Chapter 344: Federal Paranormal Special Operations Group
Washington D.C., 7th Street NW.
A black sedan pulled over, and a man and a woman stepped out, both dressed in slightly formal dark clothing.
William adjusted his fedora and took in his surroundings.
This area was the administrative heart of D.C., surrounded by numerous government agency buildings.
And just a few blocks away stood the "veteran actor" that frequently played humanity's last hope in modern North American disaster films—the White House.
Not long ago, Gail had invited him to participate in the "Exorcism Council" initiated by the Church, so the two had flown together to D.C.
Before the official meeting began, Gail suggested introducing him to a key partner of the Light of Humanity.
457 7th Street.
"This is their office," Gail said.
William looked up.
It was a gray-white building with a symmetrical design that gave it a very grounded and imposing appearance.
Although the exterior walls were somewhat aged, its proximity to North American government administrative institutions meant the street it occupied remained a core area of D.C.
"A partner operating out of a place like this..." William speculated inwardly about their background.
The building operated on an appointment system. Many formally dressed individuals were waiting in line in the lobby, and a large screen mounted on the wall broadcasted the latest news in D.C.
William was about to find a seat when he saw Gail walk straight up to the reception desk.
After a brief exchange, she obtained visitor passes and waved to William from the turnstiles.
This drew the attention of quite a few waiting people; after all, some had tried to book a pass days ago and were still waiting.
William tipped the brim of his hat and joined her at the elevators under the crowd's watchful eyes.
A few minutes later, on the 12th floor.
Ding—
When the elevator doors opened, William naturally placed his hand on the door frame to hold it.
"Thank you, Mr. Gentleman," Gail smiled faintly.
William nodded, then began observing the area.
This floor bustled with formally dressed people wearing ID badges on their chests. At first glance, they looked like employees of some government agency.
However, the snippets of conversation he caught—phrases like "evil spirit incident" and "rescue operation"—sparked a hint of curiosity within him.
Gail took the lead, seemingly very familiar with the layout.
Soon, they arrived outside a conference room guarded by a Black security officer.
"Is Claire in?" Gail looked at him.
"Ms. Tiago," the security officer opened the door proactively and whispered, "Ms. Victoria is currently handling official business. You might have to wait in the side lounge for a moment."
Hearing this, Gail turned around and looked at William apologetically.
"It's fine," he replied calmly.
This interaction made the security officer sneak a few extra glances at William, trying to guess his identity.
Behind the door was a small waiting room with a leather sofa placed against the wall.
The main door to the conference room opposite them was left slightly ajar, and voices could be heard from inside. Next to the door was a desk where a young woman was currently sorting through mail.
"Gail!" The young woman's eyes lit up.
"Fidi, long time no see," Gail smiled and stepped forward to take the young woman's arm.
"Are you here for Ms. Claire? She's inside discussing the Exorcism Council. They should be wrapping up soon. Should I go in and announce you?"
"It's alright, we can wait a bit."
Subsequently, the volume of their conversation dropped sharply.
William had sharp ears and knew the two were discussing topics typical of female friends.
During their chat, the woman named Fidi frequently glanced his way, and phrases like "New boyfriend?" and "Did Mr. Mark give up?" reached his ears.
Gail knew William could hear them, so she could only smile wryly while frantically shooting pointed looks at Fidi.
William sat on the sofa minding his own business. Just as he was about to tune out the noise, the voices from inside the conference room suddenly grew louder.
"Claire, if you agree to these conditions, we won't have any way to explain this to the higher-ups," a man barked coldly.
"Rather than having an explanation, our first priority should be the safety of the North American people," a female voice quickly responded.
"Hmph, well said, but have you seen the demands these guys are making?" the man continued.
"Using the Wilson Memorial Hall under the pretext of the Exorcism Council is debatable, sure. But the Church deliberately scheduled it for two days from now, which directly conflicts with the 'Public Paranormal Incident Seminar'! That's an event the higher-ups planned long ago. Not only will Cabinet Secretary Underwood be attending, but governors and mayors from states with frequent paranormal incidents will also be visiting."
"Furthermore, this seminar will be open to the public. Since it concerns the prevention and aftermath of evil incidents, there will definitely be a massive audience."
"Can you really not guess what those people from the Church are plotting? Do you want to embarrass Secretary Underwood in front of the public!"
Claire sighed: "Nick, I've raised all these points. But they stated that since both events are about discussing evil incidents, it's better to hold the two councils together."
"Moreover, it's said that the Vatican will dispatch a Cardinal for this occasion. Therefore, the Church hopes we can also have a high-ranking official present, and Secretary Underwood happens to be the perfect candidate."
"Absolutely not!" Nick's tone was resolute.
"Making the existence of evil spirits public already caused significant panic back then. We cannot allow unassessed information to reach the public again."
Claire said: "Secretary Underwood has already agreed."
"What! How could you..."
"I only reported this matter to the higher-ups. The boss also said it was impossible for any official to agree, after all, it's not a glorious matter..." Claire said.
"But the Secretary stated that as long as it protects the public's safety, he is willing to make some sacrifices."
The conference room fell silent for a moment.
"In that case, can't we revoke the reporters' press passes first and wait until there's a unified conclusion before going public?" the man sighed.
"Nick... you have to understand, right now, they are the ones who can handle evil existences," Claire said. "And besides these, they also made other demands."
She paused for a moment before continuing.
"During the Exorcism Council, North American officials will only be responsible for outer perimeter security, while the inner hall order will be maintained by Holy Clergy Members. Of course, we can dispatch a few senior agents to be present. At the same time, the Church and other exorcism factions are permitted to bring exorcism implements to the council, and related inspections will also be handled by the Church. They said this is to prevent evil from infiltrating..."
"Enough!" Nick's tone grew agitated.
"This is D.C.! Not medieval Europe!"
Claire said: "I understand your anger. The Presidential Office raised objections to this long ago, but simply in terms of exorcism capabilities, we are at a severe disadvantage."
"Right now, the states report over a hundred paranormal cases every single day. If those Holy Clergy Members weren't holding the line, the communities would have panicked long ago!"
Nick countered: "Haven't you been in contact with a certain exorcism faction? I heard they use equipment and instruments for exorcism."
"The Light of Humanity. Their recent research has indeed made some progress, but whether it's viable has yet to be verified," Claire admitted.
"I also heard... that you'll be bringing them to participate in the Exorcism Council this time, and among them is a former Holy Clergy Member wanted by the Church," he suddenly changed the subject.
"Your information network is quite sharp," Claire's tone shifted.
"Hmph. Since he came from the Church and his current identity is highly sensitive, is such a person truly trustworthy?"
Outside the conference room.
Hearing this, Gail's face flushed red. She looked at William awkwardly, then hurriedly signaled Fidi to go in and announce them.
Fidi, also too embarrassed to look at William, immediately stood up.
But William took a single step to the door and gestured for the two women to stay quiet.
Inside the conference room.
"You don't need to worry about this matter. If anything goes wrong, I will take responsibility," Claire's tone grew somewhat cold.
"I'm not questioning you. It's just that allowing someone with such an identity to participate is undoubtedly a provocation to the Church. Didn't you just say we have to rely on those Holy Clergy Members to hold the line..."
"Isn't this exactly what you hope for, Mr. Nick? As long as the instrument exorcism route is proven unviable, you can replace me and continue researching methods using modern weaponry," Claire chuckled lightly.
"By the way, I heard you conducted another firepower test yesterday. I wonder what the results were?"
Nick said, "Heh... your information is also quite sharp, but I'm not trying to steal your position."
"The test results were indeed quite good. Against some evil materials with physical forms, firepower strikes can produce decent effects. The higher-ups have already notified me to continue researching..."
"Which means..." Claire interrupted him.
"Against higher-level evil spirits, or even demons, firepower isn't as effective, is it? The Light of Humanity has long since achieved such results."
"But this is still a step forward..."
"Mr. Nick, regarding the Exorcism Council, let's proceed with the current arrangements. Once you have new, substantive progress, we can discuss further."
As soon as her voice fell, the sound of chairs scraping against the floor echoed in the conference room.
Subsequently, the door opened, and a tall woman appeared in the doorway.
Because they were close, William found himself face-to-face with her.
It was a woman with deep, striking features, her long jet-black hair cascading over her shoulders. Even wearing formal business attire couldn't hide her eye-catching figure.
Seeing a strange man at the door, Claire was also visibly taken aback.
Just as she furrowed her brow, she spotted Gail nearby.
Fidi hurriedly trotted over and whispered, "Ms. Gail has been here for a while..."
Claire instantly understood what had happened and couldn't help but shoot her female assistant a glaring look.
She then smiled and extended her hand: "You must be Mr. William. Apologies for the wait."
William also smiled faintly, shaking her hand politely.
"Gail, long time no see," Claire then turned her head.
At this time, another man walked out of the conference room. He wore a tailored suit, his short blond hair neatly combed back.
"Nick Webb," the man walked straight toward Gail and smiled.
"I've heard for a long time that Claire has an outstanding partner. I never expected it to be such a beautiful lady," he said, extending his hand.
"You flatter me," Gail squeezed out a smile.
"Mr. Nick, we have official business to discuss," Claire stepped between the two.
"My apologies, I won't intrude then," Nick gave Gail a slight nod. "I hope we can have opportunities to cooperate in the future."
With that, he walked toward the exit, seemingly completely oblivious to William's existence.
William rolled his eyes inwardly. Guys like this are truly everywhere.
"I apologize, Mr. William," Claire walked over with an apologetic look after the door closed. "You must have heard earlier... Nick and I have some disagreements regarding the Exorcism Council."
"Mr. William, I..." Gail twisted her fingers together, somewhat afraid to look him in the eye.
She had finally managed to invite this exorcism master, only for him to be subjected to such unwarranted coldness.
"No need to explain," William waved his hand dismissively. "Let's get down to business first."
"By the way..." he leaned close to Gail's ear, speaking in a voice only she could hear, "If you ever turn down that guy's invitation, remember to let me know. I'll sponsor another batch of Source Power when that happens."
This wasn't to vent his anger; it was merely William showing support for the Light of Humanity's exorcism endeavors.
Hearing this, Gail's eyes filled with resentment: "Mr. William!"
Claire didn't ask what the two had whispered about, but seeing her friend's reaction, she couldn't help but feel a pang of curiosity inwardly.
Inside the conference room.
Claire made sure the door was firmly shut before returning to the long table.
"Mr. William, Gail has already told me about the Source Power weapons. Thank you very much for your help. This is crucial for the safety of the North American people."
As she spoke, she stood up and bowed deeply to William.
This attitude was not feigned.
When she learned that Source Power weapons could destroy non-physical evil, Claire almost cheered out loud in excitement.
This solved the thorniest problem the North American officials had always faced. Once the weapons could be mass-produced, they would never again be hindered by the Church.
William merely nodded slightly.
He indeed hadn't expected the Light of Humanity to be backed by North American officials.
However... whether it was the Church or the North American government, there was fundamentally no difference.
It was entirely foreseeable that once supernatural powers truly vanished, North America would still be the North America he remembered.
It was simply choosing the lesser of two evils.
Seeing William's calm expression, Claire was somewhat surprised.
"After this matter is concluded, I will report to the higher-ups to help restore your reputation..."
"Let's talk about the Exorcism Council instead," William interrupted her. "What kind of assistance do you need from me?"
Claire glanced at Gail, then shifted the topic.
"A few days ago, we received a letter from the Vatican. They are convening an Exorcism Council on a global scale, attempting to unite various countries to counter the invasion of the Demon God's legion."
"The Demon God's legion... Valak seemed to mention this before as well," William thought to himself.
"Some higher-ups are skeptical, believing this is just a trick by the Church to swindle resources. But there are still rational voices who believe we should take this seriously... Since it's a council, negotiations are inevitable, but we are clearly lacking in exorcism experience. Originally, we planned to cooperate with the Lord Knights or the Sorcerer Association and hire a professional consultant. However, just as we were about to sign the contracts, those factions suddenly all changed their tune... I discussed this with Gail, and she ultimately recommended you to me. We hope to reach a partnership with you during the council to seek professional exorcism-related knowledge and assistance."
"Aren't you afraid of offending the Church over this?" William was thoughtful as he brought up this issue again.
That guy named Nick might have been arrogant, but he wasn't wrong on this point.
If the North American officials originally planned to use him as a bargaining chip to curry favor with the Church, then William's current actions were tantamount to digging his own grave.
Gail couldn't help but look at Claire.
The latter took a deep breath, her tone earnest: "On a public level, I believe someone who could save everyone at both the Exorcism Exhibition and the City Anniversary wouldn't do such a thing."
"On a personal level, I trust Gail."
Claire looked apprehensive: "Is this answer acceptable to you?"
Hearing this, William rubbed his chin, remaining noncommittal.
After a moment, he said, "I won't make any public appearances during the council. All decisions will be communicated solely over the phone."
"That is, of course, no problem!" Claire's eyes lit up, immediately agreeing.
Two days passed quickly.
The streets a block away from the Wilson Memorial Hall were lined with police cars, and a massive police presence patrolled the perimeter.
The sound of helicopter rotors frequently echoed in the sky, and many reporters advanced toward the Memorial Hall under police escort.
Meanwhile, in a building several kilometers away from the Memorial Hall.
In a cubicle on one of the floors, a figure stood holding a monocular telescope aimed out the window.