A priest in North America, what the hell is the Demon Gate system?

"Could you pass on a message to me?"

Joel blinked, clearly not understanding what had happened.

Leon glanced around nervously, then whispered to Joel:

"Yes, Detective Jones hopes you will cooperate with the investigation."

"Cooperate? How do we cooperate?" Joel unconsciously lowered his voice as well.

Li Ang looked around to make sure no one was paying attention before leaning closer and saying, "A witness said that guy was in the vicinity this morning. Detective Jones heard you were here and specifically asked me to tell you not to leave for the time being."

"Why...why?" Joel's voice trembled slightly.

"Because that guy's target seems to be you." Li Ang said with a serious expression.

Joel's face turned pale instantly.

Li Ang seemed to suddenly realize something and abruptly turned his head to look at the cemetery opposite the church.

"Look over there," Li Ang said in a low voice, pointing towards the cemetery.

"And under the streetlights over there, they might be lurking there. Even under the light, there are shadows. Evil is always around us."

Joel followed his gaze and felt as if something was wriggling in every shadow.

He swallowed hard, turned to leave, and said, "Um, I have to go back; I have things to do at the town government..."

"Mayor, it's not appropriate for you to leave now." Li Ang gently placed his hand on Joel's shoulder, the force was light, but it made Joel unable to move.

"Why?" Joel tried to break free, but found he couldn't move at all.

Li Ang released his hand, held up three fingers, and said sincerely, "First, your departure has disrupted the police's original plan. Detective Jones and his team may have set up surveillance nearby, and your sudden movement will throw the whole plan into disarray."

Joel was speechless for a moment.

Li Ang retracted one finger. "Secondly, there's not much security along this stretch of road. What if that guy really is lying in ambush somewhere..."

Joel broke out in a cold sweat on the back of his neck.

"Finally, there are so many voters watching. If you abandon everyone and run away now, it won't be good for the year-end elections, will it?"

These words struck Joel like a hammer blow. He turned to look at the townspeople who were talking.

Old Thomas Payne was holding a bowl of cloyingly sweet cakes that Li Ang had bought, talking with several old textile factory workers, reminiscing about their glorious past, and glancing over here every now and then.

If the Payne family saw him fleeing in panic...

Joel wiped the sweat from his brow. "Then... what do you suggest I do?"

A reassuring smile returned to Leon's face. He patted Joel on the shoulder and said slowly in a magnetic voice:

"You should stay here and not go anywhere."

Li Ang paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "And not only should we stay here, but we should also be high-profile. For example, donate a sum of money to the roof maintenance fund."

"A donation?"

"Yes, and the donation should be eye-catching." Li Ang looked in the direction of the textile factory workers.

"Look, those people are all from the northern factory area. They're strong, loyal, and Catholic. If you generously give them money in public, they'll definitely remember it. And even if something happens, with so many people here, how could anything possibly happen to you?"

Joel followed his gaze. Several middle-aged men in overalls were standing next to the donation box, their muscular arms stretching the sleeves taut—typical American strongmen.

"But..." Joel still hesitated.

Li Ang leaned in half a step and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Mayor, based on my experience, that person this morning... is probably not just a simple drug addict."

Joel was startled and looked at Leon.

"That state is more like being possessed by a demon." Li Ang's expression was quite serious.

"So ordinary police officers and bullets have limited effectiveness against that kind of thing."

"Then...what do we do?!" Joel shuddered as he recalled what had happened that morning.

"According to the proper procedure, I need to apply to the Philadelphia Diocese and ask an exorcist priest to handle it," Li Ang sighed.

"But as you know, the parish's procedures take at least ten days to two weeks to get through. And Philadelphia seems to be very busy lately, with who knows when the queue will end."

Joel's face grew paler and paler.

"However..." Li Ang changed the subject, "If the situation is special, such as a believer facing a life-threatening danger and willing to make a special contribution to the church, then as the parish priest, I can initiate an emergency exorcism procedure."

"Special contribution?" Joel instinctively clutched his wallet.

Li Ang nodded, his smile as gentle as an angel's: "For example, provide a crucial donation for the church's emergency repair project. This way, the exorcism can be integrated into the follow-up support work for the special fundraising event, and the procedures will be completely compliant."

Li Ang paused again, then added, "Of course, this is purely for compliance! The main purpose is to protect your safety."

Joel fell silent. He recalled the rumors he'd heard: the Weir family's child had been cured by this Father Li. Many people in town said that this newly arrived Chinese-American priest had some real skills.

Moreover, if what Li Ang said is true, that madman was after him... his political career was at its peak, and he couldn't afford any accidents.

"How much do you want to donate?" Joel asked calmly, regaining his composure.

Li Ang stroked his chin, feigning thought: "Generally speaking, this kind of emergency exorcism costs around five hundred US dollars. Mainly for preparing the exorcism materials..."

"Five hundred?" Joel breathed a sigh of relief. "That's no problem—"

"But..." Li Ang interrupted him, his expression grave. "Your situation is rather special. The opponent is someone who can move during the day and is impervious to bullets; he's probably not an ordinary demon. I need to prepare higher-level holy artifacts, and I might even need to use the ancient relics of St. Michael's Church... But that's against the rules, and I'll have to spend money to bribe the bishops of Philadelphia."

"So my initial estimate..." Li Ang smiled at the mayor and made a peace sign.

"At least $20,000 in reserve funds are needed."

"Twenty thousand?!" Joel almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

"This is too much! Where am I going to get so much money!"

Li Ang nodded with an understanding expression, saying, "Indeed, this is quite a sum. How about this, you go back to your car first, and I'll call Detective Jones and have him send a car to escort you away. As for the believers here, I'll explain everything to them clearly. I will never say that you deserted your post, don't worry!"

"Wait!" Joel quickly waved his hand.

He turned his head toward the cemetery, recalling the terrifying power of the man that morning, and the face of that Democratic LGBT guy who was running against him at the same time.

"I'll donate," Joel said through gritted teeth, reluctantly pulling out his checkbook from his suit pocket. After hesitating for a long time, he finally wrote down the amount.

Li Ang took the check, glanced at it, and smiled:

"Thank you for your generosity, Mayor Joel."

Joel looked like he'd eaten stale stew, and muttered, "Father Li, you absolutely must keep me safe! You absolutely must!"

"Don't worry, the Lord is with you." Li Ang solemnly put the check away and made the sign of the cross on his chest.

"I will stay in the church; that demon will not be able to harm you in the slightest. Go to the donation box now and announce the donation publicly. Remember, the more composed you appear, the more at ease everyone will feel, and the safer you will be."

Joel nodded, took a few deep breaths, tried to make his expression look natural, and then walked towards the donation box.

Li Ang watched his retreating figure, a slight smile playing on his lips. He then reached into his inner pocket and touched the check.

"Hahaha, just like Mane's style. You really can't expect ordinary believers to donate money. Zhang Mazi was right, we should only make money off whoever has money!"

Turning around, Li Ang walked towards Sister Nia.

Sister Nia.

"Father?" Nia looked up, her golden bangs swaying with the movement.

"I have something to take care of," Li Ang said.

"I'm leaving this to you. The mayor will be donating some money later. Just keep things under control and praise him as usual, and remember to let him say a few more words."

Nia blinked. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to check on a few things." Li Ang didn't say much, but just tilted his head towards the side door of the church. "If anyone asks, just say I'm going to prepare for evening prayers."

"Yes, Father." Nia nodded in agreement, though she was a little confused.

Li Ang turned and left, crossed the road in front of the church, arrived at the entrance of the cemetery, and closed his eyes.

His divine sense spread out like ripples on water.

Soon, Li Ang caught that faint, almost imperceptible sensation.

The Soul-Suppressing Nail he threw out this morning is currently in this direction.

"As expected, he was hiding here."

When the mayor arrived at the parking lot, Li Ang sensed the guy's presence, but he remained there without moving.

All those things he said before—the witnesses, the Detective Jones plan—were made up on the spot. There was no detective making a call; it was all from his backup phone in his pocket.

The cemetery gate was locked, and there were many old trees nearby. Night had fallen. Li Ang glanced around to make sure no one was watching, walked to the wall, and with a light leap, grabbed the top and flipped over.

With clean and efficient movements, and after improving his physical condition to the second level, this wall-climbing operation was as easy as launching an airplane in bed.

Li Ang straightened his priest's uniform and touched the Holy Judgment in the inner pocket.

The cemetery was quiet, with rows of tombstones standing there, some of them quite old, the inscriptions blurred and illegible.

Li Ang walked slowly along the path, keeping his divine sense fully engaged.

The sensation of the Soul-Suppressing Nails became increasingly clear.

He turned a corner and stopped beside a huge oak tree.

This is already quite far inside the cemetery, and most of the surrounding tombstones are from the last century, many of them are crooked.

The sensor is nearby.

Li Ang's gaze swept over the surrounding tombstones, finally settling on one that appeared relatively new. The tombstone wasn't large, and it was inscribed with:

Daisy Dick

A strong mother

In front of the tombstone were several bunches of dried flowers and a plastic photo frame containing a faded photograph—a Black woman embracing a Black boy, both of them smiling happily.

Li Ang crouched down and carefully examined the area around the tombstone.

There were traces of movement on the soil, though very slight, but Li Ang's divine sense could tell that it was newly appeared.

Li Ang slowly stood up and took two steps back.

"Mr. James, come out, I see you," he muttered to himself.