1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 75: What's the next step after gathering the prey together? (Please read on!)

Walter Jenkins hummed a little tune he had made up, walking lightly and cheerfully through the mountains.

He moved with agility, like a mountain spirit, and silently leaped over the hills.

Along the way, he collected a lot of wild fruits and herbs to prepare for the hunt.

Wild fruits are the best seasonings, while herbs can effectively aid in hunting.

Walter was in a good mood, but that good mood was soon shattered by the footprints on the ground.

Those were fresh footprints, stretching all the way towards his home.

He followed the footprints and heard voices echoing in the woods, and saw figures moving around in his house.

This reminded him of his family of three five years ago.

They broke into his territory, slept in his house, and even tried to take away the specimens he had made.

He first killed the strongest man, then drove the women and children into the trap...

That was the first time he had ever dealt with humans, and he found it even easier than with wild animals, but the thrill it brought him lingered in his memory for days.

He decided to target these trespassers with his hunt, and also to relive that thrilling feeling.

Walter Jenkins quietly observed the men's every move, following them stealthily and patiently waiting for an opportunity.

He has extensive experience hunting herds of animals.

They will give him the opportunity to hunt as long as he doesn't sense danger.

He soon got his chance.

…………

Theodore and his men set up camp in the valley.

They cleared a space in front of the cabin, lit a campfire, ate wild game, and chatted.

The county police had heard many rumors about the Twin Detectives and read reports about them, and were very curious about them.

All the questions that I hadn't asked during the day were now being asked at once.

Bernie and Theodore answered their questions one by one.

The atmosphere was lively.

Amidst the fervor, a thud was heard at the valley entrance, and something rushed in.

Thinking it was a wild animal, they all went over to investigate, holding torches in hand.

That's not a wild animal.

Two heads were stuck in the ground with wooden sticks.

Blood mixed with dirt covered most of their heads, but their identities were still recognizable.

These two are county police officers who came down the mountain to deliver a message.

Silence fell over the valley; everyone was stunned.

Bernie suddenly shoved the old county sheriff next to him, and a sharpened wooden stick flew past his chest, the twig at the end of the stick scratching his cheek.

He's outside!

The old county policeman shouted, got up, and rushed outside.

The remaining county police officers filed out.

"Come back! All of you, come back!"

Bernie drew his gun but didn't follow them out. He leaned against the valley wall and shouted at the backs of the county sheriffs.

But nobody listened to him.

The scene outside the valley completely shattered their reason.

On a tree directly opposite the entrance to the valley, a headless corpse hangs upside down, swaying gently in the mountain breeze.

Below it, another headless corpse lay with its limbs outstretched, impaled on a tree branch, its abdomen ripped open.

Their internal organs were piled on the ground, like mounds of earth.

The horrific scene truly terrified them. The county sheriffs stood there motionless, as if frozen in place.

Several seconds later, some people couldn't help but start vomiting.

He was a round-faced young man, the youngest in the group, and Theodore always suspected that he wasn't even an adult.

The round-faced young man dropped his torch, leaned against a tree, bent over, and vomited up all the wild game he had just eaten.

Inspired by him, the others also began to vomit.

The old county policeman, his face ashen, circled the area twice with a torch in hand before untying the rope.

The upside-down body fell with a thud, its chest gaping open. The old county policeman dragged the body into the valley.

Other county police officers also went to help.

They placed the body in a corner, then picked up the head and put it together with the body.

The old county policeman gathered the men together, preparing to take them to avenge their colleague.

Some of the others were afraid; they even doubted that the person who killed their colleague was human at all.

"It killed both of us!"

"Whatever it is, it must die today!"

The veteran county police officer cheered on his colleagues.

He then approached Theodore and Bernie, inviting them to join him.

Bernie didn't approve of their actions; they knew nothing about the outside world, and rushing out would be no different from suicide.

He persuaded the old county policeman to wait until dawn to go down the mountain together, gather more manpower, and then come back.

The old county policeman pointed to the body on the ground and said, "I didn't sense that it wanted to let us go."

He believed that whatever had done this wouldn't let them wait peacefully until dawn. Rather than passively waiting, they should take advantage of their energy and strength to go out and find it.

Bernie looked at Theodore.

Theodore was crouching on the ground, examining the two heads.

Their cuts were extremely rough; they couldn't even be called cuts. They were forcibly separated by smashing and tearing.

Seeing that the two were looking at him, Theodore offered his opinion.

He believed that the person outside was the murderer they were looking for.

He explained to the two that ordinary hunters wouldn't come this far, nor would they have any reason to attack the police. Only someone who considers this place their own territory would do such a thing.

The veteran county policeman visibly relaxed upon hearing that it was a person and extended another invitation to the two.

Theodore asked the old county sheriff what he planned to do.

The retired county policeman suggested searching the area to find him.

Theodore immediately shook his head and refused.

He reminded the veteran county police officer that the killer was far more familiar with the area than they were; to the killer, this place was like home.

They had only been here for less than five hours and hadn't even figured out their direction. At this point, splitting up to search would only allow the killer to pick them off one by one.

If you're going to gather together to search, why not wait until daytime?

The old county policeman glanced at his four colleagues huddled together not far away, then at the corpse at his feet, and fell silent.

He was very resentful, but he wouldn't risk his colleague's life out of spite.

Bernie knew the old sheriff had been persuaded to calm down, so he patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.

The old county policeman shook his head, his voice low and somber: "Are we just going to wait here and do nothing?"

Theodore shook his head.

He disagreed with both the old sheriff's proposal and Bernie's proposal.

He wanted to lure the person out and capture them.

Theodore pointed to the corpse on the ground and said
"His handling of these two was very skillful. Highly ritualistic. This wasn't the first time he'd done this."

Bernie immediately thought of the two skulls that had been pulled from the river.

Theodore thought Bernie's guess was very likely, and he continued, "Cut off the head, gut it, and take out the internal organs."

"This is the same method a hunter uses to handle his prey."

"He's treating us like prey!"

"Because we invaded his territory. We occupied his home!"

Theodore believed he had to find the killer, or he would keep pursuing him like a hunter chasing its prey.

The old county policeman opened his eyes wide.

He only understood the last sentence, and he really wanted to ask how it differed from his advice.

Bernie had the same question; he still believed it was safer to stay in the valley.

Theodore paused for a moment, then said, "In his eyes, we are prey."

What should you do after you've herded the prey together when hunting?

(End of this chapter)