30th of June - 13:05
Late last night we finally made it to our accommodation. Due to a temporary shortage of funding, I could only afford one room. Unfortunately, that means I have to share it with the mysterious man. At least we have separate beds.
The Peruvian heat woke me up much earlier than I would have liked. By then, my enigmatic roommate had already disappeared. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever is hiding under that robe and hat, but so far he has successfully evaded me. I’m beginning to suspect he sleeps fully dressed. Sounds uncomfortable.
I spent the morning trying to hack into my old lab’s security system to snatch my security codes. Ofcourse no match for me. When he returned, he was carrying two cups of coffee and handed one to me. I’m more of a tea person myself, but refusing coffee in Peru felt… disrespectful. Naturally, I checked whether it was poisoned before taking a sip. Trusting strangers is a quick way to becomes someone else’s experiment.
The plan is to retrieve the emeralds on Thursday. I’ve always believed Thursdays are the ideal day for danger. Until then, I’ll be scouting the area or as tourists insist on calling it, sightseeing.
1st of July - 21:42
We’ve spent the last two days exploring the deserts around Ica. I know exactly where my old lab should be, but the desert seems to have swallowed it whole. Or so I thought. While riding the dune buggies today, I spotted something beneath the sand. Metallic. Definitely not natural. Right where the lab should be, northeast of Ica. That cannot be a coincidence. My enigmatic partner didn’t react at all, which is becoming a pattern. Either he’s completely uninterested, or very, very deep in thought.
Neither option is particularly comforting. Something about this feels... off.
2nd of July - 13:20
We finally made it back to my old lab. Standing here, I'm feeling less confident about this mission than I'd care to admit. Something unexpected happened this morning. My bodyguard spoke...
After days of nothing but silence, hearing his voice nearly startled me more than anything else. He asked if I'd prefer tea or coffee this time around. He seemed to have picked up on the fact that I'm not much of a coffee drinker, which was... surprisingly thoughtful. But he sounded nervous, and that makes me uneasy. If the mysterious man is nervous, perhaps I should be too.
Still... my emeralds are waiting inside. Time to take back what is mine.
3rd of July - 01:42
I AM SUCH A FOOL! I knew something was wrong. I felt it from the beginning. And yet, somehow, I allowed him to get the better of me.
After my previous update, we made our way into my old laboratory. The lockdown protocol was still active, but luckily, I built the system myself. Breaking in was not exactly a challenge and I had my security codes all prepared.
The door slowly opened, sending a wave of sand into the entrance as the desert began reclaiming the space it had buried. The air inside was unpleasantly warm and thick. Humid. Almost alive. Surprisingly, the entrance room was in much better condition than I expected. Naturally, that did not last.
When we opened the door to the main chamber, the true state of the laboratory revealed itself. A cloud of green spores rushed out through the opening doors, filling the room. I immediately grabbed my gas mask. The mysterious man, however, barely reacted. His own mask already protected him, which was either very convenient… or something I should have questioned earlier.
As we continued forward, I carefully started making my way through the overgrown laboratory. But I had barely taken a few steps before I felt a hand on my shoulder. My bodyguard stopped me. Just in time. Above me was one of the creatures that had made itself comfortable in the ceiling. One more step and I would have been caught by a plant that looked like it belonged in some kind of botanical nightmare.
I suppose my experiments have been… successful. Perhaps too successful.
We continued deeper into the lab, weaving between the hungry plants that seemed like they had escaped straight from Little Shop of Horrors. The thick vegetation made progress slow, but my mysterious companion proved surprisingly useful. Despite his lack of communication skills, he seemed to know exactly how to navigate the facility... Suspicious.
Eventually, we reached the room where I had stored the emeralds. The moment the doors opened, I spotted them. 
My beautiful emeralds , exactly where I left them. Admittedly, I have never been the most organized person, so finding them sitting in a pile on the floor was not exactly shocking. I quickly began collecting them into the bag I had brought with me. Everything was going perfectly. Which, in hindsight, should have been my first warning.
With the emeralds secured, I decided to salvage what I could from the damaged Alpha Emerald Generator. The machine was a mess, but valuable components remained. I left the bag behind and started gathering the parts I needed. And that was my mistake. Somewhere along this journey, I had lowered my guard.The mysterious man who once felt like a threat had slowly become familiar. His silence had become normal. His presence had become… comforting. A foolish mistake.
Because when I turned around… He was gone. And so was my bag of emeralds.
I have been deceived. Betrayed. Completely outplayed. Those emeralds are essential for my work. They are my creations. My property. And I will get them back. The mysterious man may have taken my emeralds. But he has made one critical mistake.
He underestimated Doctor X.
3rd of July - 15:02
I have returned to the room to collect my belongings. Luckily, I managed to track the mysterious man and discover his next destination. It appears he left almost immediately and is now heading towards Reykjavik, Iceland.
Of course he did. He took my emeralds and ran off to Iceland, as if distance would somehow make them less mine. My flight leaves on Sunday. Enjoy your head start.
I’ll see you in Reykjavik, thief.
TLDR:
Doctor X and his mysterious bodyguard finally reached the abandoned lab in Ica, Peru, where a dangerous overgrown jungle of experimental plants awaited them. After surviving the lab’s defenses and retrieving the emeralds, Doctor X's victory is short-lived. His companion reveals his true intentions and runs off with the emeralds to Reykjavik, Iceland.
The chase begins and Doctor X is heading after him to get back what belongs to him…
