North America Gunman Detective

Chapter 1454 783: Basement

Before rebuilding the house, Jimmy and Roland had a few things to take care of. They prepared some materials in advance, and the basement walls were covered with wooden boards. The position of the door and the controller were both hidden behind the boards. This way, even if the workers accidentally entered the basement during construction, it wouldn't be exposed. At most, they would just be puzzled about why the basement of this house wasn't rebuilt, and there would be no worry about them wandering into the Dark Tower World or other worlds.

Of course, if someone deliberately sabotaged it, that's another matter. They could only hope the construction workers wouldn't be that bored. Jimmy couldn't keep watch on the site all the time since he needed to work, and Roland had left New York once his leg wound didn't affect his mobility.

He said he wanted to go back to check on his old house in Texas, and Jimmy didn't stop him. However, for safety and to prevent any more issues, he made some arrangements to register Roland's two revolvers. This way, Roland could take flights normally, only needing to go through the process of checking in the guns to solve the carrying problem.

As time went by, Nia's once-fit figure started to change. Showing her pregnancy was quite inconvenient for her, as police uniforms weren't designed for expectant mothers. But having a father as the NYPD chief was indeed beneficial. So even after transitioning to a management position, she didn't have much work, didn't switch to police attire as normally required, and often wore casual clothes in the office, even frequently skipping work to rest at home.

That's right, Nia had been transferred from the detective bureau to the management post. The safety level of sitting in an office was obviously much higher than investigating cases outside. This way, both Jimmy and Kevin felt more at ease without worrying too much. As for her taking someone else's position, it wasn't hard to handle. Kevin surely had it arranged, whether by offering some benefits privately or making some transactions and adjustments with certain people, in the end, this issue was successfully resolved.

Perhaps because the Church was also watching, the construction company didn't delay the project's progress at all. The main structure was completed in about a month, and the rest of the internal decoration, appliances, and furniture installation and commissioning were also quickly finished. In a span of three months, Jimmy and Nia finally welcomed the moment of moving into their new home.

Unlike reinforced concrete buildings, wooden houses can be moved into directly after construction. The furnishings and furniture Jimmy chose were all NAF-grade. To ensure Nia and the child's health, Jimmy spent quite a bit of unnecessary money. But the benefit was that there was no need to wait for this new home.

The history of New York's underground network is too long, so installing additional home appliances like water purifiers was essential. Fortunately, they usually used purified water for cooking and drinking, while water from the pipes was mainly for cleaning, so it wasn't much of an issue.

Moving was actually simple. Nia only needed to organize her things, and the rest was up to Jimmy. Everything was ready at the new home, except for some personal items and clothes, nothing else needed to be taken over.

Jimmy had more stuff. All the things in the study needed to be packed and taken over, including the safe and their gun rack. Hence, they had to hire a specialized moving company to handle it. No big issue, just spending some money could easily solve it.

As for this apartment, it obviously couldn't just be sold. So, it had to be kept temporarily. It might still be useful in the future.

At the new home, after settling Nia in, Jimmy immediately headed to the storage room in the corner. In the corner of this room was a specially set up secret door, which, when opened, revealed the basement stairs. Turning on the power switch beside the stairs, the large basement was completely displayed in front of him.

The basement didn't cover the entire land area but was at least over 60 square meters in size. The height was around two meters. Although not particularly high, it was enough as neither Jimmy nor Roland would hit their heads. Jimmy didn't like those cramped basements.

Several concrete pillars stood in the middle of the basement, supporting the house structure above. The ground had been leveled and cemented, looking very clean.

A lot of shelves were placed around the basement, still empty for now, waiting for some seldom-used items to be stored here later when there's time.

The walls around the basement were waterproofed by the construction company according to the design. A dehumidifier and extractor fan were also installed to ensure the basement wouldn't be too damp, and the air could remain well-circulated.

For many people in the United States, basements are a necessity. These treatments are basic operations, with no need to worry about the effect. Jimmy's requirement for them was that the previously sealed walls shouldn't be altered, while the rest could be handled according to their usual procedures. Of course, connecting electricity to the basement was necessary. This place might turn into a small workshop for Jimmy if need be, to handle certain matters that weren't convenient to deal with in the upstairs study.

A backup generator was installed in a corner of the basement, able to supply power to the whole house in emergencies. Next to it was a reinforced oil barrel. As long as there wasn't a major earthquake or similarly serious disaster, the security here could basically be ensured.

Jimmy carefully inspected the walls he had sealed — the corners showed no damage, and the marks he left weren't tampered with. This was a good sign.

He wasn't sure how to activate the portal, so he refrained from removing the wooden boards on the wall for now, to avoid accidentally triggering anything. Ensuring everything was fine, the next step was to wait for Roland to return from his trip.

After leaving New York, Roland returned to his cabin in Texas. Although he had left it for a few years, he hadn't sold it when he left. However, returning now, he found that the cabin had decayed significantly, as it was built by a lake, and moisture infiltration was inevitable.

After a thorough clean-up, leaving himself some living space, he didn't fuss over it anymore. This place would likely continue being abandoned in the future. If he really intended to live here for long, it would be quicker to directly demolish and rebuild it.

Having experience living here wasn't lacking for him. The main issue before in New York wasn't discomfort but there being too many people around, too many rules that were overly restrictive. Although money wasn't a concern for him, with Jimmy providing cash and covering the hotel room bills, daily life still left him incompatible with those around him. So, once his injury didn't hinder movement, Roland chose to leave.

Returning here, despite many inconveniences, Roland still felt more relaxed and safer here. After purchasing some daily necessities, Roland transformed once again into a Hunter and ventured into the nearby woods. Hunting was no problem for him, whether here or in the Dark Tower World.

Living peacefully here, waiting for Jimmy's notification that they had settled into the house, Roland packed his luggage once again and flew back to New York. This time, he wouldn't need to stay at a hotel. Jimmy's former house was already vacated, perfect for him to move in.

In the basement, Jimmy turned on the light and led Roland down. Nia had already left for work early, leaving only the two of them, making conversation more relaxed.

Jimmy: "Now that it's all cleaned up here, is it time to remove the wooden boards from the wall?"

Roland nodded, and the two of them took a crowbar and an ax from the nearby shelf, carefully dismantling the wooden boards and frames that were previously installed on the wall, revealing a wall that seemed unremarkable. Jimmy knocked on the wall and said to Roland, "I've been meaning to ask you, I don't see a door here."

Roland: "That's because the door hasn't been opened. Let's dismantle the other side."

The other side of the wall was different. Once removed, what appeared in front of them was a very peculiar machine. It looked quite vintage, with a squarish display screen that seemed out of place compared to the machine itself.