Minnesota is located in the Midwestern United States and lies within a temperate continental climate zone.
The mild seasonal climate provides rich vegetation cover.
Simultaneously, the region is highly suitable for cultivating crops such as corn, wheat, cotton, and various fruits.
In terms of economic value, the resource-rich town in Minnesota far surpasses the town of Medford.
Consequently, the permanent population here is also significantly larger than that of Medford.
Under the fading light of evening, Mike parked his pickup truck in front of an old residential house.
Despite its unremarkable exterior, it was a two-story building with a large independent yard; calling it a small villa wouldn't be an exaggeration.
This was the home of Dennis and his wife.
Hearing the engine noise from outside the yard, a middle-aged couple walked out.
Dennis looked much the same as he did a year ago, only the hair on top of his head was a bit sparser, and his beer belly a bit rounder.
Beside him, a woman with smooth, long brown hair and gentle eyes was Dennis's wife—Kelly.
"You brat, why are you back so late? Had me worried for a bit..." Dennis stepped forward and gave Mike, who had just gotten out of the car, a heavy hug.
Then, looking him over carefully, he smiled and said, "You kid, grew taller and stronger. really good..."
His words were filled with deep relief and satisfaction.
Beside him, Aunt Kelly also stepped up to hug Mike, smiling as she said, "Mike, I feel like you're getting more handsome. must be charming quite a few girls, huh?"
Aunt Kelly, in her early thirties, still hid some girlish liveliness beneath her mature appearance.
Like her husband, Kelly also worked at the welfare agency, primarily responsible for caregiving, which meant taking care of children.
Therefore, she naturally carried a unique affinity that made people feel comfortable.
Despite not seeing each other for a year, their relationship hadn't grown distant.
Afterward, Dennis stayed outside to park the car, while Kelly took Mike to his room.
"Go wash up first, we'll eat in a bit." Entering the room, Kelly smiled and said, "Dinner tonight is a feast~"
By the time Mike washed his face in the bathroom and came to the dining room, the table was already full of food.
Grilled fish, savory wraps, french fries, chicken platter, nut tacos, raw walnut sauce vegetable pasta...
Besides the main dishes, the fruit salad bowl was garnished with cherry tomatoes, small cherries, mango chunks, etc.
These ingredients were basically all locally produced.
It must be said, this town in Minnesota is indeed a good place.
Later, when Dennis returned from parking, Kelly had already pulled Mike to sit at the table and chatted about daily life for quite a while.
"Dennis, just waiting for you to start." Seeing her husband come in, Kelly gestured for him to sit down.
Due to the influence of their work, Dennis and his wife were both religious believers.
So, under Dennis's organization, the three completed the pre-meal prayer.
"Mike, taste today's dishes, see if they suit your appetite." After the prayer, Kelly invited Mike to start eating.
Mike, who hadn't really had a proper meal for two days, indeed had a hearty appetite facing a table full of delicious food.
To the side, watching Mike eat with relish, Dennis and his wife looked at each other, and warm smiles appeared on their faces simultaneously.
It is worth mentioning that Dennis and his wife loved children very much and had been planning to have a child of their own.
Only because of their busy work at the welfare agency, this plan hadn't had time to be implemented.
Here, once Mike slowed down his eating speed, Dennis asked the question he was concerned about: "Mike, did you encounter any trouble on the way back?"
According to the normal schedule, Mike should have arrived by noon today.
Even with minor delays on the road, he should have arrived in the afternoon, not dragged on until almost dark.
In fact, before this, Dennis had proposed to personally go to Medford to pick up Mike.
"Got delayed for half a day leaving the Texas border, but nothing happened." Mike didn't mention the cannibal incident.
Matters involving hidden secrets imply trouble for ordinary people.
The less they know, the safer they are.
"As long as everything went smoothly..." Dennis believed Mike and changed the topic, asking: "How's your life over there? I heard you joined the school football team and achieved good results."
"Life-wise, Meemaw Connie and the Cooper family take good care of me. And I did join the football team, and we achieved good results in this year's Spring Invitational..." Mike was happy to share daily trivia with Dennis and his wife.
At the same time, he also mentioned the matter of earning money on his own.
"So that's it, I was wondering how you had money to buy a pickup." Listening to Mike's narration, a smile unknowingly appeared on Dennis's face again.
It was the kind of relieved smile one has seeing their own child grow up.
Actually, mentioning earning money, Mike also had a bit of a selfish motive. He wanted to use this to prove that he was capable of inheriting the estate.
When the introduction of his situation over the past year was about done, Mike asked seemingly casually: "By the way, how is Needy doing now?"
Needy Lesnicki was a classmate of Mike's here, and also the best friend of the demon Jennifer.
Growing up with Jennifer, she envied Jennifer's glamour very much. To be as popular as her, this girl had intentionally imitated Jennifer for quite a while in life.
From dressing up to living habits...
Simultaneously, the plain-looking Needy had also hated Jennifer because she was too excellent, thereby overshadowing her own light.
It could be said that Needy's feelings for Jennifer were very complex.
However, one thing was certain: Needy cherished Jennifer as a best friend very much.
Similarly, Needy, who deliberately accommodated Jennifer in life, also won Jennifer's friendship.
After all, who would dislike an obedient follower?
It was under this relationship that when Jennifer was possessed by a demon, she never thought of hurting Needy, her best friend.
Jennifer even tried to share her abilities with Needy.
The ability of the [Demon Body] to maintain eternal youth has a fatal attraction for any girl.
Needy, who had been taken to the abyss altar by Jennifer, knew many of her best friend's little secrets. Among them was the fact that Jennifer craved Mike's body.
So, after Jennifer disappeared and Mike returned safely, Needy suspected that her best friend's disappearance was related to Mike.
That probing look, Mike remembered it vividly.
"You mean, Needy Lesnicki?" Hearing the question, Dennis thought for a moment and said: "Not long after you went to Medford, that girl was also taken away. After that, there has been no news of her."
"I have a bit of an impression, Needy seemed to be taken away by two men wearing black suits and sunglasses..." Kelly suddenly interjected.
Listening to Kelly's description, Mike could be sure that the people who took Needy away should be the Men in Black organization.
But why? Just because the girl was best friends with Jennifer?
"Did those two men in black say anything about Jennifer?" Mike looked at Kelly and asked.
"Mike, I know what you want to ask. Jennifer falling into the water and drowning was an accident, it has nothing to do with you. You don't need to care about others' gazes..." Kelly comforted Mike with heartache.
Before Jennifer disappeared, many people knew she had asked Mike out.
So, after Jennifer died, many people pointed fingers at Mike, believing he caused Jennifer's death.
As a popular figure in the local school, Jennifer had quite a few admirers.
"I didn't want to ask this, I wanted to know if those two men in black said anything about the suspicion of Jennifer being possessed by a demon?" Mike asked the main point.
"What demon possession? Didn't Jennifer just die from accidentally falling into the water?" Kelly seemed to have forgotten the rumors of Jennifer being possessed by a demon and continued: "It's really a pity for that child, still so young..."
The rumors of Jennifer being possessed by a demon and specializing in eating men caused quite a stir in the Minnesota town at the time.
However, Kelly now seemed to have no impression at all; this situation was very suspicious.
Having a guess, Mike then sought verification from Dennis about Jennifer.
Unsurprisingly, he also forgot the rumors of demon possession.
Now Mike could be sure, those two men in black who came to the Minnesota town definitely used a memory eraser in the town.
Clearly, the Men in Black organization was systematically covering up supernatural events from ordinary people.