America: The Cremator

Surong calmly looked at Herman Wolf, who was kneeling before him, panting and writhing in the filth, and chuckled, saying, "Mr. Wolf, it seems you truly do have a fondness for the emotion of fear."

"It's this process of experiencing fear that seems rather unseemly."

Wolf wiped the vomit from the corner of his mouth, looked up, and saw traces of tears and vomit on his wrinkled face. But his eyes no longer held fear; instead, they held the exhaustion of someone who had survived a disaster, and a lingering sense of bliss.

He replied in a hoarse voice, "That wasn't fear...that was...an oracle."

"I felt my soul being gripped by an invisible hand and dragged to confront a higher-dimensional existence that I could neither understand nor resist."

"All the things I've collected in my life seem as ridiculous as a child's crayon drawing in the face of this will."

Wolf struggled to his feet, and with the help of the old butler who rushed over after hearing the commotion, he looked at Suron with eyes filled with awe and fervor.

"Mr. Surong, thank you for giving me such an exceptional experience."

He paused, his gaze shifting to the somber painting on the wall, and said slowly, "This poorly made artwork no longer deserves to remain in my collection room."

"It belongs to you now."

Two waiters quickly arrived at the exhibition hall, carefully took the painting "Lady in the Rain" off the wall, wrapped it in thick black velvet and shock-absorbing padding, and finally placed it in a specially made frame before handing it to Dania.

Wolf straightened his suit, which was already soaked with cold sweat and urine, regaining some of his composure. He looked at Suron and humbly invited, "Mr. Suron, if you don't mind, I would like to invite you to dinner to express my sincerest gratitude."

Seeing his attitude change from arrogant to obsequious, Su Long felt nothing but absurdity and laughter.

He glanced at Wolf's still-dripping trousers and the mess on the floor, shook his head, and politely declined, "Maybe next time, Mr. Wolf. I think neither of us is quite available today."

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Wolf's face, but it was quickly replaced by an even warmer smile as he personally saw Suron and Dania off.

Only after leaving the manor did Dania finally let out a long sigh of relief. She turned back to look at Suron and praised him, "I can't believe you handled that old man so easily."

"It's all thanks to you that we were able to get the painting this time."

She suddenly asked with great interest, "The ability you just used... was it really that powerful?"

A playful smile appeared on Su Long's face as he countered, "Would you like to give it a try?"

Dania glanced down at her black miniskirt, then decisively waved her hand and started the motorcycle: "Let's forget about it then, we're on the street."

"Next time I have the chance, I definitely have to experience it for myself."

The motorcycle sped through the city and eventually stopped in front of a barbecue restaurant with an extremely unassuming appearance.

It was a simple gray brick building with only a sign at the entrance that read "Jack's BBQ" made of bent neon tubes.

Pushing open the door, a warm aroma mingled with the scents of fruitwood smoke, roasted meat, and fermenting beer wafted out.

The entire interior of the restaurant is clad in dark wood paneling, extending from the walls to the ceiling. Red leather booths and bar stools are interspersed throughout, while string lights hanging overhead emit a soft yellow glow, adding a touch of relaxation and comfort to the space.

At the far end of the restaurant is a huge open brick oven, where chefs are busy at work.

The two found a booth by the window and sat down. Dania skillfully ordered slow-roasted beef brisket, shredded pork, and two large mugs of draft beer.

While waiting for the food to be served, Su Long got to the point, asking, "Regarding the strange occurrences, your Yurievich family should possess more detailed information than official channels, right?"

Dania nodded and replied, "Of course. Our family's arms business spans the globe, and we come into contact with all sorts of 'clients,' including many ancient exorcist families and private armed organizations."

"Based on the intelligence we've gathered, the strange phenomena can be roughly divided into three categories."

"The first type is monsters. They are usually D-rank, occasionally C-rank. For example, slimes and ghouls. They are mostly monsters with clear physical forms and relatively simple abilities, which can be dealt with with powerful enough firepower and targeted weapons."

"The second type is the ghost story category. Their strength ranges from C to B. They are the embodiment of urban legends, horror stories, or folk tales, resurrected through a specific corpse as an 'anchor'. Their abilities are more bizarre, and their influence is wider."

"The most troublesome thing is that because their legends are widely spread in human society, they can regenerate almost indefinitely. But each death erases all the curses they previously placed on other creatures."

Surong frowned. "You mean, the 'Rain Lady' hasn't died even once since she cursed your father?"

Dania's expression turned serious, and she slowly said, "Yes. Three years ago, on a rainy night, my father led a large arms deal when the 'Rain Lady' appeared without warning. We suffered heavy losses that time, and my father and several of his most loyal men fought their way out, but they were cursed by it because of it."

Surong looked at her: "So, what's your plan?"

Dania picked up the beer that had just been served, took a big gulp, and then shrugged.

"It's simple. Wait for the next rainy day, lure her out with this painting, and then kill her."

Su Long's lips twitched slightly: "Just that simple and brutal?"

"Don't you have some... eerie magic circle that causes excruciating pain and instant death upon entering? Or perhaps a tank that can fire silver-tungsten alloy projectiles?"

Dania looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at an outsider: "How can you think a tank is more effective than an exorcist? Trust me, and trust yourself, Suron... the two of us are enough."

Surong leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, clearly disbelieving Dania's explanation: "Please, don't you have... a more detailed plan?"

Dania's expression finally turned serious: "My plan is not just to kill it this time, but to eliminate it completely."

"Didn't you say they could regenerate indefinitely?" Surong asked again, puzzled.

Dania nodded in agreement, saying, "They can regenerate indefinitely, but only if their 'anchors' remain intact. As long as you can destroy the host they parasitize the moment you kill them, such as by burning the canvas or altering the legend, you can kill them completely."

"And the anchor point of 'Lady in the Rain' is the painting itself."

"It only appears in the rain, but we are fighting in the rain, which is a huge disadvantage."

"So I prepared an excellent battlefield: an abandoned underground parking lot. My men had already modified the drainage system there, ensuring we wouldn't get a drop of rain down there or be flooded. All we had to do was lure it there once it appeared."

Su Long pressed, "And then?"

"Then, we fought it and killed it. At the moment of its death, we burned the painting."

This plan... seems to be no different from what I just said.

Su Long silently complained to himself that this simple and crude style was indeed full of strong Russian flavor.

However, it does sound like it could actually work.

Just then, large pieces of roasted meat were served, and Dania raised her glass, her face once again displaying that hearty smile.

"Let's not talk about that anymore, let's just enjoy the moment and continue our drinking contest, shall we?"

Surong smiled, picked up his glass, and readily accepted Dania's invitation to a drinking contest.

Spicy beer and greasy barbecue were continuously fed into her stomach. Dania had an amazing alcohol tolerance. By the end, two cute blushes appeared on her fair cheeks, her eyes became a little hazy, and she exuded a charming and innocent aura.

Just as Su Long was about to get up and end the drinking session, a sharp, piercing pain suddenly exploded from his right lower back without warning.

The excruciating pain instantly spread throughout his body. His vision went black, and his body went limp uncontrollably forward, collapsing headfirst onto the table.

……

When Su Long opened his eyes again, he saw a clean, flat ceiling.

He turned his head and saw Professor Stella sitting by the hospital bed, looking through the medical records.

Today she was wearing a well-tailored white shirt and a black pencil skirt, with gold-rimmed glasses perched on her nose, exuding an aura of intellect and asceticism.

"How did I... end up in the hospital?" Su Long's voice was a little hoarse.

Professor Stella put down the medical record, raised her grey-blue eyes, and said sarcastically without any politeness, "I'd like to ask you, who gave you the courage to let a uremia patient like you drink beer and eat barbecue all night long?"

"Congratulations, thanks to your tireless efforts, your uremia has worsened back to stage three."