American Horror Story, Starting from Falls Town

Chapter 377 Second Playthrough Player

Roy frowned deeply. The URL format provided by the other party was clearly different from a normal URL, indicating that it was likely a dark web URL.

Just as I was about to ask what was going on, the call was disconnected.

Something is wrong!
Did something happen?
Roy quickly controlled his desires, patted Francesca who was hanging upside down in the water, and she immediately understood and floated to the surface.

"Roy, is something wrong?"

"Wait a minute, I need to do something first."

As Roy stepped out of the pool, Francesca immediately and obediently used a towel to wipe the water off Roy's body, serving him like a maid.

Then, Francesca helped Roy put on a bathrobe.

While enjoying the female ghost's services, Roy kept thinking about the purpose of the call from the mastermind behind the dark web.

That guy must have called me for no reason. Considering the usual practices of the dark web, could it be that someone close to me is now in his hands?
Madison's villa had a computer, and Roy logged into the deep network using the method Nydy had taught him before, then entered that strange URL.

This dark web site turned out to be a live streaming site, which greatly surprised Roy.

In 2000, even video websites were a rarity, let alone live streaming websites. More importantly, the video quality of these live streaming websites was quite good.

Sure enough, as long as there's profit to be made, some people will always find ways to pull off something amazing.

Upon entering the website, you'll see a live stream of six people in a subway car. Next to the screen are the avatars of the six people, and below each avatar is a betting button, as well as two special betting buttons: "All Survivors" and "All Dead".

This appears to be a bloody escape game involving real people.

However, two of the profile pictures stunned Roy, because he saw the pictures of Nydy and Ashley.

"Watfuck? Didn't Nydy say she and Ashley were going to participate in a game event?"

Francesca, who was standing nearby, thought of a possibility.

"Perhaps the dark web tricked Nidi under the guise of a gaming event."

After thinking about it carefully, Roy felt that this was very likely.

Nidi has always loved playing games, a hobby she's even more enthusiastic about than searching for gossip on the dark web. Or rather, searching for gossip on the dark web is something she usually only does when she's in a gaming drought.

If there's a fresh and interesting game, it's indeed possible to lure Nidi to the designated location.

Theoretically speaking, since Nidi is already a half-breed angel, even with Ashley as a burden, there shouldn't be any major problems.

However, Nidice is very kind-hearted and may put herself in danger while trying to save others.

Roy placed the M629 and a spare phone on the table. He kept several phones in his inventory in case they got damaged.

"Francesca, you stay here and watch the video. Contact me if anything happens, and also keep an eye on Merry!"

"Ok!"

Roy picked up his phone and walked outside. Just as he was about to call Saltana for help, he saw a text message from Ashley.

Is it carriage number 1 on line 7?

Roy initially thought the subway car was just a scene, and that Nydy and Ashley weren't actually inside it, but now it seems he was wrong.

However, if Nidi and Ashley did indeed board the subway and then get trapped inside the car after passing through some kind of contraption...

There is only one section of the Los Angeles subway system that could accommodate such a device: the abandoned subway line that connects to the ghoul's lair.

Roy didn't hesitate any longer and immediately dialed Saltana's number.

"Hey Saltana, something's happened to Nidi and Ashley!"

Saltana was still searching the mental hospital. After a day of searching, FEA found a large number of mental patients who had undergone ice pick surgery in the mental hospital, including the body of the female ghost that Roy had seen before.

Furthermore, FEA has discovered a vast underground space within the mental hospital through technological means, and FEA is currently searching for a way to enter this vast space.

"Roy, what happened?"

Roy briefly explained the situation with Nidi and Ashley.

"Is there such a thing?"

Saltana bit her lip. The dark web is not a supernatural organization, and theoretically, the FEA has no law enforcement authority.

However, as long as Saltana pretends not to know and submits a report afterward, it won't be a big problem. After all, no one knows whether there will be supernatural forces before the operation.

"I will send some agents over to help you, but I don't have many people I can mobilize. There are also issues at the mental hospital!"

Upon hearing this, Roy knew that the matter at the mental hospital was also quite serious, otherwise Saltana wouldn't have said that.

"We don't need too many people. Just send some agents to control the situation. There's a chance some major incidents might happen."

"I understand!"

After hanging up, Roy called Elise, who happened to be in Los Angeles. Her divine eye was very convenient for finding people.

Roy is determined to eradicate the dark web completely this time!
The call to Elise went unanswered, repeatedly saying the number was out of service. Could something have happened at the Shadow Hunters' base as well?
There's been a lot going on in Los Angeles tonight; the media frenzy is bound to explode again tomorrow.

However, the Shadow Hunter base is definitely not as important as Nidi and Ashley, so Roy still needs to prioritize going to the subway.

The camera then focuses on Nidi and Ashley.

Just ten minutes earlier, Neddy and Ashley arrived at the Los Angeles Metro Line 7 and Car 1.

For some reason, there were very few people on the Line 7 subway tonight. There were only four people in carriage 1, plus Nidi and Ashley, making a total of six.

The other four people were a tall, burly bald man wearing a vest, a middle-aged black woman who looked wealthy and dressed in a stylish fur coat, a round-faced woman with blond hair and a slightly rugged appearance, and a middle-aged drunk man with a stubble beard who looked quite decadent.

(From left to right: round-faced woman, bald man, drunkard, black woman, and Needy and Ashley replace the male and female protagonists on the right.)
Everything seemed perfectly ordinary. Nidi was excitedly searching for clues left by the puzzle maker in the carriage when she discovered a bag under the tables and chairs, left by someone unknown.

"Excuse me, is this bag yours?"

The round-faced woman glanced indifferently at Nidi and Ashley, said nothing, and turned to look out the window.

The bald guy seemed to have a hearing problem and was wearing a hearing aid, so he didn't hear Nydy's voice until Nydy repeated it, at which point he shook his head.

As for the drunk man, he lay slumped on the subway seat, ignoring what Nidi was saying.

Finally, it was the Black woman who couldn't help but reply when she saw that no one else was paying attention to Nydy.

"Perhaps it was left here by a previous passenger. I advise you not to touch it."

"Who would put such a handbag under a seat? I'd rather believe someone is making a transaction this way than believe a passenger left it behind."

Just as I was about to rummage through the bag, I suddenly heard a strange sound coming from ahead.

"What's this noise?"

The alert Ashley followed the sound and walked forward.

Car number 1 connects to the subway driver's cab, but when Ashley arrived at the door of the subway driver's cab, she found it empty.

"What the hell! Why is there no driver on this subway train?"

These words startled everyone in the carriage, even the drunk man lying on his seat sat up.

It turns out this guy was just pretending to be asleep, not actually drunk and asleep.

The subways of that era were not so intelligent that they could not be remotely controlled for braking; they relied entirely on manual control by the subway driver.

If there is no subway driver, does that mean the subway will just keep running indefinitely?

At this point, the drunkard suggested a rather comical possibility: "How could this be? Did the subway driver go to the restroom and not have time to board the train?"

However, the round-faced woman refuted this claim.

"Impossible! If the subway driver has to leave, someone will definitely cover for him!"

The bald man was speechless.

"Is this the time to talk about this? Quickly open the driver's cab and contact the subway company via radio!"

Indeed, that was the top priority right now. Ashley was about to open the door when she discovered that the handle on the driver's side door was missing.

"Where's the handle? Why isn't there a handle on this door?"

At this point, all six people in the carriage sensed that something was wrong.

The burly, bald man walked to the driver's side door.

"Let me break down the door!"

The black woman also turned and walked towards carriage number 2.

"I went to see the subway company staff, hoping they could help."

However, when the Black woman reached the door and was about to pass through the carriage, she discovered that the connection between carriage 1 and carriage 2 had been broken.

Without the burden of the dozen or so carriages behind, the speed of the subway train, including the No. 1 carriage, increased dramatically.

This caused all six people in the carriage to lose their balance, especially Nidi, who had a poor sense of balance. She fell to the ground on the spot, and the bag she was holding also fell to the ground. A metal part that looked like a door handle fell out of the bag.

"The handle is here!"

But before Neddy could give Ashley her hand, the subway accelerated again and changed lanes into a completely dark tunnel.

Ashley had just gotten her footing when she saw a foundation pile in front of her through the window, which meant that the subway tracks had reached their end.

"Hold on tight! The subway is going to crash!"

The others quickly grabbed onto the nearest handrail or other fixed object, but the terrifying inertia from the impact still caused everyone to fall quite hard.

Fortunately, because Ashley warned them early, no one was seriously injured.

"What the hell? What's going on?"

The bald man grumbled as he got up and immediately tried to open the car door to leave, only to find that the door was completely sealed shut.

Carriage number 1 was like a large iron cage, sealing six passengers inside this dark, abandoned station.

The hot-tempered bald man couldn't help but punch the car window, but to no avail. The glass of the car window was made of some unknown material and was impossible to break.

The black-haired woman tried to stop the bald man, but somehow the two almost got into a fight, and the others could only try to break it up.

At that moment, the announcement system in the carriage came on.

"Dear passengers, please keep an eye on your belongings at all times. If you find any suspicious packages or luggage, please immediately inform the nearest Los Angeles Metro employee."

Everyone looked curiously in the direction of the broadcast. This abandoned subway was obviously not a place where broadcasts could be received, so this must have been a recording placed in the carriage beforehand.

Nidi's eyes lit up.

"I see, this must be what they call an 'escape room' game! It involves creating a dangerous, enclosed environment full of puzzles and then escaping by solving them!"

The round-faced woman looked at Nidi.

"Do you know something?"

"I received an invitation to participate in an 'escape room' game designed by someone called a cartographer. Didn't you receive that invitation?"

The other four seemed unfamiliar with the term "escape room," but their expressions changed upon hearing the name "cartographer."

"Cartographer? I should have known! Fuck fuck fuck fuck! It's that son of a bitch again!"

The drunkard became agitated, which puzzled Nydy and Ashley, and Ashley immediately asked him what was wrong.

Is there a problem with this 'cartographer'?

The Black woman hesitated for a moment, but still answered Ashley's question.

“I was once forced to participate in a game called ‘Cartographer,’ in which I was the only one who survived.”

The round-faced woman looked at the black woman.

"You also participated in the 'Cartographer' game?"

"The same to you?"

"The same to you?"

"you all are?"

The four of them looked at each other and realized that they were all second-time players, while only Nidi and Ashley were complete newbies.

Baldy angrily stomped on the carriage door.

"It's because of this damn cartographer that I had to wear a hearing aid!"

"So, this 'cartographer' you're talking about is someone who specializes in planning death games? That sounds a bit like the dark web's style!"

The Black woman nodded.

“You’re right. I investigated this guy after I survived, and this cartographer is from the dark web!”

Niddy frowned and exchanged a glance with Claire.

That explains it!

"Nidi, it seems the dark web is retaliating against Roy!"

"We'll think about this later! The announcement just said to be careful with our packages and luggage. I just found a door handle in this pocket. Maybe we can use this door handle to open the driver's side door!"

Upon seeing the doorknob in Nidi's hand, the previously somewhat agitated bald man immediately became happy.

"Great! Let's try it right away!"

At that moment, the subway car suddenly shook, and then the lights inside the car began to flicker, as if the voltage had become unstable.

The drunkard's hand was gripping the handrail when he cried out and pulled his hand back.

"Ah! This handrail is electrified!"

The round-faced woman curiously reached for the nearest handrail and, sure enough, felt an electric shock.

"Damn it! Some mechanism must have electrified the entire carriage!"

In this way, no metal objects in the carriage can be touched, as touching them will result in an electric shock.

The bald man looked at the others with a bewildered expression.

"Then how do we get out?"

Adapted from "Escape Room 2"

(End of this chapter)