America: The Cremator

Chapter 126 C-level Gu King, well-deserved!

[Code Name: C-005]

【Name: Wendigo】

[Grade: Upper C (can temporarily reach Lower B level in extremely cold environments or after prolonged feeding)]

[Appearance Description: This entity presents an extremely morbidly emaciated humanoid structure. Its skin is a deathly pale, frozen corpse color, clinging tightly to the bones and devoid of any fat. The head resembles that of a deer, with a mouth split open to the base of the ears, densely covered with fangs. The limbs are abnormally long and twisted, with sharp claws covered in frost, and the movements are swift and agile.]

[Environmental Characteristics: The appearance of this entity is usually accompanied by a sudden drop in regional temperature, condensation of white fog in the air, rapid freezing of grass, and signal malfunctions and failures of electronic devices. It prefers to be found in sparsely populated areas such as frigid wilderness, abandoned forests, remote mountain cabins, and areas covered by blizzards.]

[Capabilities Overview:]

1. Extreme Cold Domain: The entity is surrounded by supernatural low temperatures, which can freeze the surrounding air and moisture in a short time, forming frost and thin ice. Contact with the target will cause rapid frostbite and limb stiffness.

2. Stealth and ambush: It can move almost silently in snowy, foggy, and dark environments, possessing extremely strong concealment and ambush capabilities, and is good at launching surprise attacks when the target loses its sense of direction.

3. Despair Perception: It can remotely lock onto human emotional signals such as fear, loneliness, hunger, and greed, and accurately track targets by following emotional fluctuations.

4. Mental Erosion: Continuously exert subtle mental interference on the surrounding creatures, amplifying their inner feelings of gluttony, selfishness, and despair, and gradually weakening their judgment and will to resist.

[Physical Hazard: Extremely High. Its strength far surpasses that of real-world creatures; it can easily tear limbs and shatter bones, feeding on flesh and blood. Its attack methods are direct and brutal. A lone human encountering it is virtually powerless to confront it directly, resulting in an extremely high mortality rate.]

[Psychological Harm: Medium to High. This entity feeds on negative human emotions. Prolonged proximity or even brief eye contact can trigger intense fear, hallucinations, and paranoia. Some survivors may exhibit permanent bulimia, extreme apathy, and self-harm. In severe cases, they may be gradually assimilated by its mental markings and eventually become like it.]

Text and gruesome photos of the scene alternated on the screen as Su Long silently assessed his opponent.

The Smiling Mother and the Skin Thief I dealt with in Seattle were at best lower-level C, and the Rain Girl who went on a killing spree in the rainy night was at most mid-level C.

The Wendigo currently roaming in the dense forest on the outskirts of Caster Town is clearly marked as a C-level superior in its file.

This was the first C-level opponent he had ever faced, and it was even possible that the opponent had already reached the threshold of B-level.

Su Long continued looking at the remaining data, becoming more and more impressed by the guy's strength.

According to the file description, this eerie creature possesses both extreme mental pollution and terrifying physical destructive capabilities.

If all the C-level anomalies he has encountered so far were thrown into a gladiatorial arena to fight, this Wendigo, who combines mental and physical abilities, would definitely be the one to survive to the end.

Su Long showed the information to everyone present. The phone was passed from hand to hand among the people. After reading the file filled with bloody records, everyone fell into a long silence.

The atmosphere in the room became very somber, with only the crackling sound of burning wood in the fireplace echoing through the living room.

The kitchen door opened, and Mrs. Susan came out carrying a large tray. She looked at the silent crowd around the table and said softly, "Everyone has been busy for so long, let's eat something first."

Mrs. Susan set the food on the table one by one. A large bowl of salt and pepper mashed potatoes sprinkled with black peppercorns occupied the center of the table, next to which was a plate of boiled carrots, a few slices of coarse wheat toast on a white porcelain plate, and a pot of steaming creamy vegetable soup.

In the corner of the long table, there was a small jar of blueberry jam made last year, as well as several plates of sliced ​​pickled beets and cucumbers.

There wasn't a single speck of meat on the entire table, not even a piece of the cheapest cheese, let alone any expensive ingredients.

Eight people sat around a long table. The old mayor, Dale, picked up the glass of pale yellow maple syrup lemonade in front of him, stood up, and his wrinkled face was full of bitterness and apology. He forced a smile and said, "Everyone, I'm so sorry, this is too simple. I can't treat you properly. I can only make do with filling your stomachs."

Surong picked up his water glass and lightly clinked it against Dale's: "Mayor, you flatter us. You've already gone to great lengths to entertain us, and the food is delicious. Why would we ask for more?"

Dania also raised her glass: "Yes, Mrs. Susan's cooking is excellent, the mashed potatoes are very fragrant."

After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, the group lowered their heads and began to eat. No one spoke another word during the meal, except for the occasional crisp sound of metal spoons hitting the edge of porcelain bowls.

Dinner ended quickly in a dull manner, and Mrs. Susan and Hannah began to clean up the mess, taking the dishes back to the kitchen.

Jesse stood up, adjusted his belt, and checked the magazine of his Glock pistol.

"I need to meet up with Cole and do our routine patrol around the edge of town. The fog is too thick tonight, and we need to make sure the barbed wire is intact."

Su Long finished the last sip of his lemonade, put down his glass, and said, "I'll go with you."

Hannah had just come out of the kitchen when she heard this and immediately hurried over: "I'll go too."

Dania closed her notebook and stood up: "Count me in. I also want to see the town's outer defenses in person."

Jesse waved his hand, directly rejecting the two ladies' suggestion: "The outer area is too dangerous, and it's difficult to deploy and arrange too many people. You two can stay in the town and patrol the residential area with the mayor. Contact each other via walkie-talkie if anything happens."

Dania thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "That's fine, internal security is equally important."

Jesse led Suron away from the mayor's house, the two of them carrying flashlights as they walked through the desolate streets shrouded in thick fog.

A dozen minutes later, they arrived at the very edge of town, where there was a single-story detached wooden house with several dried animal hides hanging on the exterior wall.

Jesse stepped forward and knocked hard on the door. The wooden door was quickly pulled open, and the old hunter Cole appeared in the doorway. He had changed into a thick windproof jacket and was wearing his old baseball cap.

Upon discovering that the visitors were Suron and Jesse, Cole relaxed slightly and stepped aside to make way for them: "Come in."

"

Su Long followed Jesse into the house. The furnishings inside were extremely simple, and the most eye-catching thing was the weapon display case that occupied an entire wall.

Several rows of metal hooks were nailed to the wooden planks on the wall, on which hung all sorts of weapons and tools.

The most eye-catching feature is the three firearms placed in the center of the weapons wall.

A wooden-stocked M700 bolt-action hunting rifle, a Beretta 686 bolt-action shotgun, and a well-maintained M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle.

Cole walked to the display case, reached out and took down the M1 Garand, skillfully pulled the bolt, producing a crisp metallic clang.

"This is my favorite old buddy," Cole said, patting the wooden stock with pride.

Then, he pulled open the drawer below and took out several handfuls of bright yellow bullets. The bullet heads had an unusual silver sheen, indicating that they had undergone a surface silver plating process.

Pure silver bullets are extremely expensive, far beyond the reach of ordinary American residents, so silver-plated bullets have become one of the few means of self-defense they have when facing the supernatural.

Cole loaded the bullets one by one into the clip, explaining, "These are my own reloaded silver-plated bullets. They're much more effective than regular lead bullets at dealing with unclean things."

After loading, Cole turned to Suron and pointed to the other firearms on the wall: "Hey buddy, want to pick out a handy one too? The fog tonight is unusual; it never hurts to have more firepower."

Su Long smiled slightly, reached out and lifted the hem of his windbreaker, directly pulling out the "Sirius" gun hanging in the holster on his waist.

He deftly flicked open the magazine with his thumb, then with a flick of his wrist, the magazine spun rapidly in mid-air, emitting a smooth buzzing sound. Then, with a sharp flick of his wrist, the magazine clicked back into place with pinpoint accuracy.

Su Long casually twirled his gun and said calmly, "Thank you, I have the best one."

Cole's gaze was immediately drawn to the revolver in Suron's hand. He stared at the exquisite patterns on the Sirius barrel, his eyes filled with admiration, and exclaimed, "This—this is absolutely a fine gun! Can I borrow it to take a look?"

Sulong turned the "Sirius" upside down by the handle and handed it over generously.

Cole took the heavy revolver with both hands, holding it carefully in his palms. He examined the fine lines on the barrel and felt the texture of the metal.

He stared at it for a full minute before reluctantly handing the gun back to Su Long.

"This is really good stuff," Cole exclaimed sincerely, his tone full of envy.

He handed Sirius back to Suron, then slung the M1 Garland over his shoulder and put on his leather gloves: "Alright, we can start our patrol now."

The three of them pushed open the door and walked back into the town's main street.

After walking only a few dozen meters along the main road, a huge sliding barbed wire gate suddenly appeared in front of us. On either side of the gate, two militiamen of different heights stood on guard.

The two militiamen looked to be in their fifties, dressed in thick plaid shirts and overalls, typical of simple, honest farmers.

The militiaman below was sitting on a wooden folding chair by the roadside, holding a Remington M870 shotgun in both hands.

The militiamen, perched atop a makeshift watchtower constructed from a few wooden ladders and discarded car seats, cradled a Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle and vigilantly scanned the thick fog beyond the barbed wire fence.

Upon hearing footsteps, the two men immediately raised their guns and aimed them in the direction from which the sound came.

"It's me, Cole, Jesse, and the exorcist from Seattle," Cole shouted, raising his flashlight and waving it around.

Upon seeing who it was, the two militiamen immediately lowered their guns.

"Open the door. We'll take this exorcist out on a patrol and check the surrounding area," Cole ordered.

Upon hearing this, the two militiamen immediately stood up straight and looked at Su Long with respect. Anyone who dared to step out of the barbed wire at this critical juncture deserved their respect.

The militiamen sitting below quickly walked to the gate, pulled hard on the heavy metal rails, and with a screeching sound, the barbed wire gate slowly slid open to one side, revealing a gap just wide enough for two people to pass side by side.

The militiaman who opened the door gripped his shotgun tightly, his expression grave as he warned, "Be careful on the road, Jesse, Cole, and this exorcist. Thank you for coming to our town at this critical moment and for being with us."

"Everyone, please remember to just walk around and check the barbed wire for any holes, but don't stray too far from the wall."

After a moment of silence, he looked at Su Long again and said solemnly, "Exorcist, I sincerely hope that you can resolve our troubles as soon as possible. We have been away from a peaceful life for far too long."

Upon hearing this, Su Long nodded solemnly: "I will!"