America: The Cremator

Chapter 96 Black Mist in the Well!

Su Long abruptly hung up the phone, his face ashen.

Dania spoke first: "Hannah is a smart person, she shouldn't be so reckless."

Elena frowned. "I've had a lot of dealings with the higher-ups at her church. They're a bunch of stupid, arrogant, and heartless bastards."

"I suspect that Hannah has been deceived by them."

Su Long stood up from the sofa, his gaze sweeping over Dania and Elena.

Hannah works as a temporary security advisor for Elena's Black Chess Squad, and also as a gun shop receptionist and engraver at Dania's Direwolf Tavern.

There is no doubt that both men have a close relationship with Hannah and are very worried about her safety.

Sulong first looked at Dania and said urgently, "Dania, please prepare the necessary supplies for going down the well, the more comprehensive the better."

Dania nodded, turned around, and quickly walked out of the room.

Then, Su Long looked at Elena: "Captain Elena, please check the lantern and longsword to make sure the weapons are in good condition. Then go to the back door and start the car. We are ready to leave at any time."

Elena stuffed the tablet into her tactical vest and strode out.

Finally, Surong looked at Lucas, who was sitting on the edge of the bed: "Alright, Mr. King of Fighters, now you can have your wish fulfilled. A friend of mine went down the well alone, and we must leave immediately. You should also get ready."

Lucas stood up straight, his tall figure casting a deep shadow under the incandescent light.

He glanced down at the sterling silver knuckle dusters on his fingers, then touched the photo in the inside pocket of his breast pocket: "Mr. Surong, thank you for taking me with you."

"I don't have much to prepare; I can leave anytime."

"After all, all I have now is this pair of brass knuckles and a photograph."

Without saying anything more, Su Long took out his phone and quickly dialed Hannah's number.

Only a monotonous and prolonged dial tone came from the receiver; no one answered.

He hung up and redialed, over and over again.

There was only a dead silence on the other end of the phone.

Su Long gripped his phone tighter, his brows furrowing deeply.

Dania's analysis was correct. Although Hannah seems lively and carefree, she is definitely not the kind of person who acts without considering the consequences.

She went down the well alone, either because she was misled or because an unpredictable emergency occurred underground.

Five minutes later, heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Dania pushed open the door and entered.

She was carrying a huge aluminum guitar case on her back and four bulging black tactical backpacks in her hands.

The guitar case clearly didn't contain any musical instrument; instead, it contained her signature high-powered chainsaw.

Dania threw the four backpacks onto the floor with a dull thud.

She pulled a Remington M870 pump-action shotgun from her waist and threw it, along with four heavy boxes of bullets, at Lucas.

Lucas caught it steadily and looked down to see the words "Pure Silver Deer Bullets" printed on the bullet box.

"Put those two little toys away."

Dania looked at the brass knuckles in Lucas's hand, a smug smile playing on her lips: "If they weren't sacred objects, this big guy would definitely be more useful."

Lucas did not refute, skillfully pulled back the bolt, inspected the chamber, and then loaded the bullets one by one into the magazine.

Dania crouched down, unzipped one of the backpacks, and quickly showed the supplies inside.

"Emergency medical supplies, compressed biscuits, purified water, military gas masks, and searchlight helmets, one set per person."

"I prepared an extra set of supplies for Hannah."

After saying that, she stood up, took out two flat cardboard boxes from the pocket of her tactical vest, and handed them to Su Long.

"The ammunition you requested."

Su Long took the cardboard box; its heavy weight made him feel much more at ease.

Those were a full one hundred Magnum .357 bullets made of pure silver.

"Walk."

Su Long stuffed the bullets into his pocket and rushed out of the room first.

The four of them quickly passed through the back kitchen passage of the tavern and rushed into the night.

A fine drizzle began to fall from the sky, and the cold raindrops hit my face, bringing a chill.

Elena's Mercedes G63 was parked in the back alley, its engine emitting a low roar.

Everyone quickly opened the car door and climbed into the carriage.

Elena floored the accelerator, and the heavy SUV tore through the rain and sped onto the empty street.

The streets of Seattle were nearly deserted late at night, and the glow of the streetlights cast long reflections on the flooded pavement.

Elena gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, her eyes fixed on the road ahead.

The hands on the dial soared higher and higher.

What should have been a half-hour drive was compressed into just over ten minutes by her.

The screeching sound of brakes echoed outside the Cedar Ridge Community Church.

The off-road vehicle's tires carved two deep grooves in the gravel ground before it came to a steady stop in front of the iron gate.

Reverend Samuel stood anxiously in the rain, holding a black umbrella and looking around.

Upon seeing the four people get out of the car, he immediately went to greet them, his wrinkled face filled with panic.

"You've finally arrived."

"Lead the way," Su Long uttered only two words.

Samuel didn't dare to delay. He turned around and quickly led everyone through the overgrown courtyard, heading straight for the backyard.

In the center of the backyard, the old well, built of bluish-gray stones, stood silently in the darkness.

Su Long strode to the edge of the well platform and looked down.

The water level that had originally overflowed to the wellhead had now completely disappeared.

Instead, there was a bottomless, pitch-black passage.

Sulong raised his hand and turned on the high-intensity searchlight fixed to his helmet.

A blinding white beam of light shot straight down to the bottom of the well.

After descending several meters, the light was completely swallowed by a thick darkness, unable to illuminate the scene deeper inside.

"Hannah!"

Su Long shouted at the well opening.

The echoes reverberated back and forth between the narrow stone walls, gradually fading until finally fading into silence.

No response.

A faint light appeared deep within Su Long's eyes as he activated his spiritual vision.

Under the special perspective of the psychic, the scene inside the well changed.

The darkness that swallowed up the light was actually a massive surge of black gas.

They appeared to be alive, slowly wriggling against the well wall, emanating a nauseating, chilling aura.

Elena walked over to Suron and pulled a bright glow stick off her tactical accessory.

She forcefully snapped the inner glass tube, and the glow stick instantly burst into a blinding, cold green light.

"Try this."

She handed the glow stick to Su Long.

Su Long took it and tossed it into the well.

The glowing plastic rod fell rapidly under the influence of gravity.

A green halo illuminated the well walls along the way.

The rough bluestone bricks were covered with large patches of dark green, sticky moss, and some unidentified fluffy substances hung between the cracks.

The glow stick continued to fall, and the light spot became smaller and smaller in the field of vision.

A few seconds later, the green dot of light suddenly flickered.

Then, it disappeared completely.

It was completely swallowed up by the darkness below, leaving not even a glimmer of light behind.

As Su Long stared at the darkness that had closed in again, his expression grew increasingly grave.

"Although I don't know exactly what changes have occurred down there," he turned to look at the three people behind him, "it's definitely a very bad change."

The rain gradually intensified, and cold raindrops slid down Su Long's cheeks, hitting his waterproof jacket.

He looked down at the surging waves of black mist below the well and slowly said, "Prepare to go down the well."

Lucas took a sudden step forward, slung his Remington shotgun over his shoulder, his eyes bloodshot as he stared intently at the dark well opening: "I'll go down first."

"No," Elena grabbed Lucas's shoulder and pulled him back. "You lack the professional experience to deal with the supernatural. Going to the front lines will only be a pointless death."

She turned to look at Su Long, her tone resolute: "I am the captain of the special task force, and I have received professional rappelling and assault training. I will lead the charge."

Dania slung the heavy aluminum guitar case over her shoulder and joined in.

"Stop arguing. I'm a contract-type superhuman. I can react instantly to any emergency."

Su Long looked at the three arguing in front of him and raised his hand to interrupt them.

"Shut up, all of you, and listen to my instructions."

He pointed to the deep well that was constantly emitting cold air.

"I have clairvoyance, so I can see the situation below clearly, which is why I'll lead the charge."

"Elena, you're next. Your lantern can provide wide-area illumination and resist the corrosive effects of the strange energy. I'll leave the mid-section cover to you."

"Danya is third, Lucas is last."

He paused, then emphasized, "Stop arguing, save time."

97

The three exchanged glances, and finally nodded, accepting the arrangement.