UGB Chapter 680 Entering a State of Combat Readiness!
Chapter 680 Entering a State of Combat Readiness!
"Brother, look, this blue one is also very pretty!" Gwen, wearing a blue princess dress, walked out of the fitting room and exclaimed excitedly.
Lynn snapped out of her daze, looked at Gwen, and said with a smile, "They're all beautiful. We'll buy them all if you like them."
"Really? Brother, you're so great!" Gwen jumped up excitedly, ran to Lynn's side, and hugged his arm.
Tony walked over with a smile, holding several dresses that Gwen had tried on: "Detective, Gwen looks great in these dresses. How about we buy them all? I'll give you the biggest discount."
“Okay, I’ll buy them all,” Lynn said with a smile. “Could you please wrap them up for me, Tony?”
“Okay, no problem,” Tony nodded, took the dress, and strode towards the cashier. “Detective, please wait a moment, I’ll wrap it up for you right away.”
Lynn took Gwen's hand and walked to the cashier. Watching Tony skillfully pack the dress, he was filled with emotion. He looked at Gwen and said gently, "Gwen, how about we come here to buy clothes often? Tony is a very nice guy."
“Okay, okay,” Gwen nodded, a happy smile spreading across her face. “Tony is such a nice guy, and the dresses here are so pretty. I’ll definitely come back here to buy more.”
Tony quickly packed the dress and handed it to Lynn: "Detective, it's all packed up. Here's your dress, please take it."
Lynn took the dress, took out some money from her wallet, and handed it to Tony: "Tony, how much?"
“Detective, the total is three hundred and twenty dollars. After the discount, it's two hundred and fifty dollars,” Tony said with a smile. “Two hundred and fifty dollars is fine with you.”
Lynn nodded, took out two hundred and fifty dollars, and handed it to Tony: "Here you go, Tony."
Tony took the money, put it in the cash register, then took out a business card from the drawer and handed it to Lynn: "Detective, this is my business card. My phone number is on it. If you need anything in the future, or if Gwen wants to buy clothes again, you can call me anytime. You are always welcome."
Lynn took the business card, put it in her wallet, and nodded: "Okay, thank you, Tony. We'll come often in the future."
“You’re welcome, Inspector,” Tony said with a smile. “It’s my pleasure to serve you and Gwen.”
Lynn took Gwen's hand and smiled at Tony: "Tony, we're leaving now. You do your work well, and we'll keep in touch when we have time."
"Alright, Inspector, take care, goodbye Gwen!" Tony waved, a gentle smile on his face.
"Goodbye, Tony!" Gwen waved and took Lynn's hand as they walked out of the store.
Stepping out of the store, the sun was still warm, and the streets were still bustling. Gwen, holding Lynn's hand, skipped and hopped along, constantly mentioning her new dress, her face beaming with joy. Lynn looked at her sister beside her, and thought of Tony again, her heart filled with warmth and determination.
“Brother, shall we go buy another pair of shoes?” Gwen looked up at Lynn, her eyes full of anticipation. “I want to buy a pair of shoes that go with my dress, that will make me look even prettier.”
“Okay, let’s go buy shoes,” Lynn said with a smile, ruffling Gwen’s hair. “Whatever kind of shoes you want, we’ll buy them, as long as you like them.”
“Great! Thank you, brother!” Gwen said excitedly, pulling Lynn along as they walked towards a shoe store not far away.
The shoe store had a wide variety of styles, and Gwen quickly spotted a pair of pink princess shoes with delicate bows that perfectly matched her new dress. She tried them on, and they fit perfectly and were very comfortable to walk in.
"Brother, look, aren't these shoes pretty?" Gwen asked excitedly as she twirled around in front of Lynn, wearing the shoes.
“They look great and match your dress perfectly,” Lynn said with a smile. “Buy these.”
“Okay!” Gwen said happily, taking off her shoes and handing them to the shop assistant. “Sister, could you please wrap up these shoes for me?”
The shop assistant smiled and nodded, took the shoes, quickly packed them up, and handed them to Lynn: "Sir, your shoes cost eighty dollars in total."
Lynn took out the money, handed it to the shop assistant, took the shoes, and, holding Gwen's hand, walked out of the shoe store.
"Brother, where are we going now?" Gwen asked Lynn curiously.
"Shall we go get your favorite ice cream?" Lynn said with a smile. "After we buy your clothes and shoes, I'll treat you to ice cream."
"Great! Thank you, brother!" Gwen jumped up excitedly, grabbed Lynn's hand, and headed toward the ice cream shop not far away.
The ice cream shop was nice and cool, filled with the sweet aroma of ice cream. Gwen looked at the various ice creams on display, her eyes filled with conflict.
"Brother, I want strawberry flavor, and I also want chocolate flavor, what should I do?" Gwen looked at Lynn and asked softly.
“Then let’s buy them both,” Lynn said with a smile. “We’ll buy one strawberry flavor and one chocolate flavor. You can eat whichever you want.”
“That’s great! Thank you, brother!” Gwen said happily.
Lynn walked to the counter and said to the clerk, "Hello, I'd like one strawberry ice cream and one chocolate ice cream, please."
"Okay, sir, please wait a moment," the clerk said with a smile, quickly making the ice cream.
Soon, the clerk finished making the ice cream and handed it to Lynn: "Sir, your ice cream will cost fifteen dollars."
Lynn paid, took the ice cream, and handed Gwen a strawberry one: "Gwen, here you go, strawberry flavor." "Thank you, brother!" Gwen took the ice cream, took a bite, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face. "It's so delicious, brother, you have some too."
Lynn nodded, took a bite of the chocolate ice cream, and the sweet taste spread in his mouth, dispelling all his fatigue and worries. He looked at Gwen beside him, at her happy smile, and his heart was filled with warmth and happiness.
"Brother, can you come shopping with me more often in the future?" Gwen asked softly, looking at Lynn while eating ice cream, her tone filled with a mixture of anticipation and caution.
Lynn's heart clenched. He looked at Gwen, his tone gentle yet firm: "I'm sorry, Gwen. I was wrong before. I was too busy with work and didn't spend much time with you. From now on, I'll try my best to make time to go shopping with you more often, okay?"
"Okay!" Gwen's eyes lit up, and a happy smile appeared on her face. "Brother, you have to keep your word, okay?"
“Brother won’t go back on his word,” Lynn said with a smile, extending his finger and making a pinky promise with Gwen. “Pinky promise, never to change for a hundred years.”
The next day.
The morning sunlight slanted through the gap in the curtains, casting a golden dappled light on the bedroom floor. Lynn was startled awake by a rapid vibration of his cell phone. He fumbled for the alarm to turn it off, only to find the screen flashing with Director Robert's caller ID.
“Lynn, I know you’ve only been on vacation for less than 24 hours,” Robert’s voice sounded a little hoarse on the other end of the phone, with the faint sounds of hurried footsteps and the rustling of documents in the background. “But there’s been a huge mess in Nevada. There’s been a riot in the mutant section of the state prison, and the local police have lost control of the situation.”
Lynn sat up abruptly, rubbing his throbbing temples. His voice was low and clear: "Is the situation so serious that we need interstate support? Director, I remember Nevada has a dedicated rapid response team."
“The team lost half its men in the first wave of the attack,” Robert sighed heavily. “The problem now is that several high-risk mutants escaped from the prison in the chaos and their whereabouts are currently unknown. You have the most experience in handling these kinds of sudden riots, and Washington specifically requested your assistance. The special plane has been arranged, but because the airspace there is restricted, you will have to take a train to the transfer station outside Carson City first, and then be picked up by local special agents.”
"I understand. I'll leave in half an hour." Lynn put down the phone and got out of bed.
He pushed open the bedroom door and saw Gwen standing by the kitchen counter, holding a piece of bread that hadn't been spread with jam yet, her eyes filled with undisguised disappointment.
"Are they leaving again?" Gwen asked softly, putting down the wiping knife in her hand.
Lynn walked over to her, sighed softly, and reached out to tidy her slightly messy ponytail: "I'm sorry, Gwen. There's an emergency in Nevada, and I have to go there."
“You just got back yesterday, brother,” Gwen looked up, her eyes sparkling. “You said you’d take me to the concert in Central Park, and you also promised to help me practice my chemistry experiments this weekend.”
“I know, I promise this is the last time.” Lynn squatted down and looked directly into her sister’s eyes. “As soon as things are settled over there, I’ll come back immediately. Send me the steps of the chemistry experiment on my phone, and I’ll check them for you one by one once I get a signal on the train.”
“Liar.” Gwen pouted, but still pulled a piece of chocolate from her apron pocket and stuffed it into Lynn’s hand. “Take this with you. Nevada is all desert. You might get hungry.”
Lynn smiled as he put away the chocolate, slung his already packed tactical backpack over his shoulder, and gently kissed Gwen on the forehead: "Stay home and remember to lock the doors and windows. Call Jason anytime if anything happens; he's staying in New York to handle the aftermath."
Stepping out of the apartment building, the cool morning breeze invigorated Lynn. He hailed a taxi and headed straight for the train station. The streets of New York were not yet fully awake, with only a few early risers weaving through the morning mist.
Inside the train station, huge electronic displays scrolled through information about various trains. Lynn bought a cup of black coffee in a corner of the waiting hall; the bitter taste spread across his tongue, putting him completely into a state of readiness.
"Transcontinental Express to Carson City, please board at platform three," a mechanical female voice announced over the loudspeaker.
Lynn entered the carriage and found a window seat. The train slowly started moving, and the New York skyscrapers outside the window gradually receded, replaced by dense jungles and open plains. He took out the encrypted documents Robert had sent him from his bag—a stack of files on fugitives.
"Name: Clement. Ability: Skeletal mutation, enhanced strength. Hazard level: S." "Name: Mora. Ability: High-frequency sound waves. Hazard level: A."
Lynn's fingertips traced the black-and-white photographs. The mutants in the photos had cold, sinister eyes, exuding a madness that was not of human origin. He closed the file and looked out the window. As the train traveled westward, the vegetation thinned, the earth's color changed from emerald green to withered yellow, and finally to an endless expanse of rust-red sandstone.
The long journey was tedious and oppressive. The air conditioning in the carriage was blasting, but Lynn could always feel a faint sense of anxiety circulating in the air. It was the dryness and ruggedness unique to the Northwest, as if even breathing carried fine sand.
The following evening, the train finally slowed down slowly amidst a desolate expanse of red rocks. We had arrived at Carson City Transfer Station. Unlike the grand stations in major cities, it was simply a few rows of dark steel structures and a few endless railway tracks. The setting sun in the distance painted the mountains blood red, and the only sound across the wasteland was the whistling of the wind through the telephone poles.
Lynn stepped out of the train car with her bag, her feet crunching on the gravel platform. There weren't many people on the platform, mostly local workers in coarse clothes or travelers carrying meager luggage.
He habitually pulled his hat brim low, his eyes scanning his surroundings sharply. In the shadows of the platform exit, a man in a large hoodie caught his attention. The man was leaning against a rusty vending machine, and although the hood covered most of his face, Lynn noticed that his shoulders were unusually broad, and the knuckles peeking out from the cuffs were ridiculously large, covered with calloused skin.
"Hey buddy, is this machine broken?" Lynn casually walked over and pulled a coin out of his pocket.
The man didn't speak, but merely tilted his head slightly, a strange gray-white glint flashing in his eyes beneath his hood. It was the color one would develop from long-term injections of mutant inhibitors or extreme lack of sunlight.
Lynn's heart raced slightly, and his right hand quietly moved towards the tactical belt at his waist. He leaned closer to the vending machine, his gaze sweeping over the edge of the man's trouser leg—there was a faint red mark there, like the imprint left by wearing an electronic ankle bracelet for a long time.
"Is it still not fixed?" Lynn asked again, his tone sounding like that of an ordinary tourist whose patience had been worn down by the journey.
"Get out of here." The man's voice was deep and grating, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing against each other.
The moment the man spoke, Lynn caught a glimpse of a small blue tattoo on his neck—a broken chain, a mark of serious offenders unique to Nevada state prisons.
“Clement?” Lynn’s voice was extremely calm, yet it carried an undeniable power.
The man's body stiffened abruptly, then he sprang up like a startled wild animal. Without even turning back to check, he smashed through the wire mesh gate beside him and sprinted towards the freight area at the back of the station. (End of Chapter)