A week passed, and the time entered late July. Dean insisted on Red Dragon Meditation every day to maintain emotional stability, and took Jonathan to the shooting range to practice shooting. The opponent mastered the basics of shooting in his rigorous training.
Dean has also consolidated his skills as a sharpshooter with perfect shots within fifty meters, and his strength has steadily improved:
Character level: 4 (430/500)
Physical fitness: 16.1
Strength: 14.1→14.2
Sensitivity: 14.4→14.5
Perception: 15.2
Spirit: 18.1
Will: 14.1→14.2
Ability: 6/6
Fighting lv3(50→60/400)
Shooting lv3(170→180/400)
Shadow of the Past lv2 (20→35/300)
Red Dragon Meditation lv2 (180→195/300)
Mimicry lv1 (133→149/200)
Fantasy space lv0, volume 2 cubic.
Expertise and system capabilities: omitted.
…
But the investigation about Terry Ives reached a deadlock, and Dean couldn't find any information about it despite asking around.
On this weekend morning, Dean couldn't help but make a phone call to his old friend.
"Long time no contact, Holden, where are you currently employed?"
"Traveling around the country with my old boss," Holden's familiar magnetic voice came from the microphone, "teaching psychology courses and assisting the local police station in solving difficult cases. Recently in Atlanta, Georgia. As for you, you got your wish. Did you become a private detective?"
"I got my Nevada license, but I'm currently staying back home in Indiana."
"Why don't you just run around looking for a job? If you are really free, come and work with me." Holden said in a sincere tone, "I have a bigger stage for you to display your talents. With your help, our work will be better." It will go forward more smoothly.”
"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm not used to being controlled." Dean declined politely and said, "To get to the point, I'm in a bit of trouble right now. I need your help to find someone, Terry Ives."
"I know you won't care about old friends for no reason." Holden complained, and his tone became solemn, "I'll help you, and let's be more specific about the target. Who knows how many Terry's there are in all over the world. "
"She should be from Indiana," Dean recalled Peter's description at the time. "She is about forty years old, with dark blond hair..."
…
"After the fight, come with me." Paqui put on his suit and waved to him.
"where to?"
"I also found a well-informed foreign aid, the Sheriff of Hawkins Town, Hope."
The two drove to the north of the town, a remote cabin deep in the mountains and forests.
The house only has one floor, and its appearance is extremely simple. It resembles a large truck compartment with a few windows, but behind the compartment is a small, crystal clear lake, which can be regarded as surrounded by mountains and rivers, with beautiful scenery.
After the two knocked on the door several times, a tall man wrapped in a bath towel, revealing a "swimming ring" on his chest and belly covered with black hair, opened the door. He had just taken a shower, and his wet brown hair was pulled back. Comb it close to the scalp and look very stylish.
In addition, he has a beard that is neither long nor short around his mouth. He has a horse face, a hooked nose, deep eye sockets, and a broad forehead. He may have a bit of the blood of later generations of big hair.
Dean walked in and looked around the room, frowning. The furniture and electrical appliances in the house were piled up in a mess. The corridor and the living room merged into one. There was almost no place to put your feet. His sight was filled with crushed beer cans and There were cigarette butts and the smell of beer and overnight fermented food filled the air.
This is exactly the cabin where a single, decadent middle-aged man lives alone.
"This is your nephew Dean," Hope sat down on the yellowed sofa and threw a Marlboro to Paquet opposite him, and started puffing away as well.
"Well, I just graduated from high school. How about traveling to Hawkins? You're a talented person, right?" Paquet said with a hint of show off on his rough face.
Hope took a deep breath of the cigarette and seemed to think of something in the past. His face darkened a bit, but when he looked up at Dean's slender and strong body, satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
"You have a great physique. Have you practiced fighting?"
"I used to learn some tricks at LVPD." Dean admitted,
"Where's the shooting?"
"The ten-meter target is barely passable."
"It's enough in the country." Hope muttered and looked at Dean, "Are you interested in working at the Hawkins Police Station?"
"What?"
"The number of outsiders in Hawkins Town has increased dramatically in recent years, and the number of troubles has also increased. The brothers in the department are too busy to take care of it. We plan to recruit another police officer, and Paquet has always been very picky, but he doesn't like you. Juekou, you must have two brushes."
Hope said, and Paquet next to him also looked over expectantly.
"As long as you come, you can join the job immediately. It's not that the LVPD has so many complicated rules here. I have the final say."
"I'm sorry, I never planned to be a police officer." Dean immediately shook his head and refused, and handed over the piece of paper with his name and identity written on it under the regretful eyes of the other party, "Business matters are important, and I hope you can help find someone this time. "
"Terry Ives? This is not a native of Hawkins." Hope looked embarrassed, "It will take a lot of time to find her. And I am the police chief, responsible for the whole town's shit, every day I’m so busy that I can’t sleep, and if there are no new people to help me share the load, it will be difficult for me to make time.”
"I'll analyze it for you. Why don't you just use the time you spend at the bar every night to investigate." Paquet pointed to a pile of Budweiser cans under the refrigerator. "You've just lost weight after quitting drinking. If you're too fat, be careful, Xiongfeng is gone. No woman will date you!"
"Don't drink? You want my life." Hope shook his head, shook the ashes in the ashtray, and thought for a few seconds, "Okay, I can help find someone, but I can't help this time in vain, lend me Five thousand knives?"
"What are you using it for, smoking grass?" Paquet crossed his arms over his chest.
Hope opened a small white pill bottle without a label on the table, took out two pills, and swallowed them with beer. "My ex-wife needs it urgently. I will return it to you in a year at most."
"Man, you have been divorced for so many years. You don't owe her anything, and what happened was not your fault. You should take care of yourself." Paquet advised,
Hope just stared silently,
"I'm convinced, good hearted man, I'll lend you the money," Paquet shrugged, took out his checkbook and started writing, "Help us find Terry as soon as possible."
…
"Is this police chief addicted to drugs? Is he really reliable?" After leaving the riverside hut, Dean recalled Hope's performance, his tone full of distrust.
"That's just an analgesic..." Paquet shook his head, "Don't look at the fact that he's drunk and out of shape now. He also once killed everyone in the New York detective world. His style is very hard-line. Just wait and see, he will give you a surprise."
…
With two foreign aids, Holden and Hope, helping to find people, Dean felt much more at ease and looked forward to a major breakthrough in the next few days.
But when they returned home, they unexpectedly found a stout middle-aged woman bending over the grass in her yard, searching for something.
"Meow meow, be obedient and come out quickly. Mom is here?"
"Paqui, have you seen my meow?" The woman walked towards the two of them, the sun shining on the fine sweat on her round cheeks,
"It's not here." Paquet held his forehead and said helplessly, "Mrs. Henderson, if I remember correctly, your cat has disappeared ten times in the past six months, right? Can't you tie it up?"
"I'm sorry, but I obviously locked the cat in the house and locked the doors and windows," the woman said shamefully, "it still disappeared and took the freshly baked apple pie from the plate. Can it help?" Shall I look for it, you two?"
"That cat has become a spirit and can play hide-and-seek with you? Last time it was in the bushes, and the last time it was hiding on the bathroom tarp. Where is it this time? Forget it, let's go, I'll help you again Look for it, there's a good chance it's still in your house." Paqui winked at Dean, and the three of them walked towards the house on the opposite hillside.
Dean looked at the woman's fat, kind face, "Are you Dustin's mother, Marshall Henderson?"
"Yes, you are Dean, Dustin often mentions you."
Dean nodded, "Why didn't you see him?"
"The kid went outside to find Meow Meow."
Dean muttered to himself, is Toothless looking for the cat or is he anxious to find a good friend to fight the boss?
…
Mrs. Henderson's home was far less luxurious than Paquet's house. Dean and Paquet searched in two directions after entering the house. Dean was rummaging through the boxes and cabinets while scanning from the perspective of God.
After the perception was increased to 15.2, the God's perspective was also strengthened. Although the scanning range was still thirty meters, the precision and efficiency of the scanning were greatly improved.
In just two minutes, Dean swept through all the places where things could be hidden in the house on the first floor, including the closet, refrigerator, working oven, washing machine, and under the bed and sofa. No corner was missed.
He successfully found a large peach-shaped five-toed paw print that was difficult to detect with the naked eye. It was scattered messily on the carpet in the entire room, and finally disappeared behind a certain carpet in the living room.
Looking down from God's perspective, there is a dark basement below the floor, with no light penetrating, making it difficult for Dean to see clearly.
"Ms. Henderson, can I go into the basement and check it out?" Dean squatted down and tapped his index finger on the floor.
"That place hasn't been opened for a long time, how did you know?" The woman covered her mouth in surprise.
"Just a guess, I think Miaomiao might be in there."
"Well, thank you. It's dirty and dark down there, so be careful."
The woman lifts the basement lid.
Dean found a flashlight and called Paqui down the stairs.
The place is filled with old boxes, cabinets, mirrors and other sundries covered with canvas. The ground is covered with a thick layer of dust, leaving a footprint whenever you step on it. The air is extremely dull, with a smell of damp and moldy wood. .
The two of them used the light of the flashlight to illuminate as they walked. After walking a few steps, Dean noticed a small orange ball-like thing rolling around on the ground in the corner, as if coquettishly facing the air.
Meow! !
The chubby cat figure heard the noise, turned around and glanced at Dean, humanized panic appeared on its plump fur face, its spine exploded, its hair stood on end, it tensed its limbs and jumped into the air, then let out The next drop of crystal clear urine slipped past their feet and ran up the stairs.
"God! God bless! My dear, come to mother's arms quickly. Don't be afraid. Mother is here and she will protect you. No one can hurt you."
Mrs. Henderson knelt down and held it in her arms. She rubbed her round face against its fat face and gently stroked its chin and neck. Her eyes were as gentle as looking at her most beloved child.
The orange cat hissed for a while before slowly regaining his composure and purring comfortably.
"Thank God, thank you, Paqui, Dean, Meow Meow has been found. Come on up, the new apple pie will be baked soon. You must stay and taste it."
"Haha, you're welcome then." Paquet responded with a smile and looked at Dean with admiration.
"How did you do it? In just a few minutes, you found this naughty guy. I used to spend at least two hours each time. Did you inherit the ability of the beast whisperer from your ancestors?"
"It's just experience. I used to have the nickname Cat Search Expert in Lvpd." Dean explained casually, then stared at the chair behind the orange cat that just jumped out with his pupils shrunken, and quietly summoned the ghost armor to cover his body.
From God's perspective.
In front of the cobweb-covered wall behind the chair, there is a light cyan, translucent human figure stuck like a wooden stick, with his hands at his sides, and his dark face hanging toward the ground, like an illusory shadow.
"Let's go, is there something wrong over there?" Paquet followed Dean's gaze, but only saw an empty white wall.
"There's a little trouble. I have to deal with it. You go up first."
"Are you in danger?" Paqui quietly touched the holster under his arm and asked.
"Small problems, I can solve them."
"Okay, be safe. Also, the pie baked by Mrs. Henderson is very delicious. Please be careful as I eat it all."
Paqui hesitantly turned and went upstairs.
Dean took a few steps closer, and the figure became clearer - a middle-aged man with thinning hair, a round nose and eyes, and a fat belly. If his face were not dull and his eyes were not dull, he would be full of affinity.
He raised the tablet and looked through the lenses. The human form was still there.
"Sure enough... this is a ghost." The corner of Dean's mouth curled up slightly, and his face was filled with surprise. He finally knew where the inexplicable changes in his perception after breaking through the fifteenth century came from, "The pain was not in vain. The perception exceeded the fifth There is a threshold, and invisible ghosts can already be seen with the naked eye. Well, this ability should be called spiritual vision, but it does not appear in the system records."
Now, Dean has the ability to see ghosts visually and the powerful mental power to open channels to summon ghosts. He has finally become a genuine psychic!
"But how did this ghost get the orange cat down?" Dean held the board with his backhand like a dagger in order to launch a fatal blow at any time, and then tiptoed carefully to get within two meters of the ghost. The surface of this guy's body looked like The lake surface was rippled by the breeze, but there was no trace of blood or damage near where it stood.
On the contrary, there were more than a dozen apple pies placed at its feet. Some exuded an attractive color and aroma and had not yet spoiled. They should have been baked in the past few days. Some were covered with mold and exuded a strange smell. It has been around for a long time.
"What's going on, the cat has been stealing apple pie for the ghost?"
Dean looked at the ghost's face carefully again. His appearance and temperament were vaguely similar to Mrs. Henderson's.
Could it be that…
"But once a normal ghost takes shape, it can only stay in reality for a few minutes before disappearing. Why wasn't this guy summoned back by Limbo?"
"Dean, aren't you done yet?"
Paquet's shout came from above.
"I'll be right away."
Dean decided to find another opportunity to ask questions. There might be an incident hidden here.
(End of chapter)
