America: The Cremator

Surong walked to the outermost body of a homeless man, bent down, and placed his palm on the body's forehead. A cluster of golden flames suddenly rose up.

The corpse's clothes, flesh, and bones rapidly decomposed in the golden light, turning into a pile of white dust that scattered on the muddy ground.

Without pausing, Su Long then walked toward the second and third corpses.

In less than two minutes, all five corpses used as sacrifices turned to white ash.

Finally, he stood before the enormous "container" corpse, feeling somewhat emotional.

This is a very valuable corpse, but for now, we can only convert it into experience points.

Sulong gently placed the flame at the center of the cross wound. A piercing scream seemed to come from inside the corpse before it completely disintegrated.

A few lines of light blue text appeared on Su Long's retina.

[Burning five sacrificial lambs liberates the tragic souls and grants 5 experience points.]

[Burning a sacrificial 'vessel' purified a greedy soul, granting 5 experience points]

An ordinary corpse seems to only provide 1 experience point, but this container provides 5 points directly, which is indeed very valuable.

Su Long brought up the attribute panel and began allocating attribute points without hesitation.

Focus seven points on spiritual vision and three points on physical constitution.

[Vision: 3 → 10]

[Constitution: -6→-3]

[The host's spiritual vision has advanced to a new stage: increased sensitivity to extraordinary forces, which will leave energy threads in front of the host.]

A surge of scorching warmth instantly flooded Su Long's eyes, bringing a stinging and swelling sensation. His previously hazy spiritual vision gradually became clearer and more concrete.

At the same time, the heaviness and fatigue in my body lessened considerably, and a slight soreness flashed through my muscles, which quickly dissipated.

Su Long blinked, adjusting to the new level of spiritual vision.

He turned his head and looked at Stella and Hannah lying on the ground.

This time, I finally saw something different.

A wisp of extremely thin red mist was floating between Stella's eyebrows, like the end of a venomous snake's tail, swaying erratically in the air.

Surong crouched down beside Stella, once again activating the primordial fire, grabbed the red mist tail, and pulled it outwards fiercely.

However, a huge reaction force came from that red line.

Surong felt himself being pulled towards Stella by this immense force, and his vision gradually darkened.

The last scene before darkness was two imposing mountain peaks rushing towards us, their power undiminished even through the hazmat suits.

……

When Su Long opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a spacious single hospital room.

In the center was a multi-functional medical bed, on which lay a middle-aged white man.

He was so thin he was just skin and bones, his eyes were sunken, and his body was covered with various tubes. A ventilator mask was attached to his mouth and nose, emitting a regular breathing sound.

His skin was covered with dense black symbols, like some kind of ancient script or a colony of some kind of mold.

A young girl stood in front of the hospital bed.

She was wearing a thin gray sweatshirt, her chestnut hair was casually tied back, and her back view looked thin and helpless.

That seems to be Stella in her teenage years.

She was crying silently, her head bowed and her shoulders trembling slightly.

Su Long looked around.

She seemed to have been pulled into Stella's nightmare. The man lying on the bed was probably her relative, cursed by some strange force.

Su Long walked up behind the girl and patted her on the shoulder.

"Professor Stella."

The girl's body stiffened for a moment, then she turned around in a panic, looking at Su Long with a look of unfamiliarity and wariness in her eyes.

"Who are you? How did you get in?"

Su Long looked at her.

"Professor Stella, wake up! Don't let the supernatural manipulate your memories and emotions."

The girl was stunned.

She opened her mouth, as if to refute, but a series of fragmented images flooded her mind, and her chaotic memories began to reassemble.

The confusion in the girl's eyes quickly faded, and calmness and rationality returned.

"This... really is a dream."

"I remember now... I encountered the C-level eerie 'Smiling Mother' in the Green Belt of Eastern Duwamish."

She looked up at Su Long.

"Mr. Surong, how did you end up in my dream?"

Su Long shrugged: "Who knows? Maybe you've already fallen in love with me?"

"In any case, now is not the time for idle chatter, Professor."

"You're an expert, you must know the consequences of getting lost in a dream, right? Quickly think of a way to escape from the dream."

Stella took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over every corner of the ward.

"The power of the Smiling Mother must have materialized into something in this space, serving as the core anchor point for maintaining the dream."

"Only by destroying it will the dream collapse."

Su Long nodded and turned to face the ward.

"Since we're looking for something, that makes things easier."

Su Long closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and activated his spiritual vision.

In an instant, the world before my eyes changed dramatically.

The walls and floor of the ward disappeared, and the medical instruments turned into translucent phantoms.

The level of spiritual vision is too high.

This allowed his vision to pierce through the illusory dream and see reality.

This won't work.

Su Long tried to reduce the power of his spiritual vision, and the scene in his field of vision began to fall back, the gray and white nothingness re-condensing into the outline of the ward.

In a gray and white field of vision, only three objects emitted light.

He himself emanated a faint golden light.

The girl beside him, Stella, emitted a soft white light.

And the dying man in the hospital bed.

A thick, scarlet mist was tightly wrapped around his body, like a red shroud.

found it.

Su Long pointed to the hospital bed.

Stella.

"What follows may be a little cruel for you."

"Close your eyes."

Stella followed his finger and looked at the tormented man.

A flicker of pain crossed her eyes, and she gave a bitter laugh: "Did it impersonate my father?"

"What a twisted sense of humor."

Su Long nodded: "Yes."

Stella took a deep breath, turned around, and faced away from the hospital bed.

"I'm sorry I showed you my vulnerable side."

"Let's get started, Mr. Suron."

Su Long walked to the bedside.

The other party seemed to sense the danger, and slightly opened its tightly closed eyes, revealing a pair of pitch-black eyes with no whites.

The muscles on that face, covered in black runes, began to twitch as it tried to force a strange smile.

Su Long raised his right hand, but hesitated for a moment.

Will directly burning the strange origin with the primordial fire cause some kind of backlash?

Just like the girl in the rain last time.

If I don't die from the fire, will I be burdened with a new curse?

I already have one "hatred of water and rain" on me, if I get another one, I'm afraid I really won't be able to live anymore.

But he had no other choice.

Let them curse me then.

Having too much debt means you don't have to worry.

With a thought, the golden flames in Su Long's palm surged instantly, slamming heavily onto the "father's" face.

"Sizzle—"

A violent corrosive sound rang out.

The man on the hospital bed let out a mournful roar.

The sound was sharp and piercing, a frequency completely unlike that of human vocal cords, more like the noise of metal rubbing against glass.

A large amount of blue smoke billowed from his face.

The surrounding space began to tremble, and huge cracks appeared on the walls.

"Click."

A crisp, shattering sound exploded in my ears.

The entire ward was like a shattered mirror, instantly disintegrating into countless glittering fragments.

……

Su Long suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the dirty ceiling of the tent.

A violent coughing sound came from beside me.

Stella was lying on the ground, her hands supporting her weight, breathing heavily.

Su Long ignored her, focusing his gaze on the few lines of blue text that appeared in the air.

[You burned the eerie, smiling Mother of Goddess, gaining the entry "Fear Awe (Broken)"]

As revenge for being burned by you, the Smiling Mother cursed you, granting you the attribute "Nightmare Entanglement"★.

Su Long looked at the line of text and shook his head helplessly.

really.

Another incomplete entry.

Another curse.

The last time the Rain Lady got away was already a headache, this time no matter what, we must cremate this smiling saint on the spot!