Chapter 127
So, Randy stopped talking and said, "If you behave, I guarantee your family and that little boyfriend of yours will be safe. After three days, you can do whatever you want."
Randy thought to himself, After three days, do you really think you'll still be out of my grasp?
Doris felt Randy was insincere. She figured he was probably just toying with them and might kill Mike in a couple of days.
Paulina, on the other hand, felt a bit relieved. At least now there was hope. Three days was the maximum amount of time she could endure.
With hope, she wouldn't despair and lash out, making her more obedient.
She nodded in humiliation.
"Now that's more like it!"
Randy patted her head. "Now, put your clothes back on. Later, if your mom asks what happened, just say you tripped and twisted your ankle. Also, don't get into any more fights with your sister. She's your family's main source of income!"
Doris immediately smiled victoriously.
Paulina could only continue to nod in humiliation, tears running down her face as she composed herself.
Randy no longer cared about her. If she had any thoughts of rebellion, he would just brainwash her directly. After all, she wasn't an important person in this family.
"Doris, take me to find the lead on that demon doctor. Where's his lab?"
"I'll take you."
Doris quickly ran to the side of the fireplace, pressing a few buttons. A secret door opened, revealing a deeper tunnel inside.
Randy glanced back at Paulina. She had just finished adjusting her dress and putting on her stockings. When she stood up, she wobbled a little. She had fallen pretty hard, and Randy's actions afterward had not been gentle.
Thinking for a moment, Randy stepped forward, startling Paulina.
"No, I really can't handle any more today."
"Don't worry, I'm just going to help you."
Randy placed his hand on her head and transferred a bit of wood-element healing energy into her. Just a small amount—he didn't need to use a full lotus transplant.
Paulina soon felt the pain in her body easing, which calmed her trembling.
She replied with basic politeness, "Thank you."
Randy smiled but said nothing, finding Paulina's naïve mindset, poisoned by leftist ideals, quite amusing.
"Stay here and wait for us to come back. If your mom asks any questions, don't tell her anything."
Paulina nervously and obediently nodded.
Only then did Randy follow Doris into the secret passage.
Doris felt a bit conflicted seeing her sister subdued in such a way.
Despite her feelings from before, she felt some sadness and discomfort, but Marcus's submission made her excited and loyal to Randy as a leader.
As a result, she acted even more like a maid, even changing how she addressed him.
"Lord Randy, here we are."
It was a strange laboratory. The equipment looked like something out of the last century, which made sense since it dated back to the 1950s or 60s.
Everything was covered in dust.
Doris pointed to another secret room. "That's where the documents are kept. There might be some of the demon doctor's most important research. The other room is where the corpses are stored—all of them test subjects like me."
Randy nodded and opened the document storage room. It had been locked for years, but he easily walked inside.
The room was dust-free, much cleaner, and filled with documents, blueprints, and various instruments, though none of the machines worked anymore.
Randy casually picked up a research report and skimmed through it. He could roughly understand the demon doctor's research.
It was all about human experiments, super-soldier serums, and whether or not the soul exists.
It was laughable.
Randy felt the demon doctor had no real strength and that all his research was misguided. Summoning a large number of vengeful spirits was only possible because of Derry's unique geographical environment.
Playing with science in a world of metaphysics? Without personal strength, what use was any of it?
After a lifetime of hard work, the demon doctor finally achieved success only after coming to Derry.
In fact, all the haunted houses in Derry were the same. The souls of those who died there were bound to the place by the evil energies.
Over time, most of those souls would slowly dissipate.
Some, who had chosen a darker path or harbored ill intent, would instead harm others to gain strength.
Derry was indeed a strange place—monsters, animals, humans, and ghosts alike could all grow stronger by killing others and absorbing their souls or malice. Some even ate people.
"There's nothing of real value here, but don't destroy anything. Leave things as they were."
Randy searched through more items and unexpectedly found a highly valuable collector's watch, worth tens of thousands of dollars, along with a stash of cash.
It amounted to about a thousand dollars, a fortune in the 60s and 70s.
"These are mine now. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"
"No problem, no problem at all."
Doris shook her head quickly, eager to please Randy's love for money. She even enthusiastically opened more drawers, producing more valuable jewelry and cash, worth several thousand more dollars.
"Not bad. Keep up the good work. As long as you continue spreading the effects of the lotus and helping it grow, I won't forget your efforts."
Randy handed her his phone number. "Next time you contact me, make sure it's good news. I'll also bring you good news in return."
"I will definitely complete the tasks you've given me!"
Doris quickly accepted.
"Take out five corpses from the basement when you have time. I'll send someone to collect the rest later."
"Understood!"
Doris immediately used the vengeful energy to open the door to the next room, selected five relatively intact corpses, and dragged them into the laboratory. Then she closed the door again.
The two of them then went back upstairs, returning to the ground floor.
Paulina was still cowering in the corner, trembling when she saw Randy's face again.
"Let's go upstairs."
At this point, Randy acted like a normal person, but Paulina was not fooled by his calm demeanor. Her body still ached from his rough treatment.
Doris pretended to act like a caring sister, trying to help Paulina up, but Paulina refused, resenting her sister for betraying her.
Still, Paulina wasn't completely without desires. Crying, she begged:
"Randy... Sir, can you please not hurt Mike?"
"I already said he'll just be missing for three days. If you beg for him again, I'll get jealous, and I can't guarantee I won't do something more."
Paulina immediately shut her mouth, supporting herself against the wall and following Randy back to the house.
Upon returning, Paulina felt a wave of relief, as if she had returned to the land of the living. She almost couldn't hold back her tears.
Unfortunately, her mother, Alice, didn't notice anything was wrong. Instead, she rushed over to inquire about Randy's well-being:
"Mr. Randy, how do you feel?"
The two hundred-dollar bills earlier had already made Alice view Randy as a golden goose.
"I'm feeling great today."
Randy smiled, and before leaving, he gave Alice three more hundred-dollar bills. "I'll visit often and take care of your business. I hope you won't mind, Ms. Alice."
This nearly made Paulina faint. She thought to herself, If he visits a few more times, will I even surv