As the teacher lay on the floor, taking his last breaths, a new announcement from the system rang in Dave's ears.[Ding! Host, you have completed the first level successfully. Access to the second level has been granted.][Congratulations! You have received one reward. Open it now?]Dave knew he just had to think about his answer in his mind, and the system would automatically follow the command. And that was exactly what happened, as the voice echoed;[Host, you have received power- up: Truth Sense. This ability will allow the host to find out if someone is lying, and help uncover their hidden motives.]The air in the room was weighed down by an eerie stillness, after Dave's tumultuous encounter with the high school teacher. Everything was too calm, with only the sound of the microwave going off in the background. Although a sense of relief washed over him, knowing that this leech won't be able to touch any other girl without her consent ever again, there was another unsettling real
After sending Morgan and Ivy to her room to start packing up, Dave went straight to the kitchen.He immediately got to work, making some hot tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. While he was working in the kitchen, he could hear the distant sounds of laughter coming from their room, over the music they were blasting on the speakers.Little by little, the burden of their trauma was lifting from his shoulders, and once he had plated the food, he called out;"Girls! Come out for dinner!""Yes, just coming!" Their voices echoed together as Morgan and Ivy ran out of her room.Seeing their faces, which were in complete contrast to the tear filled eyes he had seen earlier that day, Dave became content that they were alright now. And now, it was his responsibility to never let these carefree smiles vanish from their faces… thinking this, he left home again, saying that he would be back before long.He had already dealt with the teacher, unintentionally creating a mess at his place; and
As Dave left the teacher's house, a heavy sense of purpose accompanied him on the journey back to his own residence. Within the span of one night, he had experienced so many unsettling revelations that he wasn't even able to process everything yet, let alone decide whether it was a bane or a boon. The moon hung low in the night sky, casting its glow on the quiet streets as Dave navigated his way home. A distant breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers, but it did little to soothe his disturbed mind. Upon entering his apartment, he was greeted by the faint aroma of dinner lingering in the air, and the soft hum of television running in the living room. Minutes after the door clicked shut, Morgan came into the hallway to see who it was. The concern on her face immediately melted into a smile of relief, as she saw that it was none other than her brother."You're back!""Yeah, did you guys finish packing yet?"Dave asked, ruffling his sister's hair softly."Almost… Ivy is still goi
The next few days elapsed, each one carrying the weight of anticipation and a growing sense of urgency for Dave. But amidst the chaos of uncovering the web of blackmailers and fulfilling his duties as a policeman, he found a moment to ensure the well- being of his sister's friend as he made his way to the address that Ivy had given him. Nestled in a quiet middle- class neighborhood, Ivy's house showed the distinctive signs of both age and limited resources. The exterior was marked by peeling paint, and once Dave had identified the house, he pushed open the rusted iron gates. The hinges of this gate protested with a loud creak as it swung open, revealing an unkempt front yard. Weeds had claimed their territory among neglected flower beds, and Dave could assume that the house had perhaps seen better days when Ivy's parents were alive.But perhaps since their death, her grandmother was struggling to keep up with the maintenance required. There was a weathered welcome mat at the door
In the rearview mirror of his car, Dave's gaze fell on the stack of documents he had brought from the teacher's house. For some reason, he didn't feel like he could read the contents of these pages and still remain sane.But he felt a sudden urge to ignore his personal inhibitions and just face the truth. Without hesitating at all, he pulled up the papers and sat in his car, turning them carefully. With a deep breath, he started to scroll through the pages, and each name he encountered was like a dagger of reality piercing through the curtain of ignorance that he was hiding behind. Page after page contained the names of the victims, and Dave felt disgusted on seeing that so many innocent lives had become reduced to just becoming the targets of this organization.As his eyes moved across the list, a sickening mixture of anger and despair welled up within Dave, and he found himself unable to fully digest the extent of the evil acts committed by those predators.His grip tightened on t
The cursor on the screen hovered over the name for a few moments, until Dave managed to compose himself. He continued to scroll through the list of names, linking the corrupted people to their victims and weaving a dark web.As his eyes scanned the details, he started to notice a pattern, and as the realization slowly sank in, it actually sent a chill down his spine. There were many disgusting rats like Matt, who were working for the organization, and their basic task was to identify the vulnerable targets and trap them anyhow.Once they had managed to lure the teenagers into a secluded place and molested them, they uploaded the recordings to a local server. Their local superiors in this location could also view these files, but they didn't have access to the recordings from any different area.But there were five individuals in particular, who were the ones receiving all of the disturbing videos sent by these perverted agents, serving as the masterminds behind this scheme of exploit
Dave could see that Lauren was getting too disturbed by the events, and hence, decided that it was better to not involve her in the events to this extent.Because at least, he knew that he could go beyond the legal system and opt for the lynching path, with the support of the Criminal Capturing System.But Lauren was not only horrified and shaken on behalf of all these poor victims, but she also had no hopes from the police or courts– especially when these five people alone had so much power in their hands. Then how much their leader would wield, was something beyond questioning… Recognizing the shock etched across Lauren's face, Dave gently placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I know this is beyond anything we expected. It's okay to feel overwhelmed."Lauren turned to Dave, her eyes reflecting a mix of horror and disbelief."Although I knew that this was a risky matter, but even then… I never thought it would go this deep, and involve people who are so high up," she con
Dave moved forward threateningly as soon as Ron Goldbaum had fired a retort, making him crouch in fear. But before he could say anything, he noticed the other four figures stirring in the dark. As the effects of the sedative began to wane, the four also began to regain their consciousness. Groans and disoriented murmurs filled the air as they became aware of their constrained surroundings.Seeing this, Dave stepped forward with a steely gaze. "Now that you are awake, it is time for you to answer for your crimes," he declared.The men were completely disoriented yet still defiant. They exchanged wary glances, before one of them leaned forward with a smirk;"Who do you think you are?" he scoffed, his voice laced with arrogance."Look at the little boy, everyone!" Another one of them scoffed, his laughter echoing through the room."I think he really loves playing the role of a superhero!""You, kid! You really think you're going to bring us down?" Undeterred by the provocations, Dave