Mysterious Hunting Ground

Chapter 333 323. Things in the Lake

A pair of eyes blinked twice.

The early morning sun woke up Sean, who was so tired that he fainted from exhaustion. He glanced around and saw that he was no longer on the ice that was riddled with holes by claws and venom, but was back in the warm Citroën.

He struggled to get up from the back seat of the car. His muscles felt like they were filled with lead, and the pain was sore to the bones.

But the companion in front still looked calm and composed, with his hands carrying a magical rhythm, lightly caressing a handful of pale golden flying knives that seemed to be made of some kind of bone, and arrows engraved with strange patterns.

There was no trace of fatigue on his face.

It was as if he was suspended motionless on the lake last night, letting himself be attacked by gods and demons for six hours. He was not the one who fainted from exhaustion.

Sean couldn't help but feel a kind of fear and trembling from the soul, as well as a strong intuition - even a hundred of himself would not be able to cause any harm to him.

The gap between me and him is like a human being facing a god.

"Wake up, you're hungry," Dean noticed the fear in Sean's eyes. He smiled easily and put the maintained weapon back into his fantasy space. "Let's go to the restaurant to have a feast of flesh and blood and replenish our nutrition. We'll continue tonight. .”

"Continue? Wait, Kenny..." Sean trembled, swallowed, and his ears began to echo "Wild dog! Coward! Continue!" All kinds of provocations and insults, "There will be no training tonight, tonight. Well, let me take a day off and take it easy?"

"Can't slack off." Dean turned to look at him, "Although you have inherited the physical fitness of the snake demon and werewolf, your combat experience and awareness are too poor. How will you face those 666 'beasts' when you enter Midian? What else do you want? Will you go back alive to see Elena and your family?”

Sean gritted his teeth and accepted the arrangement.

Dean nodded, "Don't worry, tonight's battle will only last two hours, so you won't be so tired that you fall into coma."

Although he was beaten all night, Dean also gained a lot. He maintained a zero-gravity state when receiving attacks, and his skill training was more efficient. Gravity control level 0 (6/100). Because he constantly adjusted his muscles to maintain balance, his agility was also improved. With strong stimulation and exercise, sensitivity: 22.5→22.6.

In addition, Sean is also a humanoid treasure. After Dean trained him for a night, the "Lord of Suffering" absorbed part of the pain and despair and converted it into 0.1 free attribute. Currently, the free attribute has accumulated to 0.6. Dean plans to collect 1 point and then Plus sensitivity.

The situation is very good.

The only pity is that after searching the lake all night, I couldn't find anything. The evil thing was hidden very deep.

……

The weather is clearing, and the buildings covered with snow reflect the pale golden sunlight.

The temperature has warmed up to about minus 10 degrees Celsius, and many townspeople can be seen smiling, sunbathing, and taking leisurely walks on the streets.

Pier Restaurant.

"Good morning, Lucia."

Dean pushed the door open and entered the restaurant, saying hello to the blonde woman in the aisle who was wiping her buttocks and wiping the table.

Lucia turned around, her red lips curled up slightly, a look of surprise appeared in her light blue eyes, and she hurriedly greeted her attentively, "Mr. Kenny, Mr. Sean, welcome. What would you like to eat today?"

"Bacon, eggs, steak...all six."

"The steak is still medium rare, right?" Lucia smiled tacitly and left briskly.

Dean's eyes moved around the restaurant and happened to meet two men in green uniforms at the corner table. The two men immediately looked away like a needle.

One of the young soldiers with a short haircut took a swig of beer from his fist, lowered his voice and yelled unwillingly, "Damn it, Lucia smiled so happily at this Mexican guy, could she be interested in him? Our Rose of Bridgetown Town You won’t be picked off by this guy, right?”

Another horse-faced soldier joked, "Didn't you ask for this? Who told you not to confess your love to her earlier?"

The short-haired soldier sighed with complicated eyes, "So what if I confess? Have you forgotten? The project in the base went wrong not long ago and will not be completed within a few years. I have to spend most of my time there and have no time to get together with her. Then I can only leave her at home alone..."

Cuntou said with a worried look on his face,

"I don't want to be like those unlucky comrades with lawns growing over their heads."

"Aren't you happy to let you be a father for free? You don't have the fraternity spirit of our American soldiers at all. Okay, it's late, bring your things back to the base. If you're late, be careful of being punished!"

The horse's face looked solemn.

Cun Tou lowered his head in silence, finished his breakfast, and left the restaurant with him.

Dean stared at the backs of the two people leaving, wondering if they were the soldiers at the military base he bumped into the day he arrived in Bridgetown.

Lucia came over with a dinner plate,

"Your meals are here."

"Lucia, don't leave yet." Dean ignored Sean, who was on the opposite side and started to destroy the steak again, and said to the woman, "I have some questions I want to ask you."

"No problem, just ask," Lucia wiped her hands with a rag. Under the sunshine outside the window, her slightly red cheeks and graceful curves were so charming that it was dazzling. "Although winter is not the most beautiful season in Qiaopier Town, there are also There are several places worth visiting and I can recommend them to you.”

"We are not here for tourism." Dean swallowed a poached egg in one gulp, showed the certificate skillfully, and said bluntly, "I am investigating the case of Martha Medina's drowning, and I have already visited Mrs. Medina. , and David’s family, and obtained several important confessions.”

"Martha's case." Lucia's pupils shrank when she heard the name, and her originally lively and beautiful face became as stiff as a statue. She forced a smile, "Sorry, Kenny, I don't know anything about this. I can’t help you, I have nothing else to do, so I’ll go and do some work first.”

Dean's face became solemn and he lowered his voice and said,

"Lucia, to be honest, my investigation has already yielded some results. Martha did not just accidentally fall into the water after falling into the water as the police said. Someone killed her."

"The murderer will never stop here."

"There are a lot of children in Qiaodun Town," he stared into the woman's eyes and gave a spiritual suggestion. "I'm worried that if the murderer's details are not found out earlier, he will continue to commit crimes and other children will be killed."

"Children... no, my Wanda is only eight years old, and little Victor is only two years old... at home alone." Lucia was just an ordinary woman, frightened by Dean's suggestion, she immediately believed the words that were full of loopholes and turned pale. He started pacing in place, biting his lip and muttering to himself, "No, we must not let anyone hurt them!"

"Mr. Kenny, I can't help you, but my daughter Wanda may know something. She became a little strange after Martha fell into the water, as if she had something on her mind, but she didn't want to tell me."

"For the sake of your child's safety, there is no further delay." Dean stuffed the last piece of steak into his mouth, "Please take me to see Wanda now."

"Hold on."

The woman gritted her teeth, took off her apron, turned and walked towards the kitchen of the restaurant.

"Mr. Raff, I need to take a day off!"

……

No. 260 Shopping Street, less than one kilometer east of the restaurant, is an old wooden villa on the roadside.

Lucia and Dean eagerly opened the door and entered the living room.

A little girl with a slender figure and delicate eyebrows was sitting on the sofa, watching the TV in trance. A children's program showing two little girls in princess dresses dancing happily hand in hand was playing on the screen.

In front of the fireplace opposite the sofa, a two- or three-year-old boy was lying on the ground, giggling at the dancing firelight of the fireplace. At the same time, he stretched out his white and tender hands to move the fire shield. He was about to peel off the fire shield and touch it. Touch the flames inside the fireplace.

"Victor!"

Lucia exclaimed and rushed over to hug the little boy. Then she grabbed the remote control on the coffee table and turned off the TV. She held the little girl's shoulders and shook her.

"Wanda! I have told you several times that your brother likes to play with fire shields and pull out plugs. When I go to work, I ask you to watch him carefully and not let him touch him. What do you think?!"

"If he took the fire deflector off, you know what would happen? The fire would jump out and burn our home!"

"Why can't you remember!"

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" ... He is crawling around... He deliberately goes against me... I tried my best... I can't control him... I'm sorry..."

"Don't cry, child, don't cry, I shouldn't yell at you." As soon as her daughter cried, Lucia suddenly panicked, and the anger and panic in her heart disappeared. She knelt on the ground, held her lovingly in her arms, and kissed her. Her little face said, "I shouldn't yell at you, it's mom's fault, it's mom's fault."

The mother and daughter just held each other's arms and cried. The little boy between the two bit his fingers carelessly and pulled his sister's blond hair.

"Sorry, I made you laugh." After a long while, Lucia put her son back into the stroller and hugged her daughter. She served coffee to the two guests with an apologetic expression. Pier Coffee must have been brought back from the restaurant. .

"You are amazing, Lucia." Sean said softly across the sofa. "It is so difficult for a woman to raise two children by herself and work. My mother was also in the same situation at the beginning. I know what she has suffered. bitter."

"No, actually Wanda is very sensible and helped me share a lot of the pressure..." Lucia looked into her arms. Wanda's eyes widened after being washed away by tears, and she looked at the two uncles opposite her with curiosity and a little fear.

"You usually go to work in the restaurant, and Wanda has to go to school." Dean handed Wanda a candy and touched her little head, "Who will take care of little Victor?"

"The owner of the restaurant, my colleagues and the guests are very considerate and understanding of me, so I brought little Victor to work with me..." Lucia smiled tiredly, "If I wait a few more years for Victor to go to the daycare, life will be easy. many."

"Where's your husband?" Sean couldn't help but interjected,

Lucia lowered her head sadly after hearing this, "He originally ran a yacht and made money by attracting guests during the peak tourist season from June to November every year. But one day two years ago, he drove the yacht onto the Long Lake and never returned. return."

"His boat was later seen in the town of Naples, but it had been sold to someone else and he took the money and left us."

……

Sold the boat and left?

Dean intuitively felt a little unreasonable.

But Lucia obviously didn't want to talk about this topic anymore, "I'm used to it. Let that heartless man go to hell! You two, you can ask Wanda questions now."

Dean nodded, looked into the little girl's big dark eyes with a smile, and gave a soothing telepathic suggestion, "Wanda, let's talk about your friend Martha. I hope you will answer honestly."

Wanda pursed her lips, clenched her hands uneasily, and moved her hips as if there was a pot heating underneath, but she nodded under her mother's encouraging eyes.

"Six months ago, Martha experienced something special, and her temper and personality changed, right?"

Wanda avoided Dean's attention and looked down at her toes. Her voice was soft and intermittent, just like her mother's lullaby. However, under the influence of hypnosis, this young heart could not hide itself at all.

"Six months ago... one day at school, because Martha was praised by the teacher again in class, a group of bad classmates scolded her and cried. She had never cried so sadly. I was very worried about her... I comforted her for a long time... But it was useless... She ignored me and ran home as soon as school was over." "I was very worried about Martha, always afraid that he would do something, and I couldn't sleep... So at about nine o'clock, I sneaked out. , went to visit her at her home..."

"Wait, did you sneak out at night half a year ago?" Lucia looked at her young daughter in disbelief, "How come I never knew?"

"That night at the restaurant dinner, you drank too much and went to bed early with Victor in your arms. You were still asleep, so you didn't feel anything." Wanda looked at her mother carefully, "I'm sorry, I don't want you to worry... I want to express my gratitude to you." God swears, except for that day, I go to bed on time at nine o'clock every night."

"Next time, don't go out after dark!" Lucia hugged her tightly and said with lingering fear, "If something happens to you, your mother will be heartbroken."

"I promise, there won't be a next time."

"What's next?" Dean interrupted,

"I ran along the shopping street to Lakeside Road, which was not far away, about a mile." Wanda recalled with a rolling look, "I ran into the yard outside Martha's house and was about to knock on the door when I suddenly discovered... I found... Martha was lying by the lake in her pajamas."

"What?" Dean's head shook, and he turned around and exchanged a look with Sean, "Marsha appeared alone at the lake half a year ago?"

Wanda nodded heavily.

"It was still summer at that time, the weather was not cold at all, the lake was not frozen, and the moon was very full in the sky."

"Martha looked at the lake and said some strange words. I quietly leaned over and listened. She smiled happily and called Jack, Louisa, Leo... three names..."

This sentence fell into place.

Dean noticed that the progress had jumped from thirty-three percent to thirty-eight percent.

"Jack?" Dean interrupted Wanda and said, "Isn't this the name of Martha's grandfather who died of illness a year ago?"

"That's right," Lucia next to her blurted out, dumbfounded, "and Luisa and Leo are Martha's mother and father who died in a car accident when she was two years old. This is impossible... It's so late at night, a The little girl was lying alone by the lake, shouting the names of three dead relatives to the water? And she even laughed out loud? "

This scene appeared in the minds of the four people present.

There was no warmth at all, a coldness rushed up from behind, penetrated into the tailbone, and went straight to the brain.

At the same time, the wind blowing through the window became chilly, like the caress of the pale hands of the dead.

Wanda opened her baby teeth with shockingly large gaps and said timidly, "I was so frightened that I almost cried, so I remember it very clearly and will never forget it in my life!"

Sean muttered subconsciously,

"Did Martha encounter a ghost at night?"

Dean looked at the little girl again in silence. Wanda hugged her pale mother's arm tightly, as if to get some warmth and protection.

"I was scared, but more worried about Martha, so I quietly leaned over...A shadow appeared in the lake, round and smooth...light blue, like...like the head of a dolphin."

"But at that glance...it seemed to have discovered me and disappeared like ripples, like some kind of hallucination..."

The event progress jumped to 42 percent.

Dean's head tightened, a dolphin's head, what kind of monster is this?

Wanda continued, "Martha stood up and turned to me, crying and laughing...I had never seen her smile so happily."

"I was so frightened that I hugged her and asked her what was in the lake."

"But she said my eyes were dazzled and there was nothing inside."

Wanda's statement about that night ends here.

"This incident made me nervous for several days, but my worries seemed to be unnecessary. After that night, Martha became as cheerful and lively as Cinderella who met the prince, and she no longer minded the swearing words of her classmates. , she had a power as warm as the sun, which infected Billy and I. Those six months were the happiest time for us."

"Until a month ago."

Wanda lowered her head and a few tears came out of her eyes.

"Ugh... I've lost my best friend forever."

……

Lucia hugged her daughter tightly and comforted her softly.

Dean asked, "Wanda, hold on a little longer. Have you ever told the police these things?"

"Uh-huh... no one has ever come to ask me."

"Except for that night half a year ago, has Martha ever been to the lake at other times?"

"I don't know... Every time I ask her, she changes the topic, and I don't dare to run out and take a peek again at night." Wanda wiped her peach-like swollen eyes, "But I feel that she will definitely go, and there are many Second-rate."

Dean nodded.

The brain is working at high speed, digesting a series of information in Wanda's words.

A line of logic appeared in front of me, just like the sun was clearing from the clouds.

no doubt.

Half a year ago, fate was reversed.

Martha was summoned, walked to the lake, and saw the "monster" living in the long lake.

The monster has the superpower to confuse people or transform into a human form, which allows her to call out the names of her dead parents and grandfather, and reunite with her long-lost relatives in another way.

So that night, Martha got rid of the knots of the past and became sunny and cheerful.

Dean could imagine that Martha would rush to the lake every night after her grandma went to bed to see the things in the lake and reunite with her family. After all, how could a lonely little girl resist the love of her family?

This was the real reason why she appeared alone at the lake one night a month ago.

……

The deduction in Dean's mind was completed, and the progress of the incident jumped to 50%.

Then several freshmen's questions came up.

If the thing in the lake killed Martha, why did it wait for half a year to give her half a year of happiness?

Any existence that is called evil can easily deal with a weak and helpless human cub like Martha, not even a second is too slow.

"Is this some kind of evil ritual, or a devil's deal? Let Martha be immersed in happiness and joy for half a year, and then push her into the abyss and harvest her soul?"

"It's too evil."

But Dean couldn't confirm this guess. He always felt that waiting for half a year was superfluous. He looked at Wanda,

"The night you met Martha by the lake half a year ago, was there white fog on the lake?"

"No fog...no..."

"What about the past six months?"

"Only the night when Martha fell into the water, did anyone notice the white mist." Lucia took over the conversation, "At any other time, there was never any on the Long Lake."

"Have there been any deaths related to Long Lake in Qiaodun Town and other nearby towns in recent years?"

"Restaurants and bars are the most well-informed places, and I definitely knew about it, but Martha had been quiet for the past five or six years."

Dean frowned even more.

It seems that the water monster that confused Martha is not necessarily accompanied by thick fog when it appears, and it only attacks Martha alone.

So what was the role of the massive thick fog that night when Martha fell into the water a month ago?

Is it a necessary step in the ritual, or is it to cover up the truth about Martha's death?

No, it is too unreasonable to deliberately create a fog just to target a little girl.

Dean couldn't figure it out, but the thick fog and monsters could trigger significant changes in progress. They were important clues, and there should be some hidden connection between them.

……

"Wanda, thank you for your hard work. Go to sleep and forget about today's troubles and pain." The clues were almost understood. Dean blinked at the sweaty girl and poured his thoughts into her. The latter instantly closed her eyes and fell asleep, lying down Snoring in Lucia's soft arms,

"It's time for us to leave." Dean and Sean stood up and handed Lucia a brown paper envelope as usual. "This is the reward for the interview and compensation for your leave today. Take it."

"No, Mr. Kenny, this is too much." Lucia wiped the corners of her eyes, suppressing the desire to refuse on her face,

"More, then next time we go to the restaurant, just give us a few more steaks."

The poor widow could only sob and give Dean a grateful hug.

……

The two walked out of the house side by side, and Dean noticed that Sean had been staring at his clothes strangely.

"What's that look in your face?"

Sean envied, "Do you have some extra-dimensional pocket with an inexhaustible supply of U.S. dollars, so you are so generous and spreading money everywhere?"

"Guessed it right."

"Forget it, seriously, where to go next?"

"There is some information on the car, let's look for it together." The doctor of Hawkins Laboratory who has the same name as Sean once gave Dean a book of monster information. "Maybe we can get a glimpse of the whole thing in the lake and find it." What kind of monster is it?”

(End of this chapter)