America: The Cremator

Chapter 111 The Time to Divide the Spoils!

Elena looked at the pile of white ash on the ground, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, but she eventually calmed down and slowly retrieved "Sirius" and returned it to Suron.

Suron took the gun, put it back in its holster, and then bent down to pick up the three mithril coins from the wooden box.

Seeing that Su Long seemed about to throw away the notebook, Elena said, "Su, the transaction information recorded in the notebook is very important. Please keep it safe for me first, and then give it to me to handle later."

"The Support Bureau needs to identify the affected groups and individuals in order to contact those affected by Ashton later."

Upon hearing this, Su Long nodded, casually stuffed the account book into the inside pocket of his windbreaker, and then walked out of the study with Elena.

Downstairs in the living room, Dania and Hannah were sitting on the sofa waiting when they heard footsteps on the stairs and both of them stood up at the same time.

"How is it going?" Dania asked first, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Suron and Elena.

Surong walked to the center of the living room and said with a serious expression, "It is with great regret that I say Mr. Ashton committed suicide."

Dania raised an eyebrow, a playful smile playing on her lips: "Suicide? The kind where you're shot six times in the back and then finish off yourself with a bullet to the temple?"

Surong nodded seriously: "Pretty much, that's it. And the body was burned by an unknown force. It's probably Valak from the other world who did it."

Elena didn't participate in their dark humor. She glanced at the wounds and tattered clothes on the three of them and suggested, "Let's stop joking and get out of here. Get in my car, we'll go to the hospital. Everyone needs to have their wounds treated."

The four of them did not object and walked out of the small building one by one. Elena's black Mercedes-Benz G-Class was parked outside the church.

Elena got into the driver's seat, while Sulong opened the passenger door.

He glanced back and saw Dania and Hannah sitting on either side of him in the back row, while in the empty seat between them sat that damned spoon killer, looking very serious.

It still grinned, revealing its gleaming white teeth, and as Su Long looked over, it raised the iron spoon in its hand high and smacked Su Long hard on the forehead.

Boom!

Su Long's vision went black for a moment. He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the buzzing in his head and the sharp pain in his scalp, and closed the car door without changing his expression.

This guy hasn't stopped since he activated the entry.

"Is there any objection to going to Harbourview Medical Center?" Elena asked as she started the car.

Both Suron and Hannah said it was no problem, since their insurance was paid by the federal government, so it must be from the same insurance company.

Dania waved her hand dismissively and said lazily, "I'm fine with it. I have health insurance for all the hospitals in Seattle anyway."

Su Long glanced at her in the rearview mirror, silently sighing to himself, "What's wrong with one more rich person like me in this terrible world?" He suddenly remembered the three mithril coins in his pocket, so he cleared his throat and said, "By the way, before we go to the hospital, let's talk about the distribution of the spoils for this mission—no, the issue of the reward allocation."

As he spoke, he took the three mithril coins out of his pocket and held them out in his palm.

"This is the total reward for this trip: three mithril coins. Everyone, what do you all think we should do to divide it?"

Dania waved her hand first, saying decisively, "I don't want this thing. I'm a contract-type exorcist, and I don't have any sacred objects that need nurturing. Besides—I have plenty at home."

Upon hearing this, Surong's lips twitched. No wonder Vladimir dared to offer one mithril coin per mission.

Su Long looked at the other two and said, "Alright, we'll each take one of these three."

Hannah quickly waved her hand: "I—I don't need it, I didn't do anything."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Bible on her lap suddenly began to tremble violently, its pages rustling as if expressing strong dissatisfaction.

The atmosphere in the car instantly became a little awkward.

Surong chuckled and stuffed a mithril coin into Hannah's hand: "Take it. You just obtained the relic, and it was contaminated for so long. It needs mithril to nurture it. Don't be shy with us."

2

Hannah felt the cool touch of the Bible in her palm and heard the Bible stop vibrating. She whispered, "Thank you."

Surong then handed another mithril coin to Elena in the driver's seat, smiling, "Captain Elena, here's your mithril coin."

Elena glanced at it and declined, saying, "Su, I'm already very grateful that you helped me find out the cause of my teacher's death. I can't accept this reward."

"Don't be so polite," Su Long said firmly. "We agreed before we came down that this is what you deserve. Take it; your lantern also needs to be cared for."

After a moment's hesitation, Elena finally gave in and accepted the mithril coin: "Thank you."

Surong put the last mithril coin back into his pocket, then looked at Dania: "Finally, let's talk about your reward."

Dania paused for a moment: "Didn't I already say no?"

Surong ignored her and turned to Elena: "Captain, could we send an official letter of authorization for a collaborative exorcism mission to Ms. Dania's Zoo Exorcism Club in the name of the Bureau of Oddity Support? It would be a way to give her exorcism club some official endorsement."

Elena immediately understood what Su Long meant and nodded, saying, "That's no problem at all, it's a piece of cake. Ms. Dania, what's your club's official email address? I'll take care of it when I get back."

Dania's eyes lit up instantly. This was far more valuable than a few mithril coins! With official endorsement, her exorcism club could finally escape its low rating and avoid being ignored.

She first excitedly thanked Elena, then playfully punched Su Long on the shoulder, laughing heartily, "Su, you're a true friend! Call me anytime if you need any help!"

Boom!

As if echoing Dania's actions, the Spoon Killer struck Sulong on the back of the head with another spoon.

Sulong swayed slightly, rubbing his shoulders and the back of his head. Looking at the rapidly receding street scene outside the window, he said, "Now that our Mr. Ashton has vanished without a trace, we shouldn't need to handle the cleanup, right? Captain Elena, you can step on the gas."

Elena glanced at him, said nothing, but still stepped on the gas.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class engine roared, and the black silhouette accelerated instantly, heading towards downtown Seattle as the first rays of dawn appeared in the distance.

Harbourview Medical Centre.

-

Dania expertly produced a black metal card and led the three directly to the VIP passage.

"How about we get a full body check-up while we're at it? My treat," she offered warmly.

Elena and Hannah both politely declined.

Su Long took the two to the regular medical area to treat their wounds, and then returned to the lobby sofa in the VIP reception area to sit down.

With the blessing of the "Ode to Flesh and Blood" entry, his wounds had already healed to a great extent, but his tattered windbreaker looked rather pathetic.

He leaned back on the soft sofa, just about to close his eyes for a short rest.

After all, I've been fighting non-stop all night, and I'm really exhausted!

Boom!

A sharp, piercing pain came from the top of my head.

Su Long suddenly opened his eyes and saw that the persistent Spoon Killer sitting on the single sofa next to him, with his legs crossed and that damned iron spoon still tossing in his hand.

It seemed to sense Sulong's gaze, and grinned, laughing silently.

Su Long let out a helpless sigh.

He now admits that the curse of the "Spoon Killer" is a hundred times more vicious than the "Butterfly Chase."

He would rather be on guard against a elusive killer butterfly every day than face an evil spirit that keeps hitting him on the head with a spoon 24/7.

How can anyone sleep like this!

Having completely abandoned the idea of ​​resting, Su Long took out Ashton's notebook from his down jacket pocket and began to flip through it page by page.

The list above contains names of all sorts of unlucky people.

Some small exorcism societies, some lone freelance exorcists, some wealthy people with security needs, and even some — laboratories.

He turned to the last page, which was also the latest record.

[Time: 8:57 AM today]

Buyer: Timothy Gill

【Quantity: 500ml Holy Water】

[Purchaser: Stella Biolabs]

Transaction amount: $300

Su Long's pupils contracted sharply.

He instantly recalled the empty holy water bottle he had seen in Stella's laboratory, and the experimental process of Stella pouring holy water into the critically shaped black mud.

What if—what if the holy water she's using now is the contaminated holy water that Ashton sold?

The evil-contaminated holy water was poured into a bizarre substance that was already on the verge of going out of control.

What will happen?

"Oh, shit!"

Su Long cursed under his breath, immediately pulled out his phone, quickly found Stella's number in his contacts, and dialed it.

The phone rang only once.

Then, the call was abruptly disconnected.

Five minutes ago, inside Stella's biological laboratory.

The shadowless lamp cast a cold light, illuminating every piece of stainless steel equipment with crystal clarity.

The air was filled with the unique smell of disinfectant mixed with ozone.

In the central triplet glass container, there were three clumps of dark black sludge.

They wriggled like living creatures, with bubbles rising to their surface from time to time.

In a corner of the laboratory, Stella adjusted her rimless glasses, her azure eyes fixed on the data changes on the instrument, and asked without looking up, "Timothy, have you bought the holy water?"

The young assistant standing behind her, Timothy Gill, quickly replied, "Professor, it was bought early this morning."

"Where is the holy water from?"

"St. John's Cathedral." Timothy subconsciously touched his nose, his voice sounding very sincere. "The newest one, $800 a bottle. I specifically chose the highest purity one."

Stella hummed in agreement, without asking any further questions, and simply ordered, "Bring it here, in preparation for the stimulus-response test."

Timothy responded and handed over a glass bottle.

Stella took the bottle, and paused for a moment as she unscrewed the cap.

She brought the bottle opening to her nose, then held it up to the light.

"Why does it look a bit cloudy?"

Timothy's heart leaped into his throat, and he quickly explained, "Professor, I went exceptionally early today. They said this is the first well water they've drawn, so maybe—maybe there's more sediment?"

Stella stared at the tiny impurities suspended in the bottle, a fleeting look of doubt crossing her brow.

The next moment, the doorbell rang.

Stella's face flashed with impatience as she poured the holy water into the glass bucket, then looked at the door: "Come in."

""

The door opened with a click, and a young man in a bespoke suit walked in.

With a very warm smile, like a model who has just stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine: "Good morning, Professor Stella, you are as charming as ever."

Stella shifted her gaze from the data screen to the man's face, her brow furrowing slightly: "Mr. Harrison, representative of Darram Pharmaceuticals, I recall that there is no visit request for you on my schedule today."