Wood thought for a moment, then grabbed the Boss's right hand that was stroking his cheek, cupped it with both hands, kissed his palm and fingertips. "Thank you, Master."
..
..
Two days later—
Upon receiving the report, the Police surrounded an abandoned heavy truck in a parking lot.
The driver sat in the driver's seat, his skull fractured; he had died long ago, his entire body severely dehydrated and desiccated, mummified in appearance. The cargo hold of the truck was open, but it was empty.
Based on the identification on the deceased and surveillance footage from intersections and parking lots along the route, the Police quickly determined the deceased's identity, time of death, the circumstances of his death.
Mike, a white male of Irish descent, forty-five years old, a professional truck driver, drove his vehicle into downtown New York alone three days ago. Upon arriving at the scene, he got out of the vehicle, opened the cargo area of the truck, said a few words to the air, returned to the driver's cabin, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun he had carried with him.
The whole matter seemed very simple, yet the investigating officers were plunged into immense confusion and panic.
Why did Mike commit suicide?
Why did he talk to thin air before committing suicide?
Was the truck trailer truly empty at that time, or were there certain special items present that only Mike could see?
What did those words he said to the air mean?
And—
Why had Mike's corpse lost nearly eighty percent of its moisture in just two short days, looking like a mummy that had been desiccated for many years?
Perhaps we should—
Sorry, from now on, we are taking over this case.
A team suddenly appeared, led by a middle-aged man wearing an expensive suit.
“You are—”
Special Events Investigation Department, New York Branch, reporting directly to the Pentagon.
The man flashed his credentials.
Before the officer could respond, the agents from the New York Branch of the Special Events Investigation Department had already forcefully occupied the scene and entered work mode.
Boss! We've found some black substance inside the carriage! It might be a Cursed Object!
Author's Note:
----------------------
Note 1: Starting from 1995, the United States implemented a "wet feet/dry feet" policy regarding Cuba, meaning that once Cuban illegal immigrants set foot on American soil, they would obtain immigrant status and enjoy the right to reside and work; stowaways intercepted at sea would be repatriated to Cuba. (This policy was abolished in 2017.) Consequently, Miami has a large number of both legal and illegal South American immigrants, who are very willing to assist their compatriots from South America.
Note 2: The Egyptian Blue Lotus contains the psychoactive alkaloid Apomorphine, which has a mild hallucinogenic effect. Its fragrance is the most intense among all known lotuses, which is why it is frequently used in sacrificial rituals and spiritual healing. In ancient Egyptian beliefs, the Blue Lotus symbolizes rebirth and love; it is directly associated with Osiris, as well as Hathor and Isis, holding a religious status equal to ***, Myrrh, Kyphi.
Note 3: Master is actually a homophone for "Master," it is not the Boss's real name. The Boss uses Master as his name both as a playful pun and to hint that his identity is very special.
A new story has been released! I'll be giving out some red envelope comments to everyone~ Mwah~
Chapter 3: Seal of Osiris (3)
.. The charred substance we found inside the carriage has been identified as containing a large amount of human tissue. The DNA report indicates that this human tissue likely belongs to an Egyptian Egyptologist named Andy.
In the curator's office on the third floor of the Master Private Art Museum, three Agents from the New York Branch of the Special Events Investigation Department were explaining the situation to the owner of the place—the mysterious wealthy man, Master White, along with their team leader.
Oh?
Master was clearly uninterested in their explanation, his long legs crossed on the desk, his well-defined fingers focused on playing with a fountain pen.
Facing the leader's blatant indifference, Jason did not lose heart; he took a deep breath and continued.
“Ten days ago, Andy returned to America from Egypt on a Boeing flight. The plane crashed in the suburbs of New York for unknown reasons. Thick smoke filled the scene, emergency responders rushed to the site immediately after receiving the report, confirming that everyone on board had perished. The families of the passengers who received the news have already provided DNA samples to the Police, hoping to identify their loved ones' remains as soon as possible. The result was—"
What happened?
So far, the Accident Aftermath Group has not found Andy among the more than one hundred charred remains recovered from the scene, but our people have found tissue fragments containing his DNA inside an abandoned semi-trailer in a parking lot located over one hundred kilometers away from the accident site in a straight line.
And then?
Master still appeared distracted.
Mister Master!
A Black subordinate behind Jason couldn't help but shout, "Andy's DNA, who died in a plane crash accident, appeared in a truck trailer in a parking lot at least a hundred kilometers away from the accident site! The truck driver is also dead, having exhibited a large number of bizarre behaviors before committing suicide, and—it has only been two days since his death, yet the corpse is already showing abnormal dehydration and mummification! Don't you think this whole series of events is at least a little unusual?"
Yeah, it is a bit unusual, but what does that have to do with me?
Master looked up, his ocean-blue eyes coldly sweeping over the young Agent who dared to question him, before landing heavily on Team Leader Jason: "Get him out; I hate rude people."
I am sorry.
Jason wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, turned, commanded the young Agent, "Peterson, you go out first."
But—
Get out!
Yes.
Peterson felt helpless and walked out of the office.
After driving away the young Agent, Jason turned around and looked at Master with a face full of smiles: "Mister—"
Hmm?
Given Andy's identity as an Egyptian antiquities scholar, combined with the records of the archaeological work Andy has participated in over the years sent from the Egyptian side, we have reason to believe that the series of strange events occurring now are all related to Cursed Objects—Andy may have unearthed a Cursed Object created by an Ancient Egyptian Priest during a recent archaeological excavation, under the mental manipulation of the Cursed Object, he took it out of Egypt and brought it into America..
And then?
Master maintained his indifferent attitude.
Improper handling of a Cursed Object will lead to catastrophic consequences.
This is the work of your Special Events Investigation Department.
But this matter has clearly exceeded the scope of our capabilities.
Jason said with a bitter smile, "We need your help."
Oh?
We have reported the data to Headquarters, Headquarters believes that only you have the ability to handle this matter?
Headquarters? Old Charlie?
Yes.
What did he tell you?
The Boss said that this matter is related to Cursed Gold..
Cursed Gold?
Master's lips curled slightly. "Cursed Gold is worthless to me."
(Such an entitled tone! As if by helping us resolve this matter, the mysterious object involved must be given to you as a free reward!)
Jason grumbled inwardly, but a smile played on his face. "Boss sent me to find you because this matter has been related to you from the very beginning—to be precise, it involves an employee of yours."
.. Hmm?
Master narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing deep within them.
Jason pulled out a stack of photos: "These are screenshots from the surveillance cameras at the intersection near the museum—after Mike entered New York, he took a detour to pass by your museum and was speeding, causing him to crash into one of your employees. —Another piece of information shows that the employee who was hit is an illegal immigrant, carrying no identification to prove his identity or origin, claims to have amnesia."
So what?
I just saw that employee downstairs.
At this point, Jason lowered his voice: "The human body is incredibly fragile. To be sent flying by a speeding truck head-on and yet return to normal in less than a week—Mister White, are you sure about this employee of yours—"
Are you threatening me?
No, no, no!
Jason shook his head repeatedly: "I only want to ask you for a favor."
Hmph.
I know the rules. Once this matter is concluded, I will hand over the mysterious object involved in this incident to you as compensation.
And what else?
That employee, that employee named Wood.. Old Charlie said he is considering creating a personal file for Wood, everything related to him will be treated as top secret.. never to be disclosed to the public..
Oh.. I see..
Master gave a meaningful smile and raised his hand, tapping lightly on the desk: "You want to use Wood to threaten me?"
N-no..
The temperature in the office was only twenty degrees, yet beads of sweat continued to form on Jason's forehead.
It's fine.
Master picked up the intercom and said, "Have Wood come to my office."
Three minutes later—
“Boss?”
Wood walked into the office looking lost, only to find to his surprise that, besides the Boss, three terrifying men in black suits were also standing in the office.
They are—
Nice to meet you, I am Jason from the New York Branch of the Special Events Investigation Department.
Jason reached out his hand to Wood.
Wood turned his head to glance at Master, only after receiving an affirmative nod from him did he carefully shake Jason's hand: "I am Wood, I am also very glad to meet you!"
You look like a big boy who hasn't reached adulthood yet.
Jason said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
In Wood's green eyes, he could only see pure clarity.