Path of the Dead Prequel: Wings of Silver

"What on earth are you thinking about? He actually called me and asked me to come to the shooting gallery to shoot guns. That's work. It doesn't mean that I like playing with guns. Do you understand? But you are doing well, but you are holding the drink and saying nothing. What happened?"Little Cherry took off the noise-canceling headphones, came over and kicked me, leaned down and asked,"Is it because of the person you talked about this morning?"

I nodded wordlessly, stood up, held my gun steady, and shot out all the iron lotus seeds. When the target was passed back, the female soldier found that all the guns hit the bull's-eye. She couldn't help but be overjoyed, and slapped my butt hard, laughing. He said:"Not bad, you are very talented, how long have you been practicing? I obviously underestimate you. In this case, let's go to the suburbs to shoot target. Paper that can't move is boring."

"This can only be rescheduled. I'll walk around with you. We have to go back to the hotel at three o'clock in a while. As for that person, his story shocked me so much that I didn’t know what to say to him or how to explain it to Lin Rui in the future. I put my arm around her shoulders, smiled, and asked,"There is a competition-level swimming pool nearby. Do you want to practice with me again?""

"No, I didn’t bring a bathing suit, and besides, I hate being exposed in public. Besson, didn't you see enough last night? What to swim for? Let's go to the karate gym. Didn't you suggest having a fight with me? She screamed strangely, jumped on my back, and motioned for me to pick her up and run quickly, saying,"I think this is much more comfortable than riding in a car. There's nothing to think about." Just settle for what you have come. If that person was a First Sergeant in the past, wouldn't it be much easier for you to check the warehouse? Why are you still grimacing?"

"What? Don't you know? Just because he used to work for the government, Lin Rui would definitely not do it if he found out! He is actually a fugitive who crossed the border on bail! I spread my hands and said in a low voice:"Tell me, how do police and thieves get along?" The strange thing is that we didn't explain it clearly to Lao Fan Glasses and the others from the beginning. Now Fatty is like having obtained a treasure, and we are planning to discuss cooperation with him."

"Wow, it turns out that Hollisman's life experience is so complicated, he is a fugitive, he can transform into Miss Lycugo, and he is also Matt Tilly who only has the power of ghosts and ghosts. I am almost fascinated by him."The female soldier was excited all over, and the joy of reverie appeared on her face. She pondered for a moment, played with my long hair and said,"Leave this matter to me. You and that fat man have never seen each other before. The world is full of stupidity. I'm good at dealing with interpersonal relationships. I'll accompany you after the fight."

Hearing what the female soldier said, I felt a little more energetic. No matter whether she was bragging or joking, one thing would not change. The person Xiao Yingying really admired was Lin Rui, and she came here to see him, so this kid The safety of the female soldier is crucial to the female soldier, and she will never let anything happen to him. Besides, the girl is originally from the complex liberal military police, and she may be better at negotiating. In this way, I carry her. Go to the gym, take off your jacket, put on your karate uniform and stand on both ends of the mat.

I can no longer underestimate the female soldier like I did last time at the Rhinoceros Restaurant. She is very good at arm wrestling, and maybe she will be better at fighting. I saw her doing push-ups. During the warm-up, I concentrated and looked at the coach who was kneeling beside me, waiting for his order.

As the Brazilian started, I shook my arms and flew out. With such a physique of a female soldier, it was only possible for me to fight at the moment of contact. I used my left hand like a Transformer to twist you and hit you repeatedly. I went in the opposite direction, not getting close to her, using my arm length to keep the distance, and using street gangster tactics to weaken her layer by layer until I hit her. Knock her down. However, I misjudged again and obviously overestimated her. Little Cherry only knew how to use her fists and legs, and was weaker than Lin Rui. I didn't even have time to close my legs, and she was kicked eight feet away.

"This is a training session. You are on the battlefield. Are you really planning to kill me?"The female soldier wiped the nosebleed, and the carp jumped up and shouted.

"I didn't know you were so inexperienced. Looking at your previous posture, I thought I was definitely defeated."I waved my hands hurriedly. At that moment, a group of girls from the venue opposite came downstairs. The big bags they carried reflected the sun and made their eyes dazzle. Not only was I stunned, but I murmured to myself:"Golden stairs? By the way, Little Cherry, in your dark world, is there anything called"

Before I finished speaking, the female soldier rushed up to me with a ferocious smile. She hit me with an uppercut and knocked me unconscious. Then she went around behind me and used a naked choke. She threw me to the ground and used her arms to exert force. In less than half a minute, I was Gradually lost consciousness. My mind seems to have returned to an hour ago

"But how did you find me and follow me to the Fruit Core Hotel?"Pang Fan took out his cigarette, looked at Lao Dai puzzledly, and asked

"Pass through it."The detective smiled mysteriously, took out a small plastic bag from the inside of his suit, and raised it in front of our eyes. They were several small dark green things, shaped like ladybugs, but made of metal, reflecting the sunlight. He said from Shaking one out of the bag, he held it in the palm of his hand and explained,"This little thing is called the Raptor Shrike. It is made of gray silver. It is a self-tracking signal device.""

"Gray silver? If you were a detective, how would you know about this mineral? Where did it come from? I darkened my face and asked,"And how did you hide the signal device on us?" This requires close contact"

"The Shrike is like a strobe with a designated target. It does not require additional power. It is a living creature in itself. As long as someone takes away the thing carrying it, it can be tracked naturally. Originally I might have been able to come earlier, but I got caught up in other cases and had to postpone it for two weeks."Lao Dai rolled up his sleeves. He was wearing a strange-looking black watch on his wrist. Seeing our confusion, he said again:"Did you two find a ring decorated with a double-edged sword in the ancient mansion of Lycu? ? It is the carrier. As long as the ring is moved, it will naturally be connected to my tracker. It looks like a watch but is not a watch. It is called a fern."

Of course I remember it. I found it in the safe when I was robbing the collection room. The ring was originally in a velvet bag, but the fat man snatched it and kept it for himself. He originally planned to sell it at a flea market. He wanted to change money, but this thing looked expensive. Because he was afraid of being traced if he changed hands, he always kept it in his trouser pocket. It was no wonder why the detectives only focused on him. After hearing this, the damn fat man hurriedly took it from his pocket. He took out the ring from inside and unscrewed the pure gold double-edged sword under the guidance of the detective. Sure enough, there was a little spy planted among the red stones underneath. The shrike seemed to sense that its companion was nearby, and suddenly slid out of the ring and landed on it. He stopped moving on the table.

Now that the reason is clear, when was the double-edged sword ring inserted into Lycu's ancient Yin Mansion by Old Dai'an?

"In fact, I had picked up this ring eight years ago and kept it in my bag. I forgot to hand it in because it was so small. Over the years, I have returned to Lycu's ancient mansion more than ten times, but I still can't find a clue. Gradually, I have a question. It seems that the cult ritual was not completed back then, and they have not come back for many years. So, then , is there a possibility? Does it require a specific date? Only when all conditions are met will those gangsters come back?"Lao Dai picked it up and put it back into the plastic bag, lit a cigarette, and sighed:"So, I'm afraid you will be even more confused when you hear it, and questions will come one after another. So, let’s go back a few years and go back to 1994Only then will you fully understand."

(The following time is the detective's self-narration.)

After resigning from the police station, Dai returned to his hometown in New York with a great sense of loss, and opened a detective agency in the Bronx, which is the name on his business card. Brilliant. Then he used his past connections to start a bleak business. Most of the business he took on was paparazzi's candid photos, or assisting wealthy ladies to find evidence of their husbands' cheating. Although the income was not much, it could maintain food and clothing.

And in 1994 In the late autumn of that year, one of his relatives died. He had no heirs, so the old house belonged to him. This house is located on the outskirts of Huntington Town, Suffolk County, hidden among the short shrubs beside the dirt road. The house is huge and has There are two woods on the left and right, facing the north shore of Long Island, and intersecting with the highway in the direction of Nassau County. Therefore, Lao Dai thought that the geographical location was excellent. He might as well repair it, get a certificate, and turn it into a guesthouse to make a profit.. Having made up his mind, he went ahead and hired a decoration team to start work on the dilapidated house. He also temporarily lived in the town and drove there every week to check on the progress.

On the eleventh day of construction, the on-site foreman gave He made a phone call and said that when the workers were digging the wall in the cellar, they accidentally discovered a secret room sealed by cement. At that time, someone wanted to break in. After taking a few steps into the grotto, it was like being struck by a strong current. It was hit and collapsed to the ground. They didn't know what to do with it, so they asked Lao Dai to make his own decision. In this way

, the detective drove quickly to the old house, went down to the cellar, and saw a big hole in the east wall. It was pitch dark inside and exuded a bitter smell of decay. It must have been blocked for many years. Then the construction team found bright lights, and Lao Dai cautiously began to explore inside. When he crossed the stone steps where workers were said to have been stunned, He was safe and sound, feeling nothing. Just like that, he came to the center of the secret room and began to carefully look at the dust-covered grotto.

It had an area of ​​about 80 square meters and a top height of four meters. It had a round shape and included A small attic. Except for a few broken desks, all the furniture was floor-to-ceiling bookcases filled with all kinds of moldy cardboard boxes. The roots of the big tree had crawled into the gaps in the stone wall, and the distance was obviously sealed by cement. At that time, it had been decades. His deceased relatives must not have known about this house, otherwise they would have mentioned it in their will. Then the people who built it could only be the earlier ancestors.

In the next few years, During the week, Lao Dai simply moved into the grotto, opened each cardboard box, and began to read the piles of ancient documents in detail. He was surprised to find that these manuscript photos were almost all unsolved unsolved cases in the past century. There were records of haunted incidents in remote towns, and there were also unsolved mysteries involving the assassinations of various political figures.

In the carton numbered 47, Lao Dai read a few pages of manuscripts, and his heart couldn't help but be agitated.. This thin stack of torn paper records the ancient Yin Mansion of Lvku. It was completely uncovered more than half a century ago! The existing manuscripts only have a catalog but no content. This was deliberately Destroyed! Because of this, there was another commotion in the ancient Yinku House in 1990. Unknown to them, they went to investigate, which resulted in the tragic deaths of more than ten people, and they were even blown up to the point where they couldn't even collect their bones!

"Hector was only thirty-eight years old when he died. He had two daughters in elementary school and an infant son. He didn't even have time to leave a last word before he turned into ashes!"Lao Dai couldn't control his emotions anymore, couldn't help but burst into tears, and sighed:"But I never thought that this shitty mansion has already been clearly investigated. If someone could have saved the documents at that time, even if it was only a few pages of manuscripts, all the detectives who died would still be alive now. This is a tragedy that should not have happened!"

"Wait, Lao Dai, please give me your condolences first. May I ask your surname?"I couldn't help being surprised, holding his trembling shoulders

"My full name is, DesmondBrownWicker. (Desmond Browerk)"

At this moment, we both understood who this detective was. Fan's fat hands passed through the bottom of the table and shook my knee hard. He gave me a wink. , indicating to listen to what he has to say first. Then consider how to answer him and how much to answer him.

"I have been deceived all my life. The legendary pair of brothers are called Brisky. I always thought they were Polish. But who would have thought that they were actually a combination of their first and last names? It was so stupid. I didn't realize it until I read the Grotto documents."

"Lao Dai, so you come from a detective family? Since the grotto is fromIt was dug up in the cellar of a relative's house. How could this guy not know the business his fathers were engaged in?"The fat man grabbed the ring from the table, put it back in his trouser pocket, and asked

"That relative was actually my uncle, who used to buy and sell used cars. Among all the people directly involved, I am the only one working in the police station. If you push it further, there are only the grandfathers of our two families. They are three brothers, but two older brothers went to participate in the Pacific War and did not come back alive. The remaining one is a young grandfather who is similar in age to the old uncle and has no memory at all.."After venting for a while, the detective was completely released. He wiped away his tears, smiled awkwardly at us, and said,"It's over. After discovering the grotto, I stayed in the cellar of the old house for a whole month. Only then did the dust-laden past become clear. In fact, their true identities are the once-famous New York Browick brothers! Have extensive contacts with wealthy people such as Rockefeller and Henry Ford"

"What? So you are a descendant of the famous Brothers Detective Agency? I have admired you for a long time."I pretended to be enlightened and held his hand, letting out a silly laugh. Then the fat man stepped on me hard under the table. He was a successful man more than half a century ago. How could I, a little Frenchman, do this? Understand other people's family background.

However, Lao Dai disagreed. He shrugged, smiled, pointed at the shrike on the table and said:"Then, it's time to talk about them."

Whether these legendary brothers actually participated in the war or not, they both disappeared in 1944 and never returned to their hometown. These cardboard boxes of documents record not all the investigation of unsolved cases, but also mentioned An organization called the Golden Staircase, and the Brovek brothers are both secret members of the organization. In addition to being famous for their high efficiency in solving crimes, they are also secretly snipers and know many weird tactics and tricks. They are believers who also like to delve into heresies.

This kind of thing seems difficult to understand from a contemporary perspective, but when you focus on the 1930s and 1940s, it seems very common. At that time, many celebrities, wealthy businessmen, politicians and movie stars, They are all members or sponsors of various mysterious groups. Even Disney Mickey Mouse still has a so-called member club. These people wearing classical masks have a cult temperament no matter how they look.

And the golden staircase is It is a large organization of ultra-secret groups. It has five branches and is located on both coasts of the United States. Its members once reached as many as 5,000. Whenever this organization wants to do anything, there will be countless businessmen to help them, so it can't be done without them. As for why the government doesn't care about it? Because many political dignitaries are also members of them. The

Bird of Prey Shrike and the Fern Watch are hidden among this pile of old things. Looking at them, Lao Dai suddenly felt He had a plan to make a living, why not use it to solve the mystery of the mansion? So, he cleverly set one of the gray silver pieces into the big ring, then returned to the underground of the Hell Mansion, put it down in the mud where it was originally found, and then It left silently. Only forty-eight hours later, its location changed. It was moved to a corner of the big house, and it stayed in place for the next few years.

And more than a month ago, Lao Dai took out the fern to check. I couldn't help but be surprised. The shrike started to move again. Not only that, it also ran to Charlotte. Obviously, an expert took a walk in the ghost house on his behalf, which is why he appeared here.

"So, if you two really know something, please tell me the truth. Hector has waited too long, and his family has suffered a lot. I have ignored their wishes. The detective adjusted his suit, drank his coffee in one gulp, and said,"If you two have any requests, you might as well put them forward now. As long as they are within my ability, I will try my best to satisfy them." This dilapidated house has caused more than a dozen broken families, and the culprits are my grandfathers and the group of beasts who tried their best to cover up the truth of the incident!"