"...One of my college classmates, Daenerys Solano, told me she had encountered some very strange things," Chen Yu said, sipping his American coffee in a cafe.
He was listening to Jack recount his story. Although he had authorized Radiance and then learned some inside details of the case, he naturally couldn't disclose them, so he had to pretend to be unaware and listen.
"She said a female colleague at her workplace had died, and right before her death, she received a bizarre phone call. In the call was her colleague's own voice, saying she would die in four days, even specifying the exact minute and second," Jack added a sugar cube to his cup.
The granulated sugar fell into the coffee, causing the liquid to splash before settling back into the cup.
Chen Yu nodded noncommittally; he was already familiar with the story.
"So when that day came, the woman really died, right?" Chen Yu asked with a smile. Jack was taken aback briefly but nodded in confirmation. It was indeed the case.
"Mr. Chen, can you also tell fortunes?" Jack asked with interest.
"Of course not, it's just that most horror stories develop like this." Chen Yu put down his coffee cup; he wasn't very fond of this coffee, or maybe he just didn't like coffee much in general. He'd rather drink tea, or even just plain water.
Jack understood; he had seen some movies, but he didn't watch many horror films. After all, the crime scenes he came across as a police officer were much scarier than any horror movie.
"But..." Jack cleared his throat, intending to continue telling his friend's eerie experiences.
"Let me guess, now it's your college classmate, Miss Solano, who has received such a phone call, right?" Chen Yu asked with a smile, looking at Jack, who was astonished for a moment but then nodded with a wry smile.
"Mr. Chen, I guess not many people would want to share their stories with you," Jack said, shrugging his shoulders. He had embellished the story in his mind, trying to make it complete and understandable at a glance, but before he could finish, Chen Yu had guessed the big reveal.
"When did Miss Solano get the call, and when did it say she would die?" Chen Yu chose to get straight to the point.
Dealing with demons and the supernatural, Chen Yu knew a rule: "time is life," particularly when facing events of great threat where even a minute's delay could spell doom for victims at the hands of demons.
"A week ago, it said she would die in six days," Jack replied with some resignation, the feeling of an unfinished story quite unsettling.
"How did she survive then?" Chen Yu's interest piqued. Radiance's investigation report only covered the initial story, and there was nothing about what came after; it seemed Jack had not had any online contact with Solano afterward.
"Solano's grandfather was very worried about her, so he sent someone to the Vatican to request a Holy Shroud. Two nights ago, that shroud turned to ash, and yesterday, Solano received another call, this time saying she would die tomorrow," Jack said gravely. That was the Holy Shroud from the Vatican.
Anything bearing the word 'holy' was seldom trivial, yet this significant relic had been reduced to ashes.
Chen Yu was startled to hear that Solano's grandfather managed to obtain a Holy Shroud from the Vatican, but considering Jack's identity, it made sense that Solano, who was closely related to him from university, would have some family background.
However, he hadn't expected the existence of such an artifact. Although Chen Yu was unsure of its efficacy in this world, the fact that it had fended off a fatal attack once suggested the shroud did have some effect.
But clearly, its protection was limited since Solano had received another call. If the shroud had been highly effective, theoretically, she shouldn't have received another call.
Chen Yu stirred the coffee in his cup with a spoon slowly.
With the story at this point, he already knew what Jack wanted his help with—it must be the situation with Solano, which was within his expectations.
However, he needed to analyze what kind of entity Miss Solano was facing.
"Radiance, search all files that match this description," Chen Yu communicated with Radiance in his mind. As an advanced AI, Radiance's role was much like Jarvis's, only more advanced and unique.
While it had more limitations, it was also very useful, as the human brain simply couldn't compare to a computer's convenience in storing vast amounts of information and rapidly mobilizing this data to find what was needed.
"[5723 entries found]"
"Exclude high-ranking and mid-ranking demons," Chen Yu continued to add filter criteria.
"[37 entries categorized]"
The relevant information dramatically decreased, but it was hard to narrow it down further to identify the true nature of the entity with such little information. He needed more details.
"Mr. Chen, can you help? If there's an exorcism fee, I'm sure it won't be insubstantial," Jack broke into Chen Yu's thoughts. Without hesitation, Chen Yu agreed.
Not to mention the expensive suits he had already received, the case itself intrigued Chen Yu, and he also needed Jack's help with another matter.
But now was too soon to speak of it, it would be more convenient to discuss that matter after resolving Miss Solano's issue.
"Then let me drive you there, Mr. Chen. Solano has been almost breaking down from the tension recently," Jack sighed with relief, visibly pleased.
Chen Yu pictured Miss Solano, fair-skinned and gorgeous, a rare beauty with a serene demeanor and a distinctive aura unlike traditional westerners. Could it be that Commissioner Jack was driven by a knight's anger for a lady's plight?
"Then let's go, Commissioner Jack, I'll do my best to help," Chen Yu stood up, unable to bear the smell of coffee any longer. He preferred the exhaust fumes outside to staying there another moment.
Jack, of course, had no objection. He drove swiftly through the streets of New York, and Chen Yu in the car began slowly perusing the target files listed by Radiance.