America: The Cremator

Chapter 142 Little Saint James Island! [18 days of 10,000-word updates, please vote!]

Suron turned to look at Hannah, who was clutching a thick Bible tightly in her hand, her eyes filled with stubbornness and worry.

"Okay, stick close to me."

The two quickly crossed the police line and rushed into the apartment next door.

The apartment was even more dilapidated inside than outside, with a pungent smell of mildew and urine permeating the lobby.

The stairwell was so narrow that two people could not even walk side by side; they could only go up one after the other. The motion-sensor lights above seemed to have a bad connection, flickering on and off with the sound of their footsteps and making a "buzzing" electrical noise.

Sulong walked ahead, with Hannah close behind him. The two jogged up to the third floor and arrived at a wooden door on the left side of the corridor.

The peephole on the door was covered in dust, like the murky eye of a dead fish, and the handle was surrounded by mottled rust.

Surong stopped and turned to Hannah, instructing her, "Once inside, keep your eyes glued to the floor. Do not look up at the ceiling or look around. Follow my instructions exactly."

Hannah took a deep breath, clutched the Bible tightly to her chest, and nodded vigorously.

Seeing this, Su Long turned to look at the wooden door in front of him, took a half step back, and suddenly raised his right leg.

The violent power brought by thirty points of physique erupted instantly, and he kicked the door lock hard.

"Bang!"

A deafening explosion rang out in the narrow stairwell.

The old wooden door, along with the latch on the door frame, was destroyed by the violent force. The door frame was kicked into pieces, and the door panel slammed heavily against the wall in the entryway.

Su Long strode across the mess on the floor and barged into the living room. After quickly scanning the entire room, his gaze instantly locked onto a dark corner on the ceiling.

The eerie butterfly hung upside down, its body, pieced together from human fingers, incredibly ugly, wriggling and rubbing unconsciously, making a teeth-grinding "crunching" sound.

On either side of the torso, a pair of extremely large and dazzling wings unfolded, their dark purple markings resembling some kind of highly poisonous fungus, emitting a nauseatingly colorful glow in the dim room.

Its head is topped with two large compound eyes, inside which are constantly rotating black and white spirals.

Looking at the familiar look, Su Long sneered, "It's exactly the same as last time, old friend."

Before the words were even finished, the butterfly's spiral compound eyes began to spin wildly, and the surrounding walls, windows, and dilapidated sofa instantly resembled a cheap watercolor painting that had been blurred by water, with the edges quickly smudged and blurred.

Accompanied by a sharp ringing in his ears, a strong sense of dizziness rushed straight to Su Long's brain, as the butterfly tried to pull him back into the recurring nightmare.

"Here we go again?"

Su Long's eyes widened suddenly, and the terrifying shockwave of [Overlord Aura] was unleashed!

An invisible mental hammer slammed into the eerie butterfly in the corner of the ceiling. Its frantically spinning spiral compound eyes suddenly froze, and its aura abruptly weakened.

The distorted illusion that had spread out instantly shattered, and the room returned to its original dilapidated state.

"Hannah! You can look up now!"

"Top left corner! Lock it!" Su Long shouted fiercely.

Hannah suddenly looked up, and the Bible in her hand moved on its own without any wind, the pages flipping wildly.

As she chanted her obscure prayers rapidly, dazzling golden light burst forth from the pages of the book.

Several dazzling chains of holy light shot out from the pages of the book, carrying a divine pressure that pierced through its magnificent wings, binding it tightly.

The monster, pieced together from fingers, struggled violently, trying to break the chains with its pale fingers, but Hannah wouldn't let it.

She clenched her teeth, and the chains tightened immediately, pulling her down.

With a muffled thud of flesh being torn apart, the eerie butterfly was forcibly ripped from the ceiling and slammed heavily onto the floor.

Su Long strode forward, his right hand gripping its strange body tightly. With a slight thought, blazing golden flames erupted from his palm. "This time, I won't let you escape."

The primordial fire devoured the butterfly's body, emitting a sickeningly sizzling sound of oil being simmered.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle"

The butterfly let out a piercing scream, twisting its body desperately, but it was no match for Su Long's iron-like right hand.

The acrid smell instantly filled the air, overpowering the musty smell in the hallway.

In just a few seconds, the eerie creature was completely reduced to a pool of grayish-white ash in the golden flames, which fell through Su Long's fingers.

[Burning the C-Rank Eerie Nightmare Butterfly (Clone) grants 30 experience points]

A pale blue system notification flashed across my retina.

Su Long frowned slightly as he looked at the word "clone" on the panel.

Sure enough, this one, like the last one, is a clone; the real thing is still hidden somewhere.

However, getting 30 free experience points this time isn't a bad deal.

Having dealt with the threat, Surong shook the ashes off his hands, turned to look at the panting Hannah, and praised, "Well done."

After saying that, he looked at the bedroom next to him and said, "Let's go see our lucky audience member."

The two pushed open the bedroom door. The room was dimly lit, with several colored crayons and a half-finished drawing scattered on the carpet. Against the wall directly opposite stood a huge solid wood wardrobe.

Su Long stepped forward and gently opened the cabinet door. In the shadows of the corner of the wardrobe, a small figure was curled up there.

Five-year-old Anna was wearing a nightgown with cartoon patterns, and she covered her eyes tightly with her two little hands.

Hearing the cabinet door open, the little girl visibly flinched.

Upon seeing this, Hannah immediately put away the Bible, quickly walked to the wardrobe, squatted down, and reached out to pick Anna up.

Hannah gently patted Anna's back and said softly, "Anna, the game of hide-and-seek is over, we're coming."

Anna's little hands were still tightly covering her eyes, her voice tinged with nervousness and anticipation: "Big Bird Brother? Can I open my eyes now?"

Hannah glanced at Suron beside her, a gentle smile playing on her lips: "Okay, Anna, the game is over."

Anna then carefully lowered her hands, her long eyelashes fluttering, her clear eyes scanning back and forth between Hannah and Suron.

She didn't see the fluffy blue monster she was expecting, and pouted in confusion, "Brother and sister, where's my Cookie Monster doll?"

Su Long sheathed his sharp edge, extended his large hand clad in a half-finger glove, and gently ruffled Anna's soft hair: "The doll is too big, and the stairwell here is too narrow. Big Bird Brother can't carry it up. Let's go downstairs first, and then we can talk about the doll, okay?"

"good!"

Anna nodded obediently, wrapping her arms tightly around Hannah's neck. Hannah, holding the little girl, followed behind Su Long, and the two walked out of the dark and oppressive old stairwell together.

Outside the apartment building, the atmosphere was extremely tense. The sheriff, Professor Stella, and a group of police officers were fully armed and staring intently at the dark entrance door.

When they saw Suron step out of the gate first, followed by Hannah carrying the unharmed little girl into the sunlight, everyone outside the cordon breathed a sigh of relief.

The sheriff immediately led the way, his gaze sweeping past Su Long and warily scanning the stairwell behind them. His voice was tense as he asked, "Where's the strange thing inside? Where did it go?"

Su Long waved his hand and said in a relaxed tone, "It's solved. It's burned to ashes."

Upon hearing this definitive answer, the surrounding officers completely relaxed, and their gazes toward Su Long were now filled with a newfound respect.

Hannah stepped forward and carefully handed Anna, whom she was holding, to the sheriff.

Anna, perched on the sheriff's shoulder, was still looking around, muttering, "Officer, where did Big Bird put my Cookie Monster doll?"

Looking at the bewildered sheriff, Su Long couldn't help but chuckle and patted the sheriff's sturdy shoulder.

"Sheriff, you'll have to explain the Sesame Street special lottery and Cookie Monster doll to this lucky little viewer."

Hearing Su Long's teasing, the sheriff's face instantly turned awkward. Looking at the little girl's clear and expectant eyes in his arms, this veteran of the Seattle Police Department stammered for the first time: "Uh—Anna, that big blue thing—it's still stuck in traffic. You know, Seattle traffic is always terrible."

Anna tilted her head and said "Oh," seemingly accepting the explanation.

The sheriff, feeling like he'd been granted a reprieve, quickly turned his head and roared into the walkie-talkie on his shoulder, "Command center! Find me the nearest toy store! Go buy a Cookie Monster plushie and send it over right now!"

Seeing this, Su Long smiled. He didn't bother the overwhelmed sheriff any further, turned around and waved to Hannah. The two walked straight to the other side of the cordon.

The spot where Professor Stella stood was no longer deserted.

A black van with the medical center's special markings was parked on the side of the road, and four or five young men and women in full white protective suits were unloading various testing instruments from the van.

Judging from their flustered and barely suppressed disgust, they were clearly Stella's graduate student assistants.

Stella was standing outside the makeshift disinfection tent, having already removed her gas mask and holding a steaming cup of coffee in her hand.

Seeing Su Long and Hannah approach, a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes: "Well done, Su. Now that my helpers have arrived, you can leave with Hannah."

Hannah, clutching the Bible, stepped forward and quickly said, "Professor, I can still help."

She pointed to the group of young people who were struggling to stay awake and were frantically trying to do something, and said, "Those new assistants don't seem to be used to this kind of situation yet."

Stella chuckled, shook her head, and said, "No need, Hannah. You and Suron have already done me a huge favor by getting rid of that monster today. Leave the rest of the cleanup to them."

Stella pointed to the black Cadillac Cadillac not far away and emphasized, "Now, your task is to leave here with Suron, go back and get some rest, and focus all your energy on your exorcist exam."

Seeing that Hannah wanted to say something more, Stella raised her hand to interrupt her and continued, "Once you successfully obtain your B-level exorcist certificate, your salary rating will also increase."

"I'll investigate in the next couple of days what kind of price you need to offer to hire a Class B exorcist."

Upon hearing the words "salary increase," Hannah's eyes lit up instantly, and her previous fatigue vanished.

"Thank you, Professor! I promise I will pass the assessment!"

Stella nodded in satisfaction, then turned to look at Su Long, who seemed hesitant to speak, and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Surong nodded, his expression serious. "How is my friend Wells doing?"

Upon hearing Su Long's questions about the patient, Stella took a sip of her coffee, picked up the tablet beside her, and pulled up several high-resolution medical images, handing them to Su Long.

The screen displays a cross-sectional view of the complex blood vessels and organs inside Wells' body.

On the intricate walls of those blood vessels, there are some extremely tiny dark spots.

"His condition is currently stable, and we did find incubating worm eggs inside his body."

"Conventional surgery is simply ineffective in removing these parasite eggs; forced surgery will only lead to massive bleeding and death in the patient."

Su Long frowned: "So how did you handle it?"

Stella swiped the screen to show another clean image, explaining, "We used laser minimally invasive technology to precisely remove all the eggs that had already entered the hatching stage."

"However, just to be on the safe side, he must remain in the isolation ward for 24-hour observation. If any hidden worm eggs are found to have entered the growth stage, we will immediately arrange for surgery to remove them."

Hearing that Wells was out of immediate danger, Su Long finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Stella put away the terminal and continued, "Also, there's more good news. Given the unique nature of Wells' case, I, on behalf of the medical center, have officially included him in the 'Strange Parasite Treatment Research Project.'"

"All treatment costs, surgical costs, and subsequent rehabilitation costs incurred during his hospital stay will be covered by the project's special funds."

Stella looked at Suron and added, "He doesn't need to pay a single cent more."

This was undoubtedly a godsend for Wells, who was already struggling financially.

"Stella, thank you so much," Suron said sincerely.

Stella took a step closer, instantly shortening the distance between them. Her unique scent, a blend of disinfectant and expensive perfume, lingered around Su Long's nose.

She tilted her head slightly, her red lips curving into a provocative smile, and lowered her voice, speaking in a volume only the two of them could hear.

"Su, a verbal thank you is too cheap. If you really want to thank me, then choose a more appropriate occasion and express your gratitude to me in a more sincere way."

Looking into her alluring eyes that seemed to see right through people, Su Long couldn't help but recall the wild joke he made yesterday about "binding and fighting on the dissection table."

He coughed lightly. "I've got it, Professor. I'll prepare a proper thank-you gift after the assessment."

"I'm really looking forward to it."

Stella took a half step back, creating distance again, and waved her hand.

"Now, go and do your own thing."

Suron and Hannah said goodbye to Stella and turned to walk toward Cadillac, who was parked on the street corner.

While walking those few steps, Surong said to Hannah, "All the equipment Dania prepared for you is in the trunk. It's quite heavy. I'll drive it to your house later."

Upon hearing this, Hannah was immediately filled with gratitude: "Thank you, Sue. If I were alone, I really wouldn't know how to bring it back."

Su Long got into the driver's seat and pressed the start button. The massive SUV emitted a deep roar.

He patted his empty stomach, turned to look at Hannah in the passenger seat, and smiled, "Don't thank me yet. Elena didn't explain the specific procedures of the assessment to me in detail. I came to you specifically to give you a crash course."

"But—before that, we need to find a place to fill our stomachs."

Surong glanced at the time; it was past lunchtime. He asked, "You've been busy with Professor Stella all morning; you probably haven't had lunch either, have you?"

Hannah nodded vigorously, and as soon as food was mentioned, her stomach immediately began to rumble in protest.

She clutched her stomach somewhat embarrassedly and suggested, "I still have some food in the fridge at my rented apartment. Why don't you come over? I'll cook you something to eat and tell you about the assessment."

Su Long raised an eyebrow and readily agreed: "Great idea, then let's try your cooking."

Hannah immediately gave out an address: "5120 South Roxbury Street, South Dunlap, 98118."

Suron slammed on the gas, and the Cadillac Escalade lurched off the street, merging into the traffic heading south.

"I heard that the report is not required until tomorrow, right? We have plenty of time, no rush."

Hannah nodded, opened her phone's notes app, and looked through it.

"Yes, we need to meet at the association building in downtown Seattle at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

"However, that's just the meeting point; the actual testing site isn't in the city center."

"Not in the city? Then where exactly is it? Deep in the mountains or some abandoned military base?" Su Long asked casually.

Hannah glanced at the text in the memo and pointed to the line of bold text at the top, reading it aloud.

"The association arranged a chartered plane and a cruise ship, and the examination venue was set up on a private island in the Atlantic Ocean, called Little St. James Island."

Upon hearing the name, Su Long's hand froze in mid-air, his brows furrowing deeply.

Little St. James Island?

This name... why does it sound so familiar?

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