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

Li Ang looked at James, who was no longer moving on the ground.

The moonlight had begun to emerge, casting a bright white glow on the ground.

The cemetery was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard. The lights of the church in the distance were already on, so the fundraising event must not be over yet.

Li Ang squatted down and flipped open James's dirty down jacket.

Sure enough, there was a medal pinned to the inside of the clothes; it was the Purple Heart.

The bronze heart-shaped medal features a profile portrait of Washington in the center, surrounded by a ring of foliage. The medal is in excellent condition, a stark contrast to his homeless outfit.

Li Ang took off the medal, held it in his palm and weighed it. It was very light. Could this be the reason for James's strange behavior?

"System, is there anything special about this thing?" Li Ang asked to himself.

[Items proving honor for mortals, no abnormalities found]

Okay, it seems that's not it.

Li Ang put the medal into his pocket, his gaze returning to James's body. After a moment's thought, an idea struck him.

A small flagpole suddenly appeared in my hand, the Stars and Stripes flag gleaming softly in the moonlight.

"Shirley~" Li Ang said softly.

The spirit banner trembled slightly, and a pale blue female figure emerged from its surface, her expression showing weariness and dissatisfaction.

"What are you going to do now..." Sherry's voice was slightly annoyed.

"Can you do me a favor?" Li Ang pointed to the corpse on the ground.

"Take the soul out of this body, I want to see it."

"Huh?" Shirley frowned.

"Do you take me for a vacuum cleaner? Besides, that guy's already dead, his soul should have dissipated long ago..."

"But I don't think so. Aren't you a soul too? Give it a try." Li Ang smiled.

"No," Shirley refused decisively.

"Why should I help you? You locked me in this lousy little box and you expect me to boss you around? Dream on!"

The smile on Li Ang's face did not disappear. He stretched out his right index finger and focused his divine sense.

Then it was plunged hard into the flag!

"Aaaaah—!"

Sherry let out a soft cry, and the Soul Banner trembled violently.

"What...what are you doing!" Her voice was filled with terror and shame.

"Don't touch there...that's...that's..."

"Where?" Li Ang grinned mischievously, pointing with his finger again. "You mean this star? It looks quite glossy to me."

"Stop! Stop it!" Shirley was almost in tears. "That...that's equivalent to..."

"What does it mean?"

"How could you be such a lewd priest!" Shirley exclaimed, filled with shame and indignation.

Li Ang withdrew his finger, but it continued to swirl on the flag.

So, should we help or not?

"...Help!" Shirley said through gritted teeth, her face flushed.

Then they saw Sherry float out of her body, her hands clasped together, hovering above James.

The process lasted about ten seconds.

Gradually, a wisp of pale gray energy was drawn out from between James's eyebrows.

The fog was very thin, almost transparent, but a human figure could still be discerned, just like James Dick in his lifetime, only with empty, lifeless eyes.

However, embedded in the chest of this soul entity was a black crystal the size of a fingernail.

The crystal is an irregular polyhedron with a smooth surface, but inside it seems as if liquid is slowly flowing, like a heart embedded in the very center of the soul.

"What is this..." Li Ang frowned.

Just then, the notebook in his arms suddenly heated up again.

Li Ang immediately pulled out his notebook and opened it. On the blank page, Father Andrew's handwriting quickly appeared:

"That's the energy, child, be careful!"

The writing lingered for three seconds, then disappeared.

Li Ang closed his notebook and looked at the black crystal.

So this is what caused James to become like this?

But why does he still retain some instincts? For example, protecting his mother's gravestone?

"His soul should have dissipated long ago; it was forcibly locked inside his body by this crystal," Shirley's voice came.

Li Ang stared at James's soul, his mind racing.

If the crystal is a mutated round head, is James's consciousness still intact?

"Shirley, is it possible to communicate with him?"

"Impossible, his consciousness has long been in a deep slumber, even God couldn't have..." Before Shirley could finish speaking, she saw Li Ang already placing one hand on the top of his head.

"No way, you're going to..." Shirley's eyes showed a hint of lingering fear.

"Soul Search!" Li Ang didn't waste any words and answered with action.

In an instant, countless images, sounds, and emotions surged in like a tsunami!

A frontline outpost in Afghanistan, 2015.

heat.

That was James's first impression. The temperature was over 40 degrees Celsius, and the heavy bulletproof vest, helmet, and full gear made it hard to breathe.

He lay prone behind the sandbags, his rifle unfired since he arrived. There were sporadic gunshots in the distance, but mostly it was just waiting, endless waiting.

"James! Your letter!" A comrade tossed an envelope over.

James took the letter; it was from his mother. She said she was doing well and that Father Andrew from the community church occasionally came to help. She said she was proud of him.

James folded the letter and stuffed it into his breast pocket.

Three days later, the patrol convoy encountered an IED.

The sound of the explosion instantly filled his brain. James felt himself being thrown into the air and then crashing down.

A sharp pain shot through my left leg, and I could hear my teammates screaming and chaotic calls coming through the radio.

He looked down and saw a metal fragment embedded in his outside thigh, blood gushing out.

The military doctor rushed over and injected him with something.

"Bro, just bear with it." The medic's voice was very calm.

The pain gradually subsided, replaced by a feeling of floating. James looked at the sky and felt the clouds spinning, and as they spun, Afghanistan seemed to recede further and further away.

2015, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital.

"Mr. Dick, here is your prescription." The doctor handed over a piece of paper.

"Take twice daily, with an additional dose if you experience pain. Remember to strictly follow the dosage instructions."

James took the prescription, which read: Oxycodone.

His left leg suffered permanent damage, and the pain kept him awake on rainy days, but the doctor said the medication would help him.

It was effective at first, but later the dosage needed to be increased.

Gradually, James found himself unable to live without it.

Odum, 2016.

James attended his mother's funeral.

Father Andrew presided over the ceremony, and afterwards, the priest approached him: "James, the church can help if needed."

James shook his head: "Thank you, Father. I can do it."

However, his discharge pay was actually half of what was promised. He appealed to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the response he received was: "The system shows your disability rating is 30%, and you will receive the standard amount."

But his document clearly states 70%.

He made countless phone calls and filled out countless forms. Finally, he gave up.

Philadelphia, 2017.

He found a job in a warehouse, moving goods. His leg injury made him slow, and his supervisor often scolded him.

"Fuck! Dick! Can you hurry up?!"

He ran out of painkillers and found a cheaper alternative online.

The first time he used fentanyl, he lay on his bed in a cheap apartment, looking at the mold on the ceiling, and felt that nothing mattered anymore.

2018 years.

He met Lisa, who worked at a convenience store and couldn't afford to go to college after graduating from high school, but had a sweet smile.

On his wedding day, he vowed to quit his addiction.

He failed.

2020 years.

Lisa filed for divorce. "I see no hope, James."

He begged her, he knelt down and begged her.

But she still left.

2021 years.

The divorce proceedings drained his last savings. His lawyer said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Dick, but due to your addiction, the judge has awarded the house and custody to the woman. You just need to pay child support on time."

2022 years.

He lost his job due to a series of problems caused by his divorce and officially became a homeless person on the streets of Philadelphia.

2025 years.

It was very cold under the bridge.

James curled up in his sleeping bag, clutching the Purple Heart medal in his hand—the only thing he had left.

He was having more and more difficulty breathing, and he knew he was sick, probably with pneumonia, but he didn't have the money to go to the hospital.

In his final moments, he remembered the Uldum Rescue his mother made, something she would make every year to sell to tourists.

"It tastes really awful..."

In a secluded corner of Philadelphia, where no one paid any attention, James slowly closed his eyes.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice rang out, deep and echoing:

"Pain, anger, ha...what excellent nourishment..."

Then came endless darkness.

Li Ang withdrew his hand, feeling somewhat at a loss for words.

"What did you see?" Shirley asked.

"A typical tragic story of an American veteran. Injury, addiction, abandonment by the system, and a life ruined," Li Ang said calmly, having composed himself.

"The American Dream, the American ending, but where did this crystal come from?"

Leon stared at the black crystal on the soul's chest. "I heard a strange sound, perhaps..."

Li Ang's words came to an abrupt halt as the black crystal suddenly began to glow!

"This is!" Shirley's beautiful eyes widened instantly.

"Eek—!!"

James's soul trembled violently, his previously empty eyes suddenly widened, and he let out a piercing scream.

The black crystal unleashed a powerful pulling force, and the soul was pulled back into James's body with a "whoosh".

Immediately afterwards, the corpse on the ground, which should have been dead, began to convulse.

"puff!"

The Soul-Suppressing Nails inserted into his back and arm were forcibly squeezed out and fell to the ground with a clatter.

James suddenly stood up!

No! To be precise, they were all floating! Their feet were slightly off the ground, just like those people possessed by demons in horror movies!

His eyes slowly opened.

It wasn't the bloodshot state it had been before; it was completely black, like two black holes.

[Warning! Corpse evolution detected!]

[Target Cultivation Level: Qi Refining Level 4]

The system notification sounded urgently in my mind.

Li Ang gripped the Soul Banner, his lips twitching.

"Oh my god... this plot isn't right! Am I in Miyazaki Hidetaka's world? How come there's a second stage?!"

James wasn't going to play any tricks with Li Ang; he simply raised his right hand.

Spread your fingers wide, palm facing Li Ang.

Li Ang could feel the surrounding air frantically converging towards that palm, forming a visible vortex.