A private hospital in Des Moines.
"Thank you, Dean, I will always remember how you helped me."
The charming blonde on the hospital bed opened her hands and gave Dean a grateful hug. The plumpness of the mature woman made him squint his eyes.
The husband Leo on the side also held his hand with red eyes, and his tone was slightly trembling, "Man... I can't imagine how serious the situation is if I can't save her. I owe you a favor."
The rebellious girl Julie on the other side of the hospital bed also changed her previous scornful attitude. She lowered her eyes and said with shame, "I admit that you are a real detective. You saved our family. How much should we pay you?"
"You have already paid. Just treat me to breakfast when you have the opportunity." Dean waved the hundred dollars in his head and changed the subject, "By the way, Ms. Camille, do you still remember what happened in the past few days? ?"
"Most of them remember, I, I'm sorry for Leo and Julie..." Camille hugged an arm of her daughter and husband, looked at the two apologetically and ashamed, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, "I don't know why, inside Brasca, who had a strong crush on the guy when she first met him, couldn't help but obey all his orders, including leaving McDad's Hotel as soon as possible, including going for a tryst with him on a morning jog... I still think about it now , just like a demon. Leo, Julie, you know, I only love you in this life, I can't do such a shameless thing."
Camille was so emotional that her knuckles turned white. Julie quickly hugged her and hugged her cheek to comfort her.
"Mommy, don't get excited, we believe in you and we will always stand by you."
Dean asked again, "What happened before you fell into coma?"
"I just remember entering a hotel room with Lamberton, and then walking up to the clouds in a daze... It seemed like we were surfing... Sometimes we were sitting on a big bumpy boat..."
Leo's face turned green when he heard this,
"It's all that damn gangster's fault!" Julie hugged her mother's shoulders with a distressed look on her face, and waved her fist again, "He deceived you with his vile and shameless words!"
"That's right. According to my investigation, Lamberton is not an ordinary person." Dean looked around the family of three, especially Leo. "He has extremely superb hypnosis and suggestion skills, and can make people interact with him without concealing it." Having a good impression can almost reach the point of obsession."
"So, Camille's experience in the past few days was not voluntary at all, but was forced. Any other woman would not be able to resist."
As soon as this explanation came out, the faces of the wife and husband improved. There was still a slight difference between active cheating and forced cheating.
"Then did you catch Lamberton?" Julie asked through gritted teeth, and in an instant, three pairs of eyes focused on Dean.
"Fortunately, we pursued our mission from Iowa to Illinois, and finally caught Lamberton and tortured him. I found out that he had also committed multiple interstate murders, and his identity was extremely sensitive, and he was wanted by the FBI. , I made some personal connections and handed him over to my good friends in the FBI."
"He will spend the rest of his life in prison and will never be able to lay a finger on you again."
Dean was talking nonsense seriously;
After hearing this, the family of three breathed a sigh of relief, but Leo was upset. As a husband, he didn't have time to make any effort, and the whole thing was settled smoothly.
"Can I see this bastard?"
"This guy's status is a bit special. It's best for ordinary people not to ask any more questions." Dean shook his head.
Julie saw her father's reluctance and advised softly, "Treat everything as a near-miss nightmare and never mention it again in the future, okay? Camille needs to rest peacefully and forget about this terrible experience. "
Leo looked at his haggard wife and pleading daughter, suddenly turned his face away, gritted his teeth, and raised ridges on his forehead. In just a short moment, confusion, pain, and anger flashed across his cheeks one after another... His expression was as wonderful as a miniature movie.
Then he looked at Dean for help.
Dean hesitated for a second and nodded to him "encouragingly."
"Yes, it's over. We should return to normal life." Leo opened his arms wide and hugged his wife and daughter at the same time. "We will always be a family... No one can change it."
"Ugh... Leo... I'm sorry, I broke your heart."
"Stop talking... Camille... I love you..." Leo kissed his wife's forehead, and a tear of grievance slipped quietly across the frame of his glasses.
After all, it was the head of the family who endured everything, but there was no better choice. After all, Camille herself was also a victim.
"Okay, you three, the matter is settled, what are your plans next?" After the three of them had cried enough, Dean sat on the chair in front of the hospital bed, took an orange, peeled it and ate it.
"Stay in the hospital for a few days until Camille gets better..." Leo glanced at his wife, "We will continue to West Lafayette, Indiana."
"We're not in a hurry this time... let's enjoy the scenery along the way and let Camille relax!" Julie lifted her bangs from her forehead, her bright eyes showing anticipation, "Are you coming together, Dean?"
Leo patted him on the shoulder and invited him warmly, "This time I'm not just providing breakfast, I'm covering all the expenses for the trip. This is a thank you to you."
"I appreciate the kindness, but unfortunately, I have to rush to Indiana as soon as possible to complete the work." Dean threw away the orange peel, clapped his hands and stood up.
Leo's family reluctantly tried to persuade him to stay twice. Seeing his firm attitude, they finally regretfully expressed their understanding.
"Dean, this is my home phone number. When you arrive in California, you must contact me."
"OK, if you encounter any difficult problems again..." Dean is still not sure of the influence of the hedgehog-headed Lamberton on Camille, "especially if there are any adverse reactions in Camille's body, such as abnormal pregnancy...immediately Contact me and I'll do my best. But next time, I'll give you a 20% discount at most."
Dean waved goodbye jokingly and left the ward, his mind sinking into his system.
You've completed the incident - the cheating wife.
You attacked a nocturnal species that never eats people and rarely kills, and saved the unconscious Camille. Then he drove a long distance to pursue him and killed Lamberton mercilessly in a cornfield, but his words before his death made you feel confused and scared...
Is killing it really the best option?
Once the event is complete, you can withdraw your rewards at any time.
extract.
Personal experience +130, lv4(180→310/500),
You have received a special reward, please choose one from the following -
A. Expertise Ironman (intermediate) is promoted to Ironman (advanced). This promotion has a huge impact. You need to obtain this reward three times in a row to complete the upgrade. Current progress (0/3)
B. Special ability: Stinging skin: The body grows poisonous steel bristles. When it is closed, it forms a protective layer to resist damage. When it is straightened, it launches to attack the target.
Your skin can also secrete intoxicating poisonous gas. The poisoned person will make a will judgment. If it is not enough, he will fall into a state of intoxication and obey the orders of the releaser.
This ability upgrade will slightly increase your physical and mental attributes, but it will also permanently change your appearance, so please choose carefully.
C. Gain 1 attribute point.
D. Fighting proficiency 100 points.
…
After reading the reward list, Dean first excluded the B reward because the ability slot is currently 6/6 fully loaded and new abilities cannot be obtained.
Secondly, C is excluded. Not long ago, the Supernatural Hunter allowed him to absorb 1 point of strength attribute. He has not yet finished digesting it. There is no need to rush to increase the second attribute point.
D is not cost-effective.
Choose A.
Intermediate Ironman Upgrade (1/3)
…
After selecting the reward.
Dean had already left the hospital gate. It was early in the morning, the stars and the moon were dark, and the night wind was extremely cold. The breeze suddenly sent a rush of shouts from behind.
"Don't leave in a hurry, I still have something to say," Julie held up her skirt and trotted angrily to his side, walking side by side, shaking her hands behind her waist, raising her charming little face, brushing She blinked her eyelashes, "How old are you, Detective Dean? You look no older than me. You are so proficient in solving problems, and you easily arrested a dangerous wanted criminal."
"Julie, you should take care of your mother."
"Leo stayed with her and whispered."
"Well, I'm older than you."
Dean Wuji held the front edge of his deerstalker hat and smiled at the petite girl.
"But I'm not as smart as you to be admitted to a well-known university. I can only work early as a private detective to earn some living expenses to support myself. Running around is so tiring..."
"Hoho, finally someone saw my advantages besides my beauty." The girl smiled with a row of white teeth, and a hint of cunning flashed in her eyes, "But don't lie to me, you won't refuse me if you are really short of money." How can Ao's remuneration be worth just 100 dollars, which is 0.1% off? This kind of case is already considered a criminal case, and asking someone to help would cost at least several thousand or tens of thousands of dollars."
"Then I've suffered a big loss." Dean made a pained expression.
"So notarized Ms. Julie will compensate you now." Julie smiled brightly, her lip gloss shining brightly, "Where are you going to work in Indiana?"
"A small town in western Indiana, Hawkins." Dean said casually, walking quickly towards the parking lot.
"I've never heard of it, but they are all in the same state. It must not be far from Purdue University where I study." Julie rolled her eyes, raised her delicate face with pink cheeks and invited, "Wait for me at the university. After you settle down, come to school as a guest and I’ll introduce you to a group of beautiful roommates!”
Before Dean could answer, she couldn't help but smile to herself,
"Then I can threaten them. I have hired a super detective to find out all the scandals and fooling around they have done in high school! I have got their handle. Anyone who dares to bully me, I will expose them!"
What a little devil, Dean opened his car door and got into the driver's seat.
"we'll talk about it then."
"Then I'll take it as your promise, and you must come when I tell you to." Julie lay in front of the car window and waved to him anxiously, "This is your last chance, Mr. Detective, you don't have any personal questions to ask." Can I ask a cute girl for advice?”
question?
Dean thought of the prophetic words he heard before killing Night Walker Lamberton.
"Have you heard of Baphomet?" This term was very familiar to him. It should not be too rare, so there was no need to keep it secret.
The girl in a floral skirt pursed her lips in disappointment, then rolled her dark eyes, jumped on the spot a few times with her hands behind her back, stretched her beautiful neck like a white swan, and solemnly declared,
"In order to thank you for your righteous deed to save Camille, I, the Queen of Wisdom, Julie, am here to answer all your questions. Baphomet, also called Baphomet, is one of the monsters recorded in the Bible and the most famous in countless documents. The Christian Devil. I studied philosophy and a little bit of religion on the side so I understand it."
Dean tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Why did it have anything to do with religion?
"Baphomet had the head of an antelope, the torso of a human, the lower body of a deer, and the tail of a scorpion. At the top of the tail was a burning flame that glowed green."
"In the United States and in various ancient legends in the West, it has many nicknames: the spreader of black magic, the sheep of Mendez, the dark goat, the scapegoat, and the most famous one is the incarnation of the devil Satan..."
"In short, Baphomet symbolizes darkness, uncleanness, and certain horrific creations."
Christian devil? A creature of darkness and terror? Satan? This is undoubtedly a powerful and ancient existence. What is the relationship between it and the nocturnal species with a deformed appearance?
When Lamberton mentioned it, his tone and demeanor were full of adoration and enthusiasm, and he used the name of the god "him" to describe it.
Dean touched his chin, took out a thick supernatural encyclopedia, and after the detailed records of Hedgehog Head, he began to analyze and write:
"The Baphomet mentioned by the hedgehog is not a Christian devil in the traditional sense, but a totem, belief, leader or ruler worshiped by the Midianite nocturnal species? It protects the nocturnal species from the persecution of the law of convergence, and will not be because of Massive gatherings trigger horrific supernatural events.”
"And it marked me... It probably started when I killed the Gorgon."
"What's its purpose in doing this? What does it want to get from me?"
"The answer lies north in Athabasca?"
The tip of the pen paused, and Dean shook his head. His current strength was no problem against an ordinary nocturnal species, but he would have to run away from both ends. God knows how many there are in Midian.
Unless he became strong enough, he would not rashly run to North Athabasca and throw himself into a trap.
In addition, after this incident, Dean's view of Midian became complicated. He used to only think that it was an evil place where man-eating monsters gathered.
But now he discovered that there were snake-haired men who could eat people without blinking an eye, and there were also hedgehog-headed men who maintained their human form just to find a woman to reproduce.
Is there a nocturnal species that behaves more gently, such as one that does not break the law and is not harmful to society at all?
This problem can even be generalized to all other monsters.
Dean couldn't help but think ahead——
What should you do if you find a harmless monster that obeys the rules? Directly eliminate it, or...
…
"Dean, why are you dazed?"
"Sorry, I just thought of something." Dean closed the tome.
"Do detectives become intermittently deaf when thinking about problems?" Julie rolled her eyes. "I will forgive you graciously this time, but remember our appointment at Purdue University!"
"Remember it." Dean casually threw a lollipop that was stored in the car at the girl outside the car window. He watched the girl catch it hurriedly and smiled casually, "I also give you a piece of advice, don't roll your eyes all the time. , otherwise it will become ugly!”
Dean stepped on the accelerator, abandoned the girl who was stamping her feet in anger, and ran towards Indiana.
(End of chapter)
