"Father York, what's wrong?"
John Wick keenly noticed something unusual about the priest and asked.
At this moment, with no one else in the partition, he finally returned to his normal way of addressing him.
Calling the priest by his name directly earlier had felt awkward and uncomfortable.
Erin, maintaining her shooting stance, looked over as John asked his question. According to the priest's introduction, she was now using a Colt M2000 pistol, known for its high shooting accuracy and manageable recoil within her control.
"It's nothing."
Sensing their gazes, York shook his head and glanced at Erin's shooting results.
The 15-meter target, every shot within the seventh ring, turning the center of the target paper into a large hole.
"Indeed, she might have a talent for shooting."
York looked at Erin, satisfied with her performance, took the Colt M2000 from her hands, and said with a smile.
"Let's take a break for now. Later, I'll teach you how to coordinate and use your abilities."
Erin nodded, still eager for more.
It's undeniable, hitting the targets she aimed for felt exhilarating.
"John, we can switch to another set of guns now."
Seeing Erin's reaction, York's smile deepened and he turned to John Wick.
"Okay, Father York." After responding, John Wick left the partition.
While waiting, York turned to Erin.
"How are you feeling?"
In his eyes, Erin, dressed in civilian clothes and without her nun's habit, really looked like a naive college student, a stark contrast to his increasingly imposing figure, resembling a beauty and the beast scenario.
"My arms feel a bit sore," Erin replied seriously but then, recalling her shooting experience, she couldn't help asking, "Father, does my spirit ability also include affecting my vision?"
"Of course, there are many subdivisions of spirit abilities, not only affecting vision. But this doesn't directly affect your eyes; it's through the perception of the spirit ability that shortens the distance. Your eyes might see blurrily, but with the perception of the spirit ability, you can construct and visualize everything in your mind, including reading others' thoughts, emotions, and intentions, even understanding someone's inner world without verbal communication..."
Hearing the question, York didn't think much of it and explained in detail what her spirit abilities could achieve. But he suddenly noticed Erin's hesitant expression.
"So, did you trigger your spirit ability while shooting?"
Erin looked up at the priest, recalling her sensations with hesitation, "Father, when I was shooting, I could clearly see the target paper as if it was very close."
York raised an eyebrow, listening as Erin continued.
"But it seemed not like the perception of the spirit ability, but as if my own eyes saw it."
Erin was uncertain, "When I focused, I could even see the center of the target paper 20 meters away, including its surroundings."
Hearing this, York paused for a moment, realizing from the nun's words that this was not something spirit abilities could achieve.
The essence of spirit sensing is acute perception, not surpassing the physical limits to clearly see surroundings.
Setting aside clarity, the human eye can see approximately twenty kilometers, even further from a high mountain, but that's called field of view. If one can clearly see objects ten meters away, that's already remarkable vision.
Now, Erin said she could see everything clearly from twenty meters away?
York looked at the nervous Erin and directly observed her eyes.
Indeed...
With his non-human vision, York could clearly see the condition of Erin's pupils.
Unlike normal pupils, hers had a ring of golden color.
"What's this? An evolution?"
Surprised by this discovery, York stared blankly at Erin.
He knew that when his eyes were infused with magic, his pupils would turn a deep red, but that was due to the color of magic, not his natural eye color.
But Erin's golden pupils were clearly her own, not something a normal person would have...
Seeing the priest staring at her with his deep, mesmerizing eyes, Erin cautiously averted her gaze, asking softly.
"Father, is there... something wrong with me?"
York snapped back to reality, dismissing his concerns with a shake of his head.
"There's nothing wrong. You're perfectly normal."
"So, this vision... is it from my spirit abilities?" Erin asked, relieved.
Remembering the golden pupils, York's response was somewhat vague.
"Probably, probably so..."
He looked toward the partition door, changing the subject, "They're coming."
...
"Change the target, 25 meters."
York skipped the recently switched submachine guns and picked up an HK USP pistol. As the target was changed, he handed it to Erin.
As mentioned before, the longer the distance, the harder it is to hit the target, not just relying on shooting skills but also the firearm's accuracy.
The HK USP pistol, chosen for its outstanding accuracy and reliability, has always been a favorite weapon among many professional shooting competitors.
Seeing Erin take the gun and aim at the 25-meter target under his guidance, her posture was standard.
York narrowed his eyes, focusing on her pupils. Indeed, the golden ring became more pronounced, and under Erin's focused state, her pupils seemed to emit a golden light.
At that moment, he thought of the old man who stood above others.
"What the hell is the old man thinking? What does he want to do?"
Thinking this, York decided to investigate Erin's background. Given she was not ordinary, her past couldn't just involve coming from a convent.
While he pondered, Erin fired.
Bang!
York refocused on the 25-meter target, noting the bullet holes still within the seventh ring, and marveled.
Erin's performance exceeded his expectations.
...
The results were in, with every shot within the seventh ring at 25 meters.
This outcome not only surprised the calm John Wick but also the club staff who checked the target paper and showed surprise.
"Good results."
York quietly took the HK USP from Erin's hands, noting her excited demeanor and calmly said.
"It seems today wasn't in vain."
He then picked up an AUG assault rifle with minimal recoil, beginning to instruct an excited Erin on how to use the rifle.
"Try it."
After guiding her, he let her get familiar without worrying about accuracy.
Soon, rapid gunfire filled the air.
John Wick quietly approached, watching Sister Erin fire the rifle non-stop, her burgeoning fierce temperament emerging, and whispered.
"Father, is Sister Erin really a novice?"
York glanced at him. John Wick still maintained his impassive demeanor, but now even he was asking.
"Yes," York replied while watching Erin, casually adding, "Of course."
He understood John Wick's confusion; the transformation in the young nun after handling the gun was indeed drastic.
The gentle and sweet demeanor was gone amidst the gunfire, replaced by calmness and focus typical of an experienced shooter.
"Stronger than me at that time," York muttered uncertainly as he watched an increasingly excited Erin.
"But I hope I'm not leading Erin astray."
Seeing Erin finish with an eager look, York silently took the rifle from her hands.
"Let's take a break."
Once the gun was set aside, Erin immediately reverted to her gentle and sweet appearance.
"Okay, Father," she obediently said.
York shook his head, placing the rifle on the table, but his brows furrowed as he looked outside.
John Wick and Erin paused, noticing his reaction.
"What's wrong, Father?" John, always observant, asked.
York's brows knitted tighter, his attention partly on the 3D map he kept in mind, always alert for any anomalies.
He could see outside from up to a hundred meters away.
A car appeared, speeding from the start, rushing to the club's entrance.
The man who got out was Rich Ward, the club's owner, who hurried inside.
"Sorry, members, there's an emergency, and we need to close the club for now. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and will compensate you later," Rich Ward announced over the club's speakers, his voice spreading throughout.
"Also, be advised, the military base nearby plans to requisition this area for a secret operation. As for the nature of the operation, I can't disclose any details as it's a military secret. For your safety, and to avoid being mistaken for spies, I urge all members to leave town as soon as possible..."
Rich Ward's rushed and flawed explanation startled everyone in the club, as it effectively meant evicting the guests.
York's expression softened into neutrality.
After his announcement, Rich Ward quickly left the club alone in his car, the whole process eerily swift and suspicious, as if his return was just to deliver that message.
The sound of people being ushered out began, and while some members felt offended and refused to leave, demanding an explanation from Rich Ward, their complaints were mixed with curses.
"Father York?" John Wick, piecing together the priest's expression with the recent events, sensed something amiss.
"John, do you know why that military unit is stationed here?" York asked calmly, recalling the conversation he overheard about scientists accidentally creating a hole with something inside.
"I don't know," John Wick replied seriously, "Rich Ward never told me, but he once joked, though I'm not sure if it was true."
"What joke?" York looked at John Wick.
"He said the military unit is here to study aliens," John Wick shared uncertainly with the priest. After the medical examination on his first night of employment, he couldn't be sure if the joke held any truth, considering the existence of unknown monsters implied the possibility of aliens.
"Ha, aliens..."
York chuckled, noticing the club staff at the partition door, and without waiting for them to speak, he led the way out.
"Let's go, Erin, John."
"As always," John Wick and Erin silently followed York out of the club.
Outside, the parking lot was filled with members just evicted, preparing to leave.
"What's that?" someone pointed and asked.
The question went unanswered, but after the first car left, its driver responded with, "Fool, that's just fog."
Others got into their cars, remarking, "It's just normal fog," casting strange looks at the inquirer.
"But it's sunny and clear today, there shouldn't be conditions for fog, and even if there were, it wouldn't be this thick..." the inquirer murmured, looking at the distant white fog and the clear sky, before getting into their car.
"It's too strange."
Their muttering reached York, who stood calmly in the parking lot, watching as the car left.
"Yes, it is strange."
York observed the sudden appearance of the white fog.
The club's elevated position allowed a clear view of the surrounding houses and the small town.
A road leading out of town stretched into the forest, where a thick fog had already enveloped the trees, faint on the outside but dense enough inside to obscure everything.
"That area seems to be where the military is stationed. Military, scientists, a hole, something inside, thick fog..."
York pieced everything together, understanding the situation as he watched the thick fog that seemed to slowly spread.
"So it's mist. No wonder these clues felt familiar."
He turned back towards the club.
John Wick and Erin, puzzled, instinctively followed.
"What's the matter, Father York?" Erin asked first.
"Is there something wrong with that fog?"
"Yes," York replied calmly. "A large number of monsters are about to arrive. Given the fog's spreading trend, we no longer have time to leave."
Without further explanation, he turned to John Wick, who had maintained a stoic demeanor throughout, "John, prepare for battle."
Then, before re-entering the club, he said to a bewildered Erin, "And you... prepare for training as well..."
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