At this point, Gerald didn't have many good options.
After all, as the director of the FEA's Los Angeles branch, his authority was no match for a Navy admiral commanding a carrier strike group.
"Mr. Black, the situation's out of my hands. I can only try to mediate for you."
Roy's brows furrowed. He'd only called Gerald to help prevent The Color Out of Space from polluting the ocean, not to get tangled up in this mess.
"Mr. Olin, don't blame me for not giving General Hammer any face. I'm under no obligation to stick around in this dump!"
If it weren't for his decent relationship with Gerald—and the fact that Gerald had helped him out before—Roy wouldn't have bothered asking Jack to keep the tanker here waiting.
Now, this whole fiasco was making Roy's already sour mood even worse.
Gerald sighed, sensing Roy's genuine anger, and quickly tried to smooth things over.
"I get it, Mr. Black! The FEA's got your back. Frank Hammer wouldn't dare do anything reckless!"
Roy smirked, thinking Gerald was a bit too confident. This wasn't a sure thing at all.
The American military was notoriously tricky. They'd even crashed a White House plane sent to audit their books. Compromise wasn't exactly their style.
If push came to shove, Roy might just have to teach this General Hammer a lesson. No matter how powerful he was, he only had one life.
"Fine. I'll stay here for one day. After that, I'm gone."
Roy had already wasted too much time at sea. It was August now, and if he delayed any longer, he'd miss the start of the school year.
Gerald nodded quickly.
"One day should be enough! By the way, Mr. Black, any tips about The Color Out of Space I should know?"
"When it died, those colorful substances it released seemed to die off too. But I can't guarantee this sea is completely safe. Your people should avoid direct contact with the water and steer clear of eating any fish from here."
"Naturally. The FEA's not that sloppy!"
Roy wasn't so sure. This world had been a chaotic mess for a while now.
"Also, the surviving colorful wisps have some hallucinogenic effects. Your team needs to be mentally prepared."
The ocean floor had been breached by The Color Out of Space, causing leaks, but the remnants probably wouldn't wash out anytime soon.
The oil spill might be a bigger issue, but that wasn't Roy's problem. Oil was more the military's expertise anyway.
"Got it."
"One more thing. The Color Out of Space's nest is in the underground oil field tapped by the offshore rig. There are likely some remnants left, but it's deep. You'll have to figure out how to handle it."
Gerald's frown deepened. He was starting to wonder how Roy had managed to take down such a bizarre alien creature. Unlike Hammer, though, Gerald's curiosity wasn't reckless. He knew some questions were better left unasked.
"Alright, Mr. Black, just hang tight on the tanker. I'll convince Frank Hammer soon."
With that, Gerald headed back to the aircraft carrier.
On the tanker, everyone had gone through a round of strict inspections and questioning. The crew was on edge.
When Roy returned, Jack, as their spokesperson, approached him nervously.
"Uh, Mr. Black, when can we leave?"
He was back to calling him "Mr. Black," a clear sign Jack was distancing himself.
Roy couldn't blame him. Not everyone could stay chummy with him given his situation.
But if Jack didn't want to be close, Roy would make sure he was at least intimidated.
With a blank stare, Roy released a sliver of his aura. Even a tiny bit of his power was enough to make an ordinary person feel like they'd been plunged into icy water.
Jack was sweating buckets, his legs trembling under the invisible pressure.
"You guys didn't say anything you shouldn't have, right?"
Roy was referring to his transformation ability. If that got out, it'd be a headache. The military would come sniffing around, and his peaceful days would be over.
Jack wiped his sweat.
"No, no! We didn't say a word! Everyone on this ship just wants to get home safe."
Roy nodded.
"Good. Go wait it out. We should have news by tomorrow at the latest."
Relieved, Jack mumbled a quick goodbye and scurried off. Any longer, and he'd have needed new pants.
Roy lingered on the deck, taking a close look at the aircraft carrier and the FEA's operations, before heading back to his room to make some calls and catch up with his girls.
But no sooner had he stepped inside than Janice slipped in behind him, catching him off guard.
Didn't we agree last time was the last time?
"What're you doing here?"
Janice closed the door and looked at Roy with a barely concealed grin.
"Jack told me to check on you."
Roy: ???
Is this guy addicted to being cuckolded?
Or maybe he was so scared of Roy that he sent Janice to keep him company for peace of mind?
The latter seemed more likely.
Still, Roy was dumbfounded. He wasn't some heartless monster—did Jack really need to be this afraid?
"Isn't Jack overthinking this?"
Janice pursed her lips, finally breaking into a laugh.
"Is that so bad? I don't think he's overthinking at all!"
Roy could tell now—Jack's decision probably came from something Janice said.
Whatever. Once he was back in America, Roy doubted he'd see Janice again. Might as well treat these few days as a fond memory.
"But I'm about to make some calls."
"Then let's do it like last time!"
Without hesitation, Janice tied up her hair and knelt down.
Roy let out a slow breath and patted her cheek.
"You're such a greedy little kitten!"
Janice beamed at him, practically glowing with pride at the pat.
Roy pulled out his satellite phone and started dialing.
First call was to Jennifer and Nidi. He updated them on his situation, then flirted a bit.
Second call was to his parents, just to let them know he was okay.
Third call was to Heather and Penny to check in on their situation.
After safely returning to land, Heather and Penny had started organizing a salvage operation to recover gold and jewels from the sunken Antonia Graza.
Finnegan, Joey, and Trillian were especially enthusiastic about it.
Through Charles's connections, they'd found a professional salvage company, and the salvage ship was already at sea.
"We'll be at the Antonia Graza's wreck site by tomorrow at the latest to start salvaging!" Heather said excitedly, updating Roy on their progress. Though she'd inherited the Sawyer family fortune and wasn't short on cash, who could resist growing their wealth?
But Roy's silence on the call made Heather suspicious.
"Hmm? Roy, you still listening?"
"Uh, yeah, of course I'm listening!"
"Really?"
Heather's tone was skeptical, so Roy quickly changed the subject.
"Totally! Oh, how's Charles doing?"
Heather's mood instantly sank.
"Not great. Because of the Columbia incident, Mr. Weyland's been hit with a ton of lawsuits, and his company's shareholders are giving him hell. It's taken a big toll on Serena too. She's been really down, crying a lot lately."
Roy fell silent.
There wasn't much he could do about Charles's situation. It was a freak accident, a black swan event. Charles just had to take the hit.
At least he was still alive, unlike the folks on the Santiago.
"Heather, once the gold and jewels from the Antonia Graza are salvaged, use them to help Charles get through this. Split the rest evenly between Trillian, Finnegan, Joey, and Katherine."
"Roy, I was thinking the same thing. Hopefully Mr. Weyland can pull through."
The conversation turned heavy.
Meanwhile, Janice, despite her mouth going numb, was still diligently "working."
This woman really treated every moment with Roy like it was her last, pouring her all into it.
After a while, Penny took the phone to talk to Roy.
"Roy, Katherine wants to join your studio and work for you."
Roy was surprised.
Once the Antonia Graza's treasures were salvaged and split, Katherine would be set for life. Why join his studio?
"What'd she say?"
"Katherine said working for you feels safer, and since she's getting older, she wants something stable."
To clarify, Katherine was pushing fifty and nearing retirement age.
For the past two decades, she'd served Roland Gordon loyally as a dedicated, workaholic secretary.
After losing her boss, she felt lost, unsure of what to do next.
When she heard from Penny about Roy's studio, Katherine jumped at the chance to join.
This was actually a win. Roy's studio was a bit of a mess, staffed entirely by his girlfriends, who lacked professional experience.
Some things couldn't just be taught through training. Katherine's twenty-plus years of administrative expertise could help whip the studio into shape.
In the future, when Roy entered the professional boxing scene, the studio would come in handy.
"Have her take charge of the studio then. Penny, you can learn from her."
"Got it! I will!"
Since Heather was busy managing the Sawyer family business, Penny had been temporarily overseeing the studio.
She was pretty invested in it, probably wanting to make something of herself.
With Katherine mentoring her, Roy could eventually trust Penny to run the studio full-time.
After some more sweet talk with the girls, Roy finally hung up.
Gulp, gulp…
Janice was just finishing her "traditional Beijing snack" of fermented bean juice.
"Phew, finally done! My cheeks are numb."
She shot Roy a playful, sultry glance.
Roy shrugged.
"You're the one who said you wanted it like last time!"
"Yeah, 'cause I love it!"
Janice's gaze was so intense it could practically melt.
"So, should we move to the next step?"
"Don't you want a burger first?"
"Sure, I'm starving!"
Roy was hungry too, but Janice's "burger" wasn't exactly filling. He'd need something else.
The tanker's walls weren't exactly soundproof. With Jack's tacit approval, Janice wasn't even pretending anymore. By tomorrow, the whole ship would probably know what went down in this room.
Unfortunately, Janice, despite being a "greedy kitten," had a small appetite.
She tapped out halfway, leaving Francesca to "clean up."
As a result, Janice missed out on the "second bowl of bean juice," which Francesca happily took.
By the time the "battle" wrapped up, it was nearly evening.
Roy, feeling peckish, headed to the tanker's dining hall. Sure enough, the crew shot him weird looks.
No big deal—Roy's skin was thick enough to shrug it off.
Jack was nowhere to be seen, probably too embarrassed to show his face.
Thanks to Gerald's carrier group, the tanker was well-stocked. Roy could eat to his heart's content.
But, as always, just when he was enjoying his meal, some idiot had to interrupt.
Two men in military uniforms stormed into the dining hall and approached Roy's table.
"Mr Marea Black, General Hammer requests your presence for dinner."
Roy glanced up. Both soldiers had stone-cold poker faces and a cocky attitude.
Heh, Hammer inviting me to dinner? Yeah, that's not suspicious at all.
"Sorry, I'm already eating. No need to trouble General Hammer with a special meal."
"General Hammer invited you, so you will comply!"
One of the soldiers reached to yank Roy up but couldn't budge him.
Their words made Roy laugh in disbelief. Talk about underestimating me.
"Do you talk to the Secretary of Defense or the President like that?"
The soldiers swallowed hard. They wouldn't dare mouth off to the Secretary of Defense or the President. They were only acting tough because Roy was just an "FEA freelance agent."
The other soldier pulled out a pistol, scaring the crap out of the crew in the dining hall.
"Last chance. Are you coming or not?"
Roy looked at the guy like he was an idiot. Did they not do any research before this mission?
Or maybe the military had no idea who they were dealing with.
"Let me ask you one last time: Are you looking to die?"
Still Janice