My health recovery is incredibly fast.

"You need to go to the lumber mill; they need you there. I'll arrange a vehicle and keep an eye on those two detectives from the Alien Group."

Chapter 8 Andrew's Deduction

Shazo overheard Doom and Scarface's conversation.

Meanwhile, the gunman squad to which Servant No. 6 belonged was about to depart, and the squad was taking a headcount.

So, should we go to the lumber mill with the gunman, or with Scarface?

The so-called gunmen were actually mercenaries who used gunpowder weapons.

Most of them were equipped with bolt-action rifles, double-barreled shotguns, and revolvers. Their melee weapons included brass knuckle dusters, daggers, and axes. Only a very few people chose longswords as their weapons because the blades were too long, difficult to maintain, and could easily injure themselves and their companions in narrow terrain.

Some gunmen are quite handy and will combine pistols and knuckle dusters to create knuckle duster pistols, or install bayonets on short-barreled firearms.

These people are usually veterans; they either form a small team with acquaintances or sit alone in a corner inspecting weapons and medicines.

Xia Zuo manipulated his servant No. 6 to circle the convoy, examining each of the gunmen one by one, and finally decided to follow the gunmen.

The purpose of this trip is to obtain a pistol and ammunition, so it's better to stay with the gunman.

Servant No. 6 floated back to the top of the carriage and crawled into the crack of the skylight to wait for orders.

Inside the Beast Arena.

After announcing the start of match 6, host Doom went backstage and had his men bring a four-wheeled motorcycle with a full tank of gas, which he parked in an alley in the backyard of the arena and waited.

In the audience, Ross looked around, glancing at the backstage doorway and then at the dark-skinned, fat man on the second floor, before whispering in Andrew's ear:

"Didn't you think something was off just now? One of the thugs handed the host a note... and DeShawn's face looked really grim..."

“It must be something to do with the lumber mill,” Andrew said after thinking for a moment. “Scarface is DeShawn’s top gunman, and even he was transferred there. This means that it may have been attacked by monsters.”

Andrew stared at "Sid" on the field and said:

“We need to keep a close eye on Sid and make sure he doesn’t take the alchemical suit to the lumber mill. It’s very close to the Mogus Mountains. If Sid is determined to leave Stillwater in his Wild V-form—whether he wants to do it or DeShawn arranged it for him—we can’t stop him.”

"Huh? Wait a minute." Andrew seemed to remember something, and asked, looking down in thought:

"Ross... I have a question for you. When Sid came on stage, was he wearing weaponry or alchemical armor? I seem to remember him walking out from backstage wearing alchemical armor?"

“Hmm…” Ross pondered for a moment, “I’ve been thinking back, and he did indeed come out wearing an alchemical suit.”

“This is not good… Could they have installed the Wild V-Shaped structure using a coupling method? This is very strange.” Andrew frowned and glanced around.

This was the most exciting moment for everyone.

The surrounding audience stood up and shouted, obscuring their figures.

The arena's thugs were protecting the prize pool, while the host was still backstage.

“Let’s go.” Andrew crouched down and crouched behind the bouncing audience as he walked towards the exit passage of the audience seats.

"Where are you going?" Ross was taken aback, and quickly imitated the other person's movements, avoiding the thug's gaze and following closely behind.

The two walked into the corridor and entered the public restroom.

Andrew pulled a beard from his pocket and stuck it to his face, then put on round, black-rimmed glasses and covered his golden-gray hair with a hat. "Quickly, get disguised. Let's go find out about the lumber mill."

"Okay, okay." Ross excitedly took out his fake beard and glasses, and said as he put them on, "Finally, time to get to work. I've been playing cards so much these past few days I almost threw up."

"Shh." Andrew pushed open the toilet door a crack, turned up the collar of his trench coat to cover his face, put his hands in his coat pockets, and walked calmly past the door at the end of the corridor, passing the thugs without arousing their suspicion.

Just then.

The Gunners' convoy set off, heading along the main road in front of the City Hall. As they passed the entrance to the Beast Arena, they ran into Andrew and his companion.

Xia Zuo sat at his desk, and through the perspective of Servant Number 6 attached to the carriage, he saw the figures of Andrew and Ross...

"Ha..." Xia Zuo chuckled, shaking his head and sighing, "What a coincidence..."

Upon seeing the large number of gunmen in the carriage, Andrew immediately quickened his pace, caught up with the carriage ahead, jogged alongside the coachman, waved his hat, and shouted:

"Hey guys, where are you headed?"

"Dicos Lumber Mill!" the driver said, glancing at the roadside. "A large monster lair has been discovered there, and Mishima is hiring. If you go to the city hall to register now, you might be able to catch the next bus!"

"Thanks, buddy! Have a safe trip!" Andrew waved goodbye, his expression turning somewhat serious as he stopped.

Ross caught up, panting, and asked, "Huff...huff...I heard it. A large monster lair. If DeShawn isn't stupid, he'll definitely send Sid there. That would reduce a lot of casualties."

Andrew waved his hand, "Come with me, let's hire a carriage and go there."

The two ran all the way to the north gate of the city, grabbed a coachman of a public carriage, stuffed a wad of cash into his hand enough to rent the carriage for several days, then boarded the carriage, whipped it, and sped up to catch up with the gunmen's group.

Shazo propped his chin up on the table and chuckled as he watched from the perspective of Servant Number 5—which was attached to the host, Doom.

On Arena 1 of the Beast Arena, the last match has ended without any casualties. The two players were simply trying to win applause through a spectacular, showy fight.

The audience members began to leave after redeeming their prize tickets.

Doom went up to the competition stage, told Scarface to go backstage to rest for a few minutes, and then got on his quad bike and set off immediately.

After Scarface left, Doom scanned the departing audience but did not see the two detectives from the Alien Group.

There are no surveillance cameras here... surveillance relies mainly on people.

Doom questioned several of the thugs who were guarding the place, and all of them replied that they had not seen the detective. He immediately realized that something was wrong.

"Damn it... those two detectives must have noticed something. Where are they now?"

Doom arrived at the backyard with a gloomy face.

Scarface had deactivated the alchemical suit and was inspecting the motorcycle while wearing Sid's armor. On the back seat of the motorcycle was a large leather case that was supposed to contain the alchemical suit.

Doom stepped forward and whispered some instructions to Scarface, who was about to leave:

"The two detectives are gone. They didn't go back to Red Beauty Tavern; they're probably on their way to the lumber mill. I suspect they've figured something out."

"Once you arrive at the lumberyard, tell the security personnel not to let the detectives in. If they force their way into the woods with you, find a way to kill those two detectives there."

"Once the matter at the lumber mill is settled, you, as Sid, injure a few of the men, escape into the Mogus Mountains, take a detour through the reservoir, and enter the city as Scarface. Wait for me at my residence."

"Remember, don't stay outside the city for too long. You must be back by evening the day after tomorrow. If those two detectives bring help and attack you from the outside, your chances of winning are slim."

Scarface sat on the motorcycle, wearing a weapon mask and a face mask, listening intently to what the other person was saying, and nodded in a deep voice, saying, "Okay, I've got it."

He started his motorcycle, twisted the throttle, and sped off into the street amidst two plumes of black smoke and the roar of the engine.

Doom angrily slammed his fist on the wall a few times and said through gritted teeth:

"That damned detective, he's like a persistent ghost! You'd better not follow us into the woods, or don't blame us for taking action."

...

Dicos Timber Factory is located more than 20 kilometers northwest of Jingshui Town.

Most of the lumber mill workers have settled in Jingshui Town and return to the city for two days of rest every one to two weeks.

With frequent movement of people between the two places, the Mishima Group specially built a relatively smooth mountain road.

It rained a bit earlier today, and the soil on the road was a little soft, making it a little difficult for the carriage to move, but it was still quite fast, and it would take at most an hour and a half to reach the lumberyard.

The journey was rather boring, so Xia Zuo lowered his head to read a spellbook.

The deep engine sound came from the perspective of minions number 4 and 6.

Xia Zuo switched the perspective of Servant No. 6 and discovered that it was Scarface, disguised as Sid, who had caught up with them.

He rode his motorcycle up to the carriage where Andrew was, nodded to Ross in the driver's seat, and then pressed the accelerator and overtook the carriage procession.

“Andrew, Sid really did go to the lumber mill.” Ross turned his head slightly in surprise and said into the carriage, “Your deduction was spot on. I wish I had your insight and ability…”

Andrew leaned out of the car window and glanced at the motorcyclist who was about to disappear into the distance. "That day will come, Ross. Let's speed up and catch up. Try not to let him out of our sight."

"Alright!" Ross flicked the reins, urging the packhorses to speed up, and the carriage barely kept up with the black smoke from the motorcycle...

It was 10:40 PM Silvermoon Federation time.

Xia Zuo came out of the washroom and sat back down at his desk, only to find that Andrew and the other man had already arrived at the lumberyard.

The place covers a huge area, with five or six warehouses for storing timber, as well as two open-air drying and kiln sites for timber. The dormitories for security personnel and workers are in the same building.

At the gate of the lumber mill, Andrew and his companion were stopped by armed security guards.

"Gentlemen, this is the property of the Mishima Group. You do not have a permit and cannot enter."

The armed security guard said expressionlessly, "Don't think I don't know who you are, detectives from the Alien Corporation. This is not a place for you. Please leave."

Andrew subtly sized the other person up from head to toe.

Combat boots stained with black mud, holsters with bits of leaves, damp firearms, a bandaged little finger on his right hand, yellowish-green water stains on his weapons—every detail came into view.

“Alright, we’ll stay outside.” Andrew glanced at Sid, who was talking to other security personnel behind the iron gate, then pulled Ross back into the carriage.

Andrew stood in the driver's seat, looking out over the state of the lumber mill.

He raised his hand and pointed to the yellowish-green things on the roof and walls. "Recognize that, Ross? I mentioned it to you on the way here."

Ross pulled a monocular telescope from his pocket. "It's a sticky, viscous substance that doesn't corrode wood or stone. It looks sticky, but it doesn't smell much..."

Ross turned the camera to look at the wounded in the square behind the main entrance.

Most of them had bruises on their faces, and a few had splints on their arms.

There were five or six corpses covered with white sheets on the ground nearby. Judging from their appearance, the chests of the corpses were deeply sunken, as if the sternum and internal organs had been shattered by something.

"Oh, I see! It's the acorn worm that fires sticky bullets!" Ross said, putting away his binoculars. "So, that large monster's lair is the acorn worm's den."

“Ross, I have a bold guess.” Andrew said, looking at Sid’s retreating figure, “That guy with the alchemical suit isn’t Sid, but Scarface.”

"Huh? Why...why?" Ross asked, looking astonished.

Andrew said in a deep voice:

"The Wild Type I Alchemy Armor consists of only a torso armor, a left arm armor, and a hand shield."

"Type II has more leg protection than Type I, and it also allows users to adjust their power according to their explosive force."

"Type iii, based on type ii, has an additional tail spike extending from the back armor."

"Only from Type IV onwards do you get a snake whip that you wear on your arm."

"The V-shaped model now features a face-covering helmet with a heat source sensor function."