America: The Cremator

Elena was naturally unwilling to accept Su Long's suggestion, so she struggled to try to prop herself up. However, she felt an intense soreness in her arms as if she had just finished a fierce battle.

"Why don't we just stop struggling and have a chat?" Su Long retorted.

Su Long pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "We can talk about things that a man and a woman should talk about late at night when they are alone in a room."

The dimly lit room fell silent for a few seconds.

"Okay," Elena readily agreed, her tone tinged with inquiry and curiosity. "I have a question for you."

"Um?"

"Are all men like this? Regardless of whether you like the other person or not, you get aroused as long as there's a beautiful woman in front of you."

Su Long chuckled softly in the darkness and asked in return, "You sensed it?"

"Um."

"Would you believe me if I said that was my Colt Python revolver?"

Elena calmly retorted, "The barrel diameter of the Colt Python... shouldn't be that thick."

"I'll take that as a compliment. To be precise, your point isn't entirely correct. Even without a beautiful woman in front of us, or any external stimuli, we sometimes still get a reaction."

Elena's tone turned disdainful: "Can't you control this thing?"

Hearing Elena's slightly disdainful complaint, Su Long chuckled a few times before saying with a sigh, "A man who can resist being controlled by this thing can become an elite member of the upper class. As for a man who can actively control it, he hasn't been born yet."

"I once accidentally knocked over a table when the teacher called on me to answer a question while I was suddenly trying to react."

Elena clicked her tongue meaningfully: "Is there no one left in that school you care about?"

Su Long sighed softly, "I do miss my alma mater and those bastard classmates."

"It's a pity we can't go back."

Elena didn't press the matter further, and Su Long didn't utter any more words of emotion. In the darkness, their breathing gradually became synchronized, eventually settling into silence.

……

The next day, Su Long woke up groggily and, after seeing the unfamiliar ceiling, suddenly realized that he had actually slept in Elena's bed.

He got up to look for Elena, but couldn't find her. So he sat up, picked up the clothes scattered on the floor, and put them on.

After searching all the way downstairs, Su Long couldn't find Elena anywhere, only a text message on her phone.

"Get out of here when you wake up. Three days later, at 5 p.m., come to the viewpoint at Lake Diablo in North Cascade National Park. I have something for you."

After reading the message, Su Long simply replied with a period and exited the chat window. Another unread message then appeared on his screen.

"This afternoon at 2 PM, as planned, Woodland Park Zoo. Don't be late."

After scanning Dania's text message, Surong glanced at the time: 10:45 AM.

He put away his phone, turned around, and went into the restroom on the first floor.

The washbasin was covered with a dazzling array of bottles and jars, all labeled in French or Italian.

Su Long casually picked up a bottle of facial cleanser, squeezed a little into his palm, and a fragrance mixed with sea salt and some unknown floral scent wafted out.

He shook his head and put down the bottle of facial cleanser, unable to resist commenting, "Does this mean all women's toiletries smell nice after use?"

After quickly tidying himself up, Su Long pushed open the heavy oak door and strode out of the villa.

……

2 PM, Woodland Park Zoo.

This zoo has a historical feel to it; the buildings, roads, and facilities are all quite old, revealing the style of the last century.

Not to mention it's a weekday now, the place is practically deserted.

A few scattered tourists strolled leisurely along the park's paths, while the occasional mournful calls from the gibbon enclosure echoed through the empty park, sounding somewhat desolate.

Su Long's phone vibrated a few times; Dania's new text message arrived just in time.

"Go straight into the park and walk along the main loop. On the west side, near the brown bear enclosure, there is an 80s-style service station."

Su Long glanced at the ticket booth at the entrance and let out a long sigh: "Miss Dania, I think you should reimburse me for the cost of my ticket."

"Don't worry, the Yurievich family will reimburse all expenses you incur during the planning period."

After receiving the promise, Su Long readily swiped his card to buy a ticket and passed through the rotating turnstile.

Heading west along the main ring road, the surrounding vegetation gradually transitions from carefully trimmed shrubs to taller, denser coniferous forests.

There are even fewer tourists here, and the air is filled with the smell of damp earth and the faint fishy odor of fermenting animal feces.

Finally, at the end of a side road shaded by trees, he saw the service station building that Dania had mentioned.

It was a bungalow that stood out from its surroundings. The exterior walls were covered with beige tiles that were popular in the 1980s, but most of them had peeled off, revealing the cement underneath. The roof was made of dark green sheet metal with reddish-brown rust growing along the edges. Several windows were completely covered by heavy black curtains, making it impossible to see inside.

The only thing hanging on the door was a small, intricately carved wooden sign that read "Zoo Exorcism Society".

Su Long frowned slightly as he looked at the name: "An exorcism club in a zoo? What kind of American dark humor is this?"

He stepped forward to knock on the door, only to find that it was completely unlocked, so he simply pushed it open and went inside.

A strong smell of engine oil, burnt metal, and high-octane gasoline instantly hit the air, completely overpowering the scent of the forest outside.

The room wasn't very big, only about fifty square meters, but it was crammed full.

The original reception desk was removed and replaced with a huge metal worktable.

The most eye-catching item was a bright red Ducati Panigale V4 parked in the corner of the room. Its streamlined body resembled a still flame, and the carbon fiber fairing reflected a cold light under the incandescent bulbs.

On the wall next to the locomotive, there was a huge tool rack. Instead of a cross or holy water, there were three or four chainsaws of different sizes.

From lightweight handheld pruning saws to heavy-duty chainsaws used for logging, even though the guide plates are wiped very clean, dark red rust—or some kind of dried liquid—can still be seen between the teeth.

This isn't some kind of exorcism club; it's clearly an illegal modification workshop brimming with violent aesthetics.

In the center of the room, with its back to the door, stood a black swivel office chair. A figure wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt was sitting in the chair, seemingly fiddling with some intricate parts.

"Do you have someone to ask you to come? If you're looking for a cat or dog, turn left after you leave and go to the management office."

The figure did not turn around; the voice was calm, carrying a detached indifference as if focused on the work at hand.

Surong stared at the retreating figure: "Miss Dania, you went to all that trouble to call me here, even reimbursing the twenty-six dollar entrance fee, just to play a role-playing game with me?"

"If that's the case, then I have to say... I prefer roles like nurses and teachers to zookeepers."

The swivel chair suddenly stopped.

The person in the chair turned around, a look of surprise on their slightly childish face, and a screwdriver in their hand.

"Su?" Dania's eyes widened. "How did you know it was me?"