America: The Cremator

Chapter 174 He almost beat the shit out of me!

Marcus looked at Suron's provocative gesture, let out a heavy snort, and took a big step forward.

His two-meter height and exaggeratedly muscular physique made his specially made oversized tactical vest bulge out, and his two thick arms were bulging with muscles and veins, making him look just like a brown bear walking upright.

In contrast, Su Long, dressed in casual clothes, did appear rather thin.

"Let's practice then." Marcus stretched his thick neck, his knuckles cracking crisply. "However, to avoid getting into a real fight and ruining the harmony, how about we use a competitive method commonly used in our unit?"

"What method?" Su Long asked with great interest.

Marcus grinned and said, "A slapping contest? Ever heard of it?"

"The two stand facing each other, and a coin toss determines who goes first. Each person takes a turn, and the first one to fall to the ground loses."

After listening, Su Long couldn't help but chuckle: "That's interesting. I've seen this kind of game quite a few times in videos before, and it looks pretty relaxing—but this is my first time playing it myself."

Marcus raised his thick, dark eyebrows, his tone undisguisedly provocative: "What? Scared? It's not too late to back down now."

Su Long cracked his knuckles and said in a relaxed tone, "Come on."

Seeing this, Marcus snorted coldly: "Do I need to let you have the first move? Otherwise people will say I'm bullying the newbie."

Su Long waved his hand: "No need. Just do as you said, flip a coin to decide. Heads I go first, tails you go first."

Marcus didn't waste any words. He pulled a one-dollar coin from his tactical pocket and flicked it upwards with his big thumb.

The coin tumbled a few times in mid-air before Marcus slapped it onto the back of his other hand. He moved his palm away, looked at the design on the coin, and shook his head with feigned helplessness: "Looks like I went first. You'd better hold on, don't fall over too quickly, at least you'll get a slap back, otherwise you'll lose face big time."

Surong didn't reply, but simply put his hands behind his back, raised his chin slightly, and indicated that Marcus could make a move at any time.

Marcus stretched out his large, thick hand, which was like a fan, and waved it in front of Su Long. Then he hovered his hand next to Su Long's left cheek.

But he didn't strike immediately. Instead, he twisted his waist repeatedly, assuming a posture of preparing to slap Su Long, gesturing back and forth in mid-air with his palm, deliberately putting psychological pressure on Su Long, trying to catch even the slightest hint of retreat, tension, or fear on his face.

If Su Long instinctively closes his eyes or dodges, he can take the opportunity to launch a scathing attack, completely shattering the authority of this newly appointed advisor.

But Suron's expression remained calm and still. He didn't even blink, just quietly watching Marcus gesticulate back and forth like a clown.

This dismissive attitude ignited a nameless anger within Marcus. He gritted his teeth, thrust his hips forward, and with a sharp gust of wind, lashed out his thick, round right arm at Su Long's cheek.

Seeing that Marcus had finally made his move, Surong silently activated [Flesh and Blood Domination], instantly hardening his facial skin and muscles, and causing his bones to become incredibly strong.

"Snapped!"

A deafening explosion erupted in the enclosed underground training ground. The sound was so loud that it made the ears of several teammates watching nearby ring.

They rubbed their ears, wincing, and looked back at the scene. To their shock, they found that the gruesome scene they had imagined—being slapped and spitting out teeth mixed with blood—did not occur. Su Long was still standing there with his hands behind his back, not even moving his feet half a step.

On the other hand, Marcus was half-crouched on the ground, clutching his right hand tightly. His tall body trembled uncontrollably, his features were completely distorted, and the veins on his forehead bulged out.

"hiss--

'

Marcus, his face flushed, gasped for breath and desperately swallowed the cry of pain that was rising in his throat.

Marcus felt as if he had struck a solid alloy steel plate. The terrifying recoil reverberated from his palm all the way to his forearm, causing a dull ache in the bones of his entire arm.

He looked up at Su Long, who was still standing there with his hands behind his back, without even a red mark on his face, and fear began to spread in his heart.

Is this even human?

Marcus cursed inwardly. Before he came, the gossipy guys in the department had confidently said that the newly appointed external consultant was a pretty boy who got in through connections, and that he was only in the joint investigation team to gain experience and seniority.

What the hell is this pretty boy?! Whose pretty boy's face is so thin that even a full-force slap can't move him, yet he can still crack someone's hand bones?

Only at this moment did Marcus finally realize how utterly wrong the rumors were. This seemingly casual young man before him was far more than just a charlatan; he might actually be a genuine B-rank exorcist!

Surong looked at Marcus, who was half-squatting on the ground, covered in cold sweat, and slowly lowered his hands from behind his back, casually flicking his wrists.

"Marcus, stand up straight, it's my turn."

These words echoed through the empty underground training grounds, reaching Marcus's ears with a sound more torturous than the whispers of the devil.

He was filled with regret and was even ready to admit defeat, but even if he did, he had to wait until the end of the round. That was the rule of the slapping contest: one slap from each person counted as one round.

He initiated the match himself and took the initiative. Now it's the other party's turn to retaliate. If he doesn't even dare to accept this slap, not only will Su Long, who was slapped for nothing, not agree, but he will also never be able to hold his head up in the joint investigation team again.

Marcus gritted his teeth, braced his left hand on his knee, and struggled to stand up straight. The two-meter-tall burly man had lost all his imposing aura. He rubbed his cheeks vigorously, then forced an awkward smile and said in a weak voice, "Come on, come on."

Surong glanced at Marcus, who was trembling, then pointed to the octagonal ring in the corner of the training field and said to Martin, "There should be protective gear there, could you please go and get the mouthguard and earplugs?"

Martin was stunned. Seeing this, Su Long explained, "We have a mission tonight. If I hadn't controlled my strength and punctured his eardrum or knocked out a few teeth, it would have affected our operations tonight. Wearing protective gear is just in case."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the training field changed their expressions. Marcus even broke out in a fine layer of sweat on his forehead, looking pleadingly at Elena standing to the side.

The others also looked at Elena, hoping that the captain could step in and mediate. After all, they were going to fight side by side tonight, and if the assault soldier was crippled, who would take the lead in the mission tonight?

Elena crossed her arms and said crisply, "What are you standing there for? Go get it."

She was well aware of Su Long's capabilities and understood that he was establishing his authority. The members of the joint investigation team were all troublemakers drawn from various departments; if she didn't demonstrate her true abilities to completely subdue them, the operation tonight might cause some trouble.

Upon hearing the captain's words, Martin dared not hesitate any longer. He ran to the locker next to the ring and found a brand new set of high-strength silicone mouthguards and earplugs.

This thing was originally used in boxing matches to prevent irreversible concussions and ruptured eardrums caused by heavy punches to the head. But in a slapping match, the force is applied in a completely different way, and the impact is nowhere near the level of boxing. Who would wear such heavy protective gear in this situation?

He ran back to the center of the field with the gear, handed the protective gear to Marcus with a complicated expression, and whispered, "Brother, wear this."

Marcus swallowed hard and took the brace with his unaffected left hand. His fingers were a little uncooperative, and it took him several tries to get the earplugs into his ears. Then he shoved the thick silicone mouthguard into his mouth and bit down hard.

After doing all this, Marcus took a deep breath, assumed a defensive stance, and even subtly tensed all the muscles in his body, especially the trapezius muscles in his neck, which bulged high, trying to use this method to resist the impending impact.

Seeing that Marcus was ready, the people around him all held their breath, their eyes fixed on Su Long, wanting to see just how much power this newly arrived B-level advisor could unleash.

According to conventional slapping techniques, Su Long should now twist his waist dramatically, lower his center of gravity, and then use the twisting force of his waist and hips to swing his arm in a large semi-circle to maximize the power.

But Su Long didn't make any of those unnecessary movements. He didn't even turn to the side; he simply raised his left hand casually.

"Snapped!"

A deafening explosion, ten times louder than Marcus's earlier attack, resounded through the underground training grounds. The sound was sharp and piercing, accompanied by a terrifying whooshing sound.

Apart from Elena, the other four people present didn't even see Su Long's waving gesture clearly. They only saw Su Long's left arm seem to blur for a moment, and then, Marcus opposite him, his feet instantly left the ground, his whole body spun 180 degrees in mid-air, and his upper body, with tremendous inertia, slammed heavily to the ground.

"Thump!"

The dull thud made the entire alloy floor of the underground training ground tremble. It took two or three seconds for Marcus, who was lying on the ground, to react.

The belated, excruciating pain finally pierced through his stunned brain nerves, frantically stimulating his pain center.

Marcus let out a very deep groan of pain, his intact left hand gripping the ground tightly as he tried to prop himself up.

But he only managed to prop himself up a little before collapsing back to the ground and completely losing consciousness.

Su Long lowered his left hand, casually patted off non-existent dust from his clothes, and turned to look at the remaining people.

"Now, does anyone still have objections to my tactical positioning?"

Jack swallowed hard and shook his head repeatedly.

Martin shook his head vigorously and quickly said, "No objection, absolutely no objection. Mr. Suron, you truly deserve to be a key player."

Lucia and Nancy immediately expressed their full recognition of Suron's status.

"If this team is one that controls the situation through force, then tonight's operation will be entirely under my command. Is that alright?" Su Long asked again.

Everyone readily nodded in agreement.

Are you kidding me? Slapping a two-meter-tall strong man 180 degrees—is that even a human being capable of?

Who dares to object?

Seeing that Su Long had successfully established his authority, Elena stepped forward to arrange the follow-up matters: "Jack, Martin, go and help Marcus to the side to rest."

The two rushed over and, one on each side, lifted the fallen Marcus, then laboriously dragged him to a bench at the edge of the field where he lay down.

While waiting for Marcus to wake up, Suron also picked up his black jacket and put it on, saying, "Since everyone approves of me and we'll be working together tonight, let's take this opportunity to give each other a heads-up."

Lucia, dressed in a smart black uniform, stepped forward first and patted the pistol at her waist: "Lucia, FBI Special Agent for Abnormal Crime Investigations. Primarily responsible for mid-range fire suppression and crime scene tracking."

"I'm Nancy, the hacker." The girl, who looked quite young, pushed up her slipping glasses. "My job is to cut off the surveillance network in the target area, block ordinary people's communication signals, and provide the team with real-time building structure diagrams and thermal imaging scans."

Jack patted the CheyTac M200 sniper rifle on his back and introduced himself: "Jack, sniper. Specializes in precision strikes at extremely long ranges, equipped with both armor-piercing and high-explosive rounds."

Martin brandished the FNSCARH in his hand and said, "Martin, spotter and secondary assault soldier. Responsible for reporting wind speed and correcting trajectories to Jack, and also providing some fire support."

After everyone introduced themselves, Elena pointed to the unconscious Marcus and said, "Marcus is the main assault operative and demolition expert. Our original tactical formation was for him and me to be at the front, with Lucia and Nancy in the middle, and Jack and Martin providing long-range support."

She looked at Su Long and said to everyone, "Now that Su Long has joined, he will be at the rear of the team, bringing up the rear and ensuring the safety of the team's rear while adapting to changing circumstances."

"No problem." Everyone said in unison. After all, they had practiced their tactical formations for a long time, and there was no time to adjust if they changed it at the last minute. With Su Long at the rear of the team, it would ensure that the team could retreat smoothly.

Twenty minutes later, Marcus opened his eyes groggily, uttering unconscious groans.

Martin, who had been standing guard beside him, quickly went over and asked, "Marcus, how are you feeling now?"

Marcus struggled to sit up, slurring his words, "Oh, Martin, that guy is a monster—that slap he gave me almost made me shit my pants."

The entire training ground fell silent instantly. Marcus was still wondering what was happening when a cough came from beside him. He turned around and saw Su Long looking at him with a half-smile.

The two-meter-tall, burly man froze, abruptly withdrawing his hand from Martin's shoulder, so embarrassed he wished he could dig a hole in the alloy floor and crawl into it.

To ease the awkwardness, Marcus subconsciously touched his left cheek, but was immediately stunned.

Logically speaking, after Su Long's slap, half of his face should be swollen up, and some of his teeth should be loose. But now, apart from a slight tingling sensation, the contours of his cheek are completely intact, and there isn't even a trace of burning pain.

"My face—" Marcus looked at Martin with a puzzled expression.

Martin lowered his voice and explained, "It was Consultant Suron. When you first fainted, he used his sacred object to heal you. He said there's a tough battle to fight tonight, and he can't let your condition be affected."

Marcus's expression became very complicated after hearing this. He looked down at his undamaged hand and touched his unswollen cheek, and the resentment and frustration in his heart completely vanished.

They not only have overwhelming strength, but they also take care of logistics and medical treatment. How can we compare?

Marcus stood up, supporting himself on his knees, and strode over to Suron.

He lowered his head, adopting an extremely humble attitude: "Mr. Su Long, I was rude just now. I admit that I believed those unreliable rumors in the bureau and thought you were here to gain experience, so I deliberately tried to test you with my words."

He raised his right hand and pounded his chest twice: "I, Marcus, only respect those whose fists are harder than mine. From now on, I'll do whatever you tell me to do, and I'll absolutely obey your commands!"

Looking at the burly man whose attitude had completely changed, Su Long reached out and patted his broad shoulder: "Don't let us down when you're at the front tonight."

"Absolutely not!" Marcus shouted as he assured him.

After Marcus loudly assured him, Surong nodded, looked around at the people present, and instructed, "Since everyone has no objections, let's practice the new tactical formations and try to finish the mission tonight so that everyone can come back healthy and strong, without missing a single one."

He changed the subject with a smile and said, "I heard that the food at the Support Bureau is terrible, and even with special discounts, it's not good value for money. So, to ensure everyone has the energy for tonight's mission, I've paid out of my own pocket to order authentic Chinese takeout for everyone."

"I hope everyone eats and drinks well, and gets a good night's work."

After these words were spoken, the training ground fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a burst of enthusiastic cheers.

Marcus slapped his thigh excitedly: "Chinese food! I've been wanting to eat in Chinatown since last month, but I haven't had the time. Mr. Suron, just for this meal, I'll definitely give it my all tonight!"

Martin was so excited he almost jumped for joy, exclaiming, "My God, Advisor, you're an angel!"

Then he started complaining about the Support Bureau's cafeteria: "I'm so fed up with those discounted restaurants designated by the bureau. The pizza I ate at the other day had a crust so hard it could be used as a bulletproof vest. And that burger joint, even though they have a discount for operators, it ended up costing two dollars more than the regular price outside!"

Martin's complaints resonated strongly with everyone. Apart from military institutions, most government departments in the United States do not have canteens, and operatives have to use their meal allowance cards to be overcharged at partner restaurants, which has long been an open secret and a source of pain for everyone.

Who wouldn't want a good meal before a dangerous mission? Especially a big meal that doesn't cost them anything.

Surong glanced at the easily satisfied operators, then subtly turned his head to look at Elena, who was standing to the side. Elena, arms crossed, leaned against the equipment box and nodded slightly, meeting Surong's gaze.

In reality, given Su Long's aversion to trouble, he was too lazy to spend time and money on these trivial interpersonal relationships. He didn't even know the tastes of these people, so he had no time to order Chinese takeout.

This so-called "lunch treat" was all arranged and instructed by Elena in advance. All Su Long had to do was stand there and recite his lines, which instantly boosted the cohesion of the entire team.

Su Long was naturally happy to cooperate with this kind of opportunistic gesture.

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