Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

……

“Um, boss, can I ask…” Kang Bo first observed Zhang Renfeng’s expression, and seeing him nod, he continued, “Is the sheriff you’re looking for investigating the case of the Australian shrike?”

“That’s right,” Zhang Renfeng said with emotion. “Now that things have come to this, he’s the only sheriff who’s still willing to work hard for this case.”

“That might be a mistake. After all, this area is all wealthy neighborhoods.” Kang Bo pointed to the area circled in pencil after the area was narrowed down, and said, “Ocean Shrike is different from Red Center. He’s a coward and wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on the rich. The people he killed in his previous cases were basically people with no background, so killing them wouldn’t cause any reaction. Besides…”

He pointed to a building in the center of the circle. "This is where the Wendigo mayor lives. Killing a sheriff in this area will definitely cause a huge uproar. The police department will definitely try every means to search for clues. He must be crazy to do that."

It is said that those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. Kang Bo never expected that these few unintentional words from the bystanders would cause the four men's expressions to change drastically, and they would look up at him almost simultaneously, staring intently at him.

"W-What's wrong, boss?" He swallowed hard. "I was just talking nonsense..."

"No...no no no...Kang Bo, you're absolutely right, so right!" Zhang Renfeng and Mike exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock of sudden realization in each other's eyes.

Yes, how could I not have thought of that after so many times before?!

How could I have subconsciously excluded that person from the suspect list?

That day, apart from the police officers, that person could also freely enter and exit the mental hospital without any hindrance!

Chapter 174: What is the most important thing in being a person?

Behind the Wendigo mansion.

"What do we do now?" Mike tied the horse to a wooden pole not far away and said in a deep voice, "It would be too conspicuous for four people to go in together."

“The three of us will go in. If we hit a lock, Alana can help unlock it. You keep watch outside,” Zhang Renfeng quickly arranged. “I have a feeling something big is going to happen tonight…”

This premonition was not without reason.

A truly experienced angler often has a premonition of a fish taking the bait just before it bites. Zhang Renfeng is a perfect example of this.

He suddenly realized that if Wendigo were to be identified with the identity of the Shrike of Ortega, it would explain many things, including the criminal profile Igor had provided, which perfectly matched him. That night, in Evelyn's house, he had a brief encounter with the Shrike himself, and now, thinking back, the man's height and physique bore some resemblance to Wendigo.

"Old Mike, go back to the camp and call Theon along too."

Mike, equally grave, nodded, only adding, "If it really is this guy... remember to leave me alive."

"clear."

They split into two groups. Zhang Renfeng and his men broke in through the backyard wall. Alana climbed over by herself, while Xiaomei was carried by Zhang Renfeng, who quickly leaped onto the wall and landed lightly. After confirming that no one was inside, they didn't rush in but instead searched the courtyard first, easily finding the entrance to the cellar.

After all, the cellar is there. Covering it with a few layers of leaves or some soil won't change its depth, and it's easy to detect unnatural human traces.

“There’s not a speck of dust on the iron ring, and there are no footprints on the nearby soil... so it’s possible they were wiped off later.” Xiaomei squatted down and examined the condition of the door lock. “Someone has been in and out of here recently.”

As they opened the cellar door and descended the stone steps, what came into view was a water trough pressed against the stone bricks, and intestines soaking in liquid.

It was impossible not to see it, because the entire cellar was empty except for this one large object.

"Intestines...intestines..." Alana gasped, "Could it be?!"

“No, this isn’t human intestines.” Zhang Renfeng remained calm, having seen many before, which allowed him to speak so composedly. “I’ve seen human intestines before, and they’re much shorter than this. Think about it, a person’s stomach is only so big, how could it possibly fit this thing?”

He pulled a piece of intestine out of the sink, and the pungent bitterness made him frown.

Clearly, this is not ordinary water.

“We have a Chinese idiom, ‘sheep's intestines’, which describes a winding path. Sheep's intestines are like that too, so their droppings are also in small, ball-like pieces.” Zhang Renfeng tossed the intestines into the trough and said confidently, “These are definitely sheep intestines.”

Regardless of what happens next, knowing that this wasn't something cut out of a human body brought a sense of relief.

However, the mysteries within this cellar are no less numerous.

……

“There used to be a very heavy table here, but for some reason, everything was moved away... and it happened just recently, the marks on the floor are still very fresh.”

Following the roots, Xiaomei practically crawled on the ground, using a lantern to carefully examine the area, and arrived at the left corner of the cellar.

"The dust in this area is uneven; something must have been piled up here before."

After looking at the ground, Xiaomei stood up on her own and walked around the wall in the small room, muttering to herself, "The bullet holes on the wall... are still very new. It wouldn't be surprising if they were left last night. In such a narrow room, the bullets couldn't have landed anywhere else; they must have hit the wall. At least it proves that a conflict broke out here."

She stopped in front of a crack in the stone wall, somewhat puzzled. The crack was clearly new, but she couldn't recall any corresponding object in her mind, it was like...

"A fist?" Alana chimed in, offering a serious analysis. "Someone must have punched this, right? And then the stone wall here cracked from years of neglect."

"Ha." Zhang Renfeng chuckled, mocking, "What a soft punch."

"That's not the point. The point is, there was a conflict here not long ago. Perhaps out of fear of being discovered, or for some other reason, all the other items in the cellar were moved. Judging from the depth of the indentations, there should have been a very heavy table. Perhaps... it wasn't just the mayor; there were other accomplices."

"The timing of Mr. Sean's disappearance also matches up to about the same time."

"And what about this?" Alana kicked the sink twice, making a clanging sound. "You moved everything, but forgot this big thing?"

“Because the process isn’t finished yet.” Zhang Renfeng walked to the water tank, looked at the sheep intestines soaking inside, and murmured, “He wants to use this water to soften the intestines and then make something, maybe…”

As he was speaking, Zhang Renfeng suddenly fell silent, half-squatted down, and picked up a thin, bright silver thread from the gap between the wall and the ground.

“This, this is it!” Zhang Renfeng’s tone was somewhat excited. “That night at Evelyn’s house, the guy I fought also tried to strangle me with this kind of thin thread. But he didn’t succeed, and I kicked him back… That thread fell at the scene and I picked it up.”

As more and more evidence surfaced, the three men were quite excited. The killer hiding in the shadows was finally showing some signs of life.

"What do we do next? Should we go into his house?" Xiaomei asked worriedly. "He's the town mayor, after all."

"We'll take care of the town mayor." Zhang Renfeng didn't hesitate at all, waving his hand directly, "Go!"

----

The windows were easier to pry open than the doors. Stepping into the Wendigo mansion was like entering a deep, terrifying labyrinth, exuding an air of grandeur and strangeness. The house was unusually quiet, with a predominantly black color scheme. The furniture and chairs looked like they were made of stone that had been hewn by an axe, radiating a cold rationality.

Perhaps because the color scheme wasn't quite right, the house didn't appear particularly luxurious from the outside. Most of the space inside was filled with all sorts of books, which he took great care of, covering them all with black covers.

He seemed to have intentionally shaped his home environment into this way, like a temple made of obsidian, where one would subconsciously feel very small, to the point that one would unconsciously lower the volume of their breathing and speech.

Amidst this oppressive blackness, the only color was a spot in the southwest corner of the hall.

The dining table in Wendigo.

The dining table was covered with a snow-white tablecloth, like an unfolded canvas.

At the center of the table sits an elegant vase. Their natural beauty radiates across the entire surface. Vibrant red roses, gentle pink carnations, charming yellow chrysanthemums, and serene blue asters—a rich tapestry of colors blooms on the table, creating a striking contrast against the black background, a truly breathtaking sight.

Each plate is made of high-quality ceramic, with a smooth and glossy surface and delicate gold patterns along the edges, making it like a work of art.

The cutlery gleamed with a cool luster and was neatly arranged next to the plate, showing the host's thoughtfulness and taste.

……

Xiaomei suddenly felt a chill. Realizing what had happened, she covered her mouth and began to gag.

Chapter 175: The Darkest Thing Is Under the Lamp—It's Really, Really, Dark!

"What's wrong?" Alana quickly went to help her up. "Are you feeling unwell?"

“No, I just suddenly remembered something…” Xiaomei composed herself, suppressing her physical discomfort, and turned her gaze to the brightly colored dining table. “The Australian shrike hangs its victims on the antlers and takes their internal organs and parts of their limbs. The police concluded that he was a mental patient and that taking these things was due to a disordered mental state, so they couldn’t explain his motive.”

"However, judging from the traces of his actions at the scene, he doesn't seem like a mentally unstable person at all. He planned the scene meticulously and acted calmly, without any trace of impulsive killing. I discussed this with Mr. Igor, and he told me that the Australian Shrike doesn't see its victims as human beings at all, but at most as livestock like cattle and sheep, which contradicts the conclusion given by the police department."

"Have you ever thought about what the mayor of Wendigo would do with these organs if... I mean, if... Mayor Wendigo were the Australian Shrike?"

After he finished speaking, an eerie silence fell over the living room.

The vibrant colors seemed to break free from their shackles, emerging from the darkness to transform into a gaping maw, ready to swallow them whole.

"..."

Alana stared in disbelief, her mind completely blank. She had encountered many villains, but even the most wicked were no match for someone like Tuku. He was temperamental, unpredictable, and enjoyed beating people to death to establish his authority. But overall, he remained within the realm of "humanity."

Wendigo, on the other hand, is like a monster in human skin.

“He ate them all.” Zhang Renfeng was mentally strong. Such a shocking fact only made him silent for a short while. His brows were furrowed and his fists were clenched so tightly that they cracked. “This can explain a lot of things—why take organs while the victim is still alive...simply because fresh organs are fresher when they are taken from the body.”

"In a sense, the police department is not going in the wrong direction."

"Eating them and turning a part of them into your own 'flesh and blood' forever can also be considered a kind of collection."

"Ugh... Mr. Hongzhong, please stop talking, I feel a little unwell." Xiaomei felt nauseous. Joining a gang wouldn't shake a person's basic worldview too much, but the fact that they could eat people was beyond her tolerance limit.

"Following this line of thinking, wouldn't the newcomers already be..."

"No, that can't be. Sean disappeared last night. Assuming the initial scene of their conflict was in that cellar, moving the original items from the cellar would take a lot of effort. He simply didn't have the extra time to kill anyone. Besides, the meat might not be fresh after being left overnight."

Zhang Renfeng sighed, putting himself in the shoes of an extremely cold-blooded butcher.

……

"As a chef, I have standards for my sense of taste and smell that seem almost demanding to ordinary people."

"My sense of taste and smell..."

"Taste and smell..."

……

In his memory, Wendigo's unintentional words gave him a glimmer of hope.

“Sean is still alive.” Zhang Renfeng’s tone was very certain. “Because he is a chef with high standards… His sense of smell and taste are almost demanding. He can taste the subtle staleness of ingredients after they have been stored overnight, which is something he absolutely cannot accept.”

"The ingredients are stored in this house. There must be partitions, mezzanines, or a basement that is not easy to find."

"Hurry up and look, there's still a chance."

Xiao Mei's expression turned serious. She nodded and was about to turn around and continue searching when a steady, strong hand landed on her shoulder.

“Not you,” Zhang Renfeng said succinctly. “Alana and I are enough. You go to the police station with Mike first, and take these two strings with you. If Gordon is there, tell him our conjecture… Xiaomei, you talk to Mike on the way. When you get there, remember to have Old Mike tell him. You don’t need to say anything.”

“Mike used to be his boss, so whether he believes it or not, he’ll take it seriously.”

"Mr. Hongzhong, I..."

Just as Xiaomei was about to say something in her defense, Zhang Renfeng seemed to have anticipated her thoughts and waved his hand first, indicating that she didn't need to say anything more.

“This is also a very important task. Go.” Zhang Renfeng handed her the two strings together and gave her special instructions, “Remember, don’t tell him about the cannibalism theory for now.”

……

"You're quite considerate of her," Alana said half-jokingly. "That's the downside of being too smart. Her associative abilities are too strong. She can conjure up a complete picture from just a few small details... If she stands here a little longer, she'll probably soon see how those victims were disemboweled."

Zhang Renfeng asked very seriously, "How are you? Are you alright?"

"I'm alright, but back in Scarface Village, I heard them talk about it... There's a gang that rules the mountains on the border between New Elizabeth and Granite State, calling themselves the 'Ramse Gang.' If you fall into their hands, it's not just about robbery; you'll be skinned alive and roasted like a pig..."

Alana chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Luckily, I'm not that smart, so I can't really imagine what it's like. I just listen to it like a horror story. Maybe I'll get used to it after a while."

Regardless of the true nature of the Ramsay gang, this demonstrates that even within gang communities, cannibalism can be used as a horror story to frighten children.

……

The imposing palace, as you walk up the escalator, feels like stepping into Wendigo's memories.

The more Zhang Renfeng looked, the more certain he became that in Wendigo's memory, there must have been a cold, dark night. The night flowed calmly over him, swallowing him whole. On that night, his human skin completely shed, and from it grew a man-eating monster.

They carefully examined the first floor but found no possible location for a cellar. They ran their hands along the base of the wall, and the surface felt unusually smooth, like touching solidified ice.

Nothing was gained.

"How about we split up? From the outside, this building looks like it has a second and third floor. Shall I go find the upper floors?"

“No need.” Zhang Renfeng shook his head. “Think about it, if you need a secret space for holding people and processing food, it can’t be on the second floor. That means you have to move the victims up and down repeatedly. No matter how strong you are, you can’t withstand that kind of repeated torment.”

……

Pushing open the last door, darkness surged out like a tide, squeezing through the cracks as if to engulf the two of them.

antlers.

As if growing out of the wall, the branches forked, hanging like specimens, their sizes and shapes varied greatly. These were originally parts of an animal, but now the deer's head was missing, and the antlers hung empty, creating a chilling sense of incompleteness.

Directly opposite the door was a bookcase that filled the entire wall; heaven knows where he got so many books that he could fill all three shelves. Apart from that, the room contained only a square table and a long bench, making it look quite empty.

Alana measured the length of the bookshelf with her steps, bit her lip, and nodded, saying, "This is probably it."

Chapter 176: The Silence of the Lambs

"This is a sheep intestine string."

In Gordon's office at the police station.

Kobi was holding a magnifying glass, squinting one eye, carefully comparing the differences between the two violin strings.