The smoke and stench of blood lingering in the forest gradually thinned as the mountain breeze blew through.
Chris, Jessie, and the other three stared blankly at the messy clearing that had been thoroughly plowed over by sheer violence. The firearms in their hands still retained a reassuring warmth.
"Thank you."
Chris was the first to finally snap out of it. He walked up to Yang Yi and bowed deeply, his voice tinged with hoarseness.
"If it weren't for you guys, we might already be..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but everyone understood the horrifying fate that would have followed.
Jessie and the others also stepped forward, expressing their gratitude with sincere words.
The initial panic and fear in their eyes were gone, replaced by a tempered calmness.
Yang Yi looked at them and nodded, then retrieved the weapons.
"I hope you can live normal lives from now on and never encounter these monsters again."
Of course, on this planet teeming with "talent," realizing such a dream would be incredibly difficult.
With that, this temporarily formed "monster extermination squad" disbanded.
The five youths watched the sci-fi-esque black chariot speed away, eventually disappearing at the end of the highway. They remained silent for a long time.
They knew that they would probably never cross paths with that group again.
But everything that happened today would remain etched deep in their memories forever.
Finally, they looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between their eyes.
They got into the brand-new RV and threw out the damaged camping equipment inside.
Bidding farewell to the past, they embraced a brand-new life.
...
The Batmobile drove smoothly along the vast American highway, the scenery outside the window rapidly receding.
Tomie played with a handheld console in sheer boredom, while Miko leaned quietly against the window, activating her [Eyes of Truth] to observe the hidden side of this country.
Suddenly, a dilapidated road sign flashed past the window.
Written on it in peeling paint was: "Welcome to Camp Crystal Lake."
Miko's gaze shifted to the roadside Crystal Lake, her vision piercing through the calm waters.
Deep at the bottom of the dark, freezing lake, amidst the silt and aquatic plants, she saw a figure tightly bound to a massive boulder by thick iron chains.
He wore an old hockey mask, beneath which lay endless resentment and an ominous, undying aura.
"Oh?"
Sensing something by following Miko's gaze, Tomie also looked in that direction.
"This one looks fun. Seems like a toy that won't die no matter how you play with it."
"When we come back from our errand, let's fish him out. I want to bring him back as a souvenir."
The vehicle continued forward. Soon, another street name caught Miko's eye.
Elm Street.
An ordinary-sounding name, yet it caused Miko's mind to momentarily slip into a trance.
In her vision, the real world seemed to be covered by an eerie filter.
A man wearing a battered fedora, his face severely burned and his right hand sporting a menacing metal claw glove, stood in the rift between reality and dreams, flashing her a malicious smile.
However, that smile lasted for less than a second.
From the driver's seat, Yang Yi cast a faint glance in that direction.
Within the dream dimension, the figure looked as if he had been struck by lightning. The malice on his face was instantly replaced by boundless terror.
He dropped to his knees with a *thud*, trembling all over, no longer daring to harbor any thoughts of prying.
The vehicle continued onward.
Gradually, the road ahead became shrouded in an impenetrably thick, eerie fog.
Within the mist, the silhouette of a dilapidated, deathly silent town loomed faintly.
A rust-mottled sign stood by the road. The writing on it was blurred, but Miko could still make out the words: Silent Hill.
Then, under Miko's watchful gaze, the air filled with the heavy, metallic stench of rust mixed with blood.
The sky turned a dull, bloody red.
Countless twisted monsters, cobbled together from rotting flesh and metal, silently shambled and snarled across streets covered in barbed wire.
"Whoa! Now this is exciting!"
Tomie's eyes lit up behind her sunglasses. She excitedly grabbed her beloved six-barrel Gatling gun, its barrels beginning to emit a heart-stopping hum.
However, looking at the monsters ahead, Yang Yi showed no intention of slowing down.
After all, they were just a bunch of speed bumps. His Batmobile was famous for its exceptional shock absorption.
He then slammed the gas pedal to the floor.
*Roar—!!!*
The Batmobile's engine let out a deafening roar as it plowed straight through, eventually smashing through the town's edge and leaving that illusory Otherworld, along with the thick fog, far behind in the dust.
"Why are you driving so fast~? I haven't even fired a few shots yet~"
Tomie's whiny voice rang out.
Miko also looked at the rapidly receding fog in the rearview mirror, feeling a bit unsatisfied. She sensed there were quite a few things in there that could be stuffed into her Myriad Soul Banner.
"We are professional exorcists, we need to have basic professional ethics."
"Besides, our client is about to 'die' of anxiety."
"Once the mission is complete, we can come back and let you play to your hearts' content."
As the vehicle continued forward, the surrounding art style suddenly underwent a drastic change.
The sky became exceptionally blue, and the clouds looked like cotton candy, brimming with an unreal sensation.
Eventually, they drove into a very peculiar-looking town.
A massive welcome sign stood at the town's entrance, written in an exaggerated font: Quahog.
The car drove up to a house with a blue roof. On the front lawn, they saw the Griffin family having a picnic in the yard.
And their guests were none other than the Simpson family from Springfield!
*Screech—!!!*
Yang Yi slammed on the brakes, bringing the Batmobile to a steady halt by the Griffins' curb with an incredibly stylish drift.
Its cool, futuristic sci-fi appearance instantly grabbed the full attention of both families on the lawn.
Peter Griffin and Homer Simpson, who were busy grilling, stopped what they were doing simultaneously. Their mouths dropped open in "O" shapes as they stared blankly.
The car doors opened upwards.
Yang Yi stepped out of the vehicle. His arrival clearly interrupted this harmonious yet bizarre cross-dimensional family gathering.
"Wow! It's the Batmobile!"
"So cool!"
Before the adults could react, the kids—Megan, Chris, Bart, and Lisa—immediately dropped their food and charged toward the Batmobile, their eyes sparkling.
They instantly recognized Batman's ride, which supposedly only existed in comic books, their faces filled with endless curiosity and envy.
"Hey, Lois."
Peter looked at the sleek chariot, leaned into his wife's ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"If we could bang in this car, it would definitely be an unforgettable experience."
The more he thought about it, the more excited he got, until he finally just ripped his shirt open.
Revealing, underneath the shirt, Lois's missing pink bra.
"Oh my god! Peter, you're the one who stole my bra!"
The two of them then got into a scuffle, fighting over the bra.
Seizing the opportunity, Stewie jumped right out of his stroller. He walked up to the Batmobile and scrutinized it, suspecting that the car was just for show.
Yang Yi seemed to see through his thoughts and snapped his fingers.
*Clack clack clack clack—*
The sound of mechanical transformation rang out.
Countless dark gun barrels and densely packed missile launchers instantly extended from the Batmobile's body, aiming directly at the kids present.
However, this scene, which would be enough to make normal children cry in terror, only made these abnormal kids even more excited.
"So cool! It actually has a weapons system! And it's got even more firepower than Batman's!"
Bart even wanted to climb up and touch the cold gun barrels.
The parents on the lawn seemed completely unfazed by this spectacle.
Lois finally snatched her bra back, then put Peter in a rear-naked choke to stop him from going over to ask if they could "bang" in the Batmobile.
She then smiled at Yang Yi and the girls.
"Hello there, guests from afar."
"Would you like to join our picnic?"