North America Gunman Detective

Chapter 1471 791: Forest Breath (2)

Besides Ruiz, he also called Father Rodney to inquire about any reliable exorcist priests in Little Rock. He also called James, saying he would arrive in Little Rock tonight.

Luckily, though it was quite late, there were still domestic flights. After Jimmy successfully registered his firearm, he boarded the plane. This time, he might encounter a troublesome matter, so Jimmy has to be fully prepared, including carrying the dagger he got from Father Rodney.

At Little Rock Airport, Jimmy arrived with his suitcase at the exit, found a taxi, and immediately headed to the hospital where Mary was being treated.

James, looking haggard, was sitting by Mary's hospital bed, holding her hand while Mary appeared to be asleep.

Jimmy didn't speak loudly, just made his footsteps a bit heavier. When James turned his head and saw him, he waved. The two went outside, Jimmy hugged James, and softly asked, "How's Mary? What did Father Royte say?"

James: "No conclusion. Father Royte could only speculate, based on their condition, that they might have encountered an unknown supernatural event leading to mental abnormality. He still needs to investigate further."

Jimmy: "What about the doctors? Did they reach any conclusions?"

James: "The doctors provided a peculiar explanation. They believe that Mary and the others were likely affected by certain substances affecting the brain's nerves, causing mental issues and coma symptoms. They've conducted a series of examinations and are discussing possible reasons."

Jimmy: "Apart from Mary and the others, has anyone else experienced any similar condition?"

James shook his head: "No, I contacted the club during the day. They provided a complete list, and I reached out to all of them in the afternoon."

Jimmy glanced at Mary, patted James on the shoulder: "I understand, I'll go talk to Father Royte and see if he found any clues."

James nodded: "Tomorrow, it's already late. Thank you, Jimmy, for coming all the way here."

Jimmy: "Tomorrow is fine, but James, you need to rest, you look very tired."

James shook his head, "I'll wait here for Mary to wake up."

Jimmy silently patted his arm. They sat on the hospital bench, chatting quietly for a while before Jimmy got up and left. There shouldn't be any problems with James at the hospital, making it easier for Jimmy. Little Rock was a place he had lived for over two years, so finding a suitable hotel was easy.

However, before going to the hotel, he needed to go to James's house first. There was a car there that Jimmy could use, at least saving him the trouble of going back and forth.

At the church, Jimmy finally met Father Royte. After Jimmy explained why he was there, Father Royte showed a troubled expression and said, "Mysterious Forest Syndrome, a specific phenomenon that appeared in the early 20th century. If it weren't for someone assisting in checking the old files, I wouldn't know this condition, as it hasn't appeared for decades."

Father Royte signaled Jimmy to follow him. They left the church and went to Father Royte's home. He was an old bachelor without family, living alone. From the decoration and items in the house, it was clear it belonged to a devout believer. There were many crucifixes and religious paintings, though Jimmy couldn't distinguish their authenticity due to his lack of taste.

Father Royte took two sheets of white paper from the room, with content seeming to have been photocopied from other books.

Mysterious Forest Syndrome is considered a rare neurological disease characterized by acute onset, symptoms including fatigue, drowsiness, confusion, and eventually leading to coma.

The patients in the file were a hunter and his son, living near a forest in North Carolina. They made a living hunting and selling animal pelts. Shortly after the incident, they happened to encounter others in the forest who found them unconscious and brought them to the hospital.

Coincidentally, their neighbor was part of the church. During the investigation of their coma, they discovered anomalies in the forest and successfully resolved the incident. They then awoke from the coma.

Forest Breath is a bodiless, mist-like monster mainly appearing in forests, mountainous areas, etc. Legend says this creature appears like mist when people are weary, secretly absorbing their souls, causing the victims to gradually lose vitality and memory, ultimately falling into a deep coma they cannot awaken from on their own.

This creature seemingly doesn't directly harm human bodies but likely causes people to be unable to continue living in a comatose state, which was fatal enough in the early 20th-century social environment.

The file only mentioned the monster and patients' conditions without detailing how they were handled, which is somewhat troublesome.

After reading the material, Jimmy returned it to Father Royte, "This doesn't seem like the same origin as Mary's symptoms. Even though I haven't been in Little Rock for years, I remember that the land over there isn't supposed to be forested, right?"

Father Royte: "This is the closest possibility to the current situation I could find. This isn't a medical case; it's possible Mary and the others encountered such a monster or something similar."

Jimmy: "But the file doesn't mention how they dealt with it back then, so what should we do now?"

Father Royte shook his head: "I've already sent someone to investigate. Let's hope we get information soon. For now, we can only pray."

Jimmy glanced at his watch: "Then if there's any further news, please notify me promptly. I'll go check on James and Mary."

Leaving Father Royte's home, Jimmy drove to the hospital. It was suboptimal how Father Royte handled the matter. Though he obtained a clue, he didn't promptly inform James and instead waited for Jimmy to arrive before bringing him home to view the dossier copies, indicating he didn't want to get too involved.

But it was understandable. His relationship with James might not have been close enough to search for and eradicate an unknown monster, which was dangerous. Still, the relationship between James and Father Royte might sour if Jimmy told James the truth.

Regardless, Jimmy wouldn't leave it alone. Even if Father Royte abstained, Jimmy would investigate and potentially deal with this monster if possible.

Jimmy wasn't one to spill everything, nor did he plan to tell James too much. He bought a map on the way and, after arriving at the hospital, had James mark the club's hiking route, then quickly headed to the waterfront trail in West Suburb to meet Cage.

Cage was close to retirement, gradually moving away from field patrols. But since Jimmy called him, he showed up as a courtesy. For safety, he notified Noah; two police cars stood at the periphery of the waterfront trail.

The three, not having seen each other in a while, embraced and greeted each other. Jimmy then expressed his thoughts. Cage and Noah weren't yet aware of what happened to Mary, as James had been retired for a few years, and they didn't stay in regular contact, so it wasn't surprising. However, Jimmy's swift arrival from New York to Little Rock deepened their impression of his concern for James and his family.

Jimmy didn't ask them to accompany him inside but had Cage temporarily block off the trail. Although he lacked a clear reason, Jimmy suspected something might harm average people here, especially with Mary lying in the hospital, which was a fact. So Cage and Noah agreed.