Chapter 106: Death from Above!
Twelve days later.
Chuck's villa.
Guest room.
"Was Justine also one of your experimental subjects?"
Watching Chuck walk out as usual without any lingering attachment, Monica suppressed her complaint and asked about Justine, whom she had seen cleaning the house earlier.
"No,"
Chuck paused, looking back.
"Why not?"
Monica slumped back, unable to keep her mouth shut.
"Because she doesn't meet the aesthetic requirements for experimental subjects."
Chuck frowned. "Don't you already know that?"
"What if I forgot?"
Monica's lips curved up slightly. "I don't have your photographic memory."
She simply loved hearing such blunt truths.
Chuck turned and left.
Training with Monica was just part of his daily routine. There was more training to come, and he didn't have time to play twenty questions with Monica.
"Sigh."
After Chuck disappeared, Monica looked at the guest room, which remained pristine after their session, except for a few unusual marks - a circle on the ceiling, a corner of the wall, and a square on the floor. Her bright smile faded slightly, and she sighed softly, saying self-deprecatingly, "I always feel a little cheap."
But soon, she had no time to think about it. A strong wave of drowsiness overcame her, and she quickly fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning,
Monica awoke from deep sleep, feeling completely refreshed.
She got up, went to the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and touched her glowing face, feeling a sense of vitality throughout her body. After washing up, she left the room. She didn't see Chuck, but heard faint sounds outside and hurried over. She saw a fit figure in a sports tank top, repeatedly striking a wooden training dummy.
"Sorry, did I wake you?"
As if sensing Monica's approach, the figure stopped, turned around, wiped the sweat from her face, and gave Monica an apologetic smile.
"No, no,"
Monica waved her hands quickly. "I woke up naturally and only heard a little noise after I came out. Justine, are you practicing martial arts?"
"Yes."
The woman striking the dummy was Justine. She turned around, facing Monica, and continued to punch the wood while speaking to her, "I asked Chuck to teach me authentic combat training."
"Why did you decide to learn this?"
Monica looked at Justine's arms, wincing at the heavy impact against the wood. She grimaced and asked in confusion. Then, a thought occurred to her, and she looked at Justine with a strange expression. "You were Chuck's classmate at Princeton, so you're a genius too, right?"
Hmm.
She now had some PTSD about the word "genius." In her experience, geniuses seemed to have their own brand of crazy.
If Justine was also a genius, then it wouldn't be surprising that such a young, energetic college graduate would be practicing martial arts instead of dating and partying.
"No, I'm not a genius,"
Justine said, shaking her head with a smile while continuing her punches. "I'm just an ordinary person who believes hard work can make up for lack of natural talent."
"Then why are you doing this?"
Since she wasn't a genius, Monica was genuinely confused.
"This world isn't safe,"
Justine sighed, lowering her fists. "If women don't work hard to learn some self-defense skills, it's very dangerous."
"That's true,"
Monica thought back to the recent incident and nodded silently.
The Math Treasure Hunt had ended abruptly, leaving friendless and underage Sheldon unaware of the real situation. But as Paige's guardian, she had heard some rumors and had asked Chuck about the whole thing. For someone who usually lived a sitcom-style life, the murder of a math and lottery enthusiast, who was somewhat close to her world, had a shocking impact almost as much as Chuck himself.
After all, while Paige had drawn her into the math world, she was also a fan and had bought lottery tickets more than once.
"Where's Chuck?"
Monica subconsciously didn't want to dwell on these dark and negative thoughts. She shook her head and asked the question that concerned her most.
"He went to investigate a case."
Justine wiped the sweat off her face and said, "Wait for me, I'll clean up and drive you back."
"Isn't that too much trouble for you?"
Monica felt a little embarrassed. She didn't drive here, but had hurriedly gotten into Chuck's car and came here in a daze.
"It's no trouble at all."
Justine gave a slightly odd smile.
Monica didn't notice.
After Justine drove her back to the apartment and left, she couldn't help but call Chuck. After chatting for a few minutes, Monica said with a hint of flirtation, "Chuck, I could actually help you with housework. I'm really good at cleaning, and I'd enjoy cleaning for you too."
Although she was a few years older than Chuck, she seemed to be the younger one in their dynamic.
"No, you don't really want to."
Chuck said bluntly on the other end of the line. "You're not into cleaning. You're just lusting after my body!"
"…"
Monica froze, holding the phone. She knew Chuck's bluntness and loved hearing him bluntly say Justine wasn't a target for experiments because she wasn't attractive enough. It indirectly suggested that she was still very attractive in his eyes, but this blunt 'You're lusting after my body' still exceeded her expectations.
How could he... say it so directly?
NYPD 99th Precinct.
Chuck finished his statement and calmly hung up.
Detective Amy Santiago, who was listening nearby, was stunned, and Jake couldn't help but give Chuck a thumbs-up.
"Damn, dude!"
"That's ice cold!"
Is there really a guy who could be this brutally honest?
"Here's the situation. The suspect was indeed taken by the FBI. Because of potential involvement in interstate or even international organized crime, you don't need to worry about follow-up."
Chuck ignored their exaggerated reactions and wrapped up the case summary.
After all, they were the ones who had asked him to consult, and now that they couldn't continue their involvement, they still deserved to know. It was his compulsion to see things through to completion.
"Was the encrypted text message deciphered?"
Detective Amy Santiago suppressed her shock at how coldly direct a man could be and asked what she was most curious about.
"Yes,"
Chuck nodded.
After all this time, and with some clear leads, if it still hadn't been deciphered, it would only mean that the so-called encrypted message was complete nonsense.
"What did it say?"
Detective Amy Santiago pressed.
"Classified."
Chuck glanced at her, uttering the word that irritated her. She knew the case had been transferred, and she was no longer the investigating officer, so it wasn't appropriate to pry for details. But she was genuinely curious.
"I'm not asking for specifics. I just want to know if the killer had planned to snipe you?"
"No,"
Chuck shook his head.
"Really?"
Detective Amy Santiago was a little skeptical. Her theory was so logically sound and supported by so much circumstantial evidence. How could it be wrong?
"You have my number. If you have any difficult cases in the future, you can call me."
Chuck didn't explain further. He nodded at them and turned to leave.
The two of them seemed very dynamic. They competed all day to see who could solve the most cases, bickering constantly. They had that classic detective partner vibe. Compared with the other detectives in the precinct, they had a faint protagonist aura. They were sure to encounter many interesting cases in the future, which made it worth him saying this.
"Just leaving like that?"
Jake laughed, "Don't you see that our Detective Santiago still has a lot to say to you? Maybe she's into you too. Oh wait, according to your words, she's lusting after your body~"
"Peralta!!!"
Detective Amy Santiago's face suddenly flushed red, and she swung at Jake in rage.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Jake swiftly dodged, darting in front of Chuck, blocking his path and using Chuck's body to shield himself from Detective Amy Santiago's pursuit. "Don't tell me you have no interest in the great detective!"
"I don't!"
Detective Amy Santiago flatly denied it, but when she met Chuck's gaze, she remembered Chuck's comment about the word "ocean" in the car earlier, and immediately looked away guiltily.
"Are you willing?"
Chuck asked seriously, looking at the playfully dodging Jake.
"...What do you mean by 'willing?'"
Jake was stunned, and then a hint of uncertainty flashed in his eyes.
"You and Detective Santiago seem like a pair of competitive partners,"
Chuck said frankly. "In this unpredictable world, the longer I've been a detective, the more bizarre cases I've encountered. Many of them have pushed beyond the limits of my understanding of normal human behavior. If you're willing and insistent, I wouldn't mind accepting your suggestion to design a collaborative experiment specifically involving Detective Santiago to enhance my understanding and adaptability to this world. So, would you be willing?"
"..."
Faced with Chuck's frank proposition, Detective Amy Santiago, one of the parties involved, had already started backing away in embarrassment. Meanwhile, Jake, facing Chuck's expectant gaze, coughed lightly, fell silent, and walked away with an awkward smile.
Everyone loves playing wingman, but few want to watch from the sidelines!
"Unfortunate,"
Chuck shook his head slightly and left the NYPD's 99th Precinct.
He had been serious.
Detective Amy Santiago's appearance was right at the experimental baseline. She was Schrödinger's test subject. Usually, she would be directly categorized at baseline and not considered. But if Jake confirmed his support, he could also consider special recruitment.
After all, the situation was unique, and Jake's strong endorsement could be used as a bonus factor. In this way, her appearance could be elevated to meet experimental requirements.
After leaving the police station, Chuck walked to the parking lot. He would go to the FBI New York field office later. The case had been transferred, and he wanted to track its progress so he could thoroughly sort out this lead, clean up what needed cleaning, and eliminate what needed eliminating.
Just as he walked past a high-rise building, the sky suddenly darkened, and an air conditioning unit came plummeting down from above with deadly kinetic energy!
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)