"Ladies and gentlemen, are there any other questions?"
Madam Valente's delicate and pretty face was now filled with exhaustion.
"No, Madam Valente."
The people in the drawing room looked at each other and shook their heads in unison.
"Very well. Once you're ready, Daisel will take you there."
As she said this, Madam Valente paused, her gaze piercing as she looked at the crowd.
"You can choose to form a team or act alone, but the final reward will be divided equally according to the number of people in your team when you enter. I hope you will focus all your energy on that damn Evil Spirit!"
"Understood, Madam Valente."
Upon hearing this rule, the darker thoughts lurking in the minds of some within the drawing room had to quietly dissipate.
After another deep glance at everyone, Madam Valente left the drawing room, swaying her tall and alluring figure.
The seven remaining Exorcists in the drawing room looked at each other. A couple that appeared to be husband and wife, and two men who had always huddled together—their relationship uncertain—obviously decided against forming a temporary team with other strangers. They all shifted their gazes towards the remaining three people.
Chu Feng looked at the Black woman opposite him and the elderly white man dressed as a priest beside her, and inwardly shook his head. Naturally, I have no intention of sharing the ten million US dollars with others, he thought.
At this moment, Butler Martin entered the drawing room.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you are ready, please follow me."
Everyone promptly picked up their Exorcism props and followed Butler Martin.
Several cars were already waiting outside the main gate of the mansion. Everyone got into the cars, and after a drive of more than ten minutes, the convoy finally stopped at a distance from a lakeside villa.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived. The Evil Spirit is inside that lakeside villa," Butler Martin said, stretching out his hand to point at the distant structure. "I wonder which Exorcist would like to go in first?"
Looking at the Exorcists who seemed prepared, Butler Martin inquired with a practiced smile.
"We'll go first!"
No sooner had Butler Martin finished asking than the two white men eagerly volunteered.
"Alright, then Mr. Eddie Lahr and Mr. Lowell Babb will be the first to go in," Butler Martin announced. "However, there is one thing you should know in advance: each team is only allowed one hour. After one hour, whether or not the previous team has left, if the Evil Spirit has not been dealt with, the next team will set out."
After finishing his explanation, Butler Martin indicated for the first team to proceed.
The two white men cast a mocking glance around at everyone, then carried their equipment and set off, unaware of the inscrutable expressions in the eyes of those behind them.
The door to the lakeside villa was only half open. At the entrance, the two white men immediately opened the cases they were carrying, taking out two rifles and tucking a pistol each into the back of their waistbands.
They were, of course, not as foolish as they appeared. The bullets in their firearms and spare magazines had all been soaked in Holy Water. This, in addition to the crosses around their necks pulsating with Spiritual Power and some other Exorcism tools, gave them the confidence to go first.
After exchanging glances, they lifted their rifles and cautiously entered the villa.
Just as the two men had barely stepped into the villa's hall, under the intense gazes of those outside, the doors behind them slammed shut, completely blocking the onlookers' view.
"Well, that's all there is to see! No telling how long those two unlucky souls will last!" the Black woman sneered, then turned to rest in the car.
Just as everyone else was about to get into their cars to rest and gather strength, the lakeside villa suddenly erupted with the sound of gunfire, like popping beans, interrupting their movements. The intermittent gunfire lasted for several minutes before finally ceasing.
"What? It's over just like that? Did those two unlucky souls die that quickly?" the Black woman remarked, her venomous tongue activated once again.
More time passed, yet there was still no sign of activity from the lakeside villa, and the two white men hadn't emerged either.
Even though they couldn't see what was happening inside, the remaining five people realized that the duo's chances of survival were slim.
「An hour later」
Butler Martin glanced at the time then approached the group. "Ladies and gentlemen, an hour has passed. It seems those two won't be coming out. I wonder..." He trailed off, turning his inquiring gaze towards the remaining few.
"We'll do it!" The exorcist couple stood up. Without waiting for any reaction, they headed straight towards the lakeside villa.
"PFFT! What an act!" the Black woman sneered disdainfully from the side. It seemed she was familiar with the couple.
This time, the exorcist couple didn't make everyone wait too long. About ten minutes after they entered the villa, the husband, now with a limp, emerged carrying his unconscious wife. His body was covered in blood as he fled.
"The Evil Spirit... The Evil Spirit has been sealed in..." The man, struggling to carry his wife towards the others, collapsed to the ground halfway through his sentence.
As Butler Martin and the driver hurried to lift the couple into a car, the elderly white man dressed as a priest had a flicker in his eyes. He exclaimed, "Now it's my turn!" and bolted toward the villa, impressively quick for his age.
"Damn old fool! When your god abandons you, I'll use you to feed my pets!" the Black woman, who had also wanted to be next to enter the villa, spat viciously on the ground.
Watching the priest's retreating figure as he neared the villa entrance, Chu Feng's face also grew cold. "Butler Martin, doesn't this old man's actions violate the rules?"
Butler Martin slowly shook his head. Having been a step too slow, Chu Feng and the Black woman could only hope the old man would die inside.
Barely a minute later, the elderly priest ran straight out of the villa's front door.
"Damn it! You've actually sealed the Evil Spirit inside! It can't be exorcised at all!" After spitting out these words in anger, the elderly priest simply got into a car and drove off.
So that's it! No wonder those two failed so quickly! The Black woman's eyes shifted as if she had realized something.
Chu Feng also understood the meaning behind the priest's parting words: the Evil Spirit was now like a fierce tiger trapped in a cage.
His mind raced, and he retracted the step he was about to take. If that's the case, the assumption that the Evil Spirit was previously injured is wrong! he thought.
However, the Black woman's choice was the polar opposite of Chu Feng's. Knowing the Evil Spirit couldn't leave the villa, her eyes suddenly lit up. She grabbed her small bag and sprinted towards the villa's main entrance.
Upon reaching the front door, she didn't enter. Instead, she took out a piece of cloth and spread it at the entrance, then retrieved an assortment of strange and bizarre items, arranging them on the cloth.