With the screech of brakes, James's taxi came to a halt in front of an elegantly decorated grand hotel in Queens.
"James, farewell, till we meet again!"
After taking out five hundred US dollars and placing them on the front passenger seat, Chu Feng waved and entered the hotel's main entrance under the doorman's guidance.
He got a room at the hotel front desk, took the key card, and went upstairs.
The next morning at eight o'clock, after a night's sleep had dispelled all his fatigue, Chu Feng had breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. Afterward, he decided to buy a laptop.
In modern society, the importance of information was self-evident.
As Chu Feng stood by the hotel entrance, before he even had a chance to raise his hand to hail a cab, a familiar yellow taxi stopped in front of him.
"James? How is it you?"
The figure he had just parted ways with yesterday was sitting in the driver's seat.
"Chu, you just arrived in New York yesterday. I figured you could use a taxi driver who's exceedingly familiar with New York!" James said, flashing a smile that revealed his white teeth.
Chu Feng, sitting in the backseat, cast a meaningful glance at the African American driver at the wheel.
It seemed that in America now, the worth of an Exorcist must far exceed his estimations.
"James, let me ask you a question. If I want to reside in America long-term and legally but don't wish to adopt American citizenship, what should I do?"
"Chu, you're an Exorcist. As long as you're willing to demonstrate your ability to the government, it would be very easy to obtain lawful US residence." After James finished speaking, he paused, then added with a hesitant expression, "Of course, it might also require joining certain organizations."
Chu Feng, fully aware of the true nature of the American government, naturally wouldn't consider this option.
"Are there any other ways?"
James frowned, thinking for a moment. "The normal channels take too long, and they're very hard to get through. Plus, considering you don't want to join any US government agencies, that leaves only special channels!"
At this, Chu Feng's interest was piqued. "What sort of channels?"
"Chu, America is always the land of the wealthy. As long as you can get the help of a wealthy individual, obtaining permanent residency in America can also be a simple matter! And right now, there happens to be just such an opportunity!"
"Let's hear it!"
"You've just arrived in the States, so you probably haven't heard. Not long ago, a wealthy man in Manhattan met a gruesome end in his own mansion, but the police have not been able to find the murderer. Rumors are circulating that the killer is an Evil Spirit."
Upon hearing 'Evil Spirit,' Chu Feng straightened up seriously. After all, having died helplessly at the hands of an Evil Spirit in his previous life, he was quite familiar with them.
"Evil Spirit?"
"Indeed. The wealthy man's sole heir, Miss Tatyana Valente, has issued a bounty across America—if anyone can deal with the Evil Spirit that killed her father, they will receive ten million US dollars, as well as the friendship of the Valente family."
"Chu, if you help Miss Valente deal with that Evil Spirit, by the next day, you could acquire permanent residency in America!" James's tone was full of temptation.
"With such a high reward, Exorcists from all over the country must have come to New York, right? Has no one dealt with that Evil Spirit yet?" Chu Feng wasn't dazzled by the alluring reward, instead focusing on the potential issue implied in James's words.
"I'm not too clear on the specifics, but it seems it hasn't been resolved yet. After all, the Valente family's bounty has not been withdrawn."
"So, Chu, do you want to give it a try?" James looked expectantly at Chu Feng in the back seat.
"We can go and check out the situation first. But, James, with you pushing this so hard, are you hiding something from me?"
When Chu Feng called him out, James's dark complexion betrayed no blush, though his tone was slightly embarrassed. "OK, Chu, I guess I can't hide it from you! There is indeed another line in the bounty: after the Exorcist deals with the Evil Spirit, the person who introduced the Exorcist will also receive a commission of five hundred thousand US dollars."
Chu Feng wasn't surprised about the finder's fee for intermediaries; it wasn't his money being spent, after all.
"A 5% commission? That's a fair rate!"
Seeing Chu Feng wasn't angry, James heaved a sigh of relief; after all, he didn't want to offend an Exorcist needlessly.
"Chu, so, shall we go now?"
"Now? No, we're going to New York's shopping plaza first."
He couldn't change his original purpose for coming out.
For the entire morning, Chu Feng wandered through New York's largest shopping plaza. He bought a top-of-the-line laptop, the latest model cellphone, and also picked up a few sets of comfortable casual wear. His objectives accomplished, Chu Feng headed straight back to the hotel.
Once back in his hotel room, he immediately connected the computer to the hotel's Wi-Fi. After downloading a few essential apps, Chu Feng began his first online exploration in America.
Chu Feng spent the whole afternoon in his room without leaving. The vast and chaotic information he found online taught him a great deal. Most Exorcists have their own personal social media accounts where they post their information and Exorcism videos. Of course, the authenticity of such video content is questionable.
From Chu Feng's perspective, a large portion of the videos posted by these so-called Exorcists were probably fake; some even contained obvious bloopers! Filtering out the obviously fake videos and those clearly edited from movie footage, Chu Feng still found some that were very valuable.
In the videos posted by Exorcist accounts, most of their adversaries were merely Bound Spirits and wandering ghosts capable only of frightening humans. There was only one video featuring an Evil Spirit as the opponent that seemed highly authentic. However, at the end of this video, the Exorcism ritual appeared to have failed. After this video, the Exorcist's social media account never posted any further updates.
What was most terrifying, he pondered, was who could have posted that last video?
"Looks like the American people's demand for Exorcists is still pretty high, huh!"
Seeing the constantly increasing pleas for help online, Chu Feng decisively registered his own social media account. In the personal information section, under occupation, he directly filled in 'Exorcist.'
Chu Feng felt a pang of regret that the scene of him dispatching the Bound Spirit at Bowman's place the day before hadn't been recorded; otherwise, it would have significantly boosted his credibility.
Finally, he left his email address and closed his social media account page.
Next, all he had to do was wait for some 'lucky ones' to come knocking.
After putting away his computer, Chu Feng didn't remain idle. He bought two cans of pure white refined salt from the system store and, holding them in his hands, began to imbue them with Spiritual Power.
Although the system store also had ready-made ones, anything related to Spiritual Power in there wasn't just expensive—it was exorbitant.
The old saying really holds true: save where you can, spend where you must!