North America Gunman Detective

Chapter 1541 - 826: First Encounter_2

Hiking wasn't the problem; the problem was that it was too clean here. Jimmy and the others didn't encounter many animals along the way, and there was basically no threat, just completely none of the strange monsters Jimmy had expected. According to Roland's previous statement, although monsters in this world are not numerous, they have no regularity; they may appear anywhere. But Jimmy and the others walked for several hours and still hadn't seen a single one.

Roland wasn't surprised. If there really were that many monsters, his bullets wouldn't be enough, so only Jimmy was disappointed.

At night, under the big tree, Roland gathered some wood to make a bonfire and used weeds to set up a simple bed on the ground, which was where he would rest for the night. Jimmy took out the sleeping bag and spread it open, then opened the simple cooking utensils to start boiling water. Roland divided meat into pieces, skewered them on branches, and began grilling. Oatmeal porridge with grilled meat was their dinner.

Roland glanced at Jimmy's sleeping bag and frowned. He hadn't noticed before, but now he realized Jimmy's sleeping bag was the kind that requires crawling into through the top, a mummy-style sleeping bag, rather than the envelope-style sleeping bag with a side zipper that can be completely opened. He thought for a moment and said, "Jimmy, at night, don't completely get inside the sleeping bag. If there's danger, you won't be able to move quickly; it will restrict you."

Jimmy looked down at the sleeping bag, nodded, and realized it was another oversight. The outdoor shop had recommended this mummy-style sleeping bag for its better insulation properties. Jimmy wasn't familiar with the climate in the Dark Tower World, so he chose it at the time.

But the current temperature in the Dark Tower World is more like autumn. Although he didn't know the precise temperature, it should be over 20 degrees during the day and around ten degrees at night. Strictly speaking, he only needed a simple cover, so there was no need to crawl into a mummy-style sleeping bag.

Spreading a ground cloth on the ground, Jimmy laid the sleeping bag underneath him and lay there looking at the sky. The sky here was gloomy, with few stars visible. The moon looked similar to Earth's moon. If Jimmy were an astronomer, perhaps he could have used the stars to locate this world, but unfortunately, he was not.

Throughout the journey, Jimmy recorded plenty of footage. He intended to edit it all carefully after returning. Otherwise, Nia might need several days to watch so many videos.

Jimmy: "Roland, when do you think we can see those legendary monsters?"

Roland: "It depends on how lucky we are."

Jimmy: "Hunting is really boring. God, give me some surprises."

Roland: "Get some rest. Maybe we'll see them tomorrow, maybe."

Jimmy sighed. The thrill he expected before coming to this world seemed a bit far from their ruined base, but that's also good. If Nia were to come over, staying nearby should be safe.

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Ruiz communicated with Dave about Jimmy's disappearance. A matter that troubled more people reduced some of his pressure.

In fact, he was quite displeased with some people's adverse attitude toward Jimmy, but it was all within the rules. He wasn't strong enough, and many things required compromise. Jimmy might get discouraged or react violently, which had all been considered beforehand. The only thing they didn't expect was his disappearance.

There could be many explanations for disappearing, like feeling upset or secretly plotting something. It certainly wasn't murder; that much was clear. Given that Jimmy survived several assassination attempts unscathed, if someone really tried to ambush or attack him, they wouldn't be subtle. Also, Nia and her family were safe, which didn't fit the expectations.

If it were just disappearing for a while to blow off steam, everything would be fine, as long as he returned to work peacefully afterward, or didn't return at all, it would be fine, too.

If he were plotting anything secretly, that would be troublesome but not for Ruiz, but for certain others. Though he worried somewhat, it wasn't about Jimmy being in danger but rather the difficulty in covering up the commotion if others acted too conspicuously.

What Dave thought of the situation, he didn't know and didn't want to know. This matter was no longer Ruiz's trouble; he only needed to work as usual.

Nia had stayed at Kevin's house for a few days before returning home. According to the plan, Jimmy and the others would stay in the Dark Tower World for about a month to completely clear out the dangers near their base. Although this was previously agreed upon, Nia had been worried for a long time, and the closer it was to their return date, the more anxious she became.

Taking care of a child alone was inconvenient, so Nia's mother would also stay for a couple of days. Initially, they suggested hiring another nanny, but Nia refused. There were too many secrets to keep now, and having another person would mean one more risk of exposure. Jimmy and Roland had repeatedly told her about the terrible consequences if the secret of the portal was discovered. Nia neither dared nor wanted to expose these secrets.

After sending her mother off, Nia returned to the house, closed the door, and went to the window. She pulled up the curtain and took a monocular from the cabinet beside her, then looked outside through the gap in the curtain.

For a moment when she turned around, she seemed to sense something, but she wasn't sure. After scanning the limited view, she didn't notice anything unusual. Nia smiled and shook her head. Maybe keeping secrets made her overly sensitive. She put away the monocular and went upstairs to the nursery. Little Liam was asleep; she watched for a while to make sure there was nothing wrong, then went downstairs to prepare dinner.

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"Snap," Jimmy stepped on a dry twig, glanced down, and bent over to pick it up.

He had developed a good habit over the past few days: collecting suitable wood if found, since they needed a firepit at night for warmth and light. Otherwise, they might not have enough firewood for the firepit to burn all night after finding a campsite.

They'd reached the forest seen from the ruin on the mountainside. From afar, it looked like a dark gray mass. Once they reached the forest, the feeling intensified. There would definitely be unexpected discoveries here; many of the trees had mutated, left with only twisted branches and no leaves.

From afar, it looked fine in the daytime, but not long after they entered the forest, night fell. The light in the forest was already dim, and now it was nearly pitch black.

Jimmy and Roland arrived at a spot that could barely be considered an open space, only a few square meters, free from vegetation. After a simple cleanup, they lit the campfire.

Others might avoid this forest due to the possible dangers, but it wasn't a big issue for Jimmy and Roland.

They'd safely spent a week outdoors. This forest was their last destination for this adventure. After circling the forest, they'd head back to the ruins, and then return to Earth.

Jimmy and Roland would take turns resting. Like Roland, having used a Rainbow, his physical and mental strength had improved despite his age. They only needed a few hours of rotational rest to support a day's activities, so the two of them were enough for the whole night.

The "sizzle" sound was noticeable in the quiet forest. Jimmy sat by the firepit, turning his head to look around. The sound didn't come from any one direction, yet he saw nothing, even with Heart Eye Vision.

After waiting for a long time, Jimmy suddenly felt a chill. He immediately drew the revolver, aiming behind him, while slowly standing up. As his gun musk smoothly turned, he suddenly lifted his arm and aimed upwards in one quick motion. "Bang bang bang bang bang bang," a round of bullets was fired, and the monsters swooping toward him from the air were stopped mid-air by the bullet's force, falling askew toward the ground.

"Roland, we have a problem."