Time trickled by, second by second.
In the quiet council chamber, all the members' gazes were fixed on Julia lying on the ground, waiting for another new member to join.
Finally, a faint moan echoed through the room.
Council Member Julia opened her eyes, a blurry vine shadow flickering across her bright gaze before vanishing. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovᴇlFire(.)nᴇt
"Alright, it seems our new partner has awakened. Please give her a warm welcome!"
As the Speaker's voice faded, a wave of enthusiastic applause instantly filled the council chamber.
Outside the council chamber, the staff, who had been escorted out and were now standing confusedly by the door, looked at one another in bewilderment upon hearing the cheers from inside.
The atmosphere inside had been so tense just before they left. How had it become so harmonious in the blink of an eye?
When the doors of the council chamber opened once more, the members emerged one after another, smiling, showing none of the seriousness that had marked the beginning of the session.
"Miss Julia, Miss Julia!" A professional woman, her face previously etched with anxiety, finally breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Julia unharmed and hurried to her side.
Marcia was Council Member Julia's assistant. She had been anxiously waiting at the door after Julia had been escorted from the chamber.
When she reached Julia and saw her face clearly, she immediately covered her mouth in disbelief.
"Miss Julia, your skin seems..."
Seeing her assistant, Julia's smile vanished instantly, her expression shifting as if she wanted to say something.
But after hesitating, she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue and instead said, "We'll talk once we're back."
Seeing that her boss didn't want to elaborate, Marcia obediently closed her mouth. Noticing the briefcase in Julia's hand, she immediately offered to take it.
"Miss Julia, let me carry that for you!"
"No need, thank you, Marcia!" Julia declined her assistant's help with an even tone and set off decisively toward the exit.
Watching her boss move further away, Marcia suddenly felt her job might not last much longer.
"An invitation from the federal government?" Chu Feng sounded surprised.
Looking at the invitation on his desk, Chu Feng shook his head. "Is it just a shoddy show put on by a bunch of politicians?"
Sitting on the sofa beside him, Lin Qiu and Taran both chuckled. "That's what we thought, too."
"Moreover, according to the firm's intelligence channels, it's rumored that at this banquet, the federal government might even introduce a star Exorcist..." At this point, both women's expressions turned considerably more serious.
"You suspect that the federal government wants to replace me with this person?" Chu Feng swirled the wine in his glass, appearing completely unconcerned.
"Exactly. The rapid growth of the firm is largely tied to your fame as America's First Exorcist. We worry..."
Although Taran didn't continue, Chu Feng fully understood her unspoken concern.
"Don't worry. The world has long since changed. If they want the prestige without the power, they'll likely... die very quickly!"
Chu Feng recalled all the bizarre demons he had encountered and sneered at the federal government's naive notions.
You can deceive humans with propaganda, but Exorcists have to face the Bizarre directly—those things don't adhere to any human sentiment or reason.
Without sufficient strength, death is all that awaits him!
Facing Chu Feng's response, Lin Qiu and Taran both nodded in deep agreement. After all, they were Exorcists who had confronted the Bizarre directly, unlike those politicians who had only learned about the Bizarre through big screens in their offices.
Between Exorcists and the Bizarre, strength is fundamental.
"What about this invitation from the federal government?"
"Reject it. It's nothing but a meaningless clown show."
Watching the two women depart, Chu Feng took a light sip from his cup, a thoughtful expression in his eyes as he pondered something unknown.
Chu Feng had just settled into his office chair when, with a light CLICK, the office door he had just closed was pushed open by a figure.
"Boss! Three things."
Lin Qiu entered, her words concise, embodying the image of a capable, professional woman.
Chu Feng leaned back in his chair with a lazy expression, clearly feeling sleepy from getting up early for work. Though he was the boss, he couldn't escape the common plight of working people.
"First, a letter of thanks from the San Francisco municipal government," Lin Qiu said, placing a document from under her arm onto the desk in front of Chu Feng.
"San Francisco has returned to normal?" Chu Feng straightened up, asking with a hint of surprise upon hearing the news.
"Correct. And they've also invited you to visit San Francisco when you have time. They're prepared to present you with an honorary title."
After hearing this, Chu Feng smiled and shook his head. "Let's skip that. After all, it was a commission for the firm. If possible, they should give it to the firm. I don't need it!"
Lin Qiu nodded, acknowledging his point, and then proceeded to the second matter.
"Second, the video that smeared you on the internet a while ago has been deleted, but the creator of the video has gone missing!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Feng's facial expression didn't change in the slightest. He simply nodded slightly to indicate he understood.
Seeing Chu Feng's nonchalant reaction, Lin Qiu immediately formed a guess in her mind but said nothing more.
"Lastly, it's still about the federal government. But this time, they've directly placed a commission with the firm, explicitly requesting your personal involvement."
Having finished speaking, Lin Qiu placed another folder in front of Chu Feng, her expression somewhat grave.
"Oh? Let's see what sort of nonsense these damned politicians are up to this time," Chu Feng said mockingly as he opened the document on the desk.
"Fairbanks? Where's that?" Chu Feng looked up from the document, puzzled by the unfamiliar place name, and turned to Lin Qiu.
Clearly, Lin Qiu had researched the city's details before coming.
"Fairbanks is located in central Alaska, with a population of about thirty thousand. It's close to the Arctic Circle and is a city established because of gold mines. Most importantly, Eielson Air Force Base is there."
"Bizarre occurrences near an American military base?"
Chu Feng's voice carried a hint of surprise. Ordinarily, the Bizarre wouldn't venture near such places. And what's more, how did such a commission land at his firm?
Usually, wouldn't the Military deal with these matters internally?
Especially since the Military now has its own Exorcism Department.