New Gods of North America.

Chapter 570 Chase
"See, I told you the river terrain was useful, didn't I? The arena at the base is too monotonous. You can't beat me in a different environment."

The detective agency members had a barbecue that lasted until midnight, and now they were preparing to head home.

Liam was showing off in the back of a carriage, while Sanders was hanging upside down next to him—this was what happened when you lost a bet.

Both of them were still soaking wet.
The main reason is that Liam played too dirty, shoving his opponents into the river when they weren't looking, and dragging them in the water to prevent them from getting out. I don't know where he learned that "water monkey" tactic.

Sanders found Liam's noise annoying, turned his head to the other side, and shook the water off his hair. "Watch the time, that's enough. I have to drive for the boss later. Besides, how did you manage to stay upside down for so long? I'm already dizzy."

"No rush. Miss Inessa is still up at the mill, and Miss Lina and Miss Emma haven't returned yet. Actually, these things are mostly about getting used to. You'll get used to it after a few more times."

Since the original plan was a barbecue, the other agents didn't fight too seriously tonight. However, Ryan, who failed to bring the restaurant's new freckled girl to show off, actually had quite a few appearances.
His extraordinary ability is to implant "images" into other people's minds. It is said that he used to like using pictures of sexy women in magazines, but now he has changed his ways and turned the "images" into the menus of restaurants that have not yet been officially announced to the public.

Anyway, the detectives who sparred with him tonight could practically recite the prices of all the various dishes and set meals in the restaurant.

Even Emma has learned the new catchphrase that just became popular among the agents tonight – “half a pound burger for 12 cents.”

"Woof, woof, woof!"

A burst of barking suddenly rang out from a distance, dense and chaotic, causing everyone to turn their heads.
That was the direction Lina and Emma had just taken for a walk to digest their food. Wayne thought about it for a moment and decided to go and take a look.

With Lina around, Wayne wasn't worried about anything going wrong.

But I've had enough to eat tonight, and the noise sounds like it's coming from a hunting dog—there's no need to kill someone else's dog, and besides, hunting dogs aren't very tasty.

Several nearby agents followed. When Wayne arrived, little Emma was riding a dog, while Lina stood by with her hands on her hips, watching coldly. A pack of hunting dogs surrounded them, barking.
Almost simultaneously with Wayne arrived the plantation foreman and several supervisors on horseback, each carrying a hunting rifle. They looked surprised and quickly began to explain:
"I'm very sorry. We received a report from a slave that a runaway slave had appeared on the plantation. After verification, we are now pursuing the escapee."

This was the first time Wayne had encountered something like this. He turned to look at the agents around him, and they all silently shook their heads.

Wayne's reply was simple: "It's good that nothing happened. None of our men saw the escaped slave you mentioned; they probably went in another direction." He then gestured for Emma to release the dog.

"Thank you for informing me." The steward bowed slightly on his horse, preparing to continue on his way, then pulled on the reins again. "I remember you run a detective agency. Do you handle cases involving finding runaway slaves?"

Wayne knew that some bounty hunters specialized in this kind of work; after all, these days, the starting fine for helping slaves escape was $500.

Helping to find a slave can generally earn you at least $200, and the value of some slaves may vary.

The specific amount of remuneration depends on who commissions the work. For example, if the commission is given by the plantation manager, the remuneration is unlikely to be more than the salary deducted by the employer.

However, Wayne isn't very interested in this kind of business. He won't actively "release" animals, nor does he intend to make money by capturing them. He might lend a hand if he happens to encounter one, but he doesn't feel like he owes anyone anything if he misses an opportunity.

So he decisively refused, saying, "This is not within the scope of our detective agency's business."

The manager didn't press the matter further: "Then I'm sorry to bother you. We still need to continue the pursuit, so I won't take up any more of your time."

After saying this, one of the overseers cracked his whip, and the pack of hunting dogs with their tails between their legs scattered immediately, while the horses followed the foreman. Lina joked from the side, "Working on the plantation seems to be more troublesome than I imagined."

"I told you, there's no such thing as an easy business."

……

The little incident ended, and the three carriages quickly set off.

Because some agents stayed overnight, fewer people returned.

Inessa kept looking out the window. "I just saw someone watching us from a distance from the windmill, but I'm not sure if they're from the plantation."

Lina and Emma, ​​the two blonde girls, yawned in unison: "Could it be the escaped slave that the steward mentioned? Maybe he's worried that we'll find out."

“It doesn’t seem like it.” Inessa shook her head slightly. “The other party’s observation time was not too short. If they were on the run, they shouldn’t have lingered for so long; they should have taken one look and then continued on their way.”

After a moment's thought, Wayne immediately assumed the worst-case scenario.
Damn it, we're already out of downtown Richmond, and people are still coming to our door?
He tentatively asked, "Could it be someone from a local intelligence organization?"

"I'm not sure, but it seems like we can give it a try."

"How to try?"

Inesa tilted her chin towards the window. "It looks like someone is following us over there."

Wayne glanced over; it was pitch black, but there really did seem to be faint lights moving, and they weren't moving too slowly, like those lanterns with shades just illuminating the road.

There was a tap on the partition inside the carriage. "Let's change direction at the next intersection. Don't rush back. Also, let the others know that we might have to split up later."

“Yes!” Sanders replied from outside.

The car slowed down slightly, then resumed its speed.
Are you not afraid of encountering ghosts while stalking someone in the wild at midnight?
It's just that the carriage isn't equipped with a "four-wheel drive" configuration now, otherwise it could easily chase after the other vehicle.

……

the other side,
An overseer rode up on horseback to the plantation manager. “Boss,” he said, “the hunting dogs have found fresh hoof prints by the river. The nail holes on the horseshoes are in different positions than those on our plantation.”

"Damn it! There's someone else waiting for us." The foreman gritted his teeth. "It might not be a simple escape. Maybe it's slave thieves, or maybe it's that damned 'Underground Railway' again."

The foreman held the shotgun in his hand. "Follow that direction! Ordinary slaves are one thing, but mixed-race female slaves are very valuable. If we can't find them, we can all expect to be fired."

(End of this chapter)