North American Detective: I am Proficient in All Kinds of Gun Quick Draws-Chapter 536 - 312_2
Dean looked at the extended hand and grasped it, smiling. "Your eyesight is good."
Their palms lightly touched.
When they let go, the scar-faced Barton looked at Dean with a new hint of confusion.
This guy looks tall and sturdy, but his palms lack the thick calluses from handling firearms, and their texture is soft and supple, not the firm roughness of someone who exercises regularly. But seeing the two of them interact, the other person seems to defer to him. So, is this good-looking fellow someone who uses his brain for a living?
This series of analyses flashed through Barton's mind.
Without changing his expression, he shrugged. "I come from the CIA, and I'm all too familiar with those silly training marks of the FBI. But you, I can't tell where you're from."
Cheston En, hearing himself referred to as 'silly,' felt irked. But seeing the three men and one woman vaguely surrounding them behind Barton, he pretended not to hear.
He swore to himself it wasn't that he was backing down; he just didn't want to cause trouble for Boss Dean!
"Detective," Dean pointed to his head and chuckled. "You can call me Dean. My combat skills are pretty poor. I'm no good with a gun or in a fight; I can only rely on my head to keep from starving."
Just as he suspected!
Understanding flashed in Barton's eyes.
True to his guess.
Barton's tone warmed significantly. "Dean, most of my companions are ex-military. Strictly speaking, we're all on the same side. Given the unclear situation, what is your opinion about our predicament?"
"Very simple!"
Dean snapped his fingers and pointed to the other two groups.
"One group got their invitation from participating in real-world sports competitions. Another group got theirs from beating online games. Cheston En and I were threatened into joining this game after solving a case. As for you, I'd guess you were chosen after completing a certain mission."
"Right, you're not wrong. But they didn't threaten us; they just offered a high reward that tempted us. We just did a little too much and ended up causing Daliru's tragic death."
Thinking back to the horrifying scene from the previous night, this middle-aged man, who had been through many bloody battles, was still in disbelief. You see, even the strongest soldier couldn't possibly tear through a robust man's skin and muscle tissue with just the strength of two fingers! It was inhuman!
It was also because of last night's shock that this apparently strongest group, after some discussion, had decided to approach Dean's smallest two-person team to try forming an alliance. They then planned to use their combat strength to force the others to explore outside!
Dean had given a glimpse of his capabilities, and Barton no longer doubted his claim of relying on his intellect to survive.
This guy is really something!
Barton moistened his dry lips. "What do you think those people want to do?"
His four teammates behind him perked up their ears. Especially Spider Woman, who openly sized Dean up and down with a greedy, brazen look, her intentions clearly malicious.
Dean returned Spider Woman's provocative glance, shrugged, and said, "Under what circumstances would one choose several completely different groups to participate in a game?"
All four behind Barton shook their heads in unison. If their brains worked better, they wouldn't still be mercenaries after leaving the military.
Barton, as the leader, seemed to have an idea. He touched the collar around his neck and said with hesitation, "Are you saying they actually want to use us for an experiment?"
Only for an experiment would they need different samples for comparison!
Dean nodded. "Exactly. I just can't figure out what the experiment is testing and how it relates to the groups of people."
"No, you're already amazing!" Barton extended his hand again. "From now on, how about we work together?"
Dean took his hand, as if relieved. "A pleasure to cooperate!"
After the exchange, the way Barton's people looked at Dean warmed up significantly. In this environment, having a person with average combat skills but a sharp mind was undoubtedly more advantageous for them.
Having secured the alliance with Dean's small two-person team, Barton, followed by his four teammates, smiled as he approached the group of gamers who had just woken up and were murmuring among themselves. Then, he strode over.
This has taken long enough. It's time to make someone leave the cabin and scout around!
"What are you going to do?"
The gamers, mostly sharp-minded, sensed something ominous about Barton and his group's aggressive approach. One of the tallest, like a utility pole, swallowed his fear and stood in front of his companions.
The next moment, a buzz-cut brute behind Barton swung his palm across...
For a brief period, the cabin, once quiet, erupted into screams and howls once more.
A few members of the seven-person athletic team couldn't stand by idly and wanted to organize a resistance. However, they were outmatched. They realized too late that Barton's teammates had, with startling efficiency, already taken down all seven members of the gaming team.
Adding to that the threatening gaze from Barton himself, the leaderless seven-person athletic team quickly dismissed the idea of taking a stand and shrank back like turtles into their shells.
...
「At that time.」
Several hundred miles away, inside an island base, a group was monitoring the footage from Dean's ship and the wave data transmitted from each test subject's body. At the top of the room was a platform built with a steel support frame. Standing on the platform provided a bird's-eye view of all the activities below.
At that time, on the platform, a figure in a white mask persistently tapped on a keyboard. He was scrutinizing the data of a particular test subject, seeming to take a special interest in the one designated as subject number 37.
Just then, a figure appeared behind him, silent as a ghost.
As if sensing the presence, the man in the white mask pressed a shortcut key, turning off the advanced LCD screen in front of him. He then slowly turned around. His gaze was hostile as he faced the newcomer. "Lucifer," he said, "why aren't you in your own room, monitoring your experiment ship? What are you doing here?"
The person who had arrived was none other than the nominal head of the Lucifer Organization—Lucifer himself!
The man in the white mask, likely over 1.8 meters tall, was somewhat thin. Standing in front of him, Lucifer was even smaller, probably just over 1.6 meters, with wrinkled, bone-thin arms exposed, looking quite old. Moreover, he was the only one there not wearing a mask.
By appearance, Lucifer had some deformities, including a severe underbite, but seemed to be no more than thirty years old.
In response to the questioning, Lucifer nervously twitched the lines on his face, his voice hoarse as he said, "Gabriel, you seem to care a bit too much about subject number 37."
A fierce glint flashed in the dark brown eyes of Gabriel, the man in the white mask. "This is my testing ground," he retorted. "If you dare to interfere, I'll slaughter you!"
"TSK TSK TSK." The diminutive Lucifer smacked his lips and said insinuatingly, "Don't be agitated. As long as the development of the God's Potion progresses smoothly, I won't meddle in your petty schemes. The higher-ups and I only care about immortality. As for the rest, we couldn't care less! You should know what I mean!"
After speaking, he swayed away, vanishing in front of Gabriel.
Watching the electronic door close again, a murderous glint flickered in Gabriel's eyes, only to dissolve into weariness. He reactivated the screen, gazing at the handsome face that appeared. The corners of his mouth under the mask curled up. Then, as if he had thought of something, he shut down that page and opened a blood-red one instead.
...
「On the other hand.」
After several trial-and-error attempts by a group of geeks, the people on the cruise ship finally discovered that the masked group had left.
However, their situation was far from good.
Surrounded by an endless ocean, the ship was stalled in the middle of the sea. Although the electricity was still running, no matter how they tried to operate the vessel, they couldn't make it move an inch. All communication devices on the ship were inoperative.
Before leaving, those people had not left any clues, as they had previously done.
They were abandoned!
