin and captivating blue eyes. Her beauty was so striking that even in this abnormal environment, many officers were momentarily dazed.
The detective hesitated for a moment, then handed over the phone.
The woman took the call, stepped aside for a moment, and soon returned, signaling for the detective to take the phone back.
Amidst the skeptical glances of the others, the detective resumed the call.
To his astonishment, the chief’s attitude had done a complete one-eighty!
He not only approved of the detective’s actions but also granted him full command authority.
Before hanging up, he even offered a few words of encouragement.
The dramatic shift left the detective, a veteran who had navigated the police system for half his life, utterly stunned.
The chief wouldn’t suddenly have a change of heart for no reason.
The reason for this transformation was undoubtedly the woman who had taken the call earlier.
“May I ask who you are…”
“Heh, this here is the current head of the super-wealthy Mayfair family.”
“Miss Rowena Mayfair.”
From behind her stepped a handsome, rakish young man carrying a shotgun, followed by a tall, slightly baby-faced youth.
Detective Dyson and Carl looked closely—it was the car theft brothers they had encountered that day.
“Long time no see, Detective.”
After greeting them, Dean glanced at Rowena, then turned to his younger brother Sam and muttered quietly.
“Made the police chief back down with just a few words. Pretty impressive.”
“And here I thought Su wasn’t interested in women. Turns out he’s been keeping things quiet.”
“Head of a multi-billion dollar family, young, and gorgeous too…”
“Shh!”
Sensing Rowena looking their way, Sam quickly elbowed his smirking brother to shut up.
