Another reason is probably that if this confinement ability is released by only one person, it's insufficient in power. If others are involved, those fighting against Bennett are bound to suffer, as they won't have enough time to prepare.

Another issue is why I'm being confined myself? Judging by the prayers they shouted, they are confining the evil, so why am I caught up in it too? Could it be that the exorcism ceremony performed by Horton, the priest from Dallas, didn't completely cleanse other souls from this body?

In fact, since that exorcism ceremony, Jimmy has been able to fully control himself. Even when shooting suspects, he rarely resorts to the direct headshot kills that are so criticized. He once thought the original Jimmy had completely disappeared. Could it be that it wasn't thoroughly cleaned?

However, there's been significant gain this time as well. After battling with Bennett the priest for these few minutes, Jimmy can confirm that his hand-to-hand combat skills have definitely improved a lot. Bennett's close combat abilities are very strong, especially since he doesn't care about defense. He kept attacking Jimmy fiercely, and under these circumstances, Jimmy was able to dodge and block almost all dangerous moves, which was completely unimaginable in the past.

Also, Jimmy's resilience has improved. In the spots where Bennett hit him several times, now there are only some bruises, and it hasn't resulted in the kind of direct bone fracture and skin penetration seen with another priest. If Bennett wasn't holding back, Jimmy's body has indeed strengthened, though he doesn't understand why.

Spiritual power growth can be explained; that black crystal is clearly the key to his spiritual power growth and Heart Eye ability enhancement, but the physical enhancement is quite strange. He doesn't seem to have had any particular extraordinary encounter.

After waiting for a few hours, Father Rodney drove back with Tony, but the other four priests didn't return together.

Jimmy went up to them: "Father Rodney, how are they?"

Rodney squeezed out a slight smile: "Bennett is still alive, but he will need a long, long time to recuperate."

Jimmy: "OK, what happens next?"

Father Rodney: "I'm just here to tell you that you can head back to New York for now. I'll let the local church people handle things here, no need to worry. I'll contact you once I return to New York."

Jimmy nodded, then looked at Tony who was silently standing by: "Tony, are you alright? Is there any issue?"

Tony shook his head without speaking. Jimmy frowned and looked at Rodney, while Father Rodney continued to nod and say: "He just fainted, there's no other problem."

After saying this, Father Rodney turned towards Tony: "Thank you, Tony, I'll have the archdiocese people wire your payment once I get back to New York."

Tony nodded, his spirit seemed not so good, but at least nothing else seemed wrong.

Jimmy: "Tony, can you still drive? Maybe it's better to rest here for the night."

Tony glanced at Father Rodney, who nodded, "Resting for a night before going back is good, take a break."

Tony nodded, Jimmy asked Tony to head back to the church first, and once Tony left, Jimmy began to inquire: "Father Rodney, with the evil spirit already expelled, how should we proceed here? About that basement."

Rodney: "We need to arrange for someone to clean up here, and the basement needs another inspection to ensure nothing is missed, making sure there are no issues before saying anything further."

Jimmy: "Does this evil spirit have a name? Did your previous investigation have any information related to the evil spirit?"

Rodney shook his head: "No, they just referred to it as the Master, but there wasn't a specific name, just like that, there shouldn't be any more problems here."

Jimmy: "Alright then."

Jimmy got into the car and left, while Rodney watched him and frowned.

Jimmy was still worried; the words spoken by the evil spirit made him realize that this evil spirit should be from the same world as Roland. Or if not the same world, it had intersections with Roland and those gunmen. According to what Roland previously told Jimmy, he came from the Dark Tower World, so this evil spirit should also be from there or a similar Earth-like world.

It had mentioned that it hadn't heard of gunmen in decades, and Roland also said he was the last gunman. Comparing this, it's almost certain that since Roland eliminated the Man in Black and came to Earth, he shouldn't have appeared much in the Dark Tower World anymore. It matches Roland's description, where he and Jack have spent the last few years in the United States mostly eliminating monsters and portals.

Jimmy had asked Rodney about how to handle things next actually for a reason. Since he deduced that this evil spirit might be from the Dark Tower World, could there be a gate or a rift here that it traversed through? Of course, the likeliest possibility is a gate, as the religion's name is "Chaos Gate," which definitely means something. Perhaps their pope or early founders have seen that gate.

Jimmy had checked out the basement; besides statues and altars, nothing else resembling a gate was found there. Could the gate be hidden under the statues or altars?

Unfortunately, Jimmy couldn't directly reveal these details nor participate in the subsequent statue clearing work, as he had no justification.

Back at the church, Jimmy took out food and water to share a bit with Tony, who could only rest here for the night. The impact he received was rather serious, but one still cannot entirely dismiss whether the evil spirit has any other means of possessing Tony. Father Rodney letting him rest here might have such thoughtful consideration, hoping by spending more time together, they can quickly verify this.

Father Rodney, Jimmy, and Tony all rested in the church at night. Jimmy even woke up twice during the night to observe Rodney and Tony, confirming no abnormality before going back to sleep.

After casually buying two pieces of clothing to change into, Jimmy and Tony headed back to New York, while Father Rodney stayed behind to continue dealing with the situation, which probably wouldn't be done in a day or two.

Resting at night, Nia noticed Jimmy's bruises, and upon questioning, Jimmy didn't disclose all details but roughly mentioned some points. Anyway, considering himself uninjured was a blessing.

Back in the office, Mark finally shared the news they had received: "For the gunmen involved in the robbery case, we've already identified three individuals among them. They all belong to a mercenary organization that previously operated actively in the Middle East."

Jimmy: "Have you found the mastermind behind them?"

Mark: "No, but Mahong's sources say that there are twenty to thirty people in that mercenary organization, and we've only identified the number of one group among them here, so we can't determine whether they will come to New York seeking revenge for these individuals."

Jimmy: "What does Mahong say?"

Mark: "He advises us to stay vigilant, but not to worry too much; he will continue to find people to confirm this news."

Jimmy nodded: "Then let Mahong handle this matter. When you visit Julia, remember to remind her that even in the ward, she should ensure her gun is always nearby."

Mark: "Got it."

We'll have to let Julia and the others protect themselves. Without a clear threat, Jimmy has no way to mobilize other agents to protect Julia and Jones. Their presence in the hospital is not something that can be concealed; if someone sets their mind to inquire, they will be able to find them.

For now, all that can be hoped for is that the companions of those gunmen won't come rushing to avenge their deceased colleagues.

However, Jimmy isn't particularly worried because mercenaries are different from other gang or assassin organizations; mercenaries are cutthroat characters who risk their lives for money, and infiltrating the United States to attack FBI agents for just a few individuals without any benefit seems a bit too abstract, unlike something people in their line of work would do.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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