— The Next Morning —
Seated with countless files on my table, I couldn't help but think of last night's events. We searched every spot in the docks, yet we failed to find a secret passageway. I was certain if a secret passage existed, it would be somewhere in the storage room, but we couldn't find anything.
Or…
Maybe we just didn't have enough time. It was late, everyone was tired, and time was limited.
'It's crazy, I feel hungry in this silly game,' I muttered under my breath.
If we didn't have natural emergencies and urges like we do in the real world, we would be able to dedicate all our time to the task at hand. But someone decided to make the experience as realistic as possible.
Clank!
"It's not a bad thing though." Ralph barged into the room with two cups of coffee and a childlike excitement. "All these are meant to prepare us for real-life issues. When we become heroes, this is what we will have to deal with."
He dropped one cup in front of me before taking a seat and sipping his coffee.
'BLEEEEHHHH!'
Ralph's face twisted in disgust at first but was soon overridden with excitement. I shifted my gaze to the black coffee and instantly deduced there was no milk or sugar in it. Bro was enjoying every part of adulthood from this little simulated world.
"Nasty, but manly." He commented, and for the first time since we came here, I almost laughed.
His enthusiasm was a bit contagious.
Reluctantly, I picked up my cup and sipped. My face squinted in disgust at the taste, but I didn't spit it out. My momma didn't raise no bitch.
'By the way, if I can't deal with coffee, how am I supposed to eat the hearts of my enemies and gain their power? I cannot be picky with food,' I scolded myself.
Bam!
Ralph slamming his palms on the desk stole my attention for a moment. He leaned forward with a monocle on his left eye and a mischievous grin on his face.
"What?" I asked while leaning back.
"It took me all night of pondering, but I think I found the missing clue to these strange kidnappings," he said in a voice brimming with certainty.
Raising my brows in surprise, I couldn't help but think back to how useful his input was last night. He may be fat and sloppy, but he's not dumb.
"Tell me." I adjusted my sitting position and focused on him fully.
In this simulation, he seems more useful than myself, so I can't take his words lightly anymore.
"Purity!"
… Silence …
For a moment, I was dumbstruck, torn between wondering if I should take his words seriously or maybe I'm too dumb to understand what he was trying to say. To my surprise, it was the latter.
My brain kicked into overdrive and countless thoughts poured in. Each name, age, and situation of the victims ran through my mind as their ages escaped my lips.
"17, 17, 21, and 18!"
My eyes lit up with realization.
"Exactly!" Ralph screamed and jumped to his feet.
"Veronica was just a 17-year-old in Grey Bridge Orphanage. The same with Andrea, who is a 17-year-old, born into a very religious family," Ralph explained.
"Freya was a 21-year-old who grew up in the orphanage and began to work there, until she met the man who engaged her and planned to marry her, while Jena was a young girl, whose love and dedication to her hardworking father was her number one priority. That's why she didn't care about the fishy smell and helped him with his work at the docks!" I cut him off and finished his explanation.
"Yes!" Ralph screamed, throwing both hands into the air.
Bam!
He slammed the table and leaned in with an excited grin.
"Do you see the power of coffee?"
I rolled my eyes but couldn't hide a small smile playing on my lips. This little revelation wasn't just another pointless piece of information. It gave me direction on how to think and what to think in regard to this case.
"Alright, alright. Settle down," I said with a small smile. "I have a question for you."
Reluctantly, Ralph sat down and leaned forward, but the smug grin never left his face.
"Hit me," he said confidently.
"We both agree virginity is a criteria for getting kidnapped. Based on your rich experience in things like this, what do you think is the source and the reason for this kind of mindset?"
Ralph froze for a moment, and his eyes turned distant. Abruptly, he leaned back and began rubbing his chin with a thoughtful expression. I didn't bother or rush him for a response; I needed to know if our minds would move in a similar direction.
To me, the only driving motivation that would lead to the kidnapping of virgin girls is sacrifice stemming from a deep religious belief. In my opinion, religion creates just as many problems as it solves. It is a double-edged sword.
The source of my belief?
My dad.
Immediately after the Black Death incident, a lot of religious cults were formed. According to him, they were more of a problem than mutant beasts, and it was nasty because human unbelievers were always their targets.
The scary lives they lived now in unguarded territories were nothing compared to the horror they faced during the religious revolt. Slaves were running and hiding, trying to escape becoming sacrifices or being forcefully converted into some nasty practices that included drinking mutant beast blood.
This is why they could endure the hardship they were faced with.
They had seen worse.
Knock! Knock!
Clank!
The door slowly opened and the aroma of well-cooked chicken, soup, freshly baked bread, and many other foods filled the room. Three maids carried three trays of food while the other three ran over to the table and gathered the scattered documents, making space for the trays.
"Once you lay the food down, I want every one of you to take a bite out of everything."
Buzz!
Everyone froze, except for Ralph, who was lost in thought. Shocked eyes were on me, but I didn't care.
I couldn't trust the police anymore, so it's only natural I felt the same way for my staff as well. The last way I wanted to die in this world was through poisoning.
It would be a very embarrassing way to end the test.