Taran gripped Lin Qiu's hand while turning her head, intending to send someone to contact the police to have the corpse removed. After all, leaving it at the entrance of the office was rather unsightly.
"Notify the New York Police Department..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of gunfire thundered in the distance. The noise wasn't too far away, perhaps just one block over.
The fact that a shootout was happening so close to the office made Taran and Lin Qiu exchange a look, suspecting it was related to the corpse at their feet. After all, it was just too coincidental!
Just then, a BANG! seemed to confirm their guess. A bullet, slightly off its mark, crashed into the glass of the building's first floor, creating a spiderweb of fine cracks. That gunshot sounded almost like a signal to attack. The next moment, countless bullets, like raindrops, pelted towards the people at the entrance.
"Bullets? PFFT!"
In the crowd at the office's entrance, an Exorcist let out a scoff and then, with a slap of his palm, a small silver shield-like object appeared in his hand. As Spiritual Power was poured into the shield by the Exorcist, the small object suddenly lit up with a fluorescent glow. The glow swiftly expanded, and in a blink, everyone was protected by a transparent barrier. Countless bullets clinked against the barrier, but not a single one could touch the edge of anyone's clothes inside.
"Clerical staff, get inside quickly. What's coming next is not something you can be involved in!"
In fact, there was no need for the Exorcist on-site to remind them. The few ordinary people had already huddled behind the Exorcists the moment the gunfire started. The office's emergency plan was not just for show.
Once all the ordinary people had entered the building, the remaining Exorcists finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The Exorcist holding the shield turned to watch the retreating figure of a clerical staff member and, with a silly laugh, asked his colleague beside him, "What do you think? Will Katie still refuse my date invitation after this?"
"Trust me, brother, you'll be going on a date at her place tonight, HAHA!"
Along with the laughter of his colleagues, their enemies finally made their appearance.
Several black cars sped in and screeched to a halt in the parking lot in front of the building, disgorging a group of fully armed combatants with hoods over their heads. Additional forces, emerging from various corners not far away, had completely surrounded the building.
"Everyone, spread out. Don't let these bastards get close to the building!"
Following Taran's command, the remaining seven or eight Exorcists slowly dispersed around the building's perimeter.
"Taran, do you think we should activate the building's protective Array now?"
"Array? Sorry, that thing is supposed to be upgraded this afternoon as per the schedule." Taran, taking out several metal spheres, shrugged helplessly at Lin Qiu.
"What?"
"Darling, I suggest you pay a bit more attention to the reports submitted by the Exorcism Department!"
"Alright, I'll check them promptly next time. But I still hope that when Chu Feng comes back, he won't be too heartbroken to see his building in shambles..."
Thinking of Chu Feng, who was out, Taran's mouth twitched slightly. It was hard to imagine what he would feel upon knowing his building had suddenly been vandalized. She guessed the consequences for these attackers would be dire.
"That's a matter for later. Right now, you should focus on these foolish weaklings in front of you!"
Just as tensions escalated to the point of swords drawn and crossbows aimed, another car stopped in front of the building.
"Ms. Lin Qiu, Ms. Taran, good afternoon!"
The long-haired man who got out of the car had a polite demeanor, but the rifle he carried indicated he was no saint.
"Cut the crap. Just state where you're from and your purpose for being here!"
Hearing Lin Qiu's icy tone, Palmer, who had intended to negotiate, suddenly turned gloomy.
"You two Bichi, hand over those silver coins immediately, or none of you will leave here alive today!"
"Silver coins?"
Lin Qiu and Taran exchanged glances, immediately thinking of the silver coins James had mysteriously sent back a while ago. Although they now knew the other party's purpose, handing over the silver coins was absolutely out of the question. Instead, the other side's appellation and threatening tone completely infuriated the two agency managers.
"This man is finished!" muttered an Exorcist, who was confronting the armed personnel at the side, shaking his head.
The next second, a dazzling sword light erupted from Lin Qiu's hand, reaching the man's neck in a blink but was crushed by a hand wreathed in black mist. At the same time, several spheres in Taran's hand floated up and began to circle incessantly above her head. Thin silver beams shot out from the spheres, piercing the foreheads of the surrounding armed personnel in an instant.
Their actions ignited the battle between the two sides, with a hail of bullets flying instantly, shattering the building's external glass windows in moments.
"It's Bizarre Strength!"
Feeling the sudden surge of energy from the man, Taran and Lin Qiu immediately widened their eyes.
How could humans possibly use Bizarre Strength? Normally, shouldn't humans have already been devoured by the Bizarre?
The man, shrouded in black mist, his eyes now blood red, seemed unconcerned about the fate of his surrounding armed personnel. Far from launching an attack, he appeared to revel in his newfound power.
"You know? Every time I unleash its Strength, I feel utterly intoxicated!"
Staring at his own hands, now mutated into pitch-black claws, the man's face was one of rapture, releasing an inexplicable aura that pushed the dust on the ground around him outward.
"People always say Exorcists are powerful. Today I'll let you Exorcists taste my prowess!"
"Belles, are you done showing off? The others can't hold on much longer. I hate to say it, but those damned Exorcists are really not that easy to deal with!"
The sudden voice from the communicator made the man's face stiffen, and he angrily ripped the earpiece out.
"Damn you, Palmer. I'm already on the mission. As for the rest, you don't need to tell me what to do!"
SNAP! He threw the communicator to the ground, where it shattered instantly.
"The annoying guy is gone, now it's time to..."
BOOM!
A highly concentrated beam of silver light hit the man's chest, cutting off his speech.
"Too much talk!"
After muttering to herself, Lin Qiu charged forward with her Longsword aimed at the man's chest.