Therefore!
Right now, in New York City, the absolute safest vehicle to own was undoubtedly an Audi R8. Virtually no car thief in the city dared to lay a hand on one anymore.
Even if you left the keys in the ignition of an Audi R8 and parked it right in front of a car thief, they would pretend to be completely blind and walk away.
This had directly caused sales of the Audi R8 to skyrocket in New York City.
Locke felt he should really ask Audi for a promotional fee.
He hadn't received a single penny for his involuntary endorsement, and he even had to pay out of his own pocket to acquire an Audi R8 on the black market, where demand vastly outstripped supply. The whole situation was utterly absurd.
An hour later.
Sitting inside the car, quietly listening to "God Is a Girl" playing on the CD player, Locke slowly opened his eyes behind his dark sunglasses.
The garage door opened smoothly.
The silver Audi R8 glided out, heading toward the Upper East Side—specifically toward an apartment building near the federal courthouse that he had visited once before.
Since he had been to the that lawyer's apartment already, he knew the route like the back of his hand.
"Oh, right."
As he drove, a thought crossed Locke's mind, and he muttered to himself,
"Hey, it wasn't easy for me to act like a saint and return good for evil for once. Aren't you going to trigger a mission?"
The moment the words left his mouth!
*Ding!*
[Mission generating!]
[Mission Name: "Five-Star Good Citizen of New York City!"]
[Base Mission Rewards: "Achievement Points 500", "Potential Points 500"]
[Mission Multiplier Mode: "Influence!"]
[Multiplier Cap: "Up to 100x!"
[Mission Description: "Anticipating the thoughts of others, addressing their urgent needs, Hero Locke acts out of public spirit and righteousness. Currently, a servant of a demon is stirring up trouble in New York City, and the innocent, ignorant masses are about to become food for the demon and its minion. As a five-star good citizen of New York City, how can you sit idly by and watch a demon run rampant in your city?"]
[Mission Note: "Dear, remember, in this world, only I truly understand you. Remember this!!!"]
Locke's mouth twitched slightly as he looked at the three exclamation marks in the note, a recurring theme.
'Did this system catch a virus or something?'
Locke thought to himself, then focused on the reward structure for this mission.
Another multiplier?
Influence.
He had originally only intended to casually return good for evil while grinding a few minor system points, so this unexpected bonus was a very welcome surprise.
But still...
A base of 500 points multiplied by 100x influence would be 50,000 points?
Not bad at all.
Locke stroked his chin. Upon arriving at his destination, he didn't get out of the car immediately. Instead, he began planning how to maximize the reward.
The next second.
Patty Finn.
The name of the golden executive producer of New York Television and George's former flame flashed instantly into Locke's mind.
"Talk about perfect timing," Locke's eyes lit up.
"I've heard that Patty Finn's show, *Exploring the Mysterious*, pulls in massive ratings."
Locke hadn't really watched the show himself.
Being a genuine practitioner of the mystical arts, he had no real need for it, though he had seen clips while scrolling through short videos. Gwen had mentioned it to him before, since it was a strictly forbidden topic at her house.
Helen would get incredibly jealous.
With that in mind, Locke retrieved his satellite phone, pulled up Patty Finn's number, and dialed.
A moment later, the call connected.
"Hello?"
"Ms. Finn."
Over at New York Television, sitting in her private office, Patty Finn stood up abruptly upon hearing that simultaneously strange yet deeply familiar voice.
Her expression looked as though she had seen a ghost.
Fortunately, no one else was in her office. Patty valued her privacy, so her window blinds were almost always drawn.
Even so, she walked over to the window, pulled the blinds back slightly to let the sunlight hit her, and lowered her voice.
"Mr. Peerless?"
Locke let out a light chuckle. "It's been a while, Ms. Finn."
Patty remained silent, waiting.
Locke didn't keep her in suspense and got straight to the point.
"Congratulations, Ms. Finn. I heard you launched a new show called *Exploring the Mysterious*. If you don't mind me asking, how are the ratings?"
Patty let out a bitter laugh over the line.
"Mr. Peerless, are you calling just to mock me?"
Locke blinked. "My friends told me they quite enjoy watching it. Why? Are the ratings poor?"
Patty shook her head. "The first season was scheduled for twelve episodes, and the upcoming sixth episode is supposed to be the mid-season finale. I had actually secured a medium who possesses genuine mystical powers, but something happened to him recently."
This forced her to rush the production of the sixth episode.
Unsurprisingly, it was facing a barrage of criticism online.
For federal television networks, ratings were absolute law. Shows with poor ratings were inevitably canceled, and variety shows were no exception.
Locke stroked his chin as a realization struck him.
"Ms. Finn, the medium you're referring to wouldn't happen to be that legendary psychic from California, Patrick Jane, would he?"
Patty sounded genuinely surprised.
"Mr. Peerless, you know him too?"
Locke laughed. "You could say that."
He had just read news reports last month that Red John had struck again in California.
That Red John was incredibly petty.
At the very least, Locke wouldn't sneak into someone's house overnight and slaughter their entire family just because they went on TV and said a few disparaging words about him before the broadcast even finished airing.
Patrick Jane had gone on a California TV program last month, said a few things, and unfortunately caught Red John's attention, leading to the brutal murder of his family.
It was a tragedy.
When Locke saw the reports, he had felt some sympathy for Patrick Jane, but since he wasn't from California and had no connection to Red John, he could only join the rest of the internet in leaving comments condemning the killer.
However...
Locke smiled. "Patty, Patrick Jane is no psychic."
On the other end of the phone, Patty froze. "What? He's not? Then you mean..."
She trailed off.
Whether Patrick Jane could truly communicate with spirits was up for debate, but she was absolutely certain that Locke possessed a genuine witch asset.
Locke smiled, shifting to the core matter at hand.
"So, this show is on the verge of being canceled? What a pity. I was actually planning to hand you a massive exclusive headline."
Patty's eyes lit up instantly. "Mr. Peerless, are you planning to make a guest appearance on our show again?"
"No."
"Oh."
"It's not that I don't want to, but if you don't want New York's top television station dragged straight to hell, I suggest you don't invite me. Literally."
"...Hell?"
"Yes."
Locke stepped out of the car and walked toward the apartment building across the street, speaking into the phone with a calm smile.
"After all, the target I'm dealing with this time is a mortal servant who has signed a literal contract with a demon from hell."
Patty's mouth fell open on the other end of the line.
It took her a long moment to find her voice.
"Does hell... truly exist?"
"Of course."
Locke's footsteps were completely silent as he scaled the stairwell, casually answering her question.
"If hell didn't exist, where would actual mediums even get their power? It's just that genuine mediums are incredibly rare nowadays. You should have actually reached out to the Warrens."
Patty quickly walked to her desk, grabbing a pen to jot down the names on a freshly printed daily itinerary sheet.
"The Warrens? Do they have specific first names?"
"Lorraine Warren. She possesses the clairvoyant sight to perceive wandering spirits and vengeful entities bound to the mortal realm."
"And Ed Warren, the only demonologist officially recognized and vetted by the Vatican."
Locke reached the fourth floor, freely answering Patty's questions before adding curiously,
"They're a married couple, and quite well-known in certain circles. You didn't know about them?"
Patty offered an apologetic tone.
"I genuinely had no idea."
Locke replied smoothly,
"It's fine, completely normal. Nowadays, those with genuine talent rarely command the same level of fame as the flamboyant charlatans. Look at me—if it weren't for that wretched imposter using my name, barely a third of New York City would even know who I am. Now? Probably more than half the country recognizes my handle."
Patty let out a cooperative chuckle. "So, Mr. Peerless..."
Locke looked at the apartment door just a few paces ahead of him and said,
"Set up at the New Jersey Water Treatment Plant. However, I don't want too many people on site. At least during the initial broadcast, if things go sideways and a demon breaks loose, people will genuinely die. You have the entire afternoon to configure the location and run a promotional teaser. I have only one requirement: maximize the viewership. Call me when everything is ready."
"Wait."
"Yes?"
"Mr. Peerless, may I ask if the witch Lulu will be making an appearance this time?"
"Huh?"
"Ever since you casually mentioned her name last time, the public's curiosity regarding the witch Lulu has remained incredibly high."
"...Is that so?"
Locke's mouth twitched slightly. Lulu's home was in Bandle City; he had absolutely zero means of summoning her here.
Furthermore...
Even if he possessed the theoretical capacity to summon Lulu, he wouldn't dare attempt it.
Simply put.
He had no definitive guarantee that he could defeat Lulu in a straight fight.
A Level 1 Lulu would be manageable, but what if she manifested at absolute maximum level? Furthermore, who knew if he could successfully resist her Whimsy polymorph spell?
If Lulu mistakenly categorized him as a villain upon arrival and immediately turned him into a harmless squirrel or a cupcake, who would he even cry to?
However...
Locke's eyes flashed with a sudden inspiration.
Lulu couldn't make the trip.
But...
That didn't mean he was completely devoid of options on the witch front.
He technically commanded a coven, even if that coven currently consisted of exactly one solitary member. Still, Locke remained highly confident that his roster would inevitably expand over time.
There was no immediate rush.
He was only seventeen years old, and the future looked exceptionally bright.
Locke spoke into the receiver. "Lulu will not be participating. However, an entirely different witch will be taking the slot."
"Could you provide a name?"
"Of course," Locke replied with a brilliant, calculating smile.
"Syndra. The Dark Sovereign, Syndra!"
Patty: "..."
***
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