From Robinson Crusoe

squeak~
The tightly closed wooden door was pushed open, and Brian pressed the switch, turning on the lights in the studio.

"Please come in."

He smiled somewhat awkwardly, then explained to Chen Zhou.

“It’s summer now, and if the temperature is too high, the unfinished wax figures will deform, so I can’t let them see the light.”

These artworks are the result of my hard work; they're like my children, and I must protect them.

As he spoke, he walked to the right side of the room, next to an unfinished life-size wax figure placed in the corner, and began to talk at length to Chen Zhou about his creative inspiration and the artistic atmosphere that this work embodies.

Chen Zhou pretended to admire Brian's work, while walking around the room looking for more clues.

He could smell a bloody odor mixed with the smell of wax in the room, along with a faint stench of decay.

However, these smells were too faint compared to the chemical dyes and paraffin that filled the room, making it difficult to pinpoint their location in a short time.

……

The workshop was filled with wooden crates containing tools and materials. The Brians clearly did not have the habit of tidying up their workshop after work, and everything was in a mess.

An unfinished wax figure skeleton, plaster casts, carving tools, wigs to add detail to the wax figure...

Stepping into this place is like stepping into a secret baby-making factory.

The windows in the room were covered with a thick black curtain, the lighting was extremely dim, and the mirror in the corner reflected the wax figure's incomplete body, making one feel as if they had fallen into hell.

Brian continued introducing his masterpiece, but Chen Zhou's face never showed the expression he wanted—

That expression of being moved by art.

His gaze swept over one closed wooden crate and iron barrel after another, finally settling on the center of the studio, under a long table.

He was certain that the smell of blood was coming from there, as was the smell of decay.

Pushing a banknote out of his pocket and letting it fall to the ground, Chen Zhou immediately bent down, pretending to pick it up. He also lifted the tablecloth covering the long table to peek under it.

In a brief moment, he saw a long wooden box lying on its side under the table, roughly the size to fit a minor.

With a vague sense of foreboding, Chen Zhou was about to draw his gun when Brian, who was standing next to him, seemed to notice his intention and suddenly lifted the tablecloth.

“I almost forgot, Mr. Chen, there is another ‘major work of art’ that I’ve overlooked here, my masterpiece.”

Under Chen Zhou's questioning gaze, Brian slowly pulled out a long wooden box from under the table.

He didn't seem worried at all that Chen Zhou would see what was inside the box, and simply lifted the lid of the wooden box.

Just when Chen Zhou thought he was about to see a corpse or a wax figure made from a human body, he discovered that the box contained neither of those things, but a lifelike wax figure of a little girl.

Compared to other finished or semi-finished products, this wax figure can indeed be called a "work of art".

It creates a kind of "life" that gives it a unique quality, as if it were a person who died young and was lying in a coffin.

If it weren't for the fact that the wax figure looked so different from Ronald's missing daughter, Chen Zhou would have really thought it was made from Ronald's daughter.

And Chen Zhou also discovered what that thing, which reeked of blood and decay, actually was—

It was a fat rat, torn apart by a dog, which had been stuffed into a corner of the wooden box at some point.

The rat's skin was torn open, exposing the bones and flesh inside, which was already rotting and giving off a foul odor.

If the room hadn't been filled with so many other odor-emitting objects, the stench of the corpse would have been even stronger.

When Chen Zhou noticed the dead rat, Brian noticed it too.

He disdainfully used a long stick to poke the rat, then cleared it aside, and smiled sheepishly at Chen Zhou.

"Ambrose always likes to play these kinds of pranks, and I don't know when it got here."

As you can see, my wife and I are always unpretentious when it comes to art.

We dislike overly rigid artistic creations, as they dampen our creative enthusiasm. Art always requires boundless imagination.

……

The odor came from a dead rat, which was already enough to frustrate Chen Zhou, but what Brian said next shocked him.

Since he came into this world, he had never heard the word Ambrose from anyone else's mouth. This was the first time he had heard it from Brian's mouth.

Perhaps just now, Chen Zhou's suspicions about Brian's family's connection to the murderer were still wavering.

But now, after hearing Ambrose's name, he was almost certain that the Brian family was no ordinary family.

Of course, no matter how many guesses he had in his mind, Chen Zhou's expression would not change in the slightest.

He glanced with slight disgust at the dead rat that Brian had cleaned up, then bent down to admire the wax figure in the wooden box up close, talking to Brian in a casual tone.

"I also have a dog, and its name is Laifu."

"Lai Fu" is a very Eastern word, meaning the arrival of good fortune. Good fortune refers to happiness, wealth, health, longevity, and other wonderful things.

Laifu is a great hunting dog and a great guard dog. Because of him, I fell in love with raising dogs…

When it came to dogs, Brian clearly found common ground.

He seemed to be struggling to strike up a conversation with the envoy of a major client, and upon hearing Chen Zhou speak, he immediately shifted the topic to pets to show that he was an animal lover.

"I agree with you, dogs are man's best friend."

Although Ambrose is not as big as your Laifu, I believe their loyalty to their owners is just as strong.

My wife, my son, and I all love it.

In fact, it is only six years younger than my son, and Ambrose has been with us as we grew up for many years.

As you can see, even though it's very old, it still guards the house and faithfully performs its duties.

However, unlike your Laifu, the name Ambrose is more of a tribute to my hometown, a town that was once prosperous but has now declined..."

At this point, a hint of longing appeared in Brian's eyes, but he quickly stopped reminiscing and stopped telling Chen Zhou any more information about Ambrose.

After that, Chen Zhou tried to subtly inquire about Ambrose's location from Brian, but Brian kept quiet and never mentioned it again.

He was simply trying his best to promote his wax figures, lavishly praising his and his wife's craftsmanship.

But to be honest, apart from the wax figure in the wooden box, Chen Zhou didn't see anything else in the studio that caught his eye.

He was convinced that Brian was connected to Ambrose, and even more convinced that there was something else of interest in the house, or the entire courtyard. After pacing around the studio three or four times, Chen Zhou stopped.

He pointed to the wooden crate that had been pulled out from under the table and said to Brian.

"Excuse my bluntness, Mr. Brian."

Of all the artworks I've seen, I feel that this is the only one that meets my employer's requirements; only it can be called a work with a soul.

As for your and your wife's other masterpieces, I personally believe that they cannot be called works of art, but only handicrafts.

If you cannot reproduce that high level of work, then I regret to say goodbye, as they are not worth $50,000.

At this point, Chen Zhou paused. He had originally intended to suggest visiting Brian's other collections afterward, such as the ones kept in the basement.

Unexpectedly, before Chen Zhou could even make a request, Brian eagerly invited him to his "Masterpiece Collection Room" to view the most valuable wax figures.

According to Brian, these wax figures were intended for display at the wax museum and would serve as its centerpiece.

Chen Zhou's sincerity, along with the $50,000 he brought and his "appreciation of art," made him the first outsider to be granted an exceptional visit.

……

Brian turned off the studio lights and left the dark room. He called his wife and led Chen Zhou to the basement.

Since leaving the studio, he has become much more silent. It's unclear whether he's afraid of his wife or if his mindset has changed. He doesn't talk to Chen Zhou at all and just leads the way.

Unlock the door and step onto the wooden steps in the dim light.

Accompanied by a dull "thump thump thump" sound, the three of them entered the basement of the house one after another and arrived at Brian's collection room.

Before even entering the house, Chen Zhou could smell an unusually strong stench of blood.

The steep staircase leading to the basement was well-sealed, blocking out most of the smell of blood. Only when Chen Zhou was inside did he feel the eerie atmosphere of death.

"Mr. Chen, please!"

Brian, who was leading the way, stretched out a hand and pushed open the door to the room.

The basement was dark, with no lights on.

After inviting Chen Zhou, Brian went into the basement first, seemingly to turn on the lights, while Mrs. Brian, who was following behind Chen Zhou, subtly reached out and pinched Chen Zhou's butt.

She chuckled softly, then suddenly faced Chen Zhou directly and squeezed past him.

The corridor was narrow, and Chen Zhou was quite muscular. Mrs. Brian practically rubbed against him as they entered the room. During this process, Chen Zhou could clearly smell Mrs. Brian's perfume and even feel her body temperature.

Soon, the two of them blended into the darkness, leaving Chen Zhou standing alone at the doorway.

The furnishings in the basement were laid out before Chen Zhou's genetically modified eyes—

There are indeed many wax figures there, but even more are decomposed bodies, bodies that have not yet been completely decomposed, and bodies that are being made into wax figures.

Some of the bodies were standing, some were lying down, and some were stuffed into wooden boxes. There were more than a dozen bodies in total. The oldest ones looked to be at least five or six years old, while the newest ones were estimated to be only one or two months old.

The Brians never imagined that this unexpected visitor would have the ability to see in the dark.

After entering the room, one of them, holding a long metal rod, and the other a short knife, stood on the left and right sides of the basement respectively. They didn't turn on the lights, just waiting for Chen Zhou to walk into their trap.

……

With all the evidence laid out before him, Chen Zhou was absolutely certain that the couple were members of the Ambrose family of serial killers.

Previously, he had concerns about accidentally killing innocent people, but now he can bring himself to do it.

However, in order to find out exactly where Ambrose was, he had to at least keep one alive.

Pretending to know nothing, I continued walking forward. As my footsteps entered the dark basement, a gust of wind suddenly swept past me from the side.

……

Brian gripped the stick with both hands, swung it, and smashed it hard against the damned liar.

The image of that person being dissected and dismembered after their gruesome death had already appeared in his mind.

Compared to ordinary materials, people of such a tall stature are extremely rare. His wife had always longed to create a truly tall and perfect work of art, like Michelangelo's David, but she could never find a satisfactory target.

With this guy, they could finally get what they wanted, and he could feel his wife's barely suppressed joy.

Brian didn't care whether this damn conman was a policeman, an FBI agent, a private investigator, or a bodyguard looking for an employer.

Although their family's influence doesn't reach the very top, they can easily handle such trivial matters.

Besides, who would care about the disappearance of a yellow-skinned monkey, even if that monkey was a little big?

……

Having done the same thing countless times, Brian wielded the iron bar with exceptional skill.

Seeing that the man was strong and tall, he deliberately used more strength, fearing that he might not be able to knock him down in one go.

Two years ago, a burly man who was attracted to his wife was hit with a stick and stabbed in this basement, but he did not fall down. He struggled for a long time and caused them a lot of trouble.

Having learned his lesson, Brian never held back in his subsequent operations. If the gunshots hadn't been so loud, he would have definitely used firearms to end his target's life.

The iron rod whistled as it struck Chen Zhou squarely on the back of the head.

Thanks to his familiarity with the basement and his observation of Chen Zhou's height, there was absolutely no possibility of a mistake in this attack.

For a brief moment, Brian felt the end of the iron rod hit an obstacle.

The obstacle was as hard as a wall; the iron rod couldn't budge it an inch when it hit it, and instead, it made his hands go numb.

At the same time, Mrs. Brian's arm holding the knife fell into Chen Zhou's hands. He dared not hold back when dealing with this kind of person. With a hard squeeze, Mrs. Brian's forearm muscles were squeezed and deformed inward like putty.

With a scream like a pig being slaughtered, the dagger fell to the ground.

Brian, who was standing to the side, had no idea what was going on when he was kicked hard by Chen Zhou and sent flying from the basement door to the other side of the basement.

With a crash, the debris collapsed.

Brian, his chest caved in, was trapped among the corpses, bones, and broken wooden frame, his head drooping, and he soon stopped breathing.

Mrs. Brian stared wide-eyed, trying to make out the monster that was gripping her arm in the darkness, momentarily ignoring the pain.

An uncontrollable fear crept up from the depths of her heart, and urine flowed from her genitals, quickly soaking her pants with a foul odor. (End of Chapter)