Chapter 69: Rescue (4 in 1)
Selina reached out to give him a towel. She asked in a low voice, “Do you want to get some rest?”
Luke nodded and walked into their self-made fort in the corner. He wiped his sweat.
Suddenly, he heard someone mumbling something in one corner.
He turned his head, only to see a flashlight in the corner and a middle-aged woman who was preaching enthusiastically.
Listening to her for a moment, Luke cursed in a low voice. “Bulls*it!”
The middle-aged woman was that very psycho whom they had knocked out and thrown into the bathroom yesterday.
She was also likely the person who had a.s.saulted Jim and tried to stop him from turning off the light outside.
Now, the woman was preaching her theory about G.o.d’s punishment again.
Luke rummaged around in a basket and found an orange.
He weighed it in his hand, and feeling that it was just right, he threw it out.
Swoos.h.!.+
The woman was saying, “…Read the bible. We’ve desecrated G.o.d for too long. Today, he wants us to pay with blood for what we did. It’s time to take a stance. A blood sacrifice, just like how Abraham was ready to sacrifice his only son to prove his devotion to G.o.d…”
Bang!
An object flew over in the darkness, and the woman’s head jerked back as it hit her right in the mouth.
The object exploded and splattered on the audience.
Everybody was stunned. They touched the fluid on their faces, and were relieved after confirming that it wasn’t blood.
They looked at what had exploded in the woman’s mouth. It turned out to be a huge orange.
They looked around, only to see nothing but darkness as well as the amused expressions of those who had been staring at them.
Putong!
The middle-aged woman collapsed.
She really wasn’t a Chosen One. The impact from the orange was too much for her, and she simply pa.s.sed out.
Luke put his hand back into his pocket and whistled as he strode over to the fort.
Selina chuckled silently and kissed his cheek when he sat down. She praised him in a low voice. “Darling, you did a marvelous job.”
Luke shrugged. “Nonsense. The orange did it.”
After the disgusting psycho was knocked out by the orange, the supermarket fell into silence.
After a day of panic and fear, everyone was exhausted.
Luke had to rest, and Selina stayed alert.
He didn’t trust anyone but Selina in such a situation.
After three hours of sleep, Luke woke up.
He patted a tired Selina and said, “I’m up. You can get some rest.”
Selina immediately lay down next to him and covered herself in a blanket. She soon fell asleep.
Hearing the occasional noise outside the supermarket, Luke was deep in thought.
Staying here wasn’t going to work out.
This was just a small town.
He had been told that communications here were down. The rumors about the military base that he was hearing in the supermarket also hinted at how complicated this matter was.
Luke didn’t plan to bet his life on the military officials’ sense of conscience. He had to leave if he wanted to survive.
However, it was too risky to drive away now.
A car couldn’t protect him and Selina from the enormous monster that they had seen.
Getting out of here was going to be a tough problem.
He thought hard for a long while.
Someone suddenly approached him stealthily.
Luke noticed that it was a woman.
She leaned close and said in a low voice, “Thank you for saving me last night.”
Luke nodded. He finally remembered who she was.
She was the person who had been caught and nearly killed by the pterosaur-like monster.
She was around thirty. Her clothes weren’t eye-catching, but Luke recognized that they belonged to a niche luxury brand and were worth at least a thousand dollars apiece.
The expensive women’s watch on her wrist also hinted at her wealth.
Her carefully trimmed hair and nails were proof, too.
“My name is Alice Miller.” She sat down next to Luke and continued in a low voice, “I’m a CEO of a major company.”
Seeing that Luke wasn’t interested, she hesitated for a moment, but still said, “You’re quite strong. I was hoping that you can save my daughter.”
Luke raised his eyebrows. “Outside? Hehe. I don’t want to get killed.”
“I can give you a lot of money,” Alice offered. “How about a hundred grand?”
Luke shook his head. “Mrs. Miller, money is useless when you’re dead.”
With a heavy heart, Alice raised her offer. “Two… No, five hundred grand. I can sign an agreement first. As long as you get my daughter out, you’ll be able to withdraw the money from my account.”
Luke shook his head without any hesitation. “Sorry. Not interested.”
Alice’s face collapsed, and tears flowed down her face. “My daughter is only eight. She’s been alone at home for half a day…”
Luke was amused. “Mrs. Miller, forgive my bluntness, but it’s hard to say how many people outside this supermarket are still alive. I’m not rubbing it in; how can we rescue your daughter when we can barely take care of ourselves?”
Alice had been angry until she heard “take care of ourselves.”
She leaned in even closer and said, “What if I can get us out of here?”
Luke raised his eyebrow. “Tell me about it.”
Alice said, “There’s a chopper in my backyard.”
Luke was stunned. “Are you kidding?”
Helicopters weren’t unusual, but they would certainly be unusual in such a small town.
Alice said, “You can ask anyone. Everyone knows that I always come here in a chopper. Don’t forget that I’m a CEO of a major company. I can afford a chopper.”
Frowning, Luke pondered for a moment, then said, “I need to think. I’ll give you a reply before dawn.”
Alice hesitated for a moment. She then said, “The sooner, the better. My daughter barely moves due to autism, but she might look for food or go to the toilet. I’m afraid…”
Luke nodded his head.
Alice finally left.
Frowning, Luke woke up Selina and told her Alice’s offer.
After two minutes of discussion, they decided that they should find the chopper.
That was, if this Alice did have a chopper.
Selina rose and slipped into the office. She found several women who were awake and asked them about the chopper.
Luke found Olly and several clerks and checked Alice’s statement with them.
As it turned out, Alice wasn’t lying.
It was true that she often flew her helicopter on vacation here with her daughter.
Besides, her house was only five hundred meters from the supermarket.
Luke was tempted.
Instead of waiting for reinforcements here, he preferred to find a way out on his own.
The greatest advantage of a helicopter was that it could fly.
There might be monsters in the sky, but from Luke’s observation, there wasn’t much noise in the air.
It seemed that the bugs and the pterosaur-like monsters couldn’t fly at high alt.i.tudes.
As long as the helicopter ascended quickly, it would be able to escape most dangers.
Of course, there might be even more dangerous creatures in the sky, but no choice was an absolutely safe one.
Luke speculated that it would be far more dangerous to wait for reinforcements than to find the helicopter and escape.
That was because there were only several hundred people in Rumford.
Even though residents from other towns had come to the supermarket yesterday, the total number was still less than a thousand.
Luke had learned this from his conversation with Olly yesterday. This was also his greatest worry.
If the military was behind this mist incident, what would they do to eliminate the monsters in the mist?
Luke felt that he would end up an innocent victim if he waited any longer.
Thinking this, he gave Selina a heads up in a low voice, and went to find Alice Miller again.
“Are you sure you have a helicopter at your place?” Luke asked in a low voice.
Excited, Alice nodded quickly. “Yes, and it was just serviced before I came here yesterday. The oil tank is full, too.”
Luke took a deep breath. “Alright, get ready. We’ll set off at seven.”
Alice was rather anxious. “Can’t we leave immediately?”
Luke rolled his eyes. “It’s dark outside. I’m not crazy enough to fight blind. I don’t want to attract the insects, either.”
Alice couldn’t say anything.
There were indeed too many bugs. They might also attract more of the pterosaur-like monster that had almost killed her.
Luke checked the time and said, “You better get some rest. It’s already five. We’ll leave in one and a half hours.”
Alice nodded and simply lay down next to them to set herself at ease.
Luke didn’t say anything.
He couldn’t blame a mother who was willing to do anything for her daughter.
Letting Selina get more rest, Luke began his preparations.
The map of the town was simple. He had already gotten a copy from the supermarket.
After repeatedly studying the route to Alice’s place, Luke was more confident.
It was only five hundred meters from here to Alice’s place, which would take three minutes by car at most.
As for whether or not they would encounter the gigantic monsters, that would depend on their luck.
Flying a helicopter wasn’t a problem. Salazar, whom Luke had taken down, knew how to fly a helicopter, and Luke had picked up that skill.
Alice’s helicopter was a simple, two-person vehicle, but it was large enough to accommodate three adults and one child.
Thinking about it for a long time, Luke felt that now was a good time to start praying.
If he was lucky, they would get away from here and return to safety in ten minutes.
If he was unlucky, it would be possible that they would run into a big boss monster the moment they went out.
When it was half past six, Luke woke up Selina and Alice, and told them to get ready.
In the meantime, he found Olly and David, and informed them that he was leaving.
They were both surprised to learn that Luke was going to help Alice find her daughter.
But it was Luke’s own choice. They didn’t have enough reason to keep him here.
Luke had rearranged the hideouts for the townsfolk just now. Everybody had been moved to the warehouse and office at the back of the supermarket, and the goods had been turned into blockades.
In this situation, even if some monster broke in, it wouldn’t be as chaotic as last night.
This was the safest approach given the circ.u.mstances.
None of the townsfolk was willing to challenge the monsters outside.
The middle-aged psycho, who was the biggest hindrance here, had been knocked out by Luke last night. Half of her teeth were gone, and her lips were swollen. She also had clear signs of a brain concussion.
Even if her brain was okay, she wouldn’t be able to disrupt anyone’s state of mind again.
After sorting everything out, Luke led Selina and Alice to the door. He nodded at Olly and moved away the pipes and table that had been blocking the entrance.
The three of them snuck into Luke’s car, which wasn’t far away.
Without turning on the lights, the Ford quietly turned around and drove into the endless fog.
Olly and David were at a loss for a while after they closed up the supermarket again, before they hid themselves in the safe area at the back.
Luke’s car drove slowly along the road like a ghost.
He didn’t dare drive too fast, for fear of running into something.
The car moved as if it were floating in an ocean of fog.
Alice had covered her mouth with a towel. Luke had asked her to put it on in case she screamed subconsciously.
If she wanted to talk, she could take off the towel first.
Alice’s heart raced as Luke moved forward.
Luke wasn’t lost. He was on the right road, and reached her house in two minutes.
Noticing her neighbor’s mailbox, she said in a low voice, “We’re here. It’s ten meters away.”
Luke quietly stopped the car and said, “Don’t make a sound. Follow us.”
He then got out of the vehicle, with Selina and Alice close on his heels.
They reached the door of the house five seconds later. With Alice’s key, Luke opened the door and entered.
After Selina and Alice entered, he immediately closed the door.
Gesturing to Alice, he went straight to Alice’s room on the second floor.
The bed in her room was empty.
Alice, however, wasn’t nervous. She opened the bathroom door, and they found a little child crouching in the bathtub.
Shaking, Alice called, “Carrie! Carrie!”
Luke patted her shoulder heavily.
Coming back to her senses, Alice immediately made way for him.
Luke moved forward and checked the girl. He then said to Alice in a low voice, “She’s fine, though she needs food and water. Let’s get out of here first.”
As a company CEO, Alice wasn’t an idiot. She nodded quickly.
Carrie wasn’t in the best condition, but she wasn’t in grave danger.
Because of her autism, she was quiet, and she tended to hide in the bathtub when there was n.o.body around to keep her company.
Perhaps that was the reason why no monsters had been drawn to her.
The three of them went downstairs again with Carrie.
Luke slowly opened the back door, and the white fog flowed in.
He pressed forward unhurriedly, ready with his bat.
After moving forward ten meters, he saw Alice’s helicopter.
Luke opened the door of the helicopter and sat in the pilot’s seat. He then examined the vehicle.
A moment later, he started the helicopter.
The most dangerous moment had arrived.
Since this was an emergency, he had to skip most of the standard flight checks. However, a helicopter in the end wasn’t a car, and couldn’t be flown simply by hitting a gas pedal.
As the helicopter’s propellers began to spin, the enormous noise rang out.
Luke calmly continued as he got the vehicle warmed up.
He sensed that he was being watched, but maybe the monsters were unfamiliar with helicopters, and the crazily spinning propellers deterred them from getting close.
Each second was like a year for Luke, Selina and Alice.
Waiting for the helicopter to warm up was too torturous when there were monsters all over the place.
Finally, Luke said over the walkie-talkie, “You can come out now, Selina.”
A few seconds later, Selina and Alice ran out with Carrie.
Selina got on board first, and then gave Alice a hand. All of them got seated.
Luke finally closed the door on his side. Alice closed the door on her side, too.
The helicopter slowly ascended.
In the mist, the helicopter was like a tiny bird that was struggling to fly away from its cage.
Gradually, the helicopter rose higher and higher.
Luke was finally less apprehensive.
Now, the helicopter was almost a hundred meters high. The risk of danger was significantly less.
Suddenly, Luke detected something wrong, and subconsciously turned the helicopter.
Two seconds later, the helicopter brushed past something.
Luke’s heart pounded despite his usual calmness.
Selina and Alice both held their breaths, not daring to make a sound.
In the fog, a gigantic creature pa.s.sed by the helicopter.
Luke sensed the creature glancing at the helicopter, but it didn’t turn around.
He subconsciously looked at the dashboard. They were now at an alt.i.tude of 120 meters.
Yet, the gigantic creature had looked at the helicopter head on.
So, it was… more than a hundred meters tall?
Luke didn’t expect to really run into a boss monster.
It was also out of his expectations that the monster would be so huge that it didn’t bother paying attention to them.
It was probably just like how lions were uninterested in flies; the helicopter would barely fill this boss monster’s mouth.
The helicopter broke through the thick fog when it was five hundred meters up. The morning sun on the horizon illuminated the pa.s.sengers inside the helicopter.
At that moment, even someone as composed as Luke felt as if he had been reborn.
At eight o’clock in the morning, the helicopter landed in Houston again. All of them felt fortunate to have escaped.
The police station was dyed gold by the sun.
A detective of the Major Crimes Division was going in with his breakfast, when he saw Luke and Selina on the airfield. He was stunned. “Luke, Selina, you’re back?”
Luke and Selina greeted him with smiles. “Oh, Creech, good morning.”
Creech looked at the helicopter, finding it odd. “Why… did you come back in this?”
Luke chuckled. “We were caught in an emergency. A friend brought us back here with the helicopter.”
Creech wasn’t entirely convinced, but he didn’t ask more.
The detectives kept their cases confidential, and would only share with their best friends.
Luke and Selina were newcomers, and they weren’t familiar with each other.
So, Creech simply nodded and walked in.
Luke and Selina entered the police station with Alice and her daughter.
Selina stopped at the back door and inserted a few coins into the vending machine.
Two cans of Dr. Pepper, as well as two cartons of milk, dropped down.
Seline gave one of the cans of Dr. Pepper to Luke, and the milk to Alice.
Watching Selina enjoy her Dr. Pepper, Luke shook his head, but could only drink his.
He had never liked it, but Selina had been trying since forever to make him fall in love with it. To quote her: partners should share enjoyable things together.
There was no telling if it was because he had smelled too many funny things last night, but Luke suddenly felt that it didn’t taste so bad after all.
Enjoying their drinks, they brought Alice and her daughter to Thomas’s office.
Luke asked Alice to wait. He knocked on the door, and Thomas said, “Come in.”
Luke and Selina walked in. Thomas frowned and didn’t say anything.
As the deputy chief of the police station, he didn’t want his subordinate’s subordinate to come to him directly, even if Luke was his own man.
Luke stood at attention and said, “Chief, there’s something that we need to report.”
Thomas frowned. “Why don’t you write a report?”
Luke said, “I’m sorry, chief, but I don’t think I can write a report.”
Thomas asked, “Why?”
Laquin replied, “Officer Brock gave us the case about the missing police officer in Laquin, so we left for Laquin yesterday.”
Thomas was briefly dazed. “Then what?”
Laquin said, “Then, before we reached Laquin, we ran into an emergency in Rumford, a town fifty kilometers away from Laquin. The town is now surrounded by a weird fog. Weird creatures in the fog have killed plenty of the residents. The survivors are waiting for reinforcements in the supermarket.”
Thomas was dumbfounded. “What? Are you kidding? What horror movie did you watch?”
Luke said, “No, chief. You’ll be able to confirm the matter. I’m here to ask you how I should write the report.”
Thomas was gloomy.
He wasn’t an idiot.
Luke was clearly trying to get him involved in order to split the responsibility.
However… could he stay uninvolved?
Thinking carefully, he said, “Don’t write a report just yet. Also, you and Selina can have… three days off. Don’t tell anyone what happened in Rumford. Are we clear?”
Luke nodded. “Crystal. Do I need to talk to Officer Brock?”
Thomas waved his hand. “That’s unnecessary. I’ll inform him. You can stay in the lounge until further notice.”
After they left, Thomas began to make calls.
Thirty minutes later, he sat in his office, astounded and sweating hard.
A moment later, he suddenly realized what was going on and cursed. “Brock! You idiot! You’re so incapable, but you sure do have plenty of petty tricks.”
What actually p.i.s.sed Thomas off was the timing of Brock handing the case over to Luke.
If it had been one day later, Thomas wouldn’t be as angry.
Well, fine. Thomas would’ve still been angry, because he was the person who had opened the case.
Had it not been for him, the Westside Police Station wouldn’t have gotten involved in the investigation in Laquin in the first place.
As a result, he was now a victim of his own doing.
The situation was quite tricky. Hundreds of people were trapped in Rumford, and only his two detectives had escaped from there.
It was hard to say whether or not his position would be affected by the incident.
Could he be blamed? Of course not.
He was the deputy chief. He couldn’t be wrong. It could only be his subordinate’s fault.
Luke and Selina hadn’t done anything wrong. Could he blame them for working too hard?
So, Brock was the only person at fault here.
If Brock hadn’t sent Luke and Selina to Laquin, Thomas wouldn’t be in this mess.
In doing this, Brock was giving the newcomers a hard time as well as showing his opposition to Thomas.
Besides, Brock wasn’t his man, but Chief Faraday’s.
It was also the reason why Brock dared to stack the deck against Luke.
As long as it was about work, Brock wasn’t scared of Thomas.
But right now… Thomas sneered and called for Brock, telling him that Luke and Selina had three days off due to a special situation.
Then, Thomas pulled some strings and inquired about Rumford from Laquin.
Luke and Selina went to the lounge with Alice and her daughter. When they pa.s.sed their desks, they picked up some of the snacks they had there
The lounge was actually just a corner in the hall that had been partially blocked from the outside.
There were tables and chairs and a sofa here for the officers to rest.
Luke and Selina found two blankets for Alice and her daughter.
Then, they sat down at a table and had the snacks.
Naturally, Luke had chocolate. He had prepared a lot of food high in calories for himself.
Enjoying sandwiches, milk and chocolate, Luke finally had the time to examine what he had earned in the past day.