CHAPTER 473: CHAPTER 284: ACCEPTING THE MISSION, THE MAJOR DISAPPEARANCE CASE OF OVER 50 PEOPLE_1

As a special consultant for the FBI, receiving certain temporary assignments was a normal occurrence. However, Dean always felt that the timing of the email’s arrival was a bit too coincidental.

Could it be that there’s something wrong with the assignment?

He stroked his chin, feeling a little paranoid.

The assignment email was signed by the FBI Dispatch Department (Strategic Department). This department, similar to a call center, was located at FBI headquarters in Washington. It ordinarily had little presence and primarily served to support the work of field offices throughout the country. Dean could not discern any issue from the sender of the email.

He turned his attention to the file attached to the email. The file contained a list of people who had frequently gone missing over recent years in a mountain range in Oregon State. The list included both men and women, fifty-three people in total, ranging in age from their teens to their thirties. They had varied occupations but all shared a love for hiking and mountain climbing, and it was during these activities that all contact with them had been lost.

Fifty-three missing persons? A major case indeed!

Dean licked his lips and quickly opened a map of the United States on his computer. He searched for and located a topographical map of the mountain range.

Upon looking, he was somewhat startled. According to the map, that mountain range was actually just a series of small peaks. More than twenty towns were nearby, boasting complete infrastructure. Many people even lived within the mountains, in various tourist and residential cabins. Water and electricity lines were laid out, and there were no issues with signal coverage. Strictly speaking, the area where they went missing wasn’t an uninhabited zone.

Using the name of the mountain range, Dean quickly found some related online posts. These posts were all about local tourism—guides for holiday trekking routes across this mountain range—and they were quite popular. Beyond these, there were also local news reports about tourism in the mountains.

According to official statistics, over fifty thousand people visited the mountain area annually for activities like camping, hiking, and rock climbing. This tourism sustained many hotels and restaurants in the towns along the way. Furthermore, local public security was reportedly quite good, with few serious crimes occurring.

This... was interesting.

While official reports rarely mentioned serious incidents, the FBI had sent him a long list of missing persons.

Which side was lying?

Dean had already felt the email’s arrival was a bit too coincidental, and now he felt even more uneasy. He simply took out his phone and dialed Amon’s personal number. However, he was greeted by a voicemail: "This is Amon’s voicemail. If there’s an emergency, I will return your call after nine o’clock in the evening..."

Dean then remembered that Amon was currently investigating that terrorist organization, the Heavenly Kingdom Holy Cult, and was probably very busy. He could only leave a message saying he had something important to discuss. Just as he hung up the phone, the sound of Cheston En and a group of people laughing and talking came from outside.

While Dean was preoccupied with reviewing the case, Cheston En had taken the opportunity to hit it off with their colleagues from the FBI Las Vegas field office, proving himself quite the social butterfly. This was their turf, after all.

Dean quickly reviewed the missing persons list once more, committed it to memory, then logged out of his email and turned off the computer. He wouldn’t reply to the email until Amon called back.

...

「Evening.」

After dinner, Dean let Cheston En do his own thing while he himself went to the hotel where Ross was staying. Because of what had happened previously, Ross’s fiancée, Gaia, needed some time to recuperate. So, Ross had booked a monthly suite at the best hotel in Las Vegas and had also arranged for ample security.

After inquiring at the front desk, Dean was escorted by a security guard wearing sunglasses—who came down from the top floor—via a private elevator to the floor where Ross was staying. Ross was already waiting by the elevator.

Upon seeing Dean, Ross greeted him warmly, "I thought you had already left Las Vegas."

Dean shrugged. "I was about to leave, but I’ve run into a little trouble and might need your help."

This wasn’t the place to talk. Ross led Dean to the bar and personally poured him an expensive drink, saying, "Dean, what do you need me to do? We’re friends, and you even saved my fiancée. If I can do it, I’ll definitely help you."

His attitude made Dean feel at ease.

Though every time he met Ross, trouble seemed to follow, the guy himself was genuinely decent. Hmm!?

Speaking of which... Dean suddenly had a thought. He and Cheston En had received an invitation from the Lucifer Organization. Could it be that they had fallen victim to this bastard Ross’s ’causality weapon’?!

With this thought, Dean’s gaze towards Ross turned unfriendly. "Ross," he said, "you truly are a good friend. So generous!"

He emphasized the word "generous" heavily, almost as if grinding his teeth. Ross, however, didn’t catch Dean’s underlying meaning. Seeing Dean looking at him, he awkwardly picked up his wine glass. "Dean, don’t overthink it. Any person of high moral character wouldn’t mistreat their friends, and I believe you feel the same way about me. By the way, what do you need my help with?"

This image of Ross as a cluelessly wealthy guy made Dean feel like he had pent-up anger with no outlet. He said, somewhat dejectedly, "I need you to help me get some... gadgets, as covertly as possible."

As he spoke, Dean picked up his glass from the table and pulled a slip of paper from his pocket. Ross curiously took the paper and read from the list, "High-efficiency Hemostatic Spray, smoke bombs, night vision goggles, concussion grenades, tripwire-triggered anti-tank mines, portable rocket launchers, portable modified Gatling..."