In the church, the room where Du Wei first communicated with Father Tony.
With an expressionless face, Du Wei recounted that bizarre dream from beginning to end. His memory was excellent, so he was able to recall every detail very clearly without worrying about missing anything.
However, after Father Tony heard the whole story, his face turned extremely unsightly.
"Are you sure what you described was actually wearing clerical clothing, and not some other attire? You know, many uniforms resemble the clerical clothing worn by religious officials."
"I'm certain, and moreover, I saw fear in your eyes. What are you afraid of?!"
Du Wei locked eyes with Father Tony, discerning fear and trembling within them, as if the meekest lamb had encountered a ravenous tiger.
"You wouldn't understand, Mr. Du Wei..."
Father Tony grasped his trembling right hand, trying to calm himself down, but it was to no avail. The fear originating from within was very difficult to overcome.
"Take a deep breath, Father. Keep your breathing rhythm steady, get a hold of it. You'll find that emotion is merely a human bodily mechanism," Du Wei said, frowning slightly as he calmly looked at him, trying to use suggestion to help Father Tony escape this state of fear.
At the same time, he became even more curious: Why such a big reaction from Father Tony after hearing about the nun-like entity he dreamed of?
Could it be that this entity was even more dangerous than an Evil Spirit?
After all, even when he previously mentioned being targeted by two Evil Spirits, Father Tony had only expressed surprise and confusion.
For Du Wei, this had already revealed a lot of information.
But now...
He couldn't help feeling that the troubles plaguing him were not diminishing but seemed to be multiplying instead.
At this point, Father Tony, following Du Wei's advice, finally managed to stabilize his emotions.
He took a deep breath.
"Ah..."
Father Tony looked at Du Wei and said with emotion, "Please forgive my earlier loss of composure; the thing in your dream is too horrifying. From now on, please don't use direct terms to describe it. I don't want any association with such an entity."
"Direct terms you mean?"
Du Wei raised an eyebrow. He took out the medical case history and a pencil he carried with him, wrote down two letters on it, and then placed the paper on the table, sliding it towards Father Tony.
Father Tony looked at the paper which read: T N
It meant The Nun, but Du Wei only wrote the initial letters.
"Yes, don't bring it up again."
Father Tony sighed and continued, "As you know, certain Evil Spirits have the ability to spread. Once you learn about them, they will target you."
"And certain entities, even more dreadful than Evil Spirits, have a stronger capacity to spread. Once you come into contact with them, even through a name or language, they can propagate, becoming a conceptual and terrifying existence."
Du Wei frowned and said, "If, as you claim, I have just mentioned the direct terms related to it, then you must be targeted too."
Father Tony replied, "That's why it's not its name, just a term."
With that, Father Tony tapped the letters on the paper, looking at Du Wei very gravely, "It's a curse, an unbreakable curse."
Du Wei said calmly, "So you're saying that I've been targeted again? How does it compare to an Evil Spirit?"
"It's many times more dangerous."
Clearing his throat, Father Tony collected his thoughts, then spoke in a complex tone, "I mentioned to you before about the Exorcists in North Brook and the rest of New York."
Du Wei nodded and said, "Yes, several groups of them have died. The new Exorcist sent by the church hasn't arrived yet, which is why I've run into so much trouble."
Father Tony pondered for a moment, then said, "Actually, six groups have died, a total of thirteen elite exorcists. The Church might not send anyone over for some time, at least not until a more capable exorcist is found."
Hearing this, Du Wei couldn't help but feel some irritation: "So Father, you've already reported my situation to the Church, haven't you? But as you said, even if the Church confirms that I am indeed plagued by an Evil Spirit, it's going to take a long time before they send someone to deal with it, is that what you mean?"
"I'm very sorry …"
"Then, tell me why."
Du Wei wanted to lash out, but he knew it had nothing to do with Father Tony, whose role was perhaps just a logistical staff in the church responsible for providing information and supplies to exorcists.
"Don't tell me it has to do with the ghostly thing I've been dreaming about."
Father Tony said helplessly, "That's the truth. At first, no one knew how this thing appeared in New York. Later, some speculated it might be a horrific presence inadvertently triggered by someone, but by then it was too late. Thirteen exorcists died in incidents related to it."
"Anyone who's had more direct contact with it has met with mishaps."
"Since its appearance, over two hundred ordinary people have died because of it."
Having said that, Father Tony made the sign of the cross over his chest and closed his eyes in prayer.
Yet Du Wei's face remained calm, no trace of disturbance in his eyes.
Over two hundred people may seem like a lot, but really, spread across all of New York, and even in the North Brook District, it wouldn't cause any stir.
After all, the Evil Spirits had many ways to kill: car accidents, mishaps—things no ordinary person would think too deeply about, at most assuming there was a serial killer at large.
Furthermore, these victims had little to do with Du Wei; to put it bluntly, their relationship was nothing substantial.
His thoughts were composed.
Du Wei rubbed his forehead and asked Father Tony, "Then Father, the Church surely wouldn't ignore such a terrible incident happening in New York, but no designated exorcist has been sent to deal with it. What's the reason for that?"
Father Tony sighed and said, "Because, the last exorcist used some method to restrain it. But looking at your condition, I'm guessing that this constraint is weakening, and soon it will take action."
"Alright, I think I need this method."
Du Wei was troubled; the two Evil Spirits in his home, plus a mysterious Antique Clock, were troublesome enough. And now, for some unknown reason, he had become involved with something even more terrifying.
When exactly had it happened …
Upon hearing Du Wei's words, Father Tony shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Dr. Du Wei, due to certain reasons, I can't tell you the method to restrain it. Only the Church's exorcists are privy to such critical information."
"Is that so?"
Du Wei looked into his eyes and noticed Father Tony's eyelids were trembling slightly, his gaze drifting.
He then looked at his hands, intertwined and rubbing against each other slightly.
Clearly, it was just an excuse.
So, he suddenly smiled, "What do I need to give in exchange?"
Father Tony seemed surprised, as if unsure of how to respond, his mouth opened slightly, then he fell silent once more.
Du Wei wasn't in a hurry, just calmly watching him, as if the person who was anxious wasn't him but Father Tony.
About three minutes passed.
Father Tony sighed and said, "If you insist, I do have a favor to ask of you."
After speaking, he added, "It concerns Mrs. Mina. Her brother, Luke Conan Doyle, disappeared two days ago. What's certain is that Evil Spirit, the same one that attacked you, was the one who went after him."
"Of course, that incident is past, but its ramifications aren't over yet. Mrs. Mina's husband also encountered an Evil Spirit event during the rainy night yesterday. According to his last message, he was on a peculiar bus at the time, which was at 2:12."
"Evil Spirits are contagious …"
"So, I want you to ride this bus, find out information about it, and try to limit its actions."