The street lamps shed dim light.
The cold night wind blew through the empty streets.
The two of them shivered at the same time and closed their collars.
"Now the clues are becoming clearer, I think Mona had an accident between leaving the store and returning to the South District."
Rust looked along the road outside the shop.
Compared with the streets in the city center, this street off the main road seems too deserted. Except for this movie peripheral store, there are only two or three scattered shops open.
"The accident happened near this street. Because we continue to walk towards the city center, the road is full of pedestrians and patrol police, so the possibility of something happening is very small."
Rust analyzed.
Dean rubbed his hands, and the light illuminated his uncertain face.
"Do you think it's possible that the store owner did something to Mona?"
"Ah?" Rust looked back at Raymond House in surprise, "Didn't we have a good chat just now? Why did you suddenly start to doubt him again?"
"That guy seems to be a warm-hearted and good person, but who can guarantee that he is who he is on the outside." Dean shook his head, "To a certain extent, the better he knows Mona, the easier it will be for him to take action."
"If he hurt Mona, why didn't he deny it directly from the beginning? Instead, he talked to you so much about his inner feelings. Isn't this arousing suspicion?"
Laster firmly objected;
"He's fine! You shouldn't think of everyone as a bad guy or a suspect."
After a moment of silence, Dean apologized, "Sorry, I'm a little nervous."
Rust nodded and his tone softened again, "Don't you feel it? You've been talking to yourself a lot these past two days and talking to the air. Your mental state is very worrying. Listen to me, don't give yourself too much credit. It’s a lot of pressure. Regardless of whether you can find Mona or not, you have done enough for her. After all, you never owed her anything."
"Everything happened because of accidents!"
Accident?
Dean took a deep breath,
"Let's check around this neighborhood first. Maybe someone else has noticed Mona's movements."
…
This is not China. When Mona left Raymond House, the flower shops and cake shops on the street had already closed. As for the 24-hour convenience store, half a month later, the clerks could not remember an ordinary girl at all. Son.
After asking around most shops, the two came to a "Barca Disco" in the middle of the street. The red brick wall was covered with eye-catching words - dance, drink, se/x, colorful graffiti, trying to show their personality.
Standing at the door were two muscular bodyguards in suits, one with black skin and one with white skin. They were checking the driver's license of a man in sunglasses and a jacket. There were more than a dozen people lined up behind the man in the jacket. People who dress in fancy clothes.
…
Dean looked up and glanced above the rolling shutter door, where a "white box" with a lens was slightly reflective.
"The surveillance camera... Mona had to pass by the dance hall when leaving this street. Maybe it captured some clues." Dean thought, "We have to find a way to see the surveillance video in the surveillance room."
…
"Excuse me, have you ever seen her?" When the black man entered the ballroom, Dean rubbed his cheek and walked slowly over. His expression was serious and he tried to pretend to be more mature, but at 1.75 meters tall, there was no trace of her. The green face with a beard looked like an underage child under the gaze of the 1.9 meter bodyguard.
"Sorry, I haven't seen him before. Asian boy..." The black bodyguard just glanced at him and shook his shiny head, "This is not the place you should be here, go home and do your homework!"
He turned around and laughed with his bald companion,
There was a burst of laughter among the people waiting in line.
"Go home, kid. We can't explain your mother to you."
Dean's face darkened, and he secretly held out two knives.
"It's convenient...she is very important to me..."
"You can't go in." The bodyguard rubbed his leather gloves and remained indifferent, "Keep this money to buy candy for yourself!"
Dean gritted his teeth and took out twenty knives.
This is already a huge sum of money that a normal person would find difficult to refuse.
The light illuminated the faces of the bodyguards, but they looked up at the surveillance camera and shook their heads in refusal.
"Sorry, we don't want to lose this job, even if you pay ten times more."
…
"Dean, don't be angry. They are just here for work. In short, we will definitely not be able to get in at our age."
Rust looked at the sulking Dean worriedly. He had rarely seen such a gloomy and depressed expression on his face, like a volcano about to erupt.
"I'm not angry! Wait, maybe there is another way in."
Dean took Rust around to the dark alleyway next to the dance hall, carefully looking for the "escape" back door that the legendary entertainment venue must have.
But he only found a closed green iron door that could not be pushed open no matter how hard he tried.
The iron door was locked from the inside.
Dean sighed dejectedly, the feeling of bumping into each other driving him crazy.
"Forget it, it's already very late. I'll drive you home and look at the clues during the day and maybe I'll find something else..." Rust suggested sincerely,
Dean held on to the iron door unwillingly and glanced at the entire alleyway with wandering eyes.
A homeless man wrapped in dirty, yellow and rancid sheets was lying quietly next to the trash can, sleeping soundly. Dean walked over and took a closer look.
His cheeks were flushed red by the night wind. Only one eye was intact under his thick beard, and the other one had a black eye patch, which was impressively shaped.
Amidst the slight snoring, the homeless man's messy black stubble twitched rhythmically, and the pale smell of alcohol spewed out of his mouth.
Dean's head moved.
Could this guy have been living near the dance club? Could he know something?
"Hey, wake up, man! Have you seen her? Open your eyes and take a look. I swear, I won't let your help go in vain!"
"Come on, you didn't notice that he was completely drunk? You were wasting your efforts."
After Rust tried to persuade him a few times, Dean had no choice but to accept the reality after shouting for a long time to no avail. However, before leaving, he was stunned for a moment and accidentally left five dollars to the homeless man.
…
"After you came out of Raymond House, something was wrong with you... impatient, confused, and out of state. Why are you in such a hurry?" Rust said, "This ballroom will not disappear out of thin air. We can come back at any time when we find a way. .”
Because the sooner Mona is found, the more likely she is to survive.
Dean shook his head,
But I don't love her.
I shouldn't have been so embarrassed for her.
Everything is influenced by the remaining things in my body!
"Dean, didn't we agree?" He suddenly looked up at the dark night with dim stars and moon, and said to himself blankly, "Don't interfere with my actions, don't affect my emotions, let me complete it smoothly Your last wish?"
"The tenth time, here we go again!" Rust, who saw his companion talking to himself, sighed and said without any doubt, "Get in the car! I'll take you home."
…
boom--
Paquet took a sip of beer on the deck chair in the yard, looked at the Ford F-150 going away, and blew a loud whistle.
"It's a good car, but it's not cheap. Your classmate's family is rich?"
Dean said nothing.
"So no one was found in the sewer?" Paqui asked,
Dean shook his head in disappointment.
"Tell me, uncle, let me give you some guidance with my rich life experience!"
Dean looked at the other person's chiseled face.
Is there any need to hide anything from this body’s only relative in the world?
Immediately, he recounted everything that happened during the day.
"It turns out that you gave all the money to your girlfriend, two thousand US dollars. You are really willing to spend a lot of money." Paqui covered his heart in pain, winked and showed an exaggerated expression, "You are a naive and innocent fool. Alas, This is how Lena was deceived by your father."
Dean's expression stiffened.
Paquet did not continue to pursue the issue of money. He sat upright, removed the joking look on his face, and used his left hand to poke and rub the dreamcatcher tattoo on the back of his neck.
"You and the little guy named Rust were able to investigate to this point purely by relying on inferences and a few confessions that are not known to be true or false. You two have good luck and intuition, and you have the potential to be private detectives. If you were in high school If you don’t want to go to college after graduation, you might consider getting a private detective license.”
"So, is there any problem with the direction of our investigation?" Dean asked expectantly, "Do you think I should call the police?"
"It's better to hire a private detective than to hire the LVPD. It's impossible for these rich white bodyguards to invest heavily in investigating a girl who has no father or mother, no social connections, and lives in the sewers. Otherwise, the desert and rice fields of Vegas There won’t be so many unknown dead bodies buried in Dehuli.”
Paquet's tone was full of disdain for the LVPD. It was obvious that he had some unbearable past. He shook his head and continued his analysis.
"The target you chose is very accurate. Quiet neighborhoods far away from the city center are areas with high incidence of crime. And dance clubs, nightclubs, and bars like Barka Disco are the center of all criminal activities. Think about the people who haunt them?"
"Alcoholics, young people with excess energy..." Dean said uneasily,
"Don't forget the weed vendors and the gangsters." A strange blush appeared on Paqui's face. "Alcohol, loud music, boiling hormones, 'herbal medicine'...any of these may make people lose control and walk away. On to the path of crime.”
"So, your girlfriend Mona was probably targeted when she was passing by the dance hall." Paqui said cruel words calmly,
"You are assuming!" Dean's head tightened, he gripped the armrests of the chair, and subconsciously retorted,
"Besides assuming, do you have any other options?" Paquet lit a Marlboro and took a deep breath. After a while, hazy smoke spewed out of his nose, making his cheeks blurred and change.
"Right now, you just have to find all the possible hypotheses, eliminate them one by one, and find the one that makes the most sense. That's the answer."
Paquet took a long breath and put out most of the unfinished cigarette.
"The surveillance camera in the ballroom is a clue, but don't hold out too much hope. According to my experience as a bodyguard, the video tapes of the current mainstream surveillance equipment are far from being able to be retained for half a month. A week is enough."
Dean stood up suddenly and turned to the wall clock in the hall - 11 o'clock
It was the busiest time for the ballroom. .
He couldn't wait to run out of the yard.
"Come back, kid. I'm going north tomorrow. This work is very troublesome. I'll have to leave for at least half a year and stay out until next year. Have a good chat with me tonight. You also need to rest." Paqui looked at Man Yan. Bloodshot Nephew, "Barca Disco will also be open during the day tomorrow on the weekend."
"Besides, Mona has been missing for half a month, which is too long. To be honest, according to my experience, there is no difference between one day earlier and one day later."
"Shut up, what's the difference?" Dean's head trembled and he gritted his teeth.
"Reality is so cruel, you don't want to admit it? Then use your fists to convince me."
Paquet raised his finger at him provocatively.
…
Dean looked at the 80/100 fighting progress in the system.
He suddenly bent his legs and spread them to a position slightly wider than shoulder width. He lowered his head slightly, stretched out his arms forward, and looked at the opposite side coldly. Anger surged in his eyes. He needed to vent!
He rushed towards the big Indian man fiercely and pushed the recliner under the opponent's buttocks with both hands.
The power gap is too big.
If he can't grab Paquet's body, he'll attack something else.
However, the moment his hand touched the chair.
A warm hand pressed between his chest and abdomen, and with a slight lift, his body involuntarily lifted off the ground with this upward force.
At the same time, another hand pressed on his lower back.
Use both hands simultaneously.
Dean's body turned instantly, his head and feet were upside down, and the world was spinning.
boom!
When he came back to his senses, he had fallen to the ground, his mouth full of mud, and his bones were soft and seemed to be falling apart.
Paquet stood two meters away, arms folded across his chest, standing up like a violent bear patrolling the forest.
"Newcomers, don't make moves easily before you know your opponent well. Doing so just exposes your own weaknesses! What I taught you yesterday, use it and show me!"
Dean silently climbed up, keeping a low standing posture, carefully turning in circles, approaching him, reaching out to tease.
…
Paquet grabbed Dean's arm like lightning, and his huge body paused, leaning backwards, his back pressed against Dean's waist.
Work harder!
boom!
Dean was thrown violently over the shoulder.
When his back touched the ground, his cheeks twitched, his competitiveness surged in the pain, and he gritted his teeth and got up immediately.
…
Paquet sprinted with a staggering speed, and his huge body pounced under Dean like lightning.
The latter stepped back with all his strength, and at the same time lowered his body in an attempt to press his back.
You try to get rid of Paquet's diving grapple, and your proficiency +1!
He was too slow and his strength was too weak. A pair of big steel-clamp-like hands hugged his legs, lifting him off the ground and losing his center of gravity.
At the same time, Paquet's shoulders pressed against his waist and abdomen, and the huge force made him sprint backwards and fell to the ground, his head buzzing.
…
again and again!
Pacque was like a cold-blooded wrestling machine, constantly knocking Dean down and adding bruises to his body.
And Dean was like a training dummy, never saying a word and enduring all the pain.
I don’t know how long it took.
The proficiency +1 that kept flashing suddenly stopped!
A large block of records suddenly flashed through the system.
Whether fighting level 0 (100/100) is upgraded.
yes!
Fighting lv1(0/200)
Level up.
Physique: 11→11.5
Strength: 10→10.5
Sensitivity: 11→11.5
…
A warm power exploded in the body and flowed throughout the body in an instant.
Dean, who was standing low, felt his whole body tremble.
Muscle fibers wriggled under the skin like thousands of sandworms, stretching the muscles and making them feel hot and itchy.
In an instant, the muscles bulged under the clothes, and the outline became clearer.
Sparring, wrestling, boxing... there are even tricks to using daggers and sticks...
Fighting skills that Dean had rarely been exposed to before continued to come into his mind one after another.
Paquet seized the opportunity and sprinted towards Dean's lower body again, intending to hug his legs. Another hug and throw would make him remember!
But an arm shot out halfway and magically grabbed Pacquia's right wrist and pulled him back.
He suddenly saw Dean with a lower center of gravity - he came first and held his right hand with his left hand, while his right hand retracted his elbow and clamped his left wrist sooner or later.
Electric light and flint.
He lost sight of his purpose.
Dean suddenly turned left and pressed against Paquet's back, pinned the heel of his foot with his left foot, and took advantage of the situation——
Anger, fear, fear, all at once!
boom!
The behemoth landed heavily.
Paquet's vision went dark, his face was buried in the grass, and he fell to the ground!
…
breathe…
After Dean knocked down Paquet, he immediately stopped when he saw the situation was good, let go, quickly retreated, and distanced himself, otherwise he would not be able to suppress this giant beast at all.
"Boy, why did your speed suddenly become faster?"
Paqui rubbed his wrists with disbelief on his face.
"You've only been studying for two days and you can actually throw me down. Do you have a talent for wrestling?"
"I've been knocked down by you one hundred and twenty-eight times, and I've only thrown you once, which is far from enough!"
Dean, who was bruised and swollen, said angrily, letting go of the frustration in his chest.
His fighting skills were upgraded to a new level. It was as if he had undergone four or five months of professional fighting training in an instant. The techniques he had mastered were all armed into his muscles and bones, forming reflexes.
His moves became faster, he began to pay attention to his footwork, and developed instinctive dodge movements. He finally learned a simple 12 or 123 combo, and was able to have a small showdown with Paques.
But without saying a word, Paquet pounced on him and threw him to the ground.
"Come on, continue to 'convince' me! Don't be such a pussy!"
