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Chapter 7: Evacuation!

Third floor.

The dark purple face, so young and innocent, sent chills down one's spine. The faint chill lingering in the air made it clear who this little boy was—a wraith!

Even if he couldn't compare to the one Charles Carter had just slain, he could still easily wipe out an entire core demon-hunter squad from the church!

Staring at the wraith standing in front of Tina Bennett, smiling at him, the priest felt a wave of coldness in his heart. At this moment, perhaps having heard the sound Charlie Carter made coming upstairs, the little girl fiddled with her music box, turned her head, and gave a slightly embarrassed, pursed-lip smile.

“Sorry, Uncle Charlie Carter...”

“Now I’ve got what I need...”

As she spoke, Tina Bennett, holding the music box, walked over to Charlie Carter's side and tugged at the hem of the priest’s robe. “Let’s go!”

“Mm, okay... Little Tina Bennett, how about Uncle plays a game with you? If you can get to Uncle Michael Thompson before I do, Uncle will give you some candy.”

The priest’s large, gentle hand patted the little girl’s head, but his gaze was locked tightly on the wraith, who was still smiling eerily. The torn sleeve revealed a pair of silver-forged magical bracers.

On the bracers, a silvery light slowly began to glow in a spot where Tina Bennett couldn’t see.

“If you get there, tell Uncle Michael Thompson not to forget what I just told him in the living room.”

“If you do that, you win...”

“Okay!”

The little girl’s eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously, then turned and hurried toward the stairs. Just as Charlie Carter breathed a sigh of relief, Tina Bennett suddenly stopped as if she remembered something, turned back, waved, and said with a smile:

“Oh, Alex Carter... Since you don’t want to come with me, just wait for me here... I’ll be back in a few days!”

“Thank you for always protecting me~”

“…………?!”

The weight of her words hit Charlie Carter like a heavy blow, freezing his raised fist in midair. The wraith in front of him completely ignored the fist about to strike, smiled at the little girl, then shot Charlie Carter a mocking glance before turning and passing straight through the wall, vanishing from the priest’s sight.

The priest’s mouth twitched slightly.

If he wasn’t mistaken, that now-grim smile was supposed to be... shy?

No time to think further, Charlie Carter, who had just escaped death, took a deep breath, strode quickly to Tina Bennett's side, stretched out his arms, scooped the little girl up, and dashed downstairs.

“Little Tina Bennett... you can see him?!”

“Yeah! With this...” Tina Bennett, now in his arms, raised the old music box with both hands, a hint of pride on her pale face. “As long as I twist it according to the words engraved on the box, I can see Alex Carter through the mirror on it...”

“There were several times when something sticky tried to get into my body, and it was always Alex Carter who saved me... But Alex Carter got hurt a lot, too...”

“But even so, that thing only dared to follow behind me, never dared to get inside me... Just now, Alex Carter said that thing is gone, and told me to thank the fierce knight...”

“So that’s how it is...” Charlie Carter murmured softly, “No wonder that wraith didn’t take the final step...”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!”

Just as Charlie Carter reached the living room with Tina Bennett, a shrill scream came from the next room. The familiar voice made Charlie Carter's heart skip a beat...

Ariel Bennett!

Setting Tina Bennett down, Charlie Carter immediately rushed into the adjacent room. The place was a mess. The lady of the house was lying unconscious on the floor. Michael Thompson was crouched beside her, checking her condition. Seeing Charlie Carter rush in, he nodded slightly and said with relief:

“...It’s okay, just extreme fright, and she hit the cabinet when she fell. She’s been too exhausted lately, so she just passed out.”

“That’s good... Where are the others?”

Charlie Carter let out a small sigh of relief and asked.

“Smith has already taken the sheriff and his two daughters and is waiting outside in the car... But strangely, none of the wraiths have shown up...”

The young Asian man rubbed his chin and said, “If they see us leaving, shouldn’t they be pulling out all the stops?”

“Strange, very strange...”

Boom!

At that moment, a huge explosion sounded. A massive gap suddenly opened up beneath Charlie Carter and the others’ feet, the edges jagged like interlocking fangs. A sinister aura poured out of the gaping black hole, making the hair on their backs stand on end.

A familiar, murderous voice, sharp as a blade, rang out from the other side of the hole:

“Slash!!!”

Charlie Carter's pupils shrank abruptly. Beside him, Michael Thompson reacted the same way, immediately lifting the unconscious Ariel Bennett onto his back, while the priest once again scooped up Tina Bennett in his arms, and they all bolted in a mad dash.