North American Detective: I am Proficient in All Kinds of Gun Quick Draws-Chapter 534 - 311_2

Even so, the screams nearby kept these few people on edge, teetering on the brink of collapse.

As for the rule-breaking man's companions on the ground...

These people, including the woman with the spider tattoo, had already come to, but they were in no better condition. They huddled together, having lost the calm they arrived with, leaving only panic behind.

The ones in the best condition were still the second group to come up.

The handsome man and his companion were crouching with their heads down. Whether from fear of watching or indifference, they remained relatively stable emotionally.

The woman with the mask surveyed the crowd and nodded in satisfaction.

These fellows are in good shape now, well-suited for the next experiment.

She said, "For those players who haven't arrived, transfer them to other containment ships. Now, take these players down to the ship's hold for the second step!"

Under overwhelming force, Dean and a dozen other game players were dragged into the bowels of the ship.

...

Below deck, glass covers resembling hibernation pods were hidden.

Under the masked woman's orders, the masked individuals first injected the players who were mentally unstable, then stripped them of their clothes and threw them in.

The players who had regained their senses, facing many strong, gun-toting perverts, whether willing or not, could only strip and lie down in the glass hibernation pods one by one.

As the number of game players dwindled, it was almost Dean and the few remaining mercenaries' turn.

Cheston En glanced at Dean.

Dean slightly shook his head, signaling him not to make any needless moves.

He had roughly figured out the personnel anthis cruise ship.

The woman with the mask... she must be the highest-ranking commander on board. She might even be the only normal human on this ship. But in this game, her authority seems limited; she's remotely monitored by those of a higher level, to the point where earlier in the security room, she was warned just for wanting to say a few more words.

The rest of the armed forces consisted of three armed individuals in skull masks and twelve unarmed sailors. Most of them moved mechanically and seemed somewhat mentally aberrant, but they were all as strong as beasts, terrifyingly powerful.

Especially the three in skull masks. Their sheer physical strength allowed them to tear a strong man apart with their bare hands; they were almost inhuman.

There are three of them! Especially the leader, that huge gorilla.

Dean suspected that if it came down to pure strength, he, despite possessing seven to eight hundred pounds of arm strength, might not necessarily come out on top.

Of course, as much as he dreaded them, the reason Dean signaled Cheston En not to act rashly was that his adventurous participation in the game was to find an opportunity to bring down the Lucifer Game Organization. This required some patience and risk-taking. To act now would just be alerting the enemy.

As long as his own life wasn't in danger, even if Cheston En bit the dust, Dean would not act rashly.

Soon, it was their turn.

Dean quickly stripped off his clothes, raised an eyebrow at the woman with the mask, and lay down inside.

HISS~ What a physique!

The woman with the mask felt a pang of regret and longing. She only managed to tear her greedy gaze away after everyone was inside, then she pressed the mechanism in her hand.

...

CLACK~

With a series of clicking sounds, the glass covers slowly descended, sealing in those who had lain down in the pods.

As a colorless gas poured in, everyone, whether panicked or uneasy, fell into an infant-like sleep, losing consciousness.

After waiting for a moment, the woman with the mask clapped her hands.

A group of men and women in white lab coats, wheeling carts, entered from the other side of the cabin. They opened the glass pods and began installing equipment on the unconscious players.

Suddenly—

HUH?

A cry of surprise came from a short man.

The woman with the mask looked over and saw that the person he was working on was the handsome man she had her eye on. She frowned and asked, "What's the matter?"

The short man in the lab coat, looking perplexed, said, "Supervisor, this guy's skin and muscles are too tight, and his body is very heavy."

The woman with the mask stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over Dean's sculpted physique. She couldn't resist touching him. Satisfied, she said, "People who train have higher muscle density. Use a sharper needle. I have a feeling this man will be our greatest gain from this experiment!"

But I'm already using the sharpest syringe available!

The short man grumbled internally but didn't dare retort, nodding obediently. "Yes, Supervisor."

After the masked woman left, he clenched his teeth, picked up the syringe, and tried again.

This time, he wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but as the needle punctured the player's skin, it went in much more smoothly than before. Although it was still difficult, it at least made it into the artery.

Phew, this damn guy! Does he have skin as tough as a cow's?!

The short man cursed inwardly, pressing down on the syringe. He didn't notice that the unknown liquid in the syringe was disappearing much faster than usual; it seemed to vanish into thin air even before being injected.

After administering the precious first-generation experimental drug, he once again took a not-so-large iron ring from the small cart, fastened it around the handsome man's neck, and then picked up a device resembling a nail gun, implanting tiny monitoring devices all over the man's body.

Having finished all this, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and activated the collar. Only when he saw a green light appear on the slim collar did he breathe a sigh of relief and leave with his cart.

His task was completed.

...

As the staff in white coats left the cabin one by one, the masked woman took out a small but hefty communications device and said coldly, "Experimental Ship Number Four, requesting verification."

A moment later, a mechanical voice coldly responded, "21 test subjects verified. Permission granted for Experimental Ship Number Four to enter the first game zone."

"Understood!"

The masked woman put away the communicator, walked over to the glass chamber where Dean lay, and greedily scanned him over and over again before sighing, "I hope you survive to reach the island. By then, even if it costs me all my Game Coins, I won't let those perverts turn you into a short-lived puppet. Immortality, heh, a bunch of lunatics..."

Such a fine specimen.

And yet they invited him to be experimented upon—what a waste.

The masked woman inwardly cursed Elder Gabriel, who was hosting the game, for what felt like the umpteenth time before she reluctantly led everyone away from the cabin.

Once everyone had left, Dean's slightly open mouth exhaled a long, murky breath, which only subsided after several minutes...

...

「Approximately half an hour later.」

The cruise ship vibrated, setting sail once again.

It wasn't until the sky began to lighten and dawn was breaking, accompanied by the sounds of circling seabirds, that the ship finally came to a halt.

HUM~

An announcement played over the ship's speakers: "Arriving at experimental waters. All non-experimental personnel must evacuate. Warning: All non-experimental personnel must evacuate..."

It resounded several times, followed by the sound of orderly footsteps from outside.

Through the ship's hull, Dean faintly heard the sound of speedboats starting up and personnel evacuating.

A sense of puzzlement arose within him. Weren't they supposed to go straight to the island? What was happening now? Had they been abandoned? Were the personnel fleeing?

Dean felt a flicker of unease but, considering that the ship was surely fitted with an abundance of surveillance devices, he chose not to open his eyes.

「Time passed.」

After a few more hours, a player finally woke from the deep sleep...

...

「At this time.」

Within a concealed underground military base, several figures watched the images on the monitors, their faces filled with confusion.

One of them zoomed the camera in to reveal the handsome face inside, then looked toward the man at the front with ridicule. "Gabriel, is this the person you had high hopes for?"

Gabriel also looked at Dean on the monitor, puzzled.

Based on what he knew, Dean was physically strong; he shouldn't have woken up this late!

He slapped the table and turned to a technician. "Test Subject Number 37, what's the status of his physiological data?"