North American Detective: I am Proficient in All Kinds of Gun Quick Draws-Chapter 531 - 310 Security Check_2

She wanted to say something more, but just then, BEEPS sounded from the woman's electronic device. Upon hearing the sound, as if doused with cold water, she didn't dare look at Dean anymore. With her head lowered, she said in a businesslike tone, "If you don't want to die, quickly walk over there, stand in the middle of the passageway for three seconds, then come back to the entrance."

Seeing this, Dean felt a bit of regret. If seduction could infiltrate the enemy's ranks, why would he spare his innocent body? Alas, no such opportunity was given!

Without asking further, he walked onto the security checkpoint. The passage had sensors, and lights turned on. After three seconds, accompanied by a BEEP, a green light lit up above the passageway. Seeing the green light, the woman breathed a sigh of relief. She waved her hand to signal Dean to return to the entrance, clearly indicating he had passed the security check.

When it was Cheston En's turn, he wasn't met with such kind treatment. This fellow, simply because his legs were weak and he hesitated, was subjected to an electric shock by the masked woman—who pressed some unknown button—causing him to collapse and convulse on the ground, nearly foaming at the mouth.

No wonder those two sailors hadn't entered the small room. So there was electricity inside!

After zapping Cheston En, the woman waved to the sailors outside. One came in and, with a single hand, grabbed Cheston En—who weighed around 150 to 160 pounds—lifted him like a dead dog, and tossed him onto the security scanner.

After three seconds, the green light lit up. The sailor who had entered picked Cheston En up again and, along with Dean, took them both back to the deck.

Before leaving, Dean nodded in thanks to the masked woman, who had sneaked a glance at him. The reason she zapped Cheston En, he realized, was actually to give him a reminder and a warning: any sailor here could lift a couple of hundred pounds with one hand; resistance was futile.

Her instinctive words earlier had also revealed a piece of information: the game participants were all test subjects, and this game was, in fact, an experiment. This was information not disclosed in the previous envelope.

Indeed, it seems looks really can get you places. Poor Cheston En, just a tool, zapped until he was sputtering—an utterly pitiful sight.

After Dean and Cheston En were led away, the masked woman in the small room shook her head regretfully. He nodded his thanks before leaving, clearly understanding my warning, she thought. But sadly, I'm just a pawn in the organization, with no freedom to speak of, let alone the ability to protect this unfortunate soul.

Thinking back to Dean's rather comforting smile... The masked woman bit her lip. She couldn't resist using the organization's equipment to look up Dean's information.

The next moment, a red exclamation mark flashed on the screen, its dangerous crimson glow dyeing her exposed, fear-filled eyes blood red. Her hand trembling, she closed the information page, not daring to look further.

That guy... he's actually someone Gabriel is paying attention to! If I look again, I'll die a horrible death.

...

After passing the security check, Dean and a still-limp Cheston En were brought by two sailors to join the group of people in similar game attire they had seen earlier. The sailors then retreated to either side of the deck. Clearly, more people were on their way, Dean thought.

Cheston En had actually recovered some time ago; he'd only remained limp while the sailor was carrying him. Now, dumped on the cold deck, he quickly scrambled to his feet. Though still a bit shaky and weak, he had regained his ability to move.

Dean wanted to say a few words to comfort poor Cheston En, but just then, a commotion arose from the front of the deck. Both men looked towards the sound and saw that another group of newcomers in game attire had come aboard.

This time, it was a group of seven: four women and three men. They didn't look scared at all; instead, they gazed around with curiosity and excitement, seemingly treating this as a rare adventure game.

One woman, in particular, was quite heavyset. Her eyes lit up as she watched the approaching skeleton-masked captain, like a sow in heat spotting a robust boar. She pushed her companion aside and strode forward. "Are you the game's guide NPC? My name is Zhu Shan. Perhaps we could grab a drink later and discuss how to beat the game?"

Witnessing this, Cheston En winced. "That woman's finished," he muttered.

Dean said nothing, but inwardly, he agreed. To these cold-eyed individuals, killing a person is probably no different than killing a chicken—no psychological burden whatsoever, he thought.

But who would have guessed... The masked leader, who resembled a silverback gorilla, seemed not to have heard the stout woman's proposition. He merely glanced over the seven newcomers, verified their identities, and then said in the same mechanical tone, "Take them to the security gate."

Just as before, two sailors gestured for the seven to follow them.

Watching this familiar scene unfold, Dean and Cheston En had the strange feeling they were watching an interlude in some bizarre play.

..

The seven men and women quickly passed through security. They seemed to be a group and, apparently oblivious to what boarding this ship signified, they huddled together again on deck, chattering away and making an awful racket.

Crucially, neither the skull-masked armed personnel nor the sailors who had finished cleaning the deck paid them any mind. The more he observed them, Dean thought, the more these guards and sailors seemed like NPCs running on a fixed script.

What was even more preposterous, Dean realized as he and Cheston En huddled in a corner of the crowd, eavesdropping on snippets of their conversation, was that these people genuinely seemed to have been invited to this 'game' after successfully completing various games in the real world.