Chapter 53

Two hours later, Zoe and Roger, dressed in T-shirts instead of patient gowns, loaded their luggage into the Highlander.

"This car looks pretty good, very spacious," Zoe said, leaning back in the passenger seat and pushing it further back.

"The cost of your three-day hospital stay could've bought it outright," Roger teased.

"Oh god, don't remind me!" Zoe gasped, her breath catching at the memory of the outrageous bill she'd just seen.

"I've never spent that much money all at once in my life!" the busty girl sighed in genuine shock.

Roger shook his head: "No choice. Did you get insurance?"

"Fuck!" Zoe suddenly cursed.

Then, sounding defeated, she added: "I didn't expect this to happen. I planned to buy insurance after finding a place to rent."

"Alright, don't panic. Once your case is settled, you'll have money," Roger reassured her.

"You're right. Panicking won't help," Zoe rubbed her face, closed her eyes, and seemed exhausted. This book is first published on Tiantian Kan Xiaoshuo for the most convenient reading experience, with error-free and properly ordered chapters available at ttks. tw anytime.

The car started, and Roger drove her to the pizza place.

The air between them fell silent for a moment.

After a while, Zoe opened her eyes and studied Roger's profile in the rearview mirror: "That night, you came because you got my text?"

"Of course," Roger nodded. "You sent only two letters. It looked unsettling. When I asked you, you told me 'Sorry, sent by mistake'—that's not like you."

"You're right. Blake used my phone to send it," Zoe recalled that night in her mind—it had been a nightmare.

"Blake handed me a glass of water. After I drank it, my head spun. I felt something was wrong and instinctively texted you."

"But he snatched my phone before I could finish and locked me in the basement."

"Only when I woke up did I realize they'd been watching me all along. They planned to harvest my organs and transplant them into those old bastards who were about to die."

Roger turned the steering wheel, moving into the left lane: "It's all over now. What are you planning to do next? Where will you stay?"

"Yeah, it's over," Zoe took a deep breath and answered: "I'll stay with my friend."

"Didn't you say her boyfriend didn't welcome you?" Roger asked.

Zoe smiled: "She broke up with him. She needs company, and I can crash there and steal some of her wine."

She turned to look at the man: "So where are you taking me to eat?"

"Pizza."

"Then I want extra bacon and cheese!"

"No problem."

……

After eating, Roger dropped Zoe off at her friend's place.

Her friend was also Latina, with darker skin. She stood at the door, hugging an ugly hippo plushie, her eyes swollen like fat fish—clearly, she'd been crying for a long time after the breakup.

Zoe, carrying her luggage, hurried forward to comfort her, then waved goodbye to the man.

After leaving Zoe's friend's neighborhood, Roger planned to return to New Eatonville Shequ.

But then, the information interface appeared.

【Information: Bathroom Filled with Vengeful Spirits】

【Multiple vagrants report that, at night, deep within the abandoned mall on Fifth Avenue in Seattle, a baby's cry occasionally echoes. The cry is piercing and eerie, mixed with gurgling sounds like bursting bubbles and the sharp scraping of nails on tile—chilling anyone who hears it. To prevent panic, investigators are urged to uncover the truth as soon as possible.】

【Reward after investigation: Physical Function +0.5, Ancient God's Bronze Coin ×1, $50】

Roger whistled upon seeing this new information.

"Shit, is there a Hanako here?!"

Just kidding—there's no such thing as vengeful spirits in the real world.

"Still, I need to call Juan and Qiangsen."

Roger turned the steering wheel and headed straight for the homeless encampment.

Half an hour later, Roger, dressed in ragged clothes, entered the homeless gathering area.

During this time, the vagrants' living conditions had not improved at all; the government still chased them away—from tourist zones, from parks.

These pitiful creatures, like maggots, huddled on forgotten streets, letting stimulants erode their nerves.

"Cough… cough… cough…"

As Roger passed an elderly vagrant with white hair, he noticed the man coughing violently—as if trying to expel his lungs entirely—his sound sharper than the noisiest crow.

After coughing for a while, the vagrant suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Those around him quickly moved away, avoiding contact.

Pneumonia was still rampant; without vaccines or affordable medicine, these vagrants could only fight the disease with painkillers and stimulants.

Even if the brain was temporarily numbed, the body burned like a torch—and would soon be consumed.

Roger stepped away from the coughing vagrant and silently pulled a mask from his pocket and put it on.

When he reached Juan and Qiangsen's shelter, he found their shack had been torn down, the ground littered with debris, only two tents side by side.

"Hey, Boss Roger," Qiangsen, who was taking painkillers, immediately stood up to greet him.

But as soon as he stood, he winced in pain.

"What happened?" Roger frowned, staring at Qiangsen's purple-rimmed eyes.

Qiangsen grimaced: "Two nights ago, some vagrants suddenly rushed over and stole our shack. I tried to stop them, but they were too many."

Two nights ago—that was the night Margaret Nursing Home went wrong.

"Where's Juan?" Roger asked.

"I don't know. Juan left this morning," Qiangsen shook his head.

"What did he do yesterday?"

Qiangsen replied: "He asked me some questions, then helped me rebuild the tent. After that, he went out and came back with sausages for Jose."

"Damn." Roger frowned.

Needless to say, Juan must have gone yesterday to find the location of that group.

And given Juan's ruthless, silent nature, he's surely gone to seek revenge on those bastards for Qiangsen.

So he asked: "Do you know where the people who stole the shed are?"

Qiangsen thought for a moment: "I don't know the exact location, but they seemed to live near Fifth Avenue."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Roger grabbed Qiangsen's arm and dragged him out of the tent.

"Come on, come with me to Fifth Avenue."

"Yes, boss, slow down!"

Though Qiangsen was heavier, he was pulled forward relentlessly, like a child.

Qiangsen was both astonished and excited.

If Roger had been the boss yesterday, he might have beaten those bastards into the ground!