MTLNOVEL Chapter 115: Bloody Art, Shot_3
All four people had their entrails hollowed out, and their breastbones were completely removed. Their limbs weren't touched, probably because they were worried that the coal would burn through the hands and feet of the corpses, ruining the current symmetry."
"How many layers of coal?"
"Two layers. It has burned down to the outermost layer, which is a glowing red. On the side touching the skin and flesh, it's not yet fully combusted."
"Bring one over for me to look at!"
Dean glanced around the tent and found a small pair of tongs next to a little stove. He grabbed a piece of coal from the outer layer and brought it outside.
After inspecting it for a moment, Massa confirmed, "This is natural coal from the west, very slow-burning. It takes about three hours for a unit to glow red, so the Skinners were still here six hours ago!"
"Let's go check the other tents."
The two of them inspected the remaining three tents in the order they were burned and discovered the missing internal organs of the four people and bloodstains everywhere.
These four people were probably planning to camp here for a while. They brought a lot of living supplies, including a collapsible barbecue grill, bags of coal, and alcohol.
They likely planned a barbecue party after hunting their game.
Instead, the four were attacked by the Skinners.
They became the main course for the barbecue, their carefully prepared coal accompanying them in another way.
"There are no signs of gunfire. The Skinners must have caught the four off guard, killing them with bladed weapons. The supplies were rifled through, with no firearms or ammunition left behind. The Skinners treated these hunters entering the mountains as prey for resupplying."
After a thorough investigation, Dean reached a conclusion.
「Elsewhere.」
Massa had also found an important clue. "Dean, come here."
Dean, reeking of a foul odor, walked over and saw Massa crouching by a faint bloody footprint, looking as if he had laid eyes on an exceptionally beautiful woman.
"What does this footprint tell you?"
"A lot!" Massa said, pointing at the outline of the footprint. "This is some distance from the campsite. Normally, any bloodstain on the sole would have dried up by now. But here remains a footprint with a deep center and shallow edges. This means that the owner of this footprint was carrying a heavy load at the time. The irregular and blurred edges of the footprint mean the weight made him unstable. Usually, such an effect is caused only by a person struggling violently."
"Are you saying the Skinners carried a person away?"
"Yes. And it must have been the poor guy who entered the mountains just this morning. He was captured by the Skinners. Luckily, he didn't become one of the scarecrows but was taken as a small snack instead."
Dean whistled. "Tsk tsk, a little dessert after the meal. Looks like we're in luck. They should be preparing for their nighttime entertainment now."
"For us, this is indeed good news. I've already guessed where they are hiding!"
Massa set down his backpack and thoroughly checked his rifle to ensure he was in top condition. Then, leading Dean, he quickened his pace towards Pine Needle Forest.
「Half an hour later.」
On the leeward side of the mountain, the two of them saw faint wisps of blue smoke rising.
Massa sneered, "Those two bastards are really confident, staying just on the outskirts of the mountain range, hunting those hunters for supplies, and even making a campfire so brazenly."
Dean, however, was puzzled. If they were so arrogant, how could they have so easily escaped the police cordon?
「The next moment.」
Dean felt an itch on his back and, on impulse, he flinched.
A gunshot echoed in the wilderness—BANG!
Dean felt a numbness on his unprotected back shoulder, his clothes ripped apart, and a searing pain as flesh tore...
FUCK! I dodged too fast! Dodging the bullet turned into catching the bullet! Good thing it only grazed my arm and tore off a piece of flesh!
"Dean!"
Only then did Massa react. He tried to tackle Dean to the ground but felt a huge force slam into him, knocking him aside.
By the time he came to his senses, Dean was already like a furious, rampaging wolf, leaping and bounding with incredible agility towards the source of the gunshots, leaving Massa only a fading silhouette.
Massa looked at the blood spilled on the ground, momentarily questioning reality. Damnit! How can he run so fast after being shot? Is he some kind of beast?!