Lord of Cinder in American Comics

After Ash used the souls of multiple heroes to enhance Rosalia's abilities, the maggots that originally belonged to Rosalia shed their ugly skin and transformed into angels with pure white wings.

The so-called angel that Ash summoned last time was just the lowest-level winged knight. The angel that was originally at the top of the Grand Archives even gained two more wings under Rosalia's transformation.

This batch of cheap holy water was produced by the maggot priest outside Rosalia's bedroom who wielded a spear of light. Ash tested it and found it to be as lethal to dark creatures as sulfuric acid to humans.

Once everyone was ready, Ash ordered the attack to begin.

With the ATS exoskeleton armor clearing the way, the restaurant door was directly dismantled, and several attack teams entered in batches.

Soon, the people waiting outside heard gunshots coming from inside the restaurant, as well as a fleeting burst of light as the holy water bottle was smashed.

With the sounds of clearing away, this one-sided battle gradually came to an end.

The lead ATS armor, with its mechanical arm, carefully carried several plush toys out of the restaurant. If it weren't for the pits on their bodies corroded by holy water and the unbearable stench they emitted, no one would have thought these things were dark creatures.

Ash used his Thunder Spear, and Geralt used his knife to pin the plush toys to the ground, preparing to ask them why.

However, even when subjected to sharp blows and lightning strikes, these plush toys could only open their mouths in pain and frantically roll their plastic eyes, without uttering a single sound.

"Um... can't they talk?"

Kassel, who was broadcasting the live footage, discovered a blind spot.

Just when everyone was in an awkward situation, George Stacy stepped in to save the day.

George asked Ash, "You're looking for the person who creates wish-granting creatures? Right? Maybe we could try checking the store's security footage or the surrounding public surveillance cameras; we might find some clues..."

When you have a hammer in your hand, you always want to bang and scratch. Everyone present subconsciously ignored the most basic investigative methods and always thought about finding clues from the dark creature.

If it weren't for George Stacy's reminder, Ash might have thrown these dark creatures into the Initial Furnace to burn them, and then explored their memories in the flames.

Stark was the first to rush into the restaurant to search for surveillance footage. He didn't have much screen time in this battle, and now with the live broadcast from Kassel, the former gossip king, Stark, who was trying to maintain the stock price, wouldn't let this opportunity pass him by.

Jarvis quickly identified his target.

At the restaurant entrance, a little girl in a red dress was gazing longingly at the dolls on display in the restaurant's showcase.

This situation naturally attracted the attention of the diners in the restaurant. At this moment, a man handed the doll to the little girl and took out banknotes while talking to the clerk.

After that, the little girl holding the doll left.

Aside from the strange dolls in the store, this is a perfectly normal scene. This also explains why the teddy bear's increased size occurred after the little girl left.

Using road surveillance footage, Jarvis quickly located the little girl's location.

When the ATS exoskeleton armor crashed through the door of this house, an unexpected human tragedy occurred. The little girl and her family were having dinner at home, and they were even watching a live broadcast from Kassel.

They just didn't expect that they would become part of the live stream content.

When Ash entered the house, the man of the house spoke.

"Ash? Didn't you already send people to collect all my suspicious auction items? I've also cooperated with the Bureau of Control's investigation! How come you're breaking into my house again and pointing a gun at my family!"

## Chapter 208: When in doubt, choose S.H.I.E.L.D.

It can only be said that this male homeowner understands the mindset of law enforcement very well.

He used a rhetorical question to explain everything clearly in the shortest amount of time. And watching the live broadcast on TV, it was obvious that this was the scene Kassel was filming from outside the house at that moment.

From seeing their home appear on TV to the ATS exoskeleton armor breaking through the door, those short ten seconds were enough to complete a mental preparation and emergency response plan.

Fortunately, the live broadcast in Kassel is currently only taking place outdoors, and the public is unaware of what is happening inside.

Seeing the man's confident demeanor, Ash asked Anderson on the channel, "Anderson, thoroughly investigate all Control Bureau personnel outside?"

"No need to check anymore. I already confirmed it by the sound. We don't have any agents on vacation or out in the field. Even those old CIA veterans are all training the kid you found..."

Anderson's words put Ash at ease about the situation within the Bureau of Control. Since it wasn't one of their own, the scope narrowed down.

Ash directed someone to put down their gun, looked at the tense family, and said in the kindest tone, "Don't worry, it's just an investigation into the riot. We just need your family's cooperation..."

“Oh, okay, ever since my daughter recognized that bear as hers, I’ve been waiting for you guys. I even called the NY Police Department, but they said they needed to investigate before notifying the Control Bureau…”

The family's cooperative attitude made Ash's work much easier. In his account, his daughter had brought home a not-so-cute doll, and his wife had simply thrown it away to prevent it from getting contaminated with germs or parasites.

Unexpectedly, the child became unhappy and started making a wish with something that appeared out of nowhere.

The father recalled the child's situation at the time, saying, "She was holding a shrunken hand, like the kind that's been cut off and dried from a monkey or raccoon, and while holding that, she made a wish that I could see my lost teddy bear at a glance..."

The teddy bear is clearly visible at a glance; it's 150 meters tall.

"To prevent her from touching such things again, I snatched the severed hand away and threw it in the trash. But when the teddy bear appeared on TV, the child excitedly shouted that it was her toy."

I sensed something was wrong then, and just as I was about to remove the severed hand, your... no, you claiming to be agents from the Control Bureau knocked on my door...

She showed me her identification, but you have to understand I don't have the ability to verify its authenticity, so I could only let her in and take the things away..."

Listening to the man's account, Ash understood that this person had played a race against time with the Bureau of Control, having previously identified the person through surveillance and then come to collect the item.

Ash looked at the nervous man and said, "Can I see your child?"

"Of course! I was thinking of taking the kids to church tomorrow to see if they have any problems. It's so great that you could come! Judy! Come quick..."

When the woman brought her timid child to Ash, Ash noticed nothing wrong with her except for a trace of dark power.

This is interesting. After making a wish, the soul should have been taken away after the transaction was completed, but only a little bit of power remained. Was the demon defeated? Or did someone interfere?

Ash crouched down to be on the same level as the child, and shook the holy bell to create points of light that fell on the girl.

In the eyes of the girl's parents, when these points of light merged into the girl's body, a black mist arose from behind her and dissipated into the air.

The girl's mother covered her mouth, afraid she would make a sound. The man of the house forced himself to remain calm and observe what was happening before him.

After doing all this, Ash held a point of light in the child's hand and asked, "Can you tell me how you found that hand?"

"On the way back with Freddy, I heard someone calling me, and then I saw that hand..."

Freddy was, of course, the teddy bear. As for someone calling out his name, this ancient trick was a method that the devils had never failed to use.

If you hear someone call your name at night or while walking alone, turning around or responding means you've agreed to a deal with the devil.

"So, what made you think of making a wish?"

When Ash asked her, the girl shook her head and said she didn't know, she just wanted to do it.

The devil's suggestion makes you believe that your actions are all out of your own will, until later when you think back on it and realize that your decisions or thoughts at that time were actually vague.

But then another problem arises: the power in the girl's body only lasts for a very short time, and apart from giving her nightmares for a few days, it hardly causes her any harm.

The child's mother suddenly realized what was happening and said, "Oh right, that fake agent even said a few words to my child!"

"What did you say?"

"She asked where these things came from, then said she wanted to take them all away, made us sign a document, and even had my daughter sign it..."

The woman hurriedly took out several photocopied documents from inside the house and handed them to Ash.

Looking at the obviously forged document and name, Ash knew what was going on.

Fake documents and fake names can be used to deceive people, but the devil doesn't care about such things. Since you've made the decision to make the deal, the devil will just laugh and eat the piece of meat.

"I'll accept this. Also, your daughter is all better now, and I'll send someone to repair your door..."

"No, no, no, it's not necessary. I've already seen the problems with my daughter, and I should thank you for your help..."

Ash and the male host began a harmonious conversation of mutual deference, each trying to elevate the other to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"In that case, consider these three bottles of holy water my apology. As long as they are not opened, they can be stored indefinitely..."

Seeing how cooperative the other party was, Ash felt embarrassed to ask for anything more. She took out three bottles of holy water as compensation. For an ordinary family like this, encountering one or two strange events was already considered the culmination of their ancestors' bad luck. These three bottles of holy water might not even be used before they died...

As they came out of the house, Ash shook her head slightly at Kassel, who wisely ended the live stream.

George Stacy, who was directing the officers, also came over to inquire about the outcome of the matter.

Ash briefly explained the surface of the situation, and George Stacy hurriedly prepared to send people to conduct a full-scale search.

However, Ash stopped him from his reckless behavior.

Stark seemed to be thinking about something, then suddenly changed the subject, saying, "Ash, Logan's funeral preparations are almost done. Let's go to the Firelink Shrine tomorrow..."

“Okay, okay, let’s go back to the sacrificial site first. George, you come too. I’ll introduce you to some friends and get you some holy water. That way, your subordinates can judge based on the holy water’s reaction when they receive relevant reports…”

Ash pushed George Stacy into the Control Bureau's armored vehicle.

After Frank got in last and closed the car door, Ash gave Stark a wink.

Under the Stark armor's scan, all electronic devices inside the armored vehicle fell silent.

Only then did Ash slowly reveal what she hadn't said outside: "Someone pretended to be the control agency and took the wishing device ahead of time..."

Ash's words left everyone speechless for a moment.

From receiving the call from Kassel to handling the matter, everyone worked at top speed, and yet someone managed to get ahead of the control bureau?

Is it inside?

George, who habitually seeks to confirm events, asked the question Ash addressed first.

"I've checked, the control bureau is fine. Although I sent some documents to some friends, I believe they wouldn't do something like this..."

As Ash spoke, he looked at Cassell and Stark, who both possessed credentials from the Bureau of Control and served as specially appointed advisors to the Bureau.

Furthermore, given his relationship with the Bureau of Investigation in Forborough, Ash had also sent a batch of identification documents to Davey. However, Ash knew Davey's character and methods; he would definitely report back to Ash after using his Bureau of Investigation identity.

There's only one target left: someone who can take control of the bureau in advance and has a history of faking identities.

S.H.I.E.L.D.!

Stark was the first to mention S.H.I.E.L.D., and after a series of events, he now harbors absolutely no goodwill towards them.

George Stacy was also aware of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s numerous crimes. After Ash pointed out the fake identities used by S.H.I.E.L.D. last time, George cleaned up all the cases that used Forberler's name and sent them to Forberler for confirmation.

It turned out that more than 40% of them were fakes created by S.H.I.E.L.D., which angered George so much that he ordered all his subordinates to verify the identities with the Forborough Bureau of Investigation before cooperating.

"So you're just giving up on that wish-granting item? And what about that toy?"

In response to this fantastical wish, George instinctively wanted to protect his city; he didn't want something like this to happen again.

"That's not making a wish, it's just overdrawing your life and soul..."

Although she had explained it briefly before, Ash's explanation was not clear because it required the Hunter to be involved.

Taking this opportunity, Ash slowly revealed the secret behind it.

“That’s not Aladdin’s lamp. Any wish made there will come at an unbearable price. If someone hadn’t intercepted the item from the girl and signed a document that excited the devil, she would already be the devil’s puppet, and the next step would be to offer sacrifices to the devil.”