On Christmas Day, Roy left the Japanese-style B&B feeling refreshed and ready to hit the slopes at Aspen Ski Resort.
Heather was probably going to sleep in until noon after being so exhausted last night, so Roy didn't bring her along. It would also avoid any potential awkward situations.
Even though Heather had accepted things, the same couldn't really be said for Niddy and Jennifer, especially with Niddy's parents around.
Better to avoid any unnecessary complications, right?
Speaking of which, Roy had been in Snowmass Village for three days already but hadn't managed to go skiing in Aspen for one reason or another. Today was finally the chance.
First, he drove to Niddy's family's vacation home to pick them up, and then they headed straight for Aspen Ski Resort.
Being Christmas Day, Aspen Ski Resort was absolutely packed. Even the gondolas going up the mountain had long lines.
Since Roy and the others arrived late, they could only slowly wait in line to go up.
However, the wait wasn't too boring. To help people pass the time, the ski resort had invited some street performers to put on little shows in the waiting area.
Plus, the three of them could huddle together and chat about little secrets, like the information Niddy had found about FEA yesterday.
After listening to Niddy's explanation, Roy realized just how big FEA's backing was.
Directly under the President, it had higher law enforcement authority within the United States than the FBI, second only to the IRS...
Looking at it that way, Roy definitely needed to work on building a good relationship with the newly met Miss Sultana.
Then Roy thought of something else.
"Niddy, I had no idea you were a hacker!"
Roy really hadn't known this. He just knew Niddy had a laptop and liked to surf the internet, but he didn't realize she could actually hack into government websites.
Niddy looked a little proud, wrinkling her nose.
"There are still lots of things I'm good at that you don't know!"
That little expression was kind of cute, and Roy couldn't help but reach out and gently pinch Niddy's nose.
Niddy's face instantly turned bright red, all the way to her ears. This affectionate gesture in public made her instantly want to disappear, but she couldn't bring herself to reject Roy, so she just looked at her best friend Jennifer with pleading eyes.
But Jennifer was just looking at the two of them with a big, amused smile, not at all bothered.
"Jennifer!"
Niddy hugged Jennifer, burying her face shyly in her friend's arms.
While the two best friends hugged and whispered, Roy thought of something else.
With Niddy's amazing hacking skills, could she help Roy investigate the dark web?
The dark web, in the conventional sense, actually refers to the deep web. It's a hidden network that regular internet users can't access through normal means and requires specific software and special authorization to log in.
Because this type of network has strong anonymity and it's very difficult to trace IP sources, this deep network has become a breeding ground for the bizarre, pornography, and crime.
And the dark web Roy was looking for was a criminal organization active within this deep network.
That Oklahoma motel specializing in snuff films definitely couldn't have been the only one. The appearance of the two fake policemen and then the mercenaries showed that this was organized crime.
Thinking of the many similar horror films Roy had seen, this dark web organization was probably specifically serving those perverted rich people, just like that place, you know, "that island."
Roy was always a man of his word. He told the person on the walkie-talkie that they were dead, and he definitely intended to kill them.
The problem was that this dark web organization was very well hidden, and Roy didn't know where to start investigating for the time being.
After considering it, Roy still didn't want to drag Niddy and Jennifer into this.
He decided to wait and see. Maybe an opportunity would arise.
"Ah!"
Just as he was thinking this, Roy suddenly heard Niddy let out a scream and then suddenly jump into his arms.
Niddy was very light, and Roy picked her up easily.
"What happened?"
Niddy was trembling all over and didn't say anything, only pointed to the side. There was a clown performer standing there, looking at Roy and Niddy with a helpless expression.
Jennifer explained, "I was just whispering to Niddy, and this clown came over wanting to do a little performance, so... Niddy has a fear of clowns."
So that's what it was.
Clown phobia isn't that uncommon in America. Many children and teenagers have this fear, and even some adults do.
However, looking at Niddy's reaction, it seemed quite severe. Seeing the clown made her tremble all over and unable to even speak.
"It's okay, you can go now." Since it was Niddy's own issue and the clown performer hadn't done it on purpose, Roy waved him away.
The clown performer bowed repeatedly as he backed away, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
"It's okay, Niddy, the clown is gone now."
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Niddy tilted her head slightly, squinting her eyes to cautiously look behind her. Only after seeing that the clown was gone did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Roy affectionately patted Niddy's hair. "Niddy, you're already 18 years old. Why are you still afraid of clowns?"
"I... I don't know! I can't even remember why I'm afraid of clowns. I just start trembling all over and can't speak whenever I see them!"
Niddy's voice was still trembling slightly, clearly still shaken.
Roy guessed that Niddy might have experienced some clown-related psychological trauma when she was little, leading to some memory loss, but her fear of clowns had remained.
"It's okay. In the future, if you see a clown and feel scared, just imagine me knocking the clown out with a left hook and a right hook!"
Hearing this, Niddy giggled, but then she started blushing again as she laughed.
"Roy, you can put me down now."
Niddy's voice was very soft, obviously a little shy after realizing the somewhat intimate position she was in with Roy.
"Huh? What did you say? I couldn't quite hear you."
Roy pretended not to hear again and hugged Niddy even tighter.
Niddy was so embarrassed that she had no choice but to bury her face in Roy's chest like an ostrich.
Roy didn't continue teasing Niddy. After holding her for a while, he put her down, otherwise, the girl might really just evaporate.
After being put down, Niddy felt a little lightheaded as she walked, like she'd drunk some fake alcohol.
If Jennifer hadn't supported her, she probably would have tripped and fallen flat on her face.
Jennifer teased, "Niddy, are you still enjoying the feeling of being in Roy's arms?"
"Jennifer, what are you talking about!"
Embarrassed and annoyed, Niddy broke their truce and reached out to tickle Jennifer.
Jennifer exclaimed and then immediately retaliated with a lightning-fast counterattack. The two best friends started playfully fighting around Roy.
Well, watching beautiful girls playfully fight was quite pleasing to the eye, but unfortunately, Roy's enjoyment was interrupted by Niddy's parents after a while.
"Niddy, Jennifer, Roy, it's our turn!"
Baron Samedi
(End of this chapter)