The Other World Arrives, Julie's Reliance
After hearing her explanation, Xu Mo glanced at Julie.
He sensed no trace of energy from her, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
"You're a ghost hunter, dealing with evil spirits? Just relying on that holy water you showed me earlier?"
It wasn't that Xu Mo was belittling her. For ordinary people, relying solely on holy water—which only posed a slight threat to evil spirits—was practically useless, unless the spirit they encountered was one that merely frightened rather than killed.
"Of course not! I have my own methods."
Julie's expression remained deadpan as she explained.
"Each ghost hunter has a specialized exorcism method. It's usually kept secret and not easily shared with others."
Only then did Xu Mo nod.
"From what you've said, it seems you're quite capable in your field?"
She wouldn't dare take on such a high-paying task otherwise. Xu Mo reasoned she wasn't just another overconfident amateur.
"Well enough," Julie answered. The glint of confidence in her eyes betrayed her calm tone.
Though the town was remote, its size was considerable. After running for some time, they finally reached the center.
Looking around, Julie asked, "Where are we going?"
Before Xu Mo could respond, the wail of air-raid sirens suddenly rang out, echoing across the quiet town.
As the alarm blared, the scenery began to shift dramatically. The fog dissipated, walls peeled away to reveal blood-red surfaces, and the ground darkened to a reddish-brown. Even the sky transformed, burning like sunset clouds.
In seconds, the misty town became a blood-red nightmare.
Everyone except Xu Mo showed unease. Even Julie looked around with a grim expression.
"This is the most terrifying evil spirit I've ever seen. It actually has the ability to create a world!"
"This isn't true world-building," Xu Mo corrected calmly, eyes fixed on a nearby intersection.
No sooner had he spoken than a group of spider-bodied monsters with human heads skittered into view.
Faces paled, and the group instinctively retreated—everyone except Lina, who stood frozen, trembling uncontrollably at the sight.
Her greatest fear had always been spiders.
Karl noticed her state and ran to pull her away, but Lina's legs gave out, and she collapsed after just a few steps.
Fortunately, Xu Mo and Julie had already raised their guns.
Gunfire erupted.
Julie's shotgun blasted holes into the monsters, leaving wounds that smoked faintly before closing almost instantly. The holy water-infused shells barely slowed them down.
She turned sharply toward Xu Mo.
His pistol barked, each shot reducing a monster to a pool of blood that seeped into the ground within seconds.
Julie's eyes widened in disbelief.
"How is that possible? My Remington should outpower that pistol by seven or eight times… yet against these things, the damage isn't even comparable. Those can't be ordinary bullets."
She was right. Xu Mo had tested it with his first shot—ordinary bullets did nothing. But once he infused his rounds with dark magic energy, the monsters couldn't withstand them. Every impact spread that energy through their bodies, dissolving them into blood.
Within twenty seconds, the street was clear.
Meanwhile, Karl helped Lina back to her feet. Everyone glanced her way.
Karl explained, "Lina isn't normally this timid. When she was little, she was bitten by a poisonous spider—nearly died, spent two weeks in the hospital. Since then, she's been terrified of them."
Xu Mo's gaze sharpened.
"So these monsters manifested from her fear?"
Silent Hill had that property—drawing out the deepest fears of those trapped inside and giving them form.
For Lina, it meant spiders.
Xu Mo's mind sparked with an idea. He quickly opened his system panel. Sure enough, killing the spider monsters yielded points. They weren't much—one to two hundred each—but it confirmed his theory.
"Everyone, move!" Xu Mo barked. "Head for the church at the center of town. It's safe there!"
Silent Hill's monsters couldn't enter consecrated ground. The church wasn't without danger—those inside were hardly saints—but armed, they could easily intimidate whoever lurked within.
As if to hurry them along, new monsters spilled from every intersection. Gunfire and explosions filled the air as Xu Mo and Julie provided cover.
Minutes later, the church came into view. Its dark silhouette loomed in a dead grove, the building radiating menace.
At the entrance stood a massive figure—Pyramid Head—clutching its colossal blade, as if awaiting their arrival.
Julie's face tightened. Gritting her teeth, she tore a leather-wrapped bundle from her pack, over thirty centimeters across.
Running, she opened it.
A sacred aura burst forth.
Xu Mo, who had been readying himself to face Pyramid Head, paused mid-step, surprise flickering across his face.
"So this… is her trump card?"
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