Mysterious Hunting Ground

Chapter 10 10. The Heartbroken

It was a peaceful night.

The surprise attack never happened, and worried neighbors looked out in the nearby courtyard, relieved.

"Don't dare to come? Those bastards are smart!" Kuipa looked at the sun in the sky, and the sun shone on his face, but he was still full of energy, without a trace of fatigue. He turned his head to look at the clothes. The nephew who went out neatly saw two huge dark circles under his eyes, "I didn't sleep well last night, and I am more tired than a person who stays up all night like me? I am so weak at such a young age, hurry up and go to school. Wait for you after school Go home, and I will teach you some life experience!"

"Aren't you going to rest for a while?" Dean asked with concern as he put on his shoulder bag.

"I lay down on the beach for three days and three nights, without sleep...Although I am old, staying up all night is like getting drunk." Jacob ate the bread slices that Grandma Tangya had just baked, his beard covered The strange smell of mayonnaise, guacamole, fermented wine, and barbecue came out of his big mouth, "Go, don't be like your missing dad!"

……

Dean bites a piece of bread and rides to school.

When the car was locked in the parking lot, he obviously felt that the atmosphere was a little different today. The students gathered together in groups to discuss quietly, with eager looks on their faces.

The atmosphere of the whole campus is warm, like the eve of a grand festival.

"Man, I'm relieved to see you in good health."

Ruster came from the school gate waving his hands. Today he changed out of the uniform hooded jacket and wore a blue and white shirt. He is generous and decent, his back is straighter than before, and he has a more confident look on his face. brilliance.

Dean nodded quietly, yesterday's painstaking efforts were not in vain.

"What's going on here? Is it going to be a holiday?"

"There are still two weeks until Memorial Day (Memorial Day)! The day after tomorrow, on Saturday night, rich second generation, baseball team sponsor, Bob Lowe will hold a birthday party at the Mon Carlo Hilltop Villa."

Last recalled,

"It was held last year too. There were delicious food from all over the country, beer, vodka, soda, whiskey, all kinds of exciting games - drinking and kissing contests, quick matching... As far as I know, there were at least dozens of singles last year Men and women get out of singles on party nights."

"Can we drink as we please?" Dean frowned. This was different from his previous impression. Isn't it strictly forbidden for students to drink alcohol in the United States?
"Which law stipulates?" Lust said enthusiastically, "No one will care about private gatherings as long as there is no accident caused by drinking."

"You are so clear, have you been there?"

Ruster nods,
"Bob has a lot of followers and acquaintances, but anyone who is familiar can go! His acquaintances can also recommend friends to play. In short, except for the guy who ruined the atmosphere, most people can go to play, including us Last year, you were unwilling to live or die, so I went to open my eyes."

"This guy is very good at winning people's hearts. No wonder an outsider dares to be king and hegemony, and he is so popular."

Dean's cheeks were tense and his expression was cold and serious. This was not good news for him.

"The day after tomorrow, let's go and see together?" Rust suggested,
Dean patted his friend on the shoulder, returned the few dollars he borrowed yesterday to Ruster, and said, "I don't get along with Bob, go to his party, what if he takes the opportunity to humiliate me? But You are different, go have fun and find a chance to get rid of being single. You will be graduating next year, you should find a prom dance partner in advance!"

Ruster licked his lips quite excitedly, then shook his head,

"If you don't go, then I won't go either! We are comrades-in-arms in the University League, and we will advance and retreat together!"

"Dude, there's no need."

"Without you, I will never go!"

Seeing Ruster's resolute attitude, Dean was moved a little.

Only in the student days did such a pure friendship exist.

"Let's go back to Mona... have you found any clues?"

The two walked into the porch side by side,

"She worked at Super lo cinema, do you know that place?"

"A very famous movie theater, not far from my apartment...north along the nearby department store..."

"By the way..." Dean paused, remembering what he had seen in the hallucination, "Do you know the sewer in Las Vegas? Someone lives in it?"

"You asked the right person! Grace is the lobby manager of the hotel. She is used to seeing all kinds of people and has heard all kinds of strange stories. She once told me... The sewer in Vegas is beyond imagination, like an underground city .”

"Some gold diggers who dreamed of getting rich overnight were defeated by the cruel reality and high consumption in Las Vegas, and then lived in the sewer... Some rich people spent money like water in the casino, and lost all their property after a few nights. They became poor ghosts and became neighbors. They worked part-time during the day, and lived in the sewers for free at night, saving money and dreaming of a comeback...the sewers still live with some disabled and mental patients who cannot support themselves..."

"There are still various illegal and criminal activities in that place."

"It's a dangerous place, if you don't get out of the sewers before the rainy season in Vegas, you will be drowned by the raging tide of the sewers..."

The more Dean heard it, the more ugly his face became.

The sewer is undoubtedly a mixed place.

How does Mona, who looks innocent and sweet, survive in such a place?
With doubts, Dean was inexplicably depressed, and he felt an indescribable mania and worry.

He didn't sleep well last night either.

This is strange.

It was obvious that Mona was not his type, and he hadn't even had real contact with this girl.

But he can't help but care about her and miss her.

There is no doubt that this is the legacy of the predecessor.

"Dean, Dean, you are dead! Stop torturing me. I promise to fulfill your last wish."

All morning, Dean muttered to himself and was absent-minded.

Noon break.

He couldn't wait to ask for leave and rushed out of school to ride his own bicycle. After running for a few steps, he felt staggered and strenuous. When he lowered his head to check, he found that the tires were covered with cut marks.

"What the hell, which wicked person did it!"

Dean had no choice but to ask Rust to borrow a car. This guy's grades were not as good as his friend's. He was worried that frequent leave would affect his grade point, so he didn't follow him this time.

"It must be someone who wants to please Bob. Be careful, remember the way to the cinema?"

"Ah."

Dean walked through the suburbs along the road and entered the busy downtown area.

On the north side of the department store, at the entrance of the commercial street.

The gold-lettered signboard of "Super Lo Cinema" is shining.

A huge banner "5.21, Star Wars 2: The Empire Strikes Back is about to strike" was hung at the entrance of the theater.

But on weekday mornings, only a few tourists take the escalator to watch movies.

Dean parked his bike and trotted into the theater lobby.

"Why are you here again?!" The conductor was a tall, thin young man who looked less than 20 years old, with a simple and honest smile on his mouth, but when he saw Dean, his smile instantly turned into a wry smile, "Half I've said it a full ten times in a month, Mona and I are just ordinary colleagues, we just chatted a few times at work, I don't know where she will hide!"

"Can you give me a size!"

Dean's expression changed.

The predecessor has been here many times, but Mona can't be found?
Is Mona missing?

He bowed his head and thought for a moment, and asked sincerely,

"Dude, I just want to ask you one more time, and I promise this is the last time I bother you."

"It's useless for you to ask again!" The conductor waved his hand impatiently, "Go away, don't delay my work, I'm going to call the security guard!"

"How do you see this?"

Dean slipped a two-dollar bill into the palm of the conductor, who squinted at it, and said——

As if changing his face, he showed a bright smile on his gloomy face, bowed gracefully, and stuffed the money into his jacket.

"Chris Owen, it's an honor to serve you."

The corner of Dean's mouth twitched, Las Vegas is a city that sees money, but he just took [-] dollars from his uncle, rich!
"I'll ask you to answer. This time, I hope you can be as detailed as possible."

"I promise, I won't miss a word?"

"Well, when did Mona and I meet?"

"You do not know?"

"Dude, forgot the rules?"

Although Chris felt very strange, but based on the professional ethics of taking money to eliminate disasters, he didn't ask any more questions.
"I can only say what I know. You guys met at least three months ago... Mona had a rest that day and went to the cinema with you to watch 'Alien'."

Have you known each other for at least three months?

Dean looked at the system, and the progress of the incident began to slowly increase

"Mona and I often go to the movies together?"

"Come every week, until half a month ago..."

"What movies do you watch?"

"You don't like watching romance movies like other couples. You two have the same taste. You love science fiction and horror movies...Jaws, Dawn of the Dead..."

The corners of Dean's mouth curved slightly, but the two of them had the same taste as himself.

"How much do you know about Mona? How old is she? Where does she live? What's her personality like? Do you have any other friends?"

"You're asking more and more strangely. Are you playing Sherlock Holmes who has lost his memory?"

Dean slipped another two-dollar bill.

"I swear, if I say one more word, I will cut off my tongue!" Chris grinned from ear to ear, "As far as I know, Mona has a very good personality this year, and she smiles at everyone, no matter what the guests say." If it's too much, she won't be angry. It's a pity that she lived in the sewer before, and she was an orphan... It's really hard to like, so everyone should alienate her a little bit, and no one makes friends with her."

Well, no father and no mother,
Dean thought,
I don't have any friends.

Judging from these two points, she is indeed a natural match with her predecessor!
"Where exactly does she live in the sewer?"

"I don't know, the Vegas sewers are incredibly big... It's like a maze, only the residents in it can find the right way. You didn't find it, did you? So you keep bothering me."

……

Dean took a deep breath.

"Then when did she disappear?"

"On the morning of half a month ago, it was her turn to be on duty, but no one... The manager thought she would just be absent for a day, but she didn't come to work since that day, and she couldn't contact anyone. According to me, the sewer There is no way to get in touch with the people, even handing it over to the police!"

"I came to her ten times? What did I tell you?"

Chris looked at Dean with pity in his eyes, like looking at a poor ghost, "You want me to repeat what you said?"

"That's right, come on?"

This guy is some kind of masochist, right?

Chris sneered inwardly.
"You said that the night before she disappeared, that is, the afternoon of April No. 19, she came to the theater with you to watch a movie. How could she suddenly disappear?"

April NO.19?
Dean stroked his chin.

The birthday of this body is April NO.20, the day Mona disappeared.

"In the first two days of his disappearance, you were still waiting foolishly."

Chris's tone was full of mockery of a lovelorn fool,

Dean's lips moved, but it seemed as if an invisible hand was strangling his throat, and he couldn't say a word.

"But after a few days, you realized that something was wrong. You frantically looked for her, questioned everyone in the theater, and even thought she had an accident, so you almost went to the police station to call the police."

Dean's chest heaved violently a few times, and he felt a little difficult to breathe. His body began to lose control strangely, and his whole state became more and more wrong.

"Until you told the whole thing to our fifty-year-old theater manager, Old Jack."

"You said that you and Mona agreed to travel to Los Angeles together during the summer vacation. The night before she disappeared, on April 4, you even gave her the $19 you had prepared in advance."

"After she took the money, her whereabouts disappeared the next day."

Dean's cheeks quickly lost their color and became extremely pale. Chris' words were like knives, stabbing his heart one by one.

No, I am not my predecessor.

I don't like Mona, why should I feel heartbroken?

"The manager said, how can there be such a coincidence in the world, only a pure virgin and naive fool like you, who has been dazzled by love, thinks she will come back, and assumes that something happened to her."

"Do you know how much money two thousand dollars is? Ordinary office workers like us can't save it for two years. It's enough for people to risk breaking the law, and Mona is no exception."

Christ paused,

"Dude, accept the reality, just spend money to buy a lesson. Who hasn't been scammed when they were young? But Mona's disguise is too good, she is obviously as cunning as a fox, but she looks stupid on the surface. "

"You didn't even leave any evidence?" Chris said with a hint of pity in his tone, "It would be very difficult to report her."

So, the previous life was cheated by a female liar who lost all her belongings and played with her feelings?
Dean felt dizzy for a while, he clutched his forehead, and his body felt weak for a while.

"Man, what's wrong with you? What's wrong?"

Chris helped him to the sofa in the lobby and brought him a glass of ice water.

"I'm fine, just leave me alone."

Dean's mind was in a mess, and the image of Mona kept flashing before his eyes.

Sunny smile.

So tender and sweet.

She is actually a liar?
He blinked vigorously, and the air around him rippled like the surface of water, hazy and dreamy.

He suddenly looked at the empty sofa beside him, and under the dim light of the ceiling in the distance, a pair of figures hugging each other suddenly appeared.

"Is the movie good?"

"To be honest, I didn't pay much attention. I was thinking about other things. Tomorrow is your birthday, and I have prepared a big surprise."

Mona looked at her boyfriend with bright eyes, her face was full of sweetness,

"You're stupid, it's still a surprise after you say it?" Dean shook his head, but there was a smile on the corner of his mouth,
"I know I'm stupid, but I don't need you to remind me repeatedly!"

"Then let me guess, what is your gift—take me to your house?"

"What's so good about the sewer? It's wet and dirty! And I've been begging others for this gift for a long time, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed!" Mona waved her fist and said coquettishly,

"Recently, you left so early every night because you were busy with this matter? Don't wrong yourself. In fact, as long as it is from you, I like any gift."

Dean put his arm around the girl's shoulders and narrowed his eyes happily.

……

breathe…

How can there be such a stupid idiot in the world.

Dean stood up and wiped the moisture from the corners of his eyes. The strong sourness in his nasal cavity made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Ludian, you are you, you are not the fool from before, and you don't like Mona either!"

He shook his head vigorously at the glass fish tank behind the sofa, repeatedly emphasizing in his mouth.

The reflection on the glass suddenly shook violently, and the light and shadow changed, forming a man with a round face and a hooked nose.

He was once again caught in the hallucination of another memory.

"I heard old Jack said that you were cheated out of a huge sum of money by the former employees of my movie theater?" Bob had a strong sarcastic smile on his face, and his strong right hand pressed the back of the neck of a man kneeling by the wet river beach , Pressing his head into the icy river, "Tch, you are a dead dog, a worthless clown, a nobody and trash, without any dignity of a man."

"Why do you think a woman will fall in love with you?"

"That smart woman with outstanding acting skills took your money and went to Los Angeles to enjoy the world of flowers. I guess she is lying in the arms of a young and handsome man. Telling you a joke."

Bob Low grabbed his hair, pulled his head out of the water, looked at the pale, weak and desperate face submerged in tears and river water, spit in disdain and disgust,

"Don't harass the employees of my movie theater anymore, or I won't spare you."

He let go, sat on the convertible sports car gracefully, and sneered,
"Idiot, if you are really uncomfortable, why don't you die?!"

……

breathe…

Why do not you go to hell?
The words kept echoing in Dean's mind, like a radio that couldn't be turned off.

That's right, I remembered it all.

Dean sat on the sofa covering his face, his shoulders trembled violently, and strong sadness lingered around him like a substance.

A few uncontrollable choked sobs flowed out from between his fingers.

At this moment, he couldn't tell whether he was Lu Dian from the Celestial Dynasty or Dean, a high school student from the United States.

A young man of Chinese descent from a foreign country.

I lost my parents since I was a child.

Weak character.

Be ignored by peers.

Being bullied and ridiculed by the lingering ghost of the rich second generation of the baseball team.

The nervous uncle is busy with work, and he is far away from him, and he lacks the care of his relatives.

But he smashed his teeth and swallowed all of this, silently enduring it.

Until one day, a girl who loves to laugh broke into his life.

With the same experience, lack of friends, and love of movies, the two hit it off immediately and had an incomparable understanding.

He thought they were a match made in heaven, and he devoted himself to this relationship, giving everything, thinking that it would bear fruit.

It turned out, on the birthday.

The one who loves the most delivered the fatal blow.

The surprise gift he was looking forward to turned into ruthless deceit and abandonment, and he became a laughing stock in the eyes of others.

Hope is disillusioned.

His love affair was a deception from beginning to end.

His life was a tragedy from beginning to end.

Dean Lou.

You choose to self-destruct.

The man on the sofa said to himself.

……

Ding!
The system suddenly jumped.

Dean's red eyes froze on the progress bar.

Jumped to the full grid.

[-]% progress.

Rewards, waiting to be withdrawn.

……

(End of this chapter)