Ch.70Their Plan! (4)

#070

“Ah, my eyes feel like they’re going to fall out after reading actual letters for once.”

Dexter muttered to himself while pressing his fingers against his brow with one hand and closing the open book on the table with the other.

However, William’s book did give Dexter something to think about.

‘It was more readable than I expected.’

Just as Himena had said, William’s “My Zeitgeist” was filled with assertions that seemed difficult to believe were written by someone who had never been to space.

‘Most places where people live are similar, so there were plenty of obvious assumptions, but there were also claims with surprisingly accurate details.’

Of course, there were many arguments that showed the limitations of someone who had never been to space, but even considering those limitations, there were many statements that seemed like they came from someone with firsthand experience.

While Dexter generally viewed William as a madman, he could understand why OSA was keeping a close eye on him.

‘It’s not about aliens controlling us or trying to control us, but rather that aliens are also diverse, so the intention to homogenize the tendencies of different aliens as Earth humans is not good…’

He had presented a fairly accurate concept of the ICC that Himena had mentioned, with only slight differences in specific terminology, and had even predicted the existence and role of OSA.

His background setting and reasoning were remarkably excellent.

Dexter thought that if William didn’t have mental illness, they might have become friends.

“It’s a shame to waste such talent.”

Dexter tapped his fingers on the table, then flopped down on the bed.

Thinking that he should have a serious conversation with William tomorrow, Dexter drifted off to sleep, and another ordinary morning dawned.

The advantage and disadvantage of Las Vegas is that it doesn’t rain.

While it may get cloudy at times, it’s common for rain not to fall for months on end.

Therefore, the lack of rain in Las Vegas meant terrible conditions for someone who had to be outdoors all day.

“That protester guy is looking a bit pale.”

“It’s gotten suddenly hotter these past few days. Maybe that’s why?”

“The very idea of holding a peace protest outside a prison with absolutely no shade is problematic in itself.”

Jesse, who overheard two guards talking as they passed by, looked at Dexter who was standing at a distance and said:

“Dexter, what are they talking about?”

“There’s been a conspiracy theorist protesting in front of the prison for a few days now.”

“Conspiracy theorist?”

“You know, people who believe in aliens. He’s demanding the release of aliens supposedly imprisoned in our facility.”

“Ah, those people. The ones with long hair who spout nonsense?”

Jesse frowned in disgust as he spoke.

“I had a couple of those idiots hanging around me when I was racing in Ohio. I really fucking hated it.”

“Why would they hang around you?”

“I guess they thought I looked like one of their kind.”

Dexter said this while recalling the time when a skinny Jesse approached him with gleaming eyes.

“Hmm, that’s possible.”

“You bastard, seriously.”

With many eyes on them, Jesse could only glare intensely at Dexter.

Seeing Jesse’s expression, Dexter laughed lightly and said:

“He doesn’t seem like a bad person though.”

“What if he suddenly stabs you in the gut with a knife while spouting nonsense?”

“I’d block it.”

“You’d block someone trying to suddenly stab you with a knife?”

Seeing Jesse’s expression turn bizarre, Dexter pointed at him and said:

“Don’t look at me like that. I really could do it.”

“Sure you could. Why not claim you can deflect bullets too?”

“Hmm, that’s still impossible.”

When Jesse mocked his words, Dexter seriously considered it and unconsciously touched his shoulder where he had once been shot.

‘Wait, aren’t there body-hardening nanobots?’

Since gunpowder weapons weren’t commonly used in space, Dexter hadn’t thought about using body-hardening nanobots that could block bullets.

Making a mental note to ask Eliya if he could get body-hardening nanobots soon, Dexter glanced at Jesse and said:

“Anyway, I’m guessing you’d prefer I don’t associate with that person?”

“Obviously. What good could come from befriending someone like that?”

Jesse shook his head and, seeing an inmate calling him from a distance, gave Dexter a quick goodbye.

“Oh, right. I promised to help clean the prayer room today. See you later!”

As Jesse winked at Dexter and headed off somewhere, Dexter watched him walk away and then took out his phone from his pocket.

>Is it okay if I talk to William Pilgrim?

Despite Jesse’s advice, Dexter couldn’t resist his curiosity and decided to try talking to William.

After sending a message to Himena, Dexter crossed his arms and tapped his foot while waiting for a reply.

-I’m not sure…? No one really wants to talk to that person… It’s definitely beyond my authority, but I’ll ask.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Himena’s message arrived.

-They say it’s okay. 🙂 But they say not to tell William the truth about space or aliens.

>That’s pretty cool. I thought they’d forbid it.

-Apparently other agents have tried to approach him and got burned. They think it might be good for us if he opens up to you?

Dexter, who could make someone vomit up food they ate three days ago with one punch to the stomach, was puzzled by the idea that OSA agents had been “burned” by William. He sent a message asking:

>What happened to the agents?

-They went to William’s house and got dung stuck all over their feet, or were suddenly attacked by wild animals, or got covered in filth, things like that.

>Is this OSA or a 50s comedy movie?

Dexter chuckled at these crude pranks that even a child wouldn’t fall for and sent his reply. Himena’s message came back immediately.

-Be careful anyway. I don’t go anywhere near him so I don’t have much advice to give… but you know you shouldn’t get hurt, right? 🙁

>I understand. Let’s talk again after work.

After receiving Himena’s message filled with hearts, Dexter smiled slightly and left the medium-security facility to finish his afternoon duties.

* * *

As summer approached, the sun was still high in the sky even after Dexter had completed his handover and left the prison.

This meant that even Dexter, who wasn’t particularly sensitive to heat, was beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable as the summer heat gradually approached.

“The surveillance staff must be sweating buckets.”

Just as Dexter was thinking about the personnel working in the watchtowers, which had relatively weak air conditioning despite being in the shade, he noticed something.

‘Wait, it’s too quiet.’

William, who had immediately approached Dexter as soon as he got off work yesterday, was nowhere to be seen.

Spotting another guard coming out of the intake and release facility, Dexter asked:

“Jefferson, have you seen the man who was protesting with a picket sign in front?”

“Oh, the guy with the weird hair?”

Jefferson shrugged and replied:

“I think he went that way saying he felt dizzy.”

Jefferson pointed toward the side wall of the intake and release facility.

When Dexter headed to the side, he found William leaning against the wall, still clutching his picket sign.

“Mr. Pilgrim?”

“Ugh…”

When William didn’t respond to Dexter’s call, Dexter immediately sensed something was wrong with William’s condition.

“Mr. Pilgrim? Mr. Pilgrim?”

Even after Dexter grabbed both shoulders and shook him, William only let out a faint groan without much reaction. Dexter placed his hand on William’s neck.

‘He’s hot and flushed red.’

Dexter thought back to his time as a boiler crew member on a spaceship.

‘When I collapsed back then, they made me drink water and said that Earth humans are vulnerable to high temperatures and prone to heatstroke.’

Remembering the ship doctor’s words, Dexter immediately went into the intake and release facility and asked another guard who was preparing to leave:

“Do you have water, cold water or ice?”

“Water?”

Marsha, the intake and release facility supervisor, immediately took a cold water bottle from the refrigerator and tossed it to Dexter.

“Thanks!”

Dexter took the water, approached William, opened his mouth, and made him drink.

Then he picked William up, carried him to his car, sat him in the passenger seat, and immediately headed for the hospital.

Dexter also turned the air conditioning on full blast to try to lower William’s body temperature.

The cold water and air conditioning seemed to have some effect, as William groaned and tried to get up.

“Where, where is…”

“Mr. Pilgrim, are you conscious? We’re on our way to the hospital, so please wait a moment.”

“No, hospital… no…!”

“What?”

“Hospital… no…!”

“What do you mean ‘no hospital’? You might need immediate hospitalization.”

“Here… please…”

William put his trembling hand in his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, which he handed to Dexter.

“What is this?”

“Bu, business card…”

‘A business card carried by someone with mental illness?’

While waiting at a traffic light, Dexter unfolded the business card William had given him and saw an address near McCarran Airport.

‘Judging by the address, it doesn’t seem like a particularly good area.’

Although it was near the Strip, the area around McCarran Airport was known for its poor security.

[Free consultations welcome! We’ll treat you at the lowest cost!]

Dexter clicked his tongue after reading the brief introduction of “Dr. Abernathy,” the owner of the business card.

‘Does cheap treatment inspire confidence?’

Walking around McCarran Airport late at night in a correctional officer’s uniform is like advertising yourself to thugs and asking them to half-kill you.

Dexter took off his outer garment, put on a cheap t-shirt he kept in the car, and parked near the address on the business card.

“Mr. Pilgrim, let’s get up.”

“Ugh… thank you…”

Dexter was supporting William from the passenger seat and looking for the address on the crumpled business card.

“What’s that?”

“Looks like some muscular guy who’s already been worked over.”

“Do you really want to approach that beefcake, you fucking idiot?”

“He’s alone, and there are three of us, moron.”

Dexter could hear a conversation from the alley entrance in the direction he was walking, and it was easy to predict what would happen next.

‘Judging by their voices, they seem to be barely adults.’

Dexter felt strange about facing his first mugging attempt since arriving on Earth.

‘My instincts have really dulled. Do I really deserve to be treated like this?’

Dexter could hear the footsteps of three people gradually approaching him.

In fact, more than anything, Dexter’s pride was a bit hurt after hearing the three people’s conversation.

‘So they think they can push me around with just three people, huh? They must think I’m easy prey.’

Soon, as the three people stood awkwardly in front of him, Dexter sighed deeply and said:

“What?”

“You’d better hand over everything you’ve got.”

The leader of the group, who was standing at the front, took out a folding knife from his pocket and pointed it at Dexter.

‘A knife, not even a gun.’

Dexter realized that they were much more insignificant than he had thought.

He showed his index finger to the three people, asking them to wait a moment, and sat William down leaning against a car parked on the street.

“Wait about 3 minutes, no. Just 1 minute.”

“Ugh…”

Hearing what Dexter said to William, the three people laughed at Dexter and said:

“He gave up real quick. Isn’t it a waste of those muscles?”

“Must be all for show. Folded immediately.”

Dexter had spoken confidently, but the three people didn’t understand what he meant.

Dexter’s plan to deal with the three people coolly and then continue with William had gone slightly awry.

“No, that’s not what I meant by taking one minute.”

Dexter glanced at his wristwatch and began to look over the three people.

‘They all seem to have worked out a bit, but they’re not professionals.’

Although they weren’t professionals, Dexter didn’t want to get another hole in his body like with Hector’s gang, so he lowered his stance slightly and said:

“50 seconds.”

“What?”

“I’ll take care of you in 50 seconds.”

Dexter said this while striking down hard on the hand of the leader who was holding the knife.

Before the pain could even register, the man dropped the knife and was momentarily confused about what had happened, while Dexter was already moving in toward the man’s body.

-Thwack.

Dexter threw a right hook toward the jaw of the man who couldn’t react to the sudden attack.

Before he could feel the intense pain, the man momentarily staggered due to his center of gravity being disrupted by Dexter’s hook, and Dexter immediately drove his left fist into the man’s solar plexus.

The impact was enough to compress not only the diaphragm but also the lungs.

With pain successively flooding into his jaw, solar plexus, and even his side, the man couldn’t respond at all, and Dexter’s one-sided beating began.

“You, you brute!”

The two people beside him started rushing toward Dexter, cursing, as they saw their friend being beaten without a chance to react.