America: The Cremator

In an instant, a dull bang exploded at the top of the signal tower.

A 14.5mm armor-piercing incendiary round tore through the air at a terrifying speed of three times the speed of sound, accurately hitting the left track of the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle.

The next instant, a blinding burst of sparks erupted from the front guide wheel of the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle.

The heavy steel tracks snapped under the impact of the terrifying kinetic energy, falling off the vehicle like cloth torn by a tremendous force and slumping onto the road.

The high-speed chariot instantly lost its balance, and the massive body tilted sharply to the left due to the enormous inertia, finally coming to a stop with a screeching sound.

The support vehicles following behind braked suddenly, quickly scattering to both sides, bypassing the infantry fighting vehicle that was disabled in the middle of the road, and continued speeding towards the factory.

Inside the Bradley tank, which was left in place, the crew steadied themselves amidst the violent shaking. The gunner quickly rotated the turret according to the helicopter's guidance, aiming the 25mm cannon at the signal tower.

At the same time, the Apache attack helicopter circling high in the sky also locked onto the target, tilting its nose slightly downwards, like a raptor circling to hunt its prey, and swooped down toward the signal tower.

On the signal tower, the bald sniper's shoulder, still numb from the recoil, hadn't regained feeling, but a maniacal smile spread across his face.

He excitedly pulled the bolt, and the hot cartridge case popped out, emptying the magazine of three bullets.

Without turning his head, he stretched out his hand to his companion beside him and roared in a hoarse voice, "Ammunition!"

However, the fully loaded magazine was not handed to him.

The sniper turned around impatiently, only to find that the Mexican-American spotter who had been talking incessantly was nowhere to be seen.

The sniper looked down at the radio and saw him desperately climbing down the rusty iron ladder, using both his hands and feet.

"coward!"

The sniper cursed, and the next moment, a huge shadow instantly enveloped the entire platform.

He instinctively looked up and saw the all-black Apache attack helicopter hovering less than 100 meters away, its menacing cannon locked onto him.

"Da da da da da—!"

A barrage of 30mm high-explosive shells instantly engulfed the top of the signal tower.

The fragile steel structure was torn to shreds in the explosion. The sniper and his heavy weapon, along with the spotter who was still trying to escape, didn't even have time to scream before their bodies were instantly shattered into countless pieces, mixed with twisted metal parts, falling from the sky.

Outside the warehouse, the heavily wounded assassins listened to the distant, death-defying machine gun fire and the ever-approaching sirens, their faces instantly draining of all color.

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

The assassin fled in a panic, with an armed helicopter hot on his heels.

A moment later, a steel torrent of armored vehicles drove into the factory yard.

All vehicles have the "FDRF" logo prominently displayed on their bodies.

The lead vehicle and the following vehicles were all armed Humvees equipped with special silver-plated grille armor and M2 heavy machine guns mounted on top, while in the middle of the convoy was a mobile command vehicle modified from a Ford F-550 heavy pickup truck, with various types of communication antennas and satellite receivers erected on top.

The car door opened, and more than twenty soldiers filed out.

They wore heavy tactical vests and bulletproof helmets, and carried combat rifles and squad automatic weapons equipped with various tactical accessories. Their movements were swift and professional, without a single unnecessary word.

A middle-aged man quickly stepped out of the command vehicle and ordered in a deep voice: "Team One, clear the area around the factory and make sure there are no remaining enemies."

"Second team, enter the warehouse, secure the scene, and treat the wounded."

The soldiers immediately split into two groups and began to carry out the orders in perfect coordination.

Only then did the tense atmosphere inside the warehouse finally ease.

Soon, an ambulance arrived with sirens blaring, and several paramedics rushed in with a stretcher, quickly taking over the injured person's care.

They skillfully applied a tourniquet to Wells and performed initial wound cleaning and bandaging.

As Wells was being lifted onto the stretcher, his consciousness was already somewhat blurred, and he was still muttering intermittently.

"Take me to Harbour View Medical Centre...my insurance only covers that place...don't send me to the wrong place..."

Sulong put Wells into the ambulance and watched it drive away before turning back to the warehouse and walking to the steel rack where he had just hidden.

The bullet cleanly and precisely punched a hole the size of a bowl into a steel plate that was half an inch thick. The metal at the edges of the plate was twisted and melted due to the high temperature.

Su Long stretched out his finger and gently touched the cold, rough edge of the tear, his eyes becoming extremely solemn.

What kind of weapon could cause such terrifying damage?

He walked out of the warehouse and overheard the FDRF commander and Elena exchanging information.

"The sniper in the distance has been taken out by the Apache, and our men are recovering the weapons and equipment at the scene."

The commander's face was grave: "The enemy has strong firepower and accurate marksmanship, but they are also reckless, choosing to attack Bradley first."

"If he had been aiming at the following vehicles, we would probably have suffered casualties by now."

Elena's expression was equally grim. She pressed, "What kind of weapon could pose a threat to an infantry fighting vehicle?"

The commander took out his handheld terminal and pulled up a photo taken at the scene.

"See for yourself."

Su Long also went over to take a look and saw in the photo a heavy sniper rifle, although it had been destroyed, its shape was still recognizable, lying in the weeds.

Its gun body is much longer and thicker than that of a regular sniper rifle, and it is completely black, exuding an industrial and violent aesthetic.

Looking at the terrifying caliber that was almost as thick as an adult's thumb, Su Long couldn't help but jokingly ask himself: How could such a destructive heavy weapon be obtained in Seattle?

……

Half an hour later.

The complete takeover by the support troops gradually calmed the chaos at the Parker Candy Factory. After a fierce battle, everyone was given a first-aid blanket and was taken by several special police officers and medical personnel to a temporary assembly point outside the cordon, where they sat down next to the ambulance and closed their eyes to rest.

Two paramedics bustled among the crowd, checking their physical condition and ensuring they were emotionally stable.

"Mr. Surong, we need to ask you about some things, and we hope you can cooperate."

Upon hearing this, Su Long looked up and saw two federal agents standing in front of him, wearing black windproof jackets and holding voice recorders and notebooks with metal clips.

Su Long nodded and cooperated with the two in the routine questioning. He explained in detail the process from the scene of the informant's body, to the group following the clues to the candy factory, and then to the sudden attack.

The two detectives quickly took notes. After Su Long finished speaking, one of the detectives extended his hand and said, "Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Su Long. You can leave now. Please keep your communication channels open. If we make any new discoveries, we may contact you at any time to get more information."

After the two agents left, Su Long got up, straightened his tattered protective suit, and walked towards Elena, who was resting not far away.

When Elena saw that it was Su Long, she looked up and asked, "Are you leaving?"

"The questioning is over. The medical staff examined him and found no injuries. Wells is hospitalized, and I need to go back to the morgue to report the situation," Suron nodded in acknowledgment.

"Okay, be careful on the road."

An hour later, Su Long pushed open the door to the top-floor office of the Seattle Department of Corpse Management.

When Supervisor Wokingson saw Sulong return, he finally put down the cheap cigar he was holding, and his furrowed brows relaxed.

"My God, Sue, you guys have been driving me crazy. I heard Wells got a bullet in his leg, are you alright?"

Su Long pulled out a chair and sat down, shaking his head and saying, "I'm fine, there's nothing seriously wrong."

He then gave a brief verbal report of what had happened on the scene.

After listening, Watkinson rubbed his tired eyes, cursing the damned killer as he typed away on the keyboard.

"By the way, Su, that woman from the Bureau of Mystery just called. She has applied for 'Special External Collaboration Personnel' status for you."

Upon hearing this, Su Long frowned: "What is this?"

Watkinson shrugged: "So, you've now become a special talent assisting the Bureau of Paranormal Activity, and you can leave your post at any time... To put it bluntly, from now on, you can do this job whenever you want, and you can leave whenever you don't want to, without having to ask for leave."

Upon hearing this, Su Long laughed and said, "Hey, that's pretty good."

Watkinson patted Su Long on the shoulder meaningfully: "They've put in so much effort, you'd better work hard to make them satisfied."

Su Long ignored Watkinson's teasing, left the branch office, went to the supermarket to buy some daily necessities, and then drove directly to Elena's house.

After all, this is his only place to live right now.

After placing the newly purchased toiletries and clothes in the guest room, Su Long changed into a loose gray T-shirt, returned to the kitchen on the first floor, and brewed himself a cup of coffee using the coffee machine.

Holding a warm ceramic mug, Su Long leaned back on the leather sofa in the living room, slowly sipped the rich coffee, and then summoned the system panel.

It's time to see what this newly acquired term is all about.