American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

Seeing her usually calm companion suddenly stare blankly with a strange, enigmatic smile, Zoe timidly handed over a handkerchief and asked worriedly.

"Oh? It's nothing, it's nothing! Please don't worry about those details!"

Chapter 254: The Follow-up Truth and New Clues

The golden-red sun rises, dispelling the dark clouds and casting thousands of rays of light that illuminate the mountains and rivers.

A vast, soft light surged from the east, filling the space between heaven and earth. The sunlight flowed across the undulating morning mist, making the interstate below look like a stream paved with black stones.

Meanwhile, in the "stream," a slender, silver-blue "fish" is nimbly swimming through it.

"...Sigh, it will take at least a few months to recover. When we get back to the witch school, let's ask our teacher for a vitality potion."

Sitting in front of the mirror, with her golden-brown straight hair now much shorter, Zoe gestured with a hint of heartache at the length, lamenting the loss of her beautiful hair in the Skull Island battle.

"Ahhh~" Madison yawned, rubbing his messy golden hair, and sleepily climbed off the bed.

As a party involved, even though the police station took over most of the follow-up work, I still had to give a brief account of the situation. In addition, since the case involved supernatural powers, it was only right to help investigate the monster's lair to prevent any lingering troubles. Yesterday, after finishing all the details, it was almost midnight, and the two little witches only just finished catching up on sleep now.

She shuffled lazily to the sink, wearing her somewhat childish pink velvet slippers.

"The hair that grows with the help of magic potions is of very poor quality. I'd rather wait for it to grow naturally." The girl's voice sounded a little muffled as she fiddled with the fine white foam of toothpaste in her mouth.

"Speaking of which, retired Sheriff Elmy from Travis is actually the killer's uncle! The infamous 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' wasn't a lone wolf; it was an entire twisted family working together! That's some explosive news..."

Zoe carefully picked up a few stray strands of hair, storing them away as materials for casting spells, and looked up with a sigh.

"Chief Andrew was furious. He had just solved a famous old case, and awards and promotions were on the horizon. But then he discovered that the problem was internal. The media really got some juicy scoops. It was like an early Halloween party. The entire Texas Police Department was going to be humiliated because of this."

"Heh heh, pshaw!"

She spat out the mouthwash, placed the toothbrush back on the shelf, and gently rubbed the clear, crystal-like face wash between her fingers, releasing a fresh, delicate floral scent. She carefully rubbed it onto her face, and with her eyes closed, replied:

"That's right. It turns out his accomplice was a mole in the police force. No wonder he was able to escape capture and boldly hide in the nearby area for decades."

Madison pulled out a soft, white cotton towel to dry the water droplets, pulled back the curtain of the rest area, and hummed at her companion who was writing furiously at his desk in the RV's small living room.

"Hey, when you were planning your fishing trip the day before yesterday, you deliberately didn't go into too much detail with the police, because you guessed this possibility, right?"

However, all she received in response was a string of inexplicable mutterings.

"In this world, demons and monsters rise up everywhere. Although I have no intention of leveling up... well, of becoming famous, I know the suffering of the common people. I only wish to sweep away all evil and win a lot of rewards... so that the world may be at peace!"

"What mere 'Horror Circus'? With my timely rain from the West Coast, the savior of demons in the New World, here, how dare you be so insolent? You'd better obediently turn into experience points and contribute to my great immortal cultivation..."

She called him several times, but seeing that he was still looking excitedly lost in thought, the girl's lips twitched. Helplessly, she stroked her jade-like forehead, pulled out a tissue, and handed it to him.

"You're drooling again."

"Oh, it's okay, I told you not to worry about the details!"

"Ding!" Zoe brought over two servings of fruit pudding that had been heated in the microwave, her eyes filled with worry.

"Could he really be under some kind of hidden curse? That black balloon looks really eerie. Should we contact the bishop of the New Orleans district to perform a thorough exorcism?"

"He's been like this ever since we solved the murderer's case yesterday and left Elphaton," the two whispered to each other, both expressing deep concern about their companion's current mental state.

……

……

As the sun rises higher, the scenery outside the window begins to change.

The vast fields of golden corn, being felled by harvesters, have quietly disappeared, replaced by rolling white pine and cypress forests, carrying the unique and exotic fragrance of essential oil plants.

The occasional ponds and small wetlands on both sides indicate that the car has passed through Texas, a land of cowboys and ranches, and entered Louisiana, the swamp and pelican state.

"...Don't cry, don't cry, all the nightmares that have been bothering you are over. That demon has vanished forever and can no longer harm people!"

Zhu Mingyao leaned back on the sofa, gently holding the phone and comforting his girlfriend who was sobbing on the other end:

"Get a good night's sleep, then go shopping with your training buddies on Fifth Avenue and spend all your training allowance. You'll instantly feel incredibly fulfilled. I heard that Barnes' flagship store has a lot of 'amazing' lingerie styles, and I actually really want to... hehe..."

He deliberately chuckled a few times to distract the fortune teller, and then fiddled with a glass bottle on the table.

"...Okay, have fun. When you come back, tell me all about it. I've never been to New York before."

After hanging up the phone, his gaze fell on a piece of black leather inside the glass bottle.

The leather was only about half the size of a palm, its surface charred and bubbly, with a smoky, burnt look, as if it had just been rescued from the fire.

Indeed, this was the only remnant left behind by Thomas, the second-generation "Deadskin" and the chainsaw killer, after he was burned alive.

As Zhu Mingyao probed the evil power subtly flowing within this piece of "true" dead skin, he could sense that with the right offerings and the right ritual, he could create a degraded version of a similar monster.

Recalling the enemy's desperate attack from beyond the heavens, he roughly guessed the truth behind why the monster had come back to life:

It must have been due to a momentary oversight by the officials in charge of the cleanup that day, that a piece of skull fragment escaped and fell into the hands of some force, leading to the subsequent events we see today.

But now that "Master Zhu" has discovered it, this wicked creature, which has committed numerous evil deeds, naturally has no chance of being resurrected. It is estimated that next time it will be seen on some kind of magical artifact such as a soul-summoning banner or a soul-gathering flag.

According to information obtained from the two accomplices of the murderer, more than half a year ago, a mysterious entity suddenly approached Thomas, who had fled overnight after being questioned by the police. The entity not only revealed the secret but also expressed great admiration for Thomas's crimes, inviting him to join the so-called "circus" as an apprentice knife thrower. In the end, the entity even bestowed upon Thomas extraordinary powers, helping him to transform into a monster.

The tragedies that occurred during this period were a trial set up by a mysterious entity, or, in "its" words, a probationary period for employment. After killing a hundred people, one could be officially hired.

Thomas, who appeared fierce but was actually suspicious, did not completely trust the other party. He continued to use the innate magic contained in the evil creature [Dead Skin] to find a prey to kill every 23 days, extracting its bones to forge weapons and enhance his strength.

With the gold-plated fountain pen nimbly turning the pages at his fingertips, Zhu Mingyao closed the notebook filled with random words and decided to temporarily stop delving into the matter.

We have too little information about the enemy's origins right now, so let's talk about it later!

Chapter 255 The Cursed Fur Coat 1

As the sun moved higher in the sky, the thin mist that had risen in the early morning was swept away by the increasingly intense sunlight, and the group finally reached the end of their journey.

—New Orleans, located at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

The car followed the vast expanse of Lake Pontchartrainrene in the north of the city, turned onto a narrow, sparsely populated road, and came to a steady stop in front of the gate of a quiet suburban manor.

"Hey! Are you just going to leave me all alone outside? Is this how you treat people when you invite them to a carnival?!"

Zhu Mingyao crossed his arms and glanced sideways at the two little girls, pouting unhappily.

With a snap of his fingers, Madison made a huge pile of luggage float three inches off the ground and follow him. He then spread his hands, making a helpless expression.

"There's no way around it. The sorority has a rule from the very beginning that forbids all outside men from entering the witch school. When my father came to take me to school, he always stopped there."

Zoe stepped forward, parted the roses and ivy entwining the doorway, placed her slender fingers on an obsidian magic circle, and said apologetically:

“Every Halloween, the sorority holds a ceremony under the guidance of its mentor to reorganize the accumulated items, reinforce the locks at headquarters, and renew various magical contracts. It’s a busy time. Maddie has arranged a hotel for you, and there’s a professional tour guide waiting for you. We’ll go out and have fun together on Halloween night in two days.”

"What a pity, I was planning to take a look around." Zhu Mingyao casually took the hotel's VIP card, stroked his chin, and looked at the seemingly ordinary manor with a glint of gold in his eyes.

Even without using his Heavenly Eye out of politeness, he could still see that the surrounding scenery was slightly distorted like ripples on water, with fine magical runes flowing and appearing and disappearing, layer upon layer forming a vast domain, clearly a sophisticated restriction involving spatial changes.

Although it's a far cry from being a true blessed land, it has at least taken on the rudiments of a secret realm. It's no wonder that this large organization, which has managed to stand out among the many civilian forces in the New World, is truly capable.

Madison's beautiful blue eyes curved into two lines as she lightly teased:

"Want to visit? Could it be... that you harbor extremely strong desires for our bedrooms?"

"Ha! If it were some half-baked witch who made rapid progress in potions class and concocted a potion that could make her grow taller and reshape her breasts and buttocks, I might be slightly tempted. But as for now..."

Zhu Mingyao, with a serious expression, patted the girl's head smoothly and fluidly. "The federal government has a complete set of criminal laws for this type of perverted fetish!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he swiftly dodged a beam of fire thrown at him as if he had foreseen it, and amidst the girl's furious roar, he used his movement technique to disappear in an instant.

……

……

Wandering along the banks of the great river that runs through the city, dividing it from north to south, Zhu Mingyao breathed in the moist sea breeze. Instead of looking for the tour guide waiting at the hotel, he let his horse roam freely, enjoying the sights of this once-famous city of pleasure.

Between old buildings with steep wooden roofs and modern apartments made of reinforced concrete, vendors push their carts in a bustling atmosphere.

On the cobblestone-paved fountain square, impoverished street performers take out colorful balls and white doves from their tall hats, winning a string of applause and coins.

Music flows gently, art follows closely, this lovely city is the most distinctive contradiction in the Federation. Its name contains the word "new," yet it has been shrouded in twilight over three hundred years of historical ups and downs.

The French arrived with their flamboyant, extravagant, and refined style; the Spanish arrived with Renaissance-style semi-circular arches and marble decorations; the Cretans arrived with the mysterious and ancient culture of sub-Saharan Africa; and the indigenous Indians and the nomadic Gypsies arrived with their unique folk customs.

With more than half of its residents being people of color, it lacks the strong Protestant character found in most federal towns; instead, various witchcraft beliefs of dubious origin are prevalent.

It is precisely because of this tolerant, almost permissive atmosphere that this place has become a mixed bag of people in the eyes of the extraordinary.

Along the way, Zhu Mingyao saw two elderly black men wearing voodoo amulets and a Gypsy magician. Even though they were just ordinary people, they were still people who had one foot in the door of the extraordinary.

There was even a burly man, who appeared to have werewolf blood, who swaggered past the ancient and solemn St. Augustine's Cathedral in broad daylight. The several preachers who were pulling passersby to preach the gospel in front of the cathedral only frowned slightly and did not interfere in any way. It was a strange sight that was quite different from other places.

At midday, being alone and too lazy to sit down for a proper meal, he simply carried his pre-ordered deluxe Spanish seafood paella, savoring the tender grilled shrimp and chewy squid slices as he walked and ate.

Relying on his skill and daring, Zhu Mingyao bypassed the bustling main streets and headed straight for the narrow, cramped shops selling local products and customs in the alleys, trying to relive his old dream of finding bargains at the market.

With his cultivation and discerning eye, he easily found a shop run by a genuine martial arts master and picked out some valuable items from among his targets.

However, the prices of those items were mostly in line with their actual value, and there were few instances of undervaluing valuable items. It was clear that the shop owners had been in this city of witchcraft for a long time and had already been trained by their many peers to be quite skilled.

"I'll name my price: two thousand gold coins!"

Inside a Creole-style two-story cottage, Zhu Mingyao shifted his gaze from a row of ebony totem poles standing in the corner.

He walked around the strings of dried flowers and fruits hanging from the ceiling, sat down on a log stool that served as a chair, tapped his fingers on a wooden counter covered with a layer of varnish, and pointed to a fur coat wrapped in a transparent dust bag on the wall as he bargained.

"Hehe..." The middle-aged man of mixed black and white descent picked up a long pole and carefully removed the brown-gray turtleneck coat from among a patch of colorful furs and textiles. He smiled slyly, his chubby face full of shrewdness.

"You mean you're offering two thousand for the raccoon fur coat itself, but not for the natural spirit on it, right?"

Zhu Mingyao rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Why do I need a women's coat? Do I look like one of those people with gender dysphoria?"

The boss scratched his curly black hair, his thick lips parted, and a few white teeth were visible.

"That's hard to say. Anything is possible these days. Maybe you're planning to dress up as a woman for Halloween?" he joked, then became slightly more serious.

"The price you offered is only equivalent to the leather jacket itself. To take it all, you'll need at least 30,000 gold coins!"

"Don't joke around. It's just raccoon fur. I'd give you eight hundred yuan and that would be too much. As for the spirit attached to it, hmph..." Zhu Mingyao sneered.

"It lacks any harmonious spiritual rhythm of nature; instead, it's filled with a chilling aura of resentment, clearly twisted into some kind of curse. It looks bloody and has killed at least two or three people! Apart from me, there are hardly any people who would want it!"

"Look at how you describe my prized possession!" The owner glared, stroking the glossy black and white fur with a mixture of earnestness and exaggeration, before waving his hand dismissively.

"So what if it's cursed? In the hands of some special extraordinary individuals, this is an extremely precious material! Thirty thousand gold coins is already a clearance sale!"

He gestured with his hand, guiding the conversation, towards the strange and unusual decorations scattered throughout the room: