Mysterious Hunting Ground

Chapter 40 40. Memorial and Commendation

Solved the serious problem of James Lowe.

In the next week, Dean ran several times with the Good Morning Band, recorded songs, and signed a production and distribution contract for "Tears in Heaven" with a small record company called "Kristen". state. (Details related to the work)
In addition, Dean received a signing fee of 1000 dollars, plus the final payment of 3800 dollars from Amazing Day, and the remaining 6600 dollars on hand, and the deposit reached an unprecedented [-] dollars.

Having earned such a sum of money in the first month, Dean is very satisfied, and now he doesn't need to ask his uncle to help him get by.

"Save another 2000 more and buy a brand new SUV."

In addition, in addition to running with the band this week, he spent his spare time in the mountains near his home practicing target shooting, fighting, summoning shadows, and hard training has achieved certain results:
Shot lv0 (25 → 50/100)

Fighting lv1 (65→75/200)
Shadow of the Past lv0 (6→8/100)
Physique: 11.5→11.6
Strength: 10.5→10.6
Sensitivity: 11.5→11.6
……

In early June, the mass memorial service finally arrived.

The sun was strong, and it was already unbearably hot at nine o'clock in the morning.

The long-closed Nevada State High School has reopened its doors.

The school gate was full of cars of various colors, and the crowd passed through the green courtyard in front of the school gate and entered the spacious school auditorium.

Dean and his friends sat in the last and highest row of the auditorium. Looking around, more than 500 seats were full of people, and the aisles on both sides, the seats and the gap in front of the stage were also full of people.

Men, women and children, all dressed in black or blue suits, underwear, and long skirts, did not say a word.

Holding the photo frame in his arms, there are vibrant young faces on it, but trapped in the photo frame, lifeless.

The customs and habits of the United States and China are different, and the portraits are mostly in color, not black and white.

The mayor of Las Vegas stood in the center of the podium. The new principal of Nevada State High School, Ms. Lan Zi, the chief of the Las Vegas Police Department, the camera crew, and relevant people stood not far from the two sides of the stage. There are 35 pure white candles burning quietly, and 35 color photos are hung in a wreath of white chrysanthemums.

"We have now found out the cause of this tragedy. Three patients who were full of resentment towards society to the point of insanity targeted this group of lovely children. This is an out-and-out tragedy that happened in the wrong place The wrong time, and the wrong place. I hereby strongly condemn their horrific actions!"

There was a slight commotion below the podium, and some bereaved people got up from their seats emotionally, roaring and roaring with flushed faces.

"But the three criminals have been sanctioned and sent to hell, and they can no longer do evil in our world!" The mayor's strong words ended the uproar, "Now let us calm down our anger a little and commemorate the innocent people who lost their lives , 25 young children, and [-] outstanding adults who lost their precious lives, missed birthdays, graduations, weddings in a city that should have been filled with good and decent people like no other city in America."

"Diego Weaving..."

"Emily Brown..."

...

"Our esteemed Headmaster... Ulysses Crow."

35 names, every time they landed, there was a burst of crying from the seats.

Dean turned around, Ruster put his arms around Britney, who had red eyes, and sniffed.

"Here, in Las Vegas, I would like to offer my love and prayers on behalf of the people of the country. I know that words cannot express the grief in your hearts, nor can you heal the wounds in your hearts. I just hope that you understand that you have fallen into When you are sad, you are not alone... Our sky is falling, and the whole country is crying with you, and we all hold the children tightly."

In the audience, the husband put his arms around his wife, and the relatives leaned on each other.

"We will give everything to comfort your hearts. We will gladly share your sorrows."

The mayor paused, wiped the corners of his eyes,
"Las Vegas—you, are not alone."

The echoes from the audience grew louder.

"Your tears are not in vain. They are in heaven, living in the mansion bestowed by God, and they also receive the thoughts of their families."

The mayor's voice changed.

"There was a girl in Nevada High School who survived the Lake Mead incident, but lost many friends and was devastated... She is one of you, she has the same experience as everyone else, and she is dedicated to Healing the grief, stepping out of the shadows of the past, and finding a song during these difficult times."

"Now, I hope that her singing will also bring a little comfort to everyone, let us be silent, and turn grief and longing into strength."

Then sad music came from the background.

Everyone quietly pricked up their ears.

Caroline, who played the guitar, walked from the backstage to the center of the stage.

Dean's eyes lit up.

She changed out of the usual youthful vest and hot pants, and did not deliberately put on a black dress, but a simple denim dress, revealing her snow-white slender legs and forearms, without makeup on her face, under the candlelight The pale facial features are exquisite and small, with a kind of quiet and glamorous beauty.

The familiar music sounded.

Greetings are full of affection and touching.

Classic songs have a kind of touching and resonant charm.

Whenever Caroline sings "Do you remember my name, if I meet you in heaven."

There was a burst of suppressed sobbing from among the seats.

An invisible emotional resonance permeated the crowd.

When Caroline sang the last line,
"I have to be strong and keep going because I know I don't belong in heaven."

"I don't belong in heaven."

……

The entire auditorium was silent for a full minute.

People were silent for a long time, not even noticing that Caroline quietly bowed and exited, and no one applauded inappropriately.

But Dean knew she had succeeded.

The white-haired old man sitting in front of him glanced at the photo of his granddaughter, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and a gratified smile appeared on the corners of his mouth.

The grief on the faces of many participants seemed to have been washed away by heavy rain.

At the beginning, the eye sockets were moist, the emotions were hard to restrain, and the tears burst out of the dike.

But when they wiped away that gloomy face, they wiped away their sorrow and lightened their minds.

The mayor stood in front of the microphone again, exaggeratedly wiped the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Performing at a memorial service is a very dangerous arrangement, and a little carelessness can turn a solemn ceremony into a farce.

But the girl's performance, as she's shown before, is just right.

"After listening to this song, I don't know if you have the same thought as me. The dead are gone. Only by taking good care of our health can we reunite with our loved ones in heaven in the future."

"Everyone has to be strong."

"That's what life is all about, life isn't all about sadness. It also shows us the light and the good."

The participants in the audience quietly shifted their gazes.

The Mayor continues to adjust the focus of this memorial service,

"After the Lake Mead incident, the medical workers who participated in the rescue, volunteers from all walks of life, the families of the victims, and the Las Vegas police officers who never closed their eyes for several days set an example for everyone , brings hope!"

The mayor emphasized his tone in the last sentence, and exchanged a tacit look with the director of lvpd not far away,
"God bless Las Vegas! At the scene of that horrific attack, seven warriors stepped forward with determination to protect their classmates, teachers, relatives, and even strangers."

Dean's heart skipped a beat, filled with an ominous premonition.

"Las Vegas is a city of heroes! They were born here, embodying the beauty, courage, and faith of Vegas. They overcame the fear of death and worked together to fight three dehumanizing demons , blocked the cold muzzle with flesh and blood, and saved countless lives."

The mayor spit all over the place.

These people will reverse the bad effects of this accident and save his job!

"This is a miracle!"

"Most of them gave their precious lives because of this."

"But we must not let time obliterate these noble sacrifices."

"Now, let's say their names together and let them go down in history."

"Bobby Smith."

"Bobby Smith!"

Sporadic voices echoed from the audience at first, but soon, the sad atmosphere was swept away, and the mountains roared and the tsunami descended.

A huge sound echoed in the air above the seats.

Ruster and Liam, beside Dean, blushed and shouted.

He waved his hands casually a few times.

The few "warriors" who died were just selected from the male dead for fear of exposing his superhuman skills. The only thing they have in common is that they are honest and good students.

"Am I giving them an honor for nothing?"

The dead naturally cannot be on stage.

But his father, a man in a black suit and a black tie, rushed up to the podium, hugged the mayor, received a certificate of honor, put a shining medal on his chest, and held up his son's photo, holding a photo of his father. Wiping away tears, he shouted excitedly.

"I know, my Poppy has always been a hero! I'm so proud of him, Poppy, you're great!"

"Jeff Brown!"

"Kenny Taylor!"

The applause is getting louder!
After crying a while ago, the parents who vented their grief frantically waved their hands, shouted, applauded, and applauded, and a few leaped out of their seats, stepped onto the podium, and hugged the heroes' family members affectionately!

A memorial service inadvertently turns into an awards ceremony.

"Cole Davis."

"Cheston Thomas."

"Our headmaster, Ulysses Crow."

"Dean, are you ready?"

At some point, the radiant Caroline appeared behind her, wrapping her arms around Dean's chest.

Dean turned around and looked at the gate a little anxiously, his face was completely devoid of the calmness of the past.

He is extremely uncomfortable with the atmosphere of being "all eyes on". He doesn't want to become a celebrity, otherwise, wouldn't he live under a magnifying glass in the future?
"Man, don't be humble, you saved everyone's life, and you deserve it."

Last encouraged,

"Go up, this is a precious opportunity. After today, many famous universities will give you the green light!"

Britney envy,
Liam, Cardi, and Noah blocked the entrance of the gate and said gratefully,

"Don't try to escape!"

Shet!

"The last! There is a hero who not only saved everyone's lives, but defeated death and became a living legend! He is sitting among you, and he is Dean from Nevada State High School, grade 11 Lou!"

"Dean Lu, where are you, come up!"

Dean was pushed out of his seat by the crowd.

A white aunt in the front row turned around and pointed her thick fingers at him.
"Chinese?"

"Give everyone a face!"

The crowd buzzed, especially among the sparsely represented Asians.

"Dean, great job!"

"Don't be shy, boy, go up!"

Dean's face was a little stiff.

Passionate hands stretched out from the seat, patted, and pushed his body. He was like a raft in a fjord, being pushed to the podium by the rapids.

Holden Ford was also one of them, with an appreciative smile on the corner of his mouth, as if seeing an old friend, he applauded this bewildered boy who finally looked like a "high school student".

……

"Dean Lu, on behalf of all the teachers and students of Nevada High School and the people of Las Vegas, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to you!" The mayor opened his hands and gave Dean a warm hug.

The more I look at it, the more grateful I am.

The Lake Mead beach incident and the suicide of the rich man James Low brought pressure from all sides at the same time, and his political reputation also dropped to freezing point.

It happened that this kid who appeared suddenly came to attract the public's attention and share the attention.

It's a pity that he is an Asian, so he is destined not to take this path.

Otherwise, you can leave a business card and have a good chat afterwards.

"For your extraordinary courage in the face of violent crimes and your extraordinary performance in saving dozens of lives. On behalf of the City of Vegas, I present you with the Civic Courage Award, along with cash."

The mayor and the director of the LVPD stepped forward at the same time, handed a certificate of honor to Dean, and put a medal on his chest.

Dean took the certificate, looked over their shoulders, and noticed the new principal, Ms. Lanzi.

Beside her, Miss Christen nodded at him with a smile on her lips.

"Now, tell everyone something?" The mayor patted him on the shoulder. "In that situation, what drove you to stand up."

Dean stood in front of the microphone and looked around.

Similar classmates, unfamiliar parents, pairs of fiery eyes, with curiosity, kindness, encouragement, and gratitude.

But there are also a lot of doubts, unbelievable?

An Asian bravely stood up to a murderous mob and saved white, black, Latino...

It's almost like nonsense.

These gazes are like flames.

Let Dean's lips move, but his throat seemed to be stuck, and he couldn't say a word for a long time.

Until there was a burst of urging and encouraging applause from below.

Dean took a deep breath, his face regained his composure,

"I was very scared, I saw the god of death waving to me, but before I died, a thought suddenly crossed my mind - to be a hero for a minute or a coward for a lifetime?"

Dean scanned the audience with calm eyes, the scene was silent,

"People should be brave for themselves once in this life, I want to live."

"I tried to fight, so I survived."

"But I'm sorry that I couldn't save more people. Here I donate this prize money to the families of all the victims."

"I hope you can also carry this courage and blessing and live well!"

Dean thought in his heart that there was a high probability that the group of people were implicated in his death.

But after today, all he should do has been done.

boom!
The system vibrates.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of accepting the award on stage, the attribute jumped suddenly——

Spirit: 13.1 → 13.2.
Dean stepped down to the cheers of a crowd.

"People should always be brave for themselves, a wonderful insight. Let us applaud the brave Dean!"

The applause of the audience was thunderous.

"But I want to correct him, child, you don't need to blame yourself, you have done a great job, we should apologize!"

……

"Good job, dude, no stuttering at all."

Noah praised and took the certificate from him, and then a group of people looked over their heads curiously,
Ruster put his arms around Dean's shoulders, looked at his dazed face, and smiled gratifiedly,
"After just now, I finally feel that you are a normal person, not omnipotent. If you go up and give a wonderful speech, then I'm sure you are an alien in human skin!"

"It's already pretty good to be on stage for the first time. When I performed with the band for the first time, in front of dozens of audiences, I almost cried out of nervousness."

"you're great!"

Caroline sat on the other side of him, excitedly kissed his side face, her eyes sparkled with joy, "Especially the line 'a hero for one minute or a coward for a lifetime', like a lyrics, I love it to death !"

Dean smiled, glanced at the group of companions, and regained his composure.

"I'm going out to catch my breath!"

The mayor on the stage started a new round of passionate speeches, which attracted most of the attention.

"Huh?" Caroline tugged at his arm and hesitated, looking down at her toes. "Ms. Jones, Principal Lanz and the mayor all asked me to stay after the performance."

"It's a rare opportunity, you go to accompany them first, and see you in the warehouse tonight." Dean patted her face understandingly, "Last, lend me the car key."

"Dude, don't get cold feet, the parents will have to thank you personally later."

But Dean shook his head, took the key in Ruster's hand, and pushed the door straight to leave.

……

Go out.

As soon as the hot sun shone outside the auditorium, his tensed cheeks relaxed, and he felt a lot more relaxed.

It's not his home field.

He strode towards the school gate.

"Dude, don't rush to leave."

A familiar voice came from behind.

Dean turned around and looked, his pupils shrank.

Handsome police detective with dark hair.

Holden Ford.

　Since everyone generally reflects that the music is poorly written, the chapters about songs will basically be related to the works in the future, and will not be included in the main text. If you are interested, you can read it again.

　　() la la la

　　Thanks for the support of Walking and Singing 1998!Thank you for your monthly tickets and recommended tickets for your support!
　　
　　
　
(End of this chapter)