America: The Cremator

Chapter 140 Major Equipment Update!

The next morning, sunlight streamed into the bedroom through the huge French windows. Su Long slowly opened his eyes in the bright light, fumbled for his phone on the bedside table, and glanced at the time. It was already ten o'clock.

He rolled out of bed, neatly folded the expensive trench coat and trousers Elena had given him the night before, put them back deep in the closet, and then took out a loose and comfortable set of casual clothes to change into.

After washing up, Su Long went downstairs. The spacious living room was empty, and the study door was also closed. Elena had obviously gone to the Support Bureau.

On the open kitchen island sat a breakfast sandwich wrapped in tin foil, next to a note: "You can really sleep! I was going to talk to you about the exam, but there's an urgent meeting at the bureau, so I have to go. Ask Hannah when you wake up. - Elena"

After reading the note, Su Long quickly finished the sandwich in front of him, then picked up the Cadillac Escalade keys and went out the door.

Half an hour later, the massive black SUV came to a steady stop in front of the Ice Wolf Tavern.

It was nearing noon, and the pub was quite deserted. The Russian bartender was idly wiping the bar counter when he heard the door open and immediately looked up.

"Mr. Suron, you've finally arrived." The bartender put down his glass, strode out from behind the bar, and opened the heavy iron door leading to the basement for Suron.

Sulong walked up the steps into the underground weapons hall. As soon as he reached the entrance, he saw Dania, dressed in a bright red tracksuit, leaning against the wall and waiting.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Dania turned around and, seeing that it was Sulong coming down, she quickly went over and gave him a big hug; her full chest bumping against Sulong's body; she excitedly said, "Hey! Sulong; you've finally come!"

Surong hugged Dania back and explained, "Sorry, I slept too soundly last night and woke up late."

Dania grabbed Suron's wrist and pulled him deeper into the armory: "Come with me! I've not only prepared the items on the list for you, but I've also gotten a few good items that will definitely satisfy you."

The two walked through several rows of shelves filled with guns and came to a slightly private little room. On the metal workbench in the center of the room, two silver-gray metal suitcases were placed side by side.

Dania stepped forward, pressed the combination lock, and opened the left-hand box with a "click." Then, she reached into the box with both hands and carefully took out a vest-shaped piece of armor.

"The silver-tungsten chainmail I gave you last time was poorly made; it didn't meet top-tier standards in terms of materials and craftsmanship."

"After returning from the Otherworld, I had someone custom-make the best one, and it just arrived today."

Seeing that Su Long had taken the armor, Dania began to explain: "It has a three-layer composite structure. The outermost and innermost layers are high-strength titanium alloy scales, with an extremely fine silver-tungsten alloy chainmail sandwiched in between. It is lightweight, close-fitting, and provides both physical and spiritual protection."

Su Long gripped the edge of the armor with both hands and rubbed it vigorously. The connection structure between the armor plates was designed in an extremely ingenious way, sliding flexibly with his movements, without any of the stiffness of metal plates.

"This is really good stuff."

The craftsmanship of this armor is absolutely top-notch, making it a top-tier tactical piece of equipment. It's much lighter than I expected, and also lighter than the previous silver-tungsten alloy armor. Moreover, that soft armor had been completely destroyed after so many battles, so this dragon scale armor arrived at just the right time.

"Shall I help you try it on?" Dania asked eagerly.

Sulong nodded, took off his casual jacket, and Dania walked behind him, put the dragon scale armor on Sulong, and pulled the nylon straps on both sides tightly.

With two crisp "clicks," the clips snapped shut, and the armor fit Sulong's torso perfectly.

Su Long made several large punches and dodges, and the metal armor plates naturally extended with the contraction of the muscle groups without any sense of sluggishness.

He patted the hard breastplate: "This thing is amazing. With this, the survival rate will increase significantly. Thank you, Dania."

Dania proudly raised her chin: "Isn't what I arranged for you pretty good? This is just the beginning."

She turned around and took out a set of neatly folded clothes from the metal box: a pair of shiny black multi-pocket work pants and a tactical jacket of the same color.

"Made of Kevlar blended with fine silver threads, the fabric is not only waterproof and wear-resistant, but also has a strong resistance to eerie spiritual erosion, and will never be easily torn like ordinary clothes."

Su Long ran his fingers over the fabric. The work pants were made of very thick material, with extra padding at the knees and key areas. The jacket also had a thin, warm lining sewn inside, enough to handle complex outdoor environments.

Seeing Dania's sparkling eyes, Surong sighed helplessly, "It seems I'll have to try it on right here before you're satisfied."

So he deftly unbuckled his belt and, right in front of Dania, took off his outer trousers, revealing his strong, straight legs.

Dania stared unabashedly at Su Long's thighs, even reaching out to give his taut quadriceps muscles a firm squeeze, exclaiming, "Su, you've got some really impressive muscles!"

Su Long coughed lightly, quickly put on the shiny black work pants, zipped them up, and then put on the tactical windbreaker. The clothes were surprisingly well-tailored, and when worn by Su Long, he exuded a cold, capable, and menacing aura.

Then, Dania pulled out a pair of black high-top tactical boots from the bottom of the box and handed them to Suron: "The same material, with silver-tungsten alloy plates embedded in the toe and inside the sole. You can use them to give those weird asses a good shove."

Su Long sat on a chair to the side, took off his cheap old boots, put on these double-layered tactical boots, stood up and stomped his feet twice. The thick soles provided excellent support. Although the weight was increased, it was negligible with the addition of thirty points to his physique.

"These are definitely much better than my old ones," Su Long said, moving his ankles with satisfaction.

Finally, Dania took out a large-capacity military-grade titanium canteen and a beautifully packaged bottle of Napa Valley Zinfandel from the corner of the box, and asked curiously, "Are you planning to use this large canteen to carry wine?"

Sulong nodded and explained, "That's right. My sacred object needs to consume alcohol to unleash its power, but its capacity is too small. It's simply not enough for high-intensity battles. I must prepare a large-capacity spare water bottle."

Dania looked at the sweet red wine in her hand and licked her lips. "Are you going to open it now? I've never tasted this kind of specially brewed sweet red wine before."

Surong shrugged indifferently: "Let's open it now. Anyway, the sacred object isn't picky about the type of alcohol, so of course I'll choose the one with the best taste."

Upon hearing this, Dania smiled excitedly. She tore open the foil packaging on the bottle neck with her bare hands, pinched the edge of the cork with her fingers, and with a tooth-grinding scraping sound, Dania used her terrifying finger strength to pull the cork out of the bottle neck.

"Pop!"

The rich aroma of fruit instantly filled the small room. Dania, without hesitation, tilted her head back and took a large gulp straight from the bottle, smacking her lips as she savored the taste: "Wow! Sweet, very fruity, really delicious!"

She casually wiped the wine stains from the corner of her mouth, handed the bottle to Su Long, who took it, looked at the faint glimmer of water remaining on the rim, and took a sip.

The cool liquor glides down your throat, and the rich aroma of black cherry, raisin, and roasted nuts explodes in your mouth, sweet but not cloying, with an extremely mellow taste.

"It's really good," Surong exclaimed.

He unfastened the "Raphael" from his waist, unscrewed the cap, and slowly poured sweet red wine into it until it was full. Then, he poured the remaining wine into the titanium alloy carrying flask, tightened the cap, and hung it on the other side of his tactical belt.

After doing all this, Su Long patted his full set of equipment, feeling more at ease than ever before.

For physical defense, there's the Dragon Scale Armor; for spiritual resistance, there's the Silver Thread Skirt; for melee combat, there are Knuckle Dusters and Tactical Boots; and for recovery, there's Raphael and Sweet Red Wine.

This fully equipped gear is enough for him to handle most unexpected situations during the upcoming B-level exorcist assessment.

Dania turned and walked to the other side of the worktable, pulling open a hidden drawer.

She took out a pair of black fingerless gloves and two heavy metal ammunition boxes, and pushed them in front of Su Long, gesturing, "Try these."

Sulong picked up the gloves; they felt cool and tough to the touch, with an extremely subtle silver sheen on the surface.

Dania pointed to the special structure on the back of the gloves and explained, "It's the same silver-threaded weaving process as the windbreaker. Considering that you often use knuckle dusters for close combat, I specially asked the craftsmen to add a reinforced structure to the knuckles."

"This structure can absorb the reaction force to the maximum extent. Even if you punch through a steel plate, you don't have to worry about injuring your finger bones. Moreover, the half-finger design will not affect your fine movements of drawing a gun and pulling the trigger at all."

Su Long put on his gloves and clenched his fist tightly. The reinforced structure at his knuckles fit perfectly against the contours of his bones, producing an extremely faint mechanical clicking sound as he clenched his fist.

He drew "Sirius" from his waist and quickly slid his index finger across the trigger guard. He found that, as Dania had said, there was no resistance at all. In fact, the anti-slip texture on the palm of the glove actually improved the stability of his grip on the gun.

Satisfied, Su Long put the pistol back into its holster and looked at the two metal ammunition boxes. He opened the lid and found two hundred large-caliber Magnum bullets neatly stacked inside. The brass casings gleamed with a cold, hard luster under the light, and each bullet was made of pure silver.

"Thank you for going to so much trouble, Dania." Suron thanked him sincerely, and casually stuffed the two heavy boxes of bullets into the large pockets on both sides of his tactical pants.

With the added 30 points to his physique, the weight of these two hundred bullets was negligible to him.

Dania waved her hand boldly and slapped Surong on the sturdy shoulder.

"It's okay, we're all brothers!"

"Besides, if you and Hannah can successfully pass the B-rank exorcist exam this time, do you know what that means for my exorcism club?"

Dania crossed her arms over her chest, her chin slightly raised, her eyes gleaming with ambition.

Su Long raised an eyebrow and asked, following her question, "What does that mean?"

Dania held up two fingers, her voice trembling with excitement, "That means we'll leap to become a top-tier organization with two B-rank exorcists! We'll be among the top ten exorcism societies in all of Seattle!"

Upon hearing this, Su Long's expectant expression immediately fell, and he couldn't help but complain, "Only in the top ten? I thought I could go straight to the top."

Dania rolled her eyes at him and explained irritably, "Do you think the Seattle paranormal community is some kind of children's game?"

"The top three large exorcism societies are all backed by financial support from conglomerates and politicians. As for the number one one, it even has a real A-level exorcist in charge."

"An A-rank exorcist! That's a monster capable of single-handedly suppressing a small-scale city-wide disaster! How can we possibly compete with them for first place?"

"Alright then, a top ten finish is a good start." Su Long accepted this reality.

Dania turned and walked to the corner of the room, dragged out another silver-gray metal suitcase, pushed it to Suron's feet, and explained, "This is for Hannah. Could you please take it to her on your way?"

Su Long glanced down at the box and asked, "She didn't come to work at the tavern today?"

Dania shook her head and said, "No, she called to ask for leave this morning, saying she went out with Professor Stella on a special medical investigation."

Su Long nodded and asked, "So, how much do all these things cost in total?"

Dania smiled and shook her head, saying, "Su, there's no need to pay."

She counted on her fingers and said, "Look, you're not only my friend, but also an employee of my exorcism society, and a family member personally invited into the family by my father. How could I really let you pay? Just consider it an employee benefit, including Hannah's."

Listening to Dania's words, Surong didn't say anything more and bent down to pick up the metal suitcase.

"Alright, I'll take the box. I happen to have some details about the assessment process that I need to ask Hannah in person."

Dania saw Suron to the exit of the underground weapons hall, waving vigorously, "Then I'll have to trouble you! Good luck with the assessment! The Exorcist Club's ranking depends on you guys!"

Su Long waved to her with his back turned, walked out of the Ice Wolf Tavern, pressed the key to unlock the trunk, carefully stuffed the suitcase into the back, patted the suitcase to make sure it was secure, then closed the trunk door and got into the driver's seat.

Instead of starting the engine immediately, he took out his phone from his tactical pants pocket and skillfully dialed Hannah's number.

The dial tone went off seven or eight times before the call was finally connected, just as Su Long was about to hang up and redial.

"Feed? Su?"

Hannah's voice came from the car stereo, with the background noise of sirens and the static of walkie-talkies.

Su Long leaned back in his leather chair and asked, "It's me. Where are you now?"

"I just picked up my new gear from Dania, and she asked me to bring yours along too. Also, I need to ask you in person about the specific details of the assessment in three days."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone before Hannah's hesitant voice came through: "But I'm currently busy at the scene with Professor Stella. The situation here is—a bit horrific, even disgusting."

Hannah swallowed hard, a hint of unease in her voice: "Are you sure you want to come now?"

Suron raised an eyebrow, keenly noticing the unusual tone in Hannah's voice. Although this girl was usually not very brave, she had helped him deal with the bloody scenes involving Wendigos and demon rats.

The scene that she specifically described as "disgusting" must be anything but simple.

Su Long sat up straight, pressed the start button, and asked in a deep voice, "What's going on? Tell me the address."

"We are at 1122 Parker Street, zip code 98122."

Hannah quickly recited an address and then explained, "It's an affordable apartment building on the street. The deceased was a mental patient who had just been discharged from Harborview Medical Centre. He died at the entrance of the apartment building's lobby on the first floor."

Hannah took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress the churning in her stomach.

"His death was very bizarre—it was as if something had forcibly ripped him open from the inside."

Su Long's right hand gripping the steering wheel tightened suddenly: "Open it up from the inside?"

A very ominous image flashed through Su Long's mind: his landlord, the killer who died in the hospital late at night, and that damned butterfly.

He lowered his voice, his tone serious, and said, "Hannah, is the deceased's chest cavity folded outwards? The whole body looks—like a ruptured pupa?"

Hannah's voice suddenly rose, filled with barely suppressed shock: "Yes, yes, that's it! All the ribs were violently broken and flipped outwards, the internal organs were all gone, leaving only some viscous black liquid!"

"Su, how do you know so much about this? Have you seen something like this before?"

Su Long took a deep breath and said, "I've seen him before, and we've even fought. Let's not talk about that now, I'm coming right away."

With that, he hung up the phone, slammed on the gas, and the Cadillac roared to life, leaping out of the parking space and merging aggressively into the traffic on the main road, speeding off toward Parker Street.

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