2: Open the newbie gift pack

As the saying goes, two shots to the body, one to the head, even Jesus would shake his head.

Given the close-range lethality of a revolver,

even if the thing outside the door was some mutated supernatural creature, as long as it was hit, while it might not immediately lose its ability to resist like a human, its movements would certainly be affected.

Locke held his breath, slowly shifted his steps, moved to the wooden door, and pressed himself tightly against the wall beside it, suppressing his nervousness,

and asked coldly, "Who are you?"

Locke's eyes were icy. If the person outside answered incorrectly in any way, it would be their death.

He wouldn't gamble with his own life.

"Hey, buddy, don't be nervous. I'm Dr. Michael."

Michael Corvin outside the door also realized that a late-night visit wasn't proper behavior, so he quickly identified himself,

"I came to see you so late because I have a job I'd like your help with."

After hearing the other's words, Locke noticed the system had issued a new task, much like an RPG game progression, giving him a strong sense of déjà vu.

[Ding—Key character appeared. Main quest triggered. Please choose whether to accept.]

Main Quest: Please complete the storyline of the *Underworld* series, ending the long-standing feud between the Vampire and Werewolf clans. Rewards will vary based on host performance.

Quest Difficulty: Medium

Settlement Reward: ★★★

Quest Description: Killing the Vampire progenitor Marcus or the Werewolf progenitor William will double the rewards. Please strive hard, host.

Looking at the newly appeared task, Locke first fell into thought, then breathed a sigh of relief moments later.

"So it turns out I'm not counter-terrorism, but counter... horror! If it's the *American Horror Story World*, then I'm all too familiar. This time, the advantage is mine."

So he had crossed into the *American Horror Story World*. Therefore, he accepted the task without a moment's hesitation.

Wasn't it just playing a horror game? That was what he was best at.

As he accepted the task, an image of a gift pack appeared below the panel.

Locke immediately thought to open it. "Let's see what this newbie gift pack can give me."

[Acquired Athletes Physique!]

[Acquired Jackals Disguise Technique!]

[Acquired one Decoy Doll!]

[Acquired 10 slots of Personal Space!]

[Acquired 1 Mating Experience Card!]

There are even passive skills like those for game characters?

Looks like my luck isn't bad. These rewards should help me complete this task.

Discovering it was the *American Horror Story World*, his interest was piqued, unlike his initial disorientation.

This immediately shifted the expression on Locke's face from unease to excitement, and he began examining the rewards.

[Athletes Physique: You gain a physique comparable to that of a four-year seasoned athlete, possessing far greater endurance than an ordinary person. Especially when an opponent mates with you, even supernatural creatures will scream for you! You are the true, genuine athlete.]

Athletes Physique? Indeed, not only does the name seem a bit unreliable, but even the description isn't very serious.

He really wanted to ask the panel if it was sure it meant 'mating' and not 'fighting'?

Fortunately, the effect of this physique was decent.

Upon receiving this reward, he clearly felt his muscular strength increase.

Excess fat burned away inexplicably, and his body fat percentage dropped to 7%, reaching the average level of international athletes.

"It's not as unreliable as the name suggests. This increases my chances of completing the task quite a bit."

[Jackals Disguise Technique: You have learned the disguise technique of the internationally renowned debt collector, Jackal. You can disguise yourself as anyone you wish to imitate, and ordinary people cannot see through it.]

Locke knew this skill. It was the disguise technique possessed by the protagonist in the crime TV series *The Day of the Jackal*.

It was with this disguise that Jackal repeatedly completed high-difficulty assassination missions and still evaded pursuit by special task forces.

The disguise technique was very useful for his current situation.

This meant he might be able to temporarily escape the surveillance of the mastermind behind the scenes by disguising himself as someone else, allowing him to lay low and develop.

[Decoy Doll: The best tool for confusing enemies. Indistinguishable from a real person in both appearance and touch. Can transform into any person you desire. Non-recyclable.]

"Good stuff. This perfectly solves my current problem." Locke couldn't help but feel pleased.

The system's rewards seemed targeted, perfectly suited to his current predicament.

Disguise technique + Decoy doll? That equaled a perfect fake death plan.

As long as he faked his death and slipped away to complete the *Underworld* task while the enemy wasn't paying attention, it would buy him plenty of time to develop.

Anyone who's played games knows how important it is to lay low and develop, especially in a life-or-death horror game like this, where caution is paramount.

[Mating Experience Card: Upon use, gain five years of mating experience. From novice to master, you only need one experience card. This is a rare and valuable item.]

"This..."

Locke was dumbfounded. This reward offered no help to his current combat effectiveness, but perhaps it would come in handy someday.

So he still chose to use it immediately.

Sure enough, the mating skill on the panel immediately leveled up to lv5 (Master).

Simultaneously, his mind was filled with a wealth of experience in baby-making, though the faces of the partners were blurry, as if he had genuinely spent five years making babies with someone in his head.

The process of opening the gift pack seemed to take a long time, but in reality, it was less than a minute.

Hearing no response from Locke, Michael outside the door hurriedly explained his identity again.

"Respected Church-licensed exorcist, Mr. Locke, I am Dr. Michael from the hospital on the street ahead. We should have met before."

"I remember you. Come in."

Locke had already learned his identity through the system, so he put the gun away and let the other man into the room.

Then he led him directly to the reception room in the side chamber.

After the other sat down, he began inquiring about his purpose.

"Dr. Michael, what brings you to me so late at night? What exactly is the matter?"

In truth, Locke already had an answer in mind. It was nothing more than the other being targeted by a werewolf and seeking his help.

"These past few days, I keep feeling a pair of eyes watching me from the shadows. I suspect it's the spirits of my wife and daughter watching over me."

When Michael mentioned his wife and daughter, his eyes were filled with reminiscence.

Huh? The werewolf became your deceased wife? That's truly imaginative.

This statement really opened Locke's eyes, but he still couldn't bring himself to mock the other, nor did he reveal the truth.

After all, what's wrong with loving someone?

"So, what do you want me to do for you? Purify their souls?"

"I hope you can send them to heaven."

"Heaven? No problem. I'll send the owner of those eyes watching you from the shadows to heaven."

Biting his lip and barely containing his laughter, Locke agreed. "I think they'll thank you up there."

He certainly couldn't perform soul salvation rites now, but he had plenty of ways to send werewolves or Vampires to their rest.

Michael's wild imagination was something he hadn't anticipated. One could only say he missed his deceased wife a bit too much, which Locke could understand.

But this was also good. Such a person was easier to control,

and it would be more convenient for him to carry out his next plan, better using Michael's identity to execute the task.

"Then what do I need to pay?" Seeing Locke agree without suspicion, Michael immediately looked delighted.

"Next, I need you to disguise yourself as someone else, and I will borrow your identity to send them off. Also, I'll need two vials of your blood..."

Locke rested his chin on his hands and very seriously laid out his plan to fake his death and escape.

As for the use of the blood, he didn't tell the whole truth, only saying it was needed for the purification ritual.

"No problem, Mr. Locke. I'll agree to any request you have."

Michael believed it completely. Without hesitation, he agreed immediately.

Mainly because he had previously gone to the Christian priest on Iron Cross Street, but the other suggested he first visit a mental hospital, not taking his ghost story seriously.

Also, there had been a voice in his head all along telling him to seek out Locke Galahad.

He felt this was a revelation from his wife's spirit, which was why he harbored not a shred of doubt towards Locke.

"Very good. Starting tomorrow, I will be Dr. Michael, and you will be the deceased Locke Galahad's cousin from the south."