The bone was set, but it wouldn't immediately heal completely. Jason wouldn't rush the process either; everything needed time, just like his relationship with Elizabeth. It wasn't that he couldn't speed things up; he just didn't want to rush it. At least now, the woman could limp around.
"My brother..." Seeing Jason getting ready to leave after setting her leg, the woman spoke spontaneously, "Please, he's the only family I have left in this world."
Jason indeed paused, looking at her and proposed, "Let's make a deal."
"You name it, as long as it's within my capabilities, I promise I will..." The woman quickly agreed, casting a glance at her brother who was frozen like an ice statue. The numbness in her hand had already dissipated, likely due to the golden rune that flashed in the air.
"Tell me everything you know, including your identity," Jason demanded seriously.
Just like that?
The woman was taken aback, looking at Jason with disbelief. She nodded and voiced her agreement, fearing he might suddenly change his mind, "Of course, I agree. I'll tell you everything I know."
The woman's name was Lily Steven, and she was the sister of Hill Steven. Their family had migrated to America during the colonial period and had always resided in Virginia. Back in England, they had been demon hunters. In the vast wilderness of America, such a profession was in high demand, and their family prospered significantly.
However, as times progressed, wars waged, and the industrial age emerged, their family split. Many of them lost interest in the dangerous and labor-intensive job of demon hunting. Today, only the lineage of the siblings' father remains. But their father had died during a demon hunt, leaving the responsibility to them.
"Why did you track down Lamia?" Jason asked, the most crucial question. He had injured this monster only three times with his flying sword, which was inconceivable. In all this time, this was his first encounter with such a scenario.
"Lamia has a fatal flaw, it needs to continually evolve. Each evolution is accompanied by some peculiar phenomena," Lily explained, "That's why we were able to track it here. We had noticed unusual occurrences in Harold."
"What kind of occurrences?" Jason asked, puzzled. If these occurrences were so blatant, why hadn't he noticed them?
"You've had zombies here, right?" Lily looked at Jason. "Such events can't be concealed. Even without official media coverage, complete suppression of information is impossible."
Jason couldn't help but laugh helplessly. Shaking his head, he replied, "Yes, the FBI can't cover up such incidents. So, you came here because of this?"
"Yes, and there was also the catfish, the giant one. You killed it, didn't you? I suspect so," Lily continued, laughing mockingly, "If that's not an anomaly, what is? Besides, when we arrived at Laredo, my brother noticed a peculiar phenomenon. It seems there are other interesting species here."
Interesting species? Jason couldn't help but laugh. The world was indeed full of surprises.
"Werewolves, vampires... I never thought we'd encounter such wonders in Texas, one after another. It piqued our interest," Lily continued, "Besides, the zombie incident isn't that simple. We suspected it might be related to Liz Wood. But this person had disappeared, we couldn't find any information about him."
Even though Lily had divulged a lot, it wasn't what Jason wanted to know. He replied stoically, "I just want to know, how did you confirm it was Lamia?"
"Because of the swath of dead trees and grass in the forest," Lily said, "Only the blood of Lamia has such toxicity. We saw it by the lake. At that time, I was wondering who could have hurt a Lamia that had evolved into a half-human, half-snake? Now I know, in this world, besides you... probably no one else could."
Jason nodded in agreement. He remembered the first time he injured Lamia; its blood had caused the trees and grass to wither. So that's how they identified Lamia.
"Moreover, Lamia needs to evolve continuously, which requires hunting down werewolves and other species. Only by consuming them can it evolve quickly and become more formidable in its final humanoid form," Lily continued, "And our demon hunter family's greatest skill is identifying these species among humans."
That explained it. Jason nodded, "I've always known there are demon hunters in America. I admire such people. What do you rely on to defeat creatures like Lamia? You know... it's not easy."
"That's our family's secret. Do I need to reveal that too?" Lily looked at Jason.
Jason pondered for a moment, then shook his head, "No need." With that, he walked over to the icy statue of Hill Steven. He closed his eyes slightly, then flipped his palm. Suddenly, a ball of fire leaped in his hand, almost as if it had life of its own. It shot out instantly, engulfing Hill Steven's entire body.
In a moment, Hill Steven's icy encasement melted as if it had been reduced to ashes. However, his body went limp and collapsed onto the ground, not moving an inch.
The woman was somewhat worried. She limped over, crouched down with difficulty, and examined Hill Steven. Though he hadn't woken up, his breathing was steady, indicating that he was not in immediate danger. She let out a long sigh of relief.
"Uh... one last question. Why does your brother look older than you? How old are you? Well... you can answer this bonus question, or you can refuse," Jason said, smiling slightly at her and spreading his hands, indicating he didn't mind either way.
"Because the men in our family... all seem rather old-fashioned. Their education and dress make them appear that way. In reality, they are indeed old-fashioned... My father was like that," the woman explained, her gaze falling back on Hill Steven on the ground. "And... they all like it that way."
As she spoke, she gently reached out to stroke Hill Steven's forehead. Looking at his face, she seemed somewhat lost in thought.
When she finally looked up again, she found the surroundings empty. Jason had disappeared at some point. Only the wind blew through the trees, clearing her mind gradually.
Stunned, she didn't know how long she had been lost in thought when a weak voice sounded from beside her: "Lily—Thank you. Did you save me?"
The woman turned her head and saw Hill Steven already sitting on the ground.
"Yes, it was me. But it was Mr. Jason who really saved you," the woman approached him, crouching down and gently touching Hill Steven's face. She shook her head and said, "However... I hope you can accompany me to Harold Town. Not for anything else, but to apologize to Elizabeth."
"Do I have to do this?" Hill Steven looked at the woman.
"Yes, you have to do this. Not for anything else, but to not hurt a girl's heart. And to not let people think you're a total jerk. Understand? Especially don't let Mr. Jason think you're a jerk," the woman said seriously. "Tomorrow, we will head to Harold Town."
"Was it really Mr. Jason who saved me?" Hill Steven looked at her somewhat displeased face, shrugged, and replied, "Alright... I understand." He then tried to stand up, but his legs gave way and he almost fell back down, if not for the woman who quickly supported him.
"We must leave here immediately," the woman looked at the chaotic scene around them. "I assume the police will discover this place by tomorrow morning. Let's go, let's leave this damned place!" With that, the siblings supported each other and slowly left the area.
Hill Steven's car was parked not far away in the forest. They found it, and the woman drove. They managed to get the car moving and disappeared in the darkest hour before dawn.
Everyone had departed. All that was left were the ruins and the cold moonlight.