Chapter 233 – Investigation and the Psychiatric Hospital
Gideon's lips twitched when he heard that.
"The police chief with the most beautiful daughter in the entire department"…
Wasn't that just begging to get beaten up by his colleagues?
"You can mobilize a large number of officers?" Gideon asked.
To him, who helped didn't matter—what mattered was reaching those audience members as quickly as possible.
Gordon shook his head repeatedly.
"Bro, mobilizing large-scale police forces requires approval from higher-ups. On top of that, we still have to maintain day-to-day order in Philadelphia. I'm not that powerful."
He shrugged.
"Besides, those audience members came from all over the country. Under normal circumstances, the Philadelphia Police Department doesn't even have the authority to summon them."
"Especially in times like these," he added,
"when police–public relations are already tense."
Gideon sighed.
"Then tell me, Chief—what can you do? Let's not beat around the bush."
Gordon flexed his arm again with a grin.
"Heh. I just so happen to know a senior executive at a television network. She's been trying to ask me out recently."
Gideon gave him a strange look.
"Hey, don't look at me like that," Gordon said seriously.
"Martha's mother ran off years ago. I'm a genuinely single man."
He cleared his throat.
"The Skye concert was handled through her—exclusive broadcast on the 'Great Beauty' Channel."
Gideon's eyes lit up.
That solved a critical problem.
This would allow him to determine whether the Smiling Curse could spread through televised media.
"Thank you, Chief," Gideon said sincerely.
"I really need this help."
"However," he added,
"when you meet that executive, I'll need you to clarify a few things."
"All viewers who watched the concert in full—have any of them experienced hallucinations over the past two days? Strange smiles, for example…"
He explained the indicators used to confirm the curse.
Gordon frowned.
"Aren't you coming with me?"
Gideon shook his head.
"I still need to personally examine Skye's body—and the drug dealer's as well. You can arrange that, right?"
Gordon nodded.
"Of course. The commissioner has been delaying the release of her body in the name of investigation. Her family's furious about it."
Gideon added,
"I'll send my assistant with you. If anything supernatural comes up, you can ask her."
"Your assistant?" Gordon's eyes lit up.
"Gideon, are you finally becoming a normal man?"
"I am a normal man," Gideon said, rubbing his face.
"And when you meet her, I hope you don't drown in guilt."
Gordon looked confused, not quite understanding the last remark.
That confusion lasted until he saw Judy.
His face instantly twisted—like someone suffering from severe constipation.
She was about the same age as his own daughter… and he had just cracked that kind of joke.
"Gideon… I hate you."
Gordon repeatedly punched the wall, drowning in guilt.
"Gideon, what's wrong with him?" Judy asked quietly.
"Nothing," Gideon replied casually.
"He also has a daughter your age. Because of work, they haven't seen each other in a long time."
Judy nodded, half-understanding.
Before they separated, Gideon pulled Judy aside and gave her a final reminder:
"Pay close attention to everyone around you—especially anyone who shows strange smiles or attempts suicide."
Judy knew all too well how terrifying the Smiling Curse was.
She nodded solemnly.
The three of them soon split into two groups.
Gordon and Judy headed for the television network, while Gideon followed the chief's directions to a tall building nearby.
Philadelphia Coroner's Office (PCO).
With Gordon's "special privileges," Gideon was quickly granted access to the morgue.
The sharp scent of formalin and the cold, stagnant air gave the place an unsettling stillness.
After Skye's body and that of the drug dealer were pulled out, the staff quietly withdrew.
Gideon first arranged several precautionary ritual tools around the area. Only then did he step closer to the bodies.
Just as the files described, Skye's right eye socket had collapsed inward, the damage penetrating deep into the brain.
The weapon was nothing more than a microphone.
Skye had a long history of alcohol and drug abuse—and she was physically slight.
Yet under such circumstances, she had managed to drive a microphone straight through her skull.
Even more disturbingly, she had ignored fear, pain, and every instinct for self-preservation in the process.
This clearly defied common sense.
But it perfectly matched the signs of spirit possession.
However, when Gideon activated the Ethereal Sight, he found no trace of evil aura lingering on her body.
Instead, he noticed something else.
"Her soul shows signs of having been pulled away…" he murmured, narrowing his eyes.
Faint spiritual residue lingered around Skye's chest—a broken, translucent chain.
From previous assignments, Gideon knew exactly what it meant.
This chain was the tether that connected soul and body when the spirit was forcibly dragged away.
The drug dealer's corpse showed the same phenomenon.
"The Smiling Curse Spirit I dealt with before didn't leave marks like this," Gideon thought.
Back when he and Judy had investigated Teacher Isa's house, that entity merely tried to enter the host's body.
This one was different.
Not only was its presence extremely well hidden, it also seemed capable of directly manipulating souls.
After a moment's thought, Gideon took out an item he had obtained from his very first assignment—
The Cursed Smile Mask.
---
[Cursed Smile Mask]
Effect: Strengthens the connection between soul and body, guiding the lost back to their path.
While worn, the user's personality may be subtly affected.
Note: Origin unknown.
---
Its brown surface was twisted into a grotesque grin.
Since using it once during the Infiltration assignment, Gideon had sealed it away at the bottom of his chest.
Back then, he'd worried about unknown dangers tied to the mask and avoided further use.
But with his current level of theological mastery, there was no need for such caution.
Through the Ethereal Sight, he could clearly see the strange force inside the mask—
a pull that reinforced the "chain" binding soul and flesh.
That was the source of its effect.
As for the personality shift mentioned in the description, it was a minor side effect and didn't truly alter the soul itself.
Combined with the evidence of soul extraction, it became clear that this mask's existence was no coincidence.
"Perhaps this mask is the key to dealing with the new Smiling Spirit," Gideon mused.
After a final, thorough examination of both bodies, he left the morgue.
---
Meanwhile, Gordon and Judy returned with crucial information.
"The Smiling Curse can't spread through media broadcasts," Judy said with certainty.
Using Gordon's "old flame" at the TV network, they contacted more than fifty people who had watched the concert from start to finish.
Most reported anxiety and emotional instability.
But after subjecting them to Gideon's prepared questionnaires, holy water tests, and Judy's ocular screening—
It became clear they were simply traumatized.
None were possessed.
None had seen the eerie smiling figure.
Gideon finally relaxed.
That meant far fewer people required purification.
Otherwise, he'd seriously considered performing a public exorcism live on television.
Now only one problem remained—
Finding everyone who attended the concert in person and cleansing them individually.
As for the spirit's whereabouts, Gideon had already formed a theory.
If the entity itself was difficult to track, then finding its carrier was the next best option.
The moment it tried to act again, it would expose itself.
With that in mind, the three headed to a private psychiatric hospital—
The same facility where many concertgoers had reportedly sought treatment afterward.
They were received by Dr. Sarah, the hospital's chief psychologist and director.
She had smooth, light-blond hair, calm eyes, and a faint, practiced smile that made people instinctively trust her.
"I'm sorry," Sarah said gently after hearing their purpose, shaking her head.
"I cannot disclose patient information—even to the police."
"When people experience severe trauma, the brain activates defense mechanisms," she explained.
"It reframes disturbing stimuli into manageable forms."
"Hallucinations are common in such cases," she continued, glancing at Gordon.
"Not… so-called evil spirits."
"I understand the pressure the Philadelphia Police Department is under," she added pointedly.
"But as a law enforcement officer, Chief, I believe you should rely on evidence."
The implication was obvious—Judy caught it immediately.
"I still have consultations to attend," Sarah said politely.
"If you'll excuse me."
As she left, Judy's face darkened.
"How can she talk like that?" Judy protested.
"Half the supernatural incidents in this city were solved by Gideon!"
Gordon crossed his arms and sighed.
"That's how the world works, kid. Until danger hits them personally, people cling to what they believe—even if it puts their lives at risk."
"Besides," he added dryly,
"Psychological treatment is her livelihood. If she admits this is a spirit problem, who'd ever come to see a therapist again?"
Judy clenched her fists.
"So people's lives matter less than money?"
Gordon spread his hands.
"That's exactly why I respect Father Gideon. He puts lives first."
Only then did they realize Gideon was gone.
They soon found him crouched beside a young girl.
"Gideon?" Judy asked curiously.
He alternated between examining the girl's eyes and pacing around her.
The girl sat motionless in a chair, her gaze unfocused—utterly vacant.
"Father… what's wrong with Willie?" her mother, Marian, asked anxiously.
Gideon didn't answer immediately.
"You said Willie attended a concert three days ago," he asked instead,
"and she's been like this ever since?"
Marian nodded.
"Skye was her idol. When Skye went on hiatus, Willie was devastated."
"When she announced her comeback concert, Willie saved money for months. I wanted her to see her idol shine again…"
Her voice trembled.
"I never imagined something like that would happen."
Because of work, Marian hadn't gone with her daughter.
Willie had attended with friends.
After the incident, Marian rushed to find her.
"She was terrified… heartbroken. But the next day, it was like she became a different person."
According to Marian, Willie's emotions fluctuated violently—screaming fits followed by eerie silence, strange behaviors she'd never shown before.
Terrified for her daughter's mental health, Marian brought her here.
While waiting, Willie had fallen into another unnaturally calm state.
Marian thought it was familiar by now—and they were in a hospital.
Then this priest appeared… and said Willie was in danger.
He was right.
Gideon had sensed a surge of evil nearby moments earlier—then it vanished.
But the girl remained.
Through his sight, Willie's soul and body were misaligned.
Left untreated, the bond would weaken further.
Eventually, she'd become nothing more than an empty shell.
Ordinarily, fixing this would be simple.
But what troubled Gideon were the two dark handprints burned into her spirit.
From the marks, the entity had been trying to tear her soul out completely.
Which meant—
The spirit was still nearby.
Just as Gideon prepared to act, a cold voice rang out behind them.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Dr. Sarah stood there, her gaze sharp as ice, staring at Gordon.
"Chief, I don't wish to interfere with your investigation—but you will not harass my patients."
"This is a private hospital," she said flatly.
"I can have you removed."
A police chief.
A priest.
A catatonic girl.
The scene alone drew attention.
Security personnel quietly moved in.
Gideon knew then—conflict was unavoidable.
As Gordon had said, acknowledging spirits would threaten Sarah's interests.
And with so many patients watching, she couldn't afford to let a priest succeed here.
But Willie didn't have time.
Gideon stepped forward calmly.
"This girl is in immediate danger. If my actions fail to prove my words, you may remove me."
He paused, then added pointedly:
"For everyone's sake, I suggest we use a quiet, private room."
Sarah's face darkened.
Gordon was already on guard.
Bold, Gideon thought—but to Gordon's surprise, Sarah didn't refuse.
After a moment's hesitation, she turned.
"Follow me."
---
VIP Ward.
"You'd better prove yourself," Sarah said, leaning against the wall as security guarded the door.
She had personally examined Willie earlier—
normal vitals, no abnormalities… yet no consciousness.
Other patients had shown similar symptoms in recent days—brief episodes followed by recovery.
She'd contacted her mentor.
No answers.
Now, faced with a priest claiming supernatural insight, Sarah decided to see the truth for herself.
Gideon ignored her warning.
As his senior brother used to say—
If it came to a fight, everyone here was trash.
He stepped toward Willie and took a cross from his bag.
At once, every pair of eyes fixed on him.
---