Start a core cabin

"Crash!"

Biting cold air came over the face, Duan Muhuai walked forward, watching a corpse being pulled out from the morgue, this is a middle-aged man in his forties, he has round eyes, looks very flustered look. It's just that this is not the point, the point is... the scar on his chest.

On the man's naked chest, four traces that seemed to have been torn and scratched by ferocious beasts were clearly visible. Just by looking at it, one can guess that it should be a monster like a giant bear, grabbing the chest of the victim in front of him, and the sharp claws tore the traces left by his muscles and bones.

Duanmuhuai stretched out his hand to compare it -- well, it was still smaller than his own palm.

"Have you detected any traces? Hair or something?"

"There are beast-like hairs found in the wound, but the specific animal left is not known."

While speaking, the fat forensic doctor pulled away the corpse next to him again.

"This is?"

"It was also hit by that beast."

Looking at the corpse in front of him, the fat forensic doctor shook his head.

"Can you believe it? According to the test results, this person was hit to death by a large truck with a speed of at least 150 kilometers per hour, but in the deep mountains, where can I find a truck that can drive at a speed of 150 kilometers per hour?" ?”

As the fat forensic doctor said, the chest of the man's corpse in front of him was completely cracked and completely sunken, which looked like the marks left by something violently hitting him. But it is obviously exaggerated to talk about the truck, but Duanmu Huai can understand the fear of the fat forensic doctor. , an incredible conclusion.

"So, what you mean is that there is a head about two meters high in the nearby mountains..."

Duanmuhuai compared the scars on the previous corpse.

"A magic dog with a speed of more than 150 kilometers per hour?"

"That's beyond the scope of my advice, sir."

The fat forensic doctor smiled wryly and took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead—even in such a cold place as the morgue, he seemed unable to restrain his sweating.

"Frankly speaking, I don't know what happened, and I don't want to know. I'm just a forensic doctor. I just give the answers I got from the investigation through my own work. Of course, if you want to ask my personal opinion—— During this period, I will go home immediately after work, rather than hang out in the pub, as most people here probably do. Until all this damn trouble is over."

"Well, what about the rest of the body?"

"Most of them have been taken away by their families. These two are guards from other places, and their family members have not yet arrived, so they will stay here."

"Who do I go to if I want to know more details about that night?"

"You can go to Sergeant Tester, he's been in a bad mood recently... Well, you'll understand when you meet him."

Duanmuhuai quickly understood what the fat forensic doctor meant. In fact, when he came to the sheriff's office, he saw an old policeman with a haggard face and a listless spirit. This is also normal, according to the fat forensic doctor, he was responsible for leading the team to go hunting with the young master of Baskerville that night. But after so many policemen died, it was obviously not a good thing for him as a superior.

But fortunately, Duanmuhuai didn't take much effort, and opened up the chatterbox of this decadent police chief.

"Actually, strictly speaking, I may not know much more than you."

Fiddling with the pipe in his hand, Inspector Tester leaned back on the chair and said lightly.

"I was entrusted by Fred at the time... He insisted that there were wild beasts in the mountains that attacked his parents and killed them. I also watched the scene at that time. Out of responsibility for the local residents, of course I did not Bloodthirsty and man-eating beasts are allowed to haunt here."

"But why choose evening?"

Duanmuhuai raised his own doubts.

"To be honest, I don't think there is a more stupid choice than going into the mountains at night."

"I think so too, but unfortunately Mr. Fred doesn't think so."

Sergeant Tester sighed helplessly.

"I had dissuaded him at the time, hoping that he would wait until the morning before we set off. But at that time, there was a strange howling sound outside..."

"Howl?"

"Yes, it sounds like a wolf and a dog, but I have never heard such a weird howling sound. Fred also heard this sound at that time, and he immediately summoned Baskerville Then he went into the mountain with the guards of his family, trying to find and kill the animal. As a policeman, of course, I couldn’t just watch him take risks, so I also led my people into the mountain with Mr. Fred.”

Having said this, Sheriff Tester's expression became a little stiff.

"As you said, it's not a good idea to go into the mountains late at night. We prepared as much as we could. We brought flashlights and hounds. To be honest, we didn't know what we were looking for. Maybe wolves, maybe wild dogs Something. The temperature on the mountain was very low, and it was still foggy. We ran around like headless chickens without any clues. Then...the screams suddenly sounded."

"Screams?"

Hearing this, Duanmuhuai raised his eyebrows, while Sergeant Tester nodded.

"Yes, it was Mr. Fred's screams. We don't know what happened to him, but at that time, his screams were as if he had seen the most terrifying thing in the world until he went mad. Then... the hounds in our team seemed to have sensed something, they began to howl desperately, broke free from their collars, and fled like flying away. Then there was gunfire, and we felt that the team in front had encountered something , so we hurried over.”

As Sergeant Tester spoke, he stretched out his hands, clenched his fists, his face stiffened.

"But it was too late when we got there, and there were only corpses, corpses everywhere, and those guards that Fred had, and my good cops, who... oh, sorry, I lost my temper a little bit, But that stuck with me. Maybe I should have stopped Fred at the time, maybe it would have been better."

"And then we went down the mountain."

Sheriff Tester sighed.

"At that time, everyone was terrified, afraid that they would be the next to die in the mountain, so we ran desperately towards the foot of the mountain and returned to the bottom. Then we huddled together and stayed all night trembling. We waited until dawn the next day before we went to the mountains again to collect those corpses."

"alright, I got it."

Hearing this, Duanmuhuai and Lorena looked at each other, then reached out and touched the black cat in their pocket.

"Since then, have there been similar things? Such as howling, or seeing some monsters?"

"No, everything was normal after that, as if we were just having a nightmare that night... Hey, if only it was a nightmare."

"Who else is in the Baskervilles now?"

"The old butler should be here. Many people have left. There should be a few servants left. The rest is... Fred's wife, Baroness Vivienne Baskerville. It's a pity. She has only been married to her husband for less than two years, and this kind of thing happened to her. I am really ashamed to see her... Oh, by the way, the eldest lady of the Bronte family seems to be recuperating here. If you meet If not, please don’t bother them.”

"Are they in town?"

"Of course not. They are in their own villa. I heard that something happened, so I came here to recuperate. I didn't expect such a thing to happen..."

"oh……………"

Hearing this, Duanmuhuai nodded.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but he always felt that the name sounded familiar?

For Mary, it was the first time for her to come to the sanatorium and appreciate the scenery and mountains here.

I have to say that compared to the always dark and foggy city, the air here is fresher and the environment is more comfortable.

"I never thought we'd be able to spend Christmas with Charlie."

Sitting at the table, drinking tea and eating dessert, Aselika looked at Xia Li beside her with a smile. At present, she still needs to undergo physical rehabilitation. Of course, in terms of daily life, Xia Li has gradually recovered.

"Me too... Speaking of which, Mr. Howard?"

"He's got work to do, but he's promised us a very expensive present at Christmas."

"Then we'll have to wait and see."

Hearing Aselika's answer, Mary smiled slightly, then looked at Charlie, who shook her head with a wry smile.

"Is there anything going on in town at Christmas?"

"The town seems a little uneasy recently."

At this moment, Charlie's maid Donna also came to the girls and poured them a cup of tea.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I implore you not to go out casually. I heard that something seems to have happened here. It is still safe inside the house, but it is hard to say outside."

"Don't worry so much, Donna."

Charlie comforted softly.

"Just some country gossip and gossip."

"That's what I said, but Miss..."

"Did something happen?"

Seeing Donna's anxious expression, Mary asked curiously. This villa is the annex of Xia Li's family. Ever since Xia Li was "captured" in the Fog City, her family has brought her back to the annex of this resting place. There are not many people who are responsible for taking care of Xia Li here. Apart from the maid Donna who has been taking care of her, there are only three or four servants including the porter and the gardener, and the master is only Xia Li. If it weren't for the arrival of Mary and Aselika, I'm afraid this place would be even more deserted.

Of course, Mary and Aselika knew a little bit about the affairs of Xia Li's family. She was not very close to her brothers, and because of this, there were no relatives here to take care of her. Even this Christmas, I'm afraid her brothers will also be busy at high-class prom dinners and the like, and don't think much about her sister.

"They said there seemed to be some kind of beast nearby."

As Donna spoke, she looked out the window anxiously.

"Although I don't know very well, everyone is very worried about this situation. Even if it is a wild dog or something, it is enough to make people worry. So I implore everyone, don't go out casually, it will be bad if you encounter any danger .”

"Okay, we're not leaving here."

Originally, Mary and Aselika planned to go out with Xia Li, but now Xia Li's health is not very good, and if there are really wild dogs outside, it is indeed a threat to Xia Li, so the girls all ordered nod.

In any case, the safety of their friends is the most important thing now.

At the same time, Duanmuhuai also met the poor widow who lost her husband in Baskerville's manor.

"Good day, Lady Baskerville."

Duanmuhuai sat on the sofa and carefully looked at the woman in front of her—she didn't look very old, or she looked only slightly older than Mary, she was probably in her early twenties, and she was dressed in luxurious silk. In a dress, her hair is curled up like many young ladies in anime. Her expression is a bit haggard, and her eyes are red and swollen. Obviously, this incident has hit her very hard.

"Ah, hello, Mr. Duanmu, welcome to Baskerville Manor. I'm so sorry to let you see me in such a mess..."

"No, it's nothing, if you don't mind, may I ask you a few questions?"

"Of course, if I can help..."

In fact, Duanmuhuai didn't get any clues from the Baroness of Baskerville. She was just an ordinary noble young lady. She stayed in the manor on the day of the incident and never left. Although when her husband went up the mountain angrily because of the death of his parents, Baroness Baskerville tried to stop it, but unfortunately it was unsuccessful.

But other than that, she didn't provide any useful clues to Duanmuhuai... Well, it's not surprising. Duanmuhuai didn't expect to get any useful clues from a widow who lost several relatives in a short period of one year. The only thing she could provide was that she always saw scary hounds outside the window before going to bed at night. The shadow was like a huge hound hiding outside the window, trying to kill her too.

As for whether this is true, or simply the poor man's hallucination, it is unknown.

Except for this poor widow, there are only six people in the whole manor. Of course, Duanmuhuai doesn't intend to play a game in which the murderer is involved—this is not to solve the case. His goal is only the big dog. If the hound dared to appear again, Duanmu Huai would directly beat him with his fists until he couldn't take care of himself, and then it was over.

Duanmuhuai kept Lorena with the Baroness of Baskerville. After all, she is the only one left in this cursed family. Although I don't know what that strange hound is going to do, but if it wants If he did it again, the baroness would obviously be a good prey, and with Lorena by her side, Duanmu Huai didn't have to worry about accidents.

After arranging for Lorena to accompany the baroness, Duan Muhuai found the butler Robert. He is an old man in his sixties, and he has worked in Baskerville Manor since he was young. He is even more familiar with this place than the baroness, and of course, including the terrifying legend.

"Oh, in fact, my ancestors also appeared in Dr. Watson's novel, that is, the Butler and Mrs. Badry. They are my grandfathers. To be honest, our family has served the Baskerville family for generations. It was the same before, and now.”

The old man seemed very talkative, or a little excited.

"But to be honest, the incident this time is even more bizarre than in the novel, do you know? Sir, I never believe in those legends about magic dogs. In my opinion, what is written in the novel is the truth. Someone tried to use this kind of story in vain , and then frame others, hey, it must be the same this time."

"Then, you wouldn't mind telling me about the original version of the story."

"Original?"

"That's the first part."

Duanmuhuai stretched out his hand and pointed to the portraits hanging on the wall of the living room --- those were the portraits left by the former patriarch of the Baskerville family.

"The Hound of the Baskervilles."

"Well, I'm afraid I don't have much to say about that part either."

The old butler shook his head.

"The story I've heard is similar to what you all know. In other words, this is the story that members of the entire Baskerville family have heard since childhood. Of course, if I ask you to say that this is at best a fairy tale, I warn people not to Do evil to avoid having your throat bitten off by a magic dog."

"About the legendary patriarch of the Baskerville family, do you have any information to provide?"

"Every family always has one or two scumbags. Sir, Baskerville is no exception. Although he looks like a polite person on the surface, in fact he has a rough and violent temper. He always visits with some cronies. Great, but the people around were afraid of him and his friends, they were always drinking late at night, and then they rode out in groups, wandering in the wilderness, shouting, like a group of savages... "

"Has he always been like this?"

"Basically, since he was a child, he seemed to be out of tune with other people. His temper was eccentric, he was easily angry, and he often fought with others—if it weren't for the wealth of the Baskerville family, he would have been imprisoned. In prison. He's a black sheep, sir, there's no doubt about that."

"Hupper friends..."

Hearing this, Duanmuhuai thought for a while.

"Then what happened after he died? Did his cronies still show up?"

"Of course not. They are just flies around him, eager for his money and wealth, so when he dies, those cronies and friends will naturally disperse."

"All right."

Duanmuhuai shrugged his shoulders.

"So, I think there should be that ancestor's room here too? I wonder if you can take me to have a look?"

"Of course there is no problem."