America: The Cremator

Chapter 189 Tripartite Supervision and Price Gouging!

The silver barrel of the gun was pressed tightly against Evan's forehead, and purple-gold flames rolled around the two of them.

Waves of heat slapped against Evan's cheeks as he looked at Suron, who was so close to him.

Clearly, if he dared to make any unusual movement, that revolver would immediately blow his head off.

Evan slowly loosened his grip on the Michael pendant. He had lost without a doubt, and his tone carried a hint of compromise: "Alright, Mr. Suron, I have a full understanding of your strength—you are indeed very capable."

As soon as he finished speaking, he withdrew his domain.

The remaining white marble floor and broken Roman columns faded rapidly and disappeared into the void.

"I hope we can return to a civilized negotiation process first. I can represent the church, and we are willing to listen to your conditions."

Suron didn't immediately lower his gun. Instead, he turned to look at Hannah, who was hiding behind him: "Hannah, would you be willing to talk to the Church?"

Seeing this, Evan immediately added, "Miss Hannah, we are truly willing to show our sincerity!"

"Please think it over carefully—Mr. Su Long is indeed very strong, but Wynn Club also has a huge advantage in numbers."

"Our church can provide you with more manpower, and I can guarantee with my bishop's integrity that the church will absolutely not target you."

"Furthermore, please believe that we are completely aligned in our goal of preventing Mammon from returning."

.

After listening to Evan's words, Hannah pondered for a moment and finally nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Suron withdrew "Sirius" and snapped his fingers.

The sea of ​​fire receded instantly, and everything within the area vanished without a trace in a matter of moments. The three of them returned to the small office.

Suron pulled Hannah back to sit on the sofa.

"Hannah, if you don't mind, I'll make the terms. Of course, you can add more if needed."

Hannah nodded obediently, and Surong turned to look at Evan, whose face was slightly pale and who was drinking water from a paper cup to hide his embarrassment.

"The first thing," Suron said, holding up a finger, "that nefarious priest named Virgil is still employed in your church system, isn't he? I need you to dismiss him immediately on charges of malfeasance."

Evan put down his paper cup and nodded: "He is indeed still in his position. I will immediately inform the higher-ups to fire him."

"The second thing," Suron continued, "is that you publish a public statement in Seattle's mainstream newspapers apologizing to Hannah and her brother."

"Acknowledge your negligence in the management of that accident and pay them one million dollars in compensation."

Evan looked troubled.

The published apology was a blow to the church's reputation, and one million dollars is certainly not a small sum for the Seattle parish, which is currently in need of financial restructuring.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I agree."

"Thirdly, you need to provide Hannah with two Soul Crystals and four Mithril Coins to help her improve her strength before the upcoming battle, and pay us a commission of one million US dollars."

Evan's eyes widened suddenly, and he sat up straight on the sofa.

"That's too much! Mr. Suron, her sacred object is of a very high level. I've sensed it; for a sacred object of this level, there's absolutely no need for so many extraordinary resources to nurture it! And a million-dollar commission is really too much!"

"If you disagree, then there's no point in discussing it."

Su Long leaned back on the sofa, his tone firm, giving the other party no room for bargaining: "If you can hire a B-level exorcist with my skills from elsewhere, I believe the price will only be higher, not lower."

Evan stared at Suron for a long time.

He knew the other party was trying to raise the price, but he had no leverage to refuse, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept the terms.

"OK."

Having agreed to three harsh conditions in a row, Evan let out a long breath, suppressing the pain in his heart, and looked at Su Long with a hint of urgency in his voice.

"Mr. Surong, I've agreed to all of these points. Do you have any other requests?"

Su Long picked up the warm water from the table, his smile fading slightly, and his tone becoming increasingly calm.

"Mr. Evan, these are just the basic requirements."

Evan's expression changed.

"To ensure the absolute safety of Miss Hannah and her brother, and to prevent the church from retaliating or shirking responsibility afterward."

""

Surong put down his water glass, his sharp gaze sweeping over Evan: "We still need to add a few regulatory and safeguard clauses, which is a prerequisite for the negotiations to continue."

Evan's expression darkened slightly. He had no room to refuse now, so he could only patiently press on: "Please tell me. As long as it's not too outrageous, we can negotiate."

"First, regarding the regulatory aspect," Surong pointed to his finger, "I will contact the Seattle Odds and the Yurievich family. Each of these two factions will appoint an authorized specialist to monitor the situation throughout."

"The scope of oversight includes the church's fulfillment of its compensation obligations to Hannah and her brother, the delivery of spiritual resources, and all subsequent matters related to the two."

"Your Excellency, I hope you can understand that I want to ensure the Church strictly adheres to the negotiated agreement and that there are no underhanded dealings."

Evan's pupils contracted slightly. He had been somewhat stunned since hearing those two names, completely unprepared for Sulong to be involved with these two major forces.

The Bureau of Mysterious Response is an official agency specifically responsible for controlling mysterious events and restraining supernatural forces, and it possesses legitimate law enforcement powers.

The Yurievich family is the head of the American arms business, with influence throughout the United States.

With both legitimate and criminal organizations working together to oversee the situation, the church has absolutely no chance of taking action in secret.

He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but was interrupted by Su Long.

"Second, personal safety protection."

Surong continued, speaking steadily: "The church needs to step in and purchase a term universal life insurance policy with a coverage of no less than ten million US dollars for Miss Hannah and her brother."

Following this, Su Long provided specific implementation standards: "Insured institutions must choose Guardian Life Insurance Company of the United States, and the insurance company must assign a dedicated claims specialist to follow up on the policy's effectiveness throughout the process and regularly update the situation with the supernatural support bureau and the Yurievich family's supervisory specialists."

"In the event of any unnatural injury or accident to Ms. Hannah or her brother, the insurance company must intervene and investigate immediately."

"The church must bear full responsibility for compensation, and the supervisory commissioner has the right to immediately terminate the negotiation agreement and hold the church fully accountable."

Evan's face was extremely pale.

"Third, financial guarantees." This time, Surong's tone was firm and unyielding: "The church must pay a performance bond of no less than fifty million US dollars to Northern Trust Company."

"This deposit is specifically for the safety of Ms. Hannah and her brother, and to ensure that her brother can return to Yale University to complete his studies."

Looking at Evan's pale face, Surong continued, "Only after confirming that both of them are safe throughout the process, and that his brother has successfully returned to Yale University to continue his studies, can the church apply to retrieve this deposit based on the testimony of the Bureau of Mysterious Support and the Yurievich family."

He paused, his tone carrying a clear warning.

"If any abnormality occurs during this period, including but not limited to threats, persecution, accidents, her brother's inability to return to school normally, or the church's failure to fulfill its obligations of compensation, donations, and resource delivery as agreed, it shall be deemed a breach of contract."

"The trust institution has the right to use this deposit directly to ensure the safety of the two individuals and to cover any related losses."

Su Long grinned: "The remaining portion will also be donated to relevant charitable organizations. Your church shouldn't even think about taking a single penny back."

The office fell into dead silence.

Evan's face darkened, and his brows furrowed.

"Mr. Suron, a ten million dollar deposit, plus substantial insurance, is beyond the church's means!"

Hannah sat beside him, listening to the conditions that Su Long had set out, her heart filled with turmoil.

She never imagined that she could use this kind of commercial blackmail against the high and mighty church.

Suron stood up and looked down at Evan.

"Mr. Evan, I'll reiterate one last time, there's no room for negotiation between you two."

Su Long's voice echoed in the cramped office.

"Hannah and her siblings have suffered unfair treatment from the church, and we must ensure their safety from any threat—that's the bottom line."

He then extended his right hand and pointed to the office door.

"Either you agree to all the terms now and we continue negotiating, or we terminate the negotiations and all the agreements we just reached are null and void. We'll go pick them up ourselves."

Evan stared at the man in front of him, his face ashen. Conventional pressure tactics had completely failed.

The church's trump card was seen through by the other side, and even its escape route was blocked.

With a cash flow of ten million dollars, plus third-party oversight that could trigger a scandal at any moment, this is definitely not something a bishop can decide on his own.

Evan gritted his teeth, took out his phone from his pocket, and said in a hoarse voice, "Mr. Suron, the conditions you have offered are completely beyond my authority. I need to report this to the higher-ups in the parish so they can make a decision. Please give me a time to make a call."

Seeing Evan about to dial, Su Long raised his hand and interrupted him.

Unfortunately, I also need to make a phone call.

He pointed to the oak door of the office: "So, could you please go outside to make the call?"

Evan's hand froze in mid-air.

As the bishop of St. James's Cathedral, the humiliation he suffered on his own turf ignited a surge of anger within him.

But looking into Su Long's eyes and recalling the raging purple-gold sea of ​​fire from just now, he ultimately swallowed his anger.

"Okay, I'll go out."

Evan turned around and strode towards the door.

The oak door was pulled open and then slammed shut.

Evan's footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor.

The room fell silent again.

Surong leaned back on the sofa, turned to look at Hannah beside him, and asked in a calm tone, "Are you satisfied with the conditions just now? Is there anything you'd like to add?"

Hannah looked at Suron, her eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

"That's already very good, Sue!"

Hannah gave Suron a bright, sparkling look: "I never imagined you could use this method to control them!"

Upon hearing this, Su Long smiled slightly, quite pleased with the girl's adoration: "A huge deposit of ten million, plus round-the-clock supervision from multiple forces—as long as these terms are implemented, they simply won't dare to tamper with things behind the scenes."

"To deal with these guys who spout platitudes about morality but are actually driven by self-interest, you should have a serious talk about money with them."

"Hannah, you need to understand that faith can't bind them, because the power of interpretation lies with them. But the cost of breaching a contract in black and white can."

"Only when they realize that the consequences of breaking their promises are absolutely unbearable will they obediently follow the rules."

"In this world, money is the most effective rule."

Hannah nodded vigorously.

Su Long took out his phone and swiped the screen a few times: "Next, I need to look for my connections in these two factions."

"First, finalize the appointment of the supervisory officer for the Yurievich family. As for the Bureau of Mysterious Support, I'll contact them after daybreak."

After saying that, Su Long found a familiar name in the list, pressed the dial button, and put the phone to his ear.

The phone rang only a few times before being quickly answered.

"Su! Why are you calling me at this hour?"

Dania's voice came through the receiver, and the faint sound of metal parts clashing could be heard in the background.

"What's the matter? Are you planning to arrive early to report for duty?"

Su Long smiled and said, "You're overthinking it. I was just checking on the progress of the security mission. How's it going on your end?"

"Everything is progressing steadily," Dania said casually.

"The security system is undergoing final testing, and the perimeter firepower and security personnel are all in place."

o

"Just follow the original plan and report back in two days. I've reserved the best position for you, one that will definitely give you the opportunity to showcase your talents."

"That's good." Su Long got straight to the point. "Since you're not busy, do you have some free time? I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"What is it? Tell me." Dania's interest was piqued.

"Please do Hannah a favor."

"Of course, you don't need to contribute your manpower or resources to fight. You just need to represent the Yurievich family and act as a supervisor."

A puzzled voice came from the other end of the phone: "Regulatory Commissioner? Regulate who?"

"Seattle Parish, St. James's Cathedral"

Su Long said calmly, "This matter involves an S-class bizarre resurrection and decades of church feuds. It's incredibly exciting. Do you want to get involved?"

"I did it!" Dania's voice rose instantly, her tone filled with an excited enthusiasm that seemed to thrive on chaos.

"An S-rank mystery? A church feud? That sounds incredibly exciting! Tell me the details, what exactly is going on?"

Holding his phone, Surong briefly recounted what had happened at the church that evening, including Hannah's brother being forcibly bound to a contract by Mammon, the Wynn Society's attempt to kidnap and resurrect Mammon, and the Church's intention to use him and then turn its back on him.

He emphasized the unfair terms he had just imposed on Bishop Evan, as well as the specific details of the requirement for the Yurievich family to oversee the deposit and the validity of the policy.

After listening to Su Long's story, Dania remained silent for a long while on the other end of the phone.

"So that's what it was—"

When she spoke again, her tone lacked the previous excitement and instead carried a hint of gritted teeth: "Greedy Demon Mammon, that name is highlighted in red and bold in our family's internal files."

"What? Your family has also dealt with this monster?" Su Long seized on the information in her words.

"It's not just that we've had dealings, it's like we're sworn enemies!"

Dania snorted coldly: "When Mammon descended in 1991, our family had just completed three important international arms deals, earning a total of 17 tons of gold, which was then shipped back to the United States in batches."

"The moment that damned demon appeared, it turned all 17 tons of gold to ashes!"

"Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of gold, just gone like that!"

Dania's voice was filled with obvious heartache and anger: "If it weren't for the economic turmoil brought about by Mammon, which led to escalating conflicts around the world and a surge in demand for arms, allowing our family to make a fortune, Yurievich might have gone bankrupt!"

Sulong raised an eyebrow, surprised that the Yurievich family had such a history.

It's no wonder that Dania reacted so strongly when she heard Mammon's name.

"This is a great opportunity."

Su Long then said, "By stepping in to supervise the church, you can both disgust those cult members and gain some favor."

"Moreover, these saints in the church seem to be very concerned about this impending disaster."

He said with a hint of sarcasm, "Bishop Evan just told me that even at the cost of everything, he would secure the seal and save America. To be honest, I was quite moved."

"Hahahaha—!"

Suddenly, Dania burst into laughter on the other end of the phone. She laughed so hard she could barely breathe.

"You're moved? Su, you actually believe the nonsense of these charlatans!"

After laughing enough, Dania spoke with a mocking tone, "Guess why they're so eager to preserve the seal? Is it really for the people of America?"

Su Long's brow twitched slightly: "Isn't that right?"

"Of course not!"

Dania showed no mercy in exposing the church's secrets, and immediately dropped a bombshell.

"Those politicians in the American government are as cunning as monkeys. In order to urge the Seattle Parish to fulfill its duty of guarding Mammon's remains and to prevent them from disobeying orders, the government had already issued an order."

"A mandatory order has been issued for the Seattle parish and related church leaders to convert at least 50% of their assets into physical gold and deposit it as collateral in the Federal Reserve's underground vaults!"

Su Long instantly understood the logic behind it.

Dania concluded with a cold laugh: "It's hard to say what will happen to the American economy once Mammon really arrives."

"But one thing is certain: these church leaders who converted half their fortune into gold will be the first to go bankrupt and become a bunch of penniless paupers!"

"So, they're not trying to save America; their goal is to save their own lives!"

Hearing Dania's words, Surong couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

That's more like it.

In a world of capital and power, where are there any living saints who would willingly sacrifice themselves and offer salvation?

Only by firmly binding the lifeblood of the church with the characteristics of Mammon can we ensure that the church contributes both manpower and effort.

"In that case, is the supervisory position for the Yurievich family finalized?" Su Long confirmed over the phone.

"Of course it's settled!" Dania agreed readily.

"To prevent our family from going bankrupt again because of Mammon, I absolutely have to get involved."

"Su, don't worry, I'll send my most professional legal and regulatory team to block the entrance of St. James's Cathedral first thing tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, Dania," Suron said.

Dania smiled and said, "Why be so polite between us? See you in two days."

After hanging up the phone, Su Long tossed his phone onto the coffee table and turned to look at Hannah sitting next to him.

The girl still looked a little dazed, clearly shocked by the bombshell that Dania had just dropped.

"Did you hear that, Hannah?" Suron pointed towards the door.

"These are those high and mighty saints. They desperately want your brother to come back and solidify the seal, not for any grand cause, but simply because they fear their gold will turn to ashes."

"Therefore, we should extort as much as we can from them, without feeling any guilt whatsoever."

Su Long stood up, walked to the water dispenser, and filled his glass with water again.

"Next, all we need to do is wait for Bishop Evan to finish his call and sign the document."

Outside in the corridor, heavy footsteps sounded again.

"Knock, knock, knock."

There was a knock on the door, and Evan's voice came through the door.

"Mr. Suron, may I come in now?"

Su Long leaned back on the sofa and said to the door, "Please come in."

As the door hinges turned, Evan pushed the door open and walked in.

The bishop's demeanor was completely different from when he had just left.

His once meticulously styled hair now appeared somewhat disheveled, and his crisp bishop's robes were wrinkled. Most noticeably, his complexion had lost its usual composure and gentleness, replaced by weariness.

Clearly, that phone call to the church leadership just now was an extremely difficult process.

Faced with the unreasonable terms and conditions proposed by Su Long, the church's higher-ups, who are used to being fawned over by the believers, will definitely be furious.

But in the end, faced with the threat of Mammon's arrival and the leverage over the physical gold in the Federal Reserve's underground vaults, they had no choice but to swallow their pride and accept the debt.

Evan walked to the armchair and looked into Suron's eyes.

"You win, Mr. Suron."

He spread his hands and gave the higher-ups' reply in a helpless tone: "After emergency consultations, the church leadership has agreed to all your demands."

"We accept everything, including publishing an apology, dismissing those who neglected their duties, the ten million performance bond, and the regulatory clauses from multiple parties."

Upon hearing this, Hannah let out a long sigh of relief.

Su Long's expression showed no surprise. He had long seen through the tricks of these charlatans. As long as he grasped what they cared about, these people would compromise faster than anyone else.

"This is a wise choice."

Su Long pointed to the seat opposite him: "Sit down and let's talk. Now that the terms have been agreed upon, we should discuss the specific details of implementation."

Evan sat down on the sofa, his expression turning serious again.

"According to the latest intelligence just reported by the church leadership, the situation on the East Coast is worse than we anticipated."

Evan quickened his pace: "Wynn Resorts has begun a full-scale financial infiltration of Yale University."

He then revealed specific information: "They used several shell companies set up in the Cayman Islands to inject huge amounts of research funding into several laboratories where Damian worked."

"This is not just to monitor his movements, but also to physically bind him to the laboratory so that he has no time to pay attention to changes in the outside world."

Hannah's heart jumped into her throat.

"Although our informants have not yet discovered any organized teams of superhumans around the campus."

"But Wynn has already bought several properties in the surrounding area and taken over security authority in some areas."

"I estimate that the day when they tear off all pretenses and take forceful action is not far off."

"

"So, what is your plan?" Su Long cut straight to the heart of the matter.

"The church will handle all the procedures for his departure from Yale."

Evan offered a solution: "Whether it's retaining his student status, handling his leave of absence, or concealing his records in the lab, we will use official channels to cover it up secretly, ensuring that Wynn Resorts cannot track his whereabouts through administrative means."

"At the same time, the church has applied to the Federal Aviation Administration for a special route and will provide a private plane to be on standby at New Haven Airport."

He looked Hannah straight in the eye and gave a timeframe: "We will arrange for Mr. Damian West to depart for Seattle in five days."

"Why five days?" Su Long frowned slightly.

"This is the best time for us to make thorough preparations while also being wary of Wynn making a move."

Evan's tone was urgent: "On the one hand, the sealing array in the basement is fluctuating more and more violently, and it will reach a critical point in seven days. The contractor must personally intervene to stabilize it."

"On the other hand, according to intelligence estimates, Wynn will complete the outer blockade and personnel deployment in about a week."

"If this drags on any longer, even if we want to pick them up, we'll have to fight a full-blown supernatural war with them on the Yale campus."

Hannah understood the seriousness of the situation and nodded immediately without hesitation.

"I understand. I'll inform him tonight and tell him to prepare to leave immediately."

When Evan saw that Hannah agreed, his furrowed brows relaxed a little.

Regarding the regulatory requirements you just mentioned.

He then turned his gaze to Sulong.

"The Seattle Parish's dedicated legal team has been instructed to draft the agreement, which includes multiple oversight clauses, overnight."

"Once the contract is issued, it will be mailed to Ms. Hannah's address as quickly as possible so that you can sign and confirm it."

Su Long nodded: "Okay, I will have the Yurievich family's legal specialist work with you on the contract details. As long as there are no word games in the terms, we will sign it."

At this stage of the negotiations, everything has been basically settled.

Next comes the step of cashing out the chips.

Evan stood up, walked to a safe in the corner of the office, and after entering a long and extremely complicated password, the heavy steel door popped open.

He then took out a black walnut wood box, about the size of a briefcase, turned around and walked back to the coffee table, placing the box on the table.

The wooden box has no decorations on its surface, only brass corner protectors and clasps, giving it a rustic feel.

"Click".

Evan unfastened the brass clasp and slowly unfolded the wooden box, facing Suron and Hannah.

The inside of the wooden crate was lined with an extremely soft black velvet pad.

In the very center of the padding are two exquisite small transparent glass bottles.

The bottle was filled with a crystal-clear liquid, which was a highly concentrated holy water refined by high-ranking clergy.

Soaked in holy water, two colorful crystals with irregular polyhedral shapes floated quietly in the bottle.

These are two soul crystals of extremely high quality.

On either side of the two glass bottles, two gleaming silver coins lay flat.

Su Long stretched out his fingers, picked up one of the coins, and examined it closely.

The minting craftsmanship of this mithril coin is also extremely exquisite.

The obverse of the coin depicts the Pope's triple crown, below which are two crossed keys. The reverse features a circle of prayers written in Latin.

Compared to the Wick family's eagle-cross sword, which exudes a sense of killing intent, the Church's mithril coins have a stronger religious feel.

"These are the extraordinary resources you need."

"Two high-purity soul crystals, and four mithril coins that circulate within the church."

"These resources are sufficient to allow Miss Hannah to deeply nurture and enhance her sacred relic before the upcoming battle."

Surong tossed the mithril coin back into the wooden box and nodded in satisfaction.

Although the church is extremely unscrupulous in its methods, its foundation and resource reserves are indeed unmatched by ordinary forces.

Then, Evan reached into the inside pocket of his coat and took out an envelope made entirely of vellum.

This type of paper is extremely tough and is usually only used to hold extremely important confidential documents or large bills.

Evan handed the envelope to Suron.

"The two million dollar check is already there. Don't worry, the church defines this money as a gift and it's tax-free."

Evan explained, "All the account information, payment passwords, and authorization signatures that the church needs to fill out have been completed."

"You only need to fill in the recipient's information, and tomorrow morning, you can go directly to the VIP counter of JPMorgan Chase Bank as the recipient to receive the full payment."

Su Long took the envelope, tore it open, and pulled out two bank drafts with special anti-counterfeiting watermarks.

The JPMorgan Chase logo is printed in the upper left corner of the check, and the gold lettering reflects the light.

In the center of the check, the amount was spelled out in bold capital letters: "ONE MILLION"

"DOLLARS" followed by a long string of zeros representing a seven-figure sum.

In the lower right corner of the check was the personal seal of the Seattle parish treasurer, next to which was an extremely illegible authorization signature.

One of them is the compensation the church gave to Hannah.

The other one is a high commission that Su Long extorted through his abilities.

Two thin pieces of paper represent wealth that an ordinary person could not earn in several lifetimes.

Su Long put the two checks back into the vellum envelope and kept them close to his body.

Then, he closed the black walnut box on the coffee table and picked it up in his hand.

"very good."

Surong extended his right hand toward Evan, a pleased smile curving his lips.

"I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration."

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