Chapter 542 Demon Dog

"Clatter!"

A biting cold air came over the pavement. Duanmu Huai stepped forward and watched a corpse being pulled out from the morgue. This was a middle-aged man in his forties. He had round eyes and looked very panicked. look. But that's not the point. The point is... the scars on his chest.

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

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

"Are there any traces detected? Hair or something?"

"Beast-like hair was found at the wound, but I don't know what animal left it."

As he spoke, the fat forensic doctor once again pulled away the corpse next to him.

"This is?"

"He 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? The test results show that this man was hit head-on by a large truck with a speed of at least 150 kilometers per hour. But in the deep mountains, where can you find a truck that can drive at a speed of 150 kilometers per hour? ?”

Just as the fat forensic doctor said, the chest of the man's corpse in front of him was completely cracked and completely dented. It looked like the marks left after being hit hard by something. But talking about trucks is obviously an exaggeration, but Duanmuhuai can understand the fear of the fat forensic doctor. This is not the ignorant superstition or prejudice of the country people, but an unbelievable result obtained through existing science and technology. , an incredible conclusion.

"So, what you are saying is that there is one in the mountains near here that is about two meters high..."

Duanmuhuai compared the scars on the previous corpse.

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

"That goes beyond my suggestion, sir."

The fat forensic doctor smiled bitterly and took out his handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his forehead - even in such a cold place as the morgue, he seemed unable to stop his sweating.

"Frankly speaking, I don't know what happened, and I don't want to know. I'm just a forensic scientist. I just give the answers I got from the investigation through my own work. Of course, if you want to ask me for my personal opinion - During this time, I will go home immediately after get off work instead of going to the pub to kill time, probably like most people here, until all this cursed trouble is solved."

"Okay then, where are the rest of the bodies?"

"Most of them have been taken away by their families. These two are escorts from out of town and their families have not yet arrived, so they stay here."

"If I want to know more details about that night, who should I go to?"

"You can go find Chief Test. He's been in a bad mood lately... 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, what he saw was an old policeman with a haggard face and listless spirit. This is also normal. According to the fat forensic doctor, he was responsible for leading the team to go hunting with the Baskerville young master that night. But after so many police officers died, it was obviously not an easy thing for him as a superior.

Fortunately, Duanmuhuai opened up the decadent police chief's conversation without any effort.

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

Fidgeting with the pipe in his hand, Chief Tester leaned on his chair and spoke calmly.

"I was entrusted by Fred at the time... He insisted that a wild beast attacked his parents in the mountains and caused their death. I also watched the scene at that time. Out of responsibility for the local residents, I certainly did not Bloodthirsty and man-eating beasts are allowed to roam here.”

"But why choose night?"

Duanmuhuai raised his own question.

"To be honest, I think there is no stupider choice than going into the mountains at night."

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

Chief Test sighed helplessly.

"I tried to dissuade him at that time, hoping that he would wait until the morning, and then we would be ready before setting off. But at that time, a strange howling sound suddenly appeared outside..."

"Howling?"

"Yes, it sounds like a wolf or a dog, but I have never heard such a weird howling sound. At that time, Fred also heard the sound, and he immediately summoned Baskerville impatiently. The family’s guards then went into the mountains, trying to find and kill the beast. As a police officer, I certainly couldn’t watch him take the risk, so I followed Mr. Fred into the mountains.”

Speaking of this, Chief Test's expression began to become a little stiff.

"As you said, going into the mountains late at night is not a good idea. We were as prepared as possible, bringing flashlights and hunting dogs. To be honest, we didn't know what we were looking for. Maybe it was a wolf, maybe it was a wild dog Something like that. The temperature on the mountain was very low and it was foggy. We were running around like headless flies without any clues. Then...the screams suddenly started."

"Screams?"

Hearing this, Duanmuhuai raised his eyebrows, while Chief Test nodded.

"Yes, it was Mr. Fred's scream. We don't know what he encountered, but at that time, his miserable scream was as if he had seen the most terrifying thing in the world, something that drove him crazy. Then...the hounds in our team seemed to have noticed something. They began to scream desperately, broke away from their collars, and ran away like flying. Then there was the sound of gunshots. We felt that the team in front had encountered something. , so we hurried over.”

As Chief Tester spoke, he stretched out his hands, clenched his fists, and looked stiff.

"But it was too late when we went there. There were only corpses, corpses everywhere, the guards Fred took, and my good policemen, they... Oh, I'm sorry, I lost my temper a little, But it really stuck with me. Maybe it would have been better if I had stopped Fred from doing it."

"Then we went down the mountain."

Sheriff Test sighed.

"Everyone was scared at that time, fearing that they would be the next ones to die in the mountain, so we ran desperately towards the foot of the mountain and returned to the bottom again. Then we huddled together and stayed there shivering all night. We waited until dawn the next day before heading back to the mountains to collect the bodies."

"alright, I got it."

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

"Have there been any similar things since then? Such as howling, or seeing any monsters or something like that?"

"No, everything was normal after that. It seemed like we just had a nightmare that night... Hey, it would be great if it was really a nightmare."

"Who else is in the Baskervilles now?"

"The old housekeeper should be here. Many people have left. There should be a few servants left. The only one left is... Fred's wife, Baroness Vivian Baskerville. What a pity. She had only been married to her husband for less than two years, and she encountered something like this. I really couldn’t bear to see her... Oh, by the way, the eldest lady of the Brontë family seems to be recuperating here. If you encounter If so, please don’t disturb them.”

"They're in town?"

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

"oh……………"

Hearing this, Duanmuhuai nodded.

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

For Mary, it was her first time to come to a health resort and enjoy the scenery and mountains here.

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

"I never thought we could spend Christmas with Charlie."

Sitting at the table, drinking tea and eating desserts, Ashelika looked at Charlie beside her with a smile. The latter's physical condition had improved a lot, but she had been lying unconscious in bed for several months. , currently she still needs to undergo physical rehabilitation. Of course, in terms of daily life, Xia Li has gradually recovered.

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

"He has work to do, but he promised to give us a very expensive gift at Christmas."

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

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

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

"The town seems a little uneasy lately."

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

"Ladies, I beg you not to go out casually. I heard that something seems to have happened here. It's safe in the house, but it's hard to tell outside."

"Don't worry so much, Donna."

Charlie comforted softly.

"Just some country rumors and rumors."

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

"Did something happen?"

Seeing Donna's anxious expression, Mary asked curiously. This villa is the villa of Xia Li's family. Ever since Xia Li was "captured" by someone in the foggy city, her family has brought her back to the villa in this resort. There are not many people responsible for taking care of Charlie here. Except for the maid Donna who has been taking care of her, there are only three or four servants including the concierge and the gardener, and the owner is only Charlie. If it weren't for the arrival of Mary and Ashelica, I'm afraid this place would be even more deserted.

Of course, Mary and Ashelika also knew something about Charlie's family affairs. 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 attending high-end dance parties and dinners, and they won't have any thoughts about their sister.

"They said there seemed to be some wild beast nearby."

As Donna spoke, she looked out the window uneasily.

"Although I don't know much about it, everyone is worried about this situation. Even if it's a wild dog or something, it's annoying enough. So I kindly ask you not to go out casually, in case you encounter any danger. "

"Okay, we're not leaving here."

Originally, Mary and Ashelika planned to accompany Charlie for a walk, but now that Charlie's health is not very good, and if there are really wild dogs or the like outside, it would indeed be a threat to Charlie, so the girls all agreed. nod.

No matter what, the physical safety of their friends is the most important thing now.

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

"Hello, Mrs. Baskerville."

Duanmuhuai sat on the sofa and looked at the woman in front of him carefully - she didn't look old, or she looked only slightly older than Mary. She was probably in her early twenties and was wearing luxurious silk. She wore a dress and her hair was curled up like many young ladies in anime. Her expression was a bit haggard and her eyes were red and swollen. Obviously, this incident had a huge impact on her.

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

"No, it's nothing. If you don't mind, can I ask you a few questions?"

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

In fact, Duanmuhuai did not get any clues from Baroness Baskerville. She was just an ordinary young aristocratic woman. She stayed in the manor on the day of the incident and did not leave at all. Although Baroness Baskerville tried to stop her husband when he went up the mountain in anger because of the death of his parents, but unfortunately she did not succeed.

But other than that, she didn't provide any useful clues to Duanmu Huai... Well, this is actually not surprising. Duanmuhuai didn't expect to get any useful clues from a widow who had lost several of her relatives in just 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.

Whether this is true or simply a hallucination of this poor man is unknown.

Apart from the poor widow, there were only six people in the entire manor. Of course, Duanmu Huai did not intend to play any game where the murderer was among them - this was not to solve the case, his purpose was just the big dog, as long as that If the head hound dares to show up again, Duanmu Huai will beat it with fists until it can no longer take care of itself, and then it will be over.

Duanmuhuai left Lorena with Baroness Baskerville. After all, she was now the only one left in this cursed family. Although she didn’t know what the strange hound was planning to do, if it wanted If we try again, the Baroness will obviously be a good prey, and with Lorena by her side, Duanmu Huai doesn't have to worry about accidents.

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

"Oh, in fact, my ancestors once appeared in Dr. Watson's novel, namely Butler Butler and his wife. They are my grandfathers. To be honest, our family has served the Baskerville family from generation to generation, whether in It’s the same before and now.”

The old man seemed very talkative or a little excited.

"But to be honest, this incident is even more bizarre than in the novel. Do you know? Sir, I never believe in those legends about devil dogs. In my opinion, what is written in the novel is the truth. Some people are trying to take advantage of such stories. , and then frame others, hey, it will definitely be the same this time.”

"Well, would you mind telling me about the original version of this story?"

"Original?"

"That's the first part."

Duanmuhuai stretched out his hand and pointed at the portraits hanging on the walls of the living room - those were all portraits left by the former head of the Baskerville family.

"The Devil Dog of the Baskervilles."

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

The old housekeeper shook his head.

"The story I heard is similar to what you all know. In other words, this is the story that the entire Baskerville family has heard since childhood. Of course, I would say this is just a fairy tale at best, warning people not to Do evil to avoid having your throat bitten by a demon dog.”

"Do you have any information you can provide about the legendary patriarch of the Baskerville family?"

"There will always be one or two scum in every family, sir, and Baskerville is no exception. Although he seems to be a polite person on the surface, in fact he has a rough and violent temper. He is always visiting with some bad friends. Although it is not true to say that That was great, but people around him were very afraid of him and his friends. They always drank heavily late at night, and then rode out in groups, wandering in the wilderness, shouting, like a group of savages... "

"Has he always been like this?"

"Absolutely. When he was a child, he seemed to be incompatible with other people. He had a bad temper, was easily angry, and often got into trouble with others. If it weren't for the Baskerville family's wealth, he would have been imprisoned long ago. In jail. He is a scumbag, no doubt about it."

"Fathers and friends..."

After hearing this, Duanmu Huai thought for a moment.

"What happened after he died? Did his friends show up again?"

"Of course not. They were just flies around him, eager for his money and wealth. So when he died, his friends naturally dispersed."

"Okay."

Duanmu Huai shrugged.

"Then, I think there should be a room for the ancestor here? I wonder if you can take me to see it?"

"Of course, no problem."