I am running out of time. I should leave as soon as possible. After taking a nice shower, I decided to order myself food.
I sit down at my computer and focus on my task. The meal arrived sooner than expected; "I must admit this town's food tastes good."
Once finished, I opened my investigation notes on Lake Suily again. I must do proper research before deciding to head to the lake. I managed to acquire a map of the lake. I tried to find information about minerals in the lake's water, the place seemed ancient enough to hide something unusual. I didn't find any such thing. Although I did find something odd about the map of the Lake Suily. Nothing came up.
But the map revealed something else. Most of the lake was surrounded by dense overgrown vegetation, yet one section looked strangely different; a clear stretch of plain land across the water, right at the edge of the forest. "If I must visit the lake, this could be a very important spot." I need to be more prepared to go there. I try calculating the exact time I can spend on the tour, and my path from the hotel to the lake. Furthermore, I created a map for myself upon the landscape on the town map and the map of lake Center.
"This is much better."
I can go there through the alley starting from the centre of the town to the west followed by some turning. This could take me a little more time to reach my destination, however I find this path more efficient to accommodate silently.
Now, the plan is settled, I need to get started with my work. methodically I programmed the necessary codes on my devices as I am going to leave the hotel.
I began to erase my temporary files and logs details, I wiped the stored credentials and ran software that overwrites the storage sector by sector, rewriting it with meaningless data, so the original data would never be recovered.
I do not think I can take all my equipment with me. I have to leave a lot of them behind.
I stare at my monitors, the spare drives, the small desktop tower, router none of it could travel with me.
"I wish I could take you with me."
I said looking at my old precious motherboard, I had to spend weeks modifying it.
"But I am afraid you may not fit into the bag."
Although I still managed to take some important equipment with me. I left the hotel and reached the town center. Now I have to go to the west here after. This is a very narrow path and a little overgrown with wild vines. I activated the sensory device, and put it in my pocket, which I had made long ago. It is still shiny and new, I rarely use it. It can come handy to detect someone's presence other than me. It constantly monitored the alterations in the surrounding magnetic field, filtering out the signal of the Earth itself.
I reached my destination, Lake Suily.
It looks quiet and undisturbed from the outside world just like in those pictures. I observed the area, there is nothing unusual about it. I decided to go to the oddly plain land on the other side of the lake. "This will take time." With great precaution, I walk through the overgrown plants.
"There is no way this place matches its environment."
It is indeed a plain land, but it does not look like a natural landscape. I spotted an area with burned grasses. It is in square shape. An iron piece was bent on the land anchoring the land. I predict there is something hidden in the ground. I pulled the iron, it opened a narrow pathway leading underneath the ground. I cannot predict how deep the pathway extended to. Before going into the square hole, I attached a flashlight on my wrist to climb down easily.
I reached the ground, this seems like the underground tunnels. This smells so bad. I continue exploring the area, there are various strange drawings, drawn on the concrete walls of the tunnel. While exploring the area I found something, unexpected. A dead skeleton laying on the cold ground. It almost decayed. I was not expecting to find it like this. The ribs of the skeleton are broken. I moved my way forward, I noticed a letter 'X' drawn on the ceiling with a red paint. I took out the town's map, and allied my way here with the map. According to the map, I should be underneath the forest now.
I climbed up and tapped on the ceiling, it opened. The newly discovered place looks like someone's storage room. At the same time my sensory device alarts me of a cell signal.
This made me wonder if the culprit returns here now. Although I am not frightened, I can't let them find me.
I quickly hide myself in a cardboard box. I heard footsteps nearby,
"Luther, did you send the boxes?"
"Yes, I am about to Mr. Miller."
Luther is here and so is Mr. Miller. I wonder what Jimmy saw back then. If my assumption is correct, this is the hidden Miller family's house.
"Tomorrow we will have the great deal of our life. Be careful nobody should know what we do."
"I know, no one knows we export a million dollars drugs through the tunnel of the lake."
"Shut up fool, we will be in jail if someone knows, I told you to not mention it!"
"Yeah I know, but there's no one here right now."
Very disheartening for them that I am here. They continue to discuss the plan of their 'great' deal, their approximate exposure of the cell signal to me which made a path for me to access their devices. I quietly open my laptop and begin my work. I tried to move my hand very gentle to not produce any noise. The darkness of the box, faded light from my device.
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"I think I heard something."
This is not good. I heard some footsteps, approaching my way.
"I think I heard some noise coming from the box."
"What? It might be a rat. See, how much junk is here".
"That's right."
I need them to leave this room to continue my work.
"Oh my cell phone is ringing. Probably the new customer."
"let's go and see."
I make a artificial phone call in order to disperse them.
Mr. Miller and Luther left the room.
It took time but I transmitted the files directly from their very own devices to the police helpline of the area via simple emails.
Now it's time for me to leave. I head back to the lake through the tunnel.
I come out of the lake to the town centre. On my way, I saw some police car rushing somewhere.
"Predictably, they read the emails."
I passed by the tulip shop as I made my way to the exit of the town.