America: The Cremator

This progress bar has been here since the first day I traveled here.

One month.

A whole month.

It watched him being chased for rent by his landlord, watched him eat cheap, near-expiry food, watched him lie on a hospital bed undergoing dialysis, and watched him face the monster about to burst out of the furnace in the pouring rain.

It remained unmoved.

Until now, perhaps it's due to an approaching threat, or perhaps it's simply a matter of time.

99% became 100%.

A line of golden text appeared in Sulong's field of vision, clear and sharp, completely unaffected by rain or light.

[Loading complete, the "Burning Corpse Man" system is now activated!]

[Identity confirmed: Suron (Leon Sue).]

[Job Match: Cremator]

The pale blue text settled in my field of vision, and then the handwriting shifted and changed.

The original entry has been delivered, and the panel functions have been unlocked.

A semi-transparent interface unfolded before Su Long's eyes, listing his personal information.

Name: Suron (Lyon Sue)

Age: 28

Occupation: Cremator

Five-dimensional attributes:

Constitution: -12 (Halfway to the ground!)

Agility: -5 (Slow as a snail!)

Vision: 0 (Salted Shrimp, Erdoron!)

Charisma: 3 (He's a person!)

Spirit: 5 (Relatively resilient!)

(The minimum score for the above five attributes is -20, and the maximum score is unlimited. The average score for adult males is 0.)

Entry: [Plagued by Illness] [Prometheus]

Su Long's gaze swept over them from top to bottom, and his assessments of their physique, agility, and spiritual vision were almost entirely unbearable and insulting.

These alarming negative numbers vividly illustrate the state of his body, which has been ravaged by illness.

He moved his attention to the glossary section below. The first glossary entry seemed to be a temporary status entry, while the second was an original entry given by the system.

【Beset by illness ★★】

Type: Curse.

Introduction: The host currently suffers from stage III uremia, severe renal anemia, metabolic acidosis, secondary hyperparathyroidism, uremic pericarditis (dry type), peripheral nerve demyelinating disease, renal osteodystrophy, and hyperkalemia prodromal reaction... Due to unauthorized reduction of dialysis frequency and medication dosage, the uremia has progressed to stage IV.

Evaluation: A medical record form that reads like a menu.

Since his transmigration, apart from two dialysis sessions, Su Long has never had a comprehensive check-up at the hospital, and he was unaware that his body had deteriorated to such an extent.

Su Long sighed helplessly. If the numbers in his bank account looked better, he certainly wouldn't have arbitrarily reduced the already insufficient dialysis treatment and medication. Unfortunately, he simply didn't have enough money on hand.

Before he transmigrated, he was an excellent student from a wealthy family with a strong physique, but now he has to take over such a mess.

Su Long's gaze shifted to the next entry.

【Prometheus☆】

Category: Blessing.

Description: The host can summon the primordial fire in their hand, which can incinerate all remains and smelt various entries from them.

Assessment: The spark of human civilization is in your hands.

Su Long finished reading the description and processed the information in his mind.

"The spark...is in my hands?"

"Really?"

Having read various transmigration system novels in his previous life, the fact that a system has now truly descended upon him has left him somewhat bewildered.

Su Long tried to concentrate, imagining flames igniting at his fingertips.

Nothing happened.

He tried again, but failed once more.

At the same time, the writhing of the black mud inside the furnace seemed to intensify, as if it were struggling to condense into some kind of shape.

We can't hesitate any longer!

Su Long focused all his attention on the tip of his right index finger, almost forcing himself to believe the description.

This time, a small cluster of golden flames actually appeared out of thin air at his fingertips.

It has no temperature, nor the flickering form of traditional flames; it simply floats there quietly, like a piece of meticulously crafted solid amber, its interior shimmering with a golden luster.

Sulong slowly brought the small golden flame closer to the writhing, merging black fluid inside the incinerator compartment.

Just as the fingertip was about to touch the black mud, the flame seemed to be captured by an invisible force, suddenly shooting forward and expanding several times in size.

The flames climbed up the edge of the black mud and bits of flesh, then transformed into a golden line of fire that spread rapidly along the surface of the black mud.

Wherever the fire passed, the viscous substance that exuded a putrid odor vanished instantly, leaving only a layer of pale ash.

The whole process was eerily quiet, with no crackling sounds of burning, no smoke, and no acrid smell.

In just a few seconds, all the remains and the black mud produced inside the incinerator were reduced to ashes.

A series of new pieces of information came into view.

[Bury the bodies of two gang members]

[The bodies of two workers who cremated corpses]

The flame has purified the lost soul; you have gained four experience points, which can be used to improve your attribute values.

With a slight thought, Su Long switched the light screen back to his personal panel and looked at the location of the five-dimensional attributes. Four points of light were flying around the panel like fireflies.

He looked at his stats, which were practically the lowest possible level for a human being, and decided to start by addressing his biggest weakness.

A moment later, as if understanding his command, the four points of light flew into the physique data together.

[Constitution: -12→-8]

The moment the numbers changed, a warm current appeared out of nowhere, gushing from his heart and quickly spreading throughout his body.

Su Long closed the panel and looked down at his body.

He moved his arm and could feel that the muscles in his forearm, which had been somewhat withered due to illness, seemed to have become firmer.

A faint but real sense of power seeped out from deep within my body, dispelling some of the weakness and fatigue caused by the illness.

He looked again at the back of the crematorium, which was now empty.

The previously disgusting minced meat and bits of meat had completely disappeared, leaving only a layer of clean white powder.

It's even cleaner than when it left the factory.

Only at this moment did he truly begin to believe in the arrival of the "Burning Corpse System".

Despite the enhancement from the four attribute points, a strong sense of unreality still enveloped him, as if he were in a chaotic dream caused by a high fever.

Time travel, the bizarre, uremia, and this newly activated system...

Everything seemed so absurd.

But the lingering warmth in his palms and the long-lost vitality in his body reminded him of the reality of it all.

He had an opportunity.

A chance to survive, or even thrive, in this crazy world.

Just as Su Long was lost in thought, two blinding white beams of light pierced through the rain and swept across the ruins of the factory gate.

The deep roar of the engine drowned out the sound of the rain as a black Chevrolet Suburban drove up.

The massive boxy body dominates the entire field of vision, and the thick black bumper looks extremely imposing. The red and blue flashing lights on the grille flash alternately, casting a mottled light on the surroundings.

Su Long narrowed his eyes.

The identity of the person can be easily deduced from the car model and appearance.

Those guys who often warn viewers at the beginning of short videos—the FBI.

The vehicle stopped five meters away from the crematorium. The door opened, and two men wearing black windbreakers got out. Rainwater fell on the waterproof fabric and dripped down the hem of the jackets, giving them a glossy sheen.

The man who stepped out of the passenger seat was overweight and less than 1.7 meters tall. His black windbreaker was stretched taut by his fat, and his neck was so short it looked like he didn't have one.

The neckless agent sized up Su Long with his fleshy, slit-like eyes, then pulled out a wallet from his pocket, unfolded it, and revealed the metal badge inside.

Miles Mercer.

"FBI Level 3 Agent".

The neckless agent let out a burp, and a sour smell of cheap whiskey and fermented food filled the air.

"Good evening. Thank you for your report, which forced us to go on a mission in this freezing weather."

At the same time, another man came around from the driver's seat and patted the neckless man on the shoulder.

"Don't be so harsh, Miles. They're just following the rules."

The man was tall and thin, with a large, sickly red nose covered with large pores, resembling a ripe strawberry.

"FBI Agent 1, Anthony Green."

The strawberry-nose detective gave a brief self-introduction, his gaze sweeping over the Glock pistol in Su Long's hand before turning to the still-heating crematorium truck.

"Tell me what's going on, sir."