Full-Time Public Enemy-Chapter 646 - 492: Demonic Town_2
"It must have happened at night; we didn't find this place until the following morning. Poor guy was torn into several pieces."
He patted the gun in his hand. "If you ask me, it was the work of a wild beast from the mountains, probably a brown bear, or maybe even a pack of Tibetan mastiffs. I've been trying to track them down and deal with them these past few days."
"Actually, there's no need to trouble you important people with our problems. We've been taking care of ourselves for generations; we can handle it."
Chen Gu couldn't be bothered with his grumbling and carefully examined the scene, finding claw marks on some of the stones.
He asked, "Has anything like this happened before?"
"No," the police chief thought for a moment. "At least not in recent decades. My gun isn't just for show; any dangerous beast that comes near the town gets taken care of by me in advance. This one probably came from somewhere else."
Chen Gu nodded and then said, "Let's take a look in the town."
Police Chief Howard glanced at them. "Our town is peaceful, and we would rather not be disturbed by external affairs. It's just a wild beast, and your flashy entrance could cause panic among the people."
Chen Gu signaled for Julia to take care of it, and she pulled Howard aside for a quiet word. After a while, Police Chief Howard returned with a reluctant face. "Fine, follow me, big shots."
There were only two roads in the town, intersecting in an A-shape. All the buildings stood along these two streets, the tallest being only three stories high.
Indeed, the townspeople hid behind doors and windows, peering out at them continuously.
Julia asked Chen Gu, "What now?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
"Let's visit the victim's family and ask around."
Old Zhao's family had not yet recovered from their grief. The answers they gave to Chen Gu's questions had little value. The elderly couple just wept, repeating over and over, "He shouldn't have died; he was so young, he had his whole life ahead of him…"
Chen Gu fell silent for a moment before asking, "One last question: What was your youngest son doing outside of town that day?"
The elderly couple hesitated, then gently shook their heads. "We don't know; he didn't tell us before he left."
Chen Gu nodded. "Let's go."
Upon leaving Old Zhao's house, Police Chief Howard said, "I'm very busy; I can't accompany you any longer. It's almost dark, the time when those big fellows become active. I'm planning to set up an ambush in the mountains tonight to see if I can take care of the killer!"
Chen Gu was indifferent. "We'll find a hotel to stay in on our own."
Police Chief Howard asked impatiently, "You've seen and asked; what else do you want to do?"
Chen Gu simply said, "Chief, you can go about your own business now."
Howard huffed, picked up his gun, and drove off in his old clunker.
Julia, unsure of what Chen Gu was up to, didn't see the point in staying in this town for another night. But she followed orders, leading everyone to a hotel in the town to settle down.
After dark, the town's roads were virtually deserted.
After ten o'clock, a door at the back of a two-story building quietly opened. A figure slipped out stealthily. He didn't take the main road but instead moved between low buildings until he reached a small courtyard. He gently knocked on the side door. After a while, someone opened it, and he quickly slipped inside.
In the room, Police Chief Howard was sitting under the light, cleaning his gun, joined by three other people.
"Those people have arrived!" The last to enter, the stealthy figure, was a short old man, looking quite panicked. "They've settled down in Stelo's hotel…"
The five people in the room all looked grim and flustered. "If they find out, we're all done for!"
Police Chief Howard slammed down his gun. "Cut it out! What's there to fear? They're just a bunch of outsiders, no different from those we've taken care of before."
But the others were clearly anxious. How could it be the same? These were law enforcement officers.
"Howard," one of them couldn't help asking, "Are they here because of us? Are they investigating the attack case?"
Police Chief Howard stared at him fiercely. "Don't kid yourself! What's there to investigate about Old Zhao's son's case? Clearly, it was an animal attack."
He picked up his gun again. "Get Stelo here. We're moving tonight. Everything will be done the old way—double the dose of the sedative!"
Someone protested hesitantly, "But if these people disappear, the Confederation will definitely investigate. They aren't like those rootless outsiders lured here by those 'mysterious events' on the website!"
Police Chief Howard had already thought it through. "Aren't they here to investigate the attack? When the time comes, we'll all stick to the same story: that they left in the evening. Then, on the road outside of town, we'll stage a scene of them being 'attacked'!"
"What good will that do? More people will certainly come to investigate later on…"
"Idiot!" Howard snapped. "That will buy us a few months at least. We'll clear all the evidence, and without proof, what can they do to us?"
The others thought for a moment, gritted their teeth, and agreed, "Let's do it that way."
The conditions at Stelo's hotel were quite basic, but there were only two hotels in the town anyway. The other one was even more like a 'family-style rural guesthouse' from Chen Gu's previous life.
