"I'm suspected. The game is over for me!"
"No! I haven't had enough fun yet!"
"Kaz, don't force me to log you off with my own hands!"
"...Understood, Butcher. It's been a pleasure working with you. Looking forward to the start of the next game..."
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP...
A busy signal sounded on the other end of the phone.
Bill, expressionless, flipped open his cell phone, removed the SIM card, popped it into his mouth, and began chewing it while muttering hatefully, "Dean..."
He hated this rookie for suddenly interrupting his game!
Suddenly, CLICK. The doors of the morgue were opened again.
Bill's heart skipped a beat. He whipped around, and his pupils narrowed when he saw who it was.
Dean! He was back!
The soundproofing in this morgue is good.
Bill suppressed the shock in his heart and said emotionlessly, "Is there something else?"
"I thought I heard someone mentioning my name. Bill, was that you...?"
Before Dean could finish—
"FUCK YOU."
Bill roared in anger, his over-three-hundred-pound frame rising like a bear on its hind legs. His robust right hand surprisingly grabbed the heavy iron table and hurled it like a discus, sending it whistling through the air straight at Dean.
Fuck!
Dean's expression changed; he only had time to cross his arms in an X before him.
The next moment, a cold and massive force struck him.
Dean's body, weighing over 180 pounds, flew through the air along with the iron table. He crashed heavily against the glass wall of the morgue's outer corridor, then rebounded onto the floor.
"You shouldn't have messed with me!"
Bill, having sent Dean flying with the table, revealed bloodshot eyes peering from beneath layers of fat. Abandoning his usual slow, ponderous demeanor, he lunged forward, knocking aside the gurneys between them and charging at the dazed Dean on the floor.
His strength was terrifying.
Even though Dean reacted very quickly and his physical condition was far superior to an average person's, it still took him a moment to regain control of his body.
It was this momentary lapse.
Bill's over-three-hundred-pound frame slammed heavily onto Dean's chest, pinning his limbs, then wrenched them violently!
CRACK!
The joints in Dean's limbs emitted unbearable creaks.
He grunted, enduring the tearing pain in his limbs. Clenching his teeth, he tried to break free from Bill's grip, only to find his limbs already twisted and locked.
The harder he struggled, the stronger the sensation of his body tearing apart became.
At that moment, Bill was like a three-hundred-pound python, coiling around him tightly. Dean was rendered powerless; even if he possessed immense strength, there was no chance to resist.
Once his limbs were locked, life and death were no longer in his own hands!
Bill was too decisive!
Who would have thought that this reclusive, flabby giant would be so incredibly strong, and even skilled in submission holds!
Coupled with Bill's weight of over three hundred pounds, even if Dean hadn't been caught off guard, he probably wouldn't have stood a chance against Bill in a bare-handed fight.
In this critical moment, Dean endured the intense pain, gasping out, "Have you lost your mind, attacking me for no reason!"
"Stop acting!"
Bill's bloodshot eyes twitched. "Tell me where the listening device is! Otherwise, after I crush you, I'll send your family down to join you!"
Dean must have hidden a listening device somewhere; that's why he came back. Bill thought. That kind of evidence, while only admissible as corroborating due to legal restrictions, would be damning now that I've mentioned Kaz's existence. If Kaz gets caught, I'm definitely dead!
Fuck! Dean now truly understood how terrifying Bill was. Just because of one offhand remark, Bill had detected his plan and, without any hesitation, went straight for the kill.
Bill, too, was incredibly shocked at this moment. How can this man's muscles and bones be so resilient? With the full force of my hold, even a well-trained, strong man would have had all his limbs broken. Yet this Dean beneath me can still speak? It's utterly inconceivable!
While the two men were locked in a stalemate, Bill's assistant, Holz, heard the commotion and ran out from an inner room.
Seeing the scene before him, surprise covered Holz's handsome face. "Bill, Dean, have you gone mad?"
Damn it! Bill realized he had delayed for too long. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes as he opened his maw, about to bite Dean's throat. I have to kill Dean and Holz. Then I still have a chance to escape!
Just as Bill lifted his head, Dean's upper body suddenly tensed. Ignoring the severe pain in his hands, he bit into Bill's shoulder with all his might and twisted his head, tearing.
"AAARGH!"
Bill let out a dreadful scream, and the strength of his hold on Dean's limbs slackened.
Strike him while he's down, take his life! Dean thought, Considering the threat Bill posed...
Dean, his mouth full of blood, kicked out with his legs and forcefully shoved the over-three-hundred-pound Bill to one side. His right hand, nearly numb, fumbled towards his waist.
The justice system in the United States is utterly messed up. I can't risk facing revenge from this highly intelligent and physically formidable psychopath years down the line, endangering myself and my family! Bill has to die!
The moment Bill was shoved aside, he realized something was wrong.
Enduring the agony of torn flesh, his massive hand grabbed the iron table again, lifting it high, poised to smash Dean to death.
BANG!
The gunfire flared.
An eleven-millimeter caliber bullet shot out.
Bill's body twitched. Dark red blood slid from between his eyebrows, blurring his vision and making the world sway, draining all the strength from his body...
THUD.
The lifted iron table, along with Bill's collapsing body, rolled to the side, startling the frozen Holz awake.
Is this a dream?
Confused, Holz extended his hand and touched the sticky substance splattered all over his face. He brought it before his eyes, looked down, and saw a red and white mixture. It had a strong, pungent smell and still retained the unique warmth of a human body...
Years of autopsy experience told him this was real: fresh brain matter, just splattered from Bill's head.
AAAAH!!!
Finally snapping back to reality, Holz, like a startled rabbit, let out an extremely high-pitched scream and scrambled out of the morgue.
PTOOEY. PTOOEY. PTOOEY...
Dean dragged himself to the wall and leaned against its cold surface. He spat out a few mouthfuls of bloody saliva, let go of his gun, and struggled to retrieve his phone. With his right hand nearly paralyzed, he managed to dial Lawrence's number using his nimble tongue.
The joints in his hands and feet were now badly swollen and bruised, rendering them virtually powerless.
Lawrence answered quickly.
He thought Dean was calling to inquire about his investigative progress. "Dean, I'm still trying to get a hold of Bill's communication records..."
"Lawrence!" Dean panted. "I'm in the third morgue of the Forensics Department. Call an ambulance for me! Also, get the Deputy Chief and the others immediately. Go to Bill's house and see if you can find any clues about someone codenamed Kaz. He and Bill are the murderers in the serial home invasion homicide case!"
"Dean..."
"Stop dawdling! Bill just finished a call with that Kaz. They have another SIM card and probably communicate online usually. Don't let him get away!"
"Alright..."
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from the corridor outside.
Dean, as if remembering something, quickly added while Lawrence was still on the line, "Lawrence, have Harry come here and retrieve the equipment!"
Almost as soon as Dean finished speaking—
"FREEZE!"
Several armed guards rushed in, aiming their weapons at Dean, who was leaning against the wall.