In the meeting room of the Augusta State Government building, Maine.
Several legislators and the Governor stared in silence at the disconnected video conference screen. Everyone was calculating the pros and cons of the matter.
After a long moment, a voice broke the silence.
"Gentlemen, I believe there's still a chance with this!" A legislator, somewhat younger than the others, suddenly stood up, his eyes bright and his expression animated. He'd clearly thought of a good idea.
"Oh? Mr. Bower, please share your thoughts!" The others were immediately intrigued, their eyes gleaming as they watched Mr. Bower stand.
"The key to this lies right here!" Mr. Bower pointed at the table.
Everyone followed his finger and saw a military-grade laptop on the table.
Sunlight had just begun to bathe the earth. The weather was clear, and the sky above Ravens Town was cloudless.
At an Air Force Base in Maine, an F-35 stealth fighter was undergoing final pre-flight preparations.
Fuel and a missile had just been loaded, and the ground crew began to clear the area.
Soon after, the fighter's engines ignited with a sudden, thunderous roar.
After a brief warm-up, the F-35's futuristic airframe slowly accelerated down the wide runway. After covering some distance, the fighter finally took to the skies.
"Reporting, arrived in designated airspace. Target locked! Target: Ravens Town. Weapon: B61-12. Requesting authorization from command!"
"Authorization granted. Destroy it!"
The next second, with a flick of the pilot's fingers, the F-35's bomb bay slowly opened, revealing a massive missile.
The missile then detached and sped towards Ravens Town.
As the bomb bay slowly closed, the F-35 executed a stylish mid-air turn and headed back the way it came.
Ravens Town was unusually lively today. A young couple who had recently settled in town had decided to hold their wedding in the theater, and everyone had come to join the celebration.
The theater buzzed with excitement, everyone smiling as they watched the bride and groom on stage.
The theater owner, a white-haired old woman on stage, was also smiling as she watched the couple approach her.
Indeed, the white-haired old woman was today's wedding officiant.
Just as the couple stood before her and she was about to speak, a sudden, inexplicable sense of crisis gripped her heart.
The next second, the lively atmosphere in the theater instantly froze. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ ɴovel(ꜰ)ɪre.nᴇt
Inside the theater, everyone's movements seemed to pause, frozen in that last second... everyone except the white-haired old woman in the center of the stage.
"Who is it?" a somewhat hoarse, chilling voice echoed through the theater.
A Bizarre Strength instantly surged from the theater, sweeping across the entire town.
The immense Strength swiftly swept through the town but detected nothing unusual. Yet, the sense of crisis grew stronger with each passing moment.
High above Ravens Town, a distant silhouette plummeted like a meteor, instantly crashing into the town center.
In that instant, endless light and heat erupted. The ground trembled, the air compressed, and a massive mushroom cloud rose from the heartland of Maine.
The Bizarre Strength pervading the entire town stood no chance against the most powerful weapon in the Human World; it crumbled and dispersed instantly.
From that moment on, Ravens Town was completely erased from the lands of Maine.
Humanity's most powerful weapon had once again demonstrated its awesome might.
On the Maine State Government's official website, an edited video caused a sensation.
"My God! What is this place? Are they all Bizarre?"
"Is this a clip from some movie?"
"That old woman holding the puppet... it's truly Bizarre!"
"How many people are even there?"
"Their smiles are terrifying! I can't watch anymore."
The description below the video sent shivers down the spines of Maine's residents, especially those near the central area.
"The location in the video is Ravens Town, central Maine. According to investigations by the State Government's professional team, a powerful Bizarre has turned all the town's residents into human puppets. Their souls and bodies have lost their freedom. Given the Bizarre's power, Exorcists are helpless against it. Furthermore, to prevent this Bizarre from harming people in other areas of Maine, the State Government, with parliamentary approval, has decided to use a nuclear bomb to completely eliminate the Bizarre! This will restore the freedom that belongs to the people of Ravens Town. Long live freedom!"
The State Government's announcement left everyone in Maine unsure how to react.
Agree? But that's a nuclear bomb! Everyone knows its radiation is no joke. Oppose it? If those video scenes are real, anyone with a shred of rationality wouldn't want that Bizarre suddenly showing up at their home, turning them and their family into puppets like in the video. That's not freedom at all!
For a time, the atmosphere throughout Maine grew somewhat Bizarre. Despite the momentous decision to detonate a nuclear bomb within the state, no large-scale protests or demonstrations occurred.
At the site of the nuclear explosion, where Ravens Town once stood, the mushroom cloud that had billowed into the sky was gone.
The extreme heat, capable of instantly vaporizing a human, had been quelled by the formidable power of nature.
Only a vast crater remained, a testament to the nuclear bomb's terrifying power.
The town's many buildings had vanished without a trace.
Even the theater at the far end of town hadn't been spared. The old woman and all the gathered townspeople had been annihilated, erased along with the town itself.
Eighty kilometers from Ravens Town lay the bustling town of Fair Town.
Fair Town was a well-known commercial hub in central Maine, renowned for paper products exported as far as the East.
It boasted several advanced paper mills and lumber processing plants. Its developed economy attracted countless workers from neighboring towns and villages.
Fair Town was at least several times larger than Ravens Town, practically a small city.
Additionally, its proximity to mountainous areas meant a pleasant environment, drawing countless tourists annually.
On the outskirts of Fair Town, in an ordinary American detached house, Jamie's family of four, recent arrivals from Ravens Town, sat bolt upright on the sofa. They all stared at a TV screen displaying only static.
"Damn humans! My path to advancement..."
The four figures, sitting stiffly on the sofa, suddenly let out an old, hoarse roar in unison.