American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

"Peao! Rex!"

Familiar faces of "relatives" came into view. Sally, who was bound by an invisible force, realized that she was about to be killed. Her eyes widened in terror, and she could no longer maintain her previous submissive and charming facade. She began to scream madly with resentment.

“You can’t kill me! My brother Jackson works for a big shot, we have a blood connection, and if I die, he’ll know immediately…”

"Why do you think I'd endure the stench of rotting flesh to sneak in and play Assassin's Creed, instead of just setting off a huge firework display outside?" Zhu Mingyao said with a sinister smile.

"That's exactly what we were planning! Relax, I'll spare your life for now, it'll just hurt a little..."

In response to his voice, the two-headed monster gently opened its thick arms and gave the woman a tender embrace.

The piercing screams, pleas, and curses rose high into the air, then slowly faded away.

……

……

A gentle breeze blew along the foothills, rustling the green and yellow oak leaves, with one or two occasionally drifting down in a swirling motion.

The morning sunlight was gentle and warm, spreading a light golden "carpet" evenly over the small square in front of the manor.

"Mrs. Tracy—! We should get going."

The familiar voice startled the old woman from her daze. As if by reflex, she clutched her Chanel handbag tightly. She looked at the staff by the tour bus with a slightly bewildered expression.

The female tour guide sent by the nursing home saw that she was still in a daze and couldn't help but worry, so she came forward and gently helped her up.

"Investment failures are common. Please take good care of yourself. You've been vomiting and having diarrhea for several days now, and your mental state is also..."

She swallowed the rest of her words, silently making up her mind that she would definitely persuade the old woman to get a full check-up when she got back. No matter how she looked at it, it was clear that she had suffered a major blow and was showing signs of developing Alzheimer's disease.

"Investment...failed?" Amidst words of comfort, the old woman dazedly brushed aside her silver hair, gradually regaining her senses.

"Oh, right, I acted impulsively and sold my funds and stocks, and even planned to mortgage my property to invest in Hob Springs Estate, but Miss Sally politely declined." She patted her cheeks in regret.

"She's getting more and more confused as she gets older. She's only been here a few times for treatment and she's already lost her head. She didn't even find out what the other person wanted before making a rash request and hastily selling her things. She's lost a lot of money on stocks..." The old woman touched the file bag in her arms and got into the car with a pained expression.

She waved goodbye to the smiling woman in red outside the window, patted her chest, feeling both relieved and grateful.

"What a kind and good person she is. She didn't mean to deceive this old woman. May God grant her a destiny that matches her virtue."

Unbeknownst to her, her sincere blessing had, in a sense, become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The old woman departed contentedly, leaving behind only fallen leaves scattered on the ground.

Once the bus disappeared into the distance, the woman in red maintained her smile, swayed her graceful body, and turned to leave, seemingly ordinary. But if someone were to observe closely, they would notice that her movements were as if measured with a ruler, not an inch more, not an inch less, just like... a machine!

"All the guests at the manor have left, so we can start renovations."

Sally walked mechanically into the underground chamber and stiffly bowed her head to report.

At this moment, the old bathhouse was surrounded by a dense crowd of figures, each with a hideous and deformed appearance, and surrounded by a sinister aura. Any one of them could have been the main character in a horror movie.

These guys, who could stop children from crying at night, were now dressed in denim overalls, wearing plastic safety helmets, carrying various tools, standing neatly in a row with their hands clasped, looking like they were born with divine bodies of civil engineering. They stared with strange eyes of all sizes and bloodshot veins, listening obediently to the young man's teachings.

"Well, forty-six members of the family should be present, and forty-five are actually here. Except for Patriarch Jackson, who is away on official business, everyone is here. I hereby declare the Hob Manor renovation project officially underway! Everyone, work hard, and I'll give you a good beating when the time comes!"

With a clatter, Zhu Mingyao slammed the roster shut, then waved his hand triumphantly, causing a flurry of noise and dust to rise.

Just like any dog ​​leader who only gives orders but does nothing, before the dust settled, he tiptoed upstairs with his temporary henchmen, his main goal being to never lift a finger.

He crossed his legs in his luxurious manager's office, spread out the architectural blueprints, and gave the cannibalistic sorceress, who had become a puppet, some pointers.

"These areas need to be cleared, and the magical artifacts and talismans I created need to be buried there. Those two lines need to be dug up, the kitchen and sewer systems need to be completely dismantled, and everything that has been stained with human flesh and blood needs to be destroyed and cleaned up..."

Although the spring beneath the manor has been polluted for a long time, as the saying goes, running water never stagnates, and it still retains some of its original qualities. The presence of hot springs with mild health benefits outside the manor today is proof of this.

If he could find a way to dredge the ley lines and cleanse the accumulated filth, he could still salvage the situation to some extent. So, after dealing with the ogre family, he made a solemn decision:

From that day forward, this entire fortune belonged to the Zhu family!

Since they frequently swindle elderly people's retirement money, it's only right that I retaliate in kind.

As for before you die, just change your job to a laborer like Paru as a small act of atonement.

After sending "Sally" to supervise the construction on-site, Zhu Mingyao lay back in his chair, contemplating long-term construction plans.

The Hob family has been entrenched here for nearly two hundred years. Although they haven't accumulated much cash or extraordinary items because they had to support a bunch of unproductive, gluttonous ogres, they have acquired large tracts of land in the surrounding area.

Although this estate is far from comparable to the legendary blessed lands, it is still sufficient to create a small retreat for one or two people to cultivate, using the natural energy of the mountains and forests and the flowing spiritual springs as its foundation.

Having made his initial plans, he set the blueprints aside and skillfully retrieved a stack of yellowed, old documents and letters from a hidden compartment in the bookshelf.

The raid on his home was just a side effect; he hadn't forgotten the main purpose of this trip.

Sally's identity was second only to her brother Jackson in the family. After successfully controlling her, this notorious dark family had no secrets left for Zhu Mingyao.

He carefully examined the information and secretly compared it with the confessions he had obtained through interrogation.

A moment later, his eyes flickered, a smile appeared on his lips, and his finger hovered over a line of text.

"Tree-shaded Town, Sunny Valley".

We've found you!

Chapter 309 Woody Town, Sun Valley

Thanks to the hard work and pioneering spirit of our colonial ancestors hundreds of years ago when the nation was founded, the federal territory today is vast and boundless, spanning a great distance between north and south latitudes, and with vastly different climates.

In late December, snow was falling heavily in the Alabachian Mountains of West Virginia, but not a single snowflake had yet been seen in the coastal plains of Texas.

As soon as the morning sun peeked over the horizon, the thin, pitiful traces of frost on the ground vanished without a trace.

As one of the most important holidays in the federal government, people begin purchasing household necessities a week before Christmas.

For residents of well-stocked metropolitan areas, this task might only require an afternoon at a supermarket, but for people in rural towns, it would take ten times the effort to barely manage to complete the same task.

"Oh!"

The alloy roller shutter door had only been opened halfway when several impatient figures squeezed in, not even caring that their heads would bump into the door.

"Hey, kids, what's the rush?" The burly supermarket owner frowned and complained in a thick Mexican accent.

"The latest CDs, cake mix, gift boxes, game cards, Christmas wreaths... Everyone split up and rushed to buy everything and leave. I've had enough of the cold looks from those rich guys in Sun Valley. Even spending money to buy things makes me look like a country bumpkin."

The young, dark-skinned, hot girl clearly wasn't in the mood for idle chatter. She waved to her classmates, who then dispersed into the store to search for items they liked.

"Hey, girl from Linyin Town, watch the occasion when you're talking badly. I'm from Sunshine Valley too!" The supermarket owner scratched his reddish-brown neck, his expression a half-smile.

However, his teasing only earned him a slight smirk from the other person, who not only showed no embarrassment but also a hint of sympathy.

"This uncle's skin doesn't seem much fairer than mine. He's been running this shop here for several years now, and you still haven't noticed? Does he really think that just by living here, he can become one of their own?"

The truth is always the most hurtful. A sharp blow sent the Mexican shop owner slumped into a chair, his neck stiff and his eyes rolling back. The pretty mixed-race girl chuckled, grabbed the shopping cart, and, using the crossbar as a scooter, darted between the shelves like a whirlwind.

……

……

Several young men and women joked with each other and excitedly stuffed their bags into the trunk of an old Toyota.

"Simon, you sit in the back with Kate, let me take everyone for a ride!" the mixed-race girl said, rubbing her hands together excitedly.

"Come on! You're just a newbie who got your license, stop bragging. This car is my dad's prized possession. If I dare to scratch even a little bit of the paint, he'll beat me to death." The boy in the blue hooded sweatshirt shook his head repeatedly, tightly gripping the car door handle and refusing to let it open, demonstrating his firm doubt about his companion's driving skills.

"You dare to treat this kind of shabby secondhand goods as a treasure..." a flippant voice interrupted.

A young man with short, neat hair emerged from a brand-new Ford Raptor, his strong arm encircling his female companion's slender waist, his gaze carrying a hint of provocation. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot, for people in your town, that is indeed a valuable item."

The words, though laced with malice, surprisingly didn't elicit a retort. The mixed-race beauty stared at the sweet-looking brown-haired girl in his arms, her expression complex as she moved her lips, finally managing to squeeze out a sentence after a long pause:

"Sammy, is this your choice?" Faced with her former partner's question, the girl simply lowered her head, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.

"Tina... I still consider you a friend."

"...Friend? Alright, I wish you happiness!" Understanding the implication, Tina gave a bitter smile, nodded with difficulty, and turned to leave.

"Snap!" With a crisp slapping sound, the two pert, rounded breasts jiggled like waves, revealing the elasticity of youthful flesh.

Sami gasped in surprise and shyly covered her bottom.

The Black girl, who was about to get on the bus, froze, staring blankly with eyes that seemed to spit fire.

"You bastard, how dare you do this to my face..." She clenched her fists, as if she was about to pounce on him at any moment.

"What can you do about it?" The tall young man showed no fear, deliberately bending his arm to show off his bulging biceps.

“Wake up, you poor girl from Linyin Town. There are some things you can never give her, not just because of money, but most importantly because I am a real ‘man’!” He arrogantly stretched his neck and whispered in Tina’s ear, word by word.

"You're on that poor slum high school's football cheerleading squad, right? Well, I'm the forward for Sun Valley High School's team. Tonight, in the game between the two teams, I, Pete Allen, will utterly crush you lowlifes, and then spend a wonderful night with Sammy to celebrate our victory..."

"Fake Squid!"

The last sentence seemed to ignite a fuse, causing Tina's nerves to snap instantly. Just as she decided that she would rather be punished than not give that hateful face a good punch, a blue and white police car screeched to a halt, restoring some of the girl's sanity.

"What's the matter, kids?" A middle-aged police officer, looking sharp and capable, stepped forward, adjusting his wide-brimmed cowboy hat and surrounded by two subordinates.

"Oh, esteemed Sheriff Nick, no problem at all. These are my girlfriend's former classmates from Woodlands. We're just talking about tonight's game." Pete quickly put on a gentle smile and greeted them humbly.

He dared not be the slightest bit disrespectful to the members of the most prominent Goode family in the county.

Under the federal administrative system, these rural tycoons who have held key public office for generations may not be as wealthy or influential as the upper echelons of big cities, but they are the uncrowned kings of their local communities.

"It'd better be alright." The man put one hand on his hip, his dark, bright eyes sweeping over the group of young men. "Christmas is almost here, and neither Will nor I want to see any cases happen. Do you understand?"

He thought for a moment, then emphasized to Tina and the others, adding:

“Especially you, my children, I know that a life of hardship can be like a demon, constantly eroding the soul, making one want to desperately vent at any moment. There have been too many such unfortunate things in the history of Linyin Town…” With a sigh, the sheriff gently patted each of their shoulders, comforting them softly:

“You have to learn to carry on despite the burdens. Things will always get better. My brother Will is about to start his second term as county sheriff, and he has promised to provide more public subsidies for Woodlands…”

After being given a bowl of hearty, positive energy, Tina couldn't muster any resentment, no matter how much she wanted to vent. She could only give a hateful look and be pulled away by her friends as they dragged her away.

"You have such great patience with those lazy, unambitious people."

Pete offered a genuine compliment, saying that if he were the sheriff, he wouldn't even give the other man a second glance.

"Don't discriminate against others so easily," the man said sternly, before slowly returning to his car.

“Everyone exists in this world for a reason…” he silently added, a slight smile playing on his lips.

His gaze beneath the brim of his hat was as deep and unfathomable as the sea.

Chapter 310 A Suitable Goal

A few wisps of light, gauze-like clouds drifted past the bright moon, adding to its ethereal beauty.