Chapter 47 - Earth Intermission - 14
Rural Farmland District, Southeast Asia
Meanwhile, the Alphard that delivered Vesper to the military airport drops off Mary at her safe house nestled in the rural outskirts of the city. As the van departs, Mary leans over to the high-tech eye scanner next to the front door and deftly inputs the passwords on the nearby number console.
The house presents itself as a typical one-story residence commonly found in suburban areas of the United States, complete with a wide front yard, a backyard, and short fences. Despite the absence of light sources from within or the street lamps, Mary's luminous eyes easily pierce through the darkness, granting her night vision capabilities.
With a soft *CLICK*, the wall adjacent to the door smoothly slides to the left, revealing a secret entrance pathway. Mary strides forward and enters the house.
Entering the house, unfazed by the glass wall to her right displaying a hallway path and an automatic sentry gun, ready to unleash its defense mechanisms on intruders, Mary proceeds to the deepest part of the house.
Upon reaching the back door, Mary bypasses the usual method of opening it. Instead, she grasps the doorknob and gives it a subtle turn.
The doorknob emits a faint clicking sound, triggering a hidden mechanism that opens a section of the wooden floor, unveiling a staircase leading down to the underground level. With a solemn expression, Mary leaves the doorknob and descends into the subterranean domain.
The underground floor serves as Mary's true private sanctuary. As soon as she steps in, ambient light sources illuminate every corner, revealing the B1 level as a modest studio room with an attached bathroom. A simple spring bed adorned with neatly folded white blankets and a solitary pillow occupies half of the bedroom space.
Mary releases a deep sigh as she sheds her evening attire, followed by her undergarments. With a swift motion of her fingers, she draws a square in the air, summoning a system screen displaying various tabs and survivor's privileges. Additionally, a personal inventory chest materializes at the center of the room.
The system screen presents familiar tabs such as Credit Store, Inventory Management, Status Attribute Screen, and Rune Skill Menu, typical features accessible to every graduated survivor. However, given Mary's seasoned experience of clearing the death game world, her status menu boasts additional features, denoted by three extra tabs on the left side:
- Protector Command Menu
- Apostle Messenger Menu
- Ritual Menu
Mary navigates through the command menu, selecting the "Survivor Background" option, triggering a list of survivors. However, upon pressing it, she's met with a familiar message that she's seen countless times before.
*DING*
Brushing aside the notification, Mary swiftly inputs the name of the man she recently escorted to the military plane - Vesper Pallas.
*DING*
Vesper's survivor profile materializes on her screen. His live streamer portrait adorns the top right corner while the menu reveals snippets of Vesper's life and accomplishments. However, Mary's expression darkens as she encounters the same redacted message she's encountered multiple times.
Reading the frustrating note yet again, Mary's brows furrowed in contemplation. Her mind races with questions about the secretive nature surrounding Vesper's background.
'No survivor is innocent,' she thinks to herself. 'But why is the Supreme Judge hiding his information? Who is he, a hunter? That can't be, according to the treaty, no hunter can return to Earth. What's happening?'
Driven by curiosity, Mary accesses the Apostle Messenger application within her system. A chat room resembling Discord pops up, filled with anonymous chat members.
Without hesitation, Mary sends out a public message to the group.
"Can anybody check the FBI database and search for a criminal by the name Vesper Pallas?"
*DING*
After a tense five-minute wait, an anonymous member responds with a screenshot displaying a civilian data profile under the same name, devoid of any criminal record.
Mary's expression darkens further. Though she knows Vesper hailed from the States, his alleged crime remains a mystery. She queries the chat room again.
"Has this person been tried and released before? Any allegations related to Vesper Pallas?"
The same user provides another screenshot, this time showcasing newspaper clips featuring a famous female model, "Sarah Cougar," with scandalous headlines.
Mary's intrigue deepens as she reads the headline:
"Florida Woman Arrested for Fraud after Divorcing Six Men Simultaneously to Steal Their Assets."
The article crossed ethical boundaries by revealing the identities of her victims, among whom was Vesper Pallas.
*DING*
The anonymous user continues with another message, sharing an old news article related to a missing persons case from 2020 involving four youths whose bodies were recently discovered.
The article delves into the widespread nature of missing cases and their potential connections. It also divulges details about the previous owners of the house, which was later sold to a couple that stumbled upon the graves of the missing youths.
Furthermore, the news piece identifies two suspects: Mary Cougar, who faced fraud charges, and none other than Vesper Pallas.
Mary's face lights up with pride as she realizes that Vesper may not be as innocent as he appears.
'Yeah, only criminals are taken to that death game world. For a moment there, I thought I sent an innocent man to prison. This is good. We can suspend the transaction and confiscate his gold bars since he's a criminal. The fund will go to our office as always.'
Satisfied with her discovery, Mary closes all her system screens and heads to the bathroom, ready to call it a day. Unaware of her buzzing cellphone, she misses the incoming messages about missing prisoners from the plane.
.
.
In a sleek black Tesla Model 3, Alanna chauffeurs Vesper to a suburban church. The car glides into the church's parking lot, and they step out.
Gazing at the church, Vesper chuckles, "I didn't know you were a Mormon."
"We're not here for Jesus. Also, I'm actually an Atheist," Alanna utters in a monotone voice. "Also, that isn't funny."
"…Heh."
They walk towards a lavish brick house about 100 meters from the church. The property boasts three sports cars in the driveway garage, a putting green, and a miniature golf course in the front yard.
Reaching the front door, they ring the bell. After a few moments, an elderly man in a butler uniform with a double-barrel shotgun cautiously opens the door, eyeing them suspiciously. "What do you want?"
Alanna smoothly presents a legion commander badge and flashes a grin.
"I'm here to see a fellow taboo comrade."
The elder scrutinizes the badge, then glances at Vesper's distinct golden left eye and Alanna's glowing yellow eyes.
"I see. You two fucked in that god-forsaken world. Come inside."
Alanna giggles and follows the old butler into the house while Vesper purses his lips, taken aback by the elder's frankness.