North American Detective: I am Proficient in All Kinds of Gun Quick Draws-Chapter 63 - 62 Ma Jia Technique_1

"Darling, are you busy right now?"

"I’ve finished what I was doing, Laura. Didn’t I ask you to help me find a fighting master? That’s no longer necessary; I’ve already found one."

"All right then, I bought some sea cucumber today to nourish you. Come back early."

"..."

He ended the call with Laura. Dean tapped on the desk, lost in thought.

Anthony had even taken notice of Laura. That meant he had investigated him. So, did the other party know about his underhanded dealings? Dean quickly answered his own question. He definitely knew. Although Nathan and the others had ended up as charred corpses, the clean-up had been sloppy and wouldn’t fool anyone determined. So... what exactly did Anthony see in him that made him so persistent in taking him as an apprentice? Dean was perplexed by this.

His first encounter with Anthony should have been after killing Bill, when Anthony came over after receiving the report from Monet. He had been lying in a hospital bed the entire time, so they had only met once. But since that one time, Dean could clearly feel that Anthony, who might have initially just wanted to recruit him for the FBI, later became determined to win him over. Afterward, Anthony always seemed to unintentionally display his impressive presence in front of Dean. It was probably because he really wanted to win him over.

Dean shook his head. If he couldn’t figure it out, he wouldn’t linger on it. After all, he hadn’t sensed any malice from Anthony. Since that was the case, he’d worry about the benefits when they were in hand.

After finishing the coffee in his cup, Dean got up and returned to his office.

「In the following days.」

The Fourth Squad fell back into a routine of loafing around. Bert’s arrest warrant had been sent out to various branch offices and detective bureaus, but no useful information had come back yet. Dean, finding himself with nothing to do, simply dialed the number Anthony had left him.

Krav Maga, also known as the Israeli Combat System, is a martial art developed by Israel as a special military combat technique. It is mandatory not only for Israeli Defense Force personnel and those in military and law enforcement sectors but also for the FBI in the United States. The greatest feature of Krav Maga is its practicality and ease of learning, emphasizing defense and counter-attack, with moves designed to subdue an opponent quickly. Kapu, whom Anthony had introduced to Dean, was a master of this art.

Kapu was thirty-eight years old, a white man, and worked as an instructor at a fighting gym not too far from the detective bureau. After arranging a meeting with him, Dean greeted Lawrence, who was engrossed in Minesweeper, and decided to skip work.

There are many fitness gyms in Los Angeles, but not many martial arts schools, and even fewer fighting gyms. Most fighting gyms operate as clubs. The one where Kapu worked managed to stay afloat mainly due to its collaboration with local police precincts and the detective bureau. Strictly speaking, instructors like Kapu were usually personnel retired from special units.

Because he had made an appointment, a bald, burly man was already waiting for Dean in the gym’s lobby when he arrived.

"Kapu?" Dean asked tentatively.

"Mhm," Kapu nodded. After a brief look at Dean’s build, he said, "You look pretty solid. Here are your clothes and a hand band. Change into them and come to the ring on the third floor!"

He tossed Dean a package then turned and left, appearing somewhat aloof.

Dean didn’t mind. Learning something new was what mattered.

The gym seemed rather deserted, possibly because it was during work hours. When Dean went to the changing room, he saw only a janitor cleaning.

After changing into the provided attire, Dean, armed with his service weapon, made his way to the third floor. Kapu was already standing in the ring.

Noticing the gun bag in Dean’s hand, Kapu’s brows furrowed slightly before he waved him over. "I owe Anthony a favor, and he’s asked me to teach you true military Krav Maga. Do you want to learn it quickly, or take your time?"

Dean hung the gun bag on a ring post and asked curiously, "What’s the difference?"

"Any martial art is fundamentally about the most efficient techniques for killing an enemy. To master these techniques quickly, you must first understand their purpose!" Kapu explained. "If you want a shortcut, you have to learn to take a beating first!"

"Sounds good." Dean cracked his neck, leaped onto the over-one-meter-high ring, and beckoned to Kapu with a finger. "Come on."

"Interesting." Kapu grinned and charged like a raging bear, arms outstretched to grab Dean.

Although Dean wasn’t adept at unarmed combat, his previous experience of Bill locking his limbs had taught him not to let a skilled fighter get too close. He reacted quickly, aiming a kick at Kapu’s stomach to force him back.

But the next moment, the ferocious Kapu stepped back and casually guided Dean’s incoming kick. Dean spun like an unbalanced top, flying off into the ring ropes.

Kapu shook his slightly pained hand. "Nice strength, but you’re too clumsy."

"Again!" Dean scrambled up and charged at Kapu.

This time it was worse. His punch whooshed through the air, looking fierce. But Kapu, moving as if breakdancing, stayed just outside Dean’s reach, swaying left and right to easily avoid Dean’s barrage of sloppy punches. Then, Kapu kicked out with his right leg, using Dean’s own momentum to send him flying again.

After two attempts where his strength found no purchase, Dean caught on. Kapu’s Krav Maga seemed to involve using an opponent’s force against them, and his grasp of distance was incredible. Unarmed combat wasn’t like using a gun. If you couldn’t hit your target, it didn’t matter how strong you were; it was all futile.

"Again!" Dean shouted and, ignoring everything, charged forward.

The ring is only so big. Let’s see how you dodge this!

The few meters between them closed in an instant. Just as Dean’s hands were about to grab Kapu and lift him for a slam, Kapu thrust his right leg forward. Before Dean’s hands could reach him, Kapu grabbed Dean’s waist and, using Dean’s own rushing momentum, heaved. Nearly two hundred pounds of Dean flew through the air, crashing hard outside the ring.

"Tsk tsk, how did Anthony find such a dumb apprentice?" Kapu muttered as he jumped off the ring, intending to check if Dean was injured.

The next moment, Dean, who had been lying on the ground with a pained expression, suddenly grabbed Kapu’s ankles. He yanked hard, pulling Kapu down, then pounced on top of him. Imitating how Bill had locked his limbs before, Dean secured Kapu’s arms and legs and pulled back hard.

Kapu could no longer maintain his aloof composure, screaming, "FK, stop! Stop it! They’re going to break! They’re breaking!"

"Now who’s the dummy?" Dean asked, easing his grip slightly.

Kapu, his attempt to intimidate having backfired, was now pinned by Dean with his limbs locked. He could only admit defeat dejectedly, "I’m the dummy!"

Only then did Dean let go, satisfied.

Kapu got up, rubbing his sore limbs and cursing, "That bastard Anthony! Why didn’t he tell me you knew submission holds?"

Dean shrugged, his face a mask of innocence. "It’s the only one I know." novelbuddy-cσ๓

Kapu rolled his eyes. "Alright, the test is over. Your strength and Speed are both excellent. Your only shortcomings are not knowing how to leverage your advantages and a lack of real combat experience. I’ll start by teaching you the basic routines of Krav Maga."

Krav Maga is highly versatile. It doesn’t really have fixed routines and tends to favor intercepting attacks—counterattacking while defending to strike first even if the opponent initiates. Kapu’s military Krav Maga was even more brutal. Its techniques targeted the body’s vulnerable points, possessing less finesse for subduing and more ferocity for lethal strikes. This military Krav Maga was undoubtedly better suited for Dean, who possessed great strength, high Speed, and was also very durable.

「Over the next few days,」

Dean would skip work during the day to learn routines from Kapu and, incidentally... get beaten up. In the evenings, he’d head over to Laura’s to enjoy her generous hospitality. On weekends, he would also spend a night at his mom’s, basking in the warmth of family.

「A week later.」

On that particular day, Dean was grappling with Kapu on the gym floor, both of them drenched in sweat from the intense back-and-forth.

The receptionist from downstairs ran up, holding Dean’s phone. "Detective Dean, a man named Lawrence called. He said to hurry back—they’ve found Bert’s whereabouts!"