An Opening Show of Force

In the dark sky, there were few stars, only a crescent moon hanging high.

But Anthony's winery was indeed beautiful, especially at night when it had a unique charm.

Because the lamps are all carefully designed, they present a myriad of shapes and forms when lit up at night.

On the grassy areas on both sides of the road, streetlights in the shapes of various small animals crouched down, and around the theater stood rows of lampposts, like huge pearls inlaid on the top of stone pillars.

The goddess statue in the fountain has a halo around its head, and the pool is inlaid with a circle of warm-colored gemstones.

The top of the clock tower not far away, and its entire spire, was emitting a soft white light.

It was as if the rooftop was carved from a single piece of white jade, shimmering and sparkling, serving as the highest point of light in the entire manor.

The reception building is an antique-style building reminiscent of European royalty. Although it is not very tall, it is quite spacious, and the exterior walls are covered with a large number of intricate reliefs.

The fairy with the lantern in the corner has a body in relief, but her hands are three-dimensional rocks, holding a chandelier to illuminate the corner.

Chu Tianshu stood by the large window on the second floor, and with a slight tilt of his gaze, he could see the lantern, which was quite interesting.

However, he wasn't standing there just to look at the lights, but also to look at the people.

The various Lineage leaders and power holders contacted by the Exorcist Association are not limited to the San Francisco area; rather, they represent a large region radiating outwards from San Francisco.

With convenient transportation, and having acquired the secret method of the Collective Karma Spirit Body contract, these people have transformed into supernatural powerhouses, arriving naturally quickly and with ease.

After the vehicles were parked, the people strolled along in twos and threes, greeting each other and chatting as they approached the reception building.

What's rather intriguing is that these people were indeed accompanied by bodyguards or similar figures, who were responsible for carrying flags.

Although everyone practices the Shared Karma Contract and the art of banners, some people are not used to carrying a banner around all the time. Instead, they think of the guards with banners who accompanied the nobles and princes of the Middle Ages.

So having their bodyguards carry the flags for them became their unanimous choice.

In this way, he was truly impeccably dressed, with flags fluttering behind him, exuding a unique style wherever he went.

Don't worry about the flag not waving because there's no wind.

The numerous ghosts inside the flag are more active at night, and their yin energy intertwines with the external air currents, causing the flag to flutter and wave continuously.

"These ghosts are really diligent; they keep adjusting the flag's direction to prevent it from blowing right up to the back of the boss's head."

Chen Taozhi and said, "Our honor guard members are paid quite well. I wonder if these part-time honor guards get overtime pay."

Chu Tianshu had a vertical line of jade on his forehead. He was carefully examining the banners when he heard this and chuckled.

"The safety of these people still depends on the ghost soldiers I keep. They shouldn't be treated too harshly, since if the bodyguards aren't fed, the boss has to risk his own life."

After all, while the contract can restrain the ghost soldiers' behavior, it cannot make them accomplish things beyond their own capabilities.

It's like some bodyguards who don't even realize their boss has been shot twice, while others rush onto the stage to protect their boss the moment their ear is grazed.

This is a difference in ability.

Chen Taozhi said, "They have Collective Karma Spirit Body Contract and aren't afraid of the ghost soldiers' backlash. Wouldn't they just exploit one batch and then sign a new one?"

"Haha, they might really like to do that, but the current situation doesn't give them that many options."

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "Strong and promising ghost soldiers are not so easy to find these days. Generally speaking, it's still an era where human resources—ghost resources—are in short supply."

"Right now, their only regret is that they don't have enough ghost soldiers under their command, so how could they bear to waste them so easily?"

Chen Taozhi recalled the performance of the ghost soldier under Anthony's command.

That work ethic did seem genuinely heartfelt, clearly motivated by high compensation.

However, the future is hard to predict.

Unless there are new developments, the path of Banner Contract Art will likely continue to breed significant conflicts.

Chu Tianshu briefly considered these thoughts before focusing his attention on the matter at hand, saying, "Let's go down!"

He and Chen Taozhi walked out of the warm-colored room, through the living room, and gradually approached the stairwell.

Standing at the top of the stairs, you can already see the situation in the lobby on the first floor.

Many people looked visibly uncomfortable when they came in.

In accordance with the way Americas people do things, a meeting between such high-ranking figures would definitely involve a banquet.

In that country across the ocean, drinking culture is already very prevalent, but compared to the Americas, it's still a drop in the ocean.

The upper class here often engages in idle chatter in meetings, but gets down to business at banquets, where they scheme and negotiate for their interests, each relying on their own cunning.

If things get a bit heated, you can easily change the subject; there are always dance partners ready to help ease the tension.

This is called social etiquette and worldly wisdom.

However, today, the lobby on this floor was not decorated as is typical of high-society banquets.

There were only a few large tables, which were put together to form a long table. Seats were arranged on both sides, and in front of each seat was a nameplate with the name of the person sitting there.

"What's this?"

Someone joked, "Are we here for a job interview, or just going through the motions in parliament, waiting to start a fight?"

Anthony had greeted them with a beaming smile at the door, showing them great respect.

Many people had been looking forward to the grand banquet today, but upon entering and seeing this setup, the disappointment was immense.

Several equally formidable players looked at Anthony with obvious displeasure.

Anthony still had a big smile on his face.

What a joke! I already greeted you with a smile at the door as compensation, what more do you want?

This was Mr. Chu's suggestion. As a believer in capitalism, would I risk offending a major customer for your sake?

In fact, Chu Tianshu only mentioned it casually, saying that he was a bit face-blind and had difficulty distinguishing faces when looking at foreigners, let alone matching names with faces.

It would be nice to have a name tag.

Anthony readily made arrangements for this small request.

"Today's banquet is truly unique—"

Anthony smiled and began to smooth things over.

Chu Tianshu's voice came from the stairs.

Today was indeed an interview.

He held onto the railing and descended the steps, with Chen Taozhi naturally following behind him. Jon and Alexis also caught up.

"I heard from Anthony that you are all responsible gentlemen and kind ladies, willing to do your part for the safety of San Francisco and for the cause of humanity."

"Because there wasn't enough security before, and there were concerns that the minions of Ghost God might infiltrate and cause damage, we haven't dared to hold a meeting to discuss countermeasures."

This was, of course, a high-sounding excuse; everyone present knew they were simply waiting for a higher bidder.

Although supernatural cases occur frequently, in the minds of these people who have greatly increased their strength by possessing the Banner Contract Art, the believers in Ghost God are no longer a deadly dark cloud, but at most a troublesome wild wolf.

But Chu Tianshu chose to approach the issue from this angle.

"I think your concerns are very valid."

"Since General Jon and Chairman Anthony have unanimously decided to have me chair this meeting today, the first thing I need to do is to weed out the lurking Ghost God and lackeys among you."

The expressions on everyone's faces turned ugly.

The reason they've been able to hold their tempers and listen until now is partly because Chu Tianshu's face is quite recognizable in some people's intelligence channels.

Secondly, it's because Jon and Anthony clearly sided with him.

That son of a bitch Anthony, we agreed to wait for the best price together, but he's already colluded with those bastards in the military!

Anthony and Jon exchanged a glance, both looking away as if they had seen something disgusting.

They could naturally guess what the guests were thinking; they were truly innocent.

But since it was Chu Tianshu who said it, they couldn't very well contradict him now.

This silence was interpreted by the guests as complicity, an act that was helping to put pressure on everyone.

"Mr. Chu!"

From the crowd, an elderly man with long silver hair spoke in a firm and resonant voice, "The initiative in cooperation should not be seized through despicable means."

"Those present are all people of high moral character. You've gone too far by trying to suppress and insult us with such behavior!"

Chu Tianshu sighed softly, "I'm telling the truth, why won't you believe me? Examining you all and eliminating those human traitors who have sided with the Ghost God is for everyone's benefit."

That's outrageous!

That bastard hasn't even completely come down the stairs yet!

Some of the guests were already trembling with anger.

An elderly woman with an unusually round body suddenly lost her breath and collapsed backward, causing a commotion.

"Madam Mala!"

Everyone gasped in surprise, but no one went to help.

They quickly reached out and grabbed the flags carried by the bodyguards, then looked at Chu Tianshu with grief and indignation, their eyes blazing with fury.

The old woman's own bodyguard quickly helped her up.

Seeing that the crowd was willing to support him, the silver-haired man straightened his back even more, waved the long flag in his hand, and planted the flagpole on the tile.

Clang!

"Mr. Chu, we know you are known as the Tianshan Murder King, and it is said that you kill eight hundred people a day. You may already be the strongest individual fighter in all of humanity."

A surge of yin energy rose around the silver-haired man, causing him to float into the air. His eyes shone with a deep blue light, and his face exuded confidence.

"But we will not yield to violence."

"Humanity first? I don't believe it. If you think you can inspect us, then show us your qualifications!"

Jon was moved and looked directly at the silver-haired man.

That sounded so familiar; this person's courage is probably no less than mine.

But after the silver-haired man floated into the air, all the guests also began to wave their long banners.

In an instant, the energy fields of heaven and earth resonated.

Dark clouds moved across the sky, completely obscuring the moonlight.

The entire manor was noticeably darker.

Even in the entire suburban town where the manor is located, many lights began to flicker and the voltage became unstable.

Invisible to the naked eye, yet an overwhelming aura of yin energy was rising and spreading from the manor.

Anthony's eyelids twitched violently twice.

He had known for a long time that some people were hiding their true abilities in front of him, but he never expected that everyone was hiding their true abilities.

Jon's expression changed.

He truly hadn't expected that the people Anthony had colluded with would all become so powerful with the help of the Collective Karma Spirit Body Contract.

With so many people involved, things are going to be difficult to handle tonight.