[Chapter 76: Do You Want to Die That Badly?]
Daniel was utterly stunned by this revelation. It was completely different from the Megan Fox he remembered from the movies. On screen, she often flaunted her figure and played the seductive role perfectly. Yet in reality, she was quite reserved.
Megan explained, "My family follows Pentecostal Christianity, and the doctrine is very strict. My parents forbid me from dating until I'm 18. I just turned 18 last month."
"Alright," Daniel said, surprised. He hadn't expected the Megan on screen and the Megan in real life to be two totally different people. But that didn't change the fact that he needed to accept the money to save someone.
He didn't press further. "If you want to come along, then come. But you're in charge of dinner tonight -- and all the meals tomorrow."
"No problem." Megan smiled, clearly happy to help.
...
That evening, Daniel didn't squeeze Megan for every dollar. They went to a relatively private restaurant for a quick dinner that cost just over $100. Megan sighed in relief -- she had braced herself to be charged a fortune, but this was less than she usually spent.
"Your house looks really nice," Megan said as the car approached the property. She looked at the somewhat eerie house Daniel had bought for $100,000 and felt a twinge of envy. "With your income, buying a place like this must be nothing."
Daniel said nothing about the bargain he'd gotten.
He then locked and secured the basement door. "Don't go down there. If you die down there, don't blame me for not warning you."
Megan's heart raced, but she answered quickly, "Don't worry, I definitely won't go."
Daniel showed Megan to a suite. "You'll stay here tonight. The bathroom has clean toiletries."
Megan peeked inside and asked, "Which room are you staying in?"
Daniel pointed toward the room with the double doors farthest inside. "There."
Megan looked. It was two rooms away. "Isn't that a little far? If something happens, will you be able to save me in time?"
"So, you want to sleep in the same room as me?" Daniel asked.
"Is that allowed?" Megan looked surprised.
"I don't mind helping you become a real woman," Daniel said with a smirk.
"That's not what I meant," Megan said quickly. "I just want to feel safer."
Daniel sighed. "With your looks and figure, you may invite trouble."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Megan smiled. "Alright, I'll stay here, but you absolutely have to guarantee my safety."
"I'll do my best," Daniel promised.
...
That night, Megan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The basement door kept replaying in her mind. The more Daniel warned her not to go down there and emphasized the danger, the more curiosity clawed at her.
She hadn't realized how intense her curiosity was.
But remembering his warning -- that she might die down there -- Megan kept telling herself no. She couldn't go down there. Absolutely not.
Yet the harder she resisted, the more the itch inside her grew, like a cat stretching to scratch an unreachable spot.
Finally, she sat up.
Quietly opening her door, Megan crept down to the first floor and stood in front of the basement door. The lock hung there, and she tugged hard, but it wouldn't budge.
Using the starlight sliding through the window, she started searching for a tool to pick the lock.
Suddenly, a cold voice cut through the silence from above: "Do you want to die that badly?"
Megan shuddered and her mind instantly cleared.
She looked at the basement door in front of her, then at herself, and gasped, stumbling back several steps.
She couldn't understand what had driven her to such dangerous curiosity.
...
"Mr... Mr. Cross... I... I..." Megan stammered.
"I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." she tried to explain.
Daniel said calmly, "It's fine. It has nothing to do with you."
"Ah!" Megan was surprised. It actually had nothing to do with her?
Then the "Do you want to die that badly?" Daniel had said wasn't directed at her. But who was it for?
Megan turned her head to look at the wooden basement door and quickly backed off.
"Mr. Cross, what... what is down there?"
Daniel replied coldly, "It's nothing for you to worry about. Don't ask too much -- knowing more won't help."
Seeing Daniel's stern attitude, Megan nodded, too afraid to push further.
"Aren't you going to sleep? Want to look at the stars instead?"
Megan hurried back upstairs and slipped into her room.
Daniel returned to his own bedroom and lay down.
The Moth Monster truly had the power to bewitch people. In the movie, anyone under its influence became little more than slaves.
The mysterious and magical nature of that power was significant, but the creature must have been exerting effort as well.
Had it been so long since it swallowed a human head that it grew bold enough to lure Megan down?
That creature needed a serious talking-to.
"Knock, knock..."
As Daniel pondered this, someone knocked on his bedroom door.
...
Using his Spiritual Perception, Daniel sensed it was Megan -- the only other person in the house. The Moth Monster certainly wouldn't dare approach upstairs.
Daniel opened the door, finding Megan standing at the entrance, arms crossed and shivering.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
Megan rubbed her arms. "Can I come in and sleep? What happened just now was terrifying. I'm afraid I might..."
Daniel stepped aside. "You sleep on the floor."
"Okay." Megan didn't complain -- it wasn't about chivalry.
His room had a carpet, so Megan settled down on it, covered with a thin blanket.
...
Listening to the soft breathing from the bed beside her, Megan felt an extraordinary sense of security.
The basement curiosity had vanished completely.
Amazed, she finally drifted off.
When she woke, the sky was bright.
She turned and saw Daniel's bed was empty.
Alarmed, she got up and went downstairs.
Daniel sat at the dining table, eating instant noodles while reading the newspaper.
Megan sighed with relief. She'd thought he'd vanished.
"Since you were asleep, I didn't make anything for you. If you want food, cook for yourself in the kitchen -- there's plenty."
"I'll go wash up first."
...
Over an hour later, Megan was eating milk and cereal with a plate of scrambled eggs she'd made herself.
Daniel had finished his noodles and cleaned his bowl.
Between bites, Megan asked, "Do you always eat noodles for breakfast?"
"Sometimes," Daniel said. "Other times, cereal, bread, or..."
As they talked, Daniel's phone rang.
"Mr. Cross, the item you ordered has arrived."
Hearing the news, Daniel's face lit up. It had finally come.
*****
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