American Horror Story, Starting from Falls Town

Chapter 456 The Soul Torch
"what's going on?"

The adjutant gave a reply.

"The camp is taking in some survivors from the suburbs of San Francisco, whose bodies have collectively mutated!"

"Is that so? Take me to see it!"

Gerald quickly stopped Hammer.

"General Hammer, something's not right. We'd better be careful!"

Upon hearing this, Hammer pondered for a moment.

"That's right! Isolate the people first, and make sure all the soldiers wear protective suits!"

The camp immediately went on high alert. After putting on full protective gear, Hammer and Gerald went to check on the survivors.

The survivors who had escaped from the suburbs of San Francisco were all incredibly thin, like skin and bones, like those who suffer from anorexia. They kept crying out that they were hungry in the quarantine area.

It's one or two people like this, but it's very abnormal when dozens or hundreds of people are like this.

In fact, the camp had prepared bread, water and other food for the survivors, but they still felt the same way after eating it.

Some survivors had already eaten several kilograms of bread but were still complaining of hunger, and their stomachs showed no change whatsoever.

Hammer immediately realized that something was wrong; if this matter wasn't clarified, it could become very troublesome.

Has the doctor examined you?

The adjutant gave a reply.

"Doctors are currently conducting a full examination of the survivors!"

The camp is very well-equipped, with all the equipment urgently transported from hospitals in Los Angeles.

At this point, America's national strength is still at the tail end of its peak, and it's not as weak as it will be in the future.

Hammer and Gerald waited for a while, wanting to see the results of the full examination.

"General, our investigation revealed that all the survivors' cells have undergone some mutations. The mitochondria in their cells have increased several times over, causing their energy requirements to increase several times over as well. This might be..."

(Does anyone know the game about mitochondrial rebellion?)

This testing was beyond the capabilities of ordinary doctors. Fortunately, the testing personnel were brought by Hammer, and many of them were military scientists.

Neither Hammer nor Gerald understood what the researchers were saying; some of the technical terms were too obscure for laypeople to comprehend.

"Listen! Dr. Sean, all you need to do is tell me how this situation occurred and whether it can be resolved!"

Dr. Sean, wearing a white coat, pushed up his thick black-rimmed glasses.

"The cause is still unknown and requires further investigation. However, I personally speculate that it may be a mutation caused by radiation. A clear commonality among these survivors is that their bodies have excessive levels of radiation."

Hearing this, Gerald felt a little strange.

Can radiation produce this kind of effect?

"That's what I find strange. Logically speaking, the mutations produced by radiation should be disordered, and such uniform mutations should not occur, which is why I'm not sure."

Only an hour had passed between the survivor's mutation and Dr. Sean's completion of the test, so it's normal that the cause couldn't be found.

Hammer pondered for a moment, then issued the order.

"Treat these survivors with the highest level of alert! Everyone who has had unprotected contact with the survivors must also be screened!"

Dr. Sean frowned.

"General, this will require a tremendous amount of manpower and resources!"

"You don't need to worry about that! I'll handle the manpower and resources. What you need to focus on is figuring out the cause of this mutation as soon as possible, and finding a concrete solution!"

Hammer's decision relieved Dr. Sean of his concerns.

"Understood, I will immediately begin investigating the problems of the survivors."

"Dr. Sean, you must be careful about your safety. You researchers are also America's important assets!"

Dr. Sean was a long-time subordinate of Hammer and was used to his way of speaking, so he didn't react much to being referred to as property.

"Ok."

The camp had to be remodeled, separating it into dedicated quarantine and research areas, as the number of survivors escaping there continued to increase.

Furthermore, to prevent this mutation from being contagious, all people who have been in contact with survivors must be tested.

The two managers, Hammer and Gerald, also had to move to another location to direct operations in order to avoid being affected.

By 6 a.m., more support had arrived, including support from FEA headquarters.

"Director Olin, headquarters has ordered me to follow your orders!"

The speaker was a scout, Paxton Fairtay's older brother, who had been subjected to a rigorous political investigation because of his brother's involvement and was only recently released.

"Pioneer, you have a tough mission to complete!"

"Director Olympic, please speak."

"I need you to take an elite team to the Amacham experimental site to investigate the nuclear missile launch signal. You should be very familiar with the Amacham experimental site, right?"

The soldier was in a daze. He was very familiar with the experimental park, because it was where he was born and where he lived for six years.

Yes, the Vanguard is a product of biotechnology. Its growth rate is three times that of a normal human, and it grows to the size of a normal 18-year-old in just 6 years.

It is this metabolic rate that gives elite soldiers superhuman athletic ability and nerve reaction speed.

However, this also means that elite soldiers age faster than normal people, which is unavoidable.

The clone soldiers are all modeled after elite soldiers, essentially a heavily weakened version. They grow faster, their athletic ability is reduced to that of an average person, and their intelligence is slightly lower.

Basically, once cloned, they can be put into use after a year of growth, and have a shelf life of about three years. After three years, the genes of the cloned soldiers will collapse, making them very cost-effective.

If enough clone soldiers are produced, the cost could be reduced to roughly the same level as firearms.

That's why Amacham and FEA are collaborating on this project; once it goes into mass production, it's a sure-fire way to make money.

The scout, regaining his senses, answered Gerald.

"Yes, Director Olin, I know that place very well!"

“Very good! This time, you will lead a squadron of clones and three Marine squadrons to conduct a surprise attack from the sea on the Amacham Experimentation Site to investigate. I will contact Roy Black for support. Any questions?”

"Director Olin, what should we do if we find survivors in the experimental zone?"

The buildings in the Amacham experimental park were very sturdy and far from the epicenter of the nuclear explosion, so they were basically undamaged, and the people inside should still be alive if nothing unexpected happened.

However, so far, the federal government has contacted the experimental park but has received no response.

However, it is also possible that the electronic equipment in the experimental park was damaged by the EMP generated by the nuclear explosion, and it is not yet certain that something happened at the Amacham experimental park.

"Then bring more restraints to arrest them, and wait for headquarters to confirm before taking further action."

"Understood!" "Then let's set off, Vanguard!"

As the vanguard boarded naval vessels, preparing to launch a sea assault on the Amacham experimental site, Roy finally learned a fairly detailed account of the situation through Beckett.

This includes how the three Delta Force teams entered the Amacham Tower, the visions Beckett and Keegan saw, and what happened when the First Squad and Elise finally arrived at the President's office.

"The moment the nuclear bomb exploded, the floor-to-ceiling windows shattered, and we were thrown into the air by the shockwave. Then, I seemed to see an orange world, and Alma appeared in front of me and said a lot of things to me. In the dim light, I seemed to see Genevieve Aristide leaving with the unconscious Ms. Elise."

"Is Genevieve Aristide alright?"

Roy was somewhat surprised, after all, Elise, the human form of the angel, had been knocked unconscious by the explosion, while Genevieve Aristide, a woman who was almost fifty years old, was unharmed.

Beckett scratched his head.

"I don't know why this is happening."

Roy felt he wouldn't get any more answers from Beckett, so he decided to help him out of his predicament.

"Beckett, do you want to go to heaven?"

Beckett was very surprised to hear this.

Does heaven really exist?

"Of course, I can save you and send you to heaven."

"Then come on!"

Beckett looked on with anticipation.

So Roy transformed into his angel form and unleashed his aura of redemption.

Beckett and the remaining half of Keegan collapsed instantly, their souls leaving their bodies and slowly rising into the air.

But soon, as if drawn by something, their souls flew towards the sea.

"How could this be?"

Roy walked to the edge of the broken wall in the CEO's office and saw Beckett and Keegan's souls fly to an island by the sea.

In a daze, Roy's Eye of Truth seemed to see a giant orange torch standing on the island.

(That's pretty much it)

Could it be that……

Roy quickly recalled the torch-like building he had seen in his vision. Could that torch be real?
It simply exists in another world, and is a torch that burns the soul.

Thinking about it this way, Roy felt a chill run down his spine.

It's important to understand that the entire San Francisco Bay Area has a resident population of over seven million, and two to three million people could have died directly from the nuclear explosion. If all those souls were absorbed into the torch...

Regardless of what that Soul Torch is for, it must be destroyed, otherwise who knows what might happen.

Unable to reach Elise, Roy took out his satellite phone to call Adrian, but at that moment the military terminal Gerald had given him rang first.

"Your Excellency Black, I am Fran Hammer!"

"General Hammer? Have you come to San Francisco?"

"Yes, I'm now in charge of the situation in San Francisco! Mr. Blake, I wonder if you've found Elise?"

"Elise has not been found yet, but she is most likely still alive."

"Lord Black, I have a new task for you. I wonder if you could help me?"

Hammer revealed the mission objective and location, plunging Roy into silence.

The mission location happens to be the island where Roy saw the Soul Torch, and Elise was very likely taken there as well.

Roy remained silent for several seconds, and Hammer, thinking he didn't want to do the task, immediately started offering him benefits.

"Mr. Blake, if you can complete this task, I can apply to the White House for the Presidential Medal of Freedom on your behalf!"

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is considered the highest medal awarded to ordinary citizens, usually given to those who have made outstanding contributions to America's security and national interests.

Theoretically speaking, Roy, as an unofficial FEA agent, should not have received this medal.

In fact, Roy wasn't very interested in the medal; after all, the Presidential Freedom Medal couldn't put food on the table.

"General Hammer, let's get down to business. I don't need this kind of illusory reputation; it means nothing to me."

This time, Hammer fell silent. He knew what Roy wanted, but he certainly couldn't give him that.

"Mr. Black, you and I both know that the federal government doesn't have that much cash. This year's budget has already been allocated, and next year's budget has already been booked. No department will give up its share of the profits!"

“Of course I know that, so what I want is not cash, but some policies.”

Upon hearing this, Hammer breathed a sigh of relief. If it was just a matter of policy, it was still negotiable, since there was a lot of room for maneuver in this matter.

What kind of policy is it?

"I currently own a social networking site, and I want to obtain policy support. I'll have my people discuss the specifics with the White House."

"No problem, I guarantee with my name, Fran Hammer, that you will absolutely not suffer any losses!"

Roy trusted Hammer quite a bit. Although the old man had a bad temper, he was a man of his word and would never go back on his promise.

“Okay then. I’ll contact my people, and then you can have someone from the White House contact her. I’m heading straight to the Amacham Laboratory now.”

"Mr. Black, I'm entrusting everything to you!"

Then, Roy contacted Jennifer via satellite phone, telling her to be prepared to negotiate with the White House and to bring Katherine along if she wasn't confident.

The phone rang again almost immediately after I hung up.

Roy glanced at the number and realized it was Adrian calling.

"Roy, something's happened! I can't get in touch with Elise!"

Adrian quickly explained on the phone that Elise had contacted him last night, but when he arrived in the Bay Area this morning, he found that he could not reach Elise.

So Adrian immediately called Roy for help.

"Adrian, I'm in downtown Bay Area right now. I roughly know where Elise is. Where are you?"

"What happened at the bay area's docks? It looks like the end of the world!"

Roy gazed at the distant dock and roughly confirmed Adrian's location.

"Someone launched a nuclear bomb in the Bay Area, and now the city is truly doomed."

Adrian fell into a long silence before finally speaking.

"My God! Humans have such terrifying weapons! Roy, we have to do something!"

"I've discovered something incredible. We'll talk about it later. I'll come find you when I get there!"

(End of this chapter)