Liam was somewhat surprised that Goldman was actually willing to hand over his service weapon.
As a government employee, losing track of his issued firearm could easily cost him his job.
Goldman explained,
“Someone’s already died here, and I fired several shots.
If my superiors start asking questions afterward, it’ll be a huge headache.
I might as well give you the gun.
Then I can just say you took it from me during an emergency.”
Liam smiled at Goldman’s earnest explanation.
He understood that Goldman was simply making up an excuse to give him the gun.
Losing a service weapon was a far more serious offense than firing it, but Liam wasn’t about to turn down the man’s goodwill.
“Thanks.
If the episode airs, I’ll be sure to give Director Goldman special credit for his bravery.”
Goldman’s tense expression relaxed at those words.
“Just make sure you come back alive.
And when you edit the footage, try to make our park look good.”
Liam accepted the gun and was about to follow the trail left by the Skinwalker when he suddenly picked up the faint sound of footsteps.
Someone was coming.
More than one person.
Thanks to his enhanced hearing, Liam could detect sounds from a considerable distance.
He immediately raised a finger to his lips, signaling Goldman and the others to stay quiet.
“Take that trail back.
Don’t look back.”
Liam gave the instruction in a low voice.
Once he was sure they had gotten far enough away, he quickly found a thick patch of bushes and hid inside.
Before long, several men in flashy clothes came into the clearing, grumbling and swearing as they walked.
“Boss Mickey, why’d the boss pick a godforsaken place like this for the deal?
We’re roasting out here.”
“Use your head.
This is the first time the Curly-Haired Gang has handled a deal this big.
Of course we needed somewhere the cops wouldn’t come in a million years.”
“But this place is way too remote.
There isn’t even a decent road.”
“That’s exactly why it’s safe.
You can barely find a doughnut around here.
What cop would ever bother coming out this far?”
Listening to their conversation, Liam quietly peered through the bushes.
There were five gang members, and the bulges at their waists made it obvious they were all carrying handguns.
They were probably associates of the two gang members from the helicopter.
“Boss, I found the tracker!”
One of the thugs shouted from beside the wreckage. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
The others immediately gathered around.
“Shit, how’d Vinny end up dying like that?
Bastard still owed me fifty bucks.”
“Forget that loser.
Finding the merchandise comes first.”
The gang members barely seemed bothered by their companion’s gruesome death.
Instead, they immediately began searching for the missing goods.
It didn’t take long for them to find the packet of white powder scattered across the ground, along with the huge tracks left by the Skinwalker.
Mickey crouched down and examined them carefully.
He quickly scooped up a small handful of powder and slipped it into his pocket, then stood and solemnly announced to his underlings,
“I’ve figured it out.
Our stuff must be so pure that even the animals out here couldn’t resist going crazy for it.”
“Yeah!”
“Woo-hoo!
We’re expanding the business to every species!”
The thugs burst into cheers.
Mickey, a Black man with an afro, motioned downward with both hands for everyone to quiet down.
“All right, all right, settle down.
The only tracker is here, so now we’ve got to figure out how to recover the rest of the stuff the animals carried away.”
“But how are we supposed to talk to animals?
This forest is huge.
Where are we even supposed to start looking?”
The thugs were at a loss.
Back in the city, they could rely on violence to force ordinary people to cooperate.
But this was a forest, and animals had no idea how dangerous guns were.
Just then, a figure slowly approached along the trail they had come from.
Watching from his hiding place, Liam was immediately surprised.
It was the Latino forest ranger from earlier.
Wasn’t he supposed to be calling the police?
Why was he here?
No.
Something was wrong with him.
Liam’s thoughts moved quickly, and he immediately grasped the key connection.
A Skinwalker was created when a human put on an animal’s hide.
In that case, a forest ranger who knew these woods inside and out would make the perfect accomplice and cover.
Fortunately, Liam had sent Goldman and the others back along a different trail.
Otherwise, they might have run into the ranger, and there was no telling what would have happened.
With that thought in mind, Liam stayed hidden and quietly watched to see what these people were really up to.
The moment the gang members saw the ranger, they reacted as though their savior had arrived.
Mickey immediately threw an arm around his shoulders.
“My brother, get over here.
We could really use your help.”
Mickey pointed toward the traces left by the Skinwalker.
“Bro, some little forest critter made off with a very important shipment of ours.
You’re the expert around here, so you’ve gotta have some way to help us get it back, right?”
The ranger was clearly stunned by the gangsters’ shamelessness.
But after thinking it over, he realized this happened to suit his own purposes, so he nodded in agreement.
The ranger then led the gang members deeper into the forest.
Seeing that, Liam prepared to follow them.
Having the ranger lead the way would save him the trouble of tracking the Skinwalker himself.
However, just as the ranger turned around to lead them onward, he subtly glanced toward the exact spot where Liam was hiding.
Then he continued walking as though nothing had happened.
That tiny movement made Liam frown.
What exactly was this guy planning?
He had clearly discovered Liam’s hiding place, yet he had deliberately let him go.
Was it a trap, or did he have something else in mind?
Liam waited until the group had gone some distance before following.
His enhanced hearing allowed him to clearly pick up their conversation from dozens of meters away while keeping enough distance that they wouldn’t hear his own movements.
…
Meanwhile, Mike felt as though he was about to be shaken apart.
The monster carried him at high speed through the forest, crashing through countless branches along the way.
“Hey, buddy, could you slow down a little?
I’m gonna puke.”
Mike kept pleading with the creature even though he knew there was no chance it could understand him.
“Seriously, are you dragging me home to save me for later?
It’s only spring.
Winter’s still months away.”
By now, he had resorted to talking to himself just to keep his fear under control.
Before long, the monster began to slow down.
Mike struggled to raise his head and saw a cave ahead.
Great.
We’re here.
Despair washed over him as he resigned himself to becoming the creature’s next meal.
The monster dragged him into the cave.
Darkness closed around him, and Mike nervously squeezed his eyes shut.
But after a moment, something felt wrong.
Why was there light in here?
He forced his eyes open and tried to make out his surroundings.
What he saw left him completely baffled.
This wasn’t anything like the animal den he had imagined, littered with bones and straw.
This was clearly someone’s home.