American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

"The space is now connected. Let this country be plunged into a fiery inferno! The perfect ending is for both sides of the Cold War to perish together!"

Chapter 386 Mist

Tonight, the sky is covered by thick clouds, with neither stars twinkling nor a bright moon hanging high.

A gentle breeze suddenly swept across the hills, causing the long stretches of birch and tulip trees to sway their branches. The newly sprouted green leaves quickly dehydrated, turning yellow and withered within a few breaths, and quietly falling into the dust along with the twisted and shriveled tender branches.

The wind did not subside; instead, it intensified, whipping up layers of yellow dust and forming tiny cyclones that swept across the mountains and fields.

The once vibrant grassland seemed to have been swept away by the breath of death; its greenery rapidly faded, revealing dry and barren brown soil. The once tranquil hills were transformed in an instant into an aged and desolate Gobi desert.

In the heavy air, faint mournful cries echoed. Birds, field mice, insects—countless creatures that had been foraging for food at night—stiffened up, collapsed to the ground, and lost their lives without warning.

A fine, grayish-white mist rose from the ground, quietly spreading and gradually enveloping the surroundings, eventually reaching the distant town.

Hundreds of meters above the sky, two figures watched all this with satisfaction.

"What a laughable display of pity. I never thought that a ruthless agent would have a moment of weakness." The woman in the business suit, who had her wavy blonde hair swept aside, crossed her arms and sneered.

"Director Dark, do you need me to kill her?"

"Although I would like to add a new addition to the collection at the funeral home, the owner instructed me to try not to interfere myself."

Staring at Miss Jane staggering and fleeing in the arcane vision, the elderly man tremblingly stretched out his withered hand, took off his black silk top hat, and then pulled out a grayish... plump wild rabbit?

"There are many ways to temporarily prevent the leak of information. The most direct and simple way is to take advantage of the inherent selfishness and darkness in human nature." With his indifferent words, the gray dot streaked across the sky like a shooting star and landed by the railway several kilometers away.

The magically controlled animal pricked up its long ears, hopped around a couple of times, and reflected the slowly approaching train in its bright black eyes before resolutely charging forward.

The federal railway system has always been in terrible condition, and the chemicals being transported were highly toxic, so the experienced drivers dared not slack off and kept the speed to a minimum.

He relied on caution to navigate his decades-long career safely, but this caution was not enough to withstand a long-planned, malicious attack.

"Bang!" Driven by supernatural forces, the seemingly weak body suddenly unleashed an astonishing impact.

Bone and flesh were smashed and scattered everywhere. The already dilapidated railway tracks bent and deformed instantly, and the long train, like a runaway horse, overturned with a roar!

A dozen or so huge metal tanks collided with each other, cracking and tearing. Freed from the constraints of low temperature and high pressure, the highly toxic chemical liquids instantly evaporated, and billowing blackish-gray smoke rose straight into the sky!

"With such a serious incident, those dull and cowardly bureaucrats will do everything they can to seal off the surrounding area. At least for a few days, any report of being kidnapped will just be forgotten and forgotten."

"By the time they realized something was wrong, the spatial fog had already fully erupted."

As he cleared up his subordinates' confusion, the dull age spots on Dark's face twitched slightly. "The branch venue is now set up. Next up is the main venue. Let's wait for the show to begin!"

……

……

In the spacious hall, men, women, and children of all ages and appearances gathered together, yet the atmosphere was quiet and solemn.

The candle, infused with natural plant essential oils, burns quietly, its delicate and sweet scent of lavender and daisy soothing and calming the mind, helping people focus all their attention on the wonderful tools before them.

However, work doesn't seem to be going so smoothly.

A sharp, piercing vibrato pierced the distance like a fine needle cutting through the air, sending a series of stinging sensations through people's eardrums. Neither thick, specially designed walls nor meticulously constructed soundproofing barriers could withstand its penetrating power.

The crystal ball dimmed and cracked, black smoke billowed from the divination table as if it were on fire, and the group of industry elites skilled in divination got up in a sorry state, their resentment rising in waves.

"Damn it, with this kind of harassment, I can't see anything!"

"Stop being stubborn. With the other party's energy level, even without interference, you wouldn't be able to see anything."

"Save your breath. After a few days, haven't you gotten used to it yet? 24-hour continuous probing can always yield some bits and pieces of intelligence, which means we've accomplished our mission."

"That's right, everyone should take a break for now."

Amidst the cacophony of voices, several respected industry veterans stepped in to quell the chaos.

Having arrived a while early, Mrs. Lisa, who was already used to the punctuality of the "Call" tarot cards, gathered up the scattered cards and turned to leave.

The dark green mountains and forests, layer upon layer, resemble a richly colored oil painting, providing ample material for artistic youths to sketch.

However, this once beautiful natural landscape has now been stained with large areas of dirt. A thick layer of murky gray fog flows freely, and wherever it passes, whether it is the lush green forest or the dark green rocks and soil, all the colors are lost, leaving only a gray and white expanse, as if it has been swept into an old black and white photograph.

Before that, there was a fierce defensive battle!

Flames raged and thunder roared as large numbers of people rushed to the front lines to fight against numerous indescribable, strange figures.

Hundreds of fully armed soldiers lay prone on various high points, unleashing specially made alchemical bullets; dozens of helicopters circled the edge, spraying precious exorcism potions; rocket artillery positions roared incessantly, turning the filled holy water into torrential rain.

Ancient magic merges with modern technology, and honed superhuman physiques collaborate with steel machinery to work together to curb the spread of the gray fog.

But manpower and resources are finite, and faced with seemingly endless enemies, they gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

Just as the human formation began to crumble, a deep sound resounded, booming like thunder, shaking the entire sky and seemingly tearing the clouds apart.

A crimson sun rose into the sky, turning half the sky a pure fiery red. Then, it pressed down with overwhelming waves of flames, and countless strange and eerie shadows instantly turned into wisps of smoke and dissipated.

Although the sinister spatial erosion was unpredictable, the scorching flames, brimming with destructive power, were equally formidable. After a massive explosion that lasted for several minutes, the gray mist seemed to wriggle and retreat rapidly, as if it were alive.

The crisis was temporarily averted, and the enemy returned empty-handed once again. The situation seemed to be looking good, but Mrs. Lisa sighed with worry. The same scene had been repeated countless times in recent days.

"Sigh, the scope has expanded again. We can't hold out for long at this rate. I hope those guys up there will make a decision soon."

She turned to the side, her back to the sparse sunlight, her eyes looking beyond the battlefield to the heart of the matter.

There, a thick fog obscured a towering hill, which loomed in and out of sight.

Chapter 387 Spread

"...It's just a minor incident. Residents are advised not to panic and to stay home for the time being. Environmental experts have assessed that the impact of this chemical spill is quite limited, and the government has dispatched personnel to handle the situation..."

Facing a bunch of microphones, the smartly dressed blond man spoke eloquently and confidently in front of the camera, occasionally cracking a few jokes with the reporters, appearing to have everything under control.

Behind him, red and blue police lights pierced the night as police cars and fire trucks drove into the winding mountain road and disappeared into the woods.

"Excuse me, there seems to be a minor issue. Please allow me to go and handle it."

Seeing a tall, muscular police officer in uniform frantically winking at him, he gave a few perfunctory replies and hastily ended his performance in front of the camera.

Reaching a secluded old oak tree, the man's face hardened, his formulaic smile vanishing instantly. He grabbed his subordinate and angrily reprimanded him in a low voice:

"Stop giving me that constipated look. Do you know how sensitive those guys who wield the pen are?"

"Your Excellency Mayor, the communication with the rescue team at the front has suddenly been cut off. This is undoubtedly a sign of an emergency!" the police officer reported with a worried expression.

"We must immediately report to the Emergency Management Agency, contact medical departments, and request support from all sides..."

"No! Election season is approaching, we absolutely cannot let this escalate!" the man shouted sternly, waving his hand impatiently to stop him.

"Maybe there's a problem with the signal. Send more people to check it out... Hmm, what are you doing?" He was slightly taken aback, looking at the other person's stiff, wide-open mouth, and turned around inexplicably.

A continuous thick fog rose silently from the depths of the mountains and forests, sweeping in like surging waves, enveloping everything around and swallowing it up in an endless haze.

Clusters of twisted, snake-like tentacles and countless shadows of various shapes and eerie appearances followed closely behind, seemingly emerging from nothingness and sweeping across the scene. After a few panicked gunshots, a short wail was extinguished in an instant.

A hidden, unknown evil glimpsed itself briefly before lying dormant again. The thick fog moved silently and resolutely, traversing the forest, submerging the hills, and continuing its advance towards a lake ahead...

……

A dozen or so villas are scattered along the lakeside, their windows casting shimmering light on the water's surface.

David Drayton barged in from outside, bringing with him a chill, and irritably turned off the television. The host, with his standard smile, disappeared from the screen.

“I told you, don’t listen to that nonsense! Officials only care about votes and influence; you can’t believe a word they say. I know someone in town who has friends living in Hawkins. I went to inquire, and apparently they lost contact a day ago. The situation must be extremely serious!”

He yelled at the woman on the sofa, "Stephen, wake the child, grab some clothes and money, we're leaving now to go to my parents' house in Portland to avoid them."

“Honey, aren’t you being too sensitive? Billy just finished soccer training today and needs a good rest.” Despite his words, the wife still went to pack her luggage at her husband’s insistence.

David was quickly organizing his wallet and car keys when a slight noise reached his ears. He curiously poked his head out of the door.

The once calm lake was now like a boiling cauldron, with milky white waves and foam splashing everywhere. The silvery fish, in a panic, leaped out of the water and fled towards the shore.

Behind it, a white mist tens of meters high billowed, like a thick wall, pushing straight towards them.

A shadowy figure flashed by, and instantly half of the fish disappeared.

There's something in the fog!

He trembled violently, his instincts, born of intelligent beings, frantically issuing warnings.

"No, we don't want anything anymore, let's take the children and leave quickly!"

……

……

"This is the third round of negotiations. Are the various organizations still refusing to go to Centria?"

In the brightly lit meeting room, the golden sunset swept through the half-drawn curtains, softly spilling onto the table. The iced coffee was replaced with a warm cup, a cycle repeated several times, yet no one was willing to waste time taking a sip.

The atmosphere was tense and heavy, as if the air itself had frozen, and the person in charge sitting at the head of the table had a furrowed brow.

"These selfish guys really don't understand the difficulties of the Federation. How could the government possibly agree to such an unreasonable demand?"

"Mr. Alex is indeed a member of the Dark Noble family, but he is also a high-ranking official. To think that you can imprison him on a whim is just wishful thinking on the part of the church charlatans!"

"That's how politics is. Ordinary people only need to fight monsters on the front lines, while the decision-makers have to consider many other things..." As if a switch had been flipped, cold words and sarcastic remarks rose and fell around the long table, venting their dissatisfaction.

Davis huddled at the end of the table, holding an unlit cigarette and sniffing it. The acrid smell of tobacco filled his nostrils. His eyes were filled with the image of a group of high-ranking bureaucrats, and he felt utterly disgusted.

A group of political animals from peacetime, having been immersed in the honeypot of power for too long, are still putting on airs when they need something from others.

Even though he had seen such a ridiculous scene many times, he still found it utterly disgusting.

What's even more ridiculous is that Davis was completely powerless to do anything about it. In such a situation, even a powerful lord who controlled a special department could only sit at the bottom of the table.

"Perhaps we could give a little more leeway in areas such as extraordinary materials or other benefits." After arguing for a while, one of the more experienced people finally made a suggestion, only to be immediately met with a rebuttal: "Where would we get that from? Our budget is very tight..."

When it comes to matters involving real money, no one is willing to back down easily.

Just as they were about to fall into another argument, everyone suddenly changed color and almost simultaneously connected to their various private communication devices.

"Unexplained space erosion has occurred in Ohio, with a large number of strange creatures appearing? And the scope of the incident is extremely wide?"

The official presiding over the meeting clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the table, his expression contorted with frustration.

"Summon all the organizations..." Before he could finish the sentence, it caught in his throat. He suddenly realized that what they were discussing was precisely the coordination problem between the various parties.

Most of the existing official forces are tied up in the region that is about to face catastrophe, and civilian forces are temporarily refusing to cooperate, leaving the situation at a loss for the time being.

Those at the very top of the nation are greedy, not stupid. They might be able to overwhelm physical enemies with modern armies, but they can't exactly launch nuclear missiles into space to deal with spatial anomalies!