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🕑 Added 2025-06-16 16:08:00 +0000 UTCChapter 131
Sultana finally fainted, completely blissed out.
Honestly, unless you're some kind of superhuman woman, like Elizabeth or Jennifer, trying to handle Roy's stamina on your own is pretty tough.
Roy had barely managed to finish the fight earlier, and he wasn't quite done yet, so he summoned Sadako and Kayako from his cursed twin daggers.
Those two ghost girls are incredibly well-behaved now, practically at Roy's beck and call, because he's their lifeline.
Normally, if evil spirits don't kill people, their power gradually weakens until they become regular ghosts and eventually fade away.
But after being enslaved by Roy, Sadako and Kayako don't really get many chances to kill, so they rely entirely on Roy to nourish them.
Because of this, the two female ghosts have slowly been losing their evil spirit appearance and are actually starting to look quite pretty.
"Let's start!"
With Sadako and Kayako attending to him, Roy finally felt satisfied.
After putting the two ghost girls back into his cursed twin daggers, Roy held Sultana and drifted off to sleep.
The next day, Roy was woken up by a phone call. He picked up his phone and saw it was Heather calling.
Crap! After all the fun last night, I thought I was still in Waterfall Town and forgot to go back to the hotel!
Roy quickly answered the phone.
"Roy, where are you? Why didn't you come back to the hotel last night?"
He glanced at the time. It was eight in the morning, so Heather and Penny had probably just woken up too.
"Oh! Some friends invited me out for drinks last night, and I got totally wasted and slept in!"
Heather didn't sound suspicious at all.
"Oh, okay. Penny and I got you breakfast. You can eat it as soon as you get back to the hotel."
"Alright, I'll be back right away."
Roy had just hung up when his phone rang again. Without even looking at the number, he answered it lightning fast.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Mr. Black, it's me, Alan Berg!"
Roy breathed a sigh of relief. If it was Alan, it probably wasn't anything too important.
"What's up, Mr. Berg?"
"Mr. Black, have you forgotten? Today is the preliminary round for the Santa Monica Cup!"
Roy was momentarily stunned. Was it already the day of the preliminaries?
So much had happened in the past couple of days that Roy hadn't kept track of the date. Before he knew it, it was the weekend again.
"Of course, I remember!"
"Mr. Black, the competition is quite strong this year. I'll be acting as your coach. Can you come down to UCLA?"
Roy didn't really feel like going. With his current physical condition, he could probably take down a world champion in a punch or two.
But Alan was just trying to be helpful, so Roy didn't want to refuse.
"Alright, I'll head over to UCLA this afternoon. We can connect then!"
He hung up again. Finally, no more phone calls.
Roy looked at Sultana beside him. After two back-to-back phone calls, the older woman was still sound asleep, probably exhausted from the night before.
Helpless, Roy could only leave a note explaining that he had a match to fight. Before leaving, he playfully patted Sultana's rear.
"Roy, I can't take it anymore. Go find Elena!"
Sultana mumbled in her sleep before turning over and continuing to snore.
Where would he even find Elena? She works in Austin!
Shaking his head, Roy pushed open the hotel room door and left.
In the afternoon, at the UCLA boxing gym, Heather and Penny came along with Roy to check out the university.
The university didn't seem to have been affected by the Adela incident. It looked like Gerald had done a pretty good job keeping things under wraps. He wondered how the underground base was recovering.
But UCLA and Gerald would eventually have to get used to all this, because the real Grim Reaper would be a regular fixture here in the second half of the year. When that time came...
"Mr. Berg, I'm here."
Alan was coaching a student when Roy arrived with Heather and Penny.
Melanie didn't seem to be around today. Maybe she had classes or something.
"Oh, Mr. Black, you finally made it!"
Alan glanced at Heather and Penny behind Roy. The arrival of the two beautiful women made all the boxers in the gym stare. Alan frowned slightly at this.
"Roy, Heather and I will just wander around campus for a bit. We'll come find you later."
Penny was quite perceptive and offered to explore UCLA on their own.
"Go ahead. I'll give you a call."
After the two beauties left, many of the students training still hadn't snapped out of their daze. Alan couldn't help but cough.
The students quickly resumed their training, their movements becoming noticeably faster.
That old guy's got some authority!
After coughing, Alan looked at Roy and shook his head.
"Mr. Black, while this isn't the first time I've advised you on this, I still have to say it: boxers must control their desires! Women will only affect the speed of your punches!"
This kind of talk always went in one ear and out the other for Roy. If becoming a boxer meant having to stay away from women, he'd definitely choose a different career.
"Ah, yes, yes! Mr. Berg, let's talk about the important stuff!"
Alan knew Roy hadn't listened at all when he abruptly changed the subject. He sighed and started talking about the preliminary rounds.
"There will be quite a few good fighters participating in the preliminaries this year. I've already compiled their files and put them here. If you have time, you can also watch their fight recordings in the boxing gym."
There was definitely no time for that. Roy didn't even want to look at the files.
Seeing Roy's absent-minded expression, Alan could pretty much guess what he was thinking.
"However, there are a few people you need to pay special attention to!"
Alan's expression suddenly became very serious, and his voice got much louder, which made Roy focus a bit more.
"Please, go on, Mr. Berg."
Alan took out three files and handed them to Roy.
"These three boxers are from USC. They're our arch-rivals, and you absolutely cannot lose to them!"
USC stands for the University of Southern California, often called Southern Cal.
This private university is also located in Los Angeles County. Because the schools are relatively close, USC and UCLA have a very intense rivalry when it comes to attracting students.
This competition extends from teaching quality to research achievements and even to athletic competitions – it's an all-encompassing rivalry.
Especially in sports competitions, all athletic programs of the two schools are sworn enemies. Whenever they compete, they go all out.
So, it's not surprising that Alan would say something like that.
Roy suddenly understood. He figured this was Alan's real intention.
Once he understood, Roy readily agreed.
"Don't worry, as long as I run into any USC students, I'll definitely teach them a good lesson and make sure USC loses a lot of face!"
Hearing this, Alan's face lit up with joy, and he kept patting Roy's shoulder.
"Mr. Black, you will definitely become an outstanding UCLA student!"
Time quickly passed, and it was evening, the time when the Santa Monica Cup preliminaries would begin.
Because there were so many participants this year, there was quite a long line to wait in before it was Roy's turn to fight in the preliminaries.
However, this also gave Roy time to hang out with Heather, Penny, and Melanie on Santa Monica Beach.
The Santa Monica Cup amateur boxing tournament was like a temple fair, attracting a large number of vendors and street performers. The whole beach was incredibly lively.
Last time, because Roy's fight was so impressive, the audience swarmed him as soon as he got off the stage.
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There was no dedicated crowd control at the Santa Monica Cup qualifiers, and Roy was almost overwhelmed by the audience. In the end, he and Heather and Penny had to escape back to the Dolphin Hotel.
At nine-thirty, it was finally Roy's turn.
"The next preliminary match is between Roy Black and Evans Dean!"
When the referee announced Roy's name, there was actually a small round of cheers, and someone shouted his nickname, "Grim Reaper."
It seemed that some of the people who had watched the fights last week remembered Roy's name.
Roy stepped onto the stage and raised both hands in a gesture to the crowd around the ring, just like a big star.
During this process, Roy actually saw Sultana and Dahlia, who had brought her daughter along.
He was shocked!
Sultana knew how much of a player Roy was. Although she didn't like it in words, she had actually accepted it in her heart.
But Dahlia was different. As a plump fish in his pond that hadn't been caught yet, if she knew about Roy's current situation, she might just swim away.
He clearly hadn't told Dahlia about his match. Could it be a coincidence?
Looking closely at Dahlia's expression, she did indeed look very surprised. Perhaps after quitting her night shift job, she had brought her daughter to play on Santa Monica Beach and just happened to see the competition and came over to watch.
Roy was a bit speechless.
"Hey kid, you can't win a boxing match by looking around!"
Suddenly, his opponent's voice interrupted Roy's thoughts.
Roy tilted his head to look at his opponent. His first opponent in the preliminaries was a black man who looked like he was getting on in years.
Most of the people who joined the Santa Monica Cup for fun would be eliminated in the qualifying rounds. Those who could make it to the preliminaries were either student boxers, genuine amateur enthusiasts, or even retired professional boxers.
Roy didn't know which category the black man in front of him, named Evans Dean, belonged to. But from the jealous look on his face, it was clear that this guy didn't like him at all.
"What's wrong? Jealous? This is the treatment for handsome guys! I can make a living just with my looks!"
Roy's words instantly enraged Evans Dean. His eyes started to get bloodshot, making him look quite scary.
"You little punk, I'm going to knock your teeth out and see if you can still make a living with that pretty face!"
The referee didn't care about the two men's personal grudges. He had to officiate over a dozen boxing matches tonight and didn't have the time to worry about anything else.
After going through the pre-fight instructions, the referee officially started the match.
Fueled by anger, Evans Dean launched an aggressive attack right from the start of the match, aiming all his punches at Roy's face, seemingly wanting to ruin his handsome looks.
Roy smiled, easily dodging Evans Dean's punches, and then continued to taunt his opponent with his gloved hands.
This guy's boxing skills were quite refined. His footwork and combination punches were very experienced, but his physical condition had declined significantly due to his age.
But sports competition is cruel like that. A loss is a loss, and a win is a win. No amount of excuses can change the result.
Years later, people will only remember who the winner was and not the loser's excuses.
After nearly half a minute of continuous fierce attacks, Evans hadn't even touched a hair on Roy's head. At this point, his rationality began to return, and he realized that he was facing an opponent he couldn't defeat at all.
So, this guy started to hesitate about whether or not to give up.
Surrendering midway through was better than getting beaten up. Evans wasn't young after all, and older folks were always a bit more cunning.
Roy saw through Evans's intentions. To prevent his opponent from surrendering midway and making tonight's performance less than perfect, he suddenly abandoned his dodging and took a step forward.
When Evans saw Roy suddenly rush forward with his guard wide open, he immediately realized it was a good opportunity and swung a punch at Roy.
Although he was older, Evans's full-force punch was still incredibly fast.
Unfortunately for Evans, while his punch was fast, Roy's ducking speed was even faster.
Evans only felt a blur in front of his eyes as Roy disappeared, followed by a sharp pain in his chin that made him lose consciousness instantly.
Boom! A rising dragon!
Evans was sent flying several inches off the ground by that uppercut before landing. After he fell, the referee originally wanted to start counting, but then he noticed that all of Evans's teeth had been knocked out.
This guy would only be able to eat liquid food from now on, unless he bought dentures.
"Roy Black wins!"
The referee quickly announced Roy's knockout victory to prevent Evans from getting killed.
The audience below the stage cheered wildly for Roy. That uppercut was full of violent aesthetics, and many excited spectators even wanted to rush onto the stage.
Fortunately, for the preliminaries, the Santa Monica Cup had finally arranged security to control the situation, otherwise Roy might not have been able to leave the competition venue.
Even Dahlia, a woman who usually didn't watch such violent competitions, had a sparkle in her eyes.
"Mommy, that big brother is so handsome!"
Hearing her daughter's words, Dahlia frowned slightly.
"You should call him uncle, okay?"
"Okay! Uncle is so handsome!"
"Yes, this uncle is really handsome! Do you want to say hello to him?"
"Yes, yes!"
Dahlia was about to pick up her daughter to go find Roy, but she saw that after he got off the stage, he was immediately hugged by two beautiful women.
These two beautiful women looked a few years younger than her, and their looks and figures were also subtly better than hers.
This instantly made Dahlia feel a bit inferior, and she lost the desire to say hello to Roy. She turned around and wanted to leave.
"Mommy, aren't we going to say hello to that handsome uncle?"
"I'm sorry, Ceci, Mommy's feeling a little unwell. Can we say hello to him next time, okay?"
Watching Dahlia's hurried figure walking away, Roy knew that the fish in his pond was still going to swim away.
But it didn't matter. He should take care of the fish he already had first. As for the fish that wanted to swim away, he could always find a chance to reel them back in!
With Heather and Penny on either side of him, Roy said goodbye to Melanie and Sultana before heading back to the Dolphin Hotel.
Chapter 132: Cyber Ghost
Because there was still a preliminary match to play the next night, Heather and Penny, for once, didn't pester Roy for his 'public grain' (a euphemism for sex), although it wouldn't have affected Roy much.
With Roy's current physique, he could even have a round with Heather and Penny before a match and still go on to win.
However, Heather and Penny were quite firm in their stance, so Roy didn't insist.
Perfect timing, as tonight was another episode of the "Night Owl" reality show, and Roy was curious to see what the host, Jack, would talk about.
Since the two urban legends mentioned on the show before turned out to be true, what about the other things related to urban legends they've discussed?
Like that Slender Man that Pastor Max denied...
"Night Owl" was a late-night show, and Heather and Penny didn't want to stay up late and affect their skin, so they went to bed early.
That left Roy sitting on the sofa watching TV alone.
Oh, wait, not exactly alone, there were still two beautiful female ghosts!
Watching TV alone was a bit boring, so he let out the two female ghosts who couldn't speak.
When he was bored, he could even play with them a bit to relieve the boredom.
This was also Roy's first time watching "Night Owl" from the beginning. The show actually started with a song and dance performance, and it was jazz, no less.
Roy didn't appreciate this kind of performance, so he started managing his time, sending goodnight messages to all the 'fish' in his 'fish pond' (again, referring to his female acquaintances).
He even opened his laptop and used MSN to remind Niddy to rest early.
All the 'fish' replied to his messages, except for Dahlia, who didn't respond to anything. She was probably still upset about what happened in the evening.
No choice, he could only be patient at this point and find another opportunity to break through Dahlia's psychological defenses later.
Roy believed he had left a deep enough impression on Dahlia, which would subconsciously make her compare any other men she met to him in the future.
The result, of course, was self-evident.
Sadako and Kayako curiously watched the laptop. When the two female ghosts died, laptops should have still been rare, maybe even hadn't appeared yet.
The more mature and steady Kayako just looked, but the younger Sadako couldn't help but reach out and touch the laptop screen.
Then, a magical scene unfolded. Sadako's hand went directly into the computer screen, going in rather than through.
As spiritual entities, Sadako and Kayako could both pass through some materials, including doors, walls, and furniture.
But it seemed only Sadako could enter the screen; Kayako couldn't do it.
Watching Sadako, who looked like a desktop pet, jumping up and down on the laptop screen, Roy suddenly had an idea. Could he cultivate Sadako into a cyber ghost similar to the cyber succubus Adra?
Like a super computer virus? The kind that takes down both the computer and the person.
Roy felt it was worth a try, but for now, Sadako could only enter the screen and probably couldn't get into the internet.
Roy actually only had some knowledge about computers from the future. He didn't really understand the technical aspects. Perhaps he could ask Niddy for help after returning to Waterfall Town.
Niddy was a computer expert, someone who could easily access the backends of government websites.
"Alright, you can come out now!"
After watching the chibi-sized Sadako act cute in the screen for a while, Roy wanted to call Sadako out. He was going to turn off the computer.
Then, Sadako, pouting with her luxurious, translucent taillights, came out of the laptop screen.
It seemed she got stuck in the screen because she was too well-endowed.
Hiss, what a good opportunity!
Ahem!
Just then, the opening song and dance show of "Night Owl" ended. Roy was ready to focus on the TV show, so he had to tap Sadako's shiny, luxurious taillights.
Sadako, slightly disappointed, crawled out of the laptop and sat obediently beside Roy, as if the little episode just now hadn't happened.
After finishing the opening dance, the host, Jack, began to introduce today's first special guest. Finally, it wasn't that Pastor Max again. If that guy participated a few more episodes, he'd become a regular.
The special guest who came in was a black woman wearing fur, with a good figure and an elegant demeanor. Even though Roy generally didn't have any particular fondness for black people, he had to admit that this woman was a beautiful black pearl.
"Let's welcome Ms. Marie Laveau from New Orleans!"
This woman looked a bit familiar. Was she also a character from some movie?
Roy was sure he hadn't seen any works related to Marie Laveau, so the more likely possibility was that he had seen this black woman in some short video or other social media in his previous life.
There was no way around it. Although Roy's memory stat was as high as 28, it was still impossible for him to remember everything, especially some memories that were easily overlooked.
On the TV screen, Jack was still introducing Marie Laveau.
"This beautiful lady has a little-known identity: she is the Voodoo Queen of America!"
This sentence caused an exclamation from the audience. Voodoo was quite famous in America. This was probably because there were many black immigrants in America, especially immigrants from Haiti, who brought their local culture to the American mainland.
There might even be Haitian immigrants in the audience.
Regarding Voodoo, everyone's impression was of people covered in skulls and snakes, looking crazy. No one would have thought that this beautiful black woman in fur was the Voodoo Queen.
Roy included.
If you told Roy this woman was a female rapper, he'd believe it. But saying she was the Voodoo Queen? That was too unbelievable, right?
Seeing the surprised expressions of the audience, Jack revealed a knowing look and then joked.
"Yes, when the show crew found Ms. Laveau, my expression was the same as yours. I thought the director had suddenly invited a big star, and I thought my show was finally going to be a hit!"
The audience burst into laughter.
The show "Night Owl" had consistently occupied the top three spots in the late-night ratings, but it had never won first place, which was why the host, Jack, was joking about himself like that.
After the laughter, Jack began to get back to the main topic and started talking to Marie Laveau about some things related to Voodoo.
"Ms. Laveau, in our impression, Voodoo is a symbol of terror and evil. Is this true?"
This question was quite sharp. If Marie Laveau was really a witch, Jack would be in some danger.
However, in this kind of reality show, the guests and the host would usually agree on the topics beforehand. Since Jack dared to ask such a sharp question, it meant Marie Laveau had agreed to talk about it.
"Not at all! The stereotypes about Voodoo being terrifying and evil are from the Age of Exploration, due to the wars. In reality, Voodoo also has many gentle doctrines, otherwise, where would the believers come from?"
"Hahaha, you're right. For example, seeing Ms. Laveau now, I have an urge to kneel at her feet!"
The audience burst into laughter again.
Then came some chat about popularizing Voodoo. This Marie Laveau really seemed to have the air of a queen, unlike that Pastor Max before. That guy was a pure fraud. Roy suspected he might not have even seen a real demon.
The current Marie Laveau did seem somewhat real. If this was acting, then Roy could only support this actress to go for an Oscar.
While chatting, Jack and Marie Laveau talked about why she came on the show.
"Ms. Laveau, why did you think of coming on my show? Shouldn't you be active in Louisiana all the time?"
"Because I heard that the host of this show is particularly handsome, so I came."
Marie Laveau suddenly made a joke, leaving the host Jack looking dumbfounded, and the on-set reaction was very funny.
"Okay, although I'm happy to hear that, my wife might already be rushing to the TV station with a rolling pin."
After the laughter, Marie Laveau began to talk about the real reason.
"Actually, I'm here to look for the lost Voodoo Bible, 'Baron Samedi.' Los Angeles is just my first stop. Next, I will go to TV stations all over the country. If any viewers find this Bible, they can contact me, and the Voodoo religion will definitely offer a generous reward!"
Seeing this, Roy's expression became strange.
This was too coincidental, wasn't it?
Roy took out the book "Baron Samedi" from his inventory. This book was drawn from the Fate Treasure Chest of Chucky the doll and had never been used. He had almost forgotten about it.
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Judging from Marie Laveau's words, the Voodoo religion must value this book very much, even calling it a Bible. It should be able to be exchanged for some good things.
It was just a pity that the "Night Owl" show was basically pre-recorded. He didn't know when tonight's episode was recorded, and Marie Laveau had probably already left California.
Oh well, he'd note down the contact information first and find Marie Laveau when he had time. Anyway, the book wouldn't run away in his inventory.
After the first guest, Marie Laveau, finished her segment, she walked off the stage. Then there was another boring song and dance performance, which was probably the intermission.
The next guest was a folklorist who claimed to study supernatural phenomena. Jack once again talked to the guest about urban legends.
The folklorist spoke first. Folklorists were considered a relatively high-risk profession. The stronger their abilities, the more dangerous it was. No one knew when they might be summoned away by something.
"I once accidentally saw a 'puzzle box' that could open the gates of hell in a wealthy man's possession. It's said that opening that box can grant any wish."
Jack raised an eyebrow and asked the folklorist in a mischievous tone.
"Can you reveal which wealthy man it was?"
"Oh, Jack, you know that in our line of work, there are some questions that absolutely cannot be asked!"
The folklorist rejected Jack without any hesitation.
Jack scratched his head, looking very disappointed.
"Anderson, I thought our relationship had reached a point where we could discuss this topic."
The folklorist looked at Jack in surprise.
"Are we that close?"
This scene caused another burst of laughter. Everyone liked to see Jack embarrassed.
The audience in the show was laughing, but Roy couldn't laugh. The puzzle box mentioned by the folklorist should be the Lament Configuration from the Hellraiser movie series.
Roy remembered that this puzzle box seemed to be connected to Leviathan, the Lord of Envy, and could summon a group of powerful demon Cenobites, making it a relatively high-combat-power entity in horror movies.
The folklorist said this puzzle box was in the hands of a certain wealthy man. Could this be the plot of the rebooted Hellraiser?
He just didn't know who that wealthy man was. It seemed necessary to investigate this matter.
After talking about the Lament Configuration, Jack also told a new urban legend.
"I heard that a shopping mall once caught fire. The fire destroyed everything, but all the mirrors in the mall remained intact and as bright as ever. It's said that the spirits of those who died in the fire have entered the mirrors, and anyone who looks into them will die in an extremely terrifying way!"
Jack's eerie tone scared the audience, and the studio fell silent.
An urban legend related to mirrors?
Actually, there are quite a few legends related to mirrors, such as the famous urban legend of Bloody Mary.
It's about someone going into a bathroom, turning off all the lights, lighting a candle, and chanting "Mary Worth, I believe in you!" repeatedly, and then a "female ghost" will appear in the mirror.
Roy wasn't sure what relationship this legend had with the mirrors Jack mentioned.
After that, the folklorist became the one to break the silence.
"So, which shopping mall was it? And who has looked into these mirrors?"
This question was very similar to Jack's previous question, and Jack immediately returned the same words to the folklorist.
"Oh, Anderson, you know that in our line of work, there are some questions that absolutely cannot be asked!"
This punchline landed perfectly, and laughter erupted in the studio again.
After telling the two urban legends, Jack and the folklorist began to discuss them.
This part was relatively boring, making Roy yawn.
Feeling that there wouldn't be any more content about urban legends, Roy decided to relax and go to sleep.
He patted Sadako and Kayako's taillights, and the two female ghosts immediately understood, tossing their hair and beginning to deeply process the lollipops.
Just at this moment, the phone rang.
Looking at the time, it was almost 12 o'clock. Who would be calling at this hour?
Roy picked up his phone and glanced at the number. It was actually Sultana's. Was she calling to ask him to drink again?
Signaling to Sadako and Kayako not to stop working, Roy answered the phone.
"Hello, Sister Sultana, calling me so late, do you want to drink with me again?"
"Get lost! Every time I drink with you, it takes me several days to recover. I'm never drinking with you again!"
Roy ignored Sultana's somewhat insincere words.
"Hmph, then what do you want from me?"
"It's about the subway incident you mentioned yesterday. Gerald wants me to be in charge of this case. I want to ask you to meet Keller with me tomorrow morning. She might have a lot of information there."
"Oh—is that so! Okay, I'll come find you tomorrow."
Sadako and Kayako started to speed up.
"Roy, your voice sounds strange, and you're a bit out of breath?"
"It's nothing, I'm just training. I have another preliminary match tomorrow night."
"Alright, see you tomorrow!"
Sadako
Chapter 133: The Meatpacking Plant
The next morning, Roy hopped in his Chevrolet Camaro to go see Saltana.
Saltana got her job back way faster than Roy expected. He figured it would take a few more days, but only two or three days after the succubus incident, the big sister was back in business.
And get this, she even got transferred to the Los Angeles branch of the California FEA, becoming an agent under Gerald.
Gerald must have really been short on people. I mean, the succubus Adela invaded the FEA's underground base and controlled almost half the agents.
After Roy "offed" the succubus Adela, these agents were freed from her control, but who knows if they had any lingering issues.
Being cautious, Gerald had to quarantine these agents for observation for a while, which led to a serious shortage of staff at the FEA's Los Angeles branch.
Gerald used to just like being on the front lines, but now he had no choice but to be there, and he still couldn't keep up with all the work.
So, Saltana quickly went through the reinstatement process, got back to her post, and was put in charge of the Midnight Cannibal Train incident.
"Have you been waiting long?"
Roy waited for just a few minutes downstairs at the hotel where Saltana was staying temporarily before she came down to find him.
Back on the job, the big sister had changed back into her business suit, looking sharp and capable again – a real eye-catcher.
Seriously, Saltana in her agent getup is the prettiest. I just wonder when I'll get to see her wear that outfit...
"Roy, what's wrong? You're not saying anything."
Saltana waved her hand in front of Roy's face, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking. Hey, Saltana, have you had breakfast yet?"
"Yep, let's head out!"
Saltana was friends with Keller, so she naturally knew where she lived. Following her directions, Roy drove to an apartment building in the city center.
Molly answered the doorbell.
"Roy! What are you doing here?"
Molly looked genuinely surprised and happy to see Roy.
"Molly, who is it? Is it Saltana?"
Looks like Saltana had given Keller a heads-up, but she probably didn't mention Roy would be coming along, which explains Molly's surprise.
"It's me, Keller! And I brought another friend!"
Keller came out of the room and was just as surprised to see Roy.
"Roy! Oh my gosh, you're in LA and you didn't tell me you were coming!"
"Isn't it more fun this way? A surprise and all?"
Roy noticed Keller's arms were hanging down, and her shoulders were wrapped in thick bandages. Looks like her shoulder injury was still bothering her.
She'd been caught by the dark web folks while trying to infiltrate them, and they'd pierced her shoulder with an iron hook.
That kind of injury is a real pain to heal, so she'd been wearing bandages for two months now.
"It totally is a surprise! Come on in, I've got some tea and cake ready for you guys!"
Keller happily led Saltana and Roy into the apartment.
The apartment was pretty spacious, and while the decorations weren't over-the-top fancy, they weren't cheap either.
Roy couldn't help but ask, "Nice place! Keller, is this a rental?"
"No, I bought this apartment! Roy, why the sudden interest?"
If she was just a freelance reporter, she shouldn't be making this kind of money.
Being a reporter is a classic example of a job with high social status but low pay.
That's why reporters in any country are easily swayed by PR – it's the fastest way for them to make money.
But knowing Keller like Roy did, she wasn't the type to earn money that way. It was more likely that she came from a wealthy family.
So, Roy's initial hunch about the female reporter was right. This woman definitely had some family background.
No wonder Keller was able to bounce back and start writing articles again just two months after the dark web incident.
"Oh, it's nothing. I might be going to UCLA in the second half of the year, so I wanted to get a feel for the rental market in LA."
As soon as he said that, all three women's eyes lit up.
"Roy, is that true? Does that mean I'd be your fellow alum?"
Keller's question surprised Roy. What a coincidence!
"You graduated from UCLA?"
"Yep! I got my Master's in Communications from UCLA back in '92. I know a lot of professors who are still teaching there. If you have any questions, you can totally come to me!"
That's fantastic!
American universities really value those kinds of connections. If your parents went to a certain school, it's usually much easier for their kids to get in.
Philip and Sarah had suggested Roy go to the University of Houston because they both graduated from there, but Roy had turned them down.
"That's awesome, Senior Keller! Once I get into UCLA, I'll definitely drop your name!"
"Hold on a second! You better not be dropping my name to pick up girls everywhere! I know you'd totally do that!"
The atmosphere in the room instantly lightened up. Anyone who knew Roy knew his weaknesses.
After drinking tea, eating cake, and catching up, it was time to get down to business. Keller asked about the reason for their visit.
"Saltana, about that subway disappearance case you mentioned, I've been following it closely! Molly, could you grab the information I've been collecting?"
While Keller's hands weren't up to full strength, Molly was her right-hand woman, helping out with a lot of the work.
Molly quickly brought the organized files to Saltana and Roy.
"The Los Angeles subway only started running in 1990, and subway disappearances have been happening ever since the day it opened!"
Wow, that early?
Because Los Angeles is situated at the boundary of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates, it's a city that gets its fair share of earthquakes.
That's why, even though it's the second-largest city in America, there aren't many skyscrapers in the downtown area.
And it's also why Los Angeles didn't open its subway lines until 1990, and even then, there were only six lines to begin with.
But now, in the year 2000, the LA subway system has expanded quite a bit.
What surprised Roy was that these subway disappearances had been going on for a decade already.
So, the question is, did they dig up those monsters while building the subway, or did they discover those monsters and then use the subway construction as a cover-up?
"That probably wasn't the earliest time the disappearances happened, was it?"
Keller nodded.
"Roy, you're right on the money! I looked into all the subway disappearances over the past ten years, and I found that these lines had the highest number of missing people!"
Keller勉强 raised her hand and used a red marker to mark the subway map.
"Then I kept digging through old newspapers and found that even before the subway was running, disappearances had already started happening frequently in this area. The probability of disappearances in these zones is ten times higher than in other parts of Los Angeles!"
Roy and Saltana exchanged a look. This situation was more unexpected than they thought.
In other words, the subway driver and the organization behind Mahogany might have been around much longer than Roy and his team had imagined.
Saltana quickly continued to question Keller.
"Keller, what's the earliest disappearance case in that area that you could find?"
"Around a hundred years ago, the first disappearance happened at this place called Joseph's Slaughterhouse. That slaughterhouse is still around today, but it's grown from a small operation into a large meat processing company."
A hundred years?
If this organization really started a century ago, then it's hard to imagine how massive it must be.
It must have already infiltrated every aspect of Los Angeles. No wonder subway disappearances are so frequent, yet there's hardly any public outcry.
"Looks like this case is a real can of worms!"
Saltana's face was serious.
The newest novels are first published here!
"Saltana, if you're going to investigate this case, you absolutely have to be careful of the Los Angeles police in that area! Those guys threatened me before. They definitely know about the subway disappearances, but they've been covering up the truth!"
Keller gave Saltana a warning.
"I will! This case is clearly not just a simple supernatural incident. Maybe I should look into getting the FBI involved for a joint investigation!"
"Well, the local FBI might not be safe either. The federal police haven't found anything after all these years, so there's definitely something fishy going on!"
The higher-ups in the Los Angeles FBI must have been compromised too. In this situation, the best thing would be to bring in FBI agents from other states to investigate.
Roy and Saltana both thought of the same person at the same time.
"Iliana!"
The thick-lipped beauty who was bored and sipping coffee in her office suddenly sneezed.
"Huh? Is Roy thinking about me? Ugh, I'm so bored! Should I head over to Waterfall Town to chill out?"
But Saltana snapped back to reality and still felt a bit of a headache.
"Getting Iliana over here to help with the case will involve a ton of red tape. We can't just sit around and wait in the meantime!"
After all, they were suspecting an entire county's FBI of being compromised. The report alone would be a mountain of paperwork, and they'd have to report it to both FEA and FBI headquarters. By the time all the procedures were done, it could easily be a month later.
Keller offered a suggestion.
"I think we can start our investigation at this meatpacking plant!"
Pulling out a financial report about the meatpacking plant, Keller began to explain her theory.
"About ten years ago, that small-time slaughterhouse suddenly received a massive investment. Even though they had the chance to expand, this slaughterhouse didn't look for better land in the suburbs. Instead, they stayed put and spent a fortune buying up the surrounding land. They even shut down operations for several months to rebuild the slaughterhouse into a meatpacking plant. And the day the meatpacking plant's reconstruction was finished was the exact same day the Los Angeles subway started running!"
Coincidences can happen once or twice, but when you have a whole bunch of them stacked together, it's definitely not a coincidence.
The location of the slaughterhouse a hundred years ago would have been in the suburbs, but with a century of urban sprawl, it's now right in the middle of the city.
It's really strange that a slaughterhouse got a huge investment and didn't move out to the suburbs, stubbornly continuing to operate in the city center for so many years, and the government didn't bat an eye.
"That's definitely suspicious! Alright, let's start our investigation at this meatpacking plant then!"
With a direction for their investigation, Saltana, who was always quick to act, immediately prepared to say goodbye to Keller.
"You're leaving already? Won't you stay for lunch? If you want to sneak into Joseph's Meatpacking Plant, nighttime would probably be the best time, right?"
Saltana shook her head.
"No time. Roy has a match to play tonight, so we need to try and dig up some information during the day."
"Okay, well, you guys be as careful as possible. The police patrol around that meatpacking plant really frequently!"
That just further proves that there's something wrong with Joseph's Meatpacking Plant!
Roy and Saltana left Keller's place, got back into the Chevrolet Camaro, and headed towards Joseph's Meatpacking Plant.
Half an hour later, Roy parked the car about two hundred meters away from Joseph's Meatpacking Plant.
They couldn't get any closer. Just like Keller said, the police patrolled the area way too often. Almost every five minutes, a police car would drive by outside the meatpacking plant.
Roy was worried that getting any closer would tip them off.
"Damn it! Why are there so many cops?"
With this many police patrolling, plus all the workers inside the meatpacking plant, it's going to be really tough to sneak in.
Keller was right – trying to get into the meatpacking plant during the day was going to be a challenge.
"Roy, take it easy, be patient! Maybe we'll get an opportunity if we wait a bit longer!"
The two waited in the car for another half an hour. Suddenly, a bell rang from the direction of Joseph's Meatpacking Plant.
Looking at the time, they saw it was already 11 o'clock. That should be lunchtime.
Both the workers and the patrolling police should be heading off for lunch.
Perfect timing!
Roy and Saltana immediately got out of the car and headed towards the meatpacking plant, carefully avoiding the security cameras as they entered the premises.
Since they didn't know the layout inside Joseph's Meatpacking Plant, the two had to try their luck and explore.
But Saltana's luck was on point today. She quickly found the locker room and spotted some work uniforms.
After putting on the full work outfits, their faces were almost completely covered. This way, even under the surveillance cameras, Roy and Saltana wouldn't be recognized.
Once they were geared up, the two officially entered the processing workshop. It was incredibly gruesome in there, with animal carcasses cut open everywhere and blood and guts all over the floor.
Slaughterhouses are pretty polluting, especially when it comes to water. And California is already a pretty dry state, plus most of the water is used to grow water-intensive fruits, so much so that there wasn't even water in the fire hydrants when they needed to put out fires.
After observing for a while, the two headed to the next workshop. This one seemed to be for air-drying meat, with tons of pale animal carcasses hanging there, waiting for the next stage of processing.
In this workshop, Roy suddenly noticed a downward passage. The passage had an iron gate with chains and an old, heavy padlock on it.
Roy tapped Saltana on the shoulder, signaling that he'd found something.
"A passage going down? That's not right! Looks like we need to find a key!"
Factories like this usually don't build basements, and it's even more suspicious for a meatpacking plant.
"Sister Saltana, I can pick locks. You just need to keep an eye out for me!"
Saltana didn't know Roy could pick locks and looked a little skeptical.
Actually, for this kind of simple mechanical lock, Roy could open it with a piece of instant noodle – it was that easy.
But just as Roy entered the passage and took out his lock picks, Saltana immediately gave a warning.
"Roy, someone's coming!"
Keller Evans (Naomi Watts)
(End of this chapter)
