Chapter 43: Cursed Videotape

Roy knocked Mason out with one punch. Given the temperature outside and the gunshot wound to his abdomen, Mason should die soon.

The reason he didn't use his revolver was to avoid leaving any loose ends. After all, this wasn't Falls Church, and the local police didn't know Roy. It would be troublesome if they determined he had used excessive force in self-defense. So, Roy only fired one shot himself.

However, the "dark web" thing that guy mentioned before being knocked out bothered Roy a bit. Roy had vaguely heard about the dark web in his previous life back at Dongda University. In various marketing accounts, it was always portrayed as a very mysterious and terrifying underground organization. But judging from Mason's tone, this dark web seemed to be real.

Whatever, better call the police first!

Suddenly, the door to room five opened, and Heather's head peeked out.

"Roy, what just happened?"

Heather had finally come to after the "aftermath" and realized Roy wasn't in the room. So, she opened the door to see what was going on and happened to see Roy dealing with Mason.

"Heather, there's something wrong with this motel. Quickly lock the door and stay in the room. Don't open it unless it's me knocking!"

Heather trusted Roy completely now, and she nodded immediately, locking the door. Back in the room, Heather felt a bit scared. The cell phone she had with her had no signal, so she could only sit on the chair and pray for Roy.

At this moment, the TV in the room suddenly turned on by itself.

Meanwhile, Roy had already found a large bunch of keys on Mason and headed straight to the motel front desk, opening the room behind it. It was a surveillance room with monitors showing all the guest rooms in the motel, including room five where Roy and Heather had been staying. On the desk in the surveillance room, Roy found a phone, and sure enough, it worked. So, Roy used this phone to call the police.

The operator was very helpful, telling Roy and the others to wait where they were, and the police would arrive within half an hour at the latest. Then, Roy called for an ambulance, but the dispatcher said it would take two hours to get to the scene. Why was there such a big difference in the estimated arrival times? But thinking that the police might be patrolling nearby while the ambulance had to come from the hospital, it made sense that there would be a significant time difference.

So, Roy didn't dwell on this issue and instead started looking for the videotape from room five. Yeah, the videotape from room five had to be destroyed. Roy didn't have any plans to become an adult film actor yet, even though he might have the potential to be the GOAT in that field.

The videotape from room five was quickly found and destroyed. Roy also discovered many other videotapes from other rooms, and the content was all related to torture and murder. That motel owner, Mason, must have killed countless people over the years. The question was, with so many people disappearing in this area, hadn't anyone noticed?

Roy's expression turned serious. Thinking about the dark web Mason mentioned, this matter probably wasn't that simple!

[Ding! Obtained Mason's Fate Treasure Chest! Open it?]

Getting the Fate Treasure Chest meant Mason was dead.

Roy left the surveillance room, ready to go back and meet up with Heather, and then drive away with Amy and David immediately.

"Heather, open the door!"

The door to room five opened, and Heather, looking terrified, hugged Roy tightly.

"Roy, you finally came back! I was so scared!"

"Silly girl, what's there to be afraid of? Nothing's going to happen to me."

"It's not that, it's the TV!"

Heather pointed at the TV in the room, her expression as if she had seen a ghost.

The TV?

Roy let go of Heather and walked curiously towards the TV. He saw a woman on the screen brushing her hair in front of a mirror. Just looking at this scene, although a bit eerie, didn't seem particularly scary.

"What's wrong with the TV?"

Heather hugged Roy's arm and replied, "Just now, after I locked the door, the TV suddenly turned on by itself and started playing a videotape. Then I felt like there was someone else in the room!"

If anyone else heard Heather's description, they might just think she was scaring herself. But Roy knew that this world was a patchwork of horror movies, with monsters, demons, angels – anything could happen. What Heather was feeling now could very well be real.

So, Roy first calmed Heather down. "Heather, don't be afraid. As long as I'm here, nothing can hurt you!"

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With Roy's reassurance, Heather finally calmed down. At this point, the image on the TV had changed to an old well in a forest. Although the image was very blurry, it still triggered some memories in Roy's mind. Could this be that cursed videotape from "The Ring"?

Roy wasn't exactly sure what the cursed videotape in "The Ring" was called, but the scene in front of him looked way too similar. Thinking back to the strange phone call they had received earlier while doing their "bedtime exercises," Roy had a rough idea of what was going on. But he still needed to confirm it.

Roy quickly took the "This is The Ring" videotape out of the VCR, then pulled Heather out of room five and headed to the surveillance room. Heather was startled when she saw the situation in the surveillance room.

"Roy, what's going on here?"

"This motel is a black market operation. That owner filmed himself torturing and killing guests and sold the movies. I've already taken care of him." Roy answered Heather's question while searching through the videotapes. The motel owner had thoughtfully labeled and categorized the videotapes. If he was lucky, Roy should be able to find the videotapes of previous guests in room five.

"Ah! Were we being recorded too while we were... you know?"

"Don't worry, I already destroyed that videotape – found it!" Roy successfully found three videotapes labeled "Room 5," from yesterday, the day before yesterday, and the day before that. He first put yesterday's videotape into the VCR. The screen showed an elderly couple. The elderly couple on the TV screen were quickly tortured and murdered by Mason's gang. The bloody and cruel scene made Heather gag, and Roy quickly turned off the TV.

"Heather, go keep watch at the front desk." Heather left the surveillance room with a pale face, and Roy continued playing the other videotapes. The second videotape still wasn't the one Roy was looking for. It wasn't until the third videotape that he finally saw the scene he wanted.

On the TV screen, a woman with long hair walked into room five. As soon as she entered, she started checking her shoulder bag. After taking a videotape out of her bag, the woman frantically threw it on the ground and repeatedly stomped on it. However, the videotape remained intact. Immediately after, the woman collapsed into a chair. Even though the image on the videotape wasn't very clear, you could still feel the despair on her face.

Then, something terrifying happened!

(End of Chapter)