belamy20
patreon
143-145
🕑 Added 2025-06-20 16:23:47 +0000 UTCChapter 143: Blood Sea
F***! It's the hallway on the 14th floor of the Dolphin Hotel again!
Roy sat on that short stool in the middle of the hallway, speechless. This was the second time he had dreamed about Room 1408 in a short period.
You could tell that the dream of Room 1408 was persistent. As long as someone staying at the hotel had a low Sanity score, or if they were unwell like Roy was now, they might get pulled into its dream.
Just like last time, 1408 started using all sorts of ways to tempt Roy to go inside, but Roy's willpower had improved since then, and he completely ignored the temptations.
Then, 1408 seemed to get angry, constantly opening and closing the doors as if to scare Roy.
"Idiot, even if you break the door, I won't go in!"
Bored, Roy just lay down on the short stool to wait for time to pass. He remembered that when he entered this hallway, it seemed like someone was coming up the stairs, but Roy hadn't seen who it was before his phone ringing woke him up.
I wonder if I'll be able to see that guy today?
After thinking about it, this dream wasn't under his control at all. If that guy was trouble, it could be pretty dangerous.
If I don't see him, then oh well, no need to force it.
Right now, Roy just hoped his phone would ring again and wake him up. Otherwise, just staying in this hallway and being harassed by 1408 was way too boring.
At this time, Roy, still in the dream, didn't know that Heather and Penny had turned off his phone so he could rest and recover from his injuries properly.
In other words, Roy would have to sleep until he naturally woke up. No chance of anyone waking him.
The longer Roy lay in the hallway, the more bored he got, and he even felt the urge to go into Room 1408 to take a look.
So, boredom really can drive people crazy. It actually made Roy have such a dangerous thought.
Roy felt that this couldn't go on, so he walked to the elevator again, wanting to leave the hallway on the 14th floor of the Dolphin Hotel.
The elevator still didn't respond. Roy had no control over the facilities in this dream.
Maybe the only thing he could do was go into Room 1408 to see what was inside, but Roy didn't want to give that room what it wanted.
"Using my own powers in a dream shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Roy directly unleashed his Fear Domain.
After absorbing Slender Man's fear energy, the fear energy within Roy had undergone a qualitative leap. If the previous fear energy was in a gaseous state, then now the fear energy in Roy's body had transformed into a liquid. Although it was still a relatively thin liquid, the change in form brought about a huge difference.
First of all, the duration of transformation for a unit of fear energy had lengthened, and its power had also increased.
The moment Roy unleashed his Fear Domain, the entire hallway began to tremble slightly, just like an earthquake.
If Room 1408 was indeed a room with self-awareness, just as Roy had previously guessed, then the Fear Domain that Roy unleashed would also have an impact on it.
The trembling of the entire hallway seemed to confirm this guess.
"Still not going to let me leave?"
Roy narrowed his eyes. Just as he was about to increase the output, he suddenly noticed that the elevator had started running again. Someone was riding it.
Was it really going to happen?
Roy watched the elevator come up floor by floor. He decided to see who it was, so he temporarily retracted his Fear Domain.
And to avoid trouble, Roy also put on a Ghostface mask.
Ghostface masks are usually used directly from the inventory, but this time Roy put it directly on his face to cover it.
Finally, the elevator stopped at the 14th floor, and a person wearing a mask just like his walked out. What are the odds?
The other person was startled when they saw Roy and immediately adopted a guarded stance.
"Who are you?"
Roy suddenly felt that this guy's movements and tone were a bit familiar, like someone he had met after coming to Los Angeles.
But in the dream, Roy couldn't remember for a moment.
"I was about to ask you the same thing. Why have you come to my territory?"
Roy immediately told a lie. To make the other person believe him, he even used some of the power from the Mark of Belial to enhance the effect of the lie, and he also unleashed his Fear Domain.
Under the double effect of the lie and the Fear Domain, the masked person in front of him actually believed Roy and immediately knelt on the ground to worship.
"You must be a divine messenger, my lord! Divine messenger, we are ready and waiting for the master's arrival!"
Wait a minute, was this guy from Beelzebub's cult?
And it sounded like these guys were planning something big.
Roy immediately wanted to test him, hoping to get some information out of this guy.
"Oh? What preparations have you made?"
The masked person raised his head, looking at Roy with fanaticism.
"Divine messenger, we have prepared a grand ritual to welcome the master's arrival. At that time, the whole world will feel the master's great power!"
A grand ritual? Sounds pretty big, huh?
Just as Roy was about to continue probing, he heard the sound of rushing water behind him.
Turning his head, Roy saw a torrent of blood pouring out of Room 1408. The scene was just like that famous scene in the movie The Shining, a sea of blood flooding the entire hallway.
However, in The Shining, the blood sea scene was just an illusion, but in a dream, it might not be. Roy could already feel the oppressive feeling of the blood sea.
"What the f***!"
Roy couldn't help but swear. This outburst made the masked person in front of him realize that he wasn't any divine messenger. The masked person immediately stood up.
"You're not a divine messenger!"
"Get lost!"
Roy kicked the masked person to the side. He definitely didn't want to swim in that blood sea. Luckily, the elevator the masked person had come up in hadn't closed, so he took off running and jumped into the elevator, pressing the close door button.
Through the slowly closing elevator doors, Roy saw the masked person he had just kicked over struggling in the blood sea. The elevator he was in seemed to have some special power that prevented the blood from entering.
The elevator doors closed, and Roy looked at the elevator buttons. A thought suddenly occurred to him.
If he pressed the button for the 12th floor now, would he be able to enter the 12th floor in the dream? And then, would he be able to enter Room 1208 in the dream?
So, Roy tried pressing the button for the 12th floor, but the elevator didn't move an inch.
Okay, looks like most of the buttons are just for show. The only ones that probably work are for the 1st and 14th floors.
Roy pressed the button for the 1st floor, and the elevator began to descend slowly.
As the elevator descended, Roy's consciousness began to rise, and before long, he opened his eyes.
"Roy, are you awake?"
Penny was now using Roy as a chest pillow. She hadn't fallen asleep like last time and had been gently massaging his head the whole time. So, as soon as Roy woke up, Penny noticed immediately.
Roy sat up and stretched.
"Penny, what time is it?"
"Two in the afternoon."
Only slept for seven hours?
Roy felt his body. He had recovered about fifty percent, but it was a bit painful when he just stretched.
This internal injury was indeed very serious. It would probably take a week to fully recover.
Just as he was thinking this, Roy's stomach suddenly let out a loud growl.
Penny immediately covered her mouth and giggled.
"Roy, so you only woke up because you were hungry!"
Roy was a bit speechless, but then he looked at Penny with a justified expression.
"I didn't eat breakfast, and I didn't eat lunch. Is it weird that I'm hungry?"
Penny laughed even louder.
But after laughing, Penny still looked at Roy with a worried expression.
"Roy, what do you want to eat? Heather and I will go to the restaurant to get it for you right now!"
"Bring back a lot of red meat and white meat. I need to replenish my energy now that I'm injured."
"Okay, I'll go right now."
While Penny and Heather went to prepare food, Roy took a shower to clean himself up. By the time he finished showering, the food was ready.
After getting injured, Roy's appetite seemed to have increased again.
Penny and Heather had to run up and down several times before Roy was full.
Later, Dahlia heard that Roy had woken up and came to see him, bringing a pie she had made herself.
Eating a full meal helped his injuries recover, and Roy could feel his condition improving faster.
"Roy, aren't you going to sleep anymore?"
Dahlia looked at Roy with concern.
Ever since she learned that Roy had suffered serious internal injuries to save her daughter, she always felt like she owed Roy a lot.
Now, whatever Dahlia could do for Roy, she was willing to do it.
"No, I can't sleep anymore."
Roy put down his cutlery and began to think about what had happened in the dream just now.
Although he couldn't be sure if the masked person was from Beelzebub's cult, it was certain that someone in Los Angeles was planning something big.
But why did that masked man feel so familiar?
After coming to Los Angeles, Roy hadn't actually met many people. The ones he knew relatively well were Alan Berg and Gerald Olin, those kinds of people.
Either that, or the opponents from the previous boxing matches, but they didn't really fit the masked man's image.
Where exactly had he seen that guy before?
While Roy was thinking, Heather next to him turned on the TV, wanting to watch the afternoon rerun of a soap opera.
This had been Heather and Penny's greatest pleasure these past few days.
As Heather was changing channels, a scene caught Roy's attention.
"Heather, wait! Switch back to that channel!"
Heather looked at Roy in surprise but still used the remote to switch back to the previous show.
At this moment, the TV screen was replaying the Night Owl show, and Roy saw the host, Jack, talking animatedly to a guest.
That's the guy!
No wonder Roy thought the masked man's tone was so familiar. He had seen this guy's show before!
"Roy, what's wrong?"
Heather and Penny both noticed that Roy's expression wasn't very good.
"There's trouble! I need to go talk to Gerald Olin!"
"But your body..."
Heather looked at Roy with some worry. She still remembered Roy's painful expression from the morning.
"It's okay, I just need to talk to Gerald Olin. I'm not going to do anything strenuous."
Dahlia stood up.
"Do you need us to help you downstairs?"
"No need. I recovered a bit after sleeping. It's fine."
Saying this, Roy stood up and walked out of the room with a frown.
In the morning, because of the adrenaline, Roy hadn't felt too much pain. Now, his chest basically hurt every few steps he took.
Missing half a heart was really affecting Roy.
Arriving at the first floor of the Dolphin Hotel, Roy had originally wanted to go directly to Gerald's office to find him, but he found that Gerald's office was locked.
With no other choice, Roy had to call Gerald to ask for his location.
As it turned out, the call didn't go through either.
What's going on?
As the director of the FEA's Los Angeles branch, responsible for the security of a region, his cell phone should theoretically be reachable 24 hours a day.
Could he be in an underground base?
Roy found an FEA agent he had seen before in the lobby and asked about Gerald's whereabouts.
"Where did Mr. Olin go?"
This agent also knew Roy and knew he was a collaborator with Gerald.
"The director? The director went on a business trip after the morning's operation. He's not in the Los Angeles area right now."
Roy cursed inwardly. This was really bad timing!
Roy could roughly guess what Gerald had gone to do.
He probably went to transport Slender Man's body to some secret base for research. The reason he couldn't be reached by phone was likely because that secret base blocked cell phone signals.
"How long will he be gone?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe he'll be back tonight, maybe tomorrow."
After saying this, the agent left, leaving Roy standing there alone, frowning and thinking.
Just at this moment, a voice interrupted Roy's thoughts.
"Roy, why are you standing here all by yourself?"
Turning his head, he saw it was Mary.
"Mary, what are you doing here? Don't you have classes?"
"I've already finished my classes for today, so I came specifically to see you."
Mary still had that self-blaming look on her face. It seemed she was still feeling guilty about losing Ceci last night.
"That's perfect. Can you drive?"
"Of course!"
Americans rarely don't know how to drive, regardless of gender or age.
"Great, can you drive me to a place?"
"No problem!"
Mary didn't refuse and then helped Roy into the Chevrolet Camaro.
However, just as Mary sat in the driver's seat, the Chevrolet Camaro's horn suddenly honked for no apparent reason.
"What happened? I didn't even press the horn!"
Roy frowned slightly. The last time his own car's horn had honked by itself was at the Gospel Sanitarium. What was going on this time?
"It's nothing. This car of mine is actually a refurbished used car. The horn might have some issues. I'll check it next time."
Roy patted the steering wheel, as if trying to appease the car's spirit.
Mary breathed a sigh of relief and then started the engine.
While Mary was driving, Roy made a phone call.
"Sister Sultana, it's Roy!"
"Roy, I heard you were injured. How are you doing now?"
"My body has recovered a lot, but there's another troublesome matter now."
"More trouble? Oh God, is it because I took two months off, so I have to make up for those two months now?"
Sultana's voice sounded quite depressed. She must have been worked too hard these past few days.
But there was no other way. With Gerald gone, Roy could only turn to Sultana.
"Anyway, let's meet at Keller's apartment!"
The Shining famous scene
Chapter 144: Goodbye Amy
"Roy, what brings you here? Come on in!"
It was Molly who opened the door. She saw Roy and Mary.
Mary looked around Keller's apartment with curiosity, noticing the decorations. Keller had a lot of photos hanging on her walls, all taken by Pulitzer Prize winners, so they had some real social significance.
"Roy, you're here! And who's this?"
Keller was really happy to see Roy, but when she saw the unfamiliar short-haired girl he brought, she gave him a bit of a side-eye.
Keller knew all about Roy's way with the ladies. After all, she'd seen two of them back in Waterfall Town.
"Mary Hill. She's your junior, a student at UCLA Law School."
Hearing that, Keller's eyes lit up.
"Hi, hi! I'm Keller Evans, a master's graduate from UCLA's Communications Department, class of '92!"
Hearing that she was talking to an older alumna, Mary's somewhat reserved attitude immediately changed.
"Keller Evans? I've seen that name in the Los Angeles Times! So you're my senior!"
The two alums gave each other a friendly handshake.
"I do some writing for the L.A. Times. Have you read any of my articles?"
"Of course! I really enjoy your news stories!"
Mary seemed to hit it off with Keller. They started chatting like they were old friends right away.
They talked about some recent social issues happening in Los Angeles. They both seemed pretty invested in those hot topics.
Well, that makes sense. One's a journalist, and the other is going to be a lawyer.
After a while, Keller remembered Roy was even there.
"Roy, what brings you to my place today?"
"No rush. You guys keep chatting for a bit. I also called Sultana. Let's talk when everyone gets here."
About half an hour later, Sultana arrived at Keller's apartment looking totally wiped out, but she brought someone with her.
"Amy?"
Roy looked at the woman Sultana brought with a lot of surprise.
Amy (Kate Beckinsale) was someone Roy met during that whole peep show hotel thing. Then Sultana found out about her involvement with the dark web and handed her over to the FBI, who put her in protective custody.
Keller actually found Roy through Amy to investigate her niece's disappearance.
Amy came right up and gave Roy a big hug.
"It's so good to see you again, Roy!"
"Good to see you too!"
Amy seemed to be in pretty good spirits. Looks like she's moved on from the shadow of her husband's death.
She looked a lot more vibrant and didn't have that worn-out look he'd seen before.
"Amy, aren't you in the FBI's witness protection program? What are you doing in Los Angeles?"
Sultana explained for Amy.
"The dark web thing in Austin was pretty big news. That organization has disappeared now, so the FBI decided to end Amy's protection. But they're going to help Amy change her name and start over. I suggested she come out to the West Coast."
Keller was really happy to hear that.
"That's fantastic! Sultana also works in L.A. now, and Roy's going to UCLA in the second half of the year. It would be even better if Elena came too!"
So Keller knew Elena as well.
That makes sense. Keller and Sultana are friends, and Sultana and Elena are friends, so it's pretty likely Keller would know Elena.
However, after hearing what Keller said, Roy and Sultana exchanged a strange look. Maybe Elena really would be coming to Los Angeles in a few days.
Just then, Amy tugged on Roy's sleeve.
"Roy, were you involved in what happened in Austin?"
Of course, Roy couldn't admit that. After all, a lot of big shots died in that private club incident. Even though Isabella was the one who pulled the trigger, he couldn't be sure someone wouldn't come after him as an accomplice.
Roy winked and gave her a really playful look.
"What are you talking about? I have absolutely no idea what you mean."
Amy saw the truth in Roy's eyes. She let out a little sigh of relief, and her eyes got a bit teary.
"Roy, the promise I made to you back in Denver still stands."
She was talking about the promise Amy made in Denver that if Roy helped her get revenge for her husband, she would give him half of her husband's inheritance.
Roy shook his head. Amy's husband, David, was just a regular middle-class guy. Even with the insurance money, his net worth probably wasn't more than a million bucks, which is decent, but still...
In a few days, Roy was going to get a massive multi-million dollar payout from the FEA. He didn't need those few hundred thousand dollars.
"Amy, you should really keep that money for yourself."
Amy looked Roy in the eye, made sure he was serious, and then spoke.
"Okay, but if you don't keep it, I won't either. I'll donate the money to people who need it."
That sounded like a good plan.
The four women, one girl, and one guy chatted for a while and had some afternoon tea before getting down to the real reason for the get-together.
Sultana had gotten a brief rundown of some things from Roy on the phone, but it wasn't very detailed.
"Roy, is what you said on the phone really true?"
Roy nodded.
"That dream was just too real. I can't help but be suspicious."
Having gone through the whole Elm Street nightmare, Sultana knew a thing or two about dreams, and since it was Roy saying it, she couldn't just dismiss it.
"Roy, have you contacted Gerald?"
"I can't reach him. He left Los Angeles after what happened this morning."
Sultana had also heard a little bit about the Slender Man incident last night.
"Looks like we'll have to investigate this on our own for now."
Keller looked at Roy and Sultana with some surprise.
"What are you guys even talking about?"
Sultana explained for Roy.
"Roy had a dream last night about the hallway outside room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel."
Hearing that, all the girls looked shocked. Even Molly, who didn't usually say much, couldn't help but chime in.
"You mean that famous haunted room?"
Room 1408 was definitely nationally famous in this world, but a lot of people were still skeptical about it, kind of like that main character in the movie.
"Oh my gosh! I thought that room was just a marketing gimmick the Dolphin Hotel used to get customers!"
Roy shook his head.
"That room is definitely haunted, to the point where I don't even dare to go near it. Sultana, I've always been curious, why does Gerald even keep that room around? He could have sealed it off or destroyed it."
"About that, I asked Gerald too. He told me that the power of that haunted room is incredibly dangerous. The FEA actually tried to destroy it once, and it caused an earthquake in Los Angeles!"
This was probably referring to the 1994 Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles, which caused thirty billion dollars in economic damage.
Even though Mary had been through the Slender Man and cyber-succubus incidents, she hadn't really come into direct contact with supernatural stuff, so she was a bit disbelieving when she heard what Sultana said.
"Sultana, couldn't that just be a coincidence?"
"The Bureau can't take that risk! Nobody can be responsible for hundreds of billions, maybe even trillions, of dollars in damage, not to mention all the lives."
Once Sultana put it that way, everyone understood.
If they didn't know the consequences beforehand, trying it once might be understandable, but knowing the potential outcome and doing it again would be criminal!
"So, the previous director of the FEA's Los Angeles branch had no choice but to buy the Dolphin Hotel, completely control room 1408, and forbid anyone from going near the 14th floor. Gerald continued that policy after he took over as the director of the L.A. branch. But this is the first time I've heard that someone can dream about that room."
So, the fact that the hotel staff stopped him on the 14th floor that day wasn't a coincidence; someone was watching.
But the FEA didn't even know that people could dream about room 1408. Could it be that this hadn't happened before?
That didn't seem right! Roy had even seen that TV host, Jack, in his dream. Judging from what the guy said in the dream, it definitely wasn't the first time he'd dreamed about the hallway of 1408.
And the fact that that guy entered the hallway of 1408 using the elevator showed that he probably knew some way to actively enter the dream world of 1408.
"Sister Sultana, doesn't the FEA have any records about dreaming about 1408?"
Sultana shook her head.
"At least, I don't have access to that level of information. I don't know if Gerald knows."
The whole thing just came full circle. It was all Gerald's fault for leaving Los Angeles at such a convenient time and being unreachable by phone.
"Alright, let's put the 1408 thing aside for now. We have another matter to discuss. Keller, do you know the nighttime host of KABC-TV, Jack Dale?"
"You mean the host of that late-night reality show, 'Night Owls'?"
"Yeah, that's him! Do you know anything about him?"
Keller frowned slightly.
"I actually do know that guy. A few years ago, I reviewed Jack Dale's show. Back then, he was still a pretty serious reality show host, and I used to be a loyal viewer. But ever since his wife passed away last year, his style has gotten more and more entertainment-focused, and I haven't watched him since."
Wow, really?
Roy thought back to the few episodes of "Night Owls" he'd seen. The host, Jack, seemed pretty goofy. It was hard to believe that this guy used to be serious.
Was it like that one person who suddenly had an awakening and became a total goofball?
"Keller, I'd like to know the details about Jack Dale, preferably something related to his personal life!"
That was asking a lot. Americans are usually very protective of their privacy. If anyone else had asked Keller something like that, she definitely wouldn't have paid them any mind.
After all, Keller was a journalist, not a paparazzi.
But it was Roy who was asking!
"I have a classmate who works at KABC-TV. He might know something about Jack Dale. Let me make a call."
Keller took Molly into the bedroom. Her shoulder was still pretty messed up, and she needed Molly's help with some things, including making phone calls.
A few minutes later, Keller came out of the bedroom.
"My friend said things are a bit complicated, and it's probably best to talk in person."
"Talk in person? Is your friend coming to the apartment?"
"No, I arranged to meet him at a coffee shop near the TV station. We'll go there to meet him."
So it was a guy. No wonder Keller didn't want him coming over to her place.
But then again, he was a guy too. Why was Keller okay with him coming into her home?
"Alright then! Mary, can you keep driving for me?"
Mary nodded.
"Why does Mary have to drive? What about you, Roy?"
Sultana was a little surprised, then she started looking at Roy more closely. That's when she noticed that Roy's face was looking a little unnaturally pale, and his lips didn't have much color.
Mary answered Sultana a bit sheepishly.
"Roy was seriously injured and isn't really up to driving right now."
Actually, Roy could still drive, but he mainly wanted to take advantage of Mary's guilt to score some brownie points with her.
But when Sultana heard that Roy was seriously injured, she practically jumped up.
"What?! Roy, you're seriously injured? Was it because of that thing last night?"
Sultana only knew that Roy was involved in some incident last night, but she didn't know the specifics.
After all, the whole Slender Man thing had happened less than 24 hours ago.
This really made Sultana's heart ache. She genuinely cared about Roy like a younger brother.
"It's okay, Sister Sultana. I slept for a bit and I'm feeling much better."
Sultana knew that Roy wasn't a regular person and couldn't be judged by normal standards, but she was still a little worried.
"No way! I need to tell Gerald about this. I'm going to stay at the hotel and take care of you for the next few days!"
Actually, there were already plenty of people taking care of Roy: Heather, Penny, Dahlia, and Mary. It was quite the impressive lineup.
But of course, Roy wasn't going to turn down Sultana's kindness. Besides, he doubted Gerald would even give Sultana the time off.
"Sister Sultana, let's talk about that later, okay? Let's go to our meeting first!"
Since she found out Roy was hurt, Sultana insisted on going with them, so they had to bring her along.
That meant only Amy would be left at Keller's apartment, which didn't seem great either.
Luckily, Amy decided to say goodbye on her own. She still needed to look for a job and an apartment in Los Angeles and would be pretty busy lately.
Five people in one car was a bit of a squeeze, but if they were all beautiful women, it wasn't a problem.
Roy sat in the back, with the beautiful Sultana and Keller on either side of him. He thought it was pretty awesome.
The five of them quickly arrived at a coffee shop outside the TV station, ordered some coffees, and started waiting.
They didn't have to wait too long. Before the steam from the coffee had even disappeared, a well-dressed man in wire-rimmed glasses quickly walked into the coffee shop.
"Keller, I'm so sorry to keep you waiting!"
This guy seemed to only have eyes for Keller, completely ignoring Roy sitting right next to her.
As for Sultana, Mary, and Molly, they were sitting at the next table, so it was somewhat understandable that he didn't notice them.
Roy quickly pegged this guy as a major simp for Keller.
"No problem, I just sat down a little while ago myself."
Keller's attitude was very calm, neither enthusiastic nor cold, just like she was talking to a stranger.
But the guy in glasses was very happy to keep sucking up.
"Keller, did you just order coffee? Would you like to order some desserts too?"
"No, let's just get down to business! Roy, this is my classmate from college, Andy Harrison. Andy, this is my good friend Roy Black. Actually, he's the one who wanted to talk to you."
The guy in glasses, who was Andy, finally saw Roy.
Seeing the handsome and charismatic Roy, Andy felt a sudden wave of insecurity, especially seeing how close he was sitting to Keller.
"Nice to meet you!"
Amy (Kate Beckinsale)
Chapter 145: Jake Dell
Watching Andy's disappointed eyes and the forced smile on his face, Roy knew he'd encountered a real suck-up.
This guy probably started sucking up to Keller way back in their student days. One phone call and he comes running, tail wagging, but even now Keller still just calls him a college classmate. He doesn't even get invited inside her house.
Meanwhile, Roy had only known Keller for a few months, and they were already good friends.
What a sad story!
Roy looked at Andy with sympathy. He hadn't actually made any moves on Keller, but because of the passive ability of his Lust Domain, Keller was just naturally more friendly with him.
Keller probably didn't even realize it herself, and other women just took it for granted.
"Hello, Mr. Andy Harrison."
Even though the guy was a suck-up, Roy didn't look down on him. After all, he was an animal lover.
"Mr. Blake looks very young. Where are you working these days?"
Was this guy trying to get intel on the competition?
Roy smiled. He didn't want to get into some kind of male rivalry with Andy; it was pointless.
"Actually, I'm still in my senior year of high school. I'll be starting college in the fall."
When Andy heard how young Roy was, and that he was ten years younger than Keller, he assumed Roy was a relative of Keller's. Hope immediately rekindled in his heart.
"Oh, I see! Mr. Blake, is there anything you'd like to ask me?"
Roy didn't know why Andy's attitude had suddenly changed, but since the guy was being so cooperative, he didn't think too much about it.
"Well, I'm a big fan of your station's late-night show, 'Night Owl.' I was hoping to learn a bit about the host, Jake Dell, and maybe even meet him and get a picture. Do you think that might be possible?"
It definitely wouldn't be good to directly tell Andy he was investigating Jake, so Roy decided to take a roundabout approach and pretend to be a huge fan.
If Andy had some kind of vested interest with Jake, he wouldn't suspect anything.
"Oh, I see. Well, you're out of luck. Jake went on vacation last week and won't be back until the end of the month."
Judging by his tone, Andy seemed pretty familiar with Jake. Roy couldn't tell if he was just trying to show off his connections to the goddess or if he really knew Jake well.
Roy deliberately put on a very disappointed expression.
"But I just watched 'Night Owl' a few days ago!"
"Those were all pre-recorded. Jake actually went overseas for a trip last week. He's probably in Bali or New Zealand right now."
Or maybe he hasn't even left downtown Los Angeles?
Roy could have Sultana ask Customs to help check and confirm if Jake had actually left the country.
"Could you tell me a bit about Jake's background then? I'm really curious!"
"Well..."
Andy hesitated. After all, they were talking about a colleague's private life behind their back, and in the TV industry, which was basically entertainment, there were some taboos about this kind of thing.
Roy subtly nudged the dazed Keller with his elbow. It was her turn to say something.
Keller snapped out of her thoughts and glanced at him calmly.
"Andy, just tell Roy a little bit. He's just curious."
Since the goddess had spoken, the suck-up naturally started wagging his tail.
"Alright, I'll tell you a few things about Jake, but you absolutely can't tell anyone else, okay?"
Usually, anything that ends with that sentence is guaranteed to spread.
Jake started out as just a regular writer at the TV station, not the kind who wrote scripts for dramas, but the kind who specialized in writing transitional lines for variety shows.
No matter what kind of show it was, including award ceremonies like the Oscars, they needed specialized writers to write the bridging lines, unless you expected those elementary school-level celebrities to write their own lines, which would be a complete disaster.
That's why when the Hollywood writers' guild went on strike, the Oscars were directly canceled.
However, the pay for writing transitional lines was definitely not high. These writers were either just starting out, hoping to move on to writing for film and television, or, like Jake, wanted to transition into becoming a host.
Jake became a field reporter by chance, and then started climbing the ladder step by step, eventually becoming the host of a reality show.
Although the process of becoming a host was very smooth, Jake's experience hosting the reality show wasn't so smooth.
Just as Keller had said before, Jake initially hosted serious reality shows, the kind that criticized social issues and current events.
Although the ratings from viewers were quite high, the problem was that it wasn't entertaining enough, so the viewership remained just above average, and the show almost got canceled several times.
But Jake kept at it until something happened a year ago.
"Jake's dream was to make the show the top-rated program in its time slot, but that dream seemed a bit distant for him. Then, last year, his wife was diagnosed with cancer."
Keller had mentioned this before, saying that after Jake's wife passed away last year, the show's style completely changed.
Roy noticed Andy starting to hesitate again. He was probably about to say something crucial, so Roy quickly nudged Keller again, signaling her to toss him a bone.
"Andy, why don't you continue?"
Since the goddess had spoken, Andy, despite his hesitation, continued.
"Jake suddenly did a special episode where he brought his wife, who had cancer, onto the show to play the sympathy card. That episode successfully pushed him to the threshold of the top ten shows in that time slot, and it seemed to change him."
Using his soon-to-be-deceased wife on the show to garner sympathy?
No wonder Andy didn't want to bring it up. Even in Hollywood, which loved to exploit tragedy, this kind of thing wasn't very common.
Everyone usually exploited other people's tragedies, but this was directly using someone close to him...
Hearing this, Keller frowned.
"I watched that episode too. That was the episode where I stopped watching any show hosted by Jake Dell."
"And then, Mr. Harrison?"
"After that, Jake's wife still passed away, and he completely changed his hosting style, becoming the person he is now. The ratings for 'Night Owl' started to climb steadily, and now it's firmly in second place in its time slot, just one step away from the top spot that Jake has been longing for. Oh, and Jake is currently preparing a special program. Mr. Blake, you can look forward to it."
It sounded like the story of a young man who was originally full of dreams, but gradually abandoned his principles after entering the television industry.
However, Roy had seen this kind of story way too many times, whether in movies, TV shows, or books.
So, after gathering his thoughts, Roy asked another question.
"Does Jake have any hobbies?"
Andy thought for a moment.
"Jake doesn't seem to have any particular hobbies. He's a workaholic. As long as he has work, he doesn't feel tired. It was quite strange when he suddenly asked for a month-long vacation this time."
Roy raised an eyebrow.
"Mr. Harrison, are you sure there's absolutely nothing?"
This time, Keller proactively spoke up for Roy.
"Andy, I'm actually a little curious too."
Since the goddess had spoken, Andy had to rack his brains to come up with something.
"Jake seems to like smoking cigars and drinking red wine, but that's probably a pretty common hobby in the industry. Other than that, I've heard that Jake's beliefs are a bit strange!"
As he said this, Andy lowered his voice, afraid of being overheard.
After all, Christianity was still the mainstream religion in America, and having questionable beliefs could easily lead to public rejection, especially for public figures.
Wasn't Tom Cruise blacklisted by the mainstream media for several years because it was revealed that he believed in Scientology?
Of course, things would be different twenty years later when Capitol Hill would directly change the Bible.
Roy's eyes narrowed. It seemed this Jake definitely had some issues.
"Mr. Harrison, could you perhaps reveal which denomination Jake belongs to?"
Andy looked at Roy strangely, not understanding why he was asking this.
"I don't know. I just know that Jake's beliefs are quite mysterious. He basically has a gathering every month."
Roy looked at Andy's expression; he didn't seem to be lying. He genuinely didn't know.
At this point, Roy didn't have any more questions. So, he stood up and shook hands with Andy.
"Mr. Harrison, thank you very much for your explanation."
Andy's attitude was incredibly enthusiastic.
"You're very welcome, Mr. Blake! I'll contact Keller as soon as Jake returns from his vacation. How about I help you arrange a meeting with Jake then?"
This suck-up's initiative was really strong. Andy's suggestion was exactly what Roy wanted.
"Then I'll leave it in your hands!"
Andy then looked at Keller, seemingly wanting to see her reaction, but Keller was turned towards Roy.
"Keller, Keller, how about I treat you to dinner tonight?"
It was already close to five o'clock, so Andy inviting Keller to dinner wasn't too abrupt.
However, Keller directly refused.
"No need. I'm having dinner with my friends tonight, right, Roy?"
Roy felt a little embarrassed, after all, Andy had just helped him. But since Keller had already said that, he couldn't really refuse her.
And so, under Andy's disappointed gaze, Roy and his companions got up and left the coffee shop.
Once they were out of the coffee shop, Roy poked Keller's arm with his finger.
"Keller, are you really having dinner with us tonight?"
Keller's face was slightly flushed.
"What, is that a problem?"
"I don't care. I just thought that guy looked a little pitiful."
"Forget about him! Mary, drive us to the nearest supermarket. I need to buy some groceries. I'm going to cook a big meal for you guys tonight!"
Keller was actually serious, but her health probably wouldn't allow her to cook a big meal. She was probably going to guide Molly.
Back at Keller's apartment, the female reporter really did take Molly into the kitchen, and Mary went to help too.
Mary, who had the potential to be a good wife and mother, was quite interested in cooking and usually tried to cook for herself as much as possible when she was in the dorms.
Roy and Sultana didn't have anything to do, so they sat on the sofa in the living room. Sultana kept checking Roy's body, as if trying to find where he was injured.
"Roy, you don't have any wounds on your body. Where exactly are you hurt?"
Sultana didn't doubt that Roy was faking his injury. She knew Roy wasn't that kind of person, but she was genuinely curious.
"It's my internal organs."
Roy briefly explained his fight with the Slender Man, leaving out the system and his inventory.
"That sounds incredibly dangerous. It can directly damage internal organs?"
Sultana was very shocked. The strangeness of this enemy had already surpassed that of demons, making it difficult for her, an FEA agent, to understand.
"Yes, Sister Sultana! If you encounter similar incomprehensible supernatural creatures like the Slender Man or the Yellow-Clothed Clown in the future, you must be careful and it's best to stay far away from them!"
Feeling Roy's concern, Sultana was very touched and leaned her head on Roy's shoulder.
"Roy, you need to be careful in the future too!"
Roy really should be more careful.
Since arriving in Los Angeles, Roy had been too successful. All the enemies he encountered had been soundly beaten by him, and the only one he hadn't beaten, the Yellow-Clothed Clown, had主动跑掉 (taken the initiative to run away).
This had made Roy's confidence swell a bit, which was why he went to find the Slender Man without being fully prepared.
Next, Roy planned to be more cautious and thorough in his investigations before taking action.
An hour later, the three people in the kitchen brought out the prepared food.
A perfectly golden roasted chicken, a large bowl of beef bourguignon, Italian seafood bisque, and some vegetable salad for garnish – this dinner could definitely be considered lavish.
Just looking at the appearance of these dishes, they could belong in a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Roy was a bit surprised by Keller's cooking skills.
"Keller, did you make all of this?"
Keller smiled and shook her head.
"Mary made the roasted chicken and the vegetable salad. I guided Molly in making the other two dishes. What do you think? Looks pretty good, right?"
"It really does look great! Mary, I didn't expect you to be such a good cook!"
Roy's appetite was immediately whetted. Although he had eaten a full meal at two in the afternoon, his injured state made him get hungry again very quickly, and his stomach was already rumbling a bit.
Being praised for her cooking, Mary was very shy.
"It's Senior Keller who's amazing. She taught me a lot of cooking tips, which is why I was able to make the roasted chicken so well."
It seemed the female reporter's cooking skills were indeed extraordinary.
Sultana clapped her hands.
"Alright, alright, stop with the mutual compliments! Let's dig in!"
Actually, Sultana had been unable to resist for a while. She had been incredibly busy lately, and had mostly been eating Western fast food.
Now, with a table full of delicious food tempting her, how could she possibly resist?
"Sultana is right. We should hurry up and eat before the food gets cold!"
The five of them sat down and started eating and chatting.
Keller, Mary, and Molly didn't actually eat much. They put down their utensils after a few minutes.
Due to the nature of her work, Sultana had a much larger appetite than most women, but compared to Roy, her appetite seemed small.
Keller had prepared enough ingredients to feed ten adults, but Roy still ate everything clean, which greatly surprised Mary and the others who didn't know him well.
"Roy, are you full?"
"About eighty percent full, almost there. Keller, there's something I'd like to ask you for a favor."
