American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

We are the guilty ones…

I've written 30,000 words already. Looks like I won't be getting a contract. Time to keep studying and working hard, and prepare for another try!

Chapter 14: It’s over, just brush off your clothes and go away

"A mother is everything to her child, and a child is everything to his mother."

Looking at the mother and child kneeling and embracing each other, their bodies growing cold, Zhu Mingyao suddenly recalled Mrs. Williams' words.

Mrs. Williams with her son William, and Margaret with her son Jacob, the serial killer.

These two pairs of mothers and children had vastly different fates.

Even though the latter deserved his fate from any perspective, witnessing the tragedy of the child and mother tormenting each other and ultimately dying together still left the two bystanders deeply saddened.

However, the current time and place are clearly not suitable for indulging in any sentimental or melancholic sentimentality or lamenting the impermanence of life.

Zhu Mingyao took the key to the cage from the waist of the murderer Jacob, and then casually flicked his wrist to remove the talisman pasted on Jacob's back.

The talisman made of yellow paper floated down, turning into dust in mid-air, and leaving only specks of residue when it hit the ground.

【Gathering Yin and Subduing Evil Talisman】

The Shangqing Maoshan Taoist talisman is a rather unorthodox one. It is good at gathering and absorbing the surrounding yin and resentment, turning it into illusions to attack enemies. However, since it has no offensive power, it is only a supplementary means.

When Zhu Mingyao was in the hall, he noticed that the place was shrouded in malevolent spirits, indicating that more than one person had been murdered. He then had a sudden inspiration and prepared this talisman as a covert measure.

Originally intended only to be used for harassment and containment, it unexpectedly proved to be so effective.

Perhaps because the murderer had so many blood debts and the victims died so tragically, the resentment and lingering hatred left behind haunted him for a long time. Therefore, after the talisman was activated, it almost projected the appearance of all the victims before their deaths.

Jira, being an ordinary person, couldn't see it, but Zhu Mingyao could vaguely see the scene of more than a dozen bloody phantoms suddenly appearing, which really startled him.

As for Jacob's sudden awakening under the intense mental shock, his suicide with his fanatical mother, and his heartfelt repentance as a dying man, this was beyond Zhu Mingyao's expectations.

He opened the iron cage, released Gila, and carefully examined her body to make sure there were no serious injuries.

The two searched the corridor on this floor, room by room, and found the body of Hannah, the teacher at the reformatory, in one of the rooms. By then, all three victims had been found, but unfortunately, only Gila was lucky enough to survive.

According to Gila, the killer initially did not intend to let her go, but after seeing the large cross tattoos on her body, he showed mercy and instead imprisoned her.

She didn't quite understand why at first, but now, looking back, she thinks it might be because Jacob's mother had been instilling distorted doctrines in him, which resulted in him developing a strange sense of awe towards related religious symbols.

With a "bang," Zhu Mingyao kicked open the door to the last guest room at the end of the corridor.

The pungent smell of formaldehyde filled the air, making people frown.

Zhu Mingyao looked around and saw that the table in the room was filled with glass jars of all sizes, each containing a pair of pale white eyeballs soaked in a murky yellow liquid. The horrifying scene, combined with the faint stench of decay, made one want to vomit.

With disgust, Zhu Mingyao glanced at the "spoils" collected by the serial killer, then looked away and at the walls around him.

Banknotes of various denominations, soaked in blackened blood, were pinned there, covering the entire wall.

After a rough calculation, it was estimated to be around 20,000 to 30,000 federal gold dollars, which was roughly equivalent to two years' income for an average family in this era. Zhu Mingyao was slightly tempted, but then immediately dismissed the idea.

It's clearly money stolen from the dead. He's not that greedy. Besides, with banknotes soaked in blood, probably no normal store would dare to accept them except for gangsters. Why bother with that trouble?

However, not spending it doesn't mean it's useless.

Zhu Mingyao tore off a few bloodstained banknotes from the wall and wrapped them in a rag.

We can't go home empty-handed; maybe it'll have some shady or unorthodox uses?

The two, suppressing their nausea, searched the house again, when suddenly Gila let out a soft gasp of surprise, holding up a mobile phone and saying:

"This is Ms. Hannah's cell phone. We can finally contact the outside world!"

……

As the first light of dawn appeared in the east, the commotion of the night finally came to an end.

The abandoned hotel, which was usually deserted, was now filled with police cars, and uniformed crime scene investigators were coming and going in a steady stream.

Zhu Mingyao and Jira sat in a car, wrapped in a small plush blanket, each holding a steaming cup of sweet coffee, craning their necks to look at the bustling scene outside.

A group of juvenile offender's family members who rushed to the scene were either crying or roaring, surrounding the local police station chief and cursing him, accusing him of being a bunch of stupid pigs who wasted taxpayers' money and didn't even know that a murderer had been hiding in the jurisdiction for years.

Judging from the person in charge's dejected appearance, he will probably spend the rest of his time comforting the family and dealing with complaints, and won't have the time to seriously question the two people anymore.

As Zhu Mingyao had anticipated, with the testimony of Mr. William, who was receiving treatment in the hospital, and a group of juvenile delinquents who had narrowly escaped death, the police readily confirmed that his action of killing the murderer was a legitimate act of self-defense. He didn't even need to go to the police station; he only needed to wait for notification at home.

Despite being subjected to a barrage of insults, the police chief took a moment to come over, chatted with Zhu Mingyao for a few minutes, and promised to apply for a reward for his courageous act of saving lives.

Judging from his words, he hoped that Zhu Mingyao would not accept media interviews, so as to avoid further negative public opinion for the police.

The young man readily agreed to this effortless and beneficial offer. After all, he had no intention of becoming famous. As the saying goes, "Man fears fame, just as pigs fear growing fat," so it was better to keep a low profile and make a fortune quietly.

One person preserved their reputation, while the other gained tangible benefits; both were happy.

Together with Gila, they went to a nearby hospital to visit Mr. William and the others. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that the incident had been resolved safely.

Some of the group covered their faces and sobbed, while others prayed silently, each venting their emotions in their own way.

After a while, the juvenile offender's family members also arrived at the hospital. Amid the chaos, Zhu Mingyao said goodbye to Mrs. Williams and her son, then quietly got into a car arranged by the police station and left the scene, embarking on his journey home.

He just escaped death and reunited with his family, what is he doing staying there? Waiting for others to thank him? He's not the type to be vain.

After a tense and busy night, first driving a hundred miles to catch up, and then fighting a battle with the murderer, even though Zhu Mingyao's body could withstand it, he was still mentally exhausted. He didn't want to do anything now, he just wanted to curl up in the car and sleep for a while.

He gently patted his cheeks, barely managing to muster some energy.

Before falling asleep, let's check how well we've done!

New author, new book, please support!

Chapter 15 Harvest

After rescuing Mr. William and six juvenile delinquents, the system gave a total of 68 reward points. Rescuing Gila gave another 10 points, while the murderer Jacob and his mother Margaret contributed a total of 200 causal points as a reward.

After the incident was completely over, an achievement for clearing out the murderer's lair unexpectedly appeared, granting an extra 150 points, which was a pleasant surprise.

In addition, the system also awarded 10 points for helping Mrs. Williams.

Zhu Mingyao speculated that this action not only directly changed William's fate but also indirectly saved his mother. Otherwise, after the blow of her son's disability and death, the old lady probably wouldn't have lived much longer.

All the bits and pieces add up to a total of 438 points, which is almost enough to upgrade [Shangqing Secret Manual] to level 3.

Indeed, a man cannot get rich without unexpected wealth, and a horse cannot get fat without night grass!

Unfortunately, his own cultivation method wasn't very good at divination. Otherwise, he could have made good contact with the police and occasionally worked as a bounty hunter. After all, the Federation was known for its "simple and honest" people and was known for producing serial killers and other perverted creatures. With the help of divination or other supernatural abilities, it would be really enjoyable to kill monsters.

Importantly, the vast majority of these serial killers are ordinary people, much easier to deal with than those monsters with superpowers. Plus, they might even have a bounty on their heads from the police, making them easy to kill and highly rewarding. You can earn reward points and some money to supplement your household income, making it a win-win situation.

As for whether there might be some tough guys with extraordinary abilities lurking among them, Zhu Mingyao wasn't too worried.

Do they really think the federal government's official agencies are just sitting around doing nothing? If they had really found traces of superhumans in the serial murders, they would have sent people to handle it long ago, instead of leaving it to ordinary police officers.

In Zhu Mingyao's previous life, the internet was probably influenced by the descriptions in traditional martial arts novels. For a long time, there was a theory that the personnel of official institutions were always weak and incompetent, while the real masters were all hiding among the common people. Any reclusive master could easily humiliate the officials.

This idea is completely wrong!

Anyone with a certain amount of social experience can understand this: if we compare real society to a martial arts world, then the government is undoubtedly the largest faction within it!

The power of a nation is as vast as a mountain and as boundless as the sea!

With an almost endless supply of resources, an almost endless pool of manpower for selection, and countless experts collecting data and developing training plans, this combination of measures could have created countless top talents in various fields in the previous life. So, in this life, with extraordinary abilities, it is equally possible to cultivate a large number of skilled individuals!

Even though extraordinary cultivation requires individual talent, and top experts cannot be created simply by accumulating resources, the population base of modern countries is such that as long as effort is put in, a decent team can be assembled.

Especially for a superpower like the Federation, which occupies a corner of the world's pinnacle, what rare treasures can't it acquire when the national machinery is fully mobilized? What masters and renowned teachers can't it invite?

To put it bluntly, if the authorities are willing to invest any amount of money and are determined, they can even turn a pig into a Zhu Bajie (a legendary pig-like creature)!

Furthermore, with the support of modern technology, conventional military forces capable of collapsing mountains and stopping rivers are also at play.

Aside from those lucky individuals who suddenly awaken supernatural abilities without any guidance or common sense, all extraordinary individuals in this world with proper mentors understand the weight of the word "official" and would never dare to underestimate it in the slightest just because they possess some extraordinary skills or secret techniques.

After a while of random thoughts, a feeling of fatigue gradually crept in. Zhu Mingyao greeted the police officer driving the car and simply closed his eyes to pretend to sleep.

……

Los Angeles in winter is often damp and the air is filled with the smell of the rainy season.

The dim sun barely peeked out at midday before hurriedly hiding behind heavy clouds again.

"Excuse me, please make way!"

At the supermarket exit, Zhu Mingyao, carrying several bulging large shopping bags, struggled to squeeze out of the circle of burly housewives.

He bent over, took a deep breath with lingering fear, and looked back.

Goodness, is this year's Christmas shopping spree this crazy? My physical strength is 2.4, twice as strong as the average person, yet I almost suffered a crushing defeat under the onslaught of these middle-aged women!

Is it really worth going to such lengths for a small discount on the day of the holiday? Couldn't you have bought everything a few days earlier?

He regulated his breathing, slowly walked to the parking lot, and loaded the things he bought into his beat-up pickup truck, which had probably been sold many times before.

"Looks like it's going to rain again!"

Zhu Mingyao drove slowly along the roadside, glancing up at the sky as he went.

Although winter in Los Angeles isn't too cold, it's the rainiest time of year, somewhat like the humid spring weather in southern China. This made Zhu Mingyao, who was from the north in his previous life, quite unhappy. If it weren't for the festival and his desire to buy some delicious food to treat himself, he wouldn't have bothered to go out. Wouldn't it be better to stay in his dry and warm home and hibernate during the winter?

More than a week had passed since he dealt with the murderer Jacob and returned home to Los Angeles.

As if afraid he would change his mind and sell the inside story of the murder case to tabloid reporters, the police, contrary to their usual slow pace, hurriedly transferred the 10,000 yuan reward to his card on the third day after his return, which can be described as extremely efficient.

For other cases, a reward of 10,000 gold coins would be quite substantial, but in the context of this serial murder case with its egregious impact, it seems rather meager. Fortunately, the police themselves seem to understand this, and they even sent a friend/family card to the officer.

As a country that openly displays privileges, holding this card in the federal government allows one to enjoy numerous benefits and special treatments, including but not limited to discounts on a significant portion of dining and accommodation, exemption from punishment for minor violations, and even priority assistance in the event of an emergency.

In particular, the one in Zhu Mingyao's hand is a high-end item issued by the Jinzhou Police Welfare Association. It is valid throughout Jinzhou and is generally given to high-ranking officials, businessmen, and celebrities as a favor, except for those in the police system. It rarely ends up in other people's hands, and its value is hard to measure in monetary terms.

Since the other party was so cooperative, Zhu Mingyao naturally reciprocated by turning down five or six interview requests in the past few days, determined to remain an unsung hero.

A fine drizzle fell from the sky, just as the last rays of sunlight faded. The raindrops drifted in the evening breeze, bringing a slight chill, but the Christmas tree lights that lit up in front of the shops on both sides eased the chill a bit.

Pedestrians carrying large and small bags of gifts hurried along the roadside to the cheerful music of "Jingle Bell," their faces beaming as they rushed home, looking forward to reuniting with their families.

Even the short, fat, white men who are usually ignored can take this opportunity to wear Santa Claus costumes and enjoy the celebrity treatment of being surrounded by people for photos.

What a peaceful and joyful atmosphere!

Infected by the atmosphere, Zhu Mingyao couldn't help but smile, his thoughts drifting to Zhang Shouzhong, who had gone to the headquarters of the Hualian Chamber of Commerce and had not yet returned.