America: The Cremator

The moment he stepped into the void, a feeling of weightlessness and tearing came over him at the same time. Su Long felt as if his body had been forcibly stuffed into a narrow tube, and his internal organs were deformed under the intense pressure.

The next moment, the void in front of him suddenly shrank, and his feet stepped back onto solid ground.

Just as Su Long was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a chilling cold suddenly came from directly in front of him.

He looked up and saw a butterfly made of countless intertwined human fingers, hovering quietly in mid-air less than three meters in front of them.

The luster on its tattered wings had dimmed considerably, the huge wound on its abdomen burned by the primordial fire was still gruesome, and its two deep, vortex-like eyes were staring intently at the two of them.

Looking at the culprit, Su Long laughed angrily, "You dare to come back?"

Without giving it any chance to react, the primordial fire instantly covered his left fist, and he punched the butterfly.

The butterfly seemed surprised that he dared to launch such a fierce attack so soon after escaping danger. Its tattered wings suddenly flapped, trying to transform into flowing ink and blend into the space.

But perhaps because of its previous serious injuries, it moved much slower this time.

"Sizzle—!"

The burning fist slammed solidly into its body, and the golden flames spread instantly like a malignant sore.

A piercing shriek echoed through the room as countless knuckles writhed and charred in agony amidst the flames, turning to ashes that fell in a flurry.

The brilliant black wings were also scorched and evaporated, releasing large plumes of foul-smelling white smoke.

The butterfly, wounded once again, dared not linger. It frantically flapped its broken body, stumbled and smashed through the windowpane, and fled outside.

Elena finally recovered from the shock of the sirens. She immediately took out the spatial detector and watched as the waveform stabilized and the value settled at "1.00". Only then did she breathe a long sigh of relief.

"The band is stable, and the spatial readings have returned to normal. It seems we're back in the real world."

Just then, two lines of pale blue light appeared in Su Long's field of vision.

[You severely damaged the B-grade eerie Nightmare Butterfly (clone), gaining the blessing attribute—American Dream☆]

[You have angered the B-rank eerie Nightmare Butterfly (clone), gaining the curse attribute "Butterfly's Pursuit ★"]

Before he could take a closer look, a burst of gunfire and shouts suddenly erupted outside.

"Fire! Fire! Don't let it get away!"

"Da da da da—!"

Sulong and Elena exchanged a glance and strode out of the room.

Outside the courtyard, members of the "Black Chess" task force on guard duty were firing wildly into the night sky.

Upon seeing Sulong and Elena, the adjutant Miller immediately waved his hand and gave the order.

"Ceasefire! Ceasefire!"

"How's it going? Did you take care of that thing?" Su Long asked as he quickly stepped forward.

Miller pointed to the night sky above with a strange expression and replied, "It's hard to describe this state... Captain, you'll have to see for yourselves."

The two looked in the direction he pointed and saw that the burning butterfly had stopped fleeing beneath the clouds high in the sky.

Its body is like a drop of paint falling into water, spreading out at an extremely fast speed.

The originally vibrant colors quickly diffused in the air, turning into a very faint aurora-like band of light. Then the colors faded further and further until they completely melted into the pitch-black night, leaving no trace.

Elena looked at the restored night sky, her brow furrowed: "This way of dissipating... is hard to judge. It could be due to severing injuries causing the spirit to dissipate, or it could be some kind of special escape method."

"They ran away," Su Long said with certainty, shaking his head.

The system message indicated "severe damage" instead of "kill," and the negative term "butterfly's pursuit" also showed that the feud was now completely settled.

"Whether dead or alive, at least tonight..."

Just as Su Long was about to take a step back, a strong sense of dizziness swept over his brain like a tsunami.

The scenery in his field of vision began to spin wildly, and the intense dizziness prevented him from even uttering a sound. He fell straight to one side.

……

When I opened my eyes again, I was greeted by the familiar pale white ceiling and the scent of disinfectant.

Su Long turned his stiff neck and, sure enough, saw the figure in the white coat by the bed, head down, adjusting the instruments.

He forced a smile, his voice dry as he said, "We meet again, Professor Stella. Although you are very beautiful, seeing you first thing every time I wake up always makes me feel like I'm just one step away from hell."

Stella put down the report, raised her gray-blue eyes, and looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze behind her glasses.

"Yes, we meet again... I heard you went all out this time. You were exposed in the Otherworld for over two hours without any protective measures, is that right?"

Su Long nodded slightly, admitting, "Yes."

Stella let out a soft, ambiguous snort, and said sarcastically without any politeness, "Suron, if you suddenly die out there one day, I really won't be surprised at all."

"Hey, I didn't want to do anything stupid, after all, I never expected to encounter something weird in my own home."

"Stop talking nonsense and get ready for treatment."

As she spoke, she dragged over a strangely shaped device from the side, which was connected to a transparent mask.

Su Long looked at the thing that resembled a respirator: "What is this? I've never seen it before."

Stella operated the device while explaining, "The saline nebulizer can absorb and clear away the dust from the underworld that's inhaled into the lungs. It's specially designed to help unlucky people or crazy people like you who don't care about their health."

"Okay." Suron shrugged.

Stella placed the soft silicone mask over his mouth and nose, then pressed the switch on the device.

Accompanied by a slight buzzing sound, a cool mist with a faint salty taste emerged from the mask, slowly entering his lungs through his respiratory tract.

Taking advantage of this time, Su Long immersed his consciousness in the system panel and began to examine the two newly acquired entries.

【The American Dream☆】

Type: Blessing

Description: You can transform a severe injury you've suffered into a dream, thus completely negating the injury and returning you to your state before the injury. Upon activation, the host will be drained of all physical and mental strength, plunging them into a state of extreme weakness. (Cooldown: Once every 7 days)

Comment: America has wronged me a thousand times, yet I still love America like my first love!

Su Long stared wide-eyed at the amazing description: "Is it really such a powerful life-saving skill?"

Although this skill has a cooldown period of up to a week and comes at the cost of exhaustion and weakness, it can absolutely be a trump card that can turn the tide of life and death in critical moments.

Then, Surong's gaze moved to the curse entry below.

【The Butterfly's Pursuit★】

Type: Curse

Description: From the date of obtaining this entry, every day at 00:00, a "Killer Butterfly" will spawn at a random location within one kilometer of the host. It will automatically plan its path and fly towards the host. It is no different from an ordinary butterfly and may be blocked by any physical obstacle, or be preyed upon or killed by other creatures. However, if it comes into direct contact with the host's skin, the host will die instantly.

Comment: Hahaha, here comes the butterfly!

Su Long was stunned when he saw the description.

What the hell is this thing?

Isn't it just that joke that's been circulating all over the internet?

I'll give you five billion, but there's a snail that will always be chasing you.

The snails have turned into butterflies, and a new one appears every day!

The key is……

"Who's going to make up for my five billion?!"

After reviewing the entries on the panel, Su Long raised his hand and pointed to the open window on one side of the ward, saying in a muffled voice, "Professor Stella, could you please... close all the windows tightly?"

Upon hearing this, Stella got up and went to the windowsill, locking each window latch before returning to the bedside: "By the way, while you were unconscious, a guest kept wanting to visit you."

"Now that you're awake, shall I let her in?"

"Okay." Su Long nodded.

Stella opened the door.

The next moment, Dania walked in.

Today she wore a stylish black leather jacket over a white T-shirt and skinny jeans, which accentuated her tall and shapely figure. Her long blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail, making her look capable and full of energy.

The girl walked briskly to the bedside, a bright smile on her face, her bright blue eyes curving into adorable crescents: "Sulong! You're awake!"