Super Detective In The Fictional World

by Stayrr

Luke has transmigrated to the United States, but eventually realizes that this United States is different from the United States of his previous life. Here, the superpowers and characters from the movies in his previous life actually exist. How will Luke fare in a world where such terrifying superpowers exist? Fortunately, he has a cheat – the Super Detective System. Join Luke on

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Chapter 65: Relocation, Criticism, and Cooling

Then, this was the key part.

Luke and Selina were the officers who had accepted the case.

Later, they were the ones who fought the gangsters and saved an FBI agent, which gave the Westside Police Department an excuse to lock down the warehouse and search it.

In all respects, Luke and Selina were the greatest contributors in this smuggling case, even though they had both been sound asleep at home when the smuggled military weapons were discovered.

This was also the excuse used to issue the promotion papers.

Cracking a case plus saving a colleague meant a promotion; it was utterly justified.

Thomas observed their faces, and thought even more highly of Luke.

As for Selina, she was obviously the support, but she had done a great job cooperating with Luke.

Thomas finally said, "You can't discuss what happened yesterday with anyone, not even your commanding officer."

Luke nodded, but secretly wondered if Brock would be pissed again when he couldn't ask about the details of a case that his subordinate had cracked.

After some more warm encouragement, Thomas sent them back to work.

They had never entered the Major Crimes Division office until today. The detectives inside all looked at them.

Three of them approached Luke and Selina and greeted them, and another two said good morning, too.

Luke and Selina responded with smiles, before they went to Brock's office.

With a weird look on his face, Brock asked, "What's up?"

Luke said, "The smuggling case is closed. I'm wondering if there are any more cases for us."

The weird look remained on Brock's face for a while. He then asked, "How did you get involved with the FBI?"

Luke said, "Actually, we were just having food in a Mexican restaurant when we happened upon a shootout between FBI agents and gangsters."

Brock was lost for words. They had cracked a case through sheer luck?

For a moment, he didn't know how he should deal with them.

Give them another big case? But that would violate his rule of teaching newcomers a lesson.

Give them small cases? But that way, everybody would know that he was purposefully holding back capable subordinates. Also, Thomas had their backs. Brock couldn't play any tricks on them at all.

After a long pause, Brock rolled his eyes and told them to sit down.

He then searched in his cabinet for a long time and finally found a file. He opened it to confirm what he had found.

He blew off the dust on the file and gave it to Luke without blinking an eye. "Try this case. It's a little bit tricky. I'll give you a month. Give up if you don't find anything in a month."

Brock had come up with a sound plan.

On the surface, he had given Luke and Selina a challenging case and had considerately given them a month to carry out their investigation.

Even Thomas couldn't say that he had done anything wrong.

This way, Luke and Selina would waste a month of their time.

Luke read the file briefly and narrowed his eyes. He rose and said, "Alright, boss. We're on it."

Brock nodded and watched them leave with complicated thoughts.

After they left the office, Luke left right away.

Selina asked, "Huh? Where are we going?"

Luke replied, "Home."

Selina was confused. "We're not working?"

Luke patted the file in his hand and said, "Did you not hear Brock? The next month belongs to us, and we can't bother him."

Selina said, "Did he say 'don't bother me'?"

Luke chuckled. "Do you think the other detectives in the Major Crimes Division would be allowed to take a month to investigate a case?"

Selina shook her head quickly.

She was well aware of what the situation was like. The Major Crimes Division in every major city wanted more detectives, whose attention tended to be pulled away from a case after a few days of investigation.

Unless everybody was gathered for a major, significant case, the detectives in the Major Crimes Division each had a couple of cases that they would be working on as well as countless infinite old cases buried under the newer ones.

One month for a single case? If Brock's subordinates were all as ineffective as this, they would've been fired in the second month of work.

Luke said amusedly, "So, he's belittling us."

Selina was even more confused. "Why?"

Luke said, "There's an ancient saying in China: Those who are too outstanding tend to be hated by mediocre people. We cracked a major case and got promoted on our first day of work. What would Brock think? He isn't Robert."

Selina was still confused. "Isn't it good to have capable subordinates like us?"

Luke chuckled. "Do you think it's good to have a subordinate who gets promoted fast and who doesn't need to listen to you?"

After a brief daze, Selina was enlightened. "I get it now. People in the big city are so complicated."

Luke said, "It's only natural. More boring stuff will be waiting for us when we become the most distinguished partners in the Major Crimes Division."

Selina asked, "What kind of stuff?"

Luke didn't answer the question. He knew that Brock was the trusted subordinate of the department head, and that Thomas was hoping to be the new head of the department. Thus, they were at loggerheads.

Hence, Thomas might have had another reason for placing them in the Major Crimes Division.

Luke kept this from Selina because she was too innocent to understand that; it would only make her feel awful.

The two of them drove back home.

Selina complained, "I'm not used to this place. There aren't any training rooms in the police station. Do we have to find a gym?"

Pondering for a moment, Luke nodded. "Let's wait and see. It would be best if we can find a martial arts club that has individual rooms."

Selina said bitterly, "But we'll have to spend more money."

Luke was amused. "Don't forget that we were promoted today. Our salary will be enough to cover the membership fee."

Selina thought for a moment and realized that it did make sense, and started to happily watch TV.

Back home, she would have a bunch of chores to do, like washing clothes, doing dishes, or looking after her younger siblings.

Although she didn't have to do them every day, she never got any peace.

Coming here and sharing a place with Luke, he didn't care what she did. She could watch soap operas and read gossip all day long.

Luke sat down on the other side of the sofa and continued reading the case file.

Half an hour later, Luke put down the file. Selina simply asked, "So?"

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Chapter 66: Dinner with an Unexpected Guest

With his eyes closed, Luke shook his head. "To put it simply, an officer from our department named Matt went missing during his holiday in Laquin. Our department intends to take part in the case out of concern for the police officer."

Selina was unconvinced. "Why would the Laquin police department allow Houston to investigate in their territory? Which idiot came up with such an idea?"

Luke glanced at her and said, "Don't say that to any outsider, because the idiot is our big boss, Deputy Chief Thomas."

Selina stuck out her tongue, knowing that it wouldn't end well for her if she talked like that outside.

Luke continued, "However, you're not wrong. The Laquin police department refused any suggestion of a joint investigation. Also, Laquin hasn't been enthusiastic about the investigation because of it. It's been a month, and there's been little progress. This case will likely become buried in the archive room along with the other cold cases."

Selina kicked around on the sofa angrily with her long, tanned legs. "Damn it. What can we do?"

Openly appreciating her long legs, Laquin said, "It's clear what Brock's intention is: He expects us to stay in Laquin for a month. By the time we come back, people will have forgotten what we did. It was Thomas who sent us to the Major Crimes Division, and Brock can't do anything to us openly. So, he can only use this to delay us."

Selina understood perfectly. She rolled her eyes and asked, "Thomas is our support? How is he connected to Robert?"

Luke smiled. "He and Robert are old comrades. However, we aren't his kids, after all. So, at best, he can only ensure that we aren't maliciously suppressed. We have to work out everything else on our own. If we go to Thomas in private for this, everybody in the Major Crimes Division will hate us."

Selina was curious. "Why?"

Luke said, "Would you like a subordinate or colleague who snitches whenever something goes wrong? Don't go to Thomas if you don't want to become everyone's enemy."

Selina nodded.

Luke reminded her again, "Don't tell anyone what we discussed today, including our connection to Thomas. You have to remember that."

Selina nodded.

She was already used to listening to Luke, because Luke was always right.

Having worked together with Luke for a few months, she felt that Luke was more like thirty than nineteen. He was like a big brother to her.

"Are we really going to investigate the case in Laquin?" asked Selina.

They wouldn't have any jurisdiction in Laquin. Even private detectives would find it easier to do the job.

Private detectives could resort to a lot of gray methods, but if Luke and Selina did the same, they would lose their jobs.

Luke nodded. "We'll set off tomorrow. We won't lose anything even if we don't find anything. Just consider it a trip."

Selina realized that it did make sense, which put her in a better mood.

Having just been promoted, she felt great, and paid Brock's little trick no mind.

After all, she had been promoted twice since she started cooperating with Luke. She was more than satisfied.

Luke cooked in the evening again.

They weren't expecting to discover anything in Laquin, so Luke was rather relaxed, too.

He was less passionate about the promotion than Selina was.

His Super Detective System was more suitable for fieldwork; it wouldn't be much help if he became a leader.

So, it wasn't a bad idea to slow down the rate of his advancement.

Brock's trick wasn't an outrageous one. He wouldn't hate Brock for it.

However, Brock and he would never be friends, either. They would only remain colleagues.

Luke had enough time to prepare today, so he simply drove out and bought a bunch of stuff from the supermarket. Then, he got busy in the kitchen.

Selina was most shocked to see the food on the table when he was done. "…You really learned how to cook, didn't you?"

Selina hadn't been surprised at the food mix that Luke had made last night, because it wasn't very hard.

However, Luke had made two proper dishes today, along with two bowls of fried rice with egg.

Every grain of rice was covered in egg wash, so the fried rice was a pleasant gold color.

The dishes were also simple: They were sugared peppers and beef slices, and fried eggs and tomatoes.

Well, fried rice with egg and fried eggs and tomatoes seemed like a weird combination, but Luke liked tomatoes, and Selina certainly wouldn't object.

Luke had just put the dishes on the table, when someone knocked on the door.

Luke and Selina looked at each other, both finding it odd.

They had just moved here, and weren't familiar with their colleagues or neighbors. Why would anyone visit them?

Selina volunteered to open the door. After all, Luke had cooked for them.

She exclaimed in surprise when she saw the visitor. "It's you? Why are you here?"

Luke looked over and noticed a woman wearing a hat and an awkward smile. "Hello, thank you for your help yesterday."

It was none other than Carol.

Luke said quickly, "Come in first. Selina, close the door."

A moment later, Luke, Selina and Carol were staring at each other, all lost for words.

As the aroma of food wafted over, Carol's stomach suddenly growled. She lowered her head in embarrassment.

After a brief silence, Luke offered, "Do you want to eat with us?" It was a habitual question that Chinese people often asked, and in most cases, it was only a formality.

However, Carol nodded quickly. She was already swallowing her saliva.

Selina was rather worried. Would her share of the food be stolen?

Luke fetched another bowl, fork and spoon, and filled the empty bowl with half of his fried rice. He said, "Let's have dinner first."

In the end… Luke wasn't full.

He had prepared dinner for two. With a starving Carol here, the food wasn't nearly enough.

How much could Carol eat? Considering that her ability was basic self-healing, the answer was obvious.

Such a physical ability had to be sustained with food, unless there were other ways of replenishing energy.

For example, Luke had to consume a tremendous amount of food when allocating his stat points.

Carol had come back to life yesterday; there was no telling how long she had gone hungry for.

In the end, Luke had to offer her the high-calorie chocolates that he had previously bought for dessert.

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Chapter 67: Help, Survival, and Dollar

Carol finally came back to her senses after her crazy binge fest. She was embarrassed, but she didn't stop chewing. A few minutes later, she was already on her fourth bar of chocolate.

Luke made himself green tea which he had just bought from the supermarket.

Selina enjoyed her Dr. Pepper, and Carol had a can of energy drink.

Sipping the tea, Luke asked, "Ms. Carol, what brings you here?"

Carol stopped eating and lowered her head. "Nothing… actually, I just wanted to thank you in person."

Luke remarked, "But the FBI is chasing you, and you may be discovered if you come looking for me. It wasn't a wise decision."

Carol hesitated. "I… I don't know where I can go."

Luke was silent for a while. After much thought, he eventually made a decision. "Carol, it probably wouldn't have ended too badly for you if the FBI team had caught you yesterday, but you might've wanted to kill yourself if it had been the military."

Carol exclaimed and looked at him suspiciously.

Not planning to explain himself, Luke continued, "You're a mutant, aren't you?"

Carol stood up quickly and stepped back in a defensive pose.

Luke continued calmly, "Don't be shocked. It was just a random guess. Now, I'm going to ask you some questions, and you have to answer them honestly. Then, I'll tell you a way out of this. Are you okay with that?"

Carol hesitated for a moment, but nodded. As an ordinary girl, it was impossible for her to deal with a situation like this.

Luke pointed at the sofa. "You can sit down."

Carol sat down obediently.

Luke asked, "Actually, we looked into your shooting, so we have basic information on you. Can you tell me why you went after the Mexican gang?"

Carol gnashed her teeth. "They were the ones who tried to kill me. I know the person who killed me. His name's Franco. He was with the manager."

Luke asked, "Why did he kill you?"

Carol replied, "I caught them moving drugs to the warehouse in the back when I was getting off work. I was terrified and ran off, but they saw me. I called in sick for three days. Then, Franco broke into my apartment and killed me."

Selina found it weird to listen to a living person talk about how she was killed.

Luke asked, "Why did you go to the warehouse after that?"

Carol said, "For revenge. I wanted to kill Franco if I could find him, and burn the goods if they were still there."

Luke was amazed by the woman's vindictiveness.

So far, Carol's confession fitted the information he had.

But Luke still asked, "Where did you find the courage to seek revenge? They just murdered you."

After a brief hesitation, Carol said, "I don't know, but I realized that my body had changed after I woke up. I was strong and fast."

Luke understood.

Although self-healing only seemed to be about the body's recovery, Luke knew of a lot of other mutants who had such an ability.

Sabretooth, Wolverine, Lady Deathstrike and Deadpool were all experts in melee fights.

It would be weird if the self-healing ability didn't improve Carol's physical attributes.

Carol's X-gene had probably been awakened when she had been near death, and had given her the self-healing ability. She wasn't familiar with her ability yet, or Luke wouldn't have been able to defeat her so easily.

But of course, her current performance was already pretty good.

Carol was a young girl who weighed no more than forty kilograms, but she could easily jump three meters high.

Luke nodded. "Alright, I have no further questions. There's now only one way out for you. Find Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in Winchester, New York, and ask Professor X to take you in. Then you'll be safe."

Carol was stunned. "Youngsters?"

Luke couldn't help but smile. "I've read your file. It's true that you're 23, but you can still turn to them since you've only just awakened your power. After all, they need teachers to teach the students. Everybody in the school is a mutant. Nobody will look down on you."

Carol found it hard to believe. "Really? Does such a place really exist?"

Luke nodded. "Your only problem is getting to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters safely. Actually, it's an open secret to many organizations. The FBI agents who tried to catch you must have people watching the school all the time."

Carol was immediately upset.

Luke thought for a moment and went to his room. Soon, he returned with a pile of cash.

He gave the money to Carol and said, "Here's about eight thousand dollars. Take the money and choose roads that don't have security cameras. Don't enter any big city in case there's surveillance. Also, after you reach New York, you mustn't approach Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters recklessly. My suggestion is that you observe it from afar until some of the school's more powerful mutants come out. Then, you can ask for their help. Professor X is called Charles. He's… supposedly a bald old man in a wheelchair right now. Storm is a young female with white hair, Cyclops is a young man wearing special goggles, and Dark Phoenix is another young female."

Selina and Carol were both dumbfounded.

A moment later, Selina asked, "Why… Why do you know so much? Are you…"

Luke shook his head. "I'm not a mutant, but don't forget Robert."

Selina was enlightened. "Oh, Robert knows so many people. You found out from him?"

Luke smiled and said to Carol, who was still dazed, "Remember, stealth is the most important. You must know how tricky the FBI is. You won't get away again if they catch you."

Staring at the cash in her hand, Carol finally asked, "Why… Why are you helping me?"

She subconsciously glimpsed at Selina.

Selina was a hot Latino girl and a police officer. She was both sexy and smart.

Carol, in comparison, was just a regular girl. In terms of physical appeal, she was at least one level lower than Selina.

Luke couldn't be helping her because she was beautiful.

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Chapter 68: Misty Town (5 in 1)

Pondering for a moment, Luke said, "I'm a police officer. I know that the FBI is chasing you because of your X-gene. You're just a victim who did nothing wrong. You're innocent. I don't want to sacrifice an innocent person for my promotion. It's a matter of principle."

Carol fell silent again and felt like crying.

The last few days had been hellish for her.

She had been shot by a burglar in her own apartment and had woken up in a morgue. Terrified, she ran away.

Insuppressible fury had prompted her to get back at the Mexican gangsters, but she had nearly been caught by the FBI agents who had accidentally gotten involved in the fight.

In the end, Luke had let her go, and had even offered her a way to survive.

Luke was a young office who could only earn fifty to sixty thousand dollars annually. Considering his own expenses, eight thousand bucks was already a lot.

It was obvious that Luke had just started working. The eight thousand bucks was likely his entire savings. Yet, he had given it to a complete stranger.

Were there really guys as good as this in the world?

Carol was at a loss.

Luke had no idea what Carol was thinking as he taught her disguise and stealth tricks.

His abilities from Salazar were now more suitable for Carol to use.

It wasn't until three hours later that he finally stopped his lecture.

"However much you remember, you can only count on yourself now," said Luke. "Leave while it's still dark."

Carol was a lot calmer this time.

She had only come here to say thanks.

However, she had received unexpected help.

She had a destination and hope for the future. She was no longer as overwhelmed as before.

If she had had a destination before, she wouldn't have sought revenge on the Mexican gangsters, but would've stayed as far away from them as possible.

She stood up and bowed to Luke solemnly. "Thank you. You're a good guy."

Luke was rather depressed.

That didn't sound right – it was what someone said to the next character to die in a movie!

Carol didn't say anything else, and left the house after one final glance at Luke.

Watching the girl disappear, Luke sighed. "Good luck. This is the best I can do for you." He then closed the door.

Selina had had a lovely night. She had eaten a great meal, though it had been shared with a third person, and had heard tremendous inside information. She had also watched Luke teach a student. She was quite satisfied.

After Luke closed the door, he waved at her. "Get up. It's time to work."

Selina was stunned. "Huh?"

"Clean up the room. Make sure no traces of Carol are left. I don't want the FBI agents to notice me," said Luke as he grabbed the cleaning tools.

Selina pulled a long face.

So, there was a price to pay for the gossip and inside information.

As Luke cleaned, he thought about Carol.

As he had said, that was the best he could do for her.

Letting her go, giving her some money, and offering her a way out were the only things he could do.

He wasn't capable of more.

Cheney himself was trouble, and New York was an even bigger maelstrom that Luke preferred not to get involved in right now.

He had acquired Carol's ability, and had tried his best to help her in return. The girl's future now depended on her own luck and capabilities.

Luke and Selina cleaned the room. As police officers, they were most familiar with dealing with a crime scene.

Nothing of Carol, like her fingerprints or hair, remained in this room.

It was already eleven at night by the time they were done. They each took a shower and went to bed.

The next day, Luke and Selina set off in their car.

Laquin was four hundred kilometers northeast of Houston. It was a relatively remote city.

Three hours later, they switched places. Fifty kilometers away from Laquin, they entered a small town.

The town was called Rumford. It seemed to be a lot livelier than Shackelford.

Luke observed the town and felt that it wouldn't be a bad place for a holiday if Laquin turned out to be too boring later.

The town had wonderful views, and prices here weren't as high as those in big cities.

Selina, on the other hand, asked as she drove the car, "Do you see a public toilet? I need to pee."

Looking out the window, Luke pointed and said, "There's a supermarket over there."

Selina turned the wheel and drove over. "Rumford is no more enjoyable than Shackelford."

Luke chuckled.

Selina was hot and beautiful, but she had the temper of a child. It was only natural that she would find "traveling" in such a remote and unremarkable place disappointing.

Under the bright morning light, they parked the car in the lot next to the supermarket.

Selina went to the bathroom in a hurry.

Staring at the crowd around the supermarket entrance from the car, Luke found it weird.

Those people were all carrying big bags out of the supermarket, as if everything in the supermarket was on sale.

A few people were talking to each other as they passed by the car. Luke finally learned that a storm last night had destroyed a lot of facilities nearby, including houses, cars, electric wires, telephone wires, and even the cell towers.

Luke took out his phone, only to discover that it had no signal. He tried calling 911, but the call failed.

He wasn't too bothered.

They were only passing by. It would be fine as long as Laquin wasn't like this.

Luke heard sirens and looked back. A long line of vehicles rushed down the road.

There were fire engines, ambulances, maintenance cars, and even military trucks.

From the townsfolk passing by, he learned that there was a military base on the mountain nearby, and he didn't pay it much mind.

There were too many such bases in America for it to be surprising. The townsfolk didn't find it unusual, either.

Ten minutes later, Selina returned. She said, half-complaining and half-explaining, "My goodness, there were so many people in the bathroom. It's like a battlefield. A kid nearly wet himself."

Luke frowned. "Are you sure that he only wet himself?"

Selina laughed. "Of course! He was only peeing. Alright, let's go!"

Suddenly, the most earsplitting alarm rang out.

They heard shocked exclamations and turned their heads, only to see an oppressive fog flow down the mountain.

The townspeople started running in a panic. Many subconsciously rushed to the supermarket.

An old man also cried out in horror as he bled from his mouth and nose.

Selina didn't quite catch what he was saying, but Luke heard him.

"Monsters! There are monsters in the fog!" the old man screamed as he ran past them.

Frowning, Luke drove the car to the supermarket and said, "Selina, bring out all our ammo, weapons and flak jackets."

As a prudent man who considered safety the most important thing, Luke was always prepared.

Even though he was on a trip, he had brought all the necessary equipment, as well as even more bullets than he usually carried.

Without any hesitation, Selina packed up the things in the car.

Actually, there wasn't much to pack.

Their backup gear was stored in two bags, one containing the guns and bullets, and the other the flak jackets. All she needed to do was take them out.

Luke had already driven the car to one side of the supermarket, and he parked practically right up to the glass wall.

Grabbing the two bags, he and Selina quickly entered the supermarket.

Selina hadn't noticed yet, but Luke had vaguely detected screams coming from the massive fog.

However, few people could hear it as the screams were drowned out by the alarm.

He even saw someone caught by what looked like gigantic pincers in the fog when it reached him.

The dreadful pincers were more than five meters long.

Luke doubted that his gun would be able to deal with such gargantuan creatures. It would be safer to hide and observe from inside the building first.

Soon after they entered the supermarket, the panicked clerks shut the doors.

Everybody inside the supermarket finally heard the screams of victims in the fog. The old man who had arrived earlier was still crying "monsters," adding to everyone's fear.

Their faces looked awful as the fog flooded the town, enveloped the supermarket, and blocked everything that could be seen.

"It must be because the factories to the west exploded. This is the poisonous smog from the factories," someone murmured.

Luke laughed at the theory.

The fog didn't have a chemical smell to it; it was a natural fog, which carried the scent of grass and the forest.

It also carried a hint of blood, which belonged to the victims who had just been killed.

Luke grabbed Selina and gave her a warning in a low voice.

The gargantuan creature he had seen would be able to easily destroy the supermarket's glass wall up front.

So, it wasn't safe to stay next to the glass wall.

At that moment, there was the start of an earthquake.

Caught unprepared, many people fell to the floor. The whole supermarket was a mess.

Luke helped Selina regain her balance and slapped away a lamp that fell toward him.

The earthquake stopped no more than twenty seconds later.

The supermarket hadn't collapsed, although some items had fallen to the floor. Luke was rather relieved.

If their hideout collapsed at such a critical moment, it would've been tricky.

As lousy as the supermarket might be, it was a concrete building, after all. All the walls were made of concrete, except for the glass wall at the front.

At the very least, they wouldn't need to worry that a pair of pincers would appear out of nowhere while they were hiding here.

The panic caused by the earthquake soon faded, but something else depressing happened. The power went out.

Luke learned from the clerks that the supermarket had been running electricity from its own generator since that morning.

The generator might've been damaged by the earthquake just now.

Pulling Selina along with him, Luke found a short man who was addressed as the boss. "You're going to examine the generator, right?"

The boss looked at him, finding it odd. He nodded. "Yes. We need electricity for both the lights and the ventilation system, or the people in here will suffocate."

Luke proposed, "We'll go with you."

The boss was dazed. "Huh?"

Luke took out his badge. "We're detectives from Houston. We're on our way to Laquin on business. I think we can give you a hand."

The boss was relieved when he saw the badge.

Although this wasn't Houston's jurisdiction, the detectives were professionals who would be better at dealing with emergencies than civilians.

He nodded quickly and called for the two clerks.

Another man saw them and said that he was willing to join, too.

Luke had no objection. There were always volunteers.

On his way, Luke found two large-sized cargo vests on the shelf. He threw one to Selina.

The boss looked at him suspiciously.

Luke smiled. "Don't worry, I'll pay for them."

The boss believed him. He didn't think that two detectives would steal something that was worth no more than a hundred dollars.

Everyone introduced themselves.

The boss was called Olly.

One of the clerks, who was in his forties, was Jim. He was responsible for maintaining the generator.

The other clerk was a teenager named Norton, who had been summoned to help with the maintenance.

The volunteer was David. He was a painter who had been creating new works on a nearby mountain.

However, the storm last night had destroyed his house on the mountain and had cut the power, and the only thing he could do was leave the mountain with his wife and son.

The team reached the basement, which was completely dark.

Olly turned on the flashlight in his hand.

Thankfully, flashlights were available because they were in a supermarket.

The two clerks also turned on their flashlights and looked around.

Jim walked to a corner, where the generator was protected behind iron bars.

He observed it for a moment, then shouted, "Olly, I can't see anything wrong. I'll try to restart the generator."

Olly wasn't an expert on generators, either. He was naturally on board.

Jim restarted the generator, and the lights in the basement turned on.

Everybody was relieved.

Going without power in this sort of situation was pretty terrible.

Jim, however, sniffed and said, "Something smelly is blocking the vent. Norton, I'll open the door. You go out and clear out the filth."

Norton nodded. "No problem."

David couldn't help but intervene. "Wait, you're sending this child out? It's dangerous in the mist."

Jim was angry. "What danger? The vent is right next to the door. He won't be far off. Besides, if the vent is blocked, everybody will suffocate."

David shook his head again. "I don't think we should let the boy risk himself. Bad air quality isn't really the problem."

Jim scoffed. "You make a lot more money than we do, but we don't need you to teach us how to do things. Norton, are you ready?"

Olly, however, also hesitated. "Jim, why don't we let it go? We have electricity anyway. It's not a big problem that the vent is blocked."

But Jim was stubborn. "I don't want to be haunted by this smell. Norton, I'll open the door. Whenever you're ready."

"Alright," said Norton eagerly.

The boy clearly thought of it as an adventure.

He had been moving things in the warehouse when the fog came, and hadn't witnessed it for himself. Thus, he wasn't scared, and only felt that it was fun.

While they were arguing, Luke dragged Selina away and took out the flak jackets from the bag, and the both of them put the jackets on.

In the end, they covered the flak jackets with the vests Luke had taken, hiding the "HPD" on their backs.

After they were done, Selina nudged Luke, asking if they should intervene.

Luke gestured subtly at her. She quickly understood and stayed on alert far away from the door.

Jim activated the roller door at the basement exit, and it rolled up around half a meter.

Norton called for him to stop and crouched down as he observed the scene outside.

The white fog slowly flowed in.

Suddenly, Luke sensed something and sprinted forward as quick as lightning. He grabbed Norton's collar and threw him into a pile of dog food several meters back.

In the meantime, Luck backed off quickly and stared at the gap under the door.

Stunned for a moment, Jim was about to curse out loud, when an enormous tentacle lashed out of the fog and reached under the door.

Olly and David both stepped back in fear.

The tentacle was unbelievably huge.

What could be seen inside the basement was already longer than five meters. In addition to a pointy end, the tentacle was at least twenty centimeters in diameter.

More dreadfully, there were rows of barbs on the tentacle.

It wasn't hard to imagine how the barbs would pierce prey, making escape impossible as the tentacle wrapped about it.

Luke narrowed his eyes and looked around. He then hurled a rebar crowbar at the tentacle.

The sharp rebar immediately nailed the tentacle to the ground.

In pain, the tentacle was about to retreat.

Luke, however, grabbed the fire axe on the wall and threw it at the tentacle again.

Thanks to his enormous strength, the axe cut half of the tentacle off. It struggled to break free of the injured bit, and retreated.

The severed barbed tentacle was still contracting on the ground.

Everybody was too shocked by the brief yet intense battle to say anything.

Luke opened his mouth. "Jim, shut the door."

Jim was still dazed. "Huh? Okay. Alright."

Several seconds later, the roller door descended again, temporarily blocking out the danger.

Luke picked up the axe and chopped the tentacle again.

The severed tentacle contracted and writhed like a bug.

Then, the pointy end of the tentacle opened like a mouth, and a greenish black fluid spurted out.

Luke backed off quickly after chopping the tentacle, for fear that it would spew the disgusting fluid at him.

When the tentacle finally stopped moving, he looked at everyone and said, "David is right. There are dangerous monsters in the fog. Do you agree?"

How could they disagree? The chopped tentacle was still here.

Had it not been for Luke, Norton would've probably been killed.

"Let's go back," said Luke as he moved. "Since there are monsters outside, we'll have to deal with the glass wall at the front of the supermarket."

Picturing how the glass wall would shatter before the gigantic tentacle, everybody nodded.

"Olly, it's not a problem for you to move the dog food upstairs, is it?" Luke asked again.

Dazed for a moment, Olly looked at the bags of dog food, then understood Luke's intention. "No. Actually, there are also leftover tubes and planks from when we refurbished the toilets. We also have…"

Luke interrupted him. "All of that can work. Ask Jim and Norton to haul them up and try to shore up the glass wall. Also, find the prominent people here and ask for their help. Make sure that the women and children stay far away from the glass wall. Is that clear?"

Olly listened and nodded.

As the manager of a supermarket, he was best at handling such affairs.

The employees of the supermarket got to work.

Olly was even busier than they were.

He had to dispatch people to move the dog food and other items that could shore up the glass wall. He also had to talk to the town's important people and get them to convince the crowd that it would be better to hide at the back of the supermarket.

As the manager of the supermarket, he was the most familiar with the town's residents, so he was the most suitable person for the task.

Luke talked to David and asked the warmhearted painter to help, too.

In the basement just now, he had been opposed to Jim's risky plan.

He would certainly be helpful in maintaining order here.

Luke and Selina, on the other hand, examined their guns and bullets and had food and water in an inconspicuous corner.

Luke seized the opportunity to observe everything.

He had to pay attention to special people in such a situation, including the paranoid ones and the troublemakers.

Those people always appeared in desperate times.

Human beings were strange creatures.

In desperate times, some would struggle to resist and die before they gave up, but some would collapse before anything happened to them, and only wanted other people to die with them.

The latter were always the most destructive.

They would sabotage the unity and harmony of the situation.

Now that Luke was here, he certainly didn't want these people to cause trouble.

He and Selina hadn't revealed their identities precisely in order to pick out these people.

The supermarket was a mess. Now and then, there were screams and fights.

Most were the subconscious reactions of people in a panic, but some weren't.

A middle-aged woman in her forties was announcing that this was God's judgment, and that he was punishing those who didn't revere him.

Luke gestured subtly at Selina.

They walked over, and Selina grabbed the woman. "Wow, you're a believer, too? I need your guidance."

As she spoke, they dragged the woman away.

Luke had no time to talk to the woman, and simply knocked out the annoying psycho after they left the crowd. "Throw her inside the toilets."

Selina threw the idiotic woman inside a toilet cubicle and shut the door.

The supermarket was still in chaos, even without the woman causing a disturbance, but people were starting to take action under Olly's command.

Bags of dog food were piled behind the glass wall, which was also fortified with planks and tubes.

It was a shame that there was only just so much dog food. As a result, they could only block the other half of the glass wall with shelves and the items on them.

An empty area several meters wide was cleared in front of the glass wall.

Luke then summoned Olly, Jim, Norton and David to discuss the next plan.

Two women followed them.

One was Allyn, the headmistress of the school in town. She was an old and kindly gray-haired lady.

The other was Amanda, a teacher from the same school. She was a young blond woman.

Luke shook their hands with a smile. "It's great to have you here. We need to relocate the children and weak women to the office in case they get hurt in the mayhem. You'll look after the children."

Both women were surprised, but then felt that it was necessary.

Allyn said worriedly, "But I don't think the parents will let us look after their children."

Luke said, "Bring the children with their mothers first. If they're too reluctant, don't force them. This is only meant to reduce unnecessary chaos, and to protect the children and women."

Although it wasn't perfect, everybody felt that this was the best solution.

Luke then said to David, "Find several reliable men and block the hallway leading to the office with shelves and the like in case anything tries to break into the office."

David nodded quickly.

The office was much safer than the hallway, which had few places to hide. Since his wife and son were with him, he was naturally willing to agree to this arrangement.

Luke looked at Olly and Jim and said, "I saw tubes and sticks in the basement just now. Try to fashion them into stakes and give them to the men who are willing to protect their families."

Everybody looked grim, as if they had a premonition.

Gazing at them, Luke sighed. "I wish I could say that everything will go well, but I think it's better to be prepared than to simply wait for your fate without doing anything, right?"

Everybody nodded in silence and got to work.

Fortunately, no monsters attacked the supermarket until nightfall.

Luke and Selina sat in a corner, where there was a tiny window for ventilation.

Luke opened the window slightly to listen to what was going on outside.

Most of the time, it was utter silence. But occasionally, there were sounds of rustling and chewing.

That meant that the monsters wandering around inside the fog weren't of the same kind, and were hunting each other.

It wasn't a bad outcome, but it certainly wasn't a good one, either.

Suddenly, Luke frowned and said, "Who turned on the light outside the supermarket? Olly, turn it off!"

Olly said regretfully, "It's automatically activated every day. Where's the switch? Jim, turn it off now."

Jim acknowledged the task and ran to the basement.

However, the light at the supermarket entrance was still on five minutes later.

Luke's expression was stern. He hinted at Selina to stay alert, before he rushed to the basement.

On his way to the basement, he saw Jim on the floor, moaning and holding his head.

He went over to Jim immediately. "What happened?"

"The moment I got here, someone bashed me in the head from behind," said Jim as he clutched his head in pain. "I smelled a weird fragrance."

Luke was gloomy. Weird fragrance? He remembered someone who had it.

Jim's head was bleeding. The heavy strike could've killed him.

"Let's talk about it later. How can I turn the light off?" He carried Jim into the basement.

Struggling against his headache, Jim pointed at a box and said, "Over there, the fourth and the fifth switches in the third row. They're white."

Luke asked, "Both of them?"

Jim replied, "One is for the lightboard and the other is for the smaller lights around it. Both of them have to be flipped off."

Luke flipped the switches off and picked up the walkie-talkie. "Selina, is the light off?"

Selina immediately responded, "Yes, but you better return quickly. The light just now attracted a lot of bugs."

Hearing that, Luke carried Jim back to the hall.

He gave Jim to Norton and spoke to David in a low voice. "Take care of the lunatic woman. She might have attacked Jim just now."

Shocked, David nodded and looked for her.

Luke finally reached the glass wall. He stared gravely at the dense insects on the glass that wasn't blocked by the bags of dog food.

Insects weren't scary, and regular ones wouldn't be able to break the tempered, thickened glass, either.

However, these particular insects were extraordinary. They were as huge as chickens and looked dangerous from every angle.

Luke shouted, "Everybody, turn off your flashlights, now!"

Although he didn't know what these insects were like, their very appearance proved that they were just as addicted to light as many other insects.

The supermarket had been completely dark until just now, and the blazing light had attracted the insects.

Thankfully, the bugs failed to break the glass wall.

As Luke was thinking this, a shadow that looked like a vulture broke out of the fog and leapt at the glass wall as it caught a bug.

More importantly, it caused an obvious crack in the glass.

Luke said calmly, "Turn off all the lights. Everybody, stay where you are and don't run about."

As he talked, he gestured to Selina.

Selina retreated ten meters behind him. It was her shooting position, a small fortress protected by shelves.

The flashlights quickly went off, but some were still on. Someone asked anxiously, "What's going on? I can't turn off my flashlight!"

That left Luke speechless.

Accidents could happen; it wasn't unusual for a person to be unable to find the button to turn off the flashlight when they were nervous.

Luke had no time to talk to them, and focused his attention on the glass wall.

With the sound of flapping, monsters the size of vultures, which looked like ancient pterosaurs, showed up to feed on the insects on the glass.

Finally, part of the glass wall cracked, but in a section that was blocked by the bags of dog food.

In the next moment, there was another crack. This time, it was in a section that wasn't covered by the dog food.

Most of the insects flew away, but some crawled in through the gaps and onto the shelves.

That was only natural.

There weren't enough items to block the supermarket's twenty meter-long glass wall anyway. It was already remarkable that they could block half of it with dog food.

Luke, who was nearby, grasped an alloy bat and swung it.

Cling! Cling!

Two bugs were knocked to the ground.

In terms of precision, Luke could now swing a bat so that it brushed past someone's nose dozens of times in a row without hurting them.

The ghost-like movements of the bat didn't stop, but lashed out twice more as Luke turned around.

Cling! Cling!

Four bugs were on the ground.

But they were still struggling.

Luke had purposefully held back his strength in case they splattered fluid when they were smashed.

Looking at the hole in the wall, he stuffed backup goods into it, such as shampoo, water and baby formula.

He glanced around to make sure that there weren't any other openings, before he then hit the struggling bugs again without making them explode.

"Olly, find some plastic boxes and store those bugs inside. Remember not to touch those bugs. Move them with brooms," Luke called out as he continued observing the situation.

Suddenly, his face changed.

A gigantic creature five meters tall charged out of the fog and bit the pterosaur-like monster that was on the front doors.

The glass immediately shattered.

As the supermarket's entrance, the doors were the least protected part of the glass wall. There was only a long wooden table in front of them, with heavy items pushed up against the table.

However, these things were but toys before the gigantic creature. They were shoved away to leave a huge gap behind.

The pterosaur-like monsters that were feeding on the bugs seemed terrified by the new monster. They flapped their wings and tried to fly into the gap.

Luke frowned but didn't say anything.

He wasn't sure that the big guy wouldn't notice him if he shouted out loud.

Five pterosaur-like monsters dashed in.

Luke made a free shooting gesture to Selina, before he charged forward with his bat and knocked out two pterosaur-like monsters on the edge.

Seeing that the monsters were still struggling vigorously, Luke exerted more strength and smashed their necks.

After two cracks, the monsters turned stiff.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Selina opened fire decisively, hitting the furthest pterosaur-like monster.

Luke chased the last two pterosaur-like monsters that had scattered.

They had crossed the empty area and were lunging at the people behind the shelf line.

Keeping his eye on the one closer to him, Luke followed the monster to the back of the shelves and smote it from below, flinging it back into the empty area when it tried to peck someone.

Although three pterosaur-monsters had been taken down, there was no time to celebrate as the last one had already rushed into the crowd.

Panicked, the folk cried and fled. Several people tried to resist, but could barely keep their balance as the others ran about in a mess.

Luke ran over quickly and knocked away several people in his path. He reached the monster just as it was pressing down on a woman's neck and about to bite her.

Luke's bat immediately hit the monster in the neck again.

The pterosaur-like monster fell and lost the strength to struggle.

However, the crowd was a mess. They were all screaming and running.

With no time to take care of them, Luke ran off immediately.

The screams in the supermarket had caught the giant monster's attention. It stretched its head in and glanced around in confusion.

With its enormous strength, it pushed the blockade at the entrance away.

The monster seemed to be trying to crawl in.

When Luke returned in a hurry, a man was backing off and waving a long spear randomly.

Luke grabbed the spear and threw it with all of his strength.

Puchi!

With a dull noise, the long spear sank into the monster's head.

It was a shame that Luke had never practiced the javelin, and the spear was just a pointy pipe. So, his attack failed to kill the monster in one go.

The monster screamed and abruptly retreated from the door.

Luke, on the other hand, didn't panic. He kicked at the tubes on the ground and picked up a few.

Rushing to the open door, Luke stood straight and hurled more tubes.

Three pointed tubes flew out one after another, boosted by Luke's enormous strength, and hit the monster in three spots from the chest to the head.

The monster screamed miserably and fell after retreating ten meters.

The three tubes were far heavier than the first spear. When Luke attacked with his full strength, they penetrated the monster's head and abdomen, causing fatal injury.

Ignoring the monster, Luke backed off and pulled back the table that had been pushed away. Sticking it back into the hole, he shouted, "Give me the tubes!"

Some of the braver people brought several tubes to him.

Luke crossed them and stacked them against the table. Finally relieved, he gazed at the enormous monster outside through the gap.

The monster was roaring, but was too heavily wounded to get back to its feet.

Everybody was finally relieved.

However, a pair of huge pincers suddenly appeared in the mist and grabbed the roaring monster before retreating.

After a few cracking sounds, it fell silent.

The earth shook slightly as an even greater monster left.

Everybody was pale.

Compared with this monster, which had only revealed its pincers, the five meter-long monster was only a chicken at most.

But probably because it was too huge, the terrifying monster wasn't interested in the ants in the supermarket, and left with the body of the first monster.

Luke said to the few people nearby with a forbidding look, "Tell them to stop crying. Nobody will survive if the monster just now is attracted by the sound."

Sweating hard, they rushed away.

The screams in the supermarket finally died down. The children were appeased by their parents, and the noisy ones were brought to the bathroom.

The bathroom was safe and soundproof. They could cry however much they wanted there.

After that incident, everybody in the supermarket became cautious.

Other than the office and the bathroom, the supermarket was completely silent.

Luke wiped at his sweat, half because he was exhausted and half because he was terrified.

The last monster had been too dreadful. He estimated that it could be twenty meters long.

The consequences would be unimaginable if such a monster broke into the supermarket.

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Chapter 69: Rescue (4 in 1)

Selina reached out to give him a towel. She asked in a low voice, "Do you want to get some rest?"

Luke nodded and walked into their self-made fort in the corner. He wiped his sweat.

Suddenly, he heard someone mumbling something in one corner.

He turned his head, only to see a flashlight in the corner and a middle-aged woman who was preaching enthusiastically.

Listening to her for a moment, Luke cursed in a low voice. "Bulls*it!"

The middle-aged woman was that very psycho whom they had knocked out and thrown into the bathroom yesterday.

She was also likely the person who had assaulted Jim and tried to stop him from turning off the light outside.

Now, the woman was preaching her theory about God's punishment again.

Luke rummaged around in a basket and found an orange.

He weighed it in his hand, and feeling that it was just right, he threw it out.

Swoosh!

The woman was saying, "…Read the bible. We've desecrated God for too long. Today, he wants us to pay with blood for what we did. It's time to take a stance. A blood sacrifice, just like how Abraham was ready to sacrifice his only son to prove his devotion to God…"

Bang!

An object flew over in the darkness, and the woman's head jerked back as it hit her right in the mouth.

The object exploded and splattered on the audience.

Everybody was stunned. They touched the fluid on their faces, and were relieved after confirming that it wasn't blood.

They looked at what had exploded in the woman's mouth. It turned out to be a huge orange.

They looked around, only to see nothing but darkness as well as the amused expressions of those who had been staring at them.

Putong!

The middle-aged woman collapsed.

She really wasn't a Chosen One. The impact from the orange was too much for her, and she simply passed out.

Luke put his hand back into his pocket and whistled as he strode over to the fort.

Selina chuckled silently and kissed his cheek when he sat down. She praised him in a low voice. "Darling, you did a marvelous job."

Luke shrugged. "Nonsense. The orange did it."

After the disgusting psycho was knocked out by the orange, the supermarket fell into silence.

After a day of panic and fear, everyone was exhausted.

Luke had to rest, and Selina stayed alert.

He didn't trust anyone but Selina in such a situation.

After three hours of sleep, Luke woke up.

He patted a tired Selina and said, "I'm up. You can get some rest."

Selina immediately lay down next to him and covered herself in a blanket. She soon fell asleep.

Hearing the occasional noise outside the supermarket, Luke was deep in thought.

Staying here wasn't going to work out.

This was just a small town.

He had been told that communications here were down. The rumors about the military base that he was hearing in the supermarket also hinted at how complicated this matter was.

Luke didn't plan to bet his life on the military officials' sense of conscience. He had to leave if he wanted to survive.

However, it was too risky to drive away now.

A car couldn't protect him and Selina from the enormous monster that they had seen.

Getting out of here was going to be a tough problem.

He thought hard for a long while.

Someone suddenly approached him stealthily.

Luke noticed that it was a woman.

She leaned close and said in a low voice, "Thank you for saving me last night."

Luke nodded. He finally remembered who she was.

She was the person who had been caught and nearly killed by the pterosaur-like monster.

She was around thirty. Her clothes weren't eye-catching, but Luke recognized that they belonged to a niche luxury brand and were worth at least a thousand dollars apiece.

The expensive women's watch on her wrist also hinted at her wealth.

Her carefully trimmed hair and nails were proof, too.

"My name is Alice Miller." She sat down next to Luke and continued in a low voice, "I'm a CEO of a major company."

Seeing that Luke wasn't interested, she hesitated for a moment, but still said, "You're quite strong. I was hoping that you can save my daughter."

Luke raised his eyebrows. "Outside? Hehe. I don't want to get killed."

"I can give you a lot of money," Alice offered. "How about a hundred grand?"

Luke shook his head. "Mrs. Miller, money is useless when you're dead."

With a heavy heart, Alice raised her offer. "Two… No, five hundred grand. I can sign an agreement first. As long as you get my daughter out, you'll be able to withdraw the money from my account."

Luke shook his head without any hesitation. "Sorry. Not interested."

Alice's face collapsed, and tears flowed down her face. "My daughter is only eight. She's been alone at home for half a day…"

Luke was amused. "Mrs. Miller, forgive my bluntness, but it's hard to say how many people outside this supermarket are still alive. I'm not rubbing it in; how can we rescue your daughter when we can barely take care of ourselves?"

Alice had been angry until she heard "take care of ourselves."

She leaned in even closer and said, "What if I can get us out of here?"

Luke raised his eyebrow. "Tell me about it."

Alice said, "There's a chopper in my backyard."

Luke was stunned. "Are you kidding?"

Helicopters weren't unusual, but they would certainly be unusual in such a small town.

Alice said, "You can ask anyone. Everyone knows that I always come here in a chopper. Don't forget that I'm a CEO of a major company. I can afford a chopper."

Frowning, Luke pondered for a moment, then said, "I need to think. I'll give you a reply before dawn."

Alice hesitated for a moment. She then said, "The sooner, the better. My daughter barely moves due to autism, but she might look for food or go to the toilet. I'm afraid…"

Luke nodded his head.

Alice finally left.

Frowning, Luke woke up Selina and told her Alice's offer.

After two minutes of discussion, they decided that they should find the chopper.

That was, if this Alice did have a chopper.

Selina rose and slipped into the office. She found several women who were awake and asked them about the chopper.

Luke found Olly and several clerks and checked Alice's statement with them.

As it turned out, Alice wasn't lying.

It was true that she often flew her helicopter on vacation here with her daughter.

Besides, her house was only five hundred meters from the supermarket.

Luke was tempted.

Instead of waiting for reinforcements here, he preferred to find a way out on his own.

The greatest advantage of a helicopter was that it could fly.

There might be monsters in the sky, but from Luke's observation, there wasn't much noise in the air.

It seemed that the bugs and the pterosaur-like monsters couldn't fly at high altitudes.

As long as the helicopter ascended quickly, it would be able to escape most dangers.

Of course, there might be even more dangerous creatures in the sky, but no choice was an absolutely safe one.

Luke speculated that it would be far more dangerous to wait for reinforcements than to find the helicopter and escape.

That was because there were only several hundred people in Rumford.

Even though residents from other towns had come to the supermarket yesterday, the total number was still less than a thousand.

Luke had learned this from his conversation with Olly yesterday. This was also his greatest worry.

If the military was behind this mist incident, what would they do to eliminate the monsters in the mist?

Luke felt that he would end up an innocent victim if he waited any longer.

Thinking this, he gave Selina a heads up in a low voice, and went to find Alice Miller again.

"Are you sure you have a helicopter at your place?" Luke asked in a low voice.

Excited, Alice nodded quickly. "Yes, and it was just serviced before I came here yesterday. The oil tank is full, too."

Luke took a deep breath. "Alright, get ready. We'll set off at seven."

Alice was rather anxious. "Can't we leave immediately?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "It's dark outside. I'm not crazy enough to fight blind. I don't want to attract the insects, either."

Alice couldn't say anything.

There were indeed too many bugs. They might also attract more of the pterosaur-like monster that had almost killed her.

Luke checked the time and said, "You better get some rest. It's already five. We'll leave in one and a half hours."

Alice nodded and simply lay down next to them to set herself at ease.

Luke didn't say anything.

He couldn't blame a mother who was willing to do anything for her daughter.

Letting Selina get more rest, Luke began his preparations.

The map of the town was simple. He had already gotten a copy from the supermarket.

After repeatedly studying the route to Alice's place, Luke was more confident.

It was only five hundred meters from here to Alice's place, which would take three minutes by car at most.

As for whether or not they would encounter the gigantic monsters, that would depend on their luck.

Flying a helicopter wasn't a problem. Salazar, whom Luke had taken down, knew how to fly a helicopter, and Luke had picked up that skill.

Alice's helicopter was a simple, two-person vehicle, but it was large enough to accommodate three adults and one child.

Thinking about it for a long time, Luke felt that now was a good time to start praying.

If he was lucky, they would get away from here and return to safety in ten minutes.

If he was unlucky, it would be possible that they would run into a big boss monster the moment they went out.

When it was half past six, Luke woke up Selina and Alice, and told them to get ready.

In the meantime, he found Olly and David, and informed them that he was leaving.

They were both surprised to learn that Luke was going to help Alice find her daughter.

But it was Luke's own choice. They didn't have enough reason to keep him here.

Luke had rearranged the hideouts for the townsfolk just now. Everybody had been moved to the warehouse and office at the back of the supermarket, and the goods had been turned into blockades.

In this situation, even if some monster broke in, it wouldn't be as chaotic as last night.

This was the safest approach given the circumstances.

None of the townsfolk was willing to challenge the monsters outside.

The middle-aged psycho, who was the biggest hindrance here, had been knocked out by Luke last night. Half of her teeth were gone, and her lips were swollen. She also had clear signs of a brain concussion.

Even if her brain was okay, she wouldn't be able to disrupt anyone's state of mind again.

After sorting everything out, Luke led Selina and Alice to the door. He nodded at Olly and moved away the pipes and table that had been blocking the entrance.

The three of them snuck into Luke's car, which wasn't far away.

Without turning on the lights, the Ford quietly turned around and drove into the endless fog.

Olly and David were at a loss for a while after they closed up the supermarket again, before they hid themselves in the safe area at the back.

Luke's car drove slowly along the road like a ghost.

He didn't dare drive too fast, for fear of running into something.

The car moved as if it were floating in an ocean of fog.

Alice had covered her mouth with a towel. Luke had asked her to put it on in case she screamed subconsciously.

If she wanted to talk, she could take off the towel first.

Alice's heart raced as Luke moved forward.

Luke wasn't lost. He was on the right road, and reached her house in two minutes.

Noticing her neighbor's mailbox, she said in a low voice, "We're here. It's ten meters away."

Luke quietly stopped the car and said, "Don't make a sound. Follow us."

He then got out of the vehicle, with Selina and Alice close on his heels.

They reached the door of the house five seconds later. With Alice's key, Luke opened the door and entered.

After Selina and Alice entered, he immediately closed the door.

Gesturing to Alice, he went straight to Alice's room on the second floor.

The bed in her room was empty.

Alice, however, wasn't nervous. She opened the bathroom door, and they found a little child crouching in the bathtub.

Shaking, Alice called, "Carrie! Carrie!"

Luke patted her shoulder heavily.

Coming back to her senses, Alice immediately made way for him.

Luke moved forward and checked the girl. He then said to Alice in a low voice, "She's fine, though she needs food and water. Let's get out of here first."

As a company CEO, Alice wasn't an idiot. She nodded quickly.

Carrie wasn't in the best condition, but she wasn't in grave danger.

Because of her autism, she was quiet, and she tended to hide in the bathtub when there was nobody around to keep her company.

Perhaps that was the reason why no monsters had been drawn to her.

The three of them went downstairs again with Carrie.

Luke slowly opened the back door, and the white fog flowed in.

He pressed forward unhurriedly, ready with his bat.

After moving forward ten meters, he saw Alice's helicopter.

Luke opened the door of the helicopter and sat in the pilot's seat. He then examined the vehicle.

A moment later, he started the helicopter.

The most dangerous moment had arrived.

Since this was an emergency, he had to skip most of the standard flight checks. However, a helicopter in the end wasn't a car, and couldn't be flown simply by hitting a gas pedal.

As the helicopter's propellers began to spin, the enormous noise rang out.

Luke calmly continued as he got the vehicle warmed up.

He sensed that he was being watched, but maybe the monsters were unfamiliar with helicopters, and the crazily spinning propellers deterred them from getting close.

Each second was like a year for Luke, Selina and Alice.

Waiting for the helicopter to warm up was too torturous when there were monsters all over the place.

Finally, Luke said over the walkie-talkie, "You can come out now, Selina."

A few seconds later, Selina and Alice ran out with Carrie.

Selina got on board first, and then gave Alice a hand. All of them got seated.

Luke finally closed the door on his side. Alice closed the door on her side, too.

The helicopter slowly ascended.

In the mist, the helicopter was like a tiny bird that was struggling to fly away from its cage.

Gradually, the helicopter rose higher and higher.

Luke was finally less apprehensive.

Now, the helicopter was almost a hundred meters high. The risk of danger was significantly less.

Suddenly, Luke detected something wrong, and subconsciously turned the helicopter.

Two seconds later, the helicopter brushed past something.

Luke's heart pounded despite his usual calmness.

Selina and Alice both held their breaths, not daring to make a sound.

In the fog, a gigantic creature passed by the helicopter.

Luke sensed the creature glancing at the helicopter, but it didn't turn around.

He subconsciously looked at the dashboard. They were now at an altitude of 120 meters.

Yet, the gigantic creature had looked at the helicopter head on.

So, it was… more than a hundred meters tall?

Luke didn't expect to really run into a boss monster.

It was also out of his expectations that the monster would be so huge that it didn't bother paying attention to them.

It was probably just like how lions were uninterested in flies; the helicopter would barely fill this boss monster's mouth.

The helicopter broke through the thick fog when it was five hundred meters up. The morning sun on the horizon illuminated the passengers inside the helicopter.

At that moment, even someone as composed as Luke felt as if he had been reborn.

At eight o'clock in the morning, the helicopter landed in Houston again. All of them felt fortunate to have escaped.

The police station was dyed gold by the sun.

A detective of the Major Crimes Division was going in with his breakfast, when he saw Luke and Selina on the airfield. He was stunned. "Luke, Selina, you're back?"

Luke and Selina greeted him with smiles. "Oh, Creech, good morning."

Creech looked at the helicopter, finding it odd. "Why… did you come back in this?"

Luke chuckled. "We were caught in an emergency. A friend brought us back here with the helicopter."

Creech wasn't entirely convinced, but he didn't ask more.

The detectives kept their cases confidential, and would only share with their best friends.

Luke and Selina were newcomers, and they weren't familiar with each other.

So, Creech simply nodded and walked in.

Luke and Selina entered the police station with Alice and her daughter.

Selina stopped at the back door and inserted a few coins into the vending machine.

Two cans of Dr. Pepper, as well as two cartons of milk, dropped down.

Seline gave one of the cans of Dr. Pepper to Luke, and the milk to Alice.

Watching Selina enjoy her Dr. Pepper, Luke shook his head, but could only drink his.

He had never liked it, but Selina had been trying since forever to make him fall in love with it. To quote her: partners should share enjoyable things together.

There was no telling if it was because he had smelled too many funny things last night, but Luke suddenly felt that it didn't taste so bad after all.

Enjoying their drinks, they brought Alice and her daughter to Thomas's office.

Luke asked Alice to wait. He knocked on the door, and Thomas said, "Come in."

Luke and Selina walked in. Thomas frowned and didn't say anything.

As the deputy chief of the police station, he didn't want his subordinate's subordinate to come to him directly, even if Luke was his own man.

Luke stood at attention and said, "Chief, there's something that we need to report."

Thomas frowned. "Why don't you write a report?"

Luke said, "I'm sorry, chief, but I don't think I can write a report."

Thomas asked, "Why?"

Laquin replied, "Officer Brock gave us the case about the missing police officer in Laquin, so we left for Laquin yesterday."

Thomas was briefly dazed. "Then what?"

Laquin said, "Then, before we reached Laquin, we ran into an emergency in Rumford, a town fifty kilometers away from Laquin. The town is now surrounded by a weird fog. Weird creatures in the fog have killed plenty of the residents. The survivors are waiting for reinforcements in the supermarket."

Thomas was dumbfounded. "What? Are you kidding? What horror movie did you watch?"

Luke said, "No, chief. You'll be able to confirm the matter. I'm here to ask you how I should write the report."

Thomas was gloomy.

He wasn't an idiot.

Luke was clearly trying to get him involved in order to split the responsibility.

However… could he stay uninvolved?

Thinking carefully, he said, "Don't write a report just yet. Also, you and Selina can have… three days off. Don't tell anyone what happened in Rumford. Are we clear?"

Luke nodded. "Crystal. Do I need to talk to Officer Brock?"

Thomas waved his hand. "That's unnecessary. I'll inform him. You can stay in the lounge until further notice."

After they left, Thomas began to make calls.

Thirty minutes later, he sat in his office, astounded and sweating hard.

A moment later, he suddenly realized what was going on and cursed. "Brock! You idiot! You're so incapable, but you sure do have plenty of petty tricks."

What actually pissed Thomas off was the timing of Brock handing the case over to Luke.

If it had been one day later, Thomas wouldn't be as angry.

Well, fine. Thomas would've still been angry, because he was the person who had opened the case.

Had it not been for him, the Westside Police Station wouldn't have gotten involved in the investigation in Laquin in the first place.

As a result, he was now a victim of his own doing.

The situation was quite tricky. Hundreds of people were trapped in Rumford, and only his two detectives had escaped from there.

It was hard to say whether or not his position would be affected by the incident.

Could he be blamed? Of course not.

He was the deputy chief. He couldn't be wrong. It could only be his subordinate's fault.

Luke and Selina hadn't done anything wrong. Could he blame them for working too hard?

So, Brock was the only person at fault here.

If Brock hadn't sent Luke and Selina to Laquin, Thomas wouldn't be in this mess.

In doing this, Brock was giving the newcomers a hard time as well as showing his opposition to Thomas.

Besides, Brock wasn't his man, but Chief Faraday's.

It was also the reason why Brock dared to stack the deck against Luke.

As long as it was about work, Brock wasn't scared of Thomas.

But right now… Thomas sneered and called for Brock, telling him that Luke and Selina had three days off due to a special situation.

Then, Thomas pulled some strings and inquired about Rumford from Laquin.

Luke and Selina went to the lounge with Alice and her daughter. When they passed their desks, they picked up some of the snacks they had there

The lounge was actually just a corner in the hall that had been partially blocked from the outside.

There were tables and chairs and a sofa here for the officers to rest.

Luke and Selina found two blankets for Alice and her daughter.

Then, they sat down at a table and had the snacks.

Naturally, Luke had chocolate. He had prepared a lot of food high in calories for himself.

Enjoying sandwiches, milk and chocolate, Luke finally had the time to examine what he had earned in the past day.

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Chapter 70: Harvest, and Questioned by Old Friends

Reading the system notifications, Luke was both apprehensive and satisfied.

He had earned more than 2,000 experience and credit points for saving the townsfolk in the supermarket yesterday, and he had leveled up again.

System: As experience has reached 3,000 points, the host has leveled up to level 7.

Extra stat points: 4

After level five, he got one more stat point with each level up.

This meant that his strength could hit 40 by the time he was level 11. He would also have enough credits to buy the basic self-healing ability.

He had read Carol's autopsy report and asked her about it in person.

Carol had been shot in the abdomen and in the heart, which had been critical hits. However, she had automatically recovered by the next day.

For Luke, this was more enticing than any other ability.

With this ability, he could become more bold in obtaining experience and credit points.

Neither common gangsters nor low-level supervillains would be of any threat to him.

He added the points to strength without any hesitation. His stats were now strength 21, dexterity 20, and mental strength 14.

He had 3 stat points, 1,830 experience points, and 7,630 credit points left.

Until now, he had only spent 700 credit points on basic firearms, basic special combat, basic tactical command, and basic helicopter piloting.

What caught his attention was another notification.

System: You have received Alice Miller's gratitude. You may now learn all her abilities.

Alice Miller's abilities list: Basic self-healing (gene mutation; prerequisite: 40 Strength): 10,000 credits.

Luke fell into deep thought after he read the notification.

Alice didn't look like anyone special. Had she been hiding all this time?

He soon stopped thinking, because he had acquired Alice's ability anyway.

However, he was bummed by the fact that to learn either Carol's or Alice's basic self-healing, his strength had to first reach 40.

From the system's explanation, he had been able to acquire their respective abilities because of different reasons. It seemed, however, that the requirement was the same.

Analyzing his strength, he knew that his body would get a boost.

When his strength reached 20, his physique had been enhanced. What about at 40? Would it be another bottleneck? It was possible that his body wouldn't be able to take the basic self-healing before then.

On the other hand, Carol and Alice didn't seem to have twice as much strength as Luke did.

So, the system's self-healing ability might be based on a different mechanism.

It was unlikely that the system would cause his genes to mutate, right?

While Luke was pondering this, someone knocked on the door to the lounge.

He turned back and saw two men in black. He greeted them with a smile. "Captain Wales, Agent Charles, nice to see you again."

The two men nodded and smiled. "We came as soon as we got your call. We need to ask you about last night."

Luke nodded. "Alright, I have to tell Chief Thomas first." He had called Wales when he was on the helicopter.

With S.H.I.E.L.D. involved, it would be unnecessary for the military to try and shut Luke up.

Wales made a "by all means" gesture.

Luke called Thomas, and hung up soon after. He said, "Should we go elsewhere? Also, these are Alice Miller and her daughter."

"We know them, don't worry." Wales nodded his head. He and his colleague borrowed two interview rooms with the intent of questioning Luke and Selina separately.

They didn't borrow the interrogation rooms because Luke and Selina didn't want to sit where the criminals sat.

Selina blithely bought two more Dr. Peppers and gave one to Luke.

Since she had finally made Luke finish a whole can just now, she had decided that she would only treat Luke with this in the future.

The two fake FBI agents both felt weird, but were also relieved at the same time.

Wales clearly didn't consider Luke and Selina suspects as he asked them questions.

That was only reasonable; Luke's and Selina's histories were clean, and S.H.I.E.L.D. already knew what was behind the mist incident in Rumford.

Luke and Selina, on the other hand, grew up in Shackelford. There was nothing suspicious about them.

They had only been in Houston three days before taking this trip.

Haplessly sent off to Laquin by their petty boss, they just happened to pass through Rumford.

Besides, Wales had been personally involved in the smuggling case, and had been the one to sign off on the report for it.

So, Wales was only here because it was routine to make sure that the insiders remained mum.

They clearly couldn't interrogate Luke and Selina as criminals.

Because of these reasons, the conversation went quite well.

A few hours later, Wales was done with his questions, and he bade them farewell.

However, he took Alice and her daughter with him

Wales didn't tell Luke why. He only told Luke not to worry about them.

What could Luke say? He was only a minor detective and definitely couldn't tell the "FBI's 17th Division" what they could or could not do.

He could only tell Alice to take care, before he watched her get into Wales's helicopter.

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Chapter 71: Office Politics

Luke finally got rid of all his troubles after that. He enjoyed his three-day break in peace. Nobody disturbed him again.

Since the two fake FBI agents had made them sign another non-disclosure agreement, Luke knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. must've taken over the issue.

With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s involvement, neither the FBI nor the police could look into him again.

If they wanted to know more, they would have to turn to S.H.I.E.L.D..

That is, if they could the FBI's 17th Division, which didn't have an office at all.

Thomas never asked for Luke and Selina, and they naturally didn't drop in on him. They simply continued with their usual work.

Brock's face twisted when he saw them.

He couldn't disguise his anger. Or rather, he didn't want to disguise it at all.

Pulling a long face, he threw a case file at them and had them get to work.

Luke and Selina didn't react, as if they didn't notice Brock's long face.

Nobody greeted them anymore when they returned to their desks.

Obviously, everybody now knew that Brock was unhappy with them. They would rather not piss off their boss by talking to two newcomers whom they barely knew.

Luke and Selina weren't bothered. Selina even said in a low voice, "Once again, you were right. This guy is truly… petty."

Luke calmly browsed the file. "He's just unlucky. His trick was exposed too easily."

Reading the file for a moment, Luke threw it back on the desk and leaned back in his chair. "He's smarter now. He gave us a minor case."

Selina read the file for a moment and understood. "This is a missing person case. It won't be unusual if we can't find anything after a lifetime of investigation. Or rather, we may find out in the end that this woman ran away herself because of domestic abuse."

Luke nodded. "Exactly. Let's go. We have to work the case anyway. It's also a chance for us to become familiar with this neighborhood. I don't think Brock can suppress us for long."

Since they were new here, they had to take cases from Brock.

But once they established their own connections, many cases would go to them directly.

Many detectives in the Major Crimes Division left their contacts with people who were involved in certain cases.

When those people were in trouble, they would reach out to the detectives, and the detectives would get those cases.

If the detectives could develop a network of informants, they would also be able to find and crack cases with the leads they found themselves.

And since it was the detectives who found these cases, they would usually be the ones in charge of them.

Brock could ask someone else to take care of a particular case, provided that he knew what it was about. However, he couldn't do that all the time.

Whoever found a case was responsible for the case. This was an unspoken rule.

The rule was only broken when certain detectives couldn't solve the cases they found, or even caused a lot of trouble while they were at it.

Luke was still new here. He wasn't in a hurry to look for cases.

It wasn't a bad thing to spend a few months familiarizing himself with the place.

In the next couple of days, Luke made no progress on the missing person case.

He questioned the missing woman's neighbors and colleagues, but didn't find anything interesting.

There was nothing suspicious about her husband, either. The case was at a dead end.

Selina was rather anxious, but Luke was relaxed.

While they were investigating the case, he had been looking for places where they could train.

Shooting practice was simple. The police station had partnered with a shooting range, and it was cheap to practice shooting there.

Luke finally found a place that had individual rooms where they could practice Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

It was easy to find records of places like these in the police station. However, they had to check the environment and the prices in person.

They found a martial arts club near the police station, which was owned by a middle-aged Chinese man.

Luke didn't care about that. He simply rented a room in the club.

The club had a lot of empty rooms, so the boss didn't refuse.

Well, Selina might have been a contributing factor, too.

A beautiful girl was much more convincing than Luke in a negotiation like this. The club owner certainly wouldn't refuse the chance to talk to her more often.

After they struck the deal, the two of them worked the case during the day and exercised after work.

Now that she had a place to vent her anger, Selina wasn't as wound up as before.

Every time Brock gave them a new case, he would criticize them for not working hard enough on the missing person case.

Luke had to secretly pull at Selina multiple times to stop her from fighting back.

He couldn't care less about any of it.

Furthermore, neither Brock nor they could talk about it outside.

If Brock dared to talk like that in the bullpen, then everyone in the Major Crimes Division was garbage, since all of them had piles of cases that had remained unsolved for months, if not years.

Luke simply watched Brock's performance, then left with the new case file when the latter was done.

But he didn't say goodbye as courteously as before. He simply dragged Selina away.

Brock was grim, but there was nothing he could do.

Luke and Selina had Thomas behind them and had contributed to a major case. Brock didn't have many ways to suppress them.

A few days ago, Thomas had summoned him and yelled at him, claiming that he was a pig-headed idiot.

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Chapter 72: Another Work Trip?

Brock didn't dare say anything to Thomas.

So, he found Luke and Selina even more intolerable.

If they had cursed him or resisted, their disobedience would've been noted down.

However, they didn't clash with him on the surface, and instead revealed their anger in subtle ways. Brock knew that it was impossible to make peace with them now.

Luke might be young, but it seemed that he had seen through Brock.

Brock couldn't back down.

His faction, his identity and his position didn't allow him to bend to two newcomers.

That afternoon, they got another case.

Luke went to Brock after reading the case file. "Sir, is the Houston Police Department allowed to participate in this case?"

What he really wanted to ask was, Are you not scared that something will happen again?

It was a case in Wolfkyle, which was to the east of Houston. A couple had been reported missing.

His face unchanged, Brock said, "It isn't in our jurisdiction, so you'll only help with the investigation. The local police will be in charge of the case. Is there a problem? The Major Crimes Division handles many similar cases. If you don't like it, you can report it to Chief Thomas."

Luke said calmly, "Alright, got it. I'll go and get ready." He then turned around and left.

Brock was cold. What can you possibly do? It was Deputy Chief Sandra who took this case. Do you think Thomas will fight her for you?

Thomas had been craving a promotion, which would be impossible if he pissed off the other big shots in the police department.

Brock hoped that Luke would complain to Thomas.

That way, Thomas might clash with Sandra, and he might think that Luke shouldn't have gone to him. It would be a good thing for Brock either way.

Thinking for a moment, Brock made a call. He sneered and said, "Hehe. I've helped you out a lot. You better pay me back someday."

He was calling the local sheriff in Wolfkyle, and was full of condescension.

The sheriff wouldn't be able to stand the humiliation as long as he was a normal person, and he certainly wouldn't be friendly to Luke.

After he left Brock's office, Luke found Selina. They set off in their car.

Reading the file in the car, Selina complained, "Another missing person case? This can't be another sham, right?"

Luke said, "Brock isn't so stupid. He won't make any more trouble until we get back. Now, we're… well, we're working a case, that's all."

He remembered how he had described their last work trip as a holiday, and how they had returned to Houston only a day later.

It was best to not raise a flag like that for themselves again.

Selina was clearly thinking the same thing. She nodded. "You're right. We're investigating a case; we're not on holiday."

Luke said, "…Come on, can you please not say it out loud? You'll jinx us."

But he didn't really think that they could be unlucky enough to run into an accident on every work trip.

Brock must've thought the same.

Selina apologized. "Haha, you're right. I was wrong."

They drove for an hour. Suddenly, Luke frowned and stopped the car.

"What's wrong?" asked Selina.

Looking at the dashboard, Luke frowned. "We have flat tires."

Selina said, "So? Change them. I'll give you a hand."

Lost for words, Luke said, "The problem is that we have three flat tires, and we don't have three spares in our car."

Selina exclaimed, "What? Three flat tires? How is that possible?"

Neither of them was great at fixing cars. Besides, even the greatest mechanic wouldn't be able to fix three tires without any tools.

Luke raised his head, only to find that they were stranded in a troublesome place.

Behind them, it was a hundred kilometers back to Houston, while the nearest town was fifty kilometers away.

In front of them, Wolfkyle was also fifty kilometers away. They were caught right in the middle.

Luke took out his cell phone, but there was no signal.

Luke thought for a moment, then waved at Selina. "Let's go on foot."

Fifty kilometers wasn't too much for him. He could even carry Selina if he had to.

They hadn't brought more than a backpack on this trip, either.

Getting out of the car, they started walking unhurriedly.

Soon, they saw another car on the road.

Unlike their car, this vehicle was an RV.

Luke and Selina were both astonished to see what was happening next to the RV.

It was a family: a middle-aged couple was fighting, a teenage girl in a bikini was sunbathing on a chair, and a boy was playing with two dogs next to her.

It was like… some sort of comedy show.

Luke asked them, "Hi, are you going to Wolfkyle?"

The couple had stopped fighting when they approached. The husband replied, "Yes. You, too?"

Luke nodded and was about to say something else.

The middle-aged woman, however, grew excited. "Fantastic! Can you help us find a tow truck? We have flat tires."

Both Luke and Selina were speechless.

They had planned to hitchhike to Wolfkyle! After all, this RV was spacious enough for them, as long as the strangers didn't refuse.

Little did they expect that the family also had flat tires and had been forced to stop here.

Luke and Selina subconsciously glanced at the girl who was enjoying the sun next to the road.

Her casual posture had convinced them that her family was only taking a break in the middle of their trip.

Is it really alright to be so carefree when your family's vehicle is stranded in this desolate place?

Luke could only set off with Selina again after saying goodbye to the middle-aged man.

Unable to count on the family, they had to press on. It wouldn't be a problem to call a tow truck for the family when they reached Wolfkyle.

The sun was setting in the west. They walked forward unhurriedly.

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Chapter 73: Golden Tips Hostel

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Selina said with a smile, "Well, it really feels like we're on a holiday hike."

Luke simply nodded, not caring that she had mentioned the taboo word again.

They were utterly on their own. Faced with a broad plain, rustling trees, and a blood-red sun, they enjoyed the magnificent view.

Half an hour later, Selina exclaimed in amazement, "Huh? Is that a house over there?"

Luke saw it, too. He smiled. "Great. We can at least get some help now."

Ten minutes later, they reached the house.

It was a fairly large, one-story building, with a sign that said "Hostel" in front of it.

It was a hostel, but it didn't have a name.

They walked in, and didn't see anybody, either.

Luke called, "Hello?"

After a brief silence, someone emerged from a hallway.

It was an average-looking middle-aged man wearing plain clothes, who seemed rather sloppy.

Selina frowned.

She wasn't biased toward laborers. Having grown up in the Texan countryside, she couldn't care less about that.

However, this particular person had a messy beard, and his filthy shirt and pants clearly hadn't been washed in days.

They could smell the stink from several meters away.

You're running a hostel with this sort of appearance? Selina secretly complained.

Luke, however, turned a blind eye to that. He simply asked with a smile, "Can we borrow your phone? Our car broke down. We have to call for a tow truck."

The man replied, "There's no phone here."

Luke asked, "Okay. Do you have a car? Can you give us a ride?"

The man said, "My wife went shopping in Wolfkyle and took the car, so it's unavailable. Are you checking in or not?"

Luke and Selina looked at each other and knew what he was implying: Nothing would be available here unless they paid for a room.

The boss of a hostel in such a desolate place certainly wouldn't let go of any potential boarder.

It would be late at night even if Luke and Selina reached Wolfkyle on foot, and they would have to find a hotel, too. So, they might as well stay here.

A moment later, after paying for two single rooms, Luke finally asked, "Now, do you have any 'backup' phones or cars?"

They'd paid ninety dollars for the rooms. It was time the boss told them the truth.

However, the boss merely told them that his wife would return from Wolfkyle the next morning, and she could take them to Wolfkyle then.

Luke and Selina were lost for words.

They went around the hostel, only to discover that it truly had no cars or phones.

The hostel was in the middle of nowhere, and they would've easily spotted phone lines or cars if there were any.

Selina said, "Did we misunderstand him? He wasn't deliberately implying that we should stay here?"

Luke said, "Well, I think the boss did more than just imply."

The boss could have goods and supplies delivered regularly, but passersby couldn't.

Remembering how his car and the RV both had flat tires, Luke knew what happened.

Since the hostel was right next to the road, it certainly had to take advantage of the cars passing by.

But was that all? Could the hostel be in cahoots with the tow truck service in Wolfkyle?

Luke secretly cursed as he realized that the hostel had been established here precisely to rip off travelers.

The cost of food and board, plus a tow truck – it truly was a brilliant way to make money.

No cars could possibly arrive at Wolfkyle without paying hundreds of dollars.

Luke was determined to call the police in Wolfkyle to get back at these fraudsters.

Eventually, they didn't order any food in the hostel. Considering the boss's personal hygiene, they feared that the food might contain lice.

They could only buy pre-packed food at the counter, like sandwiches and cans.

They were also outrageously expensive and twice what they would cost in a supermarket.

Luke and Selina paid fifty dollars for the food. Even eating in a restaurant in the city didn't cost that much.

As usual, Luke and Selina wandered around the area before it was completely dark.

It was very important to be familiar with the basic environment of any place.

However, since they didn't have a car, they didn't go very far.

When they returned to the hostel, they saw four familiar faces.

A middle-aged couple, a boy and a girl — it was the family whose RV had gotten flat tires.

They had clearly decided to walk, and had also found this hostel.

The middle-aged couple greeted Luke and Selina.

After all, Luke and Selina were quite attractive. One of them was gentle and the other beautiful. Most people would be genial toward them.

Luke and Selina didn't return to their rooms, none of which even had a TV. This hostel was isolated from the rest of the world.

While chatting, Luke learned that the husband was called Bob Carter, and he was a detective from Cleveland.

He had brought his family to Texas on vacation to appreciate the splendid views here.

The middle-aged woman was Asel, his wife. Brenda and Bobby were their daughter and their son.

Brenda was currently unemployed after graduating from high school, and Bobby was in his junior year.

Of course, Luke was only guessing that Brenda was unemployed. After all, if she planned to go to college, she should be busy submitting applications instead of enjoying herself on a trip.

Unless her family was a major patron of a college and had planned out everything for her, Brenda clearly wasn't going to go to college.

Bobby's high school was briefly on hiatus due to an accident.

Luke and Selina didn't reveal that they were detectives, mostly because it was unnecessary.

They were only here to help the local detectives, not to crack the case on their own.

As they talked, Brenda grew interested in Luke.

There were only two men here other than her father and her brother.

Compared with the boss who had swindled her family of their money, she naturally liked Luke, who was younger and more handsome.

The boss didn't say anything. He was enjoying a drink in solitude at the counter.

At ten o'clock, Luke and Selina said goodbye to the family.

Luke reminded Selina to be careful. After all, they were in the middle of nowhere, and they had to look out for themselves.

Selina rolled her eyes at him, but still nodded her head.

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Chapter 74: Stupor and Transport

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Luke went to bed after a shower. There was no sound from next door. Selina had obviously fallen asleep, too.

The Texan countryside was absolutely quiet save for the occasional chirping of birds.

Luke was sound asleep.

After a long time, he suddenly woke up.

He heard the voices of two men next door.

But that was Selina's room. How could there be men talking in her room in the middle of the night?

Alarmed, Luke tried to get up, only to discover that he felt extremely exhausted, as if he hadn't slept for days.

Luke was shocked. Had he been drugged?

He thought quickly, and soon found an ability in the system's list: Basic resistance to interrogation: 100 credits.

He quickly learned the ability. Although his body didn't recover, a huge load of knowledge on resisting interrogation appeared in his head, including ways to resist drugs.

Using the knowledge he now had, Luke managed to fight off the drowsiness and reach for his gun under his pillow, but he could barely pick it up.

He was going to get up, when two men in masks opened his door.

One of them said, "Be quick about it. We've already loaded the woman into the car. Get this guy in it, too. Right, they're Houston police. Take their guns away."

Luke's heart was heavy. Selina had been caught? Also, these people knew that they were police?

Thinking quickly, he didn't do anything and simply allowed the strangers to move him and take away his gun.

A moment later, he was thrown into the bed of a pickup. Below him was a soft body.

Luke didn't need to open his eyes; the familiar scent of this shampoo belonged to Selina.

He was less anxious now.

As long as he and Selina weren't separated, he could still turn things around.

However, the strangers didn't do anything else. They simply chatted and smoked next to the car.

"Haha. It's going to be fun this time. There's another family other than this couple. The husband is a policeman, but the rest of them are just ordinary people. They'll be boring." It was Gus, the boss of the hostel.

The other person said, "You're too greedy. We got three women this time, and one of them is a smoking hot police officer…"

Luke remembered his voice. Just wait. You'll get it soon!

Gus chuckled. "Forget it. The best you can get is the middle-aged woman."

The other person cursed. "Sh*t! Why do they get to choose the toys first? Hey, Gus, can we get the others this time?"

Gus said, "I don't think so, but if you still want them when the game is over, it might be possible."

The person said, "Really? That's not bad."

As they talked, another four people moved something out of the hostel.

Luke couldn't see anything and could only listen to them.

From the conversation, he was certain that the family had been moved to another car, too.

Six people!

Six people were involved in this weird kidnapping operation.

Based on their conversation, they were only responsible for grabbing travelers, and the real members of the gang hadn't shown up yet.

The car soon started moving, not toward Wolfkyle, but to the east.

Luke tried to resist the sedative, and quickly recovered as time passed.

While his strength was 24, the actual effect was 48 and five times that of a normal person.

The sedative that the strangers had given them was very strong, but not strong enough to turn the victims into idiots.

Thus, Luke had woken up in his room back then, while Selina had remained unconscious.

After twenty minutes, Luke's fatigue faded away quickly, and his eyelids were now less heavy.

He checked Selina carefully. She wasn't tied up, but she had obviously been drugged.

Luke thought quickly.

Those people had revealed a lot of information just now.

This wasn't the first time they had done this; it was almost a game for them.

The strangers who had moved Luke and the others for "the game" later weren't even interested in regular people; they were more excited about Luke, Selina and Bob, because they were police!

Something was definitely wrong with these people, and it was bordering on madness.

Luke felt around as the car bumped along on the journey. He didn't find anything except a stick.

Luke rolled onto the stick when he had the chance. He immediately frowned.

F*ck! There were nails in the stick, and they pierced his thigh.

Thankfully, the nails didn't go too deep.

Luke fumbled around on the stick and exerted his strength to pull out two nails.

The two nails were half-broken in the first place, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to get them out.

Holding the nails in his hand, Luke took deep breaths and tried to adjust his state of mind.

He had a weapon in his hand and Selina next to him.

It was already the best he could ask for in such a nightmare.

However, he did feel it was unfair.

He had gone to all this effort to resist the sedative, pull out the nails, and restore his strength to prepare for what might happen next, but his partner was fast asleep without a care in the world.

Thinking this, Luke couldn't help but pinch Selina, who was still sleeping happily.

His thigh couldn't be the only one to suffer.

Selina moaned in her sleep, but still didn't wake up.

Thirty minutes later, the car stopped.

Luke saw that it was a patch of woods from the bed of the pickup. The woods were lit, not by street lamps, but by the headlights of many cars.

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Chapter 75: Game

There were whispers all over the place, but the murmurs were too low to be heard clearly.

Luke was rather shocked. How many people were involved in this? Dozens?

Soon, the tailgate of the pickup was dropped down, and Luke and Selina were moved to the ground.

They were still next to each other. These people didn't plan on separating them.

The noises not far away suggested that Bob's family had been moved down, too.

A moment later, a man announced, "Wake them up. I need to tell them the rules of the game."

Luke was revived by the cool water that was splashed onto his face.

But he didn't move. He observed the reactions of his fellow victims.

It wasn't until Selina struggled dizzily that Luke started to act out a similar reaction.

Selina had woken up, but not all the way. The sedative was quite strong.

She mumbled, "What's going on?"

The man continued, "Welcome to our playground, Detective Selina and Detective Luke, and your unexpected teammates, Detective Bob and his family! You're quite lucky to have teammates to help you. Detective Bob could've stayed out of this, but he chose not to. Congratulations."

Looking at the masked men in front of her, Selina was still dizzy. "What are you talking about?"

Bob's head was starting to clear, too. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Hehe. The answer is simple. You're now in our game. Do you want to know what this game is?" the man asked eagerly.

Bob shouted, "What game? This is illegal, do you know that?"

The man burst into laughter. "Yes, it is, but who will know? Your Cleveland PD? Or Houston PD, where these two young officers are from?"

After a pause, he continued, "Alright, enough nonsense. Congratulations. You've joined a real hunting game, and you're playing the part of… prey."

Selina and Bob were both silent. Luke simply pretended like he was dead.

He was a young officer who had just graduated from high school; he should be weak.

"How boring." The man sighed and said, "Let me tell you: The game will start in five minutes, and you're going to be the prey in this game, like boar or deer, do you understand? If you don't run with all you've got, you'll be killed!"

Luke already understood that these people were perverts who liked to have fun with real people.

It wasn't just about killing; it was about slaughtering people like animals.

He checked out the number of cars and people he could see.

There were seven cars, all pickups and SUVs. Based on the noises behind him, there had to be another five cars he couldn't see.

Altogether, there were more than ten cars, not including the three pickups that had dropped off the victims.

There were two to four people in each car. So, the number of participants in this game ranged from thirty to fifty.

Where were these lunatics from? Had nobody ever noticed what they were doing?

Luke thought for a moment, and realized that the answer might be no.

In a place as sparsely populated as Texas, the disappearance of a few travelers wasn't worth mentioning unless there was evidence that suggested a crime had taken place.

It wasn't just travelers; Matt from HPD had gone on a visit home, and still hadn't been found yet.

Furthermore, Luke and Selina weren't part of the local police, but were only civilians here.

Too many Americans had gone missing on trips, never to be found again.

It wasn't unusual to chance upon a corpse from decades ago. There were too many cases like this for the police to investigate.

While Luke was thinking, Selina opened her mouth.

He secretly yelled at her foolishness. It was useless to criticize these people now.

Pretending to be weak, he leaned close to Selina, burying his face in her breasts and pinching her bottom.

Selina was dazed to see a seemingly addled Luke lying on her chest. She realized what was going on, and held back what she had been about to say.

Selina knew Luke's physique better than anybody else.

She was already able to talk, so how could Luke still be dizzy?

Her head was also clearer thanks to the pain from her butt. She understood that Luke was telling her to shut up.

Bob's family, on the other hand, was a lot noisier.

Bob was cursing, and his wife and his children were crying, unable to figure out the situation.

Or perhaps they understood, and their minds had collapsed as they guessed what would happen later.

"Alright, we're going to leave. You have five minutes to hide. Then, the hunt will begin! Remember, only the victor will survive." The man whistled, and all the cars around them drove away.

Luke observed the environment when the woods turned dark again.

It was desolate, with many bushes around.

But the bushes weren't thick or dense, and wouldn't hide anyone.

Just now, the strangers had been carrying different weapons, but most of them were bows and crossbows.

Some of the bows were common, but some looked very strange. The strangers did have pistols, but left them in the holsters.

It was clear that these people really did regard this as a game and not an actual fight.

Luke quickly took off his T-shirt, ripped it into strips, and bound Selina's feet.

Given that his physique was much better, his heels were a lot tougher.

It was uncomfortable to walk on bare feet, but it wasn't unbearable.

He would prefer that Selina didn't have to endure it. She would collapse in pain if she took a few steps in the wild without shoes.

There were pebbles and twigs everywhere; walking on them would be like walking on broken glass.

Why didn't Luke have Selina use her own clothes instead?

Well, she was only wearing a bra and shorts. The shorts covered her groin, but didn't have enough extra fabric to fashion coverings for her feet.

As he wrapped up Selina's feet, Luke whispered to her in a low voice, "Don't believe anything they said. There won't be any survivors in this game. We'll die if we can't escape."

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Chapter 76: Fast Runner and Faster Swimmer

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

After a brief pause, Luke continued, "Don't think about Bob's family. We can't protect them, but I'll try and help give them a fighting chance. So, trust me and follow my instructions. Got it?"

Selina trembled. "Got it."

Luke said, "Be careful. Those guys won't play fair. It's possible that they're observing us with night vision right now. Don't think that the dark is our cover. They're playing this game at night for a reason."

He spoke quickly and in a low voice, and by then had finished wrapping up Selina's feet for her.

Then, he told Selina to pretend to support him as they staggered into the woods.

Far away in their cars, the hunters were using various types of night vision gear to observe their prey.

Someone was surprised. "Hehe. The two young police officers are smarter. They're running without teaming up with the family."

Another person laughed. "What a pity they don't know that this isn't a fair game."

Someone else was discussing Bob's family. "Look at them. He's a veteran policeman, but he can't get his wife or his children under control."

"I agree. It looks like they'll just be as boring as our past prey, crying and begging until they die," said a different person.

"Do you think we should call Charlie and ask for some time to have fun? It would be a waste to send this young woman and the girl into the woods."

The second person thought for a moment, and nodded. "Right, both of them are beautiful. As for the mom…"

"Well, we can give her to Gus and his people. Their lives are too dull. She may be old, but she's still usable," said the first person.

His partner agreed with him and picked up the walkie-talkie.

Luke pressed forward into the woods with Selina.

Under the tree cover, he didn't need to pretend anymore. He picked Selina up and started running.

He wished he had 40 strength! Had that been the case, he would have already half-recovered when the pickup was bringing them here, and that would've been enough for him to kill Gus and his minions, and to take back his gun.

With a pickup and a gun, there would be nothing to fear from these people.

His smarts were an advantage, but not of very much use in the face of these perverts. Besides, he had seen a lot of night vision gear on the hunters.

What Luke was up against was a bunch of players who were cheating.

For these players, Luke and the other victims weren't humans, but NPCs in the game. Players didn't need to be fair when dealing with NPCs.

But as it so happened, Luke was also cheating since he had his system. It remained to be seen whose hack was stronger!

Luke and Selina ran faster and deeper into the woods.

The night vision wasn't omnipotent. The further they traveled, the more obstacles there were in the way, and it was impossible for the hunters to see them that clearly.

Luke was trying to get through the thicker section of the woods, and his strength was a big help.

His eyes were keener, and his reactions quicker. He barely fell, even with Selina on his back.

Just now, he had found the basic jungle battle ability in the system, and had paid 200 credits for it.

This separate ability, which cost as much as basic special combat, proved highly practical.

The unremarkable trees and bushes turned into the most obvious road signs in Luke's eyes.

He moved quickly with Selina, and covered eight hundred meters in five minutes.

It was an inhuman speed, considering that Luke was drugged, barefoot, and carrying Selina as he ran through the woods.

A few players observed the two young detectives in passing. Finding it weird, they spoke over their walkie-talkies. "Hey, aren't the two young officers too fast?"

"Huh? You think so, too?"

"Weird. Is my watch correct? Why are they already near the lake?"

"Charlie, has it been five minutes already?"

The man called Charlie frowned and looked at his watch. "It's only been four minutes and fifty seconds. Does your watch say otherwise?"

Everybody was silent. Their times were obviously the same.

"F*ck! They jumped into the lake!" someone shouted into the walkie-talkie.

After a brief daze, everybody started whispering among themselves.

Charlie looked at his watch and said, "Five minutes are up. Let the hunt begin! Let me remind you, the two young officers are too important to kill right away, especially the girl. I want her alive, got it?"

"Charlie… can you not kill the guy?"

"You old fag, get lost!"

"Hey, it seems that someone wants to shoot him with a different gun!"

Charlie said peaceably, "Okay, but don't be too careless. He's a police officer, after all. Also, need I remind you that the main channel is only for business?"

The channel fell quiet. A moment later, the players discussed how they should play the game in another channel.

Luke and Selina had jumped into the lake? Well, that wasn't a problem.

This place was the ultimate playground which they had selected after multiple games. The rich terrain here suited their craving for entertainment.

Hunting from boats was something they did often.

In the lake, Luke swam to the other side with Selina on his back, exerting all his strength like he never had before.

The cool water cleared his head even more. Even Selina also felt much more refreshed. "Ah, darling, you're really a fast swimmer."

Luke replied, "Young lady, I'm running for my life, alright? When you're running, you have to do your best!"

Suddenly, he vaguely saw a couple of white dots.

Thanks to Luke's dexterity and dynamic vision, he got a clear picture, and was surprised.

It was two yachts.

The yachts weren't important; the important thing was that two people were standing on the pier where the yachts were anchored.

Luke slowed down and gently swam to the pier, before he said in a low voice, "Selina, good girl, be quiet."

He spoke like that because Selina obviously wasn't completely clear-headed yet, or she wouldn't have called him darling and praised him for his quick swimming.

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Ten seconds later, Luke approached the two yachts.

It was understandable that security here was so sloppy since they were on the other end of the lake.

Luke had Selina with him, and the players thought it was highly unlikely that both of them would be such fast swimmers.

Most of the players were still searching on the other side of the lake.

None of them knew that before they realized it, Luke had already swum hundreds of meters with another person on his back.

When he approached the yacht, Luke had Selina grab onto a column under the pier. He then quickly climbed up the column.

Both guards were facing the head of the pier, and were obviously waiting for other people.

When Luke snuck up on them from behind, they were still smoking and talking.

Hearing the familiar voice and the remark on Selina's figure, Luke bared his teeth. Gotcha!

He lunged forward, cracking the surface of the pier that he was standing on, and when he reached the two guards, he punched one of them in the back of the head.

He didn't know if he killed the guard, but even if he were rescued in time, the guard would be a paraplegic for life.

In the meantime, Luke grabbed the other guard's neck and choked him, preventing him from screaming, before he punched the guard in the stomach with his right fist.

After everything was done, he quickly examined the guards for weapons.

As it turned out, they didn't have anything but two knives on them.

Luke wasn't too disappointed. He put on the clothes of one of the men and went back to pick up Selina, who was still clinging to the column.

The silly girl was already shivering.

She didn't have Luke's extraordinary physique. After lingering in the lake in the middle of the night for so long, she was freezing.

Luke quickly covered her with the jacket of the smaller guard, and told her to stay put. He then jumped into the yachts and searched them.

Two minutes later, he jumped back to the pier with a small bag and a long stick that looked like a speargun.

At that moment, the second guard was finally done retching, and tried to stand up.

Luke squatted next to him and said, "You haven't forgotten what you said earlier, have you?"

The man seemed terrified.

Instead of waiting for an answer, Luke simply stuffed a towel into the man's mouth, so violently that his mouth was almost torn open.

Then, Luke stomped on the man's left hand.

Eyes wide, the guard screamed into the gag.

Indifferent, Luke stomped on the man's other hand with his other foot, before he drove the nails into the man's hands and into the pier.

The guard's eyes rolled back and he passed out.

The whole process only took twenty seconds. Picking Selina up again, Luke ran for another few minutes.

He still chose areas with thick tree cover. Eventually, he stopped at a hollow.

It was a space under two rocks, which was blocked by a fallen tree; no one hiding inside would be seen unless they were observed from up close.

Luke put Selina in the hollow and said, "Don't run, keep quiet, and hide yourself well. I'll be back soon. Take this speargun. Shoot anyone except me!"

He was about to leave, when Selina pulled on his clothes and said, "Safety! Safety first!"

Luke smiled and hugged her. "I'm smarter than you."

He left the hollow and returned the way he came.

He had been as fast as a stallion earlier, but he walked at a normal speed on the way back.

On his way, he took out two bottles of water from the bag and drank them up.

A normal person would've destroyed their kidneys if they drank that much water after such intense exercise.

But not Luke.

Given his physique, his body's internal circulation was much faster than that of a normal person. He needed the water to dissolve the sedative in his system.

He wasn't sure how he had been drugged, but drinking more water couldn't hurt.

He soon returned to the lake. There were four cars near the pier, and a bunch of people around the two guards.

They were questioning the unlucky guy whose hands had been broken by Luke, because they couldn't wake up the guard that Luke had knocked out.

It was rather amazing that none of them cared about his injuries, and were simply throwing questions at him.

Luke sneered at the guard who was screaming miserably as he answered the questions.

Players!

They might have the best equipment, but they weren't experts. Even though the game seemed insane, they weren't professional killing machines.

They were all questioning the wounded guard, and nobody paid attention to their backs.

Of course, Luke knew why they were being so careless.

Bob's family was hopeless. Bob would be heavily wounded, if not dead, unless he had abandoned his family and escaped on his own.

Now, only Luke and Selina were on the run.

With the drug in their systems, they shouldn't have any strength right now.

On the players' side, they had more than thirty people, who were all equipped with bows, pistols, night vision gear and walkie-talkies.

Regular officers wouldn't dare retaliate, even after successfully escaping.

Two versus dozens was rare even in video games, let alone in real life.

However, Luke was different.

He had killed more than a hundred scumbags in total in the past four months, and it wasn't his first time fighting fifty people on his own.

Luke walked unhurriedly toward the crowd, as if he were one of the players who was joining his fellows.

It took him no more than ten seconds to reach the crowd from where he had been staking them out twenty meters away.

Luke's target was a man who was standing on the top of a car and looking down at the two injured guards.

Luke got on the top of the car nimbly, but he still made a slight noise.

The man subconsciously turned around, but tremendous pain burst in the back of his head, and he passed out before he saw Luke.

Sticking close to the man's back, Luke kept him from falling while he quickly grabbed the man's Beretta 92FS and his magazines.

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Chapter 78: Calm Killing

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Luke was greatly reassured now that he had a weapon. He continued to take off the man's vest and holster.

The equipment was unattractive, but could be very convenient in battle.

His movements were light but quick.

With the person and the car covering him, nobody else had noticed what happened. Even the car driver was craning his head and looking forward.

A minute later, Luke looted the man of all his equipment. He smiled; the role of hunter and prey had switched.

He jumped off the car and stopped next to the driver.

The driver subconsciously turned around and said, "George, you…"

Luke smashed his fist into the guy's face, flinging him back into his seat.

Without stopping, Luke moved sideways to the second car.

This driver was an even more avid spectator than the first one; he had opened the door and was watching from outside the car.

In the next moment, his collar was grabbed and he was struck on the back of his head. He was also stuffed back into the driver's seat.

There were now two cars and seven people up ahead.

Luke approached them unhurriedly with the Beretta 92FS raised. If any of those people saw him, he would have no choice but to kill them.

But he couldn't kill all of them; some of them had to be kept alive as witnesses.

The more witnesses there were, the less likely that the case could be covered up.

Of course, it was only the lackeys, such as Gus, that he would keep alive.

The real leaders of the group were the people who waited for the prey to be delivered to them in the playground. They wouldn't catch the victims in person.

They had to be wealthier and more influential. Luke wouldn't let any of them live.

Dead men couldn't pull any strings."Access webnovel.live if you like watching manga,comics.

And if their families sought revenge? Wouldn't they seek revenge anyway if Luke let those people go?

Approaching the rear of the crowd, Luke put his pistol back into the holster. He then grabbed two people by the heads and smashed them together.

With a bam, both of them collapsed, and only five players remained.

Luke sped up and moved as fast as he could. His fists lashed out like lightning.

The drug was still in his system, cutting his strength and reflexes down by half, but it was still easy for him to ambush these players who were barely prepared.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The five players were instantly knocked down.

Luke looked them over and soon figured out their identities.

For those who clearly had better clothes and weapons, he punched them in the back of their heads heavily and killed them.

There were no survivors after he was done, because none of them had lousy gear.

He didn't use a gun to kill them, because it would alert the players on the other side of the lake.

He didn't break their necks either, because he might later be accused of killing criminals when they had lost the ability to resist.

When the case was investigated later, he could argue that he had been punching hard when the enemy attacked him. Nobody could blame him.

Nobody could control their fists perfectly when they were faced with ten armed bandits.

He stripped them of their weapons and kept a generic M1911 for himself. He also took a leg holster off one of the players to store all the magazines that his pistol could use.

On his other leg was a decent knife in a sheath.

The person whose hands were nailed to the pier looked at him in shock.

With a cold smile, Luke said, "You were great bait; you can die, now."

He kicked the guy's head, and it twisted 270 degrees, as if he were looking back at the sky.

After everything was done, Luke examined the four vehicles. He found walkie-talkies but no cell phones.

These people communicated via walkie-talkies. Things were now trickier.

Should he drive one of the cars away?

He wasn't familiar with the environment. If the car was damaged by traps on the way, he would be surrounded again.

The fight earlier had been easy because he was on his own, and could attack or retreat freely.

If he drove the car away, he would have to take Selina with him, and she barely had any strength left. They would be sitting ducks for the players.

Luke's eyes flashed coldly as he decided to take down all of the players!

He had wasted 300 credits and had nearly been killed. He didn't intend to give in.

Well, fine. The credits weren't exactly wasted, because it was spent on abilities, but Luke still found it wasteful to spend it on the players.

He got into the biggest pickup with a pair of night vision goggles around his neck. Starting the car, he drove along the edge of the lake.

He had heard a few gunshots just now. Obviously, things weren't going well for Bob's family.

As he drove, Luke met another vehicle coming from the opposite direction.

Seeing Luke's car, the vehicle slowed down, and the man on the back shouted, "Hey, how's it going?"

Luke held the wheel with his left hand and took the M1911 out of the holster with his right hand.

Lifted his foot off the pedal, he stepped on the brake, and he switched the gun from his right hand to his left, which he lifted to the open window.

Bang!

He was almost right next to the driver of the other vehicle, and he didn't even need to shoot twice.

After he blew up the driver's head, the two cars passed each other. The man on the back of the vehicle was shocked, but Luke raised his gun again.

Bang!

It was another headshot.

Luke hit the gas, and the car sped up.

In his wake, the SUV had stopped moving.

Putting the gun back into the holster, Luke was utterly calm.

He believed that serenity was necessary when killing someone.

Killing was a task that required concentration. He couldn't be muddle-headed.

For Luke, the most important thing right now was to kill these perverted players.

He ran into the first group of game zealots as he approached the other side of the lake.

There were two cars and four players. In front of them was the young boy, Bobby.

Bobby had multiple arrows in him, but none of them were critical hits.

He was screaming and struggling to escape.

Those players were vicious. They had shot at the non-vital parts, such as the arms and legs.

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Chapter 79: Rescue and Unexpected Death

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Bobby was struggling to flee despite his wounds, but the players were on his tail like jackals in the African desert, waiting for their prey to bleed to death from fear before they lunged forward brutally.

However, jackals hunted for food and to survive, while these people were simply enjoying the kill; they were far more rotten than jackals.

Luke turned the wheel and approached a car from the side.

The man on the back of the car shouted angrily, "Hey, you need to ask for our permission if you want to participate, George… Huh, where's George?"

Luke was now parallel with the player's car. He raised his right hand.

Bang!

The driver, who was looking at him in surprise, lost his head.

Luke hit the brake and lowered his head, aiming at the man standing on the back of the car.

Bang!

Another headshot.

After the two gunshots, there was yelling on the walkie-talkie. "Hey, who's shooting? Aren't guns forbidden in the hunt?"

Luke chuckled and hit the gas. His pickup soon reached the other car.

Bang! Bang!

Luke quickly drove his car over to Bobby, who was still running. He opened the door and grabbed the boy. "Hey, it's me."

Bobby was stunned to see Luke. "You… You're with them, too?"

Luke was rendered speechless by his line of thinking.

Grimly, he said in a low voice, "Are you blind? I killed four people to save you."

Dazed, Bobby looked at the two cars not far away, only to discover that they were quiet.

Luke gloomily checked Bobby's wounds, before he helped the boy lie down in the backseat of a player's car. "Stay here. I'll take you to the doctor after I kill those perverts. Try to keep quiet. Pretend that you're dead."

He was about to close the door, when Bobby suddenly said, "Please. Help my dad, my mom and my sister."

Luke waved his hand. "I will if I can. Why else would I save you?" He closed the door even though Bobby clearly planned to keep begging.

He had no time to waste on Bobby. Selina was still in the hollow by herself.

Luke had to clean up those players and pick up Selina. It wasn't safe to leave her alone there.

He drove forward again and soon heard noises in another direction. He turned his wheel and tracked it down.

Luke sneered when he saw what was going on.

Gus, the owner of the hostel, was right here. He was jeering at a middle-aged woman.

The woman was naturally Asel, Bob's wife and Bobby's mother.

She begged and cried in despair and fright, but her hands were tied down by several people, who kept her from moving.

Luke parked the car far away. He didn't want his car to alarm the scum who were having fun.

He quickly approached them through the woods without catching their attention.

They were too fixated on Asel, who was struggling in agony.

This was their playground. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

Luke heard a few more familiar voices besides Gus's. They seemed to be the people who had moved him here from the hostel.

Remembering their conversation, Luke realized that they were probably the lackeys of the real players.

It was their job to look for targets, move the targets, watch over the vehicles, and probably collect the bodies in the end.

Judging from their clothes, they obviously weren't rich, but were more like laborers.

There were three cars and seven people in total.

However, they were nowhere near as dangerous as the people who had hunted Bobby just now.

Most of them were half-naked, with their masks and pants taken off. They were ready to unleash their animal nature.

Luke didn't even need to punch them. He merely struck them on the back of their heads one by one.

Men became engrossed when doing certain things, and became slow at responding to external changes.

This was exactly the case for these people.

In two seconds, they all fell to the ground, still smiling.

Luke stomped on their feet and ensured that he had crushed them, before he kicked Gus away.

The hostel owner's vertebrae cracked loudly under Luke's furious kick.

Asel was still crying when Luke covered her with someone's shirt. "It's okay, Asel. I'm Luke."

He pulled her up and took her into a vehicle not far away. "Asel, I don't have time for you. Stay here, find more clothes and weapons, and hide in the car. I'm going to save your husband and your daughter."

Luke then left.

Asel was indeed in a terrible situation, but she wasn't nearly as badly wounded as her son was.

Luke only had the time to give her a few instructions.

On his way here, Luke had eliminated twenty-five players and eleven cars.

There couldn't be many of them left, but Luke hadn't found the condescending host of the game yet.

When Luke drove the car to where everything started, he found Bob dead in the woods several hundred meters away, desperation all over his face.

Obviously, he had been the first target to be killed.

However… where were the rest of the players?

Luke listened carefully, but didn't hear anything.

He had taken down twenty-five players in a row, but the rest of the players and the host hadn't seemed to notice anything. It was quite strange.

Frowning, Luke drove along a clear car trail through the woods.

Two minutes later, he found himself in an empty clearing. He was shocked. What happened here?

Four cars were parked here, but the clearing was a mess, with ten people who were obviously players scattered all around.

Luke stopped the car and approached them with his gun in hand.

Circling the clearing, he confirmed that the ten players were all dead, and that they had died in the most miserable way.

One person's belly had been cut open, another person's head had been squashed like a fruit, and a body had been twisted into a creepy angle, as if he were a gymnast.

The host of this game, on the other hand, was standing against a tree. It wasn't until Luke got closer that he realized that the host's chest had been pierced through with a broken branch, and that he was pinned to the trunk.

In the meantime, Luke smelled a weird stench.

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Chapter 80: Reinforcement, Sheriff, and Shootout

It was hard to tell what the stench was; it smelled like a mix of feces, rot and other things, and was evidently from this empty clearing.

Luke soon discovered that it was from a reddish black fluid on the ground.

He didn't know what it was, but it was all over the place and extended into the depths of the woods.

Luke frowned. He found a satellite phone in the most luxurious SUV, before he ran to his pickup.

After he got in, he hit the gas and rushed to the other side of the lake.

Selina was still on her own right now. Luke felt that there was something wrong with this place.

On his way, he called Thomas.

A moment later, his call went through. "Who is this?"

Luke said, "Chief, this is Luke. I've got a situation here…"

He tried to summarize what had happened as succinctly as possible. After a brief silence, Thomas asked, "Where are you now?"

Luke replied, "I have no idea, but they took us fifty kilometers from Wolfkyle. They also drove us half an hour into the wilderness."

Thomas said, "Keep in touch. I'll call for reinforcements."

Luke said, "Okay, chief. Right, I suspect that the missing couple we were looking into is related to those people, too. It seems that they've done this many times before."

Thomas said, "…Got it. I'll inform the FBI."

Thomas knew why Luke had brought this up.

If this was a simple case, the police of Wolfkyle would be responsible for it.

However, if it was a serial murder case that involved multiple victims, the FBI's involvement would be justified.

Luke wanted the FBI involved because the players couldn't possibly influence a national agency, no matter how powerful they might be in Wolfkyle.

More importantly, the Houston Police Department had no authority to investigate this case. It wasn't in their jurisdiction, after all.

Thomas would have to contact the FBI via his own connections, which would be a huge help to Luke.

In any case, Luke had already disposed of half of the criminals, so it would be very easy for the FBI to handle the rest.

Thomas wasn't actually asking for help, but was doing the FBI a favor; as long as they weren't idiots, they would certainly get here quickly.

Thomas asked again, "Did you just say that someone was severely injured?"

Luke's mind was blank. Did he say that? It was mostly the players who were wounded. Bobby's injuries were mild, and his father had been killed.

But he thought quickly, and realized why Thomas had asked the question. "Yes, a high school student is in dire need of treatment."

Thomas said, "Alright, I'll send a helicopter from Houston as soon as possible."

Luke said, "Thank you, chief."

Thomas didn't say anything else and hung up.

Luke marveled inwardly – Thomas truly was Robert's best buddy!

With this excuse, Thomas would be able to send police officers here by helicopter.

Luke would thus have the protection of trustworthy people.

Putting down the satellite phone, he sped up.

When the pickup passed by Asel's hideout, Luke glanced at her and found nothing wrong, so he pressed on.

Bobby was also quiet when Luke passed by.

For Luke, it was Selina's safety that he was most concerned about.

He had already done enough for Bob's family by saving two of them.

Luke got out when he reached the other side of the lake.

The woods were too thick for a pickup to pass through. He could only continue on foot.

At that moment, two police cars drove up.

Their lights and sirens weren't on, but Luke had noticed them very early on.

He could only stop and wait next to his car for the newcomers.

The two police cars stopped, and one person got out of each vehicle.

An old police officer in his forties said, "We're from the Wolfkyle Police Department. Don't move, or we'll shoot."

Luke was helpless.

He couldn't kill the two police officers, and he still had a long walk ahead. Would he have to fight them when he returned with Selina?Read comics on our webnovel.live

He wasn't afraid of fighting, but killing two officers would cause a lot of trouble.

"I'm Luke Coulson from Westside Houston Police Department. I sent the Wolfkyle Police Department a notice just yesterday," said Luke.

The police officers looked at each other and said, "Put down your gun and let us confirm your identity."

Luke frowned. "I have to rescue my partner. She's still alone in the woods."

The old police officer said, "I'm York Brown, sheriff of Wolfkyle. This is Nicholas Crewe, deputy sheriff. You should know us if you're here to help with a case."

Luke eyed them for a moment, and finally dropped his M1911.

"Your other gun," said Crewe.

Luke slowly drew the Beretta from under his armpit and threw it three meters away.

The two police officers looked at each other and approached him.

Luke asked, "Why are you here?"

Calmly, Brown replied, "Someone called the police and said that they heard gunshots around here."

Luke said, "Where are we? My partner and I were drugged before we were brought here. I still don't know what this place is."

"It's about fifty kilometers away from Wolfkyle," answered Crewe casually.

Luke asked, "Well, someone is heavily wounded and needs treatment. How far is the highway from here?"

Crewe said, "It's about twenty minutes by car."

Luke narrowed his eyes and suddenly rolled to the side.

However, it seemed that the two police officers had anticipated this move. They shot at him when they were ten meters away.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Luke's left arm turned numb, before he felt excruciating pain.

He couldn't help but grunt, but he didn't stop, and he grabbed the Beretta on the ground as he rolled.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two police officers fell immediately.

It was practically suicide to engage Luke in a gun fight at less than ten meters.

Even if Luke didn't have a gun, his strength and reflexes made it impossible to lock onto him.

However, he miscalculated how crap a shot Crewe was. The guy's bullet should've missed the target, but happened to hit Luke in the left arm.

Ignoring the pain, Luke picked up his gun and said darkly, "If you don't drop your guns, someone's head is going to blow up in the next second."

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Chapter 81: Reinforcements and Selina Missing

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The police officers quickly dropped their guns.

They had been defeated even when Luke was outnumbered and unarmed.

Now, Luke's gun was still aimed at them after he shot them. They would be idiots if they continued to put up a fight.

Besides, Luke was a police officer. He couldn't kill other police officers without reason.

As long as they didn't die here, they had ten thousand ways to get away with attacking Luke.

After all, Luke wasn't wearing a uniform or a badge.

This wasn't Houston, either, but Wolfkyle, which was their territory.

Luke didn't say anything to them. He simply took out their handcuffs and cuffed them to their cars.

Would they die from their wounds? Well, they could just pray that their arms were long enough for them to reach and press down on the bullet wounds.

If they couldn't, they might as well die.

Naturally, Luke didn't leave them the keys to the cars, and threw them into the woods.

Everything happened too fast.

Luke had been highly vigilant, and had still been suspicious even when he saw the police cars.

However, he did recognize Sheriff Brown from a photo he had seen before.

It was for this reason that Luke dropped his weapon.

But their hands had been on their holsters when they approached him.

If they were truly wary, they should've aimed at him as soon as they got out of their cars.

Yet their hands had been on their guns as they slowly surrounded Luke, which was highly unusual.

Luke had tossed his gun and asked questions to test them.

He had thrown the gun in a perfect location to pick up again after a roll.

He confirmed that something was wrong when he heard Crewe's reply.

If this place was fifty kilometers away from Wolfkyle, it would have taken more than twenty minutes to drive here on the highway.

Luke didn't think that the two police officers would dare to drive so fast in the middle of the night.

It was still a distance from the highway to these woods, which meant that it would've still taken an hour if they had received a 911 call in Wolfkyle and came here immediately.

However, it had been no more than ten minutes since Luke heard the first gunshot.

Could the two police officers be supermen who had flown into this wilderness from Wolfkyle in just ten minutes and pinpointed the location of the victim so accurately?

Obviously, something was wrong with them.

They hadn't aimed at Luke earlier because it would be easier to kill him when they were closer.

What they didn't know was that Luke had been luring them into attacking by dropping his gun.

After dealing with the rotten police officers, Luke picked up the satellite phone again.

He called Thomas, and the phone was picked up almost instantly.

Luke said, "Chief, two police officers from Wolfkyle who call themselves York Brown and Nicholas Crewe just arrived. They shot at me after I dropped my weapon and told them who I was. I suspect that they're related to the criminals, and that they were here precisely to get rid of me."

Thomas exclaimed, "What?"

He didn't know what to say.

Luke seemed like such a sunny and friendly man. Why was he so unlucky?

Thomas said without any hesitation, "I'll tell that to the detectives and the FBI agents who are on their way. You didn't kill them, did you?"

Luke said, "No, they're only wounded. Chief, I need to find Selina. She's hiding in the woods."

Thomas said, "Take care."

Luke hung up and checked his left arm.

It wasn't serious. The bullet had gone all the way through and wasn't stuck inside.

He wrapped the injury with bandages from the pickup. That was the best he could do for now.

While dealing with his wound, he picked up the other gun which he had dropped earlier and ran into the woods.

The sheriff and his deputy were confused. What was going on? We nearly killed you, and you're not going to do anything to us?

Luke ran faster and faster.

Since he was alone this time, it only took him two minutes to reach the hollow where Selina was hiding.

He called Selina's name before he bent his head, in case Selina blew up his head with the speargun.

But his mood darkened when he looked inside the hollow.

Selina was gone.

In the meantime, he smelled a familiar scent.

Frowning, he glanced around quickly, and finally found a puddle of the reddish black fluid on the edge of the hollow.

It was exactly the same as the fluid that he had found where the host of the game had died, with the same unique stench.

Grimly, Luke put on the night vision goggles that he hadn't used before this, and started to follow the trail of the reddish black fluid.

After a hundred meters, he saw a stick-like object. It was the speargun which he had left with Selina.

An arrow hung on a rope from the speargun, and was stained with the smelly reddish black fluid.

Not far away from the speargun, Luck found a cave opening.

After a search, he soon found a piece of ragged cloth and a shoe near the opening.

The ragged cloth was part of the T-shirt that he had covered Selina's feet with, and he had taken that shoe off one of the guards earlier.

Taking a deep breath, Luke took out his Beretta and crawled into the narrow, dark tunnel.

It was so cramped that Luke couldn't walk at all, and could only crawl.

After crawling ten meters, he found himself in a space that was slightly wider.

Luke slowed down and listened carefully.

There was no sound.

He slowly crawled out of the tunnel and squinted as he looked around.

He wasn't a geologist and he didn't know what kind of place this was, but it seemed to be just a simple cave to him.

The good news was that there wasn't an ambush waiting for him here.

The bad news was that there was nothing in this place. Selina wasn't here.

Crouching, Luke held his gun in his right hand and drew the knife out with his left hand. The body of the blade glinted dully in the dark of the cave.

Supporting the weight of the gun in his right hand with his left, Luke stayed on full alert as he pressed on quickly and smoothly.

He tried to stay quiet and steady.

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Chapter 82: Four Women and Monsters

Whoever had caught Selina, this place had to be their hideout.

Also, it was likely that they were the ones who had assaulted the players and killed ten of them, including the host.

Suddenly, there was the sound of feeble crying from the depths of the cave.

Luke's heart raced. It was a woman's voice!

But he soon calmed down, because it wasn't Selina's voice.

He knew Selina's voice too well. Sometimes, she only had to sniff for him to know what she wanted.

Besides, Selina never wept like that.

The voice was younger than Selina's. Was it… Brenda?

Holding his breath, Luke focused on the crying and went down the passage where it had come from.

The cave wasn't entirely dark; the walls and rocks glowed with a dim light.

Maybe they were fluorites, maybe not, but they were enough to help Luke see clearly with his night vision.

This time, it took him five minutes before he entered a bigger cave.

Luke craned his head slightly and looked around.

Then, he saw… four women.

A little startled, Luke narrowed his eyes.

He knew three of the four women.

Selina was among them. Luke could identify her instinctively without needing to look carefully.

Two of the other women were Asel and Brenda, the mother and daughter.

However, they were now hugging each other and shivering in fear, and were practically naked. Brenda was also sobbing.

The last woman sat against the wall as if she were dead.

But Luke saw her move her head and limbs, so she couldn't be dead.

However, she was filthy and naked, and completely ignored the other three women.

Selina was in the best condition among them. She had almost all her clothes on, although a shoe was missing.

It was obvious that she had dropped the shoe on purpose so that Luke could track her.

Also, based on her posture, Luke knew that she was observing the terrain instead of fearfully waiting for her doom.

That was what he liked about Selina.

She would never give up as long as there was the slightest chance of survival.

Luke wasn't in a hurry to reveal himself. He observed the place carefully.

This cave had more than one passage; Luke saw a few more openings in the wall.

However, nobody was here except the four women.

Luke could smell all kinds of scents. The most distinctive was the stench of feces. There was also a strong smell of blood.

Actually, it would be best to rescue all of them right now.

While saving them like this usually didn't end well in movies, it was the common practice in real life.

The enemy wasn't here right now. It would become harder to save them once the enemy returned.

What gave Luke a headache was the other three women.

Apart from the woman who looked like a corpse, Luke had no doubt that the mother and the daughter would cry if he appeared.

It wasn't because they were stupid, but because it was the natural instinct of human beings to cry for help when they were in danger.

Only trained professionals like Selina would know that they had to suppress their feelings and make no sound in such a situation.

Even if they didn't cry out, there was still another problem, which was how to get them out.

Luke had enough strength and stamina, but he only had two arms. It was impossible for him to carry three women at the same time.

He didn't think that the mother and the daughter would wait patiently while he took Selina with him.

Also, it was difficult to crawl out of the tunnel, unless someone helped pull them up with a rope from outside.

Without much hesitation, Luke knocked on the wall with his knife in a fixed rhythm.

The mother and the daughter didn't notice the light sound, but Selina, who had been observing the environment, caught it.

Dazed for a moment, she observed even more carefully, and focused on the passage which Luke was hiding in.

When her eyes turned to him, Luke raised his hand and made a few gestures.

It was hard for Selina to read the gestures, but the blurry movement was enough to let her know that someone who knew Morse Code and tactical body language was here!

At this point, the only person that could appear in this place was Luke!

He was here!

After such a long time, Selina was a lot more clear-headed now that the drug in her system had worn off.

She thought for a moment, and realized why Luke wasn't coming out.

They were in a cave, and the slightest sound would travel far.

If Luke came out, it was hard to say what the terrified mother and daughter would do.

After a brief hesitation, she finally said to them, "I have to pee."

She was about to get up, when Brenda suddenly shouted, "Don't go! I'm scared!"

Her voice was unbelievably loud.

Selina was lost for words.

Luke realized that things weren't so simple.

It wasn't about Selina, but about Brenda, who was bordering on a meltdown. Any accident might trigger an overreaction.

Luke, who had hesitated at the beginning, immediately decided to abandon them.

He couldn't take Brenda with them if she cried and shouted all the time.

Taking her with them would be giving the enemy the perfect way to locate them. It would be impossible to escape.

However, since Brenda was already making noise, Luke wasn't in a hurry anymore.

The more anxious one was, the more mistakes one tended to make.

At Brenda's shout, two shadows lunged out from an opening in the depths of the cave.

Luke narrowed his eyes. What the hell were those?

The shadows looked like human beings, but they walked like apes.

In the dim light, Luke saw their swollen, broken and abnormal faces, their sharp teeth, and traces of blood in their mouths. They couldn't be any more hideous.

They had strong muscles and moved quite fast. They were truly as agile as apes.

Luke furrowed his brow.

The two monsters weren't exactly a threat to him. But how many of them were there?

Just now, ten players, including the host of the game, had been eliminated. Asel, Brenda and Selina had been in three different locations, but were captured and brought to this place without causing much noise.

These two couldn't be the only monsters, unless they had abnormal abilities.

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Chapter 83: Evacuation

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The moment the monsters appeared, Brenda shut up and buried her head in her mother's arms, as obedient as a dove.

Luke was lost for words. So, you only dare shout at your allies?

Well, fine. If Brenda had shouted at the monsters, she probably would've been killed already.

Those monsters certainly didn't seem to have good tempers.

The monsters eyed the four women suspiciously and roared to each other, as if they were communicating, before they moved back to where they had come from.

After the monsters left, Selina said in a low voice, "I need to pee. Asel, can you stop Brenda from shouting? I don't want to be eaten when I'm peeing."

Brenda lowered her head further, not because she was ashamed, but because she was scared of the monsters.

Asel was actually just as terrified, but unlike her daughter, she didn't cry out.

This time, Selina was finally unhindered as she slowly reached Luke's location.

Luke's heart pounded.

He was confident in himself, but not so in Brenda, who seemed hysterical. He didn't know if she would scream again.

Brenda seemed to have learned her lesson. She didn't cry out again.

Just like that, Selina fumbled her way into the passage.

Without any hesitation, Luke pulled her in and covered her mouth, before he said in a low voice, "It's me."

Selina rolled her eyes.

She knew it was Luke when he pulled her into his arms just now.

"Don't make any sound. Let's go." Luke picked her up and quickly moved out.

They didn't have much time.

Brenda was a ticking time bomb and might scream again at any moment, so Luke had to escape from this cave with Selina as quickly as possible.

When they got out, Luke had a hundred ways to teach the monsters a lesson.

Even if he couldn't, the FBI agents who were coming would.

And if the FBI agents failed, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military would certainly make sure that the monsters were beaten in the end.

Thanks to Luke's strength, they left even faster than when Luke had come in.

When he first entered, Luke had been trying to avoid being noticed, but right now, he was trying to escape quickly without causing much noise.

Actually, Brenda's screams were a more substantial threat to them than the noise that Luke might make.

At that moment, Brenda's voice rang out faintly behind them. "Hey, are you alright?"

Luke and Selina were speechless. We were, but we're not so sure now!

Luke sped up again. They finally returned to the first cave.

Pushing Selina into the tunnel, Luke said, "Leave, now." In the meantime, he took out his pistol and his knife, and aimed at the inner passage.

Instead of clinging to him and shouting "No, we should leave together!" like so many annoying women would say in movies and dramas, Selina climbed up without a word.

She knew that she would be a huge burden to Luke if she couldn't make it out.

Fighting against the sedative, Selina was still weak, and it hurt when her body and limbs scraped against the tunnel around her, but she gritted her teeth and climbed on.

Luke was as calm as usual. His racing heart gradually slowed down.

Two minutes later, Selina climbed out of the ten-meter tunnel and exclaimed from the top, "I'm done! Come on out!"

Luke sheathed his knife and crawled into the tunnel. Grabbing the protrusions on the wall, he pulled himself up.

In the meantime, he stared at the bottom of the tunnel and aimed his Beretta downward.

Suddenly, a few roars resounded in the cave, which was followed by the sound of swift movement.

His face unchanged, Luke kept moving up.

But he had been shot in the left arm earlier, which slowed him down significantly.

A roar burst out right under him, and a hideous monster appeared in the tunnel as it crawled toward him on all fours.

The monster was used to the cave, and moved much faster than Luke did.

With a cold smile, Luke pulled the trigger of his Beretta.

Bang! Bang!

But the two shots didn't blow up the monster's head!

Luckily for the monster, it ducked so that the bullets missed its head, but they tore bloody holes in its body.

The monster roared. Incited by the pain, it sped up and charged.

But that was the end for it.

Bang! Bang!

Its head was blown up.

Fortune didn't favor it again. One of the bullets pierced its skull, and the other whizzed into its mouth.

The closer it was, the more precisely Luke could shoot!

As long as there were bullets in his gun, he wasn't scared of these beasts at all. He was invincible in such a narrow tunnel which didn't have any cover.

The only side effect was that his ears were ringing.

He felt like his eardrums had exploded after shooting in such a closed environment.

Selina shouted above his head, "Grab the rope."

Luke shook his humming head and felt what appeared to be a rod.

He grasped it and realized what it was.

It was the speargun.

Selina had dropped the body of the speargun and was holding onto the arrow on the other end. Sensing the rope grow taut, she began to haul.

With her help, it was even easier for Luke.

He could ascend quickly by pushing with his legs.

Due to the sedative, Selina didn't have much strength.

However, she was smart enough to tie the rope around her and pull with her weight, which didn't require much strength.

Right then, the dead monster was suddenly dragged out from the tunnel below, and another monster charged upward.

Using his legs to brace himself against the wall, Luke stopped moving.

He waited two seconds for the monster to squeeze into the tunnel and climb up two meters.

Bang! Bang!

Not as lucky as the first monster, its head was blown up directly.

By the time this monster was dragged away as well, Luke, who was dizzy, had been pulled out of the tunnel.

Shaking his head, Luke handed his Beretta as well as the last magazine to Selina.

He drew out the M1911 strapped to his leg and said, "Your shoe is on the right side of the cave. Put it on. We're going to the lake."

There were cars, bows and guns near the lake. He wouldn't be scared even if there were two hundred such monsters.

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Chapter 84: Besieged and Retreat

Selina looked at the right side of the cave and saw the shoe which she had dropped.

She quickly put it on and moved forward, whereas Luke aimed at the tunnel opening.

A monster finally emerged, roaring.

Bang! Bang!

The monster had barely stuck its head out of the tunnel when two bullets hit it in its hideous face. It collapsed.

Luke finally turned around and caught up to Selina. He then picked her up and ran.

The monster's body at the tunnel opening would delay pursuit for a while. It was the best opportunity to flee.

After a hundred meters, Selina suddenly exclaimed, "Above!"

She fired the Beretta at the same time.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Luke exerted his strength and dashed forward in a sudden sprint.

A monster fell to the ground with an enormous noise, just missing them, but Luke's heart was still heavy. The monsters were back!

He shouted, "I'm going to throw you!"

With the momentum of his charge forward, he deftly tossed Selina into the trees.

Selina could only watch in fear as Luke moved further and further away with four monsters on his heels.

Coldly, Luke fired the M1911 rapidly.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Emptying the magazine, Luke put the gun back in the holster. He had killed two monsters, who crashed to the ground.

When he put the gun away, he drew his knife with his left hand and raised it.

As if he were chopping meat, he cut a monster in half.

The smelly reddish black fluid sprayed out. Luke dodged quickly to avoid it.

At the same time, a stick as thick as the mouth of a bowl hit his left arm.

The enormous force cracked his arm, bending it at a weird angle.

Luke's face twisted in pain. He rolled away.

After the successful ambush, the last monster roared and chased him.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Blood blossomed on the monster. It lost control of its body, but still struggled to attack Luke, who was two meters away.

Gritting his teeth, Luke picked up his knife with his right hand and hurled it.

Pu!

Under his enormous strength, the knife cut into the monster's skull and slashed off one third of its head before plunging into the ground and leaving only the handle jutting out.

Selina finally rushed toward him.

In the emergency just now, she had shot decisively and hit the last monster, saving Luke's life.

Gritting his teeth, Luke quickly drew the M1911 from the holster and threw it to Selina with a magazine. "Load it with the magazine."

He then got up and plucked the knife from the ground.

The gun was useful, but his left arm was broken, and it was impossible to reload the gun quickly. So, he couldn't abandon the knife.

Selina followed his instruction, and didn't check his injury.

She knew very well that Luke with a gun was far stronger than Luke without one.

She quickly reloaded the Beretta first and gave it to Luke.

It had the last magazine, which contained fifteen bullets, so it was most suitable for Luke.

After she was done, she reloaded the M1911, too.

Bang! Bang!

Luke shot another monster who had been sneaking up on them. He said again, "Tie the sheath to my right leg."

He slowly glanced around at the bushes that he hadn't paid attention to before.

Selina quickly took off the holster on his leg and moved the sheath from his left leg to his right.

"Let's go." Luke didn't carry her this time.

The broken arm would affect his performance in a battle. It would be too dangerous if they were too close to each other.

He had only been carrying Selina because he wanted to return to the lake as soon as possible; he hadn't expected the monsters to ambush them.

Now that he was wounded and might be attacked again, he had to prioritize his combat ability.

They moved through the woods, but their progress was slow.

It was difficult for Selina to walk without Luke's help.

But with Luke on high alert, it was no more dangerous than when she had been on his back.

A moment later, the leaves above them rustled, and Luke raised his gun without saying anything.

Bang! Bang!

A monster's head blew up when it swooped at them.

"Don't panic. Don't stop. Keep walking," said Luke solemnly.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Another two monsters that charged in from the sides were shot.

Luke and Selina didn't slow down as the monsters collapsed behind them.

Bang! Bang!

Luke suddenly turned around and shot a monster that had dashed out of the bushes.

Bang! Bang!

Another monster that lunged at their backs was shot when it was one meter away.

Luke backed off slightly to avoid the monster falling on him.

After another fifty meters, two more monsters arrived.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

This time, Luke finally made a mistake, and didn't blow up one monster's head in two shots. He could only shoot it once more to kill it.

When he tossed away his gun, Selina was already saying, "Take my gun."

Luke extended his hand and took her M1911.

Two minutes later, they were finally out of the woods. Behind them were the bodies of twelve monsters, and still more were coming.

Sneering, Luke said, "Let's get to the SUVs."

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

After two more double shot rounds, two monsters collapsed, twitching. Luke gave the gun to Selina again.

Two seconds later, he took back the gun which had been reloaded. "There are guns in the SUV on the left. Pick them up and check if there are heavy-duty weapons in the police cars."

Selina asked, "Police cars?" She didn't stop moving when she asked the question.

Luke explained, "They belong to the sheriff and deputy sheriff of Wolfkyle. They're with the perverted players, and came to get rid of us."

Selina was rather shocked, but she quickly grabbed a M1911 from the guns that were on the ground, and ran to the police cars.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Luke killed another two charging monsters, but he knew that his accuracy had gone down significantly after all the fighting and running.

He didn't dare aim at the monsters' heads anymore, but chose to shoot at their torsos.

Although it wouldn't kill them directly, most of them would be slowed down after suffering two shots.

Without their extraordinary speed, they were much less threatening.

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Chapter 85

: FBI Reinforcements and Treatment

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Selina searched the police cars and exclaimed in disappointment. "Damn it. There are only two shotguns in here."

Shotguns actually weren't bad. They were powerful and perfect for a close range fight.

However, it was inconvenient for Luke to use them with his broken arm.

Luke said calmly, "A pistol will be enough for me. Keep the shotguns for yourself. Examine those guns, and throw the loaded ones to me later."

There had been ten players here. Luke only took two pistols and some of the magazines.

The other eight guns, plus almost a hundred bullets, could be fired directly. He didn't even need to reload.

Selina quickly returned with the two shotguns.

She then stuffed a M1911 into Luke's holster and a revolver into his hand, replacing the M1911 that had already been shot four times.

Luke was dazed because the revolver was heavier than he expected.

It was a Smith Wesson M500!

He had seen the gun just now, but since it could only hold five bullets and reloading it was troublesome, he had abandoned the weapon.

It could be useful right now, however, since he didn't need to reload. This weapon was known as a hand cannon, and could blow up enough monsters before all the bullets were used up.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

With three booming gunshots, holes opened up in the chests of two monsters. They collapsed and curled in on themselves, unable to roar anymore.

It was the first time that Luke had used such a gun. He missed on the third shot.

Then, another two monsters charged at them.

Bam! Bam!

The head of one of the two monsters was smashed open, and the other lost half its neck and shoulder. They fell immediately.

Luke tossed the M500 away and drew the M1911 again.

At that moment, the woods fell quiet. Selina found it hard to breathe. It felt like a super boss was going to show up.

Eventually, the dramatic scene didn't happen.

No mountain-like monster emerged from the woods. Instead, something hummed in the sky several minutes later.

Selina raised her head, only to see two flashing red lights. "Helicopters?"

"Yes, we're safe now. The FBI will clean up this mess for us," said Luke.

Selina was at a loss. "Huh? The FBI?"

Luke explained, "I called Thomas before I went looking for you. He said that rescue helicopters would be deployed and he would inform the FBI. Go adjust the lamps on the cars to show them where we are."

A few minutes later, two helicopters landed on the flat ground near the lake, and twelve people got out.

Eight FBI agents got out of the helicopter with the FBI logo on it.

Two of the four people from the rescue helicopter appeared to be doctors. The other two were seasoned detectives of the Major Crimes Division as well as loyal supporters of Thomas.

The FBI agents were all equipped with bulletproof vests and all kinds of weapons.

The detectives ran to Luke and Selina with their guns the moment they saw them.

Luke urged Selina to greet them while he remained vigilant as he fixed his gaze on the woods.

Selina explained the situation to the agents and detectives. Four of the agents approached the woods and examined the bodies of the monsters that Luke had killed.

A few seconds later, they turned solemn, and some of them quickly returned to the helicopter to contact their superior.

Now that the FBI agents had taken over, Luke finally walked over to the helicopter and thanked the detectives.

Once an agent was done reporting in, Luke said, "The monsters killed a bunch of people on the other side of the lake. You can check it out when reinforcements get here, but don't do it right now. Those monsters are tricky. They're faster and stronger than ordinary people."

The agent nodded and said, "Okay, thank you for the reminder. We'll be careful."

Luke shook his head. "No, we should thank you. Right, Bobby's from the family who was kidnapped with us, and he might still be in the car over there, if the monsters haven't caught or killed him yet. His mother and his sister are in the monster's lair. There's also another woman that I didn't recognise…"

Selina suddenly said, "That woman is probably Sarah Behrman. She's the wife in the missing case that we were supposed to investigate in Wolfkyle."

Luke was rather surprised. He had thought that the missing couple might've been victims of a hunt by the perverted players.

Selina said, "I talked to her when I was in there. She didn't say much, but she did mention her name. Also, her appearance matches the missing wife."

But that wasn't too important.

She wasn't the only victim in this case. Bob was already dead, and his son might be soon.

As they talked, the captain of the FBI agents frowned and asked, "Doctors, what are you doing?"

One of the busy doctors raised his head in confusion. "Huh?"

The captain pointed at Luke and said, "Do you not see that this officer is heavily wounded?"

The other doctor found it odd. "But these two officers have been shot, too."

The captain sneered. "Hehe. They're suspected of murder, and they injured Detective Luke. Don't you think you should treat him first?" He pointed at Luke.

The doctors looked at the police officers who were handcuffed to their own cars, and left quickly.

This captain was obviously in charge. The Houston detectives that came with him didn't say anything, which meant that they agreed with him. So, the doctors certainly had to obey.

Even before he unwrapped Luke's arm, the doctor was already shocked. "This is a serious break. Does it not hurt?"

Luke rolled his eyes. What do you think?

It was just that he had been too busy running, fighting the monsters, and introducing the situation to the FBI agents and his fellow detectives, to cry out in pain yet.

Now that he had been reminded, he gritted his teeth and said, "Would a break like mine not hurt?"

The doctor chuckled in embarrassment and carefully removed the bandages. He was even more surprised. "You were shot in the arm, too?"

What else could Luke say? He gritted his teeth and nodded. "It's rather obvious, isn't it?"

Lost for words, the doctor quickly examined the wound and shook his head. "The bullet isn't lodged inside. The best I can do is fix your broken arm with a splint and wrap it up. We'll only be able to do a further operation in Houston. I don't dare do any more here."

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Chapter 86: Slap and the Right to Choose

The doctor, however, secretly sighed. The gunshot wound wasn't serious, but the break was pretty bad.

For ordinary people, it would be tricky, but not a big problem.

For a detective, however, it meant that they might have to retire early.

As the doctor treated him, Luke said, "There's a high school boy on the other side of the lake. Those perverts shot him with multiple arrows in his stomach and his arms. I'll bring you to him."

The captain of the FBI agents frowned. "You better not move with your wounds. Our men will take a doctor there."

Luke thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, I'll stay here. You must be very careful. Those monsters are too dangerous."

The captain mumbled inwardly, You're just a minor police officer. Do you think you're better than four FBI agents by yourself?

But the captain didn't say anything out loud. After all, Luke was the person who had contributed the most to the case, and he shouldn't be too tough on him.

Four agents left with a doctor. Ten minutes later, they returned with Bobby, who was unconscious.

The doctor simply said, "He's quite lucky. His veins and vital organs weren't nicked. His vitals are steady. He only fainted from the shock."

Jack Johnson, the captain of the FBI agents, had a discussion with them for a moment, then said, "We're going to search for the other three women. You can return on the helicopter first."

Luke frowned. "This isn't the best place for a battle, is it?"

Smiling, Jack picked up an item and said, "Night vision."

Then, he took out a small can from his tactical vest. "Flash grenade."

He grabbed another can. "Tear gas grenade."

Finally, he raised the item in his hand. "Respirator."

Luke was rendered speechless.

Their equipment was much more practical than his pistols and knife.

The tear gas and flash grenades, in particular, were indisputably fatal weapons in the dark cave.

Thinking for a moment, Luke described the monsters he had encountered just now, focusing on their agility and how they attacked.

He wasn't bragging, but telling Captain Jack how dangerous the monsters were from his own experience.

Jack nodded solemnly. "Got it. I'll go in with three agents…"

Luke shook his head. "I think you should be more cautious. You have advanced weapons, but twenty of them were chasing us just now. You better go in together, or not at all, and wait for reinforcements."

After a brief hesitation, Jack shook his head. "I'll go in with five agents. Two of them will stay here to protect you."

Luke didn't say anything else.

He wasn't sure what Jack was thinking.

Maybe he was trying to steal the credit, maybe he was hoping to investigate the monsters, or maybe he had another reason, but it wasn't Luke's place to order him about.

It was only for Thomas's sake that Jack had listened to him so far.

Luke could only nod. "Alright, I'll wait for you here."

Half an hour later, Jack and his team returned. Many of them smelled terrible.

Luke hurriedly stayed away from them.

He wasn't sure if the monsters' reddish black body fluid carried any viruses or germs.

Also… It was too smelly! It was as if these agents had just crawled out of a sewer.

But none of them were missing or heavily wounded.

Jack didn't look good. Obviously, the battle against the monsters hadn't gone as planned.

Luke naturally wouldn't point that out.

He had warned the guy, but the guy hadn't accepted it. What could he say now?

Hey, see, you should've listened to me?

He would be an idiot if he said that.

The three women looked a lot better. Clearly, they had been protected and hadn't gotten involved in the battle.

Suddenly, Brenda charged at them, shouting, "Ah, you b*tch, you abandoned us. I'm going to kill you!"

She was yelling at Selina.

Luke gazed at her coldly, but Selina showed no reaction when Brenda ran at her with her hand raised.

Luke moved to step between them.

Brenda's hand hit Luke's chest. Luke looked at her calmly and asked, "Can you go back now?"

Dazed for a moment, Brenda shouted, "Why? Why did she abandon us?"

Luke chuckled. "Because she couldn't nor was she obliged to save you. If she could save you, she wouldn't have been caught in the first place, would she?"

Brenda cried, "Liars! You liars! I'll kill you…" She waved her hands and was about to scratch Luke's face.

Pa!

Brenda was slapped away and she fell to the ground. She was completely addled. What's going on? My head is so dizzy.

Luke, on the other hand, dragged Selina away and asked in a low voice, "Why didn't you dodge?"

Selina hesitated. "I… I did abandon them."

Luke grinned and shook his finger in her face. "No, I was the one who abandoned them, not you. You're my partner whom I rescued, not an officer who went to rescue them, right?"

Selina was dazed. "Huh?"

Luke said indifferently, "I was the only one who had the power to choose whom to save. You didn't get to choose at all. So, are you responsible for abandoning her? How are you guilty? Should you give in to her just because she's stupid?"

Selina was deep in thought.

"If one day, you have to choose between helping two strangers and helping me, who would you choose?" asked Luke.

"You," Selina replied without any hesitation.

Luke opened his hand. "That's right. If that happens, I won't feel guilty toward the two strangers at all, because it was my partner's decision. I don't want her to feel that her decision was wrong."

Selina lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry."

Luke said, "No need for that. Just remember to slap back next time anyone touches you."

Unlike him, Selina didn't have a system which restricted her, and she didn't have to consider the gains and losses all the time.

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Chapter 87: Come Back When You're Clean

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Brenda's brief bout of madness dissipated after Luke slapped her, and she deflated like a rubber doll. In the end, it was her mother who pulled her back.

Asel was obviously much more clear-headed and wiser than her daughter.

She had seen the men whom Luke had tortured. Their feet had been crushed, and whoever woke up couldn't stop screaming in pain.

It was their screams that had attracted the terrible monsters. In the end, the screaming guys had been killed, and she had been abducted from the car and taken to the underground cave.

She also learned from her son who had just woken up that it was Luke who saved him.

Her daughter had humiliated herself. Luke had saved her and her son.

Who knew if she and Brenda could have escaped from the cave alive without Luke's help.

It was clearly also Luke who had called in the FBI agents. Only a self-centered girl like Brenda would've ignored that.

After the women were rescued, Luke and Selina boarded the rescue helicopter.

Jack had returned from the cave, which suggested that there had been few monsters left in it. There was no need for Luke and Selina to remain here.

The mother and her children, as well as the local sheriffs of Wolfkyle, boarded the FBI's helicopter. The two Houston detectives had to stay here to collect evidence for when they started squabbling with Wolfkyle later.

In any case, Luke had taken down their sheriff and deputy sheriff, so it was going to be troublesome no matter what.

The helicopters took off for Houston.

On the helicopter, Selina's gaze moved from the FBI's helicopter to Luke.

A moment later, she hugged Luke and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Luke snorted. "Is this how you thank someone who saved your life? Anyone else would buy their lifesaver dinner for a year and half."

Selina quickly refused. "I have no money. Besides, I'm not thanking you for saving me."

Luke found that odd. "Then what are you thanking me for?"

Selina said, "For stopping her from slapping me, of course."

Luke nodded.

Selina said, "After your explanation, I also think that it wouldn't have been worth it to be slapped; I would've been too angry to sleep at night if I really got hit."

Luke secretly chuckled. Do you not know what a sound sleeper you are? They moved you like a piglet, but you never woke up.

"So, thank you." Selina closed her eyes and didn't say anything else.

Luke was still for a moment. He smiled and looked at the night sky.

The helicopter pilot secretly complained: What's going on? Shouldn't you be kissing each other after surviving a disaster? What's the point of just kissing the cheek?

The doctors and nurses took Luke away the moment the rescue helicopter touched down at the hospital.

Selina was in better shape. A female doctor asked her questions and treated the scratches on her body. Then, she was allowed to go.

Selina didn't plan to go anywhere. Besides, she was hardly wearing anything; even the clothes and shoes she was wearing were from her kidnappers.

Luke was soon sent to the operation room. He didn't come out until hours later.

He was rather surprised to see Selina. "Let's talk in my ward."

The doctor said helplessly, "You should talk less and rest more."

Luke could only shut his mouth.

In order to rest, he had to make arrangements for Selina, or she would never leave the hospital.

The doctor reminded him of a few things, and then left the ward.

He had seen too many officers who took care of their partners in hospital, and paid it no mind.

When everybody left, Luke finally said, "Find a phone, call the police department, contact our landlord, and go home. You should at least change your clothes and bring some money if you don't want to starve here."

Selina nodded but didn't move.

Luke was rather helpless. "Come on, be a good girl and go get cleaned up. Come back when you smell better, alright?"

Selina sniffed. "There's a bathroom here. Why do I have to go home to take a shower?"

Luke said, "…Has it not occurred to you that your clothes smell like sh*t? Don't forget how foul the cave was. You better get rid of the smell. Bring me some clothes, while you're at it."

Selina finally left.

Luke chuckled and looked at his prizes from tonight.

Mission: Eliminate the human hunts and rescue the victims.

Total experience: 1,000. Total credit: 1,000.

Contribution rate: 100%. EXP 1,000. Credit 1,000.

Mission: Eliminate the man-eating monsters in the cave and rescue the victims.

Total experience: 1,000. Total credit: 1,000.

Contribution rate: 85%. EXP 850. Credit 850.

The harvest was pretty good, but Luke wasn't overly excited.

Survival was better than any reward, and lying on a comfortable bed was the greatest happiness.

He closed his eyes and relaxed, falling asleep.

He didn't wake up until the next morning.

It wasn't a long sleep, but he had recovered his energy after five hours.

That was the advantage of advanced strength.

He looked to the side, only to discover Selina sound asleep on a cot with a blanket over her.

Luke smiled.

He was always in a great mood when he saw her.

He quietly went to the bathroom to answer nature's call.

When he got back, he sniffed himself and frowned. That nasty monster smell still lingered.

He thought for a moment, but didn't wake Selina up. He simply opened the window and allowed the morning air to fill the room.

He had to admit that the stale city air made him feel safe.

The woods last night had the freshest air, but it also had perverts and hideous monsters.

Every living creature in the rural countryside was so brazen and aggressive.

The door opened, and a nurse walked in. She looked at Luke and said in surprise, "You should rest more, especially with your arm…"

Luke smiled. "Thank you for your concern. My arm is broken, but my legs are still healthy."

The nurse had a strange feeling as she stared at that gentle smile.

As the nurse in charge of Luke, she naturally knew how badly wounded the young detective was.

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Chapter 88: Do You Need My Help to Take a Shower?

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Anyone else would've begged for painkillers for such an injury, but this officer was still smiling calmly.

No wonder he could become a detective of the Major Crimes Division at such a young age.

The nurse said gently, "Do you need anything? Does the wound hurt?"

Luke shook his head with a smile. "No, I'm fine. You can go back to your work. There's no need to waste time on me."

The nurse nodded. "Press the button if you need anything. You know how to use it, right?" She pointed at a red button at the head of the bed.

Luke said, "Thank you for the reminder. I'll use it if I need to."

After the nurse left, Luke looked at the cot and said, "Don't pretend to be sleeping when you're awake. Don't you know what can happen if you sleep too much?"

Selina yawned and sat up. "I was just afraid that I'd be a third wheel if you started hitting on the nurse."

Luke sat on the bed and sniffed her. "Well, you smell great now."

Selina gloated. "Haha, I've taken a shower. Who's the one who smells like sh*t now?"

Luke said helplessly, "Me, of course. It's your turn to help me."

Selina was shocked. "Huh? What do you want?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Cover my left arm with the plastic film over there. I need to take a shower."

Selina found it odd. "Huh? Shouldn't you be asking me to help you take a shower? You only have one hand anyway."

Luke raised his fist. "Do you believe I can make you beg with one hand?"

Selina said quickly, "I do."

As they made fun of each other, Selina helped Luke cover his left arm.

It wasn't a bathtub, anyway. He only needed to avoid getting his left arm wet.

However, after Selina adjusted the water temperature, she turned around and asked again, "You really don't need my help? I actually don't mind."

Luke said, "Hehe, but I do."

Selina sniffed and left.

She was actually angry about that.

After they started renting a place together, Luke had seen her come out of the shower many times, but she hardly ever saw the same of him.

That was mostly because Luke was always wearing shorts and a T-shirt when he came out, and he barely exposed anything.

Selina, on the other hand, always came out in a bath towel. It was inevitable that some parts of her body would be exposed now and then. Sometimes, Luke even mocked her for it.

She had thought it would be a good chance to get back at Luke now that he was injured, but her plan hadn't worked out.

Can't you be a little more vulnerable? she secretly mumbled.

After knowing him for a few months, she knew that Luke was a man who seemed gentle but was actually cold.

He was courteous to most people, but there were few that he really cared about.

Fortunately, she was certain that she was one of them.

Ten minutes later, Luke came out, all clean, but his upper body was bare.

Eyes glowing, Selina touched his abs and remarked, "Wow, you're a lot stronger since the last time I saw you naked. You've finally decided to show off your abs today?"

Luke was amused. "If I may ask, can any of the clothes you brought me be put on with one hand?"

Selina was embarrassed when she looked at Luke's left arm in the thick cast. "Sorry, I didn't think about that. No, wait, what clothes can you possibly put on with one hand?"

Frowning, Luke thought for a moment, and could only shake his head. "I don't think there are any."

Selina said, "And you're blaming me?"

Luke said helplessly, "Alright, that was my mistake. I guess I can only cover myself with a shirt first."

Helping Luke put on a shirt, Selina finally complained, "One of the nasty players pinched my butt. I didn't realize it until last night, when I took a shower. The bruise is still there."

Luke said calmly, "It's fine. I guarantee they'll be crippled for life if they ever touch you again."

Gritting her teeth, Selina loosened her belt and showed him her hip. "Look, I'm sure it was a man who hasn't touched a woman in eight lives."

There were in fact two almost symmetrical spots on her dark skin, one on each side. Luke could even vaguely make out the shape of fingerprints.

He nodded solemnly. "…Well, it's possible." In fact, it had only been three months.Read more chapter on NovelFull

Selina, however, thought of something else. "Huh, did you pinch my butt last night? Why do I feel that it hurts on both sides?"

Luke said in confusion, "Did I? I don't remember anything. I was dizzy from the drug."

Selina frowned and thought for a moment, but her memory was fuzzy from the drug, and she had to drop it reluctantly.

However, she still threw around curses like "If I find out who did this, I'll chop off his hand… no, both his hands."

Luke was amused.

As they were having breakfast and the Dr. Pepper which Selina had bought, Thomas opened the door.

A detective came with him but didn't enter. He stayed outside the room.

Luke and Selina both stood up and saluted Thomas.

Although it seemed unnecessary, Luke felt that he wasn't close enough to Thomas yet that he could omit the formalities.

Thomas waved his hand and said, "Alright, let's sit down."

They sat down on the couch. Thomas asked, "How's your arm? Nothing serious?"

Luke nodded. "No. It should be fine in a while."

Thomas stared at him for a moment without saying anything. He then nodded. "I'm here to tell you about the case."

Luke and Selina didn't say anything, and only listened carefully.

After Thomas laid the case out, they finally realized how big it was.

The host and some other players had been slain by the monsters, while Luke had killed another batch of senior players by the lake. Only six of them had survived, but two had severe brain concussions and might never wake up again.

Only the four lackeys on Asel's side, including Gus, had woken up.

Naturally, those four were crippled for the rest of their lives. Gus, for one, was paralyzed.

Thanks to the pain that Luke had caused them, the lackeys barely put up any resistance during the FBI's interrogation, and soon confessed everything.

What Gus told the FBI was appalling.

They had been doing this for years. What started out as a handful of people had developed into a secret club.

There were more than ten victims that Gus had sent to the players, not including this particular time.

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Chapter 89: The Inside Story of the Hunting Club

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

More terrifyingly, the hunters didn't choose their victims at random.

The Behrmans who had gone missing previously, for example, were targets that the hunters had agreed on beforehand.

However, the Behrmans had somehow disappeared during the hunt, and the hunters didn't know what happened to them.

So, the FBI had discovered a more serious problem: Were Luke and Selina random targets?

Luke had his own guess, which was confirmed by what Thomas said next: He and Selina had been chosen, too.

No wonder when the host had welcomed Luke and Selina, he claimed that Bob's family had gotten involved by accident.

No wonder the players knew that they were detectives from Houston.

No wonder the sheriff and deputy sheriff of Wolfkyle had appeared.

Everything was a trap that had been set up beforehand.

Luke had thought that since Selina had been drugged and caught first, Gus might have found her badge. In that case, it wouldn't be unusual for the players to learn of their identities.

As for Bob's identity, he had mentioned the police department he worked for when he was talking to Luke, and Gus had been listening in.

Thomas told them a lot of other things.

Those people had gone to a lot of trouble to build the perfect playground.

The hostel seemed plain, but the ventilation system had been modified to transmit a sedative to the guest rooms.

Moreover, they had tried out multiple places for their hunting game before eventually settling on last night's spot.

There were no residents or phones within a range of twenty kilometers. Even the phone base stations had been deliberately wrecked many times, so that the telecommunication companies no longer wasted money on repairing them.

The only thing the hunters had gotten wrong was the intelligence on Luke.

There were files that associated him with the Shackelford gunfight, but the gunfight in the Mexican warehouse and the Rumford incident were classified. Even Brock wasn't authorized to access them. This was also the reason why he was unhappy with Luke and Selina.

In the Houston Police Department, only Thomas, who had a direct connection to S.H.I.E.L.D., was fully aware of Luke's combat abilities.

Those players hadn't considered the Shackelford gunfight a big deal.

If Luke was good at shooting, they could take his gun away and give him a double dose of the sedative.

That was why Luke hadn't been able to control his body even though he was much stronger than an ordinary person.

Gus also ratted out the two sheriffs.

They hadn't arrived at the playground from Wolfkyle at all; they had been around, ready to clean up the mess for the senior players as police officers.

Some victims had been fortunate enough to escape from the hunt before, but they disappeared again when they were drawn to the police cars and tried to call for help.

After Thomas was done, he opened his briefcase and took out a few photos. "Check these out."

Luke examined the photos, only to discover that they were of the players. "Is this… a tattoo? Huh, is it a dog?"

Thomas shook his head. "We have no idea what the tattoo means. All of the richest guys had this tattoo, as well as some of the others."

Pondering for a moment, Luke asked, "The host also had the tattoo?"

Thomas nodded. "Yes." There was hesitation in his eyes, but he didn't go on.

He rose and said, "Alright, get some rest. The FBI will get you to sign a non-disclosure agreement. You should be familiar with the procedure now, right?"

He was rather speechless.

Those two young officers were truly unlucky.

Yes, they were unlucky, not troublemakers.

They hadn't been the cause of the Houston cases which had to be kept confidential; instead, it was Brock who had assigned those cases to them.

Thomas secretly sneered.

This time, not just Brock, but even Faraday Page, their boss, had to be investigated, too.

After all, it was Brock who sent Luke and Selina to Wolfkyle, and Brock's number was in Sheriff Brown's phone record. They had spoken just as Luke and Selina had set off.

Although it wasn't unusual for two police departments to communicate, the timing was too coincidental.

The FBI didn't believe that Brock hadn't done it deliberately.

Even more critically, Faraday Page and Charlie Diaz were known to be best friends.

When Faraday Page vacationed in Wolfkyle, he often hung out with this magnate.

Now, the FBI suspected Director Faraday of backing the hunting club.

Even though he wasn't a player, he might be protecting them.

However, the case was still under investigation, and Thomas was the only one in HPD who knew everything.

As to when Director Faraday would know, that would depend on how many connections he had.

Pondering all these things, Thomas said, "You can take some vacation time after this. Selina can take a week off. Luke…"

Luke smiled. "I'll rest for a week, too. Selina can help me when we go back to work."

Thomas glanced at Luke and at Selina, who was standing behind him. He sighed. "Fine, but don't overdo it. Don't forget that I have Robert's number."

Luke quickly gave in. "Chief, I promise that I'll take care of myself. Don't worry about Robert. I'll give him a call."

Thomas nodded and stepped out.

Selina remarked, "Wow, another holiday. We have to thank… Well, forget it. We shouldn't be happy about this."

Luke chuckled. "It's fine. It's your turn to look after me now anyway."

Selina asked, "Do you need me to feed you milk?"

Luke said, "That's unnecessary. It suddenly occurs to me that I'm lactose intolerant."

Very soon, Jack, the captain of the FBI agents, arrived.

After signing the non-disclosure agreement like before, Luke smiled. "Thank you, Captain Jack."

Jack smiled and left soon afterward.

After he left, Luke said to Selina, "Did you see that? That's what a professional is like. He didn't say anything unnecessary."

Selina wasn't interested in that. "What should we have for lunch?"

Luke said, "…We can have whatever you want as long as you're paying for it."

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Chapter 90: Lucky Recovery, Considerate Brock

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

But Luke soon regretted his decision.

Selina bought burgers and fries for lunch, which was fine, but she also bought strawberry ice cream for Luke.

However, with Selina staring at him, Luke had no choice but to devour the girly ice cream that was in the shape of a pink heart.

The next week was a holiday. Luke was free, but he didn't think much of it.

While he had obtained abundant experience and credit from the mission, something unexpected cropped up.

Luke found that his arm wasn't as agile as before.

This outcome was typical of a bone fracture.

One week was only enough to reduce the pain and swelling of the injury.

However, Luke was five times stronger than an ordinary person. For him, a week to recover was equal to a month, which was confirmed by his constant sense of hunger.

That was his body absorbing tremendous energy and nutrition to repair his wounded arm.

In the week after, however, Luke clearly felt that something was wrong with his left arm.

The feeling was hard to describe, but it was obvious that his fingers were now slower to react.

He asked the doctor about it. Of course, Luke didn't dare get any tests done, so he didn't get any useful answers.

The doctor concluded delicately, "It's actually normal for your condition. Your arm was badly injured. How well you recover now will depend on you."

Luke looked at the doctor's face and realized what he was implying.

The doctor was saying that his arm wouldn't recover at all unless he was lucky.

It might recover, but it was more likely that it wouldn't.

Luke didn't complain. He simply thanked the doctor and left.

His strength was already 24. Luke chuckled and decided to give it another four level ups, though it was a challenging goal.

Thus, Luke wasn't in the greatest of moods during the holiday.

A week later, Luke and Selina got back to work.

Both of them were lost for words when they saw Brock's zombie-like face. Isn't everything your own fault?

However, Brock clearly thought otherwise.

Luke and Selina were here to take a case, and Brock simply threw a file at them without saying anything.

Another two weeks passed just like that.

Luke and Selina got four cases, but cracked none of them.

According to TV dramas, all the cases in America could be cracked, but the fact was that only 10% of cases in major cities were actually solved.

What the police department paid attention to wasn't the overall success rate, but whether or not it was the major cases with significant impact that were cracked.

It was also the reason why many cases were solved immediately once they got attention.

Brock was indeed a seasoned police officer. The cases he gave Luke and Selina were all tricky ones.

As newcomers, they had no means or connections to crack these sorts of cases at all.

These cases all involved missing people or dead homeless people and drug addicts. Most of the time, these cases could only be closed on an uncertain note.

But Luke kept an open mind. He earned a lot of experience and credit with his system by helping other people during the investigation, even if he couldn't solve the cases.

He was calm in tough situations. Influenced by his attitude, Selina remained serene, too.

When Luke said it was nothing serious, it was indeed nothing serious.

Brock also changed his tune. He claimed that he was giving Luke and Selina these cases because Luke's arm hadn't recovered yet, and these cases required less effort.

So, Brock was absolutely justified in giving Luke and Selina petty cases.

This excuse spread in the Major Crimes Division, and few could argue with him.

Of course, some felt that Luke was silly to work when he hadn't completely recovered yet, but they couldn't blame him for loving his job.

There were certain things that people would agree with in public but personally believe to be stupid – that was what adults did.

The situation lasted for two weeks. Luke's cast came off, and their duties changed slightly.

Selina was roaming the streets in the car. She complained, "Brock is getting more and more outrageous. He's using us as street patrol."

Looking out the window, Luke said casually, "It doesn't matter. The cases he gave us can't be solved anyway. It's better to go for a ride than be stuck at the police department."

Selina was still angry. "But why does he speak to us twice a week to tell you to rest properly? He's also spread the word in the Major Crimes Division, as if he's a good guy."

Luke said, "Just pretend he's a Shar Pei. He's disgusting, and you don't have to pay attention to anything he says. Do you bark back at a dog when it barks at you?"

Stunned for a moment, Selina burst into laughter.

Brock had a lot of wrinkles from work pressure, and looked much older than he actually was. He did indeed look like a Shar Pei.

Amused, Selina finally dropped the topic about their commanding officer and turned to their new assignment. "Why are we patrolling? It's just a playboy who's coming, not the president."

Luke chuckled. "No, to some extent, he's much more important than the president."

Selina was shocked. "Are you serious?"

Luke replied, "We have a new president every few years, but as long as he doesn't get himself killed, this guy will be the lifelong CEO of Stark Industries."

But, Luke added in his mind, the time when this boy really would try to get himself killed wasn't far in the future.

While they ignored Brock's annoying tricks, Luke and Selina enjoyed the next half month.

It was a pity that the insurance company was still investigating the disappearance of Luke's car in Rumford. He hadn't been compensated for it yet.

Luke was too lazy to call the insurance company, mostly because things were too complicated in Rumford, and too many insurance companies were investigating the situation there.

As they quarreled among themselves, who knew when Luke would be compensated for his car.

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Chapter 91: Part-Time Patrol Officers

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Luke and Selina simply bought two bikes and rode them to the police department every day, before they went on patrol in their police car.

It was a way to save money as well as to train their bodies.

Luke had truly run out of money. Most of the ten thousand bucks that he had gotten from the Carlos family had been given to Carol.

And most of his salary had gone into the new car, which had vanished.

As an experiment, he had stolen five dollars when he was in Rumford, and spent it after he returned to Houston.

But he then received a system notification which stated that his credit had been reduced by 5 for illegally obtaining someone else's possession.

Luke immediately realized that as expected, the Super Detective System represented justice, and forbade stealing.

He had taken ten thousand bucks from the Carlos family, and had even given thousands away, but nothing had been deducted from his credit.

So, the system rule was clear.

Criminals weren't protected by the system. Luke's credit was fine when he killed them or plundered their possessions.

However, he couldn't do the same to innocent people.

Luke would have to experiment more to find out what kind of criminals he could dispose of without getting punished for it, and what the boundary of criminality was.

However, credit was precious. He planned to use a dollar, or maybe two dollars, in later tests.

Otherwise, he might lose 100 credits if he stole a hundred dollars.

He didn't test it out with Selina because they were too close; it was hard to say who owed whom money.

The safest approach was to go after drug dealers; Luke was certain that their money was free for the taking.

Also, he had lost 5 credits for stealing five dollars. What if he killed innocent people? Considering the system's attitude, Luke didn't think that it would end too well for him.

However, Luke wasn't in a rush to earn money.

First of all, his arm had been injured recently, and he needed to exercise it first in order to recover.

Secondly, Luke and Selina had recently gotten a pay rise. Both of them were single and didn't need a lot of money.

Lastly, there were a lot of patrols happening in Houston at the moment, and it certainly wasn't the best time to secretly attack drug dealers.

Tony Stark had arrived in Houston for a spaceship project, or something about the development of space resources.

Houston was officially known as Space City.

This place was the center of aeronautics in America; its basketball team was simply called The Rockets.

Houston was the base for companies that specialized in space technology.

As it so happened, Stark had run into a protest by a certain peace organization a few days ago. Thus, city hall had decided to clean up Houston before Stark arrived, to show that it was a friendly city.

At the very least, the prostitutes and the drug dealers couldn't be allowed to blatantly walk the streets.

Luke and Selina weren't really patrolling. They were only waiting to deal with emergencies, such as possible gunfights or conflicts.

Detectives of the Major Crimes Division were more intimidating and powerful than regular officers.

Experienced in dealing with criminals, they could easily intimidate most people.

Actually, Brock didn't really want to deploy them.

Such an assignment would enable them to familiarize themselves with the environment and allow them to establish their own network of informants.

However, he couldn't ignore the chief's order and not send anyone out.

The other detectives had too many cases to deal with, and had little time for street patrol.

Thus, Brock could only give Luke's team the assignment alongside another team.

The difference was that Luke and Selina were always on patrol, while the detectives of the Major Crimes Division took turns on the other team.

It was as Luke had expected.

That morning, Luke and Selina had issued warnings to three groups of gangsters. They didn't really care about their lives, and weren't scared of the police.

Some of them even tried to harass the female officer.

Selina used her Brazilian jiu-jitsu to teach them a lesson without hesitation. She grabbed their limbs and put pressure on them, making the gangsters beg and cry.

Naturally, it was impossible for them to file a complaint.

They were more likely to shoot Luke and Selina than to file a complaint.

However, Luke and Selina only gave them a warning and didn't take them down.

They weren't with the DEA. The Major Crimes Division had no time to deal with nobodies like these unless they were involved in special cases.

Those gangsters knew better than to resist. They were aware of what HPD had been up to recently.

The best they could do was curse before they hid away in even darker corners.

They were more interested in selling more drugs and earning more money than pissing off the Major Crimes Division.

The other cases that Luke and Selina had to deal with were more light-hearted.

Someone had filed a complaint against a woman drying her clothes outside her window. A police officer had gone to talk to her, but the fat woman had simply taken out a shotgun and said that she was in no mood to talk.

The officer and the woman were caught in an impasse. Eventually, Luke and Selina were called in.

Like an even fiercer tigress, Selina suppressed the tough woman so that the officer could take her in.

Of course, the woman didn't really plan to shoot, but the officer was unwilling to take the risk.

He didn't want to star in a news report about an officer killing a woman over something as trivial as drying clothes.

Luke also realized this, so he had stepped forward from one side to grab the shotgun.

In another case, a family was reported to have kidnapped some children.

An officer came, but the family refused to open the door.

Luke and Selina came in as reinforcements. Selina negotiated with the family in Spanish, and finally, the door was opened.

Inside the room was a Mexican woman. The children inside hadn't been kidnapped, but were her own children.

She hadn't opened the door because she didn't have a green card.

Selina didn't say anything complicated to persuade the woman. She merely told the woman that she was from the Major Crimes Division, not Immigration, and that she wasn't here about the woman's immigration status.

Selina also said that her parents were immigrants from Mexico, and that while she wasn't interested in investigating the woman, the latter would definitely be sent back to Mexico if she refused to open the door.

Selina understood illegal immigrants too well. She had heard too much about that terrible life from her parents.

Eventually, after Selina talked to the officer, the woman wasn't brought back to the police station.

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Chapter 92: Patrol and Harvest

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

There were six children in the Mexican family. If their mother was sent back to Mexico, the children would become orphans.

Their father was also an illegal immigrant, and would be repatriated along with the mother if it happened.

However, since he wasn't here, the children would be handed over to Child Welfare Services, which was no better than an orphanage.

The police officer preferred not to deal with the tricky issue, either. He wasn't from Immigration, after all.

More importantly, it was Selina who proposed letting them off, so the officer wouldn't be blamed even if anything happened later.

So, they simply gave the Mexican mother a warning and told her to stop her children from screaming.

In the end, Luke and Selina knocked on her neighbor's door and warned the single man living there, too.

It was this very neighbor who had called the police. Cowed by Luke, he confessed the real reason.

The children next door were too noisy, and talking to their mother hadn't helped. Infuriated, he had called the police, claiming that the mother had kidnapped the children.

Well, that wasn't really anything new in America.

The neighbor had been reasonable enough to call the police. A more bad-tempered guy might have simply shot her.

Luke threatened to charge him with raising a false alarm if he called the police again.

If that happened, the Mexican woman might be sent back to her country, but he would be arrested, too.

The neighbor immediately lost his courage.

Luke patted his shoulder. "Actually, you can buy earphones. Once you put them on, the whole world will turn quiet. You can buy decent ones for ten bucks on Amazon. It's much more convenient than calling the police."

The neighbor was suspicious. "Huh? Really?"

Luke chuckled and shook his head.

The man had called the police not entirely because his neighbor was being too noisy.

It was also partly because his own life wasn't that great, and when he was upset, he wanted to make other people miserable, too.

Of course, it was possible that the man hadn't noticed his true motivation.

After everything was done, Luke and Selina returned to their car. Selina asked Luke curiously, "Why do I feel that you're rather happy?"

Pondering for a moment, Luke decided to tell her the truth. "Look, these cases may be boring, but they've helped us to become familiar with Westside. The people we helped could become informants later. What if we have hundreds of them?"

Selina exclaimed, "They can work for us?"

Luke nodded solemnly. "Of course. Why else would I give them my contact?"

Luke was secretly satisfied. He actually got a lot more out of a morning of patrol than Brock could imagine.

That morning, he had earned 15 experience and credit points for dealing with the gangsters.

A petty task like cleaning up those gangsters gave a reward of 10 experience and credit points.

Selina had done her share, so Luke only got 15 points from the three operations.

Sorting out the woman who had hung her clothes out to dry was also worth 10 points. Since Luke had made a greater contribution that time, he got 7.

The case of the Mexican woman and her neighbor was worth 20 points in total.

Luke got 10.

He estimated that his contribution had come from giving the neighbor a warning.

Otherwise, his contribution rate would've been zero, because Selina had taken care of the Mexican woman on her own.

Luke had acquired 32 experience and credit points from these cases in one morning.

He was certain that he would get more than fifty by the end of the day.

If the patrol lasted a week, Luke would be able to earn 400 experience and credit points.

He had finally escaped Brock's snare, and didn't have to work deadend cases anymore.

If he couldn't crack cases, he wouldn't get any experience or credit points.

He couldn't level up without experience, and he couldn't buy abilities without credit.

Because of Brock's "help," Luke had made a fortune in experience and credit points, but he certainly wouldn't thank Brock for it.

This also included the benefit that Luke had just explained to Selina. So, this patrol was definitely a rewarding assignment.

In the next couple of days, Luke and Selina worked hard.

Thanks to Luke's encouragement, Selina was more active, too.

An officer who was familiar with the neighborhood would receive much more assistance than an officer who wasn't.

After a week, Luke and Selina gave more than fifty people their contacts.

Most of them wouldn't be of much help, but certain homeless people and bottom-level workers were useful.

Criminals might fool security cameras and police officers, but it was hard to fool the people who were on the streets every day.

To obtain information from these people, however, it was necessary to reward them.

Money wasn't the only option, but it was without doubt the best one.

Luke didn't really care about money, but he had to admit that he needed money at this point.

It seemed that he had to consider the drug dealers again. After all, he didn't need to pay taxes when he "earned" money from them.

Moreover, he wouldn't feel guilty about disposing of drug dealers; spending their money on informants was completely justifiable.

The system certainly wouldn't stop him from doing that.

Luke even felt that the system allowed him to swallow the money of criminals precisely because the cause of justice was costly.

Most of the cases Luke and Selina encountered for the rest of the week were in a similar vein.

They ran into all kinds of weird people and conflicts.

Selina remarked that she had encountered more bizarre things in a week here than she had in her four years as an officer in Shackelford.

There were truly all kinds of freaks in the big city.

Someone caught his wife sleeping with their landlord, and beat them up.

Someone who was high called the police and claimed that he had a gun, when it was actually a hair dryer.

Someone even took off their clothes in the middle of the day and fell asleep on the streets – and it was a drunk, young woman.

On the last day of their patrol, Selina even began to speculate what she would run into that day.

The bizarre cases had broadened her horizons significantly.

Of course, they were eye-openers for Luke as well, but he had seen too many freaks on the Internet in his last life, and was thus more immune.

The experience and credit points which Luke earned from those cases weren't as important.

His biggest prize came from a little girl.

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Chapter 93: Great Loot and Bittersweet Ability

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

This thirteen-year-old girl claimed that she could smell a rotting body. She fought with her mom when she couldn't stand the smell anymore, and tried to run away from home.

Her neighbor heard the noise and thought that her mother was beating her, and so called the police.

Luke and Selina happened to be right next to the building, and went to the girl's apartment along with another officer.

After knocking on the door and figuring out what happened, Luke looked around the place, deep in thought, then smiled at the girl. "I bet there isn't a body in your apartment."

The girl shook her head hard. "That's not true. I can smell it. Someone definitely hid a body in here. It smells like a corpse."

Luke smiled and said, "Do you want to bet with me?"

After a brief hesitation, the girl nodded. "Okay."

Luke picked up a small metal ball from the desk. It was about one centimeter in diameter and was quite handy.

In the next moment, he threw the metal ball into a corner.

Everyone heard a squeak and saw a big gray mouse.

It was struggling to return to a mousehole in the wall, but was dying after being hit by the metal ball.

Everybody was confused. What was the meaning of this? Was it some sort of acrobatic show?

Luke asked the girl's mother, "Can we make the mousehole a little bigger? You won't make us pay for damages, will you?"

The mother hesitated, but nodded in the end. "You can, but… don't make it too big, alright?"

Luke nodded. "I won't."

He then asked the officer who had come with them for his truncheon, and widened the mousehole.

He dug some ten centimeters in, and then the slightly rotting, foul-smelling body of a mouse appeared.

The officer was speechless. Here I was, wondering why you asked for my truncheon!

The girl shouted, "Ah! That's it! That's the smell! It's a dead mouse!"

Problem solved. Luke touched the girl's head with a smile and said, "Why did you think it was a human body?"

The girl peered at her mother carefully, and seeing how angry her mother was, didn't dare say anything.

Luke turned to the mother. "Ma'am, please don't blame your daughter. She might have been oversensitive, but a dead mouse in your apartment can't be good for your health. She noticed something wrong. If you had trusted her more and examined the room, this wouldn't have happened. What do you say?"

The mother was rather embarrassed.

She had thought that her daughter was just making a fuss, but the truth had been revealed.

Her daughter wasn't entirely correct, but she hadn't been lying, either.

The mother apologized to the girl. "I'm sorry, Alisa, I was wrong. Don't be angry with me, okay?"

The little girl shook her head quickly and hugged her mother. "I'm sorry, mom. I shouldn't have watched that horror movie in secret. The bad guys in the movie hid the body in the wall, and were discovered because of the smell. So…"

The mother hugged her back and said, "No, you were watching TV because I work every day and you were bored. It's all my fault."

Smiling, Luke left his card on the desk and said, "It seems that the misunderstanding has been cleared up. Here's my and my partner's contacts. You can call again if anything happens. But Alisa, what do you say we have another bet? You'll win if you don't call us in the next ten days, okay?"

In her mother's arms, Alisa smiled tearfully and waved at him. "Okay!"

System: You have defeated Alisa and received a list of her abilities.

You have received Alisa's gratitude. You may now learn all her abilities.

Alisa's abilities list: Sharp Nose (X-gene; prerequisite: 20 Strength): 1,000 credits.

Luke smiled so hard that Selina felt it was creepy. Why was he so happy after helping a little girl? Had some twisted fetish being triggered?

Luke was truly happy.

He had essentially picked up a super ability by doing nothing.

Also, the prerequisite and the credit points weren't a problem for him.

He learned the ability without any hesitation.

After picking up Sharp Nose, Luke understood the rules of the system better.

The 20 strength prerequisite was probably the baseline for certain abilities.

Even when he hadn't learned the ability yet, Luke had smelled a vague odor in the apartment.

That meant that once he met the prerequisite, his body already had extraordinary abilities such as a better sense of smell and self-healing.

Learning the ability was more like grasping the way to smell more effectively.

His nose, which had been keen enough, could only distinguish scents at the beginning.

But after he learned Sharp Nose, he could instinctively tell where the scents in the air came from.

For example, he could smell the familiar scent of Selina's shampoo in whatever place she passed through.

And he would instinctively know that a woman had just walked by.

It was truly an amazing feeling.

This way of observing the world was similar to how bats used ultrasound to sense their environment.

Alisa hadn't been able to discern that it was a mouse partly because she was too young, and partly because of the horror movie. Most of it, however, probably had to do with the fact that she was unaware of how hypersensitive she was.

Luke was happy that afternoon, but not so the following day.

It was the day when a certain son of destiny and super playboy was supposed to be attending a meeting in Houston.

Luke and Selina were deployed early that morning to the meeting hall to maintain order and take care of potential trouble.

It wasn't until then that Luke realized the side effect of Sharp Nose.

The side effect was that… his nose was too sharp.

There were two hundred people in the hall, and more still were coming in.

Regardless of gender, most of them were wearing fragrances. Some also had strong body odor and even smelly feet.

Luke almost threw up.

In the end, he couldn't help but put on a mask in order to stay strong.

Despite his usual calmness, he cursed Brock vehemently in his heart.

They were detectives of the Major Crimes Division, not special forces. They weren't good at protecting important people, and had never trained to do so, either.

Brock had essentially sent them where things were most likely to go wrong.

Luke couldn't leave, either. He couldn't say that he was about to pass out because of the smell, could he?

Besides, Selina would be on her own if Luke left, and it would be on her head if anything happened.

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Chapter 94: Virtue and Wit

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Luke could only grit his teeth.

He also cursed Tony Stark for his misfortune, even though he knew that Tony Stark wasn't really responsible for his situation.

He knew a thing or two about Tony Stark.

From the movies he had watched in his last life, he knew that Tony Stark had a unique personality, and that he could be a great hero, but perhaps not a great friend.

It was completely understandable that Obadiah, his bald uncle, would try to kill him.

Tony Stark called Obadiah uncle. Their bond couldn't be fake. Yet, the playboy couldn't stop himself from squandering his wealth.

It was in his nature, and was hard to change.

Thus, Luke never intended to make friends with Tony Stark, because it was too difficult.

It wasn't hard to imagine how haughty Stark was if he could shut the door on someone who had developed the ultimate virus1.

If Luke were to approach him, he would treat Luke like a servant and boss him around.

Luke spaced out, random thoughts running through his head.

To be honest, this security mission was absolutely pointless.

Tony Stark had a perfectly good security team to protect him. He didn't need the police at all.

His bald uncle hadn't decided to eliminate Tony Stark yet, so he should be safe for now.

This was only a gesture by the police department to win Tony Stark's favor.

The start of the opening ceremony came and went. Everybody in the hall started whispering among themselves.

Luke didn't even need to guess the reason.

It was Tony Stark's natural propensity to be late, leave without saying goodbye, or stand other people up.

He had caused too much trouble before with his behavior.

From friend to foe, civilian to celebrity, he could stand anyone up.

Seeing that Selina was craning her head trying to catch the whispers, Luke said in a low voice, "There's no need to think. One of Tony Stark's greatest virtues is tardiness. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't show up at all today."

Selina clicked her tongue. "But there are so many reporters and bosses here. Would he dare do that?"

Luke said, "Hm, I have no doubt that he would."

It wasn't until thirty minutes later that Tony Stark finally appeared, black circles around his eyes.

Luke figured that he probably had had too much fun last night with some girls who had sent themselves to his doorstep.

The opening ceremony finally began. Tony Stark took out a piece of paper and spoke dryly, before getting off the stage.

Luke even saw him fall asleep two minutes after he sat down.

There were other speeches in turn. Two hours later, the opening ceremony ended.

The real meeting wouldn't begin until the afternoon. Corporation and research agency representatives would be locked in negotiations for three days.Read more chapter on NovelFull

That meant that Luke would have to suffer for three days.

After the opening ceremony, Luke and Selina had to help maintain order along with the other police officers.

Since they had more noteworthy ranks, Luke and Selina led the way for a bunch of corporate big-shots instead of joining the other officers who were holding the crowd back on the sides.

Tony Stark was in the front, next to Bill Yorlington, the CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Luke wasn't paying much attention to them, but from his random glances, it was obvious that Tony Stark wasn't interested in talking to his peer at all.

Bill, however, ignored it, and was just saying what he should say.

Well, Luke believed that Bill clearly wasn't expecting to make friends with Tony. They were both pretending, except that Bill was a better actor.

Suddenly, a man squeezed through the wall of police officers and charged at Tony and Bill with a bottle.

The man approached from the right side, which Selina was responsible for.

Selina reacted swiftly. Confronted with the aggressive man, she calmly stepped to one side and grabbed the hand that was holding the bottle.

She then swept the guy's feet out from under him, and pressed his hands to his back.

After that, she twisted the man's wrist and forced him to drop the bottle, which rolled to the floor.

It was a nontransparent plastic bottle. Selina couldn't see what was inside. She didn't dare touch it, either.

However, both Luke and Selina noticed that the bottle was still sealed. They looked closer at the bottle, only to discover that it was milk.

Luke stepped forward and quickly handcuffed the guy, before he shoved him toward the other police officers.

The man was still shouting, "Stark, you war criminal, why are you still alive?"

Luke raised his eyebrow. This reason was all too understandable.

Anti-war groups often initiated protests, or more radical operations, against Stark's super firearms enterprise.

Well, throwing milk at him was meant to humiliate him without actually hurting him. Similar weapons included raw eggs and potatoes.

Another police officer took away the bottle of, presumably, milk.

Before Luke and Selina could indicate to Tony Stark that he was safe now, he had already come over. His eyes glowed when he looked at Selina. "Wow, beautiful officer. Want to get a drink with me later?"

Luke, however, ignored him and said to Selina, "Stay alert."

They returned to their posts, while the officers up ahead investigated the crowd. The team had stopped moving for the time being.

Tony was stunned. Had he been ignored?

He asked, "Gorgeous lady, can you give me your name? I think you and I could get to know each other better."

Luke glanced back at him and said casually, "Mr. Stark, please do not interfere with our work."

Tony raised his eyebrow. "Are you a gorgeous lady? Did you think I was talking to you?"

Luke suddenly smiled. "I saw the news about the cover girl of some magazine who was kicked out of your house naked in the middle of the night, and the one about the twin celebrities who said that you were impotent. So, I'm only hoping that the same tragedy won't befall my partner, esteemed Mr. Stark."

Selina was dazed. Luke spoke quickly and very clearly, and it had taken him no more than ten seconds.

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Chapter 95: Bet, Dinner, and "Pick Me Up"

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Tony Stark glanced at Luke and said casually, "The editor of Moon News apologized. Don't you think you should?"

Luke smiled. "But Mr. Stark, that photo of that poor cover girl trembling in the cold outside your house wasn't fake."

Then, he turned around and ignored Tony Stark.

The officers up ahead gestured to indicate that the team could start moving again. Luke and Selina started walking.

There was little Tony could do. The editor of Moon News had only apologized for the slander about Tony's impotence, not for the naked cover girl.

Besides, he had met people like Luke before.

There were definitely more people who hated him than who liked him, and Tony couldn't pick on either of them.

But the gorgeous officer's powerful movements, pleasing face, and beautiful curves were a cut above his usual target.

Tony was too busy considering that to notice that Bill was gloating next to him.

Given Tony's callousness, most people would only applaud if he stumbled and fell.

Annoyed, Tony stopped at his car and said to Luke, who wasn't far away, "I'm taking your partner to Xochi on a date this evening, and we're going to have a lovely night after that. Is there anything you want to say?"

Luke smiled. "How about a bet? I bet that you won't succeed."

Tony said, "Let's wait and see." He then got into his car.

It wasn't until an hour later that Luke and Selina were finally done with the assignment. They went to have lunch together.

While they were having sandwiches and Dr. Pepper, Luke said, "You heard the playboy's challenge, didn't you?"

Selina's eyes glowed. "Of course I did. Thank you, Luke!"

Luke was confused. "Huh?"

"That idiot offered to treat me to Xochi after you needled him a little. Do you know how expensive the food there is? I've been wanting to try the place out for so long, but I don't have the money for it," said Selina excitedly.

Luke was dazed. "Huh?" It finally occurred to him that Xochi seemed to be a Mexican restaurant, which was Selina's favorite.

Thinking for a moment, Luke suddenly smiled. "That works, but I wasn't lying about what I said to Mr. Stark just now. Don't get kicked out of the door naked in the middle of the night – you can eat, but no drinks after, and you have to come home after dinner."

Selina snorted in dissatisfaction, but still said obediently, "Okay."

When they left work later that day, a Rolls-Royce Phantom stopped not far from them, and a somewhat familiar man emerged.

He said to Selina, "Miss Selina, I'm the head of Mr. Stark's security team. I'm here to take you to have dinner with him."

Selina glanced at Luke. Luke said, "Remember what I said."

Selina sniffed and nodded slightly. She got in the car, and it soon drove off.

From beginning to end, the head of security never once looked at Luke.

Luke stared at the car and checked his phone. "Well, it's half past six. I can call her at half past seven."

He had made a bet with Tony Stark. Although the guy hadn't explicitly accepted it, what if the system had acknowledged it?

Thus, he certainly wouldn't allow the playboy to hit on Selina.

Yes, that was his reason.

Luke drove the police car back to the police station and rode his bike home.

Since Selina wasn't here, he simply bought instant noodles for himself.

Although it was garbage food, it certainly tasted great.

He hadn't had any for a long time, so he bought some from the Chinese supermarket on his way home.

After a shower, he had a cup of tea and watched TV.

It was good to relax for a bit after a busy day.

But his phone rang before half past seven.

He picked up the call, and Selina's voice came through. "Come and pick me up."

Luke was surprised. "Huh? Where?"

"Xochi! I'm at the entrance." Selina sounded rather calm.

Luke said, "Alright, I'm on my way."

Twenty minutes later, Luke stopped his bike and smiled. "Miss Selina, your driver is here."

Selina was dumbfounded, and Tony Stark's face twisted.

Yes, Luke was here on his bike.

Thankfully, Xochi wasn't far away from their apartment, or it might've taken him an hour.

"Thank you for dinner. Goodbye, Mr. Stark." Selina was pretty used to Luke's way of thinking. After a stumped pause, she sat on the bike frame, since the bike didn't have a backseat.

There were a lot of things that Tony Stark wanted to say, but he could only watch Luke and Seline leave.

He was somewhat jealous when he saw how close they were.

Aren't you too shameless? One of them gulped down everything when she got here, and left once she was full, while the other even picked her up on a bike. Are you trying to piss me off?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Tony Stark drove his car up to them.

The two security cars followed behind him.

In less than a minute, his car caught up to the bike.

Tony Stark rolled down the window and shouted at Luke, "Boy, I'll remember you. What's your name?"

Luke glanced at him and said, "My name is Luke."

Tony Stark sniffed. "Selina and I will hook up sooner or later."

Luke smiled. "Well, I'm looking forward to it, but I think I'm the winner today."

Tony Stark said disdainfully, "Boy, it's easy if I want to win…"

Luke chuckled. "Of course, I have no doubt of that, but are you ready to pay the penalty?"

Tony Stark was stunned. "What are you talking about?"

Bang!

His car suddenly jerked to a stop, and Luke waved at him with a smile. "Farewell, Mr. Stark the Rich. You better get your car fixed first."

It wasn't until then that Tony Stark realized that he had hit a car that was parked on one side of the road.

Luke had covertly moved off the road since a while ago.

In order to talk to him, Tony Stark had subconsciously kept the car close to the bike.

As Luke talked to him and distracted him, the car had edged closer and closer to the kerb, until it finally hit another car that was parked next to the sidewalk.

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Chapter 96: Extra Meal and Pleasant Surprise

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Tony Stark's expression was awful as Luke and Selina moved further and further away.

The security cars also arrived. One of the bodyguards asked him what he wanted to do.

Tony Stark said sulkily, "I'll return in your car. You can take care of this fender bender."

He stopped chasing Luke and Selina.

Given how rich he was, hitting another car wasn't a big deal, but it was depressing that Luke had outsmarted him.

Of course, he didn't really want to get back at Luke. He was only bummed at being set up.

Despite all his quirks and problems, Tony Stark was, in the end, on the side of justice.

It would be beneath him to deal with a young police officer over a petty quarrel.

Luke was quite certain of Tony's sense of pride.

After Tony Stark switched cars, he rolled his eyes and thought of something just as Luke and Selina disappeared in the distance.

Luke and Selina were crammed together on the bike. Selina chuckled. "Do you hate him?"

Luke smiled. "Not exactly, but… he's not very likable for a guy. Most women like him for his money and not who he is, too."

Selina couldn't argue with that.

She was a fan of muscles. Given how he indulged himself, there was no way Tony Stark could have an eight pack.

She had agreed to dinner mostly because she had been interested in the free Xochi meal.

During their conversation at dinner, she discovered that Tony Stark was actually good at charming women. She probably wouldn't have been able to resist the temptation if their backgrounds hadn't been so different.

If she were a big city star, it was possible that she might not have returned home tonight.

Luke changed the topic. "How was your favorite Xochi?"

Selina said, "The food's marvelous! But it wasn't enough. I think I'm only half full."

Luke chuckled. "Do you want something else?"

Selina asked, "What's available? Bread or sandwiches?"

Luke said, "A specialty from China. Do you want it?"

Selina said, "Yes."

Half an hour later, they returned to their apartment. Selina rubbed her bottom. "Couldn't you have called a taxi? My butt feels like it's falling apart."

Luke rolled his eyes. Weren't everyone's butts made out of two parts, anyway? It would be weird if they weren't.

Luke walked into the kitchen. He fried two eggs and cut a few slices of ham.

He then placed the pot on the induction stove and added water to it. Once the water was boiling, he put the noodles and seasoning in.

He didn't like noodles that were too soft, so he didn't boil them for too long.

He poured the noodles and soup into two bowls and put the ham slices and fried eggs on top. Then, he gave a fork to Selina and got a pair of chopsticks for himself.

Selina was drooling like crazy when they sat down at the dinner table.

She swallowed and asked, "What's this? Why am I drooling?"

Luke chuckled. "Secret instant noodles from China." Why was she drooling? Because of the special sour flavor of the noodles.

Seeing how much in a hurry Selina was, Luke reminded her, "Slow down. It's hot."

However, Selina had already cried out from the burn. "Ah!"

Thanks to Luke's timely reminder, she hadn't eaten the noodles yet, and had only burned her lips.

Covering her lips for a while, Selina said, "I think my lips are swollen."

Luke glanced at her red lips and said, "They're fine, you're imagining it."

Blowing on the noodles as she ate them, it only took Selina ten minutes to finish the noodles as well as the soup.

"Wow, the noodles are so delicious. Make them for me next time, Luke," said Selina in satisfaction as she collapsed on the couch.

Luke said, "It's very simple to make. I'll buy more and put them in the fridge. But don't have them too often. It can be bad for your health."

Selina said, "Okay, I'll definitely be careful."

Luke grinned at the woman who was like a piglet and washed the dishes himself.

Selina had helped him a lot today.

As he washed the dishes, Luke read the system notifications.

System: You have defeated Tony Stark and received a list of his abilities.

1

Why had he defeated Tony Stark? Because Stark had said that he would take Selina out on a date and then sleep with her, and Luke had said that he wouldn't succeed.

Now that Selina was already home, it was naturally impossible for Tony Stark to sleep with her.

The system had ruled Luke the victor.

Luke continued reading the system notifications with delight.

Tony Stark's abilities: Elementary Craft, Elementary Repairs, Elementary Electronic Development, Elementary A.I. Development, and so on

There were plenty of regular abilities on the list that cost 1,000 credits, which suggested that Tony Stark was a genius who deserved his fame.

Only a few of the abilities cost 100 credits; most cost 500 and more. The four elementary abilities all cost 1,000.

Luke was stunned. How was it that he could learn Tony Stark's abilities for just 1,000 credits?

After washing the dishes, Luke returned to the living room and mulled it over on the couch.

What was the difference between Tony and everyone else?

Perhaps… it was the fact that he was the son of destiny.

Based on the spoilers about the Avengers that Luke had heard before, Tony Stark truly was a cheat, and so was Captain America.

They definitely had hacks.

They might be human, but they could fight any enemy. Luke knew about the fight with Thanos.

He didn't know what the outcome had been in his last life, but regular people might not have the courage to resist Thanos, let alone fight him.

Yet Tony Stark and Captain America had been brave enough to do so, and had probably won.

What else did that prove other than that fate favored them?

Thinking that, Luke believed that people like Tony Stark had so much "fortune" that Luke could learn much better abilities as long as he defeated them once.

Of course, that was only his speculation.

He could try making another bet with this playboy, not for his abilities, but to confirm his theory.

Luke didn't underestimate Tony Stark's abilities. Once he leveled up, those abilities would be very helpful.

Unless he and Tony Stark became allies, those abilities would come in handy one day.

Luke reluctantly set aside the abilities and didn't purchase any of them.

He had to figure out how to make use of them before he learned any of them.

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