From Robinson Crusoe

With two crisp cracking sounds of bones breaking, two more corpses appeared in the dimly lit basement.

Chen Zhou placed Brian alongside his parents, pried open a bucket of chemical dye, and poured it into the basement.

The bright dye emitted a strong, pungent odor, obliterating all traces of the fierce struggle in the room. In this era where DNA technology was not advanced, it would be difficult for anyone to find any clues about Chen Zhou.

Leaving the basement and locking the door, Chen Zhou searched the entire house with the pistol he had taken from Brian.

During the search, he carefully wore gloves stained with chemical dye to avoid leaving fingerprints.

As Mrs. Brian stated, this marginalized little family in Ambrose did not retain any clues about where they lived.

Aside from selecting prey and creating wax figures, they lived a normal life at home, just like an ordinary family.

Whether it's cooking, drinking tea, mowing the lawn, or occasionally traveling.

Ambrose is a unique word. When it refers to the bully dog, the Brians feel nothing special. But when it specifically refers to their homeland, which is like hell, they can't help but feel uncomfortable, even though both of them have innocent lives on their hands.

There are differences even among devils.

Compared to those truly indifferent to life and wholeheartedly devoted to their art of killing, the Brians always felt they were still among the normal people.

Perhaps due to a lack of communication with Ambrose for too long, they have actually reduced the frequency of creating "wax figures" in recent years.

Living in this remote town, the couple gradually became more humane.

However, as Mrs. Brian and Little Brian each revealed what they knew to Chen Zhou, Chen Zhou always felt that they were still hiding something.

However, now that he had obtained specific information about Ambrose and learned that Ronald's daughter was either still alive or seriously injured, he had achieved his goal and didn't want to hear any more about how the Brian family had "turned over a new leaf."

Chen Zhou never agreed with the idea of ​​"laying down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha on the spot".

Perhaps one day Brian will completely retire from his life of crime and become incredibly kind, so much so that he won't even kill a single insect.

But even if that day comes, the people he killed, the families he destroyed, and the crimes he committed will not be wiped clean.

Death may not be the most just trial, but for Chen Zhou, it is the only justice he can give to Brian's family and the victims.

……

Having done many bad things, and with a wealthy and powerful family, the quality of the guns in Brian's house was indeed far superior to the three cheap ones Ronald bought at the gun shop.

In Brian's bedroom, Chen Zhou found a rare Colt revolver with an ivory grip and 12 bullets.

In addition, there is a Winchester M12 and an M1 carbine. Both guns are in good condition, about 90% new, but they are equipped with fewer bullets.

However, compared to firearms, bullets are a minor issue, as they can be purchased at most gun shops.

After tidying up the guns, wrapping them in a sheet and placing them on the sofa in the living room, Chen Zhou was about to go to the basement of the tool shed to rescue Ronald's daughter when he heard the bully dog ​​named Ambrose barking wildly outside the door again.

He tossed two pillows onto the sheet covering the guns to keep them out of sight, then strode to the door and opened it.

The bully dog, which had been waiting for a long time, was in a bad temper. It seemed to have been out of control for too long. As soon as it saw that a stranger had opened the door, it rushed towards Chen Zhou and opened its mouth to bite his trouser leg.

Soon, the bully dog ​​flew away at a speed much faster than it had charged towards it.

It flew very high and very far, drawing a beautiful parabola, flying from the gate all the way across the lawn, over the fence and landing on the road, where it remained motionless.

……

After closing the door and tightening his newly bought clothes, Chen Zhou carefully examined his garments and frowned upon seeing a few drops of blood on them.

Looks like I'll have to buy another outfit.

With that in mind, Chen Zhou walked straight towards the tool shed.

According to Brian, Ronald's daughter was kidnapped by him and kept in the basement of the tool shed.

As for the strange man in the basement, he didn't mention him. When Chen Zhou asked, he only said that the man was a "target" they had captured and tortured. But if you pay attention to the expressions of Brian and Mrs. Brian, you'll know that things are not as simple as Brian said.

Of course, things have progressed to this point, and once we see that person and rescue Ronald's daughter, the truth will come out.

Chen Zhou trampled Brian's lawn without mercy, arriving at the tool shed amidst the roar of the lawnmower that was still running.

The tool shed door was still locked, but the iron chain fixed to the wooden door was nothing to Chen Zhou. He simply tugged lightly and pulled off the long nail at the end of the chain that was driven into the wooden board, easily opening the door.

The room was as dark as Ronald had described, and the chair with the broken leg was placed to the side.

Stepping inside, you'll find that it's not as chaotic as Ronald described.

Tools and replaceable machine parts were neatly arranged on the left and right sides of the room. On the table by the window, there were several plates and a dinner plate with some food scraps on them.

Apart from being dimly lit, the tool shed didn't have much of the feel of a storage room, nor did it have an overly strong smell of blood; in fact, it was quite tidy.

Chen Zhou vaguely felt that this place was not a place for slaughter, but rather like a person's room, a normal person's independent room.

As he stepped inside, the rustling sounds in the basement immediately ceased, but Chen Zhou could already discern the heartbeats of the two people beneath his feet amidst the noise of the lawnmower on the lawn.

When he opened the wooden door leading to the basement, the scene before him made Chen Zhou pause in surprise—

The cramped basement was connected to the tool shed by a long ladder, and three light bulbs hung inside.

All three light bulbs were now lit, bathing the basement in a bright, warm yellow light.

The room is flanked by neat wooden shelves, on which are displayed many lifelike small wood carvings, wax figures, and some well-preserved wooden puppets and plastic figurines.

The walls are covered with posters of various movies and cartoon heroes from children's comics.

Everything together created a secret base for the children, and at the deepest part of this base was a somewhat worn-out double bed.

On the lower bunk of the double bed sat the man Ronald called a monster, holding a picture book of fairy tales.

Sitting on the upper bunk was Ronald's daughter, clutching a bright yellow duck plush toy. She timidly looked at Chen Zhou, who had suddenly descended the long ladder and appeared in the room. She seemed more afraid of this tall stranger than the terrifying-looking "man under the bed".

……

Upon seeing Chen Zhou barge into the room, the man, uglier than a wild beast, immediately stood up, placed the fairy tale book he was holding on the desk beside him, and reached out to block the bed.

He was taller than average, and his faded clothes made him appear particularly bulky.

Like a mother hen protecting her chicks, he tried to protect his companions behind him, not only trying to stop Chen Zhou but also opening his mouth to try and stop him. As Ronald described, this deformed man had no tongue; he opened his mouth in vain, panting hurriedly and rapidly, only able to utter unpleasant roars.

"Antina, your father is looking for you. You have to come with me."

Having experienced too much fighting, Chen Zhou did not feel uncomfortable with the ugly, tongueless man. He tentatively tried to communicate with Ronald's daughter.

To Ronald's surprise, his daughter was deeply impressed by him, the "Indian." After taking a closer look, she immediately became wary, hugging her plush toy and shrinking to the end of the bed, pressed against the wall, refusing to move forward no matter what.

Seeing this, the tongueless man seemed to think that Chen Zhou was a malicious person, so he charged forward while shouting.

However, the difference in strength between him and Chen Zhou was too great. Even if he were armed with a knife, he would not be a match for Chen Zhou, let alone being unarmed.

Once the fear caused by his ugly appearance is dispelled, it becomes clear that this tall fellow is nothing but a showy imposter, utterly incapable of fighting.

Chen Zhou casually tripped the tongueless man, knocking him to the ground, and then stepped on his chest.

After being genetically modified, his weight increased again. Even though he deliberately put a lot of effort into stepping down, his leg still made the tongueless man breathless.

He reached out and grabbed Chen Zhou's calf, trying to move him aside.

However, this leg was heavier than any support he had ever seen, like a tree that had been growing in the ground for many years, and no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge.

"Antina, come with me."

"Your father, Ronald Loy, asked me to find you. He's waiting for you in town. Do you know how worried he's been while you were missing?"

Chen Zhou continued to persuade Antina, who was curled up on the bed.

The little girl tightened her grip on the plush duck's neck, and tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the tongueless man who was being trampled under Chen Zhou's feet and could barely breathe.

She carefully shifted her body, then climbed down the ladder of the double bed and walked to Chen Zhou.

"Uncle, I can go with you."

Can you let him go? He's not a bad person.

Antina crouched down beside the tongueless man and pleaded pitifully.

Seeing that the little girl was willing to cooperate, Chen Zhou moved his foot away.

The tongueless man was terrified of this strange, tall man with superhuman strength. As soon as he was freed, he retreated all the way back to his bed and pulled the blanket over himself.

He seemed to have a mind completely disproportionate to his physical size; despite his frightening appearance, he behaved like a child.

……

Mrs. Brian and young Brian were vague about the tool shed and the tongueless man.

They only said that the little girl was fine, that she was locked in the tool shed and had not been abused, but they did not explain in detail how Antina was abducted and how she was imprisoned.

Judging from their past actions, Antina's brief period of safety could not possibly last long.

It's unrealistic to expect wild beasts to have a compassionate heart. As long as this poor little girl remains here, she will eventually be turned into a "soulful wax figure" by them.

After witnessing the wicked deeds of the Brians, Chen Zhou no longer held much hope that Antina was still alive.

Only after reaching the basement and seeing Antina unharmed did he breathe a sigh of relief and curiously ask Antina what she had gone through these past few days.

The truth is always hard to believe.

Heaven and hell are separated by only a thin line.

The Brians actually had more than one child; Brian Jr. also had a younger brother, the tongueless man.

The outlier in this family has been kind since childhood and holds an unusually high regard for life.

He wasn't born ugly; he was a handsome child, but all of that was ultimately ruined by what he saw in a wax figure studio.

The tongueless man, who witnessed his parents and brother brutally murdering a traveler, could not accept what he had seen and set fire to all the wax figures in the room.

He narrowly escaped with his life, but was burned to this state.

The man who used to be tongueless was sunny and cheerful, and liked to talk to others. But after the accident, he never left his room again and even moved to the tool shed to live.

No one knows what kind of inner struggle he went through, nor does anyone know what the Brian family's attitude was towards this outsider.

They simply dug a basement under the tool shed and gave the tongueless man his own space, delivering meals to him every day.

The family, though related by blood, were as estranged as angels and devils, a division that constantly pierced the hearts of everyone in Brian's family.

The Brian family had been sinking into the abyss at a terrible rate, but the encounter with the tongueless man halted the downward spiral.

In recent years, Brian has significantly reduced the frequency of his crimes, actively choosing targets less and less.

Just a few days ago, Brian accidentally found Antina left in the car and noticed that she was not accompanied by any family members, so he secretly took action.

However, what Brian didn't expect was that all of this was seen by the tongueless man.

The tongueless man rescued Antina from her brother and settled her in the basement.

Because of this, he angered his parents and brother and was punished by being tied to a chair for a whole day until Ronald discovered the secret and he was released.

After the fire, the tongueless man gradually closed himself off from everything he had seen in order to escape from it all.

His behavior and cognition are becoming more and more like a child's, and children are often the least concerned about their appearance, at least that's how Antina is.

Antina doesn't have many of the prejudices that adults have; she can communicate with the tongueless people and even act as their messenger.

After hearing all this, and looking at the tongueless man who knew nothing about the deaths of his parents and brothers, Chen Zhou felt a special pity for him.

Being born into this family was a misfortune for him, but the greatest fortune for Antina and the victims who might later die at Brian's hands.

When all of this came to an end because of his arrival, the Brians and their son Brian had received their due punishment, but what would become of the tongueless man?

Who would believe that his hands are not stained with blood, and who would take care of this ugly, socially disconnected person?

Chen Zhou didn't know. He could only sigh and leave this place, which had buried too many travelers, with Antina. (End of Chapter)