New Gods of North America.

Chapter 423 Judgment
According to Wayne's understanding, the so-called "soul replacement" should be similar to the "entire device data migration" of some electronic devices.

Not only the original operating system needs to be transferred, but also the system settings, operating parameters, installed software and various historical data.

Otherwise, no matter which of the "personality", "memory" or "three outlooks" is missing, the person formed after the replacement will no longer be the same person as before.

And if it is "overwritten", it is easy to deal with. After all, the kernel has changed, and there is always a way to confirm it.

But what if it becomes a "dual system", but the original memory and personality in the body can still be used?
Wayne knew that this forbidden technique was probably not mature yet, and it was hard to say what would happen during the practice. Even the "success rate" might be slim. Pastor Pycelle might not have really "changed into a different person".
Maybe he was simply silenced, or maybe he committed suicide out of fear of punishment.

But once the suspicion arose, Wayne felt that he would feel uncomfortable if he didn't try to verify it.

If your thoughts are not clear, you will develop mental demons sooner or later.

Miss Olivia, who was sitting opposite Wayne at this time, felt a little uncomfortable when Wayne looked at her. "Mr. Wayne, is there a problem now?"

Wayne came up with the excuse he had prepared:

"The church is currently investigating a case that may involve a Beyonder who can influence others' spiritual level. The situation may be similar to the last 'lucky coin' incident.

"We need to investigate certain people in the academy, and we want to use your extraordinary abilities, Miss Olivia. But the premise for doing so is that we have to make sure that you are willing to cooperate and that there are no problems."

In fact, half of these words are true. The reason why Wayne thought of Miss Olivia first is partly because she is the only extraordinary person Wayne knows who can explore other people's inner world from the side.
If she had no problem and was willing to help, things might be much simpler.

Miss Olivia is still very enthusiastic in this regard. To be precise, she doesn't mind using "her own power" to help her friends when her family is not involved.

So after she agreed, Wayne and several exorcists quietly left the room, and Inissa searched her first to confirm the condition of the pendants or accessories on her body.

When Miss Olivia was in college, her dress was considered "simple, conservative and plain", but she still wore jeweled hairpins, brooches, necklaces and pendants.
The exorcists then tested those things, one of the purposes of which was to keep them away from her and ensure their safety. Then Wayne and Inissa began to ask her about various trivial matters in her past.

It's still the same question as before. Wayne can confirm that Miss Olivia still has her original memories, but he can't rule out the possibility of a "dual system".
For now, we can only judge that Miss Olivia is at least likely to be fine based on her whereabouts in recent days and the test results.

Then Wayne and his friends took Miss Olivia with them and started checking other students.

Just like doing an experiment, if you keep doubting, you won't be able to keep doing it until next year. It's better to set the conditions and "run it" first.
If it works, it means the set prerequisites are correct. If it is found that it does not work, then re-check the problem.

According to the testimony of the security personnel at the academy, Reverend Pycelle's carriage had entered and exited the academy once on the night of the incident.
However, because the security personnel were familiar with his carriage, they did not pay any follow-up attention to it, and it was unclear where the carriage went after entering the academy.

Afterwards, the target students were "escorted" by the exorcists one by one. In name, they were having a simple but necessary conversation, but in reality, it was just a preliminary body search and inspection, and Wayne and Seth confirmed the details of their memory.
During this period, Miss Olivia will walk into the room from behind the other person, and then use extraordinary abilities to "touch" them to try to confirm the situation.

...In an apartment near the old police station in downtown Georgeburg.

The door lock of the room was knocked off with a "ding" sound, and then a black-haired man with a 3:7 mushroom-style hairstyle appeared behind the door.

"Mr. Weissman, Reverend Pycelle asked me to come to you."

Mr. Weissman stayed at the church's place for the past two days. He tried to dress neatly even when sleeping. He did not panic when he noticed any noise or saw a stranger.
Instead, he first asked very unexpectedly, "Did he succeed?"

“It worked, but it didn’t work.”

The middle-aged man with a mushroom-like hair parted on the side walked into the room without even closing the door. "He asked me to tell you that the originally scheduled target cannot be used, so he had to urgently choose a backup target. He can only be 'awake' for a small part of the day now, and the 'awake' time is rapidly shortening, and the intervals are getting longer and longer. I need you to provide a solution."

Mr. Weissman frowned:

"I told him that it was a dangerous forbidden technique. He must 'believe' sincerely before He will grant him enough power. No matter what problems arise afterwards, I will not be able to solve them. He is aware of the risks involved."

The mushroom-haired man smiled widely, "Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes," Mr. Weissman then asked, "Who has he become now?"

In response, a "light bullet" flew at him at high speed. At first, the size of the light bullet was close to that of a blueberry. It was shot from the fingertips of the mushroom-headed man.

Afterwards, the light bullet continued to "burn" during flight, and by the time it shot through Mr. Weisman's head, it had shrunk to the size of a green bean, and finally hit the ground and dissipated on its own.

The light bullet flies very fast. If someone looks into the room from outside, they can only see a faint flash of light in the room.
Then Mr. Weisman's body collapsed on the sofa, and thick, almost black blood flowed out from the holes.

The mushroom-headed man turned and walked out of the room, leaving the apartment through the back door.
In the alley behind the apartment, three exorcists were sitting on the ground leaning against the wall, and they had no response to life.

in the room,
After confirming that the other party had left, Mr. Weisman opened his eyes again.

His body surface glowed slightly, and the thick, almost black blood on the sofa quickly evaporated, turning into black smoke, filling the hole in his head.

As his wounds gradually healed, he threw the ashtray on the small table to the ground, then continued to lie on the sofa, posing as if he had been attacked and passed out.

The soul-changing ritual had long been proven to be unfeasible. The soul was a gift from the gods, and the majesty of the gods could not be violated. I didn't expect that Pycelle had actually collected so many extraordinary materials from different fields for sacrifice.
But it’s a good thing. Once Pycelle’s heretic identity is confirmed, the things he revealed before will come in handy.

(End of this chapter)