"I think this must be the place!"
Nidi looked at the massive factory in front of her, her face brimming with confidence.
If Roy were here, he'd recognize this as the meatpacking plant he and Saltana had infiltrated during the Midnight Cannibal Train incident.
But to avoid tipping anyone off, Roy and Saltana had only done a quick search before leaving the facility.
Later, after Saltana launched a direct strike against the Beelzebub Cult's leadership, the meatpacking plant shut down. It was eventually bought by some company and had been under internal renovation ever since.
Ashley stared at the enormous factory, her expression hesitant.
"This huge factory? Are you sure this is for some escape room game?"
"Don't you think it's perfect? It's gotta be big to be exciting! Come on, we'll know for sure if we just go in and ask!"
Nidi grabbed Ashley's hand and pulled her into the factory. The interior decor was a far cry from its meatpacking days, with a sleek, futuristic front desk that could easily be mistaken for a Silicon Valley tech company.
Despite Nidi's bold enthusiasm, she clammed up when it came time to talk.
Social anxiety was like that—loud and confident with friends, but mumbling and blending into the background with strangers.
Thankfully, Ashley was there, or Nidi might've spent the whole night unable to explain herself.
"Hi, we were invited by someone called the Puzzlemaster to participate in an escape room game called Escape the Room. Is this the right place?"
Ashley handed over the invitation letter she'd gotten from Nidi.
The receptionist glanced at it.
"The address on the invitation is correct, but we don't know any Puzzlemaster. Is this some kind of prank?"
"What? You don't know the Puzzlemaster?"
Ashley shot Nidi a helpless look.
"See? I told you this invitation was a prank!"
Nidi started to panic.
"How can that be? Are you sure you don't know who the Puzzlemaster is? What does your company even do?"
The receptionist answered calmly.
"Our company is called Minos. We specialize in high-tech research and development. We definitely have nothing to do with any Escape the Room game."
Nidi's mood plummeted, and Ashley quickly tried to comfort her.
"Nidi, even if it's a prank, we haven't lost anything!"
"Ashley, I'm just so frustrated!"
Nidi gritted her teeth, and she and Ashley left the Minos company.
Just then, a Minos employee followed them out and called after them.
"Hey! I overheard you talking about looking for the Puzzlemaster?"
Nidi's eyes lit up with hope.
"You know who the Puzzlemaster is?"
The employee nodded.
"Yeah, someone calling themselves the Puzzlemaster did come by the company before. He gave me something to pass on to anyone looking for him."
"What is it?"
The employee handed Nidi a small box.
"Why didn't you mention this at the front desk?" Ashley asked, skeptical of the employee's intentions.
"This was a side job I took on. Couldn't let my colleagues know. Anyway, my task is done. Believe me or not, that's up to you."
With that, the employee turned and headed back into the factory, seemingly unbothered by whether Nidi and Ashley trusted him.
Nidi opened the box and found a subway ticket inside, with "7-1" written on the back in red pen.
"Does this mean we're supposed to take Line 7 and go to Car 1?"
Nidi's face lit up with curiosity, while Ashley looked exasperated.
"Nidi, you're not seriously thinking about going to Line 7, Car 1, are you?"
"We're already here, so why not check it out? Aren't you curious about what tricks the Puzzlemaster is playing?"
Nidi gave Ashley her best puppy-dog eyes, which Ashley found hard to resist.
"Stop looking at me like that! I'm just worried it might be dangerous. This Puzzlemaster is way too mysterious!"
"Don't worry! I'll protect you! I've had professional training, so you've got nothing to fear!"
Nidi patted her chest confidently. Both she and Ashley were fairly tall, so the gesture didn't cause any harm.
"Fine, but I'm texting Roy to let him know."
"Go ahead and text. I'll check the map to find the nearest subway station."
Nidi had only been in Los Angeles for a little over a week, mostly staying on campus, so she wasn't too familiar with the city.
Luckily, she'd brought a map.
By the time Ashley finished sending her text, Nidi had located the subway station entrance.
"Let's go! We don't want to miss the game!"
"Nidi, slow down! Roy hasn't replied yet!"
"Ashley, you can walk and check your phone at the same time!"
In reality, Roy wasn't going to see Ashley's text. He was busy night swimming with Mary at Madison's Beverly Hills villa.
The villa was where they'd had dinner earlier. After sobering up a bit, Mary got nervous and suggested a swim in the pool.
Roy, of course, didn't object. He was always patient with Mary.
Some women are like beer—best enjoyed in big gulps. Others are like fine, aged wine, meant to be savored slowly. Rush it, and you ruin the experience.
Mary was the latter.
The villa's pool was kept at a constant temperature, making it comfortable to swim in at any time.
Mary went upstairs to change into a swimsuit, while Roy, being a guy, didn't bother with much—just stripped down to his shorts and jumped in.
After a few laps, he saw Mary come out in a tight, striped one-piece swimsuit.
"I looked for ages, and this was the most modest one I could find. The others were way too bold."
Mary seemed a little shy.
Given that the villa belonged to Madison, it wasn't hard to imagine the kind of swimsuits she'd have lying around.
But Madison was shorter and less curvy than Mary, so the one-piece looked snug on her, which only made it sexier.
Catching Roy's intense gaze, Mary felt a mix of shyness and delight.
"Roy, does it look good?"
"You're as beautiful as Aphrodite tonight!"
Roy reached out from the water toward her.
Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty—Mary was thrilled by the compliment. She crouched by the poolside and took Roy's hand.
Then, in a playful move, Roy pulled her into the water, catching her off guard and making her shriek.
A few seconds later, a soaked Mary surfaced, playfully pounding Roy's chest in mock anger, which only made him laugh.
But after a few hits, her hands slowed, lingering on his chiseled pecs.
Men are drawn to beauty, and women are just as drawn to a man's allure. It's not about morals or upbringing—just basic human instinct.
And Roy? He had top-tier charm, the kind that's nearly impossible to resist, especially now, shirtless and showing off a physique that could rival Hercules.
Mary's breathing quickened. Roy pulled her close, their faces inching nearer and nearer.
Finally, their lips met, and they dove into an intense "study" of human connection.
A few minutes of high-intensity "research" left Mary nearly breathless, but Roy let her go just in time.
"Roy, I feel so happy right now!"
Mary leaned against his shoulder, her eyes dreamy.
"Want to feel even happier?"
Roy gently rubbed her back, easing her nerves.
Mary bit her lip, her eyes flickering with hesitation.
"But Jennifer told me the first time hurts a lot!"
It turned out Mary had already asked Jennifer about Roy, and her fear of pain was holding her back.
Roy cupped her face, turning on his persuasive charm.
"Mary, listen. Yes, it might hurt a little, but it's a step every woman takes. Don't you want to be a mother someday? That's way more painful than this!"
Mary froze. She was a traditional American girl, dreaming of graduating, finding her soulmate, getting married, having two or three kids, and growing old with her husband.
It was a very American, very traditional dream.
But if she wanted kids, pain was inevitable—and not just any pain.
"Roy, you're right. Some pain is necessary to make life complete. Kiss me!"
Seeing the determination in Mary's eyes, Roy knew she was ready to face it all.
So, he took a deep breath, kissed her, and pulled her under the water.
A moment later, a swimsuit and a pair of shorts floated to the surface.
The pool water churned violently, as if an earthquake had struck below.
Sitting at the boundary of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates, Los Angeles had seen its share of quakes, which wasなぜ the city had so few skyscrapers compared to New York.
So, an earthquake in LA wouldn't be surprising. But while the rest of Beverly Hills was calm, the pool was like a stormy sea.
No storm raged above, so the tempest must have been below.
The warm water relaxed Mary's body. Though there was pain at first, Roy's gentle care eased her into a new world.
Her lungs burned from the intense underwater activity, but Roy's breaths kept her from suffocating.
Still, it was her first time in such an "underwater battle," and even with Roy's help, her head spun, her thoughts slipping away as she surrendered to him.
[Ding! Obtained Mary Hill's Conquest Chest! Open it?]
An hour later, Roy carried Mary out of the pool. The underwater battle had left her utterly defeated.
But it was different from his experiences with Elizabeth or Eluresha. Those two wouldn't let Roy call all the shots—one was a demon queen, the other a mischievous succubus.
Mary, though, was like a doll in his hands, letting him do as he pleased, until she was limp in his arms, utterly spent.
Roy had no choice but to let her rest, or she might've actually broken.
But he wasn't fully satisfied yet, and with no other women around, it was time for Francesca to step in.
Francesca, of course, was more than happy to oblige.
He tucked Mary into bed, covered her with a blanket, and returned to the pool to summon Francesca.
One look at the scene, and Francesca knew exactly what her job was.
The water battle resumed!
It was different with Francesca. As a ghost, she wasn't bound by physical laws, floating weightlessly in the water.
And since she didn't need to breathe, Roy didn't have to keep passing her air, which opened up all sorts of new possibilities.
Right now, Francesca was upside-down in the pool, giving Roy an intense "water therapy" session.
It was a unique experience, one Roy had never tried before.
No wonder athletes swore by ice baths or water therapy—this felt incredible.
Roy's head broke the surface, floating quietly as he savored the distinctive treatment.
But then his phone rang.
Not wanting to interrupt his enjoyment, Roy used his soul stand ability to create a double to grab the phone.
The screen showed an unfamiliar number. Without thinking much, Roy answered.
"Hello, this is Roy Black. Who's this?"
A low, familiar chuckle came through the line.
"Heh heh heh, Mr. Black. Do you remember my voice?"
Roy quickly searched his memory and realized where he'd heard it before—during the raid on the Sydney dark web base, it was the voice of the mastermind behind it all.
The guy was cautious, using a voice changer, which made his voice distinct and memorable.
"You? The dark web rat! What, decided your life's too long and ready to die?"
Francesca, sensing Roy's anger from below, worked harder to help him vent.
"Heh! If I were you, I wouldn't talk like that. Why don't you check out this website, Mr. Black?"
Mary Hill (Demi Moore)
(End of Chapter)