Returning to Tata Town was Jimmy's request, and his reason was actually very simple—the box that had been unearthed from below ground.

After the exorcism by Father Horton, Jimmy had come to understand that bigwigs like Lambert were very aware of the supernatural events in this world, so there was no need to hide anything.

Although Jimmy didn't explain, Lambert realized that when Jimmy woke up and immediately asked to return to Tata Town, there must be something very important to do there.

Upon reaching the police station, Lambert called Jimmy outside, and in the corner of the parking lot, Lambert asked him why he wanted to come back for that box.

Jimmy, "That box was discovered with the help of my special ability, you know I can see things that others can't, and that box is just like that.

When I was investigating the missing persons case, I found something off about that tree, and after digging a bit, I unearthed this box. Once the box was removed from under the tree, the tree became ordinary again, so the box is the source of the strangeness."

Jimmy looked around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping, "Although I don't know what use the contents of the box might have, they are indeed the root of the paranormal events. Leaving it at the police station for analysis is a waste of time. We at the FBI have more resources and are more likely to find out what the problem is."

After considering for a moment, Lambert said, "I understand. You don't have to worry about this anymore."

Jimmy nodded, and the two headed towards the police station building. Jimmy, "By the way, the Resentful Spirit in the river has been eliminated. Should we clean up the riverbed?"

Lambert, "Yes, Father Horton already mentioned it before. I'll contact others to handle it."

Jimmy, "Can I participate? I want to see what's exactly in the river."

Lambert, "You can stay one more day."

Jimmy, "Speaking of Father Horton, can you introduce me to him for a chat? I want to know why I fainted in the end."

Lambert shook his head, "If he didn't mention it, it means he doesn't want to talk about it. We only work together occasionally."

They entered the police station building, Lambert went to find Chad, and Jimmy greeted Sam, sitting down to think about what had happened to him before.

When Jimmy woke up, he was already in the hospital. He didn't know what Father Horton had done to him, but he remembered clearly the agonizing pain just before he lost consciousness.

He had learned the phrase "pain that pierces the heart" when he was very young, but this was the first time he had experienced it so vividly. Being exorcised by Father Horton was unbearably painful, a feeling as if he was about to die. Looking back now, why did Horton lay his hands on him? If he had ill intentions, how could Jimmy have survived? There are too many ways to kill an unconscious person.

As a Priest, Father Horton must have performed an Exorcism Ceremony on him, meaning there was a Demon or Resentful Spirit's power left on his body? Jimmy activated Heart Eye, and his ability was undamaged, still usable. He picked up his gun, and his gunshot trajectory ability was also intact. So what exactly did the exorcism remove from his body?

Jimmy couldn't help but recall the previous owner of this body. He had always thought he had completely taken control of this body, that the previous soul had vanished. However, from the exorcism, it seemed that either the previous owner was still hidden inside the body, or that the previous owner had been infected with Demon or Resentful Spirit power, and the disappearance of the previous soul didn't make that power vanish.

Considering his over two years in this world, he was certain he hadn't encountered any Demons or Resentful Spirits, so it was unlikely that he brought them. It must have been residual power from the predecessor.

Roland once mentioned that Jimmy was filled with hatred. Looking further back, Jimmy and his father had encountered a Demon invasion in Death Valley. Could it be that they were touched by this power then and for some reason, it had not revealed itself until Jimmy and Roland went to Big Bend National Park to kill a Demon, hence Roland confirmed Jimmy wasn't suited to be called Gunman?

This power must have merged with the body; if it were just a contamination, theoretically, it wouldn't have caused such agony. He had witnessed an exorcism in a church before. Although the person on the bed was in pain, thinking back, their suffering was far less than Jimmy's.

This time, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Dealing with a missing persons case could encounter a paranormal event. Chad calling Lambert to handle his case ended up being a blessing, not only resolving the issue of the Resentful Spirits in the Red River but also giving him a form of purification.

Another point, the Heart Eye Ability was indeed brought by his soul and should have nothing to do with the previous owner. The fact that the exorcism did not Damage the Heart Eye Ability meant that at least this ability didn't conflict with religious powers. Moreover, the discovery of supernatural events had further enhanced Jimmy's Heart Eye Ability, allowing him to perceive more microscopic details and also strengthening his shooting ability.

This enhancement was very significant; Jimmy couldn't forget the white dots he had seen on the Resentful Spirit when he shot them, just aiming at the rapidly moving white dots, completely disregarding the previous bullet trajectory guide, yet his hit rate was so high. From this performance, it seemed that Jimmy's shooting had begun to transition from active aiming to being driven by intuition; he just didn't know if this ability only activated under special circumstances. He would have to practice more when he had the time to be certain.

After resting for a day, led by the FBI, the River Authority, county police, and Tata Town Police cooperated to conduct a diving search and cleanup of the riverbed at the bend of the Red River. It turned out Horton's arrangements for the riverbed cleanup were absolutely correct, saving Jimmy a lot of trouble.

After the divers positioned themselves, they used salvage equipment to retrieve five decomposed or partially decomposed bodies and two skeletons from the riverbed. One of the skeletons was missing a skull.

An autopsy and DNA comparison were conducted on the five bodies. All four missing people were found, with only one body in an unidentifiable state, confirming Jimmy's earlier judgment that these missing cases couldn't be officially reported because they weren't human work.

The skeleton missing a skull was matched with the skull found in the box from under the tree, confirming a match. Everything else was out of other people's hands. All physical evidence was transferred to the FBI for preservation, and Jimmy followed the case to the end. After more than a week, he finally concluded the four missing persons cases Lambert had assigned him.

The case report had no details of the process, only the outcome, and with Lambert's permission, it was directly archived.

After being away for over a week, Jimmy finally returned to the hotel next to the Dallas office to properly rest for a few days.

(I admit this chapter might be a bit wordy, but it's a part of my initial plan—a purification phase, to prepare for what's to come. Hence a little extra elaboration here to clarify the cause and consequences. As for what comes after the purification, I'll gradually unfold that in the chapters ahead. Please continue to read patiently.)

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