North American Detective: I am Proficient in All Kinds of Gun Quick Draws-Chapter 76 - 74: Come to my office, there’s good news (Please follow) _1
Chapter 76: Chapter 74: Come to my office, there’s good news (Please follow) _1
"Panel!"
Dean mentally invoked.
[Sherlock Panel]
Character: Dean
Level: 7 (0/1,200)
Spirit: 11
Strength: 13
Speed: 12
Endurance: 8
Skills: Pistol Proficiency, Interrogation (L2), Blowgun (L2)...
Attribute Points: 2
Skill Points: 4
Cases Completed: 5, details omitted.
...
My Strength is generally sufficient unless I encounter freaks with exceptional natural gifts like Bill. It’s mainly about reaction and Endurance. Next time I level up, I could also try enhancing my already decent Spirit...
After pondering for a moment, Dean chose to upgrade.
Attribute Points: 2→0.
Speed: 12→13.
Endurance: 8→9.
The next moment, a familiar warmth flowed through his entire body.
This time, having upgraded his Endurance, the sensation in his body was distinctly different from before.
Tingling sensations erupted throughout his flesh, blood, and marrow, as if tens of thousands of ants were crawling all over the inside of his body.
Caught off guard, Dean almost made a strange noise.
He clenched his fists, enduring the discomfort.
A few breaths later, Dean, drenched in sweat, finally exhaled a long breath in the darkness.
After getting through it, Well, that was actually quite exhilarating. No wonder some people enjoy masochism.
Dean got up in the dark, opened the living room door, and stepped out into the yard.
Strength, Speed, and Endurance—the core of all three was to enhance physical constitution, albeit focusing on different aspects each time. After a light workout, Dean distinctly felt that his body was not only more flexible and responsive but also slightly stronger.
In the early mornings of early November in Los Angeles, the temperature was around ten degrees Celsius.
The night breeze was slightly chilly.
Yet Dean felt refreshingly cool, a surge of heat radiating throughout his body, even tempting him to take a cold shower right then and there.
He kicked off his slippers and, barefoot, took to the streets of his residential complex like a humanoid cheetah, sprinting wildly.
Dean’s Speed stat was only 13, seemingly just slightly above average. However, with the augmented strength of his flesh and bones, he could decisively overpower someone with the same panel numbers when going all out.
In the time it took to take four breaths, he sprinted past a hundred meters.
The more he ran, the more excited Dean became. He eventually dashed to the complex’s recreational area and started doing parkour.
Powerful bursts and lightning-fast reflexes made him as swift as a cheetah and as agile as a monkey.
After enjoying himself for three or four minutes, Dean, panting heavily, returned to his house and took a hot shower.
Nine points of Endurance. While still not providing immense stamina, it was almost enough to power his ’muscle car’ of a body.
Dean realized that his understanding of the panel’s various attributes was still superficial. Next time, he planned to increase his Spirit by a point and see the effects.
After showering, Dean changed into pajamas and opened the Sherlock Panel again:
[Sherlock Panel]
Character: Dean
Level: 7 (0/1,200)
Spirit: 11
Strength: 13
Speed: 13
Endurance: 9
Skills: Pistol Proficiency, Interrogation (L2), Blowgun (L2)...
Attribute Points: 0
Skill Points: 4
Cases Completed: 5, details omitted.
...
The next level-up now required 1,200 Experience Points.
He also now had a total of four Skill Points.
Four Skill Points were enough to take a skill at L1 and directly upgrade it to Mastery Level, instantly making him a top expert in that skill.
Dean became interested.
He carefully reviewed the skills acknowledged in his panel, his gaze lingering slightly on ’Mating L3.’
This was his skill closest to the Mastery Level, and he had improved it bit by bit through his own efforts.
He was very curious about what effects elevating it to a mastery-level skill would have.
Ah Di’s Seventy-Two Forms?
However, Dean eventually resisted the temptation.
Skill Points were hard to come by.
He couldn’t exactly use mastery-level Mating to make an enemy submit and admit defeat...
The rest of the skills didn’t offer much direct value for improvement.
It’s a pity my learning session at Kapu’s was too brief to develop a corresponding skill. And there’s still no news about the Ancient Muay Thai expert they’re helping me find... It would be great if Anthony were done with his business.
Plenty of ammunition, yet nowhere to expend it, Dean sighed.
「The next day.」
After breakfast, Dean walked out the door, feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
His beat-up old car had been utterly demolished by Lawrence. He hadn’t bought a new one yet and was just waiting for Laura’s fiancé to provide one as a kind gesture.
For now, he could only rely on Lawrence to pick him up for work.
Lawrence had a habit.
He liked to arrive at the office early and drink several cups of free coffee.
When Dean stepped out of his residential complex, Lawrence was already waiting by the roadside.
"Morning, Lawrence," Dean said as he sat in the passenger seat, greeting Lawrence warmly.
"Morning. Glad you’re back," Lawrence responded, somewhat listlessly. "That bastard Harry has been bragging about your fantastic adventure in Texas these past couple of days. It’s kept me from sleeping well."
"Haha," Dean laughed heartily. "Did he also mention that we won a million?"
Lawrence rolled his eyes. "Why do you think I haven’t been sleeping well? Fuck! When that bastard gets back, I’m going to bleed him dry for a big meal!"
When the two arrived at the detective bureau, the office was empty.
Lawrence scurried off to the break room.
Dean first went to the safe to retrieve his service pistol before turning on his computer to start writing the case closure application.
The entire Shane Family was wiped out.
But his own contributions couldn’t be understated.
In the report, Marcus definitely couldn’t be mentioned. Using his polished Spring and Autumn writing technique, Dean framed it as a simple case of domestic dispute. He wrote that Marina, the sole survivor, had an emotional breakdown. She then conspired with a young man from the motel to kill her brother and mother, ultimately committing suicide after her crimes were exposed.
This not only avoided mentioning Marcus but also conveniently gave some credit to Malago and the others.
It was also necessary to mention Hawk, the bald patrolman from the precinct.
The case closure report was complete.
Dean emailed the report to Captain Monet and Deputy Captain Old Hunter. He also CC’d copies to Hawk, the bald patrolman, and Malago, who was far away in Texas.
Perfect!
「Time passed.」
Members of the Fourth Squad gradually appeared in the office as well.
They were all enthusiastic about Dean’s return.
He had completely integrated into the team.
At nine o’clock sharp, Captain Monet, whom they hadn’t seen for a few days, hurried into the office. He clutched a folder and was accompanied by Deputy Captain Old Hunter. With a solemn expression, he announced, "Meeting!"
"I have a bad feeling about this," Lawrence said, putting down his coffee cup, wondering if it was another major case.
"Old Hunter looks pretty calm. Let’s go, we’ll find out what it is inside," Dean patted Lawrence on the shoulder and walked in first.
「Meeting room.」
Monet scanned the crowd, his gaze finally landing on Dean. "Dean, what’s the situation with Marina? Harry wasn’t clear enough."
"Captain, I’ve sent the full report to both your and the Deputy Captain’s emails. Once Harry returns with the Del Rio Police Station’s report, we can close the case."
"Did Marina mention anything about Marcus before she committed suicide?" Monet asked, his expression grave.
Dean understood. It seemed Marcus’s contingency in Arkansas had come to light. From this, it appeared Monet was well-informed and politically astute.
Thinking this, Dean decisively shook his head. "No, Captain. It was purely a homicide stemming from domestic issues. Marcus was just an unlucky guy caught in the middle."
"That’s good," Monet sighed with relief.
Old Hunter’s face also relaxed into a smile. He walked to the projector and displayed a photo:
In a solemn church, morning light scattered within.
A familiar figure, draped in strands of sacred white light, hung in mid-air, its wide-open eyes staring straight ahead at a divine statue...
"Marcus!" exclaimed five people simultaneously.
Everyone recognized the person in the projection.
Monet nodded. "Yes, that’s Marcus. After his discharge from the hospital, he returned to Arkansas. Today, he was found hanged in a major Christian cathedral. A photo of it has also been posted online."
He sighed. "This matter is troublesome. If the investigative bureau comes asking about him, remember this! In the Shane Family case, Marcus was merely a laborer. There are no suspicions against him!"
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone responded promptly.
After the meeting ended, Monet called Dean over. "Dean, come to my office. There’s good news."
Good news?
Dean followed with some anticipation.
