North American Detective: I am Proficient in All Kinds of Gun Quick Draws-Chapter 598 - 336: A Brutal Way to Die (Book Friends, Gentry, Wish You Well on Dragon Boat Festival)_3
Needless to say, these were all the handiwork of those large, black rats. They had treated the corpse as food.
A few plump, white maggots, seemingly sensing the commotion outside, wriggled out of the corpse's dark eye sockets, their tails still dripping with moist, blackish-red fluid.
Such a mangled corpse, not even its own mother would recognize it.
Dean pursed his lips and reached out, preparing to search for anything that might identify the deceased. The next moment, the previously motionless corpse's throat suddenly bulged, as if a zombie was inhaling, seemingly returning to life.
Dean's scalp tingled. He quickly pulled back; he had never encountered such an eerie scene before.
Then, a dark shadow burst forth from the corpse's mouth, arcing through the air before landing on the floor and swiftly disappearing beneath the cover of the shelves.
This acted like a signal. From the abdominal cavity and other parts of the previously still corpse, one pitch-black, oily, and sleek rat head after another emerged. Under the glare of the incandescent light, they looked like moles burrowing out from underground, spreading all over the corpse, their small, crimson eyes fixing on Dean and the other two men...
This scene was grotesque and terrifying. No matter how brave one might be, a bewildering, nauseating tingle would crawl up from the soles of their feet to the crown of their head, then surge from their heart through their entire body, erupting in goosebumps—an experience unforgettable in a lifetime.
"Fuck!"
Dean retreated several steps, only stopping when he bumped into the two men behind him. The two patrol officers at the corner were deathly pale, as if they had witnessed some unspeakable desecration. Their limbs felt like jelly, ready to give way at any moment, and they fought to stay conscious.
It was fucking terrifying.
Who has ever seen rats suddenly burst out from inside a person?! Just thinking about it made one's scalp tingle.
SQUEAK! SQUEAK!
The rats, probably dazed from feasting on flesh, took a while to respond to their companions' calls from the darkness. They finally swarmed out from the bloody holes, pushing aside the clothing covering the corpse, leaving behind dark, gory openings as they scattered.
RETCH!
The two young patrol officers, unable to hold it in any longer, leaned over the foul-smelling wooden boards and vomited profusely.
Dean clenched his fists. After steadying his still-reeling mind, he looked sympathetically at the two unfortunate souls, not even entertaining the thought of scolding them for contaminating the scene. This scene was so bizarre and revolting that even the seasoned forensic experts from the Evidence Section might not be able to stomach it.
He took a deep breath, suppressed his discomfort, and crouched beside the corpse again, examining it closely.
Affected by the rats that had rushed out, part of the clothing originally covering the corpse's abdomen had been pushed aside. Only then did Dean notice a detail he had previously overlooked.
The deceased's left hand was covering his abdomen. Beneath it was an inconspicuous bloody wound, the surrounding area moist with a blackish-red liquid that shone like tar under the light. Between the gaps in the broken finger bones, remnants of wrinkled flesh tissue were still visible.
That was the large intestine.
An image involuntarily formed in Dean's mind: 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
The victim, for some unknown reason, was leaning in a corner, his abdomen injured, unable to move. A swarm of famished rats, drawn by the scent of blood, had gathered, burrowing into the wound in his abdomen. Fresh intestines spilled out. He tried with all his might to push his intestines back in, but his outstretched left hand also became part of the rats' feast...
GASP.
Dean sucked in a sharp breath, goosebumps erupting all over his body.
No wonder there was so much still-moist, blackish-red fluid at the scene. Too cruel! The victim hadn't been dead for long! He had watched—forced to watch—as the rats swarmed his body, felt them gnawing at his intestines, his very eyeballs, his tender organs... until he finally died from the overwhelming, conscious agony!!!
Even Dean, no stranger to killing, had never witnessed such a cruel method of death in either his past or present life. Because it was so hard to orchestrate. Murder was simple. But making someone experience the ultimate pain before they died was not easy.
A motive for the murder began to form in Dean's mind.
Revenge! It had to be a deep-seated vendetta!
