CHAPTER 456: CHAPTER 275 GAIA!_3

"But have you noticed? All five victims disappeared in the vicinity of some secluded streets, but it’s impossible that they were all taken from the main street. So I’m more inclined to think that the killer might be a cold storage truck driver in Las Vegas. While busy working, he incidentally searches for prey. Once he’s set his sights on one, he goes over and with drugs, or some other means, takes down his prey and pulls them into the cold storage truck. In this process, he can even pack the prey into some cargo boxes. Boldly, in the presence of many passersby, he can take the prey to the truck and drive away. Maybe some passersby even saw it and kindly helped lift them onto the truck."

"Like this kind?" Louise suddenly pointed towards the road behind Dean.

Several medium-sized cold storage trucks, all painted with the same company logo, were lined up one after the other, heading in a certain direction.

Dean, seeing these cold storage trucks, casually said, "I remember that’s the airport, right?"

Louise nodded, about to speak.

The wealthy and generous female shop owner came over with a chilled beer. She ignored Louise across from her, leaned in front of Dean, set down the beer, and said with a smile, "To be precise, that’s the warehouse at the airport. Every day, lots of fresh seafood from other regions are flown here, and those cold storage trucks are there to pick up the cargo."

"Does it happen every day?" Dean asked, admiring the shop owner’s generosity.

Taking the opportunity, the shop owner sat down. "Yes, many of the big hotels in Las Vegas need these truck fleets to deliver the things they need. So although it’s not a fixed fleet, they do have their own little inner circle."

"You mean, those drivers hauling cargo don’t work for a single company?" Dean grew more curious.

Every place has its own rules. So Dean did not know much about the situation of Las Vegas transportation drivers.

"Of course not!" The shop owner shook her head. "The vehicles they drive only represent which company owns the truck, but the driver could be different every day. They might be relatives or friends of some gang members—people with the right connections—or some who are just temporary drivers earning a little hard cash. Actually, every industry in Las Vegas can’t escape the shadow of the local gangs."

Dean felt the shop owner was getting too close as she spoke. Although he appreciated the woman’s generosity and wealth, this was a neighborhood, not a deserted area, and Louise was sitting across from him, watching the show.

So, Dean laughed and said, "Does that mean you even needed the gang’s approval to open this snack bar?"

"Of course!" the shop owner nodded as a matter of course. "I spent quite a bit on the business permit—those damn bureaucratic leeches! Handsome, you must be from out of town!"

She raised an eyebrow at Dean, slid her finger across the palm of his hand, leaving a note. Leaning into Dean’s ear, she exhaled a moist breath and said in a seductive whisper, "My name is Ela, and I know a lot of things around here. If you need help, you can come find me at night. And I know about more than just those cold storage trucks..."

「...」

When it was time to leave the snack shop, the shop owner generously let them leave without paying. She also made a phone call gesture at Dean.

Sometimes, Dean couldn’t help but marvel internally. The joy of being a handsome guy, the initiative of women—these were probably beyond the imagination of those average-looking nerdy authors. He was different. As a man who could rely on his looks to get by, he was certain of one thing: the simplest interaction between men and women only required one phrase – "Are you down to fuck." In plain language: Wanna hook up?

Back to the subject at hand. Because it was getting late, Dean and Louise decided to part ways, to continue the investigation tomorrow and wait for feedback from the front-line officers.

When parting, Louise said to Dean with a smile, "Why did you throw away the note? She’s not bad. She could help you relax your tense nerves."

Dean pointed at his own heart. "Because there’s very little space here, and it’s already occupied!"

He had noticed that Louise seemed to have certain thoughts because of the female shop owner. This phenomenon... Well, among the officers in the United States, it’s quite common. The problem was, Dean didn’t like to get involved with married women.

「...」

「Night fell.」

「Las Vegas Airport.」

Ross walked out with his fiancée Gaia. They had booked the best hotel nearby, which would provide a car service to pick them up and drop them off. They had also heard they would be given some complimentary chips to let wealthy folks like them have a little taste of the action.

They were just about to leave the lobby. Ross’s fiancée, Gaia, suddenly furrowed her brows. Looking at the flow of people coming and going, she bit her lip and, pulling on the good-spirited Ross, whispered, "Ross, I need to use the restroom."

"Of course, no problem. The hotel driver will wait for us." Ross considerately accompanied his girlfriend, following the signs to the airport restroom.

After his girlfriend went in, he waited for a while. Ross was getting a bit bored.

In this much time, if it were him, not only would he have finished using the toilet, but he would also have taken a shower!

So, he began to look around idly. The restroom on this side was not small. It was spread around several corridors, looking spacious and uncluttered. Further away were some duty-free shops on the ground floor. Around the corridors, there weren’t only lots of foreign travelers but also cleaners pushing cleaning carts back and forth, which looked quite amusing.

That cart looks interesting. Ross felt a playful urge rising within him and hesitated about whether he should approach one of the cleaners and ask to try driving the cart for a bit.

Just then, CREAK... A somewhat grating sound of wheels turning came from the corridor next to the restroom. Ross looked in that direction and saw a man dressed in grey work clothes, wearing a dust mask and a work hat, pushing a cart with two large boxes. The cart’s wheels seemed to have gotten stuck, causing it to jam at the junction of the corridors.

He quickly went over to help out of kindness. Together, they managed to get the cart moving again. The man nodded at Ross in thanks, then pushed the cart away and disappeared from Ross’s view.

Helping others feels pretty good. Ross clapped his hands cheerfully. He stretched languidly and continued to wait for his fiancée, Gaia.

He had long heard that Las Vegas was not only home to various casinos and entertainment venues but also that many international couples would especially come here to hold weddings or to propose unexpectedly... Ross had always felt himself to be an unromantic person, who only knew how to give a woman a house, a car, a sports car, or simply pay with a card, with no understanding of romance. Once he found Dean. He must ask Dean to help plan a romantic proposal surprise for Gaia!

「Waiting.」

Time passed. As flights departed and travelers left, the crowd around them dwindled. Ross furrowed his brows. He looked down at his watch in surprise and realized that Gaia had been in the restroom for nearly forty to fifty minutes!

Could it be Gaia has been squatting for so long that she can’t get up? Ross mischievously took out his phone, ready to call and check on Gaia’s situation.

After a short wait, just as Ross began to feel that something was not quite right, the call finally connected. "Hello, are you the owner of this phone? I found it in a restroom stall!"

Hearing the strange voice on the phone, Ross froze on the spot. He remained stunned for a few seconds before suppressing his wild thoughts, striving to remain calm. He said, "Sorry! I didn’t understand what you’re saying! This is my fiancée’s phone. She’s in the airport restroom right now, and I’m waiting for her to come out! I mean, why do you have her phone?"

"But I am in the airport women’s restroom, and there’s no one else here?"

As she said this, a woman who appeared to be on a phone call came out of the women’s restroom corridor, looking around, puzzled.

No one? Ross finally realized what had happened! He rushed toward the restroom, crying out in distress, "Gaia..."