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The woman rushed behind the counter and quickly pulled a double-barreled shotgun from a hidden compartment. However, before she could fully turn around to aim, the weapon was snatched right out of her hands.
Standing on the other side of the counter, Mike toyed with the Remington shotgun, his eyes locked on the woman across from him.
"Wait, we can talk..." Seeing Mike's relaxed demeanor—and hearing the groans of the four men behind him—the woman realized she had messed with the wrong person. Terrified, she stammered, "We can give you money. Lots and lots of money. Please, don't hurt us."
"Don't misunderstand, I'm actually a good guy." Mike held the shotgun by the barrel like a club, correcting her assumption. He held up the photo with his other hand. "Now, are you ready to tell me what your relationship is with the three monsters in this picture?"
"I don't know what you're talking about..." When the topic turned to the cannibals, the woman grew evasive again, glancing toward a heavy glass beer mug on the counter as if she were contemplating one last desperate struggle.
"Still not being honest, I see."
Mike had already guessed the atrocities this family had committed, and his patience was wearing thin. Seeing her try to stall and lie, he swung the stock of the shotgun and smashed it directly into her face.
Teeth and blood flew through the air.
The woman crashed into the liquor cabinet behind her before collapsing to the floor, sent into a deep "sleep."
It was just evidence; if she wouldn't talk, Mike could find it himself. He turned around and used the same method to put the four men behind him to "sleep" as well.
The Remington really was a handy tool.
Heading toward the back rooms, Mike passed through the kitchen and spotted a massive leg bone on the cutting board.
This family really was a pack of "cannibals."
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, Mike couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. Eating human flesh—that fact alone meant none of the five people in this inn deserved to live.
In the backyard, Mike immediately spotted expensive watches, pearl earrings, necklaces, and wallets scattered everywhere. In the corner, next to a crucible for melting metal, sat a neat stack of over a dozen small gold bars, each about the length of a hand.
These items further corroborated Mike's earlier theory.
He then swept through the guest area and found a massive safe in the master bedroom. After forcibly cracking it open, he found dozens more gold bars and stacks of cash, but tucked in the very back was an old, worn notebook.
Gene Fusion and Hybridization Experiments.
The notebook contained experimental logs from a secret research institute dating back nearly a hundred years. The content described a group of mad scientists attempting to use unorthodox methods to create "new" humans.
The fact that this notebook was here suggested that the institute from a century ago had likely been destroyed by the very "monsters" they created. This family at the inn was likely the descendants of one of the escaped test subjects.
It was safe to assume there were plenty more "monster families" like this out there.
What a terrible discovery.
---
About half an hour later, Mike returned to the front counter carrying a large bag of loot.
"Any more excuses?"
After waking the woman with a bucket of ice water, Mike tossed the notebook in front of her.
"You can't kill me. We're victims too..." The woman, realizing everything was exposed, looked at Mike's increasingly cold expression and finally felt true fear.
"Is that your last word?" Mike didn't feel a shred of sympathy for them just because of their ancestors' tragic history. Forgiving them was God's job; Mike's job was to arrange the meeting.
"We have certificates of mental instability from the hospital! You can't kill us..." Seeing that playing the victim wasn't working, she switched strategies.
"Mental instability"—the insanity plea. The exemption laws for the mentally ill had been passed decades ago. Clearly, while this family covered for the cannibals in the forest, they had also thoroughly studied the rules of civilized society.
It made sense; if they didn't have that kind of cunning, the cannibals wouldn't have remained hidden for so many years.
"Mental illness doesn't prove your innocence... honestly, why am I even talking to you?"
Allowing them to live even one second longer was a waste of oxygen. Mike swung the shotgun, sending the woman back to "sleep."
Letting this family die in their sleep was the last bit of mercy he would offer.
Moments later, the inn—soaked in high-proof alcohol—was cleansed by fire.
As the entire structure was swallowed by flames, Mike tossed the slightly warped shotgun aside and hopped into his Dodge pickup.
This world really is dangerous, Mike thought with a sigh, looking at the fire in the rearview mirror and thinking about the contents of that notebook.
---
Meanwhile, as Mike set off again, Jessie and her group—who were heading to the nearest town—were intercepted halfway by police officers responding to their distress signal. They were taken to the station.
"Please explain the situation with that vehicle truthfully," a young officer asked in the interrogation room.
There was no helping it; a semi-truck retrofitted with a crane and covered in dark, dried blood was too conspicuous not to raise suspicion.
"That's not our truck... There are cannibals in that forest, and luckily Mi—" To explain the situation clearly, Jessie was about to mention Mike saving them.
Just then, Chris coughed loudly. Interrupting Jessie, he took over: "We just got lucky. The cannibals started fighting among themselves, and we managed to escape in the chaos..."
Carly, hearing Chris completely omit Mike's role in saving them, opened her mouth to argue. But Jessie quickly grabbed her arm.
Jessie realized that the cannibal incident was a massive legal headache. It was best to keep Mike out of it. Besides, explaining how Mike single-handedly took down three powerful monsters would be difficult and likely bring him a lot of trouble.
"Cannibal monsters?" The young officer seemed to make a connection, his expression turning serious. "Can you give me specific details about their lair in the forest?"
There had been frequent disappearances in the area over the years, a major headache for the local police. This responsible young officer, willing to work the night shift, seemed to sense a break in the case.
Chris proceeded to give the officer a detailed description of the cannibal lair.
"Alright, you folks can go get some rest..." Having formed a theory, the officer didn't give them a hard time. As he saw them out, he added, "Please don't leave town for the next couple of days. I'll contact you if anything comes up."
The local police force wasn't strong enough to raid the forest overnight; the officer needed time to report to his superiors.
"Why didn't you let me mention Mike? He saved our lives!" Carly demanded of her friend as soon as they left the station.
"If you don't want to cause trouble for Mike, you'd better not tell anyone he saved us..." Jessie patiently explained the reasoning to Carly, then suggested, "Let's find a place to stay near the road entrance. We can catch Mike when he arrives and get our stories straight."
---
As dawn broke, Mike drove his pickup into the small town. He was surprised to see three familiar figures waiting at the entrance.
"Why aren't you guys resting? What are you doing out here?" Mike stopped the truck and asked curiously.
Jessie and the others had cleaned up and looked much better, though their faces still showed the fatigue of running all night.
"It's a long story. Let's go to the hotel and we can explain..." Chris spoke up first.
"OK." Mike readily agreed and followed them to a nearby hotel.
It turned out Jessie and the others had already booked a large suite for him.
"If it's not urgent, I'd like to get cleaned up first..." Mike said to the group as he entered the room, gesturing to his blood-stained shirt.
Would you like me to continue translating the next chapter or clarify anything about the "monster family" backstory?