American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

"Fine, I asked for nothing. You'll see for yourself later..."

Speechless at her linear way of thinking, the bard stopped talking and, imitating the silent Simon beside him, lowered his head and focused intently on the rare delicacies.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, two familiar figures appeared at the hotel entrance.

"Hey, Holger, look what I brought!" Miss Druid ran in from outside the hotel like a cheerful little deer, her red hair swaying.

"Thump!" She made room and carefully placed a large wooden box that seemed quite heavy on the dining table.

After adjusting the angle to shield the viewer from the surroundings, Beverly gently opened the wooden box a crack, revealing a wide-bladed, sleek two-handed battle axe quietly embedded in the groove.

"This is..." Holger's eyes lit up as he ran his fingers along the dark, cracked surface of the semi-solid lava, feeling the obscure yet intense heat beneath, and weighed it in his hand.

It's so damn easy to use!

Miss Druid continued, "Advanced supernatural weapon, I knew you'd like it."

The red-haired girl smiled radiantly and nodded to Zhu Mingyao, who was leisurely approaching from behind, "These were selected from the official collection warehouse. Mr. Milyo acted as guarantor, and as your work compensation, I paid in advance for their use."

"And Edkins and Simon, I've also found some precious equipment that would be perfect for you. I'll bring it over in a bit."

She smiled mysteriously: "We also have a temporary teammate joining us."

Chapter 278 Halloween Night of Horror 1

Inside the hotel's luxurious suite, Zhu Mingyao opened the clear glass window, letting in a refreshing, cool breeze, carrying with it a few wisps of joyful laughter from the eve of the holiday.

"Is this...is this really for me?!" The mixed-race young man, Simon, was so excited that he was almost incoherent as he hugged a metal cane engraved with strange magical patterns.

"A high-level staff with a daily short-distance teleportation spell is like a dream come true."

Even Edkin, a middle-aged man with a wealth of experience, was surprised, let alone his naive young companions: "They're so generous!"

A venerable, brownish-red lute rested across his lap, its crystal-like brilliance flowing through its six delicate strings. With each gentle pluck, a faint sound of thunder seemed to emanate from it.

Even though he wasn't an expert in appraisal, he could roughly estimate its actual value from its extraordinary appearance—a figure he might not be able to reach even if he sold his house.

"Because the authorities are really in a hurry this time." Zhu Mingyao looked at Miss Druid, who was happily fiddling with a cleverly designed horn slingshot.

Fortunately, New Orleans was established very early and was an important trading center connecting the Old and New Worlds in its early days. It was a place where many cultures converged. Although the local Special Investigations Bureau's collection cannot be compared with that of New York and Los Angeles in terms of level, the variety is quite extensive. They can even find a couple of pieces of equipment for some obscure professions.

"Last night, the casualty statistics for Miles Town came out, and the number was at least thirty." He pulled himself together and said with a sigh.

"Imagine what if the enemy's target was New Orleans tonight?"

It's safe to say that, including both local residents and tourists, at the very least, 50,000 to 100,000 people would take to the streets for the Halloween costume parade, not to mention countless others enjoying themselves in the streets and alleys.

"Can't we get the Special Investigations Bureau to persuade the authorities to cancel the event?" Beverly brushed a strand of red hair from her forehead, folded the delicate slingshot, and stored it in the attached leather wristband.

"They can't do that." Knowing that several extraordinary individuals who mingled among the common people had difficulty understanding the bureaucratic methods of conflict between civil and military officials and checks and balances between superiors and inferiors, Zhu Mingyao simply explained it in two sentences.

"Halloween and the post-holiday carnival season are two of New Orleans' calling cards as a tourist city. The decision-making power for related matters rests with the local government, and no special agency, no matter how powerful, has the right to interfere."

The primary responsibility of any government is to maintain the normal functioning of society. It cannot cease to function simply because of the possibility of an attack. Life must go on. Should residents stay home as long as the hidden threat remains unresolved?

He spread his hands, indicating, "That's why they're willing to be so generous. Besides us, today they've recruited almost every superhuman in the vicinity with some skills to fill the power vacuum left by the loss of the two major organizations, the Witch Cult and the Voodoo Cult. Even Mr. Henk, who was just passing by, was invited."

The tall man wearing a priest's bow tie on the opposite sofa nodded with a wry smile.

Like the sorcerer Simon, he had short, curly hair and a distinctly Creole-like face with mixed Black and White heritage. Beneath his simple, thin linen shirt, his muscular physique was faintly visible. A slender sword sheath, about three feet long, rested against his thigh, emanating a holy and distant aura, clearly belonging to a powerful holy sword.

This Brother Henk was a key member of the Catholic Church stationed in the Southern Continent. He looked young, but was actually over fifty years old. He was a very accomplished priest-knight. He was just changing planes locally when he was persuaded by the authorities to be drafted into the army.

“You’ve hit the nail on the head. Without a formal order from the highest level, the local civilian bureaucracy will not cooperate with them unconditionally,” said the Knight of Henk, his voice deep yet gentle.

"Anyone with eyes can see that this mission is quite risky. We are using you as an example to attract helpers and to show our generosity to those hesitant civilians."

"On the bright side, everyone just needs to work hard to guard the area for these two days, and once the Federation sends people to take over, they can get generous rewards, which is still a good deal."

Zhu Mingyao politely poured a cup of black tea for his temporary teammate. After exchanging a few polite words, he called everyone over, took out a city map, and began assigning tasks.

……

……

As night fell, the afterglow on the horizon, like a streak of blood, reflected on Lake Pontchartrainrand, turning the water crimson.

The grove of cypress and white pine trees became increasingly blurred in the dimming light, and together with the surrounding manor villas of various styles, it resembled a tranquil and profound painting.

In the distance, a bright light rose slowly from the city, shooting straight into the sky. At its highest point, it exploded with a bang, transforming into a huge golden-red flower. Countless streaks of light followed closely behind, scattering a sky full of colorful shooting stars, adorning the night sky with a dreamlike beauty.

"McGrady, what are you looking at?"

The girl loosely tied her cascading golden-brown straight hair into a bunch and draped it over her shoulder. She carried a plate of nut bread and walked to her companion by the window.

"Hurry up and eat something to build up your strength. The magic ritual to repair the Enchanted Lock will take all night. This year, the two of us will be sharing a magic array node with our mentors. It's a very heavy task."

The sparkling lights of the fireworks were reflected in her blue eyes. Medina took the snacks listlessly. "Sigh, it's been years since I've had a chance to participate in a Halloween parade. I've almost forgotten what it's like."

"There's nothing we can do about it. The fact that the Sisterhood has been able to rank among the top organizations in the Federation and suppress many treacherous individuals is largely due to the magic locks created by the Supreme Witches throughout the ages. It's only right that we take it seriously."

So please, young ladies, sacrifice your holidays. After all, we older women went through the same thing back in the day.

A dignified and elegant middle-aged lady smiled and gracefully walked towards them.

"Principal Cordelia."

The two little witches bowed respectfully with their chests bowed.

The lady covered her mouth and chuckled, her gorgeous diamond earrings swaying slightly. "I'm not joking anymore. Hurry up and enjoy your dinner. After a short rest, you'll be facing a long and arduous period of chanting and casting spells. As someone who's been there, I suggest you drink less water to avoid embarrassment."

Watching her leave, Madison sighed and listlessly put food into his mouth.

How wonderful it would be if this annoying job just disappeared...

……

……

Thanks to the municipal authorities' overtime efforts, the stagnant water and fallen leaves left from the previous night's rain have been completely washed away, leaving the roads dry and clean, ensuring that visitors can enjoy themselves to the fullest at the Halloween party, and of course, spend their money to their heart's content.

All the lights on the buildings, big and small, on the street were turned off, except for the pumpkin lanterns placed in front of the doors, which flickered with an orange-yellow light, reminding everyone that the festival had arrived.

Enthusiastic people poured out of their homes, hotels, and restaurants, forming lively streams that meandered freely through the streets.

A demon with dark red ram's horns on its head and an angel with pure white wings on its back are arm in arm;

The sinister zombies and the arrogant, cold-blooded vampires collude in evil deeds;

Et alien embraces a slender-waisted catwoman, while Iron Man stands side-by-side with a white-haired Yeti.

Whistling and flirting are just child's play. When things get exciting, after a few cans of beer, many people will agree to go to a bar for another round.

The bizarre and subversive costumes showcase the imagination of the general public.

"Hmm, it's indeed very difficult to maintain vigilance under these circumstances."

Zhu Mingyao strolled into the crowd, frowning as he watched the wigged clown walk by.

Is this the 10th or 11th I've seen tonight?

It's like finding a needle in a haystack!

Chapter 279 Halloween Night of Horror 2

Since those monsters were called the "Terrifying Circus," and considering the two encounters, Zhu Mingyao could roughly guess the composition of the enemy force.

At least the Joker, the Magician, and the Strongman are definitely going to be the main characters.

After exchanging intelligence, these figures naturally became the focus of attention for the group of superhuman guards tonight.

What's frustrating is that these characters are also the main characters to be cosplayed for Halloween every year. They are so numerous that they can be seen everywhere. You can even run into four or five of them while going to the toilet! Even with his [God Emperor Court] Heavenly Eye always open, he still can't tell them apart.

Fortunately, after difficult communication, the municipal government finally agreed to try to narrow the activity area this year to a few main streets. Several local churches also reluctantly agreed to send personnel to assist in patrols and guards, which made it much easier for them to set up control.

With the generous reward from the authorities, even ordinary people with superhuman abilities who mingled in the streets and alleys mustered up the courage to join the operation, forming small groups with combat agents and vigilantly scrutinizing the streets and alleys.

Illuminated by pumpkin lanterns of various shapes, children dressed in carefully prepared costumes, laughing and carrying bags, knocked on the doors of each house along the roadside. Amidst their childish threats of "Trick or treat!", they robbed the adults of handfuls of candy and warm smiles.

The children, happily munching on fruit gummies and chocolates, were completely unaware that tiny, firefly-like lights were spreading and silently imprinting themselves on them.

A mere talisman for warding off evil and cleansing clothes is far too weak to exorcise ghosts and purify impurities; in the face of ferocious demons, it is naturally only better than nothing.

But Zhu Mingyao didn't expect this little trick to work. His goal was to create a deterrent effect on potential enemies, letting them know that they were on high alert and would be immediately attacked if they dared to harm anyone.

Just like the security systems at airports and subways, even if they are not foolproof, they still have a strong psychological deterrent effect on potential criminals.

He was certainly not the only clever person in the world. On several spacious floats, Catholic priests and Protestant pastors erected huge white crosses, arranged icons and scriptures, and set up mobile altars.

With an official promise to reimburse the consumables, buckets of blessed, crystal-clear holy water were poured into the machine as if it were free. Accompanied by murmured mantras, the water turned into a light mist, spraying along the street and drifting in the wind. Amidst the laughter and curses of the tourists, a large-scale baptism ceremony was launched.

Such bizarre behavior might have attracted attention under normal circumstances, but in this chaotic scene, people would just treat it as a special program. Some young people dressed as vampires and werewolves even pretended to be burned and purified, making funny screams and begging God for forgiveness with smirks.

To make things easier and to join in the fun, Zhu Mingyao, now indistinguishable from the crowd, grabbed a white sheet and wrapped himself up from head to toe, cutting a hole in his face and putting on a wooden mask given to him by the owner of the witchcraft general store. He then drifted around there, pretending to be a classic ghost.

Although he appeared relaxed, he was holding a communicator under the sheet, nervously exchanging messages with his companions.

"How are things there? Have you made any discoveries?"

“We’re patrolling the commercial area and haven’t seen anything unusual yet.” Beverly blinked her big eyes, scanned the bustling crowd, touched the button hidden in the horn of the toy on her head, and replied softly.

Unlike the rookies who were just there to make up the numbers, these skilled fighters, who had proven themselves in battle and could hold their own against the enemy, were organized into a separate group led by Knight Henry and tasked with roaming around providing support.

Taking advantage of the festive occasion, they simply and openly changed into their combat gear.

Henk was clad in silver armor, with a long sword at his waist; Edkin held a xylophone horizontally, softly singing a ballad.

Simon leaned on his staff, his cloak billowing; Holger carried a large axe on his shoulder, its blade gleaming coldly.

As for the red-haired girl herself, she wore a form-fitting brown leather armor that outlined her supple and powerful figure. Her muscles rippled smoothly with each movement, like a lithe female leopard, ready to strike at any moment.

As extraordinary individuals, they possessed a unique aura. Coupled with their appropriate attire, they stood together like a group of living adventurers who had stepped out of a magical world into reality, drawing admiring glances from passersby. Occasionally, fans of fantasy games would excitedly approach them, their eyes lighting up, to request a group photo.

"I hope we get through this period safely." Edkin tinkled as he strummed the strings, experimenting with his new equipment.

"Once the official support personnel arrive tomorrow, we should be able to withdraw, right?" Now middle-aged, he was long past the age of youthful passion, but he had no desire to risk his life. Combat was too dangerous and troublesome; it was better to just do odd jobs and make a living.

"I'm afraid we won't be able to get here this early." A white light flickered in Henk's eyes as he activated some kind of ability to detect evil, carefully examining the "demons and monsters" in his line of sight.

"As far as I know, most of the Federation's elite personnel have recently gathered in the Centrelia region of the eastern Alabacia Mountains, seemingly dealing with a rather important event. I'm afraid they won't be able to spare too many resources in the short term."

“That place…” Miss Druid ignored the surrounding noise and caught a familiar name from her companion’s words. She frowned and tried to recall.

"...It seems that a fire in an underground coal mine produced a huge amount of toxic gas, and the area was completely sealed off and designated as a danger zone decades ago. My mentor once told me about this as a massive disaster caused by human destruction of nature..."