"Jesús… carajo. What the hell could've done this?"
"The real question is, why hasn't homicide taken this down yet? Forensics finished hours ago. And god—the smell. How long's it been here again?"
"A little over a week, they said."
Inside Megaland's House of Horrors, the entire attraction had been sealed off by police tape. Officers crawled throughout the building, though most weren't taking the crime scene all that seriously. Yes, someone had been murdered gruesomely—but it was a known supervillain. A pedophile, even. Few felt inclined to even find out what had happened.
A pedophile was brutally killed—and that was that.
Still, some did their jobs. Two detectives stood in front of what remained of Ryan Roman's mutilated and grotesquely mounted corpse. One of them sipped coffee as he stared up at the body impaled from end to end, held upright and hidden well within the other dolls.
"Shit," the male detective muttered. "Well... at least that's one less loco Supe off the streets, no?"
"Or someone even worse is out there now. Look at this," his partner shot him a sideways glare as she gestured at Roman's body. "And if we were called in, that only means one thing—whoever did this was another Super."
"Huh… crazy world we're living in."
"Enough staring at this freak. Just looking at him makes me want to puke. Let's do our damn jobs."
The two stepped away from the body and made their way toward the forensic team, flashing their badges at them.
"Good afternoon, folks," the male detective nodded. "Detective Jake Suárez. This here's Sergeant Dorothy Adams. Got anything new for us?"
A uniformed officer stepped forward, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Detective. Sergeant. We didn't think the Supes Division would even show," he admitted. "But as for updates… not much. No prints aside from the vic's. The park handed over the footage, but it's mostly just the guy walking around in park uniform, blending in. No signs of a struggle on camera. All in all, there's… nothing."
"That's for us to decide," Dorothy cut in curtly. "Send all the footage to our department. What about the victim—where is he now?"
"In school, ma'am."
Dorothy blinked. "Come again?"
"The vic's in school."
"...Why?"
"Because… he's a student, ma'am?" The officer hesitated, confused.
"He's twelve, officer." Dorothy snapped and stepped forward. "He was nearly abducted and traumatized by a serial predator—and you're telling me he's back in class like it's nothing? Why the hell isn't he in a trauma program!?"
Her voice rang through the cold space of the House of Horrors, drawing the attention of nearby officers. She opened her mouth to continue, but Jake quickly stepped in, resting a calming hand on her shoulder and steering her aside.
"Dotty, breathe. Your blood pressure," he sighed, then turned back to the officer by himself.
"She's not wrong, though," Jake added more calmly. "A literal niño, broken arm, barely a week out from being hunted by a twisted pedo—and no one thought to pull him from school? Seriously?"
"We were told he was healed immediately on-site, sir," the officer cleared his throat, then leaned closer to Jake and lowered his voice. "And… the kid isn't exactly normal. He's… autistic. We were told the incident didn't seem to affect him at all."
"Has anyone even asked the boy any questions?" Dorothy cut back in, smoothing her clothes as she glanced once more at Roman's grotesque corpse. "He's the last known person to see that monster alive."
"His lawyer refused, ma'am."
"Lawyer…? What lawyer?"
"Private counsel, ma'am."
Dorothy's eyes narrowed. "What kind of twelve-year-old has a private lawyer—wait…" She took a step back, then looked at Jake as she realized something. "Shit. Riley Ross. Ross—as in Bernard Ross?"
"Yes…?" The officer raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed that the lead detectives hadn't put it together already. "His family also owns the park, ma'am."
"I fucking know that," Dorothy muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Wait, Dorothy…" Jake furrowed his brows. "You don't think Whiteking has anything to do—gukh!"
Before he could finish, Dorothy punched him in the gut and dragged him aside by the collar.
"Are you out of your goddamn mind?!" She hissed.
"What the hell, you puta!?" Jake groaned, holding his stomach.
"Don't say Bernard Ross and Whiteking in the same context out loud, you idiot! You know the normal uniforms don't know they're the same person!"
Jake blinked, glancing back at the officer, who looked entirely lost.
"...Shit. You think he picked up on that?"
"You better pray he didn't," Dorothy snapped. "Either way, we're done here. Let's get Bernard Ross into the station."
"So we're thinking it's him?"
"No. We're just asking questions," Dorothy clicked her tongue.
"I mean… if I were him, and I found out that el diablo got near my kid…" Jake gestured at Roman's body. "Yeah. That's exactly what I'd do."
"We're not assuming anything," she warned. "But right now… Bernard Ross is our only lead."
***
"Yo… y'all wasn't playin'. There really a whole mall up in here!"
While things at the House of Horrors continued to escalate, the person responsible for the entire incident strolled casually through a massive underground mall, along with his sister and her friends.
Hannah had already dragged Pauline into the first boutique they passed, while Bella and Gary headed for the busiest store—a high-end tailor specializing in super suits, crafted with rare and specialized materials.
Unfortunately, all four returned to Riley and Victoria moments later, frustration obvious on their faces.
"They said they don't accept credit cards!" Hannah fumed. "And what the hell is a Mega Credit!?"
And surprisingly, it was Riley who answered.
"It is the currency used within the Academy, Sister," he said plainly. "It was written in the handbook."
Everyone except Victoria slowly turned to stare at him. Even Pauline's eyes widened in disbelief.
"There's… a handbook?" Hannah blinked.
"Yes," Riley nodded before pulling something from his pocket—his Student ID card. He tapped it several times, and to everyone's surprise, a holographic display projected into the air.
"There is a digital copy of the handbook stored in our ID, Sister. It also contains a map of the Academy, a student directory, and serves as a digital wallet for our available Mega Credits. It has many other functions, but I have yet to test them."
"Why didn't they tell us any of this?!" Hannah groaned as she and the others quickly pulled out their own cards. "And why are you only telling us now, Riley?!"
"I assumed you already knew, Sister," Riley blinked, "Most of you attended traditional schools, while I was homeschooled."
"Normal schools don't have this!" Hannah groaned again, tapping furiously through the holographic menus. "And why do we only have ten credits?! What can we even buy with that?"
She flipped to the map, muttering to herself—until her eyes slowly lit up.
"Wait a minute… they have bingsoo!"
"A what now?" Bella and the others leaned closer.
"Korean shaved ice!" Hannah said, nearly bouncing in place. "We have to try it! And it's literally the only thing we can afford with our credit!"
"Is it different from normal shaved ice?" Gary asked. "I can consume even solid ice, you know. The Dragon Monarch's mouth eats even black holes."
"Excuse me?" Bella quickly looked at him.
"A… a different black hole. Not… not that I'm saying that I wouldn't—wait. I just meant I can eat solid ice!"
"Wait… you just eatin' straight ice?" Bella stared at him, confused. "What's wrong with you people?"
"Don't listen to him, it's a dessert," Hannah rolled her eyes. Then her gaze turned toward Bella, more confused. "Wait… you've never had shaved ice before?"
"Girl, chill—it's just ice."
"I've…" Pauline hesitantly raised a hand, "…never had it either."
"Well, that settles it," Hannah clapped her hands, sliding her ID back into her pocket. "We're getting dessert. Let's—"
"Well, well…"
Before they could take a single step, a group of all-too-familiar faces appeared in front of them.
Steph and her group. Again.
"Look who it is," Steph crossed her arms as she stepped forward, smirking, "The trust fund baby crew."
Oh, hello. You again. Could this be... a chance? But in broad daylight? No, unlike with Ryan Roman, I need a plan here. You... would just have to wait.
"You guys again?!" Hannah's voice cracked in disbelief. "Didn't you assholes walk the other way?!"
"Heh," Steph smirked and pulled out her own ID card, raising it like a badge.
"I, Stephanie Wilkes, challenge Hannah Ross to a duel."
"What the fuck are you even—" Hannah stepped forward, but stopped as she felt something vibrate in her pocket. She pulled out her ID card again—this time, a warning hovered above it.
[Stephanie Wilkes has challenged you to a duel. Stake: 50 Mega Credits.]
"What kind of bullshit—wait…" Hannah's eyes scanned the message. "You mean if I win, I get 50 credits?"
She looked around, baffled. "Wait. Why the fuck does this school have duels? Why is everything here so random?!"
"Tch. Just surrender if you know you can't beat me," Steph scoffed.
"O-Oh…?" Hannah's eye twitched. "Where the hell would we even fight—"
And as if on cue, a ring of light formed around them. The floor began to shift, lifting them into the air as it created a raised circular platform. The group stumbled slightly as they adjusted to the moving ground beneath their feet.
"What the hell…" Hannah muttered, eyes wide as she glanced down.
"...God, stop causing trouble."
Riley's head immediately tilted at the word.
"Trouble?" He echoed softly. Then, without another word, he turned around and calmly stepped off the platform.
"Wait—Riley?! Where are you going?!"
"I was instructed to find someone if anyone attempted to cause trouble for us, Sister."
"W-What?! So where the hell are you going?!"
"To the girls' dormitory, Sister."
"...What?"