Conan Rick's Investigator

Heading to Kadath?

From the old man's description, Kadath is somewhat like Mount Olympus in Greek mythology, both of which are places where gods live.

"So how can we get to the secret realm of Kadath?"

Faced with the question suddenly raised by Qin Zhibo, the old man was stunned for a moment and looked at Qin Zhibo's face in surprise.

"Are you going to Secret Kadath too?"

Qin Zhibo noticed the key word and asked, "Why do you say 'also'?"

The old man lowered his eyes, his head lost in memories, "A long time ago, a traveler came to this town. After learning of the existence of a secret realm, he also wanted to go there."

"But to this day, I haven't heard from that traveler. What a pity..."

Qin Zhibo pressed on: "Are you saying he's in danger?"

"It's hard to say..." The old man shook his head. "The journey to the secret realm is always accompanied by countless dangers."

"The great dream gods will not readily agree that mere humans will go to their holy land and desecrate that sacred place..."

The old man's words also made Qin Zhibo start to re-examine this task.

Although the rewards for the mission are very generous, even as generous as going to the underground abyss of Kunyang.

But Qin Zhibo was still a little conflicted about this obviously extremely dangerous mission.

In addition to the mysterious Cold Plateau and the unknown dream gods mentioned by the old man, Qin Zhibo knew that the danger before him was Nyarlathotep.

With the last experience, Qin Zhibo knew that Nyarlathotep could appear in this world.

Her avatars are everywhere, and even the so-called "Dream Gods" may be Nyarlathotep!

Therefore, Qin Zhibo felt that it would be better not to accept this mission lightly.

It would be good enough if I could handle the things in the waking world. Moreover, as long as I complete the mission to go to the underground Kunyang, the general proficiency will be enough to exchange for all the props this week.

So Qin Zhibo smiled and accepted the old man's warning.

Estimating that the morning of the waking world was about to arrive, Qin Zhibo said goodbye to the old man first and left the church.

After watching Qin Zhibo leave, the old man returned to his bedroom and took out a rose from the drawer of the bedside table.

This rose is different from ordinary ones. It is made of silk flowers and some fire-proof materials. The rose petals can move up and down along the artificial flower stem.

At the top of the flower stem is a "flower core" that can be ignited.

However, after so many years, the oil in the flower core has long since dried up, and the silk rose is no longer as bright as before, but has become white.

If Qin Zhibo saw this thing, he would recognize it at a glance. This is the prop for the burning rose magic that is everywhere in the waking world and is not rare.

But many years ago, there was no concept of magic in the town of Usa, and the townspeople attributed all unreasonable phenomena to magic.

Until the arrival of that traveler, he presented one wonderful magic trick after another to the town of Usa and left this exquisite little thing as a souvenir.

This traveler who called himself "Magician" later went to the mysterious land of Kadath.

……

Early in the morning, Qin Zhibo woke up from his bed in the hotel.

Although he had slept for a whole night and had enough sleep, Qin Zhibo felt that his brain was a little confused and he did not rest well.

It seems that frequent trips to the Dreamland aren't a good thing. Human energy is ultimately limited...

He sat up and tilted his head to see Minase Yangmeng sleeping on the empty bed next to him.

Normally, ghosts shouldn't feel tired, but Minase Yomu seems to be an exception.

Qin Zhibo did not wake her up, but simply put it back into the glass bottle so that he could have a good rest.

When I came out of the room, Koizumi Hongzi's door was still closed, as if she was getting a beauty sleep.

After all, the next journey will definitely not be easy, and the damage to the girls' skin is visible to the naked eye.

After washing up, Qin Zhibo went downstairs alone to have breakfast, and then went to the street to buy supplies.

……

Gun control in the United States varies from place to place, and different states and even cities have different regulations on gun control.

For example, gun control in New York City, the "center of the world," is extremely strict. Public carrying of guns is not allowed, and not many people are qualified to carry concealed guns.

But New York State, where New York is located, is much more relaxed.

Generally speaking, gun control tends to be strict on the east and west coasts of the United States, while it is generally more lax in underdeveloped areas of the West and the South.

Most of the West used to be undeveloped wasteland, and it is the birthplace of western cowboy culture. Except for highly developed cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, gun control is generally lax in other western regions.

In the southern United States, where the people are tough and do not support idlers, gun control is relatively lax, the most typical examples are Texas and Florida.

Oklahoma is also geographically located in the South. Before the discovery of oil in 1928, it was very backward, so gun control was relatively lax.

Without going to the police station to file a case, Qin Zhibo went directly to the gun store to choose the gun he wanted to buy.

Submachine guns and rifles are not convenient to hide and carry, and the ammunition is very heavy, so Qin Zhibo can only choose a pistol.

After walking around the gun store twice, he finally chose a 6-inch Colt Python revolver.

This gun is a double-action pistol that uses .357 Magnum bullets. It has great power, high shooting accuracy, and is sturdy and durable.

Although semi-automatic pistols are now popular and are gradually replacing revolvers as the standard equipment for police, the advantages of revolvers cannot be ignored, such as the ability to easily check the number of remaining bullets and the lack of fear of bullet failure and jamming.

Moreover, the Python revolver is much more powerful than a semi-automatic pistol, comparable to the Desert Eagle, which also uses Magnum bullets.

Of course, the reason why I don’t buy the Desert Eagle is that the Desert Eagle is not a weapon for normal people.

The Desert Eagle is actually not very good. The gun is huge and heavy and lacks practicality. Except for amateurs, it is not popular among professionals.

After selecting the pistol, the gun shop owner took Qin Zhibo to the front desk and started filling out the form.

There are six pages in total, and a lot of the content in it is terms and conditions. The parts that Qin Zhibo needs to fill in are mainly identity and background information.

After filling out all the forms, the boss transferred them into the FBI's background check system. It was passed in less than half an hour, and he automatically obtained the concealed carry qualification.

The boss said that a normal background check would take 12 to 24 hours to get the results, but Qin Zhibo passed it in just half an hour, which was very strange.

Qin Zhibo did not hide this and said frankly: "Because I used to be an FBI agent."

The boss suddenly realized, "That's not surprising, that's not surprising."

Background checks for gun ownership qualifications have special bonuses for people with military or police backgrounds, not to mention the FBI.

After getting the brand new, unfired Colt Python revolver, Qin Zhibo bought a box of .357 caliber Magnum bullets, which contained 4x6=24 bullets.

There is also a brown retro-style cowhide holster that allows you to hang the gun around your waist like a western cowboy.

When paying the bill, Qin Zhibo was surprised to find that he had spent a total of $1390.

The gun cost $1000, the bullets $240, and the holster $150.

"Bullets are so expensive..."

Magnum bullets are top-notch bullets and are priced top-tier, no wonder they are used as powerful weapons in Resident Evil games.

……

After leaving the gun store, Qin Zhibo went to several nearby outdoor equipment stores and bought some outdoor backpacks, climbing ropes, machetes and daggers, head-mounted searchlights, etc.

As I was walking back to the hotel with all my gear on, passersby around me gave me incredible looks, thinking I had encountered a city hunter.

Back at the hotel, Koizumi Hongzi had already packed her luggage and was ready to go.

The two rented a Ford SUV from a car rental agency. The rental period was agreed to be until next Monday, and then they headed towards Binger Town, 300 kilometers away.

……

At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Qin Zhibo drove to Binger Town.

This is a flat red soil plain. Desolate and barren are the adjectives Qin Zhibo can think of.

The town of Binger is located on this red soil.

Unlike any modern town in the United States, Binger looks like a desolate town from the 1930s.

The town is not big, with only a kilometer-long main road in the middle, and on both sides are two-story wooden houses commonly seen in western movies.

Qin Zhibo drove slowly on the main road, wanting to get a feel for the terrain first.

A small number of local residents with dark faces had droopy eyelids, sitting at the door or standing in the window, all staring at the strangers in the SUV with dull expressions.

This scene was a bit weird, and made Qin Zhibo feel a little uncomfortable.

Although it is also a lonely and secluded town, the experience in Usa Town is much better than here.

Koizumi Hongzi also looked out the car window, but after a while she frowned and said worriedly.

"This place is so backward, how can there be a hotel?"

Compared to Koizumi Hongzi, Qin Zhibo was not surprised by the backwardness of this place. He had done his homework before coming here.

The area where Binger Town is located is an Indian reservation, which is a place specially designated by the U.S. government for Indians to live.

Today, all Indian reservations in the United States are, without exception, barren and backward areas, and most Indian ethnic groups are left here to fend for themselves.

When the Indians are completely extinct, these reservations will no longer exist.

……

After driving for less than 10 minutes, Qin Zhibo drove out of the town from the other end of the main road.

To the northeast of the town, he saw a towering object that was extremely rare in this red soil plain.

That is a hill.

Chapter 988 Hill

Less than a thousand meters away from Binger Town, there stands a hill.

The oval-shaped hill looks particularly regular. Although it is only more than 10 meters high, it is extremely rare and even a little weird in this endless plain.

Qin Zhibo sat in the car and observed the place through a telescope. He found that there were many bushes and tall grass on the hill, and he could not see clearly inside.

The rest of the plain is bare, but that place is filled with a large number of plants, which makes it hard not to speculate whether it was artificially planted to cover up the existence of something.

Could it be that the locals are secretly growing marijuana on the hill?

But Qin Zhibo didn't have time to study those things now, nor did he want to cause trouble, so he made a big circle and drove back to town.

Before passing by a building that looked like a small bar, Qin Zhibo pushed the door open and got out of the car, then walked over to the aunt who was knitting at the door.

"Hello, auntie, is there any place to stay here?"

The reason why Qin Zhibo asked about where to stay was because the navigation system showed that there was no hotel here.

The navigation system will display public business places that are not private territories. If there are no hotels on it, it means that there are no hotels open to the public here.

But Qin Zhibo still didn't give up and planned to ask. It was 1996 now, and this place shouldn't be so backward that there was no place to live.

If there is really no place, then you can only sleep in the car.

The aunt with an obviously Indian face sat in the chair and looked at Qin Zhibo, then glanced at Koizumi Hongzi in the passenger seat of the car. Two seconds later, she pointed out the direction for him in silence.

Her old and discolored finger pointed at the most imposing building in the entire Binger Town, a three-story building.

"Thank you."

Qin Zhibo didn't bother him any further and continued driving towards the building.

……

After driving a few hundred meters, Qin Zhibo arrived in front of the building.

There is a faded plaque on the building with "India's House" written in English.

Judging from the sign, this place may only cater to Indians.

But for the sake of a comfortable sleep tonight, Qin Zhibo decided to go in and ask if non-Indians were welcome.

"Wait in the car for a moment, I'll go in and ask." Qin Zhibo instructed Koizumi Hongzi.

From the car, Koizumi Akako looked at this "modern building" that was at least several decades old with some disdain. The white paint on the long outer floor panels had already faded for the most part, and the remaining half had all cracked under years of sunlight.

"Sleeping here tonight? It doesn't look very good~"