Esoteric Buddhism: To live as king in America

"You're kidding, right..."

Seeing the magic array successfully activated, Li Zhaoning's lips trembled slightly.

"Even if it's divinely chosen, this is a bit too much. The materials needed for this kind of detection spell span three or four domains, and this little bit of blood can serve as them all."

Li Zhaoning looked at Mi An and said with a rather sour tone:

"My lord, when you decide to unify the world in the future, please spare my life."

"Now is not the time to talk about this."

Mian interrupted her. He truly admired this guy's ability to always come up with a witty remark.

"Quick, use it to cast a spell! Let's see what kind of monster is hiding outside!"

"Yes, sir."

Li Zhaoning made a strange sound, then took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the raging storm in his heart, and immersed all his senses in the psionic network driven by Mi An's blood.

Suddenly, Li Zhaoning opened her eyes wide. Her eyes, which always held a sly smile, were now filled with surprise and horror.

"What's wrong? Didn't you find anything?"

Mian asked with concern.

Li Zhaoning shook his head and said with a pale face.

"It was detected, but the problem is—"

"Too many!"

Li Zhaoning's voice trembled with disbelief, and her speech quickened.

"Within this neighborhood, within a radius of about five or six hundred meters, my spiritual threads detected at least a dozen faint supernatural signals. They were scattered, some moving, some stationary... The most troublesome thing is that there are two signals! Right near our building."

"They're here!"

Li Zhaoning looked towards the doorway, as if in response to her words.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

Three heavy, clear knocks, carrying an undeniable official tone, slammed heavily against the old, flimsy wooden door of Carol's house.

The air in the entire room seemed to freeze at the sound of the knocking.

"Who is it? Who is it?"

Carol's voice trembled slightly as she instinctively walked towards the door.

Li Zhaoning reacted extremely quickly, grabbing Mi'an and Ai Yin and saying in a low, urgent voice:

"No time to run! Hide!"

Her gaze swept across the room like lightning, quickly pointing to the shadowy corner and behind the heavy curtains. She then activated the concealment spells she had previously placed on Mian and Ain, silently disappearing from sight and minimizing her presence.

Carroll took a deep breath and leaned closer to the peephole on the door.

Through the small round hole, she saw two dark blue police caps, and under the brims were two serious-looking police officers in standard uniforms.

Carol hesitated for a moment, but finally turned the lock. The door creaked open a crack.

"Ms. Brianna Carroll?"

One of the police officers, who was rather tall, scrutinized her with sharp eyes and showed her his identification.

"We received a report from your neighbors that you hadn't returned home for several days and they were worried something might have happened to you, so we came to investigate. Where have you been these past few days?"

"I……"

Carol opened her mouth, but her mind went completely blank. Three days? She had absolutely no recollection of what had happened in those three days; how could she possibly bring it up?

Faced with the scrutinizing gaze of the police, she could only lower her head in a panic, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, and stammering:

"I... I'm at home... no, I went out... just for a walk."

The tall policeman frowned even more, clearly doubting her evasive answers.

"Just wandering around? Where exactly did you go? If possible, please let us know the specific location."

"I...I really..."

Carole was sweating profusely, but she couldn't come up with a convincing lie.

Just as the tall policeman's gaze sharpened, preparing to press for further questioning, another policeman beside him, slightly shorter and stouter, with a clearly impatient expression on his face, waved his hand, interrupting him:

"Alright, alright, Ms. Carol, we're just doing our job. Things haven't been peaceful around here lately; several people have gone missing! The higher-ups are on high alert. It's good that you're alright. Don't go out and cause us any trouble."

He pulled out a small notebook and pen, and said in a stiff tone.

"Sign your name and register. That'll prove we've been here, and everything will be fine."

Carroll felt like she'd been granted a pardon. She quickly took the pen and, her fingers still trembling, signed her name in the register. The crisis seemed to be averted without serious incident.

however--

"Gah—!!!"

A sharp, mournful, and terrified bird cry, like a blade slicing through the tense air, suddenly burst forth from the birdcage in the corner of the room.

It's the skuas that Carol keeps.

Li Zhaoning couldn't hide it with her, so she had to leave it in the house. Now, it seemed to be frightened by the scent of the stranger outside the door or the tense atmosphere in the room, and let out a sharp cry.

The sudden scream instantly captured the attention of the two officers!

"What's that sound?!" The tall policeman turned his head sharply, his eyes shooting towards the source of the sound like a hawk, his hand already instinctively on the baton at his waist.

"It's...it's my bird! It was just startled!"

Carol hurriedly explained, her face turning pale.

"bird?"

The short, stout policeman squinted at the fluttering birdcage, his tone scrutinizing.

"Ma'am, you keep this kind of pet? Do you have a license issued by the city hall? Let me see it."

"License? I...I don't have one..."

Carol's heart was pounding in her throat; the immense pressure almost suffocated her.

"No?"

The short, stout policeman frowned.

"It won't hurt anyone! It's very well-behaved!"

Carol pleaded urgently, her voice trembling with tears. Under the intense pressure of the police's relentless pursuit, she was highly stressed, and her words became increasingly incoherent.

"We need to go inside and take a look. Please cooperate."

The short, stout policeman spoke coldly, then exchanged a glance with his partner. The taller policeman reached out to shove Carol aside and force his way in.

At that very moment, their figures came into full view of Mian.

Mi'an, who was hiding in the shadows, suddenly contracted her pupils.

In his vision, two ferocious, twisted phantoms, exuding an aura of greed and gluttony, clearly appeared behind the two policemen.

That was the phantom of an ogre.

This, in the pattern currently exhibited by the fingers, almost means only one thing.

"The Secret Cult!"

Mian used telepathy to transmit this message in Li Zhaoning's direction, while simultaneously hunching over, preparing for a surprise attack.

These two "police officers" are definitely members of a secret cult.

Li Zhaoning's eyes sharpened, and the silk threads at her fingertips shimmered with light, ready to strike.

If a fight is inevitable, then we must strike first.

However, another unexpected event occurred.

The short, stout policeman subdued Carol, while the tall policeman saw the injured skuas placed in the room.

He frowned and reached out his hand to the bird.

At that very moment, Carroll seemed to be suddenly overcome by a tremendous force, and in an instant, she broke free from the short, stout policeman's restraints and charged towards the tall policeman.

"Don't touch it!!!"

Carol completely lost her mind. With all her might, she clung tightly to the other person's arms and waist, biting and scratching wildly.

"Bastard, let go!"

The tall policeman shouted curses, while the short, stout officer drew his pistol the moment the attack began.

In that chaotic moment, when everyone's attention was drawn to Carol's insane actions—

"Splash!"

The living room window shattered suddenly.

A fist-sized, black metal sphere emitting wisps of white smoke crashed through the air with a piercing screech, precisely striking the center of the room through the shattered window.

The object bounced on the floor with a crisp "clink," and immediately a strong, pungent smell of sulfur and gunpowder filled the air.

That was a hand grenade.