America: The Cremator

On the maintenance platform at the top of the signal tower, the bald black man adjusted the scope's scale, took out a fine glass medicine bottle from his tactical vest pocket, unscrewed the cap, and poured out a small gadget that looked like a compressed candy.

The pill has a warm, opaline-like luster, and the word "Dream" is embossed on its surface with a precise mold in elegant lettering.

He tossed the capsule into his mouth and chewed it slowly.

As the fragments of the medicine entered his stomach, a suppressed groan escaped from deep within his throat, and his pupils dilated to their maximum size in an instant, almost filling his entire eye sockets.

Meanwhile, 800 meters away in the warehouse of the candy factory, in the shadow of the highest beam, a small butterfly with wings so brightly colored they seemed almost ethereal silently unfolded its wings.

The bald black man's vision instantly synchronized with that of the butterfly.

The corrugated metal walls of the warehouse appeared to him like a semi-transparent veil, and the entire internal structure, the positions of the people, and even their subtle movements were clearly presented in his mind in an eerie outline.

He rested the butt of his gun on his shoulder, and slowly moved the muzzle until it finally locked onto the brightest figure at the top of the pile of corpses.

……

Inside the warehouse, Adam stood atop the small hill of corpses, carefully rummaging through the pocket of the expensive mink coat.

He quickly pulled out a piece of paper with dark red bloodstains on the edges.

He unfolded the note, which contained only one line of hastily written, angry handwriting: "I've already warned you once."

Adam's face darkened, and he handed the blood-stained note to Surong, who was standing below: "Cleaner, please put this in the evidence bag for me."

At this moment, Surong was standing next to Adam, ready to reach out and take the note. But after hearing Adam's address, he slowly withdrew his hand: "Mr. Adam, I refuse to offer you any assistance until you learn to address my profession correctly."

Upon hearing this, Adam turned his head angrily, frowned at Su Long, and opened his mouth as if to say something.

"clang!"

"Whoosh—"

First came a crisp, loud bang as if striking sheet metal, followed by a whooshing sound like a demon's scream.

Immediately afterwards, Su Long saw Adam, who had been so arrogant just moments before, have his entire head explode into a cloud of red mist, as if a blood bag had been crushed from the inside by an invisible giant hand.

Warm, viscous liquid, mixed with tiny bone fragments, splashed all over Su Long's white protective suit, turning his goggles completely crimson.

Adam's headless body swayed on the cross, then slumped down, the blood gushing from his neck adding a more vivid color to the mountain of corpses below.

The sudden change caused the air inside the warehouse to freeze instantly, and then it was completely detonated.

Elena's scream ripped through the deathly silence: "Sniper! Take cover!"

Panic spread instantly, like a virus.

The crowd resembled a frightened herd of beasts, frantically searching for any shelter that could offer refuge, with no time to determine the source of the deadly threat.

Su Long's reaction was almost instinctive; the moment the blood mist fell, he rolled to the side and hid behind a row of heavy steel racks.

He leaned against the cold metal shelf, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, trying to calm down from the extreme bloodshed he had just experienced.

However, he didn't even have time to catch his breath.

"clang!"

Another crisp metallic snapping sound came from the steel trough behind him.

Immediately afterwards, a tremendous impact, as if he had been slammed into from behind by a heavy truck traveling at full speed, ruthlessly struck his back.

Before he could even utter a groan of pain, his mind went blank amidst the violent shock.

The terrifying pain only swept over his entire body after a half-second delay.

He felt as if every bone in his body had been pulled out, his limbs were so heavy that he couldn't control them, and the intense tinnitus and dizziness made it almost impossible for him to think. A cold feeling, originating from the loss of his life force, was rapidly eroding his body.

He subconsciously looked down at his abdomen.

There appeared a grotesque cavity the size of a bowl. His white protective suit was completely torn apart, and through the bloody hole, he could see his internal organs churned into a mess and his shattered bones, as well as the blood-stained concrete floor beneath him.

The shadow of death has never been so clear and heavy as it is now.

Su Long could feel his body temperature rapidly decreasing, and his consciousness flickered wildly on the edge of darkness, like a candle flame about to burn out.

Just then, a line of pale blue text suddenly lit up in their field of vision, like the only lighthouse in the darkness.

[Severe damage detected to the host; the blessing entry "American Dream" has been automatically activated.]

The next instant, Su Long felt as if he had fallen into an endless white vortex.

The world before my eyes spread out rapidly, like ink splashed in water.

A pure white light, devoid of any impurities, filled his entire senses.

The next second, Su Long suddenly woke up.

He instinctively looked down to check his body; his abdomen was intact, without that horrifying hole, and he felt no pain.

Only the grotesque hole in his DuPont protective suit reminded him that the recent gunshot wound was not some ethereal nightmare.

An overwhelming sense of weakness washed over me like a tidal wave.

Su Long felt all his strength drained away; his lips and fingers trembled uncontrollably, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his inner clothes.

He gritted his teeth and activated the power of [Ode to Flesh and Blood], forcibly restoring a sliver of feeling to his stiff arm.

Immediately afterwards, he trembled as he took "Raphael" from his waist, unscrewed the cap, and poured the icy liquid into his mouth. The familiar coolness rushed into his brain, finally bringing a sliver of clarity back to his chaotic thoughts.

Not right.

How did this sniper, positioned outside the warehouse and separated by thick metal walls, manage to hit two targets so accurately in succession?

Su Long suppressed the dizziness caused by exhaustion, and a faint light appeared in his eyes as he activated his spiritual vision.

The entire warehouse structure became transparent to him, with countless tangled gray-black threads intertwined, severely interfering with his perception.

He concentrated and carefully scanned every corner of the warehouse.

Soon, he noticed something unusual in the intricate shadow of the steel frame overhead.

A black mist, several times denser than the surrounding area, was hovering on a crossbeam.

He looked closely and finally saw that what was perched on the roof beam was a tiny butterfly with brightly colored wings and a strong, eerie aura emanating from it.

Is it providing that damn sniper with a godlike view?

Or is it the killer butterfly that's come to hunt down its own killer?

My protective suit is now shattered; if this guy comes into contact with me, I could die instantly.

From any perspective, this guy absolutely cannot be allowed to live!

Su Long's eyes instantly turned cold. Without hesitation, he drew the 'Sirius' from its holster and aimed it at the target that was incredibly clear in his spiritual vision.

"Bang!"

The muffled sound of gunfire rang out in the chaotic warehouse.

High atop the steel beam, the butterfly's body exploded into a dazzling speck of light, instantly dissipating into the air.

……

Eight hundred meters away, on top of the signal tower.

The bald black man was preparing to pull the bolt and look for his next target.

The warehouse interior that he had envisioned as clear and transparent as a holographic projection suddenly shattered like a broken mirror, turning into a chaotic snowflake.

My view was interrupted.