Chapter 70 Discovery

"Did I hear you correctly just now? Have others come to investigate?"

The talkative middle-aged white woman responded, "The FBI came by yesterday asking about the Tilson Estate."

Luke and David exchanged glances, both surprised. "How many people came? How do you know they were from the FBI?"

The woman smiled, "I remember it was just one person. He didn't say, but when he took out his money, I saw the FBI badge."

Luke pressed, "What did he ask about?"

"Just some things related to the Tilson Estate. Actually, I don't know much. Twenty years ago, I was still living in Los Angeles. I'll let you in on a secret: I almost settled there."

Luke smiled, "Oh, so we're sort of old neighbors."

The woman was pleasantly surprised, "Are you from Los Angeles? Oh my God, it reminds me of the old days, that crazy time in that crazy city..."

The woman drifted into memories, but Luke interrupted her, "Yes, I heard that Heim City is beautiful and has great 'Kuta,' so I came."

The woman pointed at Luke with both hands, "You're right, you must try it. We have the best Kuta here."

"I will."

Luke asked for the address of the Tilson Estate and then said goodbye to the woman.

Outside the restaurant, David naturally sat in the driver's seat, "You're really into 'Kuta'?"

"If it weren't for 'Kuta,' we wouldn't have gotten the FBI lead. You need to blend in with your surroundings. Don't always look like you want to punch someone. No one but me would talk to you."

"It's because I'm with you that I look like this."

"Wow, I didn't know you could joke." Luke chuckled, then his tone changed, "The FBI came as well. Should we inform the captain?"

"Let's not bother with them. We'll do our investigation. I'll report it during the briefing."

Soon, the car reached near the Tilson Estate, which was easy to recognize—big and rundown, as the woman had said.

The estate wasn't dilapidated in the sense that the buildings were falling apart, but they were definitely in disrepair from years of neglect.

Luke's impression of the estate was its size, but seeing it in person was overwhelming. The Tilson Estate covered at least dozens of acres. 

The estate's stone walls had a rustic beauty, yet their state of neglect gave an air of decay and desolation.

Out of habit, the two men didn't park the car next to the estate but at a distance.

They found the main gate, a rusted iron fence. Luke pushed it and got his hands covered in rust.

In the end, they climbed over the wall to enter the estate.

The estate was overgrown with weeds, some reaching waist height, making it quite eerie at night.

There were three buildings, the largest being a four-story brick house in the center, unlike most American wooden structures. The side buildings, three stories high and made of wood, were rotting and looked ready to collapse, making Luke hesitant to enter.

After wandering around the estate and finding nothing noteworthy, they decided against searching further without a warrant.

David, surveying the desolate scene, felt uneasy, "Let's go."

"You go ahead; I need to take care of something." With no restroom in sight, Luke found a secluded spot among the high weeds.

Afterward, he noticed the ground felt different underfoot. He stomped harder and found the ground unusually firm.

Luke squatted down and found a spot the size of a well cover that looked different from the surrounding ground.

"Luke, where are you?" David called, returning to find him.

"Over here," Luke waved.

Seeing him inspecting the ground, David asked, "What's up?"

Without answering, Luke found a gray rope in the weeds, almost indistinguishable. Pulling it, he revealed a hole about a meter wide, widening further below.

David drew his gun, alert, while Luke shone his phone's light down. The space below was like a bottle, narrowing at the top but wider below, about three meters deep with a ladder.

"I'm going to get a flashlight," David said.

Luke shook his head, "The shape won't let the light reach. I'll go down. Cover me."

Luke called into the hole, but no one answered. He climbed down, phone in one hand and gun in the other.

At the bottom, about ten square meters wide, it felt oppressive. He found some bedding, a wooden box, and scattered water bottles.

"What's down there?" David asked.

"Nothing much, just searching," Luke replied.

He opened the box, relieved to find only some odds and ends: beer cans, bread, a knife, and a speaker.

Everything seemed normal, except for the speaker. Luke pressed play, and a haunting cry filled the air, like a woman or child.

"What's that sound?" David asked.

"I'm coming up," Luke said, turning off the speaker and climbing back up.

David pulled him out, "What was that crying?"

"A speaker, probably meant to scare people."

"Who would go to the trouble of scaring people in this rundown estate? And why?"

"Let's find out tonight."

"Let's get out of here first."

Back in the car, they decided to stake out the estate. Luke planned to nap but was interrupted by a voice in his head, [You've completed an adventure; the adventure card has been activated and used.]

No wonder he stumbled upon the hole—it was the adventure card.

Luke checked his system inventory, where three spare cards remained:

Adventure Card: 1

Detection Card: 1

Bulletproof Card: 1

He thought, I need to solve more cases. You always regret not having enough cards when you need them.

Without the adventure card, he wouldn't have found the hole and might have missed a crucial lead.