America: The Cremator

Chapter 191 [Uriel's Contract☆☆]

The Cadillac Escalade drove smoothly through the streets of Seattle.

Sulong held the steering wheel with one hand and glanced at Hannah in the passenger seat.

"Since we're going to buy weapons, let's go to the Ice Wolf Tavern. The Yurievich family has the most complete selection, and the quality is guaranteed."

"Plus, due to my relationship with Dania, I can get internal employee discounts when purchasing goods."

Su Long turned the steering wheel at the next intersection, and the black SUV merged directly into the lane leading to the old town.

The Ice Wolf Tavern was quiet during the day, devoid of the chaotic clamor of the night.

Several bartenders in vests were cleaning the bar and wiping the floor.

When they saw Hannah walk in, they simply looked up and nodded as a greeting.

Hannah led Suron through the heavy iron gate next to the counter, down the stairs, and greeted the gatekeeper at the end of the stairs.

The Russian man pushed open the iron gate, revealing the huge underground space.

Just like before, this place is filled with cabinets displaying all kinds of guns.

Behind the central bar, Sergei Yurievich was wearing a suit and leaning back in his chair, wiping a tactical dagger.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up, his gaze lingering on Hannah for a moment before settling on Suron.

"If I remember correctly, Miss Hannah, today isn't your shift?"

"I thought I wouldn't see you for a while. How come you suddenly have time to bring Mr. Surong here?"

Hannah walked to the bar, placed her hands on the glass counter, and said, "Today I'm a customer, Mr. Sergei, so show some respect."

Sergei laughed upon hearing this, stood up, and his massive body cast a shadow under the light: "Interesting."

He watched the two bow with great elegance, then gestured to show off the massive array of firearms behind him: "Well, I'm sure our sales assistant still remembers all the stuff in these display cases."

"Aside from the service, I won't make any recommendations. You can choose whatever you want to buy yourself."

Hannah turned her head and looked at Suron standing behind her, asking for his opinion with her eyes.

Su Long stepped forward and leaned against the counter as well.

"You know more about this than I do. I'm a complete novice and know absolutely nothing about these things." With that, Su Long patted the spot on his waist where the "Sirius" sword was hanging.

"This revolver is enough for me. I don't need anything else. This purchase is mainly to prepare weapons for you and your brother to defend yourselves."

Hannah nodded, turned to face Sergei, and began to tell him her shopping list in a very fast-paced manner.

"Give me an AR57 and a P90 first."

"Then add a Fostech Origin-12 automatic shotgun, and for pistols, two FN5s."

7.

Su Long stood to the side, listening to the list, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Regarding ammunition.

Hannah continued, "We need one hundred rounds each of silver-tungsten alloy slugs and silver sand dragon breath shells."

She tapped on the glass counter and continued listing: "For the remaining three firearms, since the ammunition is interchangeable, I'll be issued 600 rounds of SS190 armor-piercing rounds with a tungsten core and a pure silver jacket."

After listening, Su Long couldn't help but sigh, "They're just reciting the names of dishes."

Sergei whistled loudly: "Miss Hannah, I like your expertise. You're looking for the best. Just wait, I'll get it ready for you."

He turned around and took a P90 and an AR57 from the wall behind him, placing them on the counter.

"Rifles, submachine guns, and pistols all use 5.7mm caliber ammunition."

"The three models you chose are even compatible with submachine gun and rifle magazines, which can minimize logistical difficulties for small teams."

Hannah picked up the P90, skillfully removed the magazine, and pulled the bolt to check the chamber with swift movements.

Damian has no combat experience.

As Hannah inspected the machine, she explained, "The P90 has very little recoil, and its fifty-round magazine capacity is enough for it to provide mindless suppressive fire when in danger."

"The AR57 and Origin-12 are for my use. As for the two FN57 pistols, we'll each carry one close to our bodies."

Sergei then said, "Although I don't know what kind of monster you're going to fight with so much ammunition, the pure silver SS199 armor-piercing rounds with tungsten cores are more than enough to deal with ordinary monsters. I'll go to the warehouse to prepare the supplies for you right away."

Just as he finished speaking and was about to move the ammunition box, Hannah called out to him.

"Wait a minute, it's not over yet."

Sergei stopped and turned to look at her with a puzzled expression.

"Give me ten more RGNPLUS offensive grenades—the modified version of the silver tungsten fragmentation grenade—and an extra M203 underbarrel grenade launcher, which you can mount directly onto the AR57's rail."

She paused for a moment, then made her final request.

"Finally, I also need an M32 six-round burst grenade launcher, and like the underbarrel grenade launcher, to go with a 40mm grenade launcher."

One hundred and twenty high-explosive shells, each containing millimeter-sized silver-tungsten steel balls.

Sergei stared wide-eyed at Hannah as if she were a monster.

The M32 six-round grenade launcher is something that has already deviated somewhat from the category of firearms.

"Hannah".

"While I shouldn't question your reasons for purchasing equipment, buying so much firepower—are you planning to fight in World War II?"

Sulong stood to the side, looking at Sergei's horrified expression, and burst out laughing.

He stepped forward and patted Sergei on the shoulder.

"Please, it's not that easy."

"If you were lucky enough to see the battlefield, you would know that the intensity of the fighting we were about to face would make the Battle of the Somme seem like a tea party."

Sergei looked into Sulong's eyes and knew that the other man was not joking at all.

The Yurievich family had a well-developed intelligence network, and he knew some things about St. James's Cathedral and the Wynn Club.

"Alright."

Sergei took a deep breath, turned and walked towards the deepest heavy-duty blast-proof warehouse: "Since you really want to go to war, I will make sure you have enough ammunition."

For the next half hour, Sergei worked like a porter, carrying out heavy, dark green ammunition boxes and weapons in tactical gun cases and piling them on the large counter.

Six hundred SS199 armor-piercing rounds were packed in two dehumidifying boxes, making them quite heavy.

One hundred and twenty 40mm high-explosive shells filled four entire ammunition boxes.

Hannah picked up the AR57 equipped with an M203 under-barrel grenade launcher and weighed it in her hand, then inspected the exaggeratedly designed M32 rapid-fire grenade launcher.

She nodded in satisfaction after confirming that all the mechanical structures and firing mechanisms were in perfect working order.

"Let's settle the bill." Su Long took out the bank card he had just cashed at JPMorgan Chase from his pocket and threw it on the counter.

Where is the card reader?

Su Long looked around but couldn't find the checkout equipment.

Sergei looked at the JPMorgan Chase bank card, waved his hand repeatedly, forced an exaggerated wry smile, and pushed the card back.

"Don't tease me, Mr. Suron."

"If Miss Dania knew that I sold you weapons and charged you money, she would definitely have my legs broken and then throw me into Lake Washington to feed the fish."

Hannah stood to the side, looking at the mountain of ammunition boxes and several expensive special firearms, and couldn't help but ask, "Is this a special case?"

"These weapons, along with the special ammunition, are worth nearly a hundred thousand US dollars. Are you really not going to take them?"

"What may be a huge sum of money for you is no different from a few hundred thousand for the Yurievich family."

Sergei shrugged, his tone very relaxed: "Miss Dania already gave the instructions."

"For all of Mr. Surong's bills, amounts under one million US dollars will be reimbursed directly through the family's internal reimbursement process and recorded in her personal account."

Sergei placed his hands on the counter and looked at Surong: "These are our young lady's exact words."

After listening, Su Long put away the bank card.

Since we've already put it this way, it would seem pretentious to refuse any further.

The Yurievich family has no shortage of weapons, and Dania was willing to make this investment of goodwill, which Sulong was happy to accept.

"Please tell Dania for me that you thank her." Suron then pointed to the equipment on the counter.

"Could you please find two guys to help me load these things onto the truck?"

"no problem."

Sergei snapped his fingers, and two burly Russian men who had been waiting immediately stepped forward and carried the heavy moisture-proof ammunition boxes.

The group left the Ice Wolf Tavern through the passage.

The Cadillac Escalade was parked on the side of the road.

The trunk door opened, and heavy ammunition boxes and tactical gun cases were stuffed into the spacious trunk one by one.

The weight of 600 armor-piercing rounds, 120 high-explosive grenades, plus shotgun shells and various firearms, caused the shock absorbers of this SUV to be noticeably lowered.

Su Long closed the trunk and glanced at the watch on his wrist.

It had been almost four hours since they left Kurt's workshop.

"It's almost time." Su Long opened the driver's side door.

"There should be some progress on Kurt's side. Let's head over now."

The Cadillac's V8 engine roared again, and twenty minutes later, the two descended the metal staircase into the underground.

The temperature inside the workshop is higher than before.

The heavy iron door on the inside remained tightly closed, and muffled knocking sounds and a high-frequency hum could be heard from inside from time to time.

Suron pulled over the folding chair he had been sitting in and sat down, while Hannah leaned against the control panel.

The two waited for another thirty minutes.

"Clang!"

The heavy sound of the bolt being pulled came from inside the iron gate.

Immediately afterwards, the iron door that kept out the high temperature was kicked open from the inside.

A stream of air, carrying a strong metallic smell and a scorching spiritual energy, rushed out.

Kurt strode out from behind the door, having already removed his heavy silver-tungsten alloy plate armor, and was now only wearing a coarse cloth vest completely soaked with sweat.

He was panting heavily, his sparse hair plastered to his forehead, making it look like he had rolled in mud, exuding extreme exhaustion.

But the gaze behind that monocle was frighteningly fanatical.

He held something carefully in his hands, as if he were holding a miracle.

"It's done!"

Kurt's voice was a little hoarse as he walked to the control panel and carefully placed the object in his hand on the table.

Su Long stood up, his gaze immediately drawn to the things on the table.

That was his dragon scale armor, but its appearance had undergone a complete transformation.

The original silver-gray titanium alloy scales have now all turned into a deep dark gold.

This gold is not the tacky, nouveau riche gold, but a pure gold that has been tempered in a furnace hundreds of times.

The silver-tungsten alloy wires lining, under the interplay of high temperature and spiritual energy, completely merge with the scales, creating extremely delicate patterns on the surface.

Su Long immediately activated his spiritual vision.

hum.

Within the spiritual vision, this dark gold soft armor emitted an extremely dazzling light.

The intensity of this spiritual light completely overwhelmed all the armor Su Long had ever seen before, and was only slightly weaker than the three sacred artifacts in his hand.

"How is it?"

Kurt leaned against the edge of the table, his voice filled with pride: "This is absolutely the most perfect masterpiece I've ever created in my life."

After saying that, he pointed to the darker scales on the chest of the soft armor and explained the dangerous process he had just experienced.

"It was so close, so close to being completely destroyed."

"The fusion of the first three soul crystals went very smoothly. Your soft armor is made of excellent material and its strength far exceeds my expectations."

"But just as I was trying to force the spirituality of the fourth soul crystal into it, I almost destroyed the entire structure."

Kurt grabbed a water glass from the table next to him and took a big gulp.

"Luckily, I managed to save him in the end."

"Although the fourth soul crystal greatly increases the difficulty and risk of forging, the high risk also brings high reward."

"Its spirituality and protective capabilities have been elevated to a whole new level."

Surong reached out and picked up the dark gold armor.

The feel of it when you hold it is completely different.

The originally cold titanium alloy now has a warm and smooth texture, as if it has come to life.

Even more noticeable is the weight; this soft armor is almost twice as heavy as before, feeling substantial and reassuring in the hand.

"What's with these golden lusters?"

Surong examined the armor; the dark gold scales emanated a unique allure under the dim lights of the workshop.

Kurt chuckled twice, his tone tinged with a hint of smugness.

"Don't make a fuss. Just like steel has a blueing process, this is a special blueing process for titanium alloys."

"By controlling the temperature with extreme precision and changing the thickness of the titanium oxide layer on the surface of the titanium alloy, it can be made to reflect this golden luster."

Kurt tapped the scales with his stubby fingers, producing a crisp metallic sound, and continued, "This isn't just for looks. This oxide layer, mixed with the spirituality of the soul crystal, is itself an extremely strong spiritual protective layer."

Su Long nodded, expressing his strong approval of the soft armor's appearance and attributes.

Wearing this, not only can you withstand regular firearms, but you can also withstand high-level, bizarre, fatal blows.

The $500,000 in labor costs was well worth it.

"Now that it has been transformed into a supreme sacred object,"

Kurt took a step back and looked at Surong. "You know the rules. As its owner, you have to give it a name and complete the final soul resonance."

Su Long held the dark gold soft armor in one hand, a few names flashing through his mind.

Since it is a piece of armor that carries four soul crystals and has the ultimate defensive power, it must have a name that carries great weight.

"Uriel," Suron uttered the name.

The Flame of God, the Archangel with the Sword who guards the gates of Hell.

This name is most fitting for naming this defensive relic that has been forged under extreme high temperatures.

The moment he finished speaking, a ball of purple-gold flame suddenly erupted from Su Long's left palm.

The world-destroying flames erupted with a deafening roar.

The extremely high-temperature flames did not spread outwards, but instead, like flowing water, directly covered the entire soft armor.

The purple-gold flames licked at the dark gold titanium alloy scales, spreading rapidly along the metal threads of the lining.

The unique spirituality belonging to Surong was imprinted deep within this newly born sacred object as it was burned by the flames of destruction.

The soft armor emitted a faint humming sound in the flames, and its originally dark gold surface shone with an extremely pure spiritual light, completely connecting with the spirituality within Su Long's body.

The flames died down.

The brand-new soft armor lay quietly in Sulong's hand, its temperature slightly cool.

At that very moment, a row of semi-transparent system characters quickly appeared on the retina in front of Su Long's eyes.

[High concentration of spiritual carriers detected.]

[A new sacred relic is contracted.]

【Uriel's Contract☆☆】

Category: Relic entry.

Description: It is made of titanium alloy with the highest physical defense and silver with the highest spiritual defense, combining the advantages of both. It has been tempered by fire and fused with high-concentration soul crystals.

Now it has become an extremely powerful sacred object. Attacks that cannot penetrate it will be completely neutralized, and attacks that can penetrate it will be greatly weakened after penetration. It can automatically recover and repair damaged parts.

Rating: The most reliable guardian!

Looking at the information on the panel, Su Long was very satisfied.

With four high-quality soul crystals, this armor skipped the one-star stage and started with two-star attributes.

This saved him a lot of experience points. When he has some free time, he can spend some resources to upgrade it to three stars, and the defensive power of this relic can be improved to another level.

While Su Long was making his plans, Kurt, behind the control panel on the other side, seemed to have been struck by lightning.

The dwarf craftsman's eyes, hidden behind the monocle, widened in disbelief, his gaze fixed on Suron's left hand, where the flames had just dissipated.

"You—you just made a contract with it like that?"

Kurt's voice cracked slightly from shock.

Su Long raised his head and weighed the dark gold soft armor in his hand.

A layer of warm, spiritual light flowed across the surface of the armor, completely at his command.

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"What's the problem?!" Kurt jumped up, his short, stubby fingers gripping his already thinning hair.

"That was a contract ritual? You just casually lit a flame in your palm? This is a top-grade sacred artifact made from four soul crystals!"

Seeing his agitated state, Su Long was somewhat puzzled: "Is this difficult?"

"Difficult? This isn't a question of difficulty; it defies common sense!"

Kurt braced his hands on the table, his chest heaving violently. As Seattle's top craftsman, he had seen too many exorcists tortured to the point of death in order to contract a high-level holy relic.

"That's not how it works! The sacred relic contract isn't like that!"

"You must first spend a great deal of money to collect materials, then hand over an item that has fought alongside you for a long time, then ask an artisan to melt it down, then nourish it with blood and emotion, constantly being stung by its spirit, then soothe it by watching the tearing of your soul and the stinging of your brain, and finally completely integrate and accept its power, letting it be deeply bound to your soul!"

"Not like you!"

"Only a very few madmen dare to forcibly enter into a contract on the spot during a life-or-death battle; even that depends on luck!"

After saying that, Kurt pointed to Uriel in Suron's hand: "This armor is brand new, and it has four soul crystals fused inside, making its spirituality extremely violent."

"And you didn't even need a break-in period, you just subdued it by burning it? What kind of monster are you?!"

After listening, Su Long simply smiled indifferently.

Others need to communicate slowly with their souls, but he doesn't. The system's panel rules directly bypass this process. Once the world-destroying fire burns and the entry is imprinted, this thing completely belongs to him.

Kurt's gaze followed the soft armor to Suron's waist, then looked at Suron's pockets.

"and----"

Kurt swallowed hard, his tone filled with the horror of looking at a monster: "If I remember correctly, you already have a top-tier revolver, a pair of top-tier brass knuckles, and a high-level relic of a gourd, right?"

"Including this armor, this is the fourth sacred relic you've contracted!"

He stared intently into Su Long's eyes, trying to find even the slightest sign of mental exhaustion: "Bearing the spiritual pressure of four supreme sacred artifacts simultaneously, does your soul really not feel any burden at all?"

Su Long thought back for a moment.

My current mental attribute is as high as 80 points, and I also have the [Childlike Heart] attribute.

The spiritual weight of this sacred object was like having an extra key in his pocket to him—it didn't cause him any ripples.

"Absolutely not," Surong replied affirmatively.

Kurt was completely exasperated. He simply slumped back onto the elevator platform, waving his hand dismissively: "Tell me, what kind of anomaly are you, and what is your purpose in infiltrating our human society?"

"Damn it! If I had known your soul-bearing capacity was so exaggerated, I should have stuffed in some more potent ingredients when I was forging it. Maybe I could have forged this little darling even more perfectly."

Su Long ignored the dwarf's rambling and simply took off his windbreaker and tossed it onto the folding chair next to him.

"Hannah, help me put it on." Suron turned to look at the nun who had been standing quietly to the side.

Hannah immediately stepped forward and took the dark gold dragon scale armor from Suron's hands.

This thing was extremely heavy. The moment she picked it up, Hannah's arm sank sharply, and she almost lost her grip. She struggled to lift the heavy piece of armor. Sulong stood with his back to her, his arms slightly outstretched.

Hannah first slipped the soft armor off Suron's shoulders.

Dark gold titanium alloy scales slid down the contours of Sulong's muscles, the cold metal lining clinging to his burning skin.

Hannah then walked around to Sulong's front, stretched out her hands, and skillfully tightened the hidden buckles and straps on the side of the soft armor one by one.

"Alright." Hannah fastened the last strap and took a half step back.

Su Long stretched his shoulders and twisted his neck.

This armor, which incorporates four soul crystals, is indeed more than twice as heavy as before.

If an ordinary B-rank exorcist were to wear it, let alone fight, even daily running would be severely affected, and their physical strength would be quickly depleted.

However, with his current "Iron Body" and 60 points of physique, this weight was well within his tolerance range, and he adapted to it after a few movements.

On the contrary, the feeling of being enveloped by the heavy armor plates made him feel more at ease.

"How does it feel?" Kurt sat on the platform, looking at Suron who was wearing new armor.

The dark gold soft armor, combined with Su Long's imposing physique, made him look like a god of death in the dim light.

"It fits perfectly," Su Long commented.

He reached for his waist with his right hand, pulled out a silver-tungsten alloy dagger that he always carried close to his body, and stabbed it viciously into his left ribs!

"Su!" Hannah exclaimed in fright.

Kurt also suddenly stood up from the platform.

"when--!"

A metallic crackling sound erupted in the underground workshop, sending sparks flying.

The silver-tungsten alloy dagger, capable of easily slicing through the strange flesh, pierced heavily into the dark gold scales. The powerful impact caused Su Long's body to sway slightly.

He moved the dagger aside and looked down.

Where "Uriel" was stabbed, only a tiny white mark remained on the titanium alloy scales.

In the half-second that Su Long looked away, a glimmer of light flashed across the surface of the white mark, and then it was smoothed out at a speed visible to the naked eye, restoring its original smoothness.

Completely offset, automatically repaired.

The description in this entry is not exaggerated in the slightest.

Satisfied, Su Long sheathed the dagger again.

With this layer of defense, he can fight with complete freedom in close combat, and even use the most brutal method of trading blows for damage.

"You bastard, you're so cruel to yourself."

After confirming that the armor was intact, Kurt sat down again, grumbling, "But you see, this armor is pretty strong."

"Unless it's some kind of heaven-defying rule that obliterates it, it can withstand even a full-force attack from a high-ranking B-level opponent!"

Su Long picked up the windbreaker draped over the chair, put it back on, and zipped it up.

The oversized windbreaker completely concealed the dark gold soft armor, and from the outside, he still looked like an ordinary man dressed in casual clothes.

"The craftsmanship is indeed excellent; this 500,000 yuan was well spent."

Sulong gestured with his chin toward Kurt.

Kurt snorted and took a swig from the water glass on the table next to him. "Stop with the fancy talk. Next time you get your hands on high-quality soul crystals like this, remember to consider me first."

"I, Kurt, am not exaggerating. In Seattle, there is no craftsman who, apart from me, possesses such superb skills and the ability to preserve such a wild and spiritual technique."

After Sulong finished maintaining the other three sacred objects, he also used a mithril coin to upgrade Hannah's Bible.

By the time the two received the finished product, paid, and returned to the ground, it was already completely dark.

Their trunks were crammed with ammunition and heavy firearms, and with the dark gold soft armor that Suron was wearing close to his body and the fully upgraded relic, this purchase was quite fruitful.

Su Long opened the car door, got into the driver's seat, and started the engine.

Hannah sat in the passenger seat, watching Suron skillfully shift gears, and asked, "What's the plan next? Are we going to buy anything else?"

"We already have enough equipment; if we add any more, this vehicle will be overloaded."

With one hand on the steering wheel, Suron drove the Cadillac out of the narrow alley: "I'll take you to dinner. After that, I have to head to Dania's place."

Hannah was somewhat surprised and glanced at the night view outside the car window: "Going to the bar? I remember your security mission with her was scheduled for tomorrow morning."

"It's not a tavern; the Yurievich family's security mission isn't located in the city center."

Looking at the road ahead, Su Long said calmly, "Although the mission starts at dawn, it's still best to go and scout the location as soon as possible."

After driving the Cadillac Escalade back to downtown, Suron chose an Italian restaurant with an excellent ambiance.

Without the pressure of tasks, the two enjoyed a rare moment of pure relaxation.

Suron cut his steak on his plate, occasionally chatting with Hannah about the airport pick-up arrangements for Damian's arrival in Seattle in five days.

With the church providing a multi-party oversight agreement, and the ammunition in the trunk of her car enough to wage a small war, Hannah was noticeably more relaxed.

An hour later, Sulong took Hannah back to her residence.

Hannah opened the car door and stood under the streetlight, looking at Suron in the driver's seat: "Be careful, Suron. If you run into any trouble you can't handle, remember to call me."

"Don't worry, it's just a security mission. The opponent is only a C-level, it'll be a piece of cake," Su Longchong waved his hand at her.

"Go inside quickly and get some rest. Make sure you're in good shape these next few days, because we'll have a tough battle to fight once we land in Mian."

Watching Hannah walk through the gate and see the lights come on, Su Long rolled up the car window and stepped on the gas.

The Cadillac left the city and headed straight east.

The coordinates given by Dania are Rattlesnake Lake, 35 kilometers east of downtown Seattle.

As the vehicle drove away from the bustling city center, the surrounding buildings gradually thinned out.

The two-way four-lane road has been transformed into a one-way asphalt road, with more and more undulations and curves on the road surface.

Su Long lowered the car window slightly.

The outside air became extremely cold and hard, mixed with a strong smell of pine needles and moisture.

He glanced at the car navigation system; the cursor on the screen had already ventured into a large green area without road markings.

This is completely a wilderness area.

There was no cell phone signal, no surveillance cameras, and you couldn't even see passing vehicles.

Apart from a beam of light pierced by the car headlights, all around were dark tree shadows swaying in the wind.

This desolate wilderness is absolutely a natural killing field.

No matter how intense the battle, it will not attract the attention of the authorities.

After driving for nearly twenty more minutes, the woods finally came to an end.

A vast expanse of black water came into view.

Su Long parked the car on a gravel patch at the end of the road, turned off the engine, and got out.

A cold wind, carrying the fishy smell of the lake, swept over us.

Rattlesnake Lake is surrounded by mountains, and its surface is extremely calm, like a huge black mirror reflecting the scattered lights in the night sky.

There were no traces of man-made structures around, only the huge, dead tree trunks scattered haphazardly along the lake shore, giving off a sense of desolation.

Su Long walked forward on the gravel, his leather shoes making a crisp rubbing sound on the ground.

He activated his spiritual vision, his gaze sweeping across the desolate landscape.

No unusual spiritual fluctuations were detected in the field of vision; the entire area was unusually clean.

A few dozen meters ahead, there is a high platform made of huge rocks that extends directly into the depths of the lake, making it an excellent spot for fishing.

At that moment, on that high platform, a woman in a leather jacket was leaning against the hood of an SUV, playing with a metal windproof lighter in her hand.

The lighter clicks open and closes, producing a crisp "ding" sound.

The faint flame illuminated Dania's face.

Hearing footsteps coming from the gravel, Dania looked up, saw who it was, casually stuffed her lighter into her pocket, clapped her hands, and strode over to meet them.

"Su, you're here so early?" Dania walked up to Su Long and looked him up and down.

Su Long nodded and glanced at the surrounding terrain: "It's better to come early and check out the site beforehand."

His gaze then passed over Dania's shoulder and looked towards the very edge of the platform.

There was a folding fishing chair there.

A man with gray hair, wearing a heavy windproof jacket, was sitting in a chair, holding a carbon fiber fishing rod, his eyes fixed on the glowing buoy on the lake.

Even when outsiders came, he didn't even turn his head, as if his world consisted only of that fishing rod.

"Is that the target we need to protect?" Surong turned his gaze to Dania.

"Ivan Petrovich, the core accountant of the Yurievich family."

Dania lowered her voice, a hint of coldness in it: "This old man holds my uncle's lifeline in his hands."

Su Long raised an eyebrow and looked around at the empty lake shore.

"Why was this location chosen?"

Su Long voiced his doubts: "If it's just to protect him, hiding him in a safe house in the city or in the family's underground fortress would be much safer than leaving him in this desolate wilderness."

Dania sneered, walked to the water's edge, bent down, picked up a flat stone, and threw it forcefully into the lake.

The stone bounced several times on the black water before finally sinking to the bottom, creating ripples.

"But we can't be on guard against him all the time."

Dania dusted off her hands, turned around, and looked directly at Surong.

"That assassin is extremely cunning, skilled in concealment and infiltration. If we hide Ivan in the fortress, the assassin will definitely choose to lie in wait, striking when our defenses are at their weakest."

"That feeling of the enemy being in the dark while we are in the light is too passive. The Yurievich family has no habit of being passively attacked."

She pointed to the old man sitting there fishing.

"Therefore, we can only find an opportunity to lure him out."

"Ivan has an unwavering habit: every month on this night, he comes to Rattlesnake Lake to fish. This is the only time he leaves the family's tight security."

"This is a golden opportunity for that assassin."

Dania's eyes flashed with a hint of murderous intent. "If he dares to come, we'll take care of him right here and now, and eliminate any future trouble."

This is completely using the protected target as bait!

"As you requested, no one is present except for me and the target being protected."

Su Long nodded; he liked this clean and efficient arrangement.

Having no extra manpower means there's no need to be distracted by protecting those burdens.

Wilderness, darkness, bait, and him and Dania—it truly was a perfect hunting ground.

"Okay." Su Long nodded, walked to the edge of the platform, and found a clean rock to sit on.

He put his hands in his pockets and looked at the dark lake and the distant woods.

"Next, we just wait for the bait to be caught."