In the hospital room, a patient dressed in a hospital gown sat at the edge of the bed. Clearly, he was a towering white man standing over six feet tall, yet his demeanor at this moment was that of a bashful little woman.
His legs were crossed and leaning to the side, his hands playing with an imaginary long braid in front of his chest, his head lowered in a shy manner.
Henry and three police officers stood nearby, their handguns already drawn, aiming at this abnormal man.
"Whoever you are, get off Frank's body immediately!" Henry loudly warned.
The two officers dispatched to that apartment two nights ago; one is now missing without a trace, and the other is mentally deranged and has lost his sanity.
After escaping from that apartment, this colleague's mental state became extremely abnormal. Not only could he not communicate with people normally, but he also remained silent. There was no way for Henry to find out from him what exactly happened that night.
Having no choice, he had to temporarily send him to the hospital for treatment, never expecting that today this colleague would become even more bizarre.
Though compared to the other colleague whose life and death are unknown, this man staying alive is already considered very lucky, but the current situation akin to being possessed is hardly any better.
Originally, Henry was at the police station planning to start investigating the recent months' death cases in the Shajiao District as per Sun Yan's instructions.
But with a phone call from the officer on duty at the hospital, he rushed to the scene instantly, witnessing the bizarre scene before him.
"Let me go back, I don't want to stay here, I want to go home." The possessed officer raised his head to look at Henry, uttering in a soft womanly voice.
Henry couldn't help but wipe a cold sweat away. Having worked in the Shajiao District for many years, he had been through several cases involving evil spirits and had gained some little expertise.
This colleague's current situation clearly indicated possession by an evil spirit.
"Chief Henry, what should we do now?"
"Don't panic, I've already notified the spiritual consultant at the precinct, and they are on their way." Henry, forcing composure, reassured his colleagues nearby.
The best news at the moment is that the evil spirit on Officer Frank seemed non-aggressive; they just needed to keep it guarded.
Before long, the infirmary door was pushed open, and Sun Yan walked in from outside.
Seeing him was like seeing a savior for Henry, who immediately rushed to greet him: "Father Jackson, you're finally here."
"What's the situation now?" Sun Yan asked.
"I don't know; it suddenly became like this. I suspect he has been possessed by an evil spirit. Father Jackson, see if there's any way to handle it."
Sun Yan opened the Celestial Eye, scanning Officer Frank who was possessed by the evil spirit.
Soon, in a sight unseen by the naked eye, a woman in a white dress appeared on Officer Frank's back.
Her skin was ghostly pale, her long hair covered her face, and her arms tightly embraced Frank's neck, her entire body clinging to his back.
Theoretically, such formless evil spirits invisible to the ordinary eye posed the least threat.
"Let me try." Sun Yan lit a cigarette to calm his nerves, then took out the General Sun Mask and put it on.
Once donned, his entire aura changed drastically.
The mask, with its ferocious and intimidating design, highlighted his commanding presence, making Henry unconsciously take a step back.
For some unknown reason, seeing Sun Yan with this mask on struck an inexplicable sense of awe in him as if Sun Yan had indeed transcended into a divine spirit.
Bang, bang, bang.
Sun Yan strode towards the hospital bed, silent, aided by the True Monarch of Pure Origin and Mysterious Dao's Celestial Eye and the path cleared by the General Sun Mask, no mere evil spirit dared not fear.
"Don't come closer!"
When Sun Yan was just three steps away from Officer Frank, the spirit on his back suddenly became agitated, lifting its head to scream with a face as pale as death.
Sun Yan remained silent, stepping forward once more.
With the malevolent presence of the General Sun Mask approaching closer, the evil spirit's body seemed like boiling oil, instantly emitting black smoke and sizzling sounds.
She painfully released her grip, fell off Frank's body, and crawled on all fours in a blind panic, quickly scrambling onto Henry's body a short distance away.
"Woo... woo..."
Completely oblivious to what had unfolded in the hospital room, Henry was curiously observing one moment, and the next, at the mere touch of the spirit, his eyes rolled back and his body autonomously tried to dash for the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" Sun Yan, anxious at the sight, immediately removed the General Sun Mask and hurled it with force at the spirit.
When the mask struck Henry's back, the spirit clinging to him was instantly engulfed in a blue-green flame, burning to obliteration on the spot.
Thunk.
The mask fell to the ground as everything reverted calmly.
Henry and the other officers stared blankly at Sun Yan, for they, with their mortal eyes, had no clue what had just transpired.
"Father Jackson, was this an exorcism success?" seeing Sun Yan pick up the mask, Henry unsurely asked.
"Yes, the evil spirit on him has been eliminated by me, he should regain consciousness very soon." Sun Yan carefully pocketed the mask. Through this exorcism, he had come to understand the power of the General Sun Mask.
As a magical artifact, evil spirits were extremely fearful of contact with it; the weakest evil spirits would even be obliterated upon contact.
But Sun Yan knew, this was not yet the true power of the General Sun Mask; he would only unlock its full potential upon mastering divination.
Freed from the evil spirit's grip, Officer Frank fainted directly, collapsing onto the bed.
Being possessed by an evil spirit for a long time is extremely harmful to a living person, as they say, humans and ghosts take different paths.
At the mildest, it results in several months of illness, at worst, severe damage to primordial energy, even shortening one's lifespan.
Sun Yan pulled Henry aside: "Regarding the apartment case, I went there this morning and found some clues. If you lead a team for another investigation, you might uncover something new."
Henry was suddenly all smiles: "No wonder you're Stevenson's descendant, seeking your help at Gospel Town was indeed the right decision."
"Don't stray off track. As for the murderer in the 4th-floor homicide, I now suspect their goal is to obtain hearts, not for trade or sale but to cure someone's disease. You need to investigate whether any recent victims in Shajiao District's cases have similar missing heart situations.
Simultaneously, investigate if any of the deceased in the cases have recently been in contact with anyone suffering from an incurable disease, regardless of age, as long as they are close to death. And have you had your team inspect every resident's apartment in that building? I suspect the evil spirit incident on the 7th floor is linked to one of the residents."
Following Sun Yan's leads, Henry wore a surprised expression: "We haven't done that, I'll get on it right away."
"Act quickly, prefer the results by today. I'm aware of the efficiency of your white officers. If you still want my assistance with this, you'll better oversee it personally, otherwise, I'll take my leave."
Sun Yan departed with hands in his pockets, his help in exorcising was but a small episode.
The real danger he had to confront was still the non-existent door; this lucky Frank, who barely escaped from it, must have seen the scene inside, otherwise, he wouldn't have been so mentally disturbed and possessed by an evil spirit, indicating that beyond that door lies a place with more evil spirits.
For Sun Yan, who only had one magical artifact in hand, he truly was risking his life to seek the truth.