When Mike returned to the living room after a refreshing hot shower, he immediately noticed the vibe was off.
Carly, in particular, looked pretty upset.
Even though she knew Jessie and Chris had omitted Mike's heroism from their police report for his own protection, she still felt indignant on his behalf. It just didn't sit right with her.
However, the moment Mike appeared in a bathrobe, his damp hair slicked back, the tension evaporated. His striking good looks immediately grabbed the girls' attention, effectively acting as a stun grenade.
Noticing their reaction, Mike walked over to the mini-bar. He poured a splash of red wine for everyone and asked, "So, who wants to fill me in on the situation?"
Seeing that the two ladies were temporarily paralyzed by Mike's "charisma attack," Chris stepped up to explain. "It's about the aftermath with the cannibals. The police are keeping tabs on us..."
Chris then recounted the whole story—being taken to the station overnight and deliberately leaving Mike's name out of the rescue narrative.
After explaining the context, the junior securities trader looked at Mike anxiously.
Even though he had lied to protect Mike, not knowing Mike's true temperament made Chris worry that his intentions might be misunderstood.
[Financial Management Experience +10] ... [Financial Management Experience +10] ...
"Thanks, Chris. You saved me a lot of trouble..." Having harvested a fresh crop of experience orbs, Mike was in a visibly good mood.
With his intellect, it didn't take much to understand Chris's rationale.
Moreover, recognizing that Chris was street-smart and adaptable, Mike noted that he might want to hire him as a financial consultant in the future.
"Alright, Mike. I need to get some rest. If you ever run into trouble, call me. I'll do whatever I can to help."
After a few more pleasantries, Chris—who clearly knew how to read the room and was grateful for having his life saved—excused himself.
On his way out, he shot Mike a "bro look" that needed no translation, leaving the room to the three young people.
"So, who upset our lovely lady?" Once Chris was gone, Mike sat across from the two girls, wine glass in hand.
Under the soft lighting, the girls each radiated their own unique charm.
"I just think it's unfair. You did a good deed, but you're not getting the credit you deserve," Carly, being the straightforward one, voiced her thoughts.
Clearly, she considered Mike one of their own and felt bad for him. It was a prime opportunity for recognition, after all.
"It's okay, Carly. I didn't save you guys for the applause..." Mike smiled gently. "Let's talk about you two. Have you contacted your families?"
"Yeah, we called them. My family and Jessie's should be here tomorrow to pick us up..." Sure enough, Carly was easily distracted.
That's how simple-hearted girls are; emotions come and go quickly.
Mike then steered the conversation toward lighter topics.
Through their chat, Mike learned that both girls had been accepted into Ivy League universities. They were practically college students already.
Jessie had excellent grades and had applied for the hottest majors of the era: Software Programming and IT. Carly's grades were slightly lower, but she had luckily been accepted into a Fashion Design program.
As the conversation flowed, the girls relaxed, and the wine flowed just as freely.
Having just survived a near-death experience, they clearly needed to let loose to settle their nerves.
They were all young, attractive, and adrenaline-filled.
So, with unspoken consent, Mike got an early preview of the "college experience."
[Charisma +12] ... [Golden Spear XP +5] ... [Eloquence XP +5] ...
[Charisma +10] ... [Golden Spear XP +3] ... [Eloquence XP +3] ...
After a bout of madness, noon arrived.
Gently untangling the arms draped over him, Mike left a note for the sleeping girls and quietly exited the room.
All good things must come to an end...
Mike had already told the girls he was in a rush to get back to Minnesota.
Not wanting to delay his schedule and worry Dennis and his wife, Mike grabbed a quick lunch at the hotel and hit the road again.
---
Meanwhile, a dozen local police officers had arrived at the cannibal lair and cordoned off the scene.
"Johnny, are these the cannibals the survivors talked about?" The Sheriff, insignia on his shoulder, looked at the two monster corpses and asked the young deputy beside him.
"Should be. But according to the witnesses, there were three of them..." Deputy Johnny was the same young officer who had taken Jessie's statement earlier.
Thinking the situation was extremely dangerous, he had specifically requested heavy backup.
However, when they arrived to lay siege to the monsters, they found two battered corpses along the way and a cabin burned to ashes.
"Are you sure the survivors weren't lying?" The Sheriff was skeptical.
The dense graveyard of abandoned vehicles confirmed that the disappearances near town were the work of these monsters.
Good news: The missing persons case was solved.
Bad news: The local police didn't get to do anything.
This situation highlighted the police's incompetence. For the Sheriff, having the case solved for them wasn't exactly a win.
"The witnesses probably weren't lying. They didn't look like they could take down monsters..." Johnny wasn't as political as the Sheriff. He added worriedly, "I just hope the third monster died in the infighting too."
Having seen the full horror of the monsters, Johnny bought the "infighting" story because it was the only thing that made sense.
He just hoped the third monster wasn't out there roaming the countryside. Ideally, it had burned to death in the cabin.
Just as Johnny was hoping for the best and the Sheriff was dreading the paperwork, a black SUV pulled up to the crime scene. Two tall men in black suits stepped out.
"Who are you?" The Sheriff intercepted them at the police tape.
Showing up at a crime scene looking like that? Suspicious.
"We're detectives from New York. This case involves special circumstances. We're taking over." The leader flashed a Bureau badge.
These "Men in Black" had been sent by HQ to handle the cannibal situation. It seemed they were a step too late.
"We don't know much either. Be my guest..." The Sheriff, eager to drop this hot potato, immediately handed over jurisdiction.
"Good. Thank you for your cooperation." The leader nodded and led his partner to the corpses.
"Boss, they don't feel like detectives to me," Johnny whispered at the tape. Expensive suits, sunglasses at a crime scene? They didn't look like regular cops.
"Who cares? The badges are real..." The Sheriff, nearing fifty, was much more pragmatic.
Technically, a local Sheriff has high authority, but if someone flashes a federal badge at a scene involving man-eating monsters? You let them handle it.
"These are definitely our targets. Looks like we got lucky," the lead agent said lightly after inspecting the bodies.
"Normal people couldn't inflict this kind of damage. Should we investigate who did it?" The junior agent seemed concerned.
One decapitated, one head smashed into a meat patty. Both chests caved in. Cold weapons doing that kind of damage wasn't common, even back at HQ.
"We're just cleaners. Leave the detective work to the guys at HQ." The leader clearly didn't want extra work. "We just report what we see. Go check if the third one is dead."
Intel said there were three. The Cleaners' job was to confirm the kills and scrub the scene.
Soon, the junior agent found the charred remains of the third cannibal in the ashes of the cabin. Mission accomplished.
"We need you to dispose of these bodies. And keep a lid on this. Someone will contact your department later with protocols..." The lead agent instructed the Sheriff before leaving.
To prevent mass panic, the agency had protocols for supernatural events. And if people didn't cooperate? Well, they had neuralyzers for that.
---
Meanwhile, Mike arrived in the small Minnesota town just before sunset.