Entering suite 1408, York faced the room, stretched his hand backward to close the door, and casually flipped the light switch.
As the soft and warm light illuminated the entire suite, York stood still, his pupils moving rapidly, first observing the layout of the suite, then nodding slightly.
As a four-star hotel with a history of a hundred years and a ninety percent occupancy rate, the Sea Bend Hotel's standard suites naturally met many people's aesthetics.
The size of the room goes without saying, definitely spacious. Besides that, the entire suite's design was filled with modernity, the details showcasing the hotel's character.
High quality and sophistication.
"Not bad."
...
...
Living Room.
After observing the entire suite, York sprinkled holy water on the sofa, confirming it wasn't an illusion, then placed his backpack on it and sat down, leaning back to enjoy the so-called high-end hotel feel.
Indeed, the Sea Bend Hotel was quite upscale; the material of the luxurious sofa and the slight sinking feeling provided a subtle sense of embrace that he found quite comfortable.
He liked the feeling of being enveloped.
Of course, York hadn't forgotten his purpose for coming tonight, casually picking up his phone to check the time again.
He was just waiting for the event to start, as with his previous exorcism experiences.
Supernatural events include all abilities, magic, etc., while paranormal events are somewhat different, not as bizarre and unsolvable as those in the East.
The main theme of Western paranormal activities has a certain regularity. If one studies the nodes within, these paranormal events can be easily resolved.
In this suspected paranormal event, among the 57 cases of death, the victims committed suicide about an hour after check-in, and the approximate time of death added up to 13.
Combining this regularity, if he's not wrong, this event will only change when the time adds up to 13 an hour later.
And now the time is...
York stared at the time displayed on the screen.
[20:36]
"One minute left." Confirming the current time, York placed his phone on his knee, allowing the screen to turn off, having calculated everything in his mind.
"Countdown..."
Leaning back on the sofa, York gazed ahead into the void, silently counting down to the moment of change.
In the suite, so quiet that only York's breathing could be heard, time passed second by second.
"Three, two, one."
As the time confirmed to reach [20:37], York blinked, starting to feel the entire suite undergoing some indescribable changes.
The first to change was...
York looked down at the phone on his knee.
The previously off screen suddenly lit up on its own, displaying a timer.
[59:59]
The digits, in bright red, were ticking down second by second, indicating it was counting down.
"An hour, thank you for the reminder." York remained unmoved, continuing to look towards the coffee table, the floor beside it, and around the room.
Everything was still as it was.
"It seems the illusion grows stronger with time, rather than unleashing its full force right away."
York shook his head, understanding why the task's difficulty was only two attribute points.
For ordinary people, scenarios like faucets suddenly turning on and spewing blood, strange noises, or objects moving from the table to the bed on their own could be terrifying.
But to him, they were merely mundane.
York looked back at the phone, casually picking it up and tapping the screen. The screen lit up normally, and the countdown continued.
[59:12]
47 seconds had passed.
As if speaking to someone who wasn't there, York muttered in resignation.
"Do you have to take an hour? Time is precious, so please, speed up the process."
However, no response came.
"Fine, then it's time to counter every move."
With a twitch of his mouth, York's holy power surged through his right hand towards the phone, causing the device to momentarily blur, like a television screen flickering with static.
The next second, the phone reappeared in his sight, and the timer had returned to normal, the time now correctly showing [20:38], exactly one minute later.
Using a combination of psychic and holy powers to forcefully dispel the illusion on the phone, York was unfazed, swiping through the screen to dial Jeffrey's number.
"Father York?"
"It's me." Hearing Jeffrey's voice, York spoke calmly.
"Bring up a humidifier and wait for me in the elevator."
"Understood, Father!"
After getting a response, York hung up, reaching for his backpack to pull out two bottles of holy water, standing up and heading towards the door.
In situations like this, what he could do was break the entire illusionary space, that is, the entire thirteenth floor, to force out the essence of the entity creating this illusionary space. He wasn't keen on waiting too long.
However, to be honest, while this event posed a life-threatening danger worth only two attribute points to him, actually exorcising it was quite troublesome.
For him, breaking out of the illusion was easy, but that only solved the surface problem and did not address the core issue, as the entire illusionary space would still exist. Once he left, under the number 13, suicides would still occur.
So, compared to those straightforward spirits and demons, this so-called illusionary monster was like a true challenge.
Because once you step into its illusionary space, everything is both real and fake, making it hard to discern the essence.
And powerful illusionary spaces can make you unaware of overall changes, even twisting your perception of distance, altering your senses, and changing what you see.
What was originally a three-story building might have you walking in circles on the spot, thinking you've checked it all, Or what seemed like ten steps away, you've only taken five, yet you feel you've walked ten, Or someone slaps you hard enough to swell your face, yet you feel nothing.
What's simply a book in front of you, you see as a monster...
Walking to the door, York first observed his surroundings, making sure he didn't feel any overall changes.
Thinking back to a fleeting thought, then looking at the door right in front of him, York uncapped another bottle of holy water and poured it towards the door.
If his assumption was right, this door would also be an illusion; otherwise, those who committed suicide upon sensing fear would have left this place long ago, rather than wandering aimlessly and seeking release through death.
As York watched, the pure holy water splashed onto the door.
Suddenly, the door, just like the phone before, first showed a distorted snowflake effect, shook a few times, and then vanished.
"True and false."
York looked forward, where the door was three steps away, while the poured holy water spread on the floor in front of him, Proving that the door he had seen was an illusion.
"Impressive, even missing a whole three steps of space, you managed to connect it seamlessly, showing no abnormalities. If I had this ability..."
Sighing, York continued forward three steps, pouring holy water on the door again.
This time, the door remained unchanged, and the holy water flowed down according to gravity.
"The real door."
Muttering to himself, York turned the doorknob, stepped out, and looked back at the suite, seemingly unchanged, before closing the door behind him.
Click...
___________________
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