America: The Cremator

Chapter 149 C-Rank Upper Level, Tragic Corpse!

Upon hearing that there was a problem with the bracelet, Hannah held it up and examined it carefully for a moment in the dim sunlight of the forest before looking up at the group.

"This thing looks a lot like the identification bracelets that hospitals put on patients, but there are some differences."

"Regular hospital wristbands would have a full name, age, and barcode printed on them, while these wristbands only have a monotonous letter and number number."

She then pointed to the letters above and explained, "As for the 'F' and 'M' here, in the medical and experimental fields, they are generally used to refer to women and men, respectively."

Su Long immediately understood what Hannah meant and followed that line of reasoning.

"If your reasoning is correct, then these bracelets must have been worn on the wrists of living people before they appeared on these ghouls."

Hannah nodded firmly, her tone resolute: "That should be the case. The medical bracelet was designed for long-term wear and was not easy to fall off. Its size perfectly fits the human skeletal structure. It would never have been created out of thin air for a monster to use."

Su Long put away the bracelet, glanced at the group, and suddenly said in a deep voice, "The origin of the bracelet is now clear, but there is still something that concerns me."

Seeing that the others were looking at him, he continued, "This morning when Zena read out the rules, she clearly stated that these markers were placed on specific anomalies by the assessment team in advance. But how did they place the bracelets on the anomalies?"

"When I took the bracelet out just now, I dug it out from inside the ghoul's forelimb wrist. That area was completely covered by overgrown flesh. How did the assessment team manage to put that thing in there?"

Upon hearing this, Evan's expression changed instantly. He quickly stepped forward to interrupt Su Long, pointing with his index finger to the recording camera on the side of the helmets, which was flashing a faint red light, and whispered, "Hey, Mr. Su Long, is it really appropriate to judge the assessment team like this?"

Hearing Evan's warning, Leah and Hannah, who were standing to the side, immediately turned to look at Suron, their expressions becoming tense.

If the command center hears these fabricated and questioning remarks from the assessment team in their entirety, being disqualified from the exam would be a minor matter. If the masterminds realize that they have discovered something amiss, it could lead to even greater danger.

Su Long shook his head calmly, tapped the engineering plastic shell on the side of his helmet, and explained, "It's okay. I just checked. The head-mounted camera only has a video acquisition module; it doesn't have a microphone."

"Unless someone actively turns on the satellite phone in their backpack, the command center can only see the screen, not hear what we are saying."

After confirming that their conversation wasn't being overheard, Evan's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. Following Su Long's train of thought, he voiced his concerns: "You mean, the assessment team is hiding something from us? Perhaps even having some kind of exchange of benefits with the island's owner?"

Su Long nodded and said, "There's only one possibility for these bracelets to be inserted so deeply: they were already soaked in the black mud when they were in their initial black mud state."

Upon hearing this speculation, the people present felt a chill run down their spines.

If this bracelet is a medical bracelet, and if it was worn beforehand, then ———

What kind of circumstances could lead to such a large accumulation of corpses, and what kind of circumstances could transform all of these corpses into food-eating demons?

Before everyone could process this information, Su Long continued, "Think back carefully. Since arriving on this island, Mrs. Hedley, as an A-level exorcist and examiner, has mostly just stood by and watched, just like us. It was Zena who was the one who kept negotiating with the Blackwater."

"I previously thought that as a special envoy of the federal government, it was normal for her to handle these official liaison work, so I didn't pay much attention to it. But now, considering the suspicious points about the bracelet, this power distribution is clearly very unreasonable."

Upon hearing Su Long's speculation, the others also recalled their experiences after arriving on the island.

From the moment the yacht docked, Zena was in charge: whether it was coordinating with Blackwater security, allocating camp rooms, or reading out the exam rules and distributing tactical supplies this morning—Zena did it all on her own, while Mrs. Hedley was completely relegated to a supporting role.

The island's defenses, the camp's high-voltage electric fence and heavy firepower, and the exaggerated minefields outside—it all just doesn't make sense.

Surong looked solemnly into the depths of the forest and said, "I can't be sure whether Mrs. Hedley knows the truth about this place, but Zena is definitely hiding some crucial information from us. This island, and these numbered ghouls, are definitely not as simple as we think."

The group exchanged bewildered glances. Su Long's series of speculations weighed heavily on everyone's minds like a boulder.

Medical bracelets, mutated corpses, inspectors deliberately concealing information, and exaggerated military defenses on the perimeter—these clues, when pieced together, are enough to send chills down one's spine just by thinking about them.

Seeing that the group was deep in thought, Su Long reminded them, "Thinking about these things now is useless. Just be careful during the upcoming assessment."

"No matter what conspiracy is behind this, all we can do right now is to follow the rules, collect fifty bracelets to pass the exam, and once we get the license and leave this island, the rest will be taken care of by the higher-ups."

"Mr. Suron is right. We are in the middle of this situation, with a serious information asymmetry. Making wild guesses will only throw us into chaos." Evan nodded in agreement and slung his longbow back over his shoulder.

Leah and Hannah nodded vigorously, quickly checked their weapons and equipment, and followed Sulong.

The four-person team set off again, heading deeper into the island's interior. As they ventured further in, the surrounding fog grew thicker, and they encountered more and more ghouls.

They no longer appear sporadically in twos or threes as before, but instead emerge in groups from behind the thick tree trunks or lie in wait on the dense canopy.

However, Suron maintained his spiritual vision, and Leah frequently used her abilities, always managing to quickly spot the ghouls. Sometimes, before Leah even noticed, Suron had already eliminated the ghouls lurking in the shadows, making Leah quite envious.

Two hours later, an overwhelming stench of corpses filled an open space. In the center of the open space, a dozen ghoul corpses were piled up in layers, forming a gruesome mountain of flesh.

Dark red blood flowed down the severed limbs, pooling into foul-smelling puddles on the muddy ground. The pustules on the ghouls' bodies ruptured extensively during the battle, oozing yellowish-green viscous fluid that emitted a suffocating stench of decay.

Leah covered her nose, hid behind Evan, her stomach churning, and muttered a complaint, "This smell—"

That's disgusting!

Hannah frowned slightly, suppressing her discomfort, and took out a dagger, preparing to step forward to collect the spoils. Suddenly, Su Long raised his hand to stop her, shaking his head and saying, "There are too many corpses, and the flesh is all stuck together. Searching for the bracelets like this will take too much time. I'll handle it. You all step back."

As he spoke, he stepped forward, raised his hand, summoned a ball of primordial fire, and flung it into the pile of corpses.

"boom!"

The blazing golden flames instantly engulfed the entire mountain of flesh, leaving behind a large patch of grayish-white ash.

[Burning 17 D-Rank Eerie Ghoul Corpses, gaining 18 experience points]

A light blue system notification popped up on Su Long's retina.

Looking at the numbers on the panel, Su Long smiled with satisfaction. Although the experience points provided by a single ghoul were pitifully small, the sheer number of them made up for it, and the accumulated amount was still a considerable income.

After the flames died down, Hannah stepped forward and brushed aside the still-warm ashes on the ground, pulling out a large bracelet from them.

She wiped away the ash from the surface with a tissue, carefully counted them, then turned to the group and suggested, "These 17 monsters were killed by our team. The battlefield was too chaotic just now, and several monsters were attacked by everyone, so it was really difficult to count them."

"To be fair, let's divide it equally. The extra one goes to Su, since he was in charge of the final cleanup."

After listening, Evan smiled gently and nodded in agreement, saying, "Miss Hannah's suggestion is very reasonable, and I completely agree. If we insist on finding out who killed him, it will only hurt the harmony of the team. There is still a long road ahead."

Lia nodded repeatedly, indicating that she had no objection.

Surong naturally wouldn't object. He stepped forward, took five bracelets from Hannah, and the remaining twelve were quickly divided equally among the three of them.

With the addition of their first batch of spoils, their collection progress has been significantly accelerated, and they have taken a solid step towards the target of fifty items per person.

Su Long put away the bracelet, took out his satellite phone to check the time, and found that it was almost noon. He then turned to look at the group of people.

After exploring the forest for two hours and experiencing this battle, the group looked exhausted. They decided to rest for ten minutes to replenish their fluids and energy before setting off again.

The brother and sister immediately sat down together. Surong walked to a thick tree trunk and sat down against the back of the tree. Hannah sat down next to him, took out a water bottle from her tactical bag, and handed it to him.

Sulong took the water bottle, took a sip, and then turned his gaze to the depths of the forest.

According to the map, they have now penetrated one-third of the way into the island's interior. The further they go, the higher the terrain becomes, and the denser the surrounding vegetation becomes.

Most importantly, the sense of crisis that lingered in their hearts did not diminish as they killed large numbers of ghouls; on the contrary, it grew stronger.

"Su, what are you thinking about?" Hannah asked when she saw Su Long's brows furrowed.

Su Long paused for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "I think these ghouls are just the outermost cannon fodder; the real trouble is probably yet to come."

The ten-minute break ended quickly. Su Long stood up, brushed the fallen leaves off his trench coat, and reminded everyone, "Alright, pack your things, we're ready to go."

The group quickly packed their gear and set off again.

The terrain became more rugged and the roads more muddy. Large rocks began to appear on the ground, and the soil became increasingly soft, making a squelching sound when stepped on.

The surrounding temperature plummeted, and the mist drifted through the treetops, as if countless eyes were secretly watching.

"Everyone be careful, the terrain here is perfect for an ambush," Su Long whispered a warning.

He activated his spiritual vision, scanning his surroundings warily. In his field of vision, a strange black and red silhouette appeared, without any weakness indicators.

But the fact that it has no weakness box is enough to prove its strength, not to mention that it is much larger than the previous ghoul.

"Stop! There's something ahead!" Su Long suddenly raised his hand.

At the same time, Leah sensed an ominous presence ahead. She abruptly opened her eyes, her voice trembling, and said, "What's ahead is very strong—everyone be careful!"

Evan and Hannah behind them immediately stopped, held their breath, and carefully listened to the sounds around them.

Evan quickly put on his blindfold and earplugs, drew his longbow to its full extent, Hannah opened the Bible, golden light flowing between the pages, and Suron drew "Sirius," thumb on the trigger, staring intently at the swirling fog before him.

In the thick fog, heavy footsteps slowly approached, causing the ground to tremble slightly. A huge black shadow loomed behind the fog wall, a size that no ghoul could possibly possess.

The tree canopy ahead was violently smashed open, and broken branches, along with large clumps of dead leaves, crashed to the ground. A massive, reddish-brown figure, at least three meters tall, forcefully pushed through the obstruction of the mist.

A foul-smelling gust of wind swept over them, dispersing the last layer of mist and completely revealing the monster's true form to everyone.

Its body has completely mutated, and its skin has turned a sickly reddish-brown color with an extremely dry surface, like layers of peeling dead tree bark.

But beneath this withered surface, it is densely covered with holes of varying sizes and swollen pustules. Thick, reddish-brown liquid seeps out from the holes, dripping down its massive body onto the ground with a hissing, corrosive sound.

The monster was covered with several tattered pieces of cloth whose original shape could barely be discerned. Through the gaps in the cloth, some rusty metal objects were bound with rough wires: a broken cross, a broken silver chain, and even half of a brass sword hilt engraved with scriptures.

What was most horrifying was its face, which was completely blurred, its features melted into a mass of reddish-brown rotten flesh.

Where the mouth should have been, a gaping hole was forcibly torn open, spanning most of the head, revealing an extremely ferocious and exaggeratedly huge smile.

Right in the center of the rotting flesh was an enormous single eye, its scarlet pupil filled with bulging blood vessels, staring intently at the four people before it, radiating pure malice and madness.

Evan, whose bowstring was already fully drawn, trembled violently the moment he saw the monster through his empathy. He ripped off the black cloth covering his eyes and exclaimed, "Shit! This—how is this possible?"

Leah hid behind her brother, clutching Evan's clothes tightly with both hands, biting her lower lip hard, her body trembling slightly: "The Corpse of Mourning—how could there be a Corpse of Mourning here?"

[Code Name: C-052]

【Name: The Mourning Corpse】

[Rank: Upper C]

[Description] Transformed from the corpse of an exorcist, it underwent deformities due to the extreme suffering it endured in life. Its skin is reddish-brown, dry, and flaky, covered with holes and pustules, and secretes a thick, reddish-brown substance (presumably a mixture of pus and blood). This mutation is very common among the sad corpses, often resulting in deformities such as displaced or protruding eyes and extra limbs.

[Environmental Characteristics] It has no fixed environmental characteristics and can appear in various areas where exorcists have died; its activity area often leaves traces of reddish-brown secretions, and other strange creatures in the surrounding area usually take the initiative to avoid it and do not conflict with it.

[Ability Overview] Possesses extremely strong skeletal strength and efficient regenerative abilities, and can use the weapons and tools they used in life to engage in simple combat; some individuals can form groups, while others live alone, possessing territorial awareness and hunting abilities.

[Physical Hazard] Extremely high. Individuals possess extremely strong melee attack capabilities. Their skin and flesh are tough, and the high-strength acid on their skin can neutralize some spiritual attacks. They can cause fatal injuries to the human body through weapon attacks and physical collisions.

[Psychological Harm] Medium to High. Its deformed appearance, terrifying roar, and hunting behavior can easily cause a strong psychological impact on humans, triggering negative emotions such as fear and despair; moreover, its origin from the corpses of exorcists can easily cause additional psychological pressure on the exorcist community.

Hannah tightened her grip on the Bible, turned to Leah, and asked urgently, "What is a 'corpse'?"

Leah took a deep breath, suppressing the tremor in her voice, and explained to the two, "This is a rare C-level anomaly. It's caused by the exorcist experiencing unimaginable pain and despair before death, causing the spirituality within his body to completely go out of control and run rampant, resulting in this terrifying transformation of his corpse."

Su Long's pupils contracted slightly. Ghouls are mutated from the corpses of ordinary people and wear medical bracelets, while the gruesome corpse in front of him was actually transformed from the corpse of an exorcist.

What exactly happened on this little St. James Island?!

"Hoichi"

The Corpse let out a muffled roar, its狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious) grin suddenly enlarged, its single crimson eye locked onto Su Long at the front, and its massive body defied the laws of physics as it lunged forward.

The reddish-brown sap splashed everywhere with its movements, landing on the surrounding tree trunks and instantly corroding deep pits that emitted black smoke.

"spread!"

Su Long shouted sharply, exerted force with his feet, and slid several meters to the left in an instant.

Hannah reacted just as quickly. Holding the Bible in both hands, she rolled sharply to the right, and golden holy light burst forth from the pages, transforming into a semi-transparent shield of light that stood in front of her and Thorne.

"boom!"

The massive body of the corpse crashed heavily onto the spot where Su Long had just stood, causing the muddy ground to collapse instantly, sending rubble, dead leaves, and rotting soil soaring into the sky.

The attack missed its mark, and the Corpse's massive head twisted violently, its single crimson eye instantly fixing on the Thorne siblings who were hiding behind the light shield.

Its smile grew even more exaggerated, and its thick hind legs slammed into the ground, its massive body crashing straight into the Holy Light Shield.