America: The Cremator

Chapter 146 This island... is almost too small to stand on!

Su Long raised an eyebrow slightly, his deep gaze re-examining the girl, and praised, "Your eyesight is really good. Among exorcists, it's rare to see someone who can see through the halo of a sacred object at a glance."

"There really is a sacred object! I knew I wasn't seeing things!" The girl excitedly punched her brother twice, then introduced herself: "My name is Leah Thorne, and this is my brother Evan Thorne. We are exorcists from Scotland."

Surong nodded slightly and replied briefly, "Surong, this is Hannah West."

Evan glanced helplessly at his sister, stepped forward, extended his right hand, and apologized gently, "I'm sorry, my sister didn't mean to offend you. She's a bit of a wild child and I've completely spoiled her."

"Moreover, we didn't expect that someone would be able to carry three sacred artifacts at the same time during this B-level assessment."

Hannah had calmed her rapid breathing by now. She peeked out from behind Suron and observed the two people in front of her.

Leah leaned closer, her curiosity written all over her face, her gaze darting back and forth between Surong: "Sir, could you show me your three sacred artifacts? I'm so curious!"

Su Long rested his hands on the railing, letting the strong sea breeze blow the hem of his trench coat.

"These are all ordinary sacred objects, nothing rare, but they should be enough to deal with the strange events of the B-level assessment."

He turned his head to look at the brother and sister, subtly changing the subject: "As for you two, competing together as a brother and sister, you must be a very well-coordinated team, right?"

Leah raised her chin, her tone brimming with pride.

"Of course! My abilities are superhuman hearing and superhuman vision, and these earrings are my sacred objects."

"And my brother is an incredibly powerful archer! We can also share our senses, allowing us to unleash even greater power!"

Evan patted his sister's shoulder, smiled helplessly, and said with emotion, "We came to participate in the B-level assessment this time because we wanted to accumulate more experience and strive to advance in rank as soon as possible. As for Mr. Su Long, he doesn't look very old, but he can control three sacred artifacts at the same time. He must be very strong."

Su Long waved his hand, his tone calm, drawing everyone's attention elsewhere.

"I was just lucky, it's not a matter of ability. After all, everyone who participated in this assessment was quite capable, especially that hooded gentleman, whose aura was much stronger than mine. Didn't you guys notice?"

Evan's expression turned serious. He nodded in agreement and chimed in, "Indeed, we noticed him when we got in the car. His hood was completely covered, so we couldn't see his face, but we could feel a strong sense of pressure emanating from him. He must be an experienced one."

"I tried to sense if he had any sacred objects on him, but I couldn't detect anything. The horn he carries is so conspicuous, yet it's not a sacred object. How strange—" Leah frowned and muttered to herself.

The waves crashed violently against the hull, and the yacht moved steadily forward on the dark sea, leaving the lights of Charlotte Amalia Harbour completely behind.

Looking at the unfathomable sea in the distance, Leah's tone was filled with worry: "The location for this assessment is Little St. James Island. I've heard that many strange events have occurred there before. I wonder what kind of strange things we'll encounter."

Hannah stepped forward, took Leah's hand, and gently comforted her, "Don't worry! The four of us can look after each other! If there's any danger, we'll face it together."

Evan nodded in agreement and cast a questioning look at Suron: "Miss Hannah is right. The B-level assessment focuses not only on individual strength but also on teamwork. Since we are all contestants, why don't we get to know each other better so that we can look out for each other on the island later?"

A gentle smile curved the corners of Su Long's lips as he readily agreed, "Sure, the cruise ship won't arrive for another half hour anyway, so we can get to know each other better. However, I won't reveal any details about the sacred object, please forgive me."

"I understand, I understand! The sacred object is the exorcist's trump card, how can you just tell people about it! Only my silly sister would tell people so easily!" Evan nodded very understandingly, then reached out and tapped his sister's forehead with his finger.

Leah's attention had already shifted to Hannah's tactical nun's habit, her eyes sparkling with longing: "By the way, Hannah, are you a nun? Could you tell me about a nun's daily life? I've always wanted to be a nun!"

Hannah recalled her days scrubbing floors and organizing scriptures in the church, struggling to make ends meet for her meager wages. She shook her head with a wry smile and said earnestly, "Keep this as a beautiful dream. Don't try to put it into practice, or your dream will surely be shattered."

After listening to Hannah's complaints, Evan couldn't help but smile. Pointing to the stairs leading to the second floor, he suggested, "We just booked a table for dessert and seafood over there. Since we all get along so well, why don't you two come with us? We can eat and chat, which is also a chance to get to know each other better."

Hannah's eyes lit up instantly when she heard the word "dessert".

She subconsciously swallowed. After spending half the day on the deck enjoying the sea breeze, her stomach was indeed a little empty. So she turned her head and looked at Su Long expectantly.

Su Long took in her subtle movements, chuckled a few times, and nodded in agreement: "Alright, then I'll take my leave."

The four of them walked down the spiral staircase. Just as they reached the corner of the staircase, a very light footstep came from below. The hooded man they had met once in the lobby was walking up the stairs to the top floor.

The staircase wasn't wide, so the four of them instinctively stepped aside, making way for him by sticking close to the handrail.

The hooded man kept his head down the whole time, completely ignoring everyone else, and walked straight to the top floor.

The four of them simultaneously looked away, exchanged glances, and silently followed each other into the restaurant on the second floor.

Thirty minutes later, the yacht began to slow down, and the slight swaying disappeared, making the entire vessel exceptionally stable.

Inside the main restaurant on the second floor of the yacht, the lighting was soft, and four people sat around a round table next to a large panoramic window. The table was filled with exquisite macarons, Black Forest cake and several plates of thinly sliced ​​Iberian ham.

After putting a piece of raspberry mousse into her mouth, Hannah turned to look out the porthole and said in a puzzled tone, "It seems like the speed has slowed down."

Following her gaze, Leah suddenly pressed herself against the bulletproof glass, pointed to the deep darkness in the distance, and exclaimed, "Look! Isn't that the island we're going to?"

Everyone turned to look out the porthole, and the sight outside made everyone involuntarily slow their breathing.

The sea was unusually calm, without a single ripple. The seawater was so thick it resembled the mucus secreted by some giant mollusc, making one feel inexplicably uneasy.

Thick, grayish-white fog lingered on the sea surface. Deep within the fog, the outline of a massive island was faintly visible. Upon closer inspection, the crowd could only vaguely discern an incredibly dense forest on the island.

Just as everyone was watching intently, the silence was broken by the crisp sound of high heels clicking.

Inspector Zena walked briskly to the table, glanced at the four people expressionlessly, and said coldly, "Gentlemen, prepare yourselves, we are about to arrive at the port."

After saying that, she turned and walked to the next table to continue notifying the other candidates.

Su Long stood up, straightened his trench coat, and said, "Let's go, let's go up to the deck and take a look."

The four left the restaurant and returned to the main deck.

The yacht was slowly rounding a reef area, and as it moved forward, the other side of the island gradually came into view.

In stark contrast to the desolate, dark forest just moments before, a large complex of luxurious buildings stood halfway up the mountain.

The massive Roman columns, the expansive outdoor swimming pool, and the brightly lit floor-to-ceiling windows stood out starkly in the darkness.

Below the buildings, near the coastline, there is a small area illuminated by powerful searchlights.

Leah stood on tiptoe, pointed at the area, and shouted, "I see it! That's the dock!"

The yacht's side thrusters emitted a deep roar as the massive hull slowly approached the brightly lit concrete dock. The heavy metal hatch slowly opened, and a salty, rusty sea breeze instantly rushed into the cabin.

Su Long picked up his luggage and was the first to walk out of the cabin. As soon as he stepped onto the dock, the scene in front of him stunned everyone.

A large group of soldiers dressed in black combat uniforms, almost armed to the teeth, stood in formation on both sides of the pier, looking like they were waiting to escort away serious criminals!

The inspector walked at the front, whispered a few words to a leading officer, and then the officer waved his hand, and the two rows of soldiers immediately turned around and marched ahead in perfect unison.

"Keep up," the inspector urged, turning back.

The twelve candidates, each carrying their own luggage, were escorted by soldiers and walked along a newly opened dirt road towards the depths of the dock.

After walking for about ten minutes, a campsite, brightly lit by powerful searchlights, came into view.

Su Long narrowed his eyes, quickly scanning every detail of the camp.

The campsite was very new, but the interior space was extremely cramped. Rows of two-story detached houses were very close together, leaving only a 2-meter-wide road. The ground leveling work was very perfunctory, with potholes and gravel everywhere.

What's most oppressive is the doors and windows of those detached houses. All the windows are welded with metal security bars as thick as a wrist, and the heavy iron doors are equipped with three external mechanical locks.

Hannah stayed close to Surong, looking at the small buildings that resembled iron cages, and asked anxiously in a low voice, "Surong, are we going to stay in one of these houses tonight?"

Su Long's gaze was still sweeping around when he casually replied, "That should be it. With this level of defense, it seems the things on this island are more troublesome than we imagined."

He didn't continue looking at the prefab houses, but turned to look at the outermost edge of the camp, where a three-meter-high wire mesh was set up, with dense, sharp barbs wrapped around the top, and several thick cables connected to it, from which the faint "buzzing" sound of current flowing could be heard.

Further out beyond the barbed wire fence, there was an extremely wide isolation zone. The soil there had been extensively turned over, revealing a fresh, dark brown color. Some wooden signs were stuck in the zone, but due to the distance and the darkness of the night, the writing on them was illegible.

Surong turned his head to look at Leah beside him and asked in a low voice, "Leah, can you read what's written on those signs?"

Lia looked in the direction Surong pointed, examined it carefully for a few seconds, and the relaxed expression on her face vanished instantly: "It says—Danger Zone, Do Not Enter!"

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, their expressions extremely solemn.

After passing through the narrow and cramped passage, the group finally arrived at the very center of the camp, where the view was slightly more open, but only relatively speaking.

A steel watchtower, over fifteen meters tall, stood firmly in the center of the camp. Several high-powered searchlights were mounted on the tower, their stark white light weaving a net of light that illuminated the entire camp as bright as day.

At the very top of the watchtower, an even more terrifyingly powerful giant searchlight was slowly rotating, constantly sweeping back and forth between the minefield surrounding the camp and the distant dark forest.

Su Long narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze shifting upwards to the area behind the giant searchlight.

Two fully armed soldiers stood behind bulletproof glass, one of them gripping the handle of an M2 Browning heavy machine gun with both hands, the dark barrel pointing straight out of the camp.

Surong withdrew his gaze, turned his head and lowered his voice to Hannah beside him, saying, "Something is very wrong. Look around, there are not only high-voltage electric fences and minefields, but even watchtowers and M2 heavy machine guns have been deployed. This is far too much."

After listening, Hannah's gaze swept over the cold steel defenses, and her hands unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes.

Ahead, the inspector had stopped and was negotiating with an officer who was walking down from the watchtower.

Surong scrutinized the officer and noticed a Velcro armband on his right arm. It was black with a white border and featured a bear paw print. Surong raised an eyebrow slightly. It was the emblem of Blackwater Security Company!

After a brief negotiation, the inspector turned around, pointed to the surrounding two-story prefabricated houses, and said to the twelve candidates in front of him, "Everyone, we will rest here tonight. The assessment will begin promptly at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. There are ten two-story buildings here, each with a double room on the upper and lower floors, for a total of twenty rooms. The rooms are equipped with water and electricity, shower facilities, and sufficient convenience food."

The inspector adjusted his glasses and continued announcing the rules: "Heidely and I will each have a room to ourselves. The remaining eighteen rooms will be allocated to you twelve people. No malicious fighting is allowed, and no physical conflict is permitted within the camp. Violators will be disqualified from the assessment."

After saying that, the inspector and Hedley, led by two soldiers, headed toward one of the small buildings.

The remaining twelve candidates stood still, and the atmosphere was briefly quiet for a few seconds.

Suron turned to Hannah, his tone leaving no room for argument: "The situation on this island is too strange. You'll share a room with me."

Hannah paused for a moment, then nodded seriously. Anyone could sense that something was wrong with the situation on the island, and living together would at least provide mutual support.

Just then, footsteps came from the side, and Leah and Evan came over.

With a gentle smile, Evan suggested, "Mr. Suron, Ms. Hannah, if you don't mind, how about our two groups stay in the same building? Upstairs and downstairs, in case of any emergencies at night, we can look out for each other."

Lia nodded repeatedly, her eyes full of anticipation.

After a moment's thought, Su Long realized that having two more helpers with perception and ranged attack capabilities was indeed a good option in the current uncertain situation, so he readily agreed: "No problem, it's settled then."

The two sides had just reached an agreement and were preparing to walk toward an empty small building.

A deafening explosion suddenly erupted from the perimeter of the camp!

"boom!"

A violent shockwave, carrying mud and the stench of burning, instantly swept over the towering barbed wire fence and engulfed the entire camp.

All the examinees turned their gazes toward the direction from which the explosion came, and saw a huge cloud of gray-black smoke billowing and rising from the edge of the minefield.

The giant searchlight at the top of the watchtower reacted extremely quickly, its pale beam of light instantly tearing through the night and locking onto the smoke-filled area.

Under the bright light, three hunched, twisted, grayish-white figures were completely exposed to everyone's sight.

Those were three ghouls, their bodies covered in pustules, on all fours, baring their drooling teeth, pacing anxiously at the edge of the minefield.

One of the ghouls had its forelimbs severed by the landmine, and dark red, foul-smelling blood was gushing wildly from the wound. But this did not deter them; instead, it fueled their ferocity.

"Fire!"

Beneath the tower, the Blackwater officer roared fiercely.

"Knock knock knock knock"

At the top of the watchtower, the M2 heavy machine gun instantly spat out a blinding tongue of fire half a meter long, and the deafening gunfire echoed wildly in the night sky.

The 12.7mm caliber pure silver bullet, carrying terrifying kinetic energy, completely tore the upper body of the ghoul into pieces.

The remaining two ghouls went completely mad. With a mournful roar, they charged into the minefield despite the dense hail of bullets.

"Boom! Boom!"

Two more violent explosions rang out, blasting the two oblivious monsters to smithereens. Limbs and debris were scattered among the dirt, and one severed hand landed right on the electric grid, where it was instantly charred by the high voltage.

The gunfire stopped abruptly, and silence returned to the camp. The twelve examinees stood still, without any panicked screams or commotion.

After all, those who can stand here to participate in the B-level exorcist assessment are all experts who have experienced life-and-death battles. Three ghouls are not enough to throw them off balance, but they did make several small groups whisper among themselves.

The officer strode up to the group, his gruff voice interrupting their whispers: "Gentlemen, that was just a minor incident. Don't worry, your safety is entirely the responsibility of Blackwater Security within the camp."

"As long as you don't climb over the barbed wire fence without permission, I guarantee no one will lay a finger on you. Now, go choose your rooms and get a good night's sleep."

Seeing this, everyone stopped lingering and picked up their luggage, heading towards the detached houses.

Lia tugged at Suron's sleeve and urged, "Let's go, let's go quickly and pick a house in the middle, it's safer there."

Sulong nodded, picked up Hannah's tactical case, and followed the brother and sister toward a small building.

After taking a few steps, Su Long suddenly stopped and turned back to look at the deep forest outside the camp.

The sea breeze rustled through the treetops, and in the afterglow of the searchlights, a suffocating stillness pervaded the air.

Su Long narrowed his eyes, his pupils gleaming. In an instant, scarlet weakness markers sprouted up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, densely intertwined, almost completely filling the outline of the entire forest.

"Damn it, this island—it's fucking overflowing!"