Black Tears

"What does the weather bureau say?"

"They say it's an unknown cause."

"Bullshit, an unknown cause! From the satellite view, this cloud mass has already spread all the way to Washington D.C.!"

"B-but they really said it defies scientific explanation."

To many, it looked like nothing more than the overcast sky before a heavy rainstorm, but in a short span of time, it shattered the worldview of many.

Without any warning, a massive area of dark clouds began to form and gather, subsequently spreading outward with Liberty Island as the center.

In the distance, the dark clouds circled the center faithfully, much like an accretion disk.

The waves began to churn, and lightning storms erupted in rapid succession.

Flights were delayed, ferries were grounded, and many people found themselves trapped on Liberty Island.

The emergency meeting at the weather bureau had been running non-stop, yet they couldn't find a single reasonable explanation for the current situation.

In the end, they simply gave up and claimed, "Perhaps this is related to supernatural forces."

Fine, fine, so that's how you pass the buck—by blaming the intangible.

The superior had just reached for the table to flip it when they received an urgent joint notification from the FBI and higher authorities, ordering them to disregard all causes and ground all flights. As for those wanting to come to New York, sorry, find any other airport to land at.

"Could this really be related to the supernatural?"

The superior muttered to himself.

"This is absolutely inseparable from the supernatural!"

At the FBI New York Field Office, several key figures had gathered to listen to the intelligence confirmed so far.

"At two o'clock this morning, the supernatural entity who once appeared in Tokyo and calls himself 'The Faker' showed up on Liberty Island. He drew patterns around the island that appear to be ritualistic layouts. We have already destroyed the patterns, but it seems to have had no effect on the current situation."

"At nine o'clock this morning, our scheduled surveillance satellite over New York captured footage of someone suspected to be 'The Faker' floating high above Manhattan, reaching out toward Liberty Island."

"Almost at the same time, clouds began to gather over New York, concentrating above Liberty Island."

"An hour ago, a supernatural individual in Tokyo who claims to be able to sense 'demons' notified us through the Special Affairs Bureau that she felt an extremely powerful and terrifying demonic aura. The direction? Right here."

"At the same time, we have confirmed that the monster incident in Shinjuku some time ago was inextricably linked to this 'Faker'."

"Therefore, we can conclude that the dark clouds currently floating above our heads are the 'masterpiece' of this supernatural entity, and there is a high probability that it is connected to monsters. We must prepare for the worst."

After listening to the report, Director Edgar rubbed his temples and set down the documents in his hand. "Aside from preparing for battle and increasing vigilance, do you have any other suggestions?"

"Do we need to invite the supernatural individuals from Tokyo?"

"No, we cannot do that unless it is an absolute last resort. The consequences would be too severe."

"What is The Faker's goal? Is there something hidden beneath Liberty Island?"

"There are things hidden there, but they aren't unique to Liberty Island."

"Could it be for the tourists on Liberty Island? Is he trying to turn them all into monsters?"

Edgar paused at this, his lips slightly parted as he looked at the group. "Could his target be the Statue of Liberty?"

"But isn't the interior of the statue just copper and iron? What does that have to do with demons?"

"True." Edgar let out a sigh of relief and nodded, accepting the point.

"I am more inclined to believe that The Faker wants to use a ritual to turn the people on Liberty Island into monsters, and the reason he chose this location might be related to its unique geographical structure."

"But playing devil's advocate, wouldn't monsters be most destructive if they appeared in a bustling city center?"

"Could they be flying monsters?"

"That would actually be easier to deal with."

"If there are any important figures on Liberty Island, bring them back for temporary observation. As for the rest, we can wait and see what happens."

Various theories began to emerge. Edgar didn't speak further; he turned and left the conference room. He needed to report to the President and request assistance from the National Guard and the military.

Upon receiving the information, the President treated it with the utmost importance and quickly assembled a think tank to devise a strategy. They couldn't afford to ignore it; with the precedent in Tokyo, they had to strike a heavy blow against the malicious supernatural forces to show their deterrence.

Thus, the war machine began to turn. A temporary combat command center was established, the carrier strike group officially set sail, and various military bases adjusted their status, with pilots ready to sortie at any moment.

The National Guard moved into various key points across New York, setting up temporary defensive lines. The sound of evacuation sirens echoed throughout the city, leaving people who had just been busy with their work in a state of shock.

But soon, they received information via their phones and television media: a supernatural disturbance had occurred in New York, and all residents were required to strictly follow the orders of the nearest military units to head to emergency shelters or shelter in place.

Panic began to spread, but due to the presence of the National Guard, some thugs who tried to take advantage of the chaos to loot were met with the harshest of crackdowns.

For a time, public order actually became better than it had ever been!

However, on Liberty Island at this moment, the tourists' moods were not so pleasant.

"Why look at the Statue of Liberty? There's nothing to see in this pile of scrap metal. Look, now we're trapped."

"Isn't this a symbol of America? Since we're here, we have to see it."

"Aren't there telescopes on the shore?"

"That's not the same thing."

The young couple began to bicker. Nearby, an Asian middle-aged woman suddenly interjected in English, "Don't worry, our country's rescue speed is very fast."

The couple looked at her with suspicion. "Are you from America?"

The Asian woman smiled reservedly. "Of course. Can't you tell? I don't have an accent."

The young man curled his lip. "Fast rescue? Is that for real?"

"Heh, don't let certain media brainwash you. Look at our country's rescue speed; the helicopters are already here."

The couple looked in the direction she pointed and indeed saw several helicopters heading toward them, causing them to breathe a sigh of relief.

Soon, the helicopters landed, and several soldiers stepped out with firearms, scanning the crowd vigilantly.

"Those whose names I call, come over to verify your identity. The rest of you, don't be anxious; the ferry service will return to normal soon."

After barely pacifying the crowd, someone began reading names. There were only seven or eight people in total, but there were dozens left behind!

"Sir, sir! I'm an American too! I'm not a tourist, I got my—"

The soldier shouted, "Back off!" and vigilantly leveled his firearm at her. Frightened, the Asian woman immediately raised her hands by instinct and slowly retreated, not daring to say another word.

The people whose names were called quickly boarded the helicopters without the slightest hesitation, and they took off and left immediately.

"What the..." The couple glanced at the Asian woman and whispered to each other.

Perhaps feeling embarrassed, the Asian woman walked away quickly.

The remaining people had no choice but to return to the restaurants or museums on the island to hide from the heavy rain that could fall at any moment.

Meanwhile, on the helicopter that had just taken off, one of the people who had just been picked up looked at the Statue of Liberty, which was now level with his line of sight in the distance, and said in surprise, "I never noticed, the Statue of Liberty's eyes are actually black!"

However, the helicopter was too loud, and only the person next to him barely heard what he said.

"How is that possible! Haven't you read the textbooks?!" the person beside him roared.

"But, look!"

He pointed at the statue's eyes, and the others were drawn by his gestures, looking over instinctively.

The next second, from the "black eyes" he had mentioned, a pitch-black teardrop slid down from the corner of the statue's eye, carving a black tear track onto its cheek.

Rumble.

Within the black clouds, lightning serpents surged.

Thanks to "Author Keep It Up" for the tip.

Thanks to "Peter Pan the Great Flyer" for the tip.

Thanks to "Sleep with the Galaxy" for the tip.