CHAPTER 469: CHAPTER 281: ARROGANT INVITATION_1

The next day, early in the morning, Dean was awakened by the ringing of his phone.

He picked up his cell phone and saw that it was actually his mother, Sheila, calling.

"Mom, you’re up really early," Dean said, his voice languid, still unwilling to leave the bed.

"I didn’t want to get up this early either, but I never expected you to be this kind of person, Dean!" Sheila’s voice on the phone was unfriendly.

This confused Dean a bit. What’s going on? Had Mom found out I’m a dirty cop?

Before Dean could ask, his mother Sheila blurted out a string of questions, "If Niel hadn’t come to the house, how much longer were you planning to keep it from me?"

"Huh?" Dean was stunned. "Mom, are you saying Niel is at our house right now?"

"Yes, I’ve seen her car parked outside our house for several days in a row. That silly girl has been waiting in her car for you for days. What on earth did you do to hurt her?"

Dean was speechless. How the hell would I know what happened? I was just talking to Ross about Niel yesterday, and now she’s shown up at Mom’s house! Did that airhead think she’d give me a surprise visit, only to find I wasn’t at my apartment? So then she foolishly used the old address I gave Mom to stake me out? Knowing Niel and how lovesick she can be, she definitely might do something like that!

Thinking this through, Dean said exasperatedly, "Mom, calm down. Is Niel there with you? Wait, why do I hear an ambulance siren?"

「Los Angeles.」

Dean’s mother, Sheila, watched the approaching ambulance, then glanced at Niel, who sat on the grass looking disheveled, grimacing and cradling a limp arm. Sheila spoke vaguely, "She’s a bit indisposed to talk on the phone right now; you can call her yourself later! Anyway, Niel is a good girl. Don’t you dare let her down!"

With that, she promptly hung up.

Damn it. After finding out Niel was Dean’s girlfriend and not knowing he’d been transferred out of Los Angeles, I couldn’t wait to call and chew him out. I completely forgot I’d assumed Niel was some creep surveilling our house, so when she got out of her car, I snuck up and struck her hard... What a disaster! Good thing I didn’t pull my gun. I never doubted that rascal Dean’s appeal to women. But now I seriously wonder what kind of awful impression this terrible mother-in-law, who broke her prospective daughter-in-law’s arm at their very first meeting, has made on poor Niel...

Hearing the DOOT-DOOT-DOOT of the busy signal, Dean put his phone away, puzzled. Why couldn’t Niel answer? And what was that sound of an approaching ambulance siren he’d heard over the phone?

He shook his head. Forget it. Now that Mom knows about Niel, she should take good care of her. It couldn’t possibly be... that the ambulance on Mom’s end was for Niel, could it?

However, Niel’s sudden arrival at his mother’s house also reminded Dean that, burdened by various trifles, he still hadn’t told Niel he’d left Los Angeles. He had been neglecting her a bit lately.

「Nine in the morning.」

Dean and Cheston En, who had heavy dark circles under his eyes, arrived at the hotel’s dining room, ready to enjoy their complimentary breakfast.

Just then, the hotel’s lobby manager approached them and said politely, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Dean and Mr. Cheston En?"

"Yes, is there a problem?" Dean looked at him with confusion. When I checked in, I paid out of pocket and didn’t reveal my identity.

The lobby manager smiled and pulled a brownish-yellow envelope from his pocket. "This is a letter your friend entrusted to me to give to you. He asked that you find a private place before reading it."

"Sorry, I don’t have any friends in Las Vegas. If you can’t provide more information, we won’t accept this letter!" Dean said sternly, stopping Cheston En, who was about to reach for it. Though he hadn’t noticed anything unusual about the lobby manager, they had just cracked a case involving the Lucifer Game Organization. They couldn’t rule out the enemy using some despicable means to assassinate them!

The lobby manager hadn’t expected Dean to react this way. Holding the letter, he stood frozen for several seconds before his face lit up in sudden realization. "Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot!" he added. "Your friend also gave me a code phrase—something only you friends would know."

As he spoke, the lobby manager patted his plump belly, trying his best to imitate the other person’s tone, and said creepily, "Those chosen by fate can only achieve the goddess’s favor by embracing destiny... and the profaners can only win forgiveness by pleasing the goddess."

"AHEM." The manager cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, I’ve said my piece. If you still don’t want this letter, I’ll return it to the front desk."

After the lobby manager finished speaking, Dean and Cheston En exchanged a glance, simultaneously reading the same thought in each other’s eyes: Utterly bizarre! ’Chosen by fate... profaners... pleasing the goddess...’ What kind of cringey, nonsensical lines were those? Shouldn’t that kind of melodramatic, unhinged dialogue be in some anime from that island nation, or maybe a third-rate novel?

In the end, driven by curiosity and a degree of caution, Dean had Cheston En, wearing gloves, take the letter.

Losing their appetite for breakfast, the two took the elevator back to their room.

"Agent Dean, this letter doesn’t feel thick. It’s unlikely to be hiding anything dangerous. Let me see what’s inside!" After a cursory inspection of the envelope’s exterior, Cheston En, still wearing gloves, was about to open it.

Dean quickly snatched a plastic bag from nearby and tossed it to him, saying, "Some assassins like to smear chemical toxins on inconspicuous objects, using friction or other little tricks to trigger them. The volatilized toxins can then kill targets at close range. Although I don’t think we’re significant enough for an assassin to use such methods on us, it doesn’t hurt to be careful!"

Cheston En shrugged. "You’re the boss. I’ll do as you say."

He put the plastic bag over his hand that held the envelope, then carefully tore it open.

Inside the envelope was a piece of black paper of unidentifiable material!

To be precise, it was an invitation!

On the black paper were golden stripes and silver lettering.

The golden stripes formed a strangely shaped eye symbol—the very mark of the Lucifer Game Organization!

The silver text was brazen and direct:

You are invited, Mr. Dean and Mr. Cheston En, to participate in an interesting outdoor game on September 9th, 2001, at coordinates **, **.

Refusal means death!

Disclosure means death!

Cheston En’s pupils contracted sharply. His hand holding the envelope instinctively recoiled as if to drop it, but a sudden sense of danger made him freeze. He quickly turned to the expressionless Dean. "Agent Dean," he stammered, "this... this looks like a threat letter."

Dean took a deep breath and snatched the plastic bag containing the letter from Cheston En’s hands.

An outdoor game? Heh. I have a feeling this so-called ’game’ is probably that battle royale mentioned in the killer’s clues. I keep running into the Lucifer Game Organization. Looks like this time, there’s no escaping them out in the open!

Cheston En, seeing Dean take the invitation filled with blatant threats without a word, couldn’t help but speak up, "Agent Dean, do you know what this is about?"

Dean glanced at him and said indifferently, "Cheston En, your acting skills still need some work."

After saying this, Dean casually tossed the invitation into the nearby trash can.

The Lucifer Game Organization rarely retaliated against officials who investigated, disrupted their games, or arrested their members. But I’ve stumbled into the Lucifer Organization too many times. I’ve had a feeling for a while now that those people would come after me openly again. My Subspace is going to be very useful this time!

Cheston En, his attempt at deception exposed by Dean, stood there flustered, unsure what to do. He wanted to explain but didn’t know where to begin.

It wasn’t until he heard the door opening that he seemed to snap out of his daze. He rushed to the door. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to hide it. This is..."

"Shh!" Dean raised a finger to his lips. "Cheston En, I already knew the answer from your reaction! The first time we met, you participated in the Lucifer Game Organization’s indoor game with Mr. Anthony, and you were very enthusiastic. This time, when you reported the case clues, your emotional state was clearly off. I saw the disgust and fear of that symbol in your eyes. You want revenge against them, but you also fear them. So, that’s your reason for choosing to follow me?"

Cheston En sighed and hung his head. "Agent Dean, you’re truly terrifying. Maybe this is why Mr. Anthony chose you in the end..."