After the top-to-bottom body rejuvenation, Mater's fur coat glimmered under the sunlight of the new day.
He and Selina got out of the house and went to the location of the third bounty.
The NEO Mall was very far away from Selina's house so she decided to take a bus instead of cycling. As healthy as she proudly was, cycling for thirty kilometers was exhausting.
Selina held Mater in her arms with the Dark Grimoire in the backpack on her back.
They boarded the bus and immediately eyes were upon the two of them.
Selina with her unique gothic look and the very attention attracting tattoo on her chest. Its design was not sexually inviting but any tattoo at that place would have the same effect.
Mater, on the other hand, looked extra royal with his slim black fur and gold eyes. He also stayed in Selina's arms very obediently which made everyone who saw him very adorable.
A young group of girls approached Selina on the bus.
"My gosh. He's so cute!"
"What is his name?"
"He's Mater." Selina said.
"Such a good name for a good boy."
The group of girls giggled non-stop while admiring the dark lord. They were very respectful and didn't try to touch Mater at all.
To reward them for their attitude, Mater widened his eyes and meowed softly.
"OMG! I'm dying!"
"CUTENESS OVERLOAD!"
The remainder of the journey was much less exciting and consisted of mostly silence. Selina checked the information related to the case on her phone while Mater was looking out the window.
Mater already checked the database of the ACPD and didn't find anything interesting. So he didn't show Selina anything new.
"So this is a vehicle." Mater admired the modern technology of humans. "It runs on a substance called petroleum oil. One of the two most important energies of this world. The other is electricity, which fuels all the digital devices that I have come across.
It is unimaginable that these humans can accomplish so much without any supernatural force. Satterblade would have been exciting to see this world."
The bus went past several stops. At the end of the journey, a tall man wearing a sporty outfit entered the bus. He wore a tank-top that showed all of his muscles on his upper body. However, he seemed to have skipped leg days a lot by looking at those frail chicken legs.
The man spotted Selina and immediately sat down next to her.
"Haven't seen you before?" The man smiled seductively. He tried his best to flex his biceps in front of Selina, showing his bulging muscles underneath the skin.
Selina shuddered because of the stranger. She was deep in her research and didn't notice the man.
"Oh, hi. Is there something you need?"
"Well, since you already asked that. I need your contact details. Do you use social media?" The man sat closer to her.
"Ugh... I don't. Please can you give me some space. You are getting very close."
Selina instinctively raised her arms and hid behind them.
"It's alright, baby. You don't need to be afraid of me. A bad girl like you is just the best for me."
The man didn't back off and get even closer.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Selina said.
"Why is that?" The man grinned from ear to ear.
"My cat is very obsessive."
"Your cat?"
Mater placed his paw onto the man's shoulder. The muscular man turned to look at the black cat. Its eyes were weirdly human and it didn't seem to be very happy seeing him.
Before the man even opened his mouth, Mater released a shockwave that knocked the man to the other aisle of the bus. He hit the glass window and was knocked out cold.
The bus shook because of the impact. The bus driver turned his head around and saw the man slumped on the chair. He turned back and kept his eyes on the road, making a cross on his chest. The driver had been in this profession long enough to know that he should mind his own business.
"Told you..." Selina went back to reading the case file.
After a while, the bus arrived at Tora Street, where the NEO Mall was. Selina apologized to the bus driver about the commotion which the driver brushed it off.
"I see freaks like him every day. Don't worry, girl. As long as you don't kill him, I won't care."
Selina exited the bus with Mater in her arms. She walked slowly on the street and admired the tall building at the side.
It was the NEO Mall. One of the biggest structures in Aeliz City. People come here all the time to shop and have fun. It had a dedicated game area and cinema at the top floors.
A very popular place for both the youth and adults. However, its reputation had taken a dip recently because of the suicides.
About a year ago, a man threw himself from the fifth floor of the NEO Mall and died in the process. Executives of the NEO Mall worried about the reception they might get so they had paid for the funeral of the poor young man.
However, because of their decision, six months later, another woman killed herself at the same mall. People said that because the Mall would take care of your funeral, the woman copied the man and killed herself there. That way, her family wouldn't need to pay and take care of her funeral.
After that incident, many people also tried to kill themselves there but all suicide attempts were prevented. The Neo Mall had built high glass fences on all the floors to prevent something like that from happening again.
The Mall didn't have any fault in this story but still, they were impacted. The NEO Mall wasn't nearly half as popular from before because of those incidents.
Selina walked past the NEO Mall and came to the undeveloped land right next to it.
After the suicide incidents, many people have gone missing on this plot of land. People assumed that there might be a killer on the loose. Some said that the spirits of those who died at the Mall haunted the area.
From what Selina had read in the case files, she didn't know which one was which. The Institute of Supernatural Phenomenon did pick up NES waves at the area, but no sighting was ever recorded.
Apart from her, seven other paranormal investigators also worked on this case but haven't received any new clues.
The plot of land was a vast field of high grass. There were pools of water here and there, forming from the rains of the last few weeks.
Mater hated being wet. He really had grown accustomed to a cat's behavior. He stayed on Selina's shoulders while she took pictures of the scenery with her phone.
"What have we got here? A lost lamp?"