American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

"What's going on? Is this road closed?"

“You’re right…” A middle-aged police officer wearing a thick raincoat picked up where he left off, slowly walking over with a thermos in his hand.

"Hmm... young sir." Perhaps he had been tormented by this boring job for too long, and seeing a living person for the first time, he had a strong desire to vent.

"Not only here, but the section of CR47 and CR49 that goes into the mountains is also closed. You'll have to take a detour, young man."

"What happened? A mudslide?" Zhu Mingyao lowered the window and asked curiously.

"Actually, I'm not quite sure either!" The officer scratched his newly grown dark stubble, venting his pent-up frustration.

"It's been going on and on for a month or two. Apparently, there was an explosion at the underground coal mine that was burning out of control, and it released a lot of toxic gas? Anyway, it's all just hearsay." He pursed his lips and unscrewed the thermos, a little white steam rising from the hot coffee.

"Men always make a fuss. It's been decades, with layers upon layers of warning signs and barbed wire, it's so tight, no fool would dare rush through." He grumbled irritably after a sip of his bitter, warm drink, which warmed him up a bit.

"Besides, how can they start sealing off a place dozens of miles away? It makes it look like a nuclear leak."

"Hehe, or maybe you guessed right? Those people up there are capable of hiding any information."

Zhu Mingyao gave a casual reply, carefully steered the wheel on the slippery road, and clumsily turned back to the three-way intersection.

……

……

Having lost his precious chat partner, the middle-aged police officer yawned, crawled into the carriage, and, as usual, began to slack off and take a nap.

In the fine drizzle, the winding path quietly stretches into the distant mountains, winding through steep ridges and deep ravines, until…

A hazy blur.

The grayish-white mist drifted and flowed freely, seemingly thin, yet like heavy iron and stone, remaining unmoved no matter how the mountain wind swept through it.

"Snapped!"

The black mountain boots landed, breaking through a small puddle and splashing up a few specks of murky mud.

"This kind of weather might suppress the things inside?" A burly man in camouflage combat uniform strode into a simple steel-plate house, shaking the water droplets off his half-long brown hair, his tone filled with anticipation.

"Stop daydreaming." The young man with a head of red hair crossed his legs and lay lazily on the sofa, tossing a ball of blazing red light in his hand, radiating an oppressive heat, to help his teammates dry their clothes.

“I can sense that those things only look like coal ash and embers on the outside, and actually have nothing to do with fire. They could survive even if thrown into the ocean.”

The young man straightened his posture and whispered his speculation:

"I swear by my powers, their nature is far more profound and terrifying than that of elemental creatures! We still have a long battle ahead of us."

The reason you think they didn't use powerful weapons to cover it up is because they were afraid of making things worse. It's easy to block the hole in the hornet's nest, but if the nest is smashed to pieces, it will become a difficult mess to clean up.

"Whatever." The burly man plopped down, rudely kicked off his boots, pulled over the delicious food that the logistics team had carefully prepared, and began to devour it.

"That's a problem for the big shots to worry about; our job is simply to stop them from getting involved..."

"Om-"

A low, indescribable hum accompanied by a tremor came, and the two men's expressions changed drastically, and they stood up abruptly.

"Another wave, how could it be so fast!" The burly man angrily swallowed a piece of steak and quickly wiped his hands.

"The intervals are getting shorter and shorter." The red-haired youth said with a grim face, quickly changing into his specially made combat uniform.

"I hope the higher-ups can come up with a solution soon. I don't want to lose my life here!" With that complaint, he scurried out of the house.

In the mountains and forests, from the temporary camps, large numbers of powerful men emerged like a tide, some carrying swords and others guns, forming small groups of two or three, cautiously making their way into the depths of the fog.

Various colored lights could be faintly seen there, as if a fierce battle was taking place.

Yet not a sound was heard, only a deathly silence!

Chapter 305 Aging and Illness

In the dilapidated office, the old Carrier air conditioner groaned and whimpered, like a chronically ill tuberculous patient, choking out a few weak breaths of warm air, barely enough to drive away the damp chill.

A thin, bony hand picked up a pen, stared at it intently for a long time, and finally found the right spot to draw a dot on the map.

"It should be here." The old sheriff handed the map to the visitor opposite him, his tone filled with nostalgia.

"The Hobwyn Manor Hotel was built a long time ago, probably in the early 20th century? I heard my parents' generation talk about it. It used to be quite famous in the surrounding counties."

However, it seems to have failed to keep up with the times. The owner didn't know how to promote it, and coupled with its remote location, it gradually declined. Now, almost no one knows about it anymore, and it seems to be barely surviving by taking on jobs from nursing homes.

He tapped the old scar on his knee that ached whenever it was cloudy. "They say there's a hot spring inside that has some therapeutic effects. I'll try it when I retire next year. Maybe it can alleviate the aftereffects of that gunshot wound."

I will never forget the murderer's hideous face. If it weren't for the injury, I would never have spent my whole life holed up in that small rural town..."

He was reflecting on life here, but the visitor at the table had no intention of spending half a day with an old police officer reminiscing about his glorious past.

"Thank you for your help. Um... I'll take my leave now, since there's still coffee left." The handsome Asian young man put down his cup, shook hands politely, and departed.

As he reached the door, he suddenly turned back, as if remembering something, and smiled slightly at the old sheriff who had risen to see him off.

"I'd like to offer a personal suggestion, though it may be a bit presumptuous: poorly managed hotels often have some hidden hygiene issues, so it's best to avoid them, especially since that place..." he said calmly, "is about to go out of business."

How did you know the manor was going to close?

The old police officer tilted his head in confusion, about to ask a question, when at that moment, amidst the lingering echo, a point of blue light suddenly appeared, blooming like layers of flowers, quickly engulfing his vision.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a cold wind mixed with moisture entered his neck, startling him from his daze.

What am I doing standing at the door?

He scratched his graying hair, then, puzzled, gathered his collar and went back inside.

"It's strange, I haven't felt any pain from the gunshot wound at all this time because of the rain..."

A car silently drove past on a distant street corner.

Easily erasing the memory of a mysterious young FBI agent's visit, Zhu Mingyao casually offered a small gift as payment. Although aging and illness are unavoidable, there are always ways to reverse them, which is one of the most important reasons why humans pursue extraordinary power.

Since the target has been rooted in the area for over a century and still exists safely, there is a high possibility that it has some bribed henchmen and spies. In order not to alert them, it is best to go secretly.

After all, the purpose of this activity is to find clues rather than to fight and kill, so it needs to be carefully planned to achieve the goal without being discovered by the cannibal chief in the circus.

……

……

The yellowish-brown fallen leaves swirled and swept across the bluish-gray eaves.

This two-story building, nestled in a dense forest valley, has a rather old style and is clearly quite old.

The small fountain in the courtyard had long since dried up, the garden was poorly manicured, and the once neat stone bricks were now pitted and uneven, clearly indicating that the owner was in poor financial condition and that the facilities were in need of maintenance.

Only the signature items are still well maintained.

Pale, loose skin swayed gently, pushing aside the surface of the water. Wisps of warm, cotton-like steam rose from the clear pool, then dissipated in the autumn wind.

How ugly... This is probably what a drowned corpse looks like.

Her two no longer full red lips lightly sipped through the straw, the distinct layers of the cocktail flowing into her throat. Savoring the wonderful taste of raspberry jam and brandy, the woman coldly observed the scene before her, her eyes filled with contempt and sorrow, silently mocking in her heart.

It applies to both "companions" and oneself.

Touching the deep wrinkles on her face, the rough texture that even expensive cosmetics couldn't completely conceal gave her an almost insane urge to tear off her entire face.

"Mrs. Trish, come down with us. Enjoying a hot spring when it's cold is the most comfortable thing to do." Several wrinkled and white-haired old men opened their withered mouths, leaned over the edge of the pool made of dark green basalt, and greeted her warmly.

"I'm sorry, I have some things to attend to. You guys have fun first." Even though she was nearing eighty, the woman still maintained her elegant demeanor.

"Alright, it seems our 'beauty' isn't interested in joking around... Hmm? Who's farting!"

"I...I've had surgery on my stomach and intestines."

When life is about to end, for the gentlemen of yesteryear, manners are of no use.

The woman's eyes twitched, but she tried her best to maintain a calm and elegant expression. She wrapped herself in a soft and warm cashmere towel and walked towards the dressing room, leaving behind the ugly behavior of the old folks.

"That's why I'd rather give up everything to escape this miserable situation!" she muttered to herself in a voice barely above a whisper, her eyes filled with a mixture of ruthlessness and determination.

After carefully dressing up in her bedroom, changing into her favorite sky-blue flannel dress and lambskin boots, and applying light makeup, Trish looked at herself in the mirror. She then picked up a prepared brown paper document bag, quietly slipped away from her fellow nursing home staff, and disappeared into a corner of the staff break room.

On the dusty wall next to the innermost closet, a few long and short knocks were made in a predetermined rhythm. A hidden door slid open silently, and a figure in a waiter's uniform stood behind it, waving his hand as if to guide someone.

The woman's heart skipped a beat; even though she was somewhat prepared, she was still taken aback by the guide's appearance.

Upon closer inspection, one can vaguely discern that this is a waiter at the hot spring hotel. His originally rugged face now seems to have shed some kind of disguise, with his prominent jawbone and exposed sharp teeth, making him appear increasingly distorted and ferocious.

"Please come with me."

With a few stiff words uttered indifferently, the strange waiter took the lead and walked down the spiral staircase.

Staring at the gradually blurring figure, Trish took a deep breath, suppressing the brief moment of hesitation, and followed with firm steps.

The torches on the walls were not lit, but surprisingly, the light was not too dim. The mercury glass mirrors embedded in specific positions repeatedly refracted the sunlight from above, illuminating the underground chamber.

As they ventured deeper, a faint, peculiar stench filled the air, as if a dead rat were hiding somewhere.

After passing through the brick corridor, the space suddenly opens up, revealing a circular sunken space about ten meters in diameter and two meters deep.

The space was covered with blue and white mosaic tiles, and several brass spouts cast in the shape of rams' heads were mottled with verdigris, making it look particularly rustic, like an abandoned bathhouse.

Right in the center, a figure stood with his arms crossed, clearly having been waiting for some time.

Chapter 306 Life and Death, Terror, Desire, Ugliness

Even after a considerable period of mental preparation, when the long-awaited moment finally arrived, the woman's thoughts were still momentarily blank.

Because she knew perfectly well how depraved, filthy, and inhumane the things she was about to do were.

The education and beliefs I received throughout my life have become a heavy pendulum, striking the great bell called conscience, making the words I prepared linger in my throat, but I just can't utter them.

A voice rang out leisurely, breaking the dull atmosphere:

"Mrs. Tracy, it seems you haven't made up your mind yet..."

Her voice is sweet and gentle, and her words are very kind and polite, showing her tolerance and consideration.

"Why don't you wait a little longer and think it over before you come back? Anyway... we have plenty of time."

"NO!" The woman reflexively objected, suddenly raising her head and contorting her facial muscles violently. The thick foundation slid off, revealing the ugly age spots that had been concealed.

"But I don't have time... I don't have any more." Although the layers of dust accumulated over the long years had dulled her mind, her rich life experience still allowed the old woman to vaguely sense the other party's feigned indifference.

But at this moment, Trish was in no mood to care about those things; on the scales of this transaction, she had very few chips.