Mas’s send-off ceremony took place at a venue provided by a funeral home, where Niel had requested a local pastor to officiate. The funeral home was quite capable, creating a solemn atmosphere while also offering plenty of desserts and beverages.
When Dean arrived, he almost thought a party was underway; the place was packed. However, he spotted Niel in the crowd almost immediately. It couldn’t be helped—too many men were surrounding her.
A bunch of horny dogs, Dean smirked. He made his way through the crowd and, using his strength, forcibly pulled aside two men who were almost glued to Niel. He then hugged her as she looked up in surprise. "Sorry, I’m a bit late."
He had actually arrived earlier but first took a stroll around the former residence of Medical Examiner Santoni. The place had been sealed off, with no suspicious individuals lingering nearby. However, Dean noticed many more cameras had been installed, so after a brief observation, he left.
Niel was obviously delighted by Dean’s arrival. She glanced apologetically at the men surrounding her before pulling Dean to a corner. "I’m so glad you could make it today. I was really worried about your injuries."
"Mas was my good brother. I would have crawled here if I had to," Dean said, scanning the crowd. "I just didn’t expect Mas to know so many people." There had to be over two hundred men and women present.
At these words, Niel seemed troubled. "Actually, my brother didn’t have many friends. These people are all employees from my mother’s branch company."
"You never told me you were a little rich girl." Dean’s gaze towards Niel grew even more tender. With my looks and physique, not living off a woman? How would that make sense?
"No way, that’s all my mother’s money, and I feel so uncomfortable around these people," Niel said, looking distressed. "It’s a good thing you’re here." She disliked the men with ulterior motives clinging to her, but at her brother’s farewell ceremony, it wasn’t appropriate to rebuff them. Fortunately, Dean had arrived.
As they were speaking, a handsome young man with an unfriendly gaze approached. He spoke in a flawless London accent, "Niel, is this your friend?"
"He’s the son of the president of my mother’s branch company—a pretentious rich kid," Niel whispered to Dean before addressing the increasingly hostile young man. "Fex, this is Dean, a good friend of mine and my brother’s. Dean, this is Fex, a colleague I just met."
Fex, already annoyed by Niel’s intimacy with Dean, could barely maintain his forced smile upon hearing her introduction. He glowered at Dean. "Hello, I’m Fex, the Operations Manager at Damon Company!" He raised his voice significantly when he mentioned his title.
"Oh?" Dean said, wrapping his arm around Niel’s waist. "Can’t you see I’m comforting Niel? Interrupting us ... you’re pretty clueless, aren’t you? Was the person who made you Operations Manager an idiot?"
As Dean spoke, his suit jacket fell open, revealing a handgun holstered on his chest. Fex, who had been angry, suddenly calmed down and looked over at Niel.
Niel stiffened as Dean abruptly embraced her, his hand on the soft flesh of her waist. Head bowed, she neither objected nor pulled away, her cheeks flushing a bashful, adorable red.
Seeing Niel nestled against Dean, head still bowed, not even glancing his way, Fex snorted coldly and turned away, his expression sour.
Having driven off his rival, Dean leaned down, his warm breath tickling Niel’s ear as he whispered, "Sorry, I saw you were having trouble with those guys, so I took the liberty of handling it for you." The earlobe is a sensitive spot for most people, and this was an intimate gesture.
Niel shivered delicately and hastily pushed Dean away, her breathing slightly hurried. "It’s okay, Dean. I need to greet the other guests now. You can look around on your own." With that, she rushed into an inner room.
Not bad, Dean thought with a mental whistle. He made his way through the crowd to Mas’s portrait to pay his respects. My friend, rest assured, I’ll take care of your sister. Niel wasn’t normally a shy person; her reaction indicated she was already moved.
「After the send-off ceremony.」
Mas’s coffin was sent to the cemetery. This was the final goodbye. Most of Las Vegas is gobi and desert, so a traditional burial is expensive. Consequently, Mas’s grave was in a luxurious local cemetery.
The funeral procession moved along the broad road. Dean, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the open window frame, glanced at Niel, who wore a black headscarf. "Are you planning to stay in Las Vegas?"
"I don’t know." Niel shook her head, her eyes distant. "My mom wants me to go back to London, but I don’t like the endless pretentious parties there. I might stay here and learn about management at my mother’s branch office."
"How about Los Angeles?" Dean took Niel’s hand. "You’re lonely here, but in Los Angeles, you’d have me..."
Niel looked at Dean. In his deep blue eyes, she saw her own reflection. Her heart began to pound.
Suddenly, BOOM! A loud explosion erupted from the other side of the road ahead, followed by screams and the sound of machine-gun fire.
"That’s a heavy machine gun!" Dean’s expression hardened. He spun the wheel, pulling their car out of the convoy and stopping in the adjacent gobi desert. "Niel, stay in the car!"
"Where are you going?"
"To see what’s happening up ahead!"
With that, Dean grabbed a thumb-sized monocular and sprinted towards a nearby hill.
The entire road was now nearly paralyzed. No one there was a stranger to the sound of gunfire. Some, like Dean, drove their cars directly off the road; others smashed through guardrails and turned back, creating chaos.
On a small hill, Dean crouched behind a rock, surveying the distant "battlefield." The firefight was taking place on a stretch of gobi off the main road.
On one side were more than a dozen off-road vehicles. A group of Black men hid behind them, wielding an assortment of weapons and firing towards some rocks in the distance.
Their targets were among those rocks. From Dean’s position, even with his monocular, he couldn’t see who was shooting back. However, he could clearly see their muzzle flashes, bright even in the daylight.
That thing is a slaughter weapon in this open terrain, Dean thought, licking his lips. Truly a crazy country.
It seemed the people among the rocks had ambushed the off-road convoy. The heavy machine gun bullets easily shredded the vehicles’ chassis, and plumes of blood mist erupted intermittently, clear evidence of direct hits.
Dean gulped. Insane! That power is comparable to an anti-aircraft gun! What kind of grudge is this?
After only a minute or two, the return fire from the men almost entirely ceased.
Just when Dean thought the fight was over, the air itself whistled. WHOOSH! A missile, trailing white flames, streaked over Dean’s head. It landed accurately in the off-road vehicle encampment, shredding everything. BOOM! A small mushroom cloud of sand and dust rose, enveloping a hundred-meter radius.
Dean was speechless. This is too damn much! It’s completely insane! Maybe I should emigrate!