American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

She was dressed in slightly worn denim overalls, with pencils and sketches in her pockets, looking like a seasoned civil engineer. She was holding a piece of pine branch that she had found on the spot, and the emerald green light of the [Wood Shaping Technique] was flashing in her hands as she actively offered her services.

Zhu Mingyao knew perfectly well what Beverly, who was so eager to come along, was planning. He simply waved his hand, placed the soil filled with the blood of the demon hound on the altar, and while activating the incantation, casually remarked:

"You're really soft-hearted. You must have saved up 30,000 gold coins for a long time, but you lent them to that thief after just a few words."

The red-haired girl placed the wooden stake down and sat on it like a stool. "Although he initially wanted to steal, he didn't. Instead, he mustered up the courage to save Mr. Mike's family. Even the victims forgave him, so why should I care so much?"

A hint of sadness crossed her face. "Besides, his initial intention in stealing was for his wife and daughter. Since he has the ability, I don't want to see a little girl lose her family."

Beverly shook off the dark memories in her heart and showed a bright smile like the morning dew: "Anyway, let's just say his kindness was rewarded!"

The next moment, the merciful druid also received the reward for his good deeds.

A stack of banknotes wrapped in a transparent plastic bag and a brown-gray fur coat fell from the sky and landed steadily in her arms.

"You're still too young and naive! There's no reason to pay for this yourself."

Don't forget we're working for a federal agency now. Those lowly moneylenders, just die!

After a brief consultation with his superiors, Zhu Mingyao recovered the poor girl's hard-earned money and, incidentally, sent a group of gang members to prison to study the secrets of chrysanthemums and soap. Zhu Mingyao waved his hand generously and magnanimously.

"Since you're going to work for me, improve your strength so you don't hold me back. I'll give you the cursed leather coat as an advance on your salary. Hurry up and absorb the natural essence, don't delay the next operation."

Holding the treasure she had long coveted, Beverly's eyes seemed to glisten with tears. After hesitating for a long time, she finally nodded gently, biting her lip.

"Heaven and earth are in harmony, and the three and five spirits are united. I have been ordered by the Emperor to investigate and punish evil spirits. The clerks and officers on duty today, please go and return quickly, without delay!"

Holding a peachwood staff and performing the ritualistic steps, Zhu Mingyao traced his master's aura through the remains and flesh of his demonic pet dog. He also spared a thought to curiously sense the strange phenomenon beneath the flowerbed in the distance.

Clusters of dark green, ghostly light, as if soaked in sewage, slowly rose from the leather jacket. As the girl prayed in a wondrous manner, the pollution gradually faded, and the light merged with the leather jacket, leaving him marveling at the sight.

With impeccable character and considerable potential, this follower is a worthwhile investment... Zhu Mingyao secretly sent her a long-term employment contract with satisfaction.

At the same time, a vague message was transmitted back to the ritual instrument.

He raised his eyebrows and made a rough calculation.

"Found it! It's not here, it should be in the surrounding area. Let's set off now!"

It's been blocked. Please edit and resend.

Chapter 271 Before Halloween, the Videotape

chap!

The silver kitchen knife was plunged in forcefully, its cold light flowing across the blade, easily slicing through the rough surface. With a sharp twist of a thumb against the back of the blade, a bowl-sized window was created on the top of the round object.

A hand smeared with blood-red nail polish reached inside, scooped out a large clump of sticky contents, and tossed it into a prepared plate.

"Even though I've done it many times, it still makes me feel a little nauseous."

Smelling the strange odor, the young woman wiped her hands in disgust, picked up the prepared salt and spice powder, and sprinkled it evenly on the surface.

"Aunt Katie, is this disgusting thing really edible?" A slender finger reached out and poked at the soft thing wrapped in silk.

"Don't worry, it'll smell delicious once it's baked. This seasoning is a family secret recipe." The scarlet tongue licked around the teeth.

"Pfft!" Taking advantage of her distraction, a small knife quietly stabbed out from the corner, with the unique curiosity and cruelty of a child, and stabbed heavily into the hollowed-out round object.

"Timmy!" The woman's angry shout echoed in the kitchen. "Put it down! How many times have I told you? That's an adult's job. Kids aren't allowed to play with knives!"

The boy reluctantly withdrew his hand and stepped back, muttering to himself, "But I also want to make one myself."

The young woman pulled out a knife, glared at him reproachfully, gestured the location, and skillfully dug out several holes. She then patted the orange-yellow object heavily.

"Take it and play with it for now, but don't set the house on fire, little brat. When you get to my age, you'll find this thing too boring."

Watching her nephew happily walk away with his toy, Katie rolled her eyes and touched her niece's soft blonde hair.

"Let the naughty boy mess around with that pumpkin lantern. Auntie will teach you how to roast pumpkin seeds deliciously."

The little girl, Tia, obediently pulled up a stool and sat down, staring at the buzzing oven, biting her nails with longing.

"But why do we have to finish making the lights today? Halloween night isn't until tomorrow!"

"Um, well, I also know how to make cream-flavored sunflower seeds. Would you like to try it?" The girl scratched her head awkwardly, her gaze shifting as she changed the subject.

Of course, it's all to finish tomorrow's work quickly, appease you two little devils, and save time to go out and find handsome guys...

A commotion came from the living room.

She strode over, picked up the cross sword and angel wings model from the ground, placed them back on the family altar against the wall, and said somewhat angrily:

"Timmy, I've told you many times, that's a sacred object blessed by an archbishop. If Grandpa and he weren't childhood friends, ordinary people couldn't get their hands on something like that!"

The boy, his face contorted with misery, clutched the remote control and said innocently, "I just yelled when I was watching the videotape you brought, and it fell down by itself..."

"You dare lie! Where did I get the videotape?" Katie frowned, rolled up her sleeves angrily, and decided to teach this naughty brat a lesson.

"I found it in the candy bag you brought. I thought it was from a cartoon..." To save his little bottom from getting a bruise, Timmy pointed to a still image of a hideous human head on the screen and quickly moved his lips, stopping his fierce aunt who had transformed into a demon king.

"Hmm, is someone playing a prank?" Katie bent down in front of the TV, looking at the videotape with a puzzled expression. There was no text on it, just a blank screen.

The human head prop was incredibly lifelike, with white bone fragments mixed with scarlet blood, creating a very realistic scene. No wonder it was frightening.

"Never mind, the shop assistant probably just mixed up the packaging." She clapped her hands dismissively.

"Let's go, let's put this pumpkin lantern in front of the door first, then we can make the rest..."

"Aunt Katie, are you in such a hurry to get to work because you're planning to ditch us and sneak off on a date tomorrow?"

"Aha...you guys have candy, have candy, I even bought chocolate...eat it! If you're not going to eat it, shut up..."

These kids are so hard to please these days...

Laughter accompanied the three of them as they walked toward the door.

Neither the woman nor the two hopping children noticed that the scene behind them, which had been paused, had silently resumed its motion.

A white glove suddenly extends from outside the lens, standing out conspicuously in the dim light. It slowly grasps the mangled human head in its hand and lifts it up, as if a gentleman is displaying his trophy.

The white glove moved with delicate and gentle movements, brushing past the comical black and white clothing, finally stopping in front of a stiff face painted with pale white paint. The face suddenly grinned, violent static flashed, and the television abruptly went out.

……

……

The cool breeze at dusk brought a sense of comfort, and the air was filled with the lingering moisture from the rain and the fresh scent of earth.

A faint crimson sunset painted the distant horizon, illuminating the blurry silhouettes of New Orleans' skyscrapers on the horizon, like a beautiful modern landscape painting.

A cluster of illusory light and shadow, barely visible to the naked eye, drifted swiftly past at a low altitude of thirty or forty meters, obscuring the view of ordinary people.

"I wonder when I'll be able to fly so freely." The red-haired girl stroked the scales of her summoned creature, a look of envy on her face.

"Now that you've absorbed the essence from the leather jacket and your strength has increased, you should be able to transform into a bird, right?"

Zhu Mingyao rode on the blue grass dragon, holding a compass in one hand and making hand seals with the other, carefully sensing the direction of the aura.

"It's possible, but it can only last for a maximum of ten minutes." Miss Druid tilted her head regretfully, her gaze drifting to several special operations vehicles parked on the roadside.

"Also, thank you for bringing along a few of my friends, giving them this rare opportunity to make a lot of money."

In response to Beverly's thanks, Zhu Mingyao simply smiled and said, "It's because of their excellent reputation that I was able to secure this commission for you."

Upon learning that the government was willing to spend so much, the druid girl, who was extremely sensitive to money due to her years of working odd jobs, immediately realized that this was a great opportunity to make a fortune. She turned around and contacted her friends with whom she usually worked, managed to get in touch with a new boss, and took on an assistant job from the Special Investigations Bureau.

The southern states are traditionally the spheres of influence of witches and voodoo cults. As the saying goes, it is difficult for a small force to compete between two great forces. Even if a freelancer or a superhuman has some skills, it is difficult to snatch a lucrative commission from the tiger's mouth. However, several of Beverly's acquaintances are struggling financially for various reasons. They immediately hit it off and packed their bags to come and help her make money.

Coincidentally, their own strength was not too weak either, so Zhu Mingyao was happy to do them a favor, since everyone could make money together.

As they talked, the Azure Dragon hovered above a street of buildings surrounded by trees and a small lake.

"What's down there?" Zhu Mingyao pointed downwards, holding the compass.

The part-time tour guide tilted her head and tried to figure it out.

Miles, a satellite city surrounding New Orleans.

The second one will be later; I'll finish my work first.

Chapter 272 The Druid's Companion

The two quietly landed on the roadside outside the town, and a convoy that had received the news followed.

"Beverly, are you sure this is your little boss?" A woman in the lead got out of the car and shouted.

The woman was tall and robust, easily over 185 centimeters tall. Beneath her brown skin, adorned with strange tattoos, her muscular physique rippled with each step, exuding a powerful beauty. A large-caliber revolver and a tactical dagger were tucked into her belt at her waist, and she carried a heavy long cloth bag in her hand. Judging from the bulging shape, it was likely some kind of cold weapon. It was clear at a glance that she was a skilled fighter, adept at both close and long-range combat.

“Hey, Holger, watch your manners. We got this job thanks to this esteemed gentleman.”

A middle-aged brown-haired man carrying a musical instrument bag scolded his teammate, then walked forward with nimble steps, rubbed his slick mustache, and gave Zhu Mingyao a fawning smile.

Being a smooth talker, he had already inquired about the young man's strength from Miss Druid, fearing he might offend him in the slightest.

“It’s alright, Mr. Edkin, don’t be so polite. Please take care of me during our cooperation.” Zhu Mingyao responded amiably.

Seeing that he was approachable and didn't seem like the kind of strong person who was difficult to get along with, the man relaxed. He nudged the mixed-race youth beside him and said, "Simon, don't just stand there like an idiot. Hurry up and help with the spell search."

"Can't you see that my magical skills are far inferior to his?" Cleo, a guy with curly short hair and obvious black ancestry, glanced sideways, tugged at the special combat suit he had gotten for free, and muttered to himself in frustration.

Zhu Mingyao smiled and raised his hand to indicate that he didn't need help. The three people in front of him were his friends who often took on missions with Beverly.

Holger, a bodybuilding woman with some indigenous ancestry, is an extraordinary individual who focuses on physical strength and is proficient in both hand-to-hand combat and both cold and hot weapons.

Edkin, the brown-haired man, is a rare bard in this day and age. In addition to being able to use musical instruments to perform various blessing spells, he also knows a wide variety of little tricks.

With the addition of the exceptionally talented bloodline sorcerer Simon and the druid, the four of them were quite well-known in the superhuman circles around New Orleans.

“Now we’ll split into two groups. You and Beverly will take one group of agents and the alchemy equipment provided by the authorities to set up a detection array. I’ll go and secretly scout around the town first.”

Zhu Mingyao pointed to the darkening sky and assigned tasks, "I have already explained the approximate strength of the enemy. Please stay together and do not separate."

Even though they look a bit poor, Beverly and her companions are indeed rare talents among ordinary people. The four of them working together are enough to deal with ordinary [Knight-level] enemies.

According to Zhu Mingyao's estimation, at least the few members of the [Terror Circus] that were exposed last time would probably not be a match for them if they attacked alone.

……

……

As night fell and the temperature plummeted, the moisture that had not evaporated during the day condensed again. The grayish-white fog thickened, like a veil, drifting over the streets and lingering among the buildings.

The dim yellow light of the streetlights pierced through the fog, casting hazy, indistinct shadows of the surrounding scenery.