North America Gunman Detective

Chapter 1460 786: Return (Part 2)

Returning to the ruins, Roland tidied up a temporary living place, placed his luggage properly, and took the opportunity to check the generator. Although he wasn't very familiar with these mechanical devices, his years on Earth had given him some understanding as he had to handle many things himself. So even without clarity, he could roughly figure out the way to start the generator.

Time had worn on. Upon opening the fuel tank for a glance, Roland searched nearby and discovered spare fuel, which put him at ease. If he couldn't start and charge the generator, it would be troublesome. However, now wasn't the time to attempt starting the generator; he first needed to address the scattered corpses in the village.

Roland prepared a big pile of firewood, found some fuel from a house, and ignited a torch to throw across. Soon, the fire raged and smoke billowed. Roland retreated a little, standing and watching the burning pyre, reminiscing the first encounter.

The fire burned into the night. Roland occasionally tossed more wood pulled from derelict houses to ensure thorough destruction. Finally, when nothing but charred remnants remained and the flames disappeared, he turned to rest inside the ruins.

"Roland... my child..."

Roland, while asleep, suddenly awoke, roused by a faintly clear low murmur. He quickly drew his revolver with his right hand, sat up breathlessly, and examined his surroundings, moving cautiously toward the source of the voice.

Leaving the ruins, Roland saw ahead, under dim moonlight, a person standing with their back towards him. As he approached, the person turned to face Roland: a gray-haired black man extended his right hand, "Roland, my child, come with me."

"Bang, bang..."

Roland instantly fired six bullets into the black man, who transformed into smoke and vanished. Before Roland emerged a dark red barrier, with numerous shadowy figures moving behind it.

Taking advantage of the moment, Roland quickly reloaded his revolver and aimed at the barrier, waiting for the others to emerge.

Roland had encountered such scenes many times before. Illusion Demons from outside worlds would transform into the person someone most wished to see, guiding their marked targets into loss of awareness and taking them out.

Roland was well aware that his father was just an illusion crafted by the demons, so he barely hesitated before swiftly killing the phantom. When the enemies emerged from the barrier, he fired continuously, driving them back.

Illusion Demons don't just create illusions once; they also use Roland's mind to reconstruct his past friends. However, these illusions aren't enough to trap Roland in hallucinations and impair his ability to retaliate. After numerous repulsions, he finally succeeded in killing the Illusion Demon, the dark red barrier crumbling with a roar and quickly disappearing into the night sky.

Roland scanned around again, confirming no further anomalies, before returning to the ruins to rest, albeit unable to sleep immediately.

The Illusion Demons' timing was too coincidental. No souls had haunted the place for years. They couldn't have followed Roland here; otherwise, he would have noticed. Likely, the burning of the corpses attracted them, though the exact reason remained unclear.

The Illusion Demons weren't undeniably lethal, though to those with profound mental vulnerabilities, they were terribly dangerous. Ordinary individuals unable to resist the influence of illusions could easily be ambushed and killed without any defense. For experienced Roland, it was entirely manageable, but every encounter still pained him with past memories, leaving his mood darkened.

During the day, Roland cleaned the generator. The available fuel wasn't ample either; after several uses, the generator might completely shut down. Once he left, no one would stop the generator's operation, and it would continually run until the fuel was depleted. It seemed the current amount of fuel might not suffice for many uses, so after returning to Earth, he would need to prepare some items to bring back.

Roland wasn't a mechanic or an archeology expert; ancient ruins and equipment operated as a complete black box to him. Even after a lengthy stay on Earth, he hadn't learned much about machinery, although daily use wasn't a significant issue.

He had forgotten one thing on this trip: bringing a camera or camcorder to document the place and study it back on Earth later. Mainly, he hadn't considered this possibility; he assumed there would be villagers around, like before, to assist with opening the portal, convenient without personal effort.

He started the generator, entering the ruins where the previously connected circuits, despite the passage of time, still functioned efficiently, and the display screen on the controller promptly lit up.

Upon activating the equipment, a voice emerged, "Hello, traveler, please input destination coordinates."

Roland glanced at the portal's marked number, which was his return target. Previously, while in Jimmy's basement, he noted down the device's coordinate number but hadn't mentioned it to Jimmy. If his test failed, remembering the number was meaningless, but if successful, he could inform Jimmy of the situation later.

He entered the basement portal's coordinate number, and immediately, a notification sounded from the device, "Keystone Earth!"

Several indicator lights illuminated on the wall facing him as the portal's frame directly activated, transforming from a wormhole-like form into a translucent light screen. Opposite was a dark basement, illuminated only by the portal's glow at the front, "Earth, portal opened!"

Roland tugged at his clothes and bag, walking towards the portal, crossing the light screen to the other side.

The portal generated significant energy upon formation. The clutter and frames left by Jimmy before the portal's wall were pushed aside by the portal's impact, and several items were torn apart, showing the importance of careful consideration for objects placed near the portal; random placements couldn't withstand it and would still be exposed.

Roland glanced at the wall where the controller held, its display still shining; the energy hadn't ceased, indicating smooth operations.

The display revealed the portal was open, clearly due to both ends connected, forming a bidirectional teleportation channel. Roland pressed the closure button, severing portal energy and restoring the wall to its previous state.

Upon portal closure, the previously illuminated section dipped back into darkness. Remembering the basement's layout, he cautiously found the stairs, switched on its light, revealing the basement corners were in chaos except for the clean section before the portal, cleansed by its impact wave.

Reaching the stair entrance, Roland pushed the overhead hidden door but couldn't move it. Pressing his ear against it, he heard nothing, indicating Jimmy and Nia weren't home. He could only sit on the stairs to await their return.

It was Jimmy's new home after all. Breaking through the hidden door straight into the room was well within Roland's capability, but such action showed outrageous disrespect for Jimmy and Nia. Since he had no urgent matters, waiting in the basement was fine. Previously, when they arranged the basement, they specifically provided ventilation and dehumidification equipment, alleviating any concerns of suffocation due to insufficient air.

It also afforded him a chance to rest. In the Dark Tower World, even while sleeping, one couldn't relax too much. Yet, in this basement, he could at least ensure some safety. Roland simply sat on the stairs, leaning against the nearby wall to rest, soon drifting into sleep.