The House Has a Killer (Happy Fourth Day of Lunar New Year!!)

Lake drove Betty, but didn't immediately return to their home in Arlington County.

Why?

Lake wanted to take his time. If he went back at a little past one in the afternoon, he'd have to listen to Karen nag all afternoon, plus the evening. So, since he had to go back anyway, why not go later?

Perfect.

Betty wanted to go shooting, so Lake took her straight to a shooting range near Arlington County.

"Wow!"

Lake took down the target paper and looked at the nine holes within the ten-ring. He exclaimed, "Not bad, your marksmanship has improved," to Betty, who was taking off her ear protectors beside him.

Who knew why Betty in this life was so fond of studying and... guns?

Maybe it was because of Lake.

When Lake was in the army, he would meet Betty during his leave. Betty would then pester him with questions about interesting army stories, and somehow, through this back-and-forth, he ended up taking Betty to the shooting range.

Over time.

Betty's marksmanship... wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. At least, at her current level, she was unerring within ten meters. Within a hundred meters, if the target was stationary, and given enough time to aim, she was also unerring.

Beyond a hundred meters?

It was three parts luck.

Betty winked at Lake. "Brother, let's have a competition."

Lake was slightly taken aback. "What?"

Betty said, "Let's compete."

Lake looked up at the sky. It wasn't even dark yet, why was she starting to dream?

However.

Lake thought about it. He had nothing else to do, so he said to Betty, "Okay."

Five minutes later.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The moment Lake saw the target paper being fixed in place, he looked at Betty, who was just about to load her magazine beside him. He immediately fired, emptying ten rounds in two seconds.

The NYPD's glorious record was emptying a magazine in three seconds.

Lake was even a second faster than the fastest record.

Betty, standing beside him, had her mouth agape. She looked at Lake, who was watching her, then at the target paper being pulled back, with ten holes in the ten-ring.

This...

"I'm not playing anymore!"

Betty immediately threw in the towel. What was there to compete about? She hadn't even finished loading her bullets, and he was already done.

This was just bullying!

Betty stomped her foot, even abandoning her sky-blue compact self-defense pistol, and walked straight out of the shooting range.

Lake was stunned.

Half an hour later.

On the way home.

Lake sighed as he watched Betty contentedly examining two miniature replica target papers in her hands.

What was self-deception?

Undoubtedly, Betty perfectly embodied it. The two target papers in her hands showed ten holes in the ten-ring on one, and eight holes in the ten-ring on the other.

Lake's was the latter.

But...

Even though Betty knew Lake had deliberately gone easy on her, she still seemed very happy.

Her mind was truly something else.

But it was understandable. Otherwise, no one with a normal mind would find a man ten years her senior, especially when that man was a poor scientist.

"Oh, right."

Lake suddenly raised an eyebrow and glanced at the storage compartment in front of the passenger seat. "You've been keeping your handgun in this car all along? Do Karen and the others know?"

Betty looked at Lake and smiled. "Of course not. Mom wouldn't allow me to use a handgun. I bought this with my own savings from working part-time; it cost me nearly three thousand US dollars. Keeping it here, do you think Dad would ever open it to look? Besides, like you said, the most dangerous place is often the safest."

Although Betty came from a military family, Karen did not. General Ross didn't have any objections to Betty liking guns; after all, it was good that she could shoot and protect herself. Unfortunately, at home, Karen was the one who called the shots. So, after Karen confiscated the three guns General Ross had given her, Betty secretly used her part-time job money to buy this one – a compact EAA women's self-defense pistol specifically designed by Stark Industries for women.

And it was the multi-colored version.

As a result...

Upon its release, it immediately became a dark horse in the top gun rankings for American women the following month. This made the hard-boiled image of Stark Industries realize that even though they were an arms company, they could still have great potential with their female compatriots.

From then on, Stark Industries would launch a female-favorite gun and arms almost every year.

For example… multi-colored custom handguns.

For example… a military-grade folding knife, allowing you to defend yourself even while cutting fruit.

In short, of Stark Industries' current sky-high market value, at least a quarter of it is supported by the female market.

Hearing Betty's words, Lake opened his mouth, as if he had thought of something, and said with a somewhat unpleasant feeling, "I suddenly realized that maybe bringing you to the shooting range was a mistake. How about you go take a bath at Grandma Susan's next door first?"

This damn indoor shooting range, shooting guns so excitedly, there was gunpowder smell on him.

When Lake first saw Betty skillfully take out her gun from General Ross's car, he thought Betty had been cleared for use. Now it seemed that was a complete illusion.

He was already going back to face Karen's nagging. If she knew he had taken Betty shooting right after returning?

Wow.

He probably wouldn't have a chance to sleep tonight.

But…

There was no chance anymore.

Because just as Lake was driving, intending to go straight to Grandma Susan's house next door without stopping home, Karen happened to walk out of the house.

Lake slammed on the brakes.

The next second.

As Lake turned off the engine, he said to Betty in the passenger seat, "Get your perfume and spray yourself, spray a lot. Karen's nose is very sensitive."

Back then, when he was twelve and smoking, he drank three cups of water, chewed five pieces of gum, and borrowed perfume from a female classmate to spray himself before going home.

The result…

As soon as he got home, Karen saw through him. To this day, Lake still doesn't understand what went wrong with his plan back then.

This was probably a woman's intuition.

He got out of the car.

Lake smiled and waved at Karen, who was standing at the door, seemingly thinking it was Ross returning.

Karen was stunned for a moment, then called out with a surprised look, "Lake."

Then.

Karen came down the stairs and hugged Lake as he walked over, complaining a little, "I don't know whether to be sad for you or happy for me, that you only came back after a breakup."

Lake: "..."

Betty, who had just gotten out of the passenger seat, couldn't help but laugh when she heard this, "Mom, I just told him the same thing. So, we should pray for him, preferably that he breaks up once a month."

"Get lost."

Karen glared at Betty, "Do you really want your brother to be single his whole life?"

With the two of them chiming in, Lake felt very awkward.

Just then.

A woman walked out from inside the house.

A stranger.

She was a killer.

Lake's eyes widened.

The moment the woman saw Lake, her eyes also widened instantly.

Hey everyone, I'm back at work, how about you?? Wuwuwu, yingyingying!!!!