America: The Cremator

Several blinding beams of tactical flashlight light pierced the huge hole in the ceiling, dispelling the remaining darkness and smoke in the sewers.

Within the beam of light, a dozen lithe figures were rapidly rappelling down to the ground using ropes.

They were dressed in dark gray urban combat uniforms with clear National Guard insignia printed on their chests and armbands. They wore FAST tactical helmets equipped with full communication modules and night vision equipment, and their XM7 combat rifles were equipped with holographic sights and laser designators. They were quite well-equipped.

A dozen bright beams of light instantly locked onto the hellish battlefield, eventually converging on Elena and Suron.

A lieutenant, clearly the leader, strode forward. His gaze swept past Elena, surveying the surrounding Shoggoth remains that were still decomposing and evaporating. His tone carried a hint of disbelief and confirmation.

"Is the target... already dead?"

Elena, leaning on the massive silver sword to support herself, nodded, her voice weak from exhaustion: "The core of the anomaly has been destroyed; the threat is gone."

She then added, "We have three wounded, one of whom is seriously injured and unconscious and needs immediate medical evacuation."

Listening to their conversation, Su Long let out a sneer that no one could hear behind his gas mask.

The baby dies and you know to start breastfeeding; the baby dies mysteriously and you know to send someone.

As he watched the heavily armed special forces soldiers approaching, he realized with certainty that he was finally safe. What followed was nothing more than a series of tedious reports, inquiries, and physical examinations.

Instead of wasting energy dealing with these procedures, we should take the time to study the rich rewards we've gained from this narrow escape.

An idea flashed through his mind.

Now that the battle has just ended, it's the perfect time to feign unconsciousness, so I can enjoy being served on a stretcher and avoid those tedious interrogations.

Thinking of this, Su Long immediately took action. He covered his forehead with his hand, and his steps became unsteady.

Elena noticed something was wrong and turned around to ask, "What's wrong?"

Headache... dizziness...

Su Long deliberately spoke in a muffled voice, then suddenly collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this, Elena immediately shouted to the group of special forces soldiers, "There's another seriously wounded soldier here! Get another stretcher immediately!"

Ten minutes later, Su Long lay quietly on the swaying stretcher, continuing to play the role of a wounded soldier who was in a deep coma due to mental shock.

The waterproof tarpaulin above the stretcher blocked out all light and sound, creating a perfect, undisturbed environment for him.

In the pitch-black landscape, the pale blue system panel floated silently.

Twenty orbs of experience points, resembling miniature stars, were slowly flying around the attribute panel. The dense array of them almost gave him a dizzying illusion.

Su Long focused his attention on the list of entries.

He decided to upgrade the newly acquired [Rapid Regeneration☆] attribute to two stars first.

This kind of survival skill is directly related to survivability, so any investment in it will not be a loss. It can also effectively reduce the density of these experience orbs, making the panel look less crowded.

With a thought, the ten orbs of light instantly broke free from their orbit, transforming into ten golden streams of light that all flowed into the line of characters for 【Rapid Regeneration☆】.

【Rapid Regeneration☆☆】

Type: Blessing

Description: You have acquired the active cellular properties of the Shoggoths, granting you a metabolic rate far exceeding that of ordinary humans. This allows you to rapidly heal minor injuries (Level 1) and mild injuries (Level 2), including: abrasions and lacerations; sprains and dislocations; muscle strains; and minor internal bleeding. For injuries that cannot be healed quickly, the healing process is accelerated.

Evaluation: Takley!

Su Long looked at the upgraded introduction with satisfaction.

In regular combat, the greatest threat often comes from continuous surface damage and blood loss, but now, the two-star rapid regeneration allows him to quickly repair most non-fatal wounds.

Once he unlocks higher-level blood control abilities, he will be completely immune to the threat of blood loss. At that time, even when facing more exaggerated and bizarre situations, his survival ability will take a qualitative leap.

Then, Surong's gaze turned to another entry that was presented as an "unexpected bonus".

【Elena's Clay Sculpture☆】

type:??

Description: You have inherited ownership of the Atonement Clay Sculpture Elena. Any actions performed on this clay sculpture will be projected onto its original form. This clay sculpture cannot be taken away.

Verdict: She belongs to you now!

Su Long raised an eyebrow.

What an absolutely terrible review.

A bold idea popped into his mind: Could he... upgrade this entry?

Of course, this thought only flashed through his mind, and he certainly wouldn't waste his precious experience points on this entry that currently only seemed to have the functions of flirting and coercion.

Elena is a genuine B-rank exorcist, completely unaware of the power and resources behind her.

Given the current pace, reaching a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship with her would be the wisest choice.

If this thing is used to push her to the brink, no one can predict what kind of crazy counterattack she will launch, which would be tantamount to playing with fire.

Su Long glanced at the attribute panel a few times, and finally invested all the remaining ten experience points into another newly acquired attribute.

【The Contract of Sirius☆☆】

Type: Blessing

Introduction: Your connection with Sirius is stronger now! Sirius gains a new attachment—Hover Sight; Sirius gains a new skill—Last Stand—when his magazine is empty and he is facing a life-or-death crisis, he can fire an extra Primal Fireball!

Comment: I bet you still have bullets in your gun!

Looking at the upgraded skill description, Su Long was quite satisfied and even felt an urge to try out the "hovering sights" function immediately.

He once played a video game called Call of Duty, where some of the advanced weapon skins had a similar function: they could project the crosshair onto the weapon in a holographic way, thus providing a wider field of view, faster aiming speed, and more accurate bullet trajectory.

Unfortunately, he's still lying on the stretcher pretending to be dead. If he suddenly pulled out a revolver from his pocket and started brandishing it, he'd probably scare the two special forces soldiers who were huffing and puffing while carrying the stretcher off on the spot.

Just then, he felt the stretcher stop shaking.

Immediately afterwards, a familiar, intellectual and magnetic female voice came from outside the stretcher.

"Thank you, please leave this patient to me."

Then he felt a cool hand gently stroking his face, as if checking his pupil response. Immediately afterwards, the hand went up his neck and unceremoniously slipped into the collar of his protective suit, pressing and probing his chest.

Alarm bells rang in Su Long's mind.

Wow, is that Professor Stella?

How did it end up in this woman's hands?

Why doesn't she take advantage of the opportunity to "treat" herself and have several large bottles of blood drawn out?

……

Su Long opened his eyes blankly, and what came into view was a clean, flat ceiling. The air was filled with a slightly sweet scent that was a mixture of disinfectant and some kind of high-end fragrance.

He briefly recalled the events before he fell into a deep sleep, and his body involuntarily relaxed.

The lack of rest and the intense combat work caused Su Long to fall asleep without realizing it on the way to the hospital.

Su Long turned his somewhat stiff neck and looked at the side of the hospital bed.

An elegant sheer curtain separated his bed from the one next to it, and through that semi-transparent curtain, and the afternoon sunlight streaming in from the window on the other side, he saw a graceful silhouette sitting on the edge of the bed.

The rustling sound of fabric rubbing against each other rang out continuously, and the silhouette changed its posture in the light and shadow. After a moment of observation, Su Long realized that she was taking off her clothes.

As each piece of clothing was removed, the outline of the body became increasingly clear in the light and shadow.

Judging from her signature short, neat hair and slightly immature body lines, that was Hannah.

Su Long even had the illusion that if she turned to a certain angle, she might be able to glimpse the more delicate protrusions at the top of the mountain in the undulating silhouette.

Just then, a cold yet familiar voice came from behind the curtain on his other side.

"Hannah, Suron is sleeping right next to you. Isn't it inappropriate for you to change your clothes like this?"