From Robinson Crusoe

The stranger took Antina away a long time ago.

The basement lights were still on, and Raphael sat in the warm yellow light for a long time in silence.

He finally stood up, opened the drawer, and took out a mirror.

Looking at the hideous and terrifying face in the mirror, Raphael couldn't help but close his eyes and turn his head away.

The basement was as quiet as ever, and Raphael didn't know how long he stayed in that quiet.

He idly flipped through picture books in the room, idly read the fairy tales he had memorized, or fiddled with the little trinkets he had carved himself.

Darkness fell quickly, and the lawn was shrouded in darkness.

Raphael felt a little hungry, so he climbed out of the basement.

His older brother hasn't brought him food yet, and his parents haven't come to see him either.

Raphael assumed his family was still angry with him, so he continued to wait.

As the wind blew in, Raphael noticed that the door to the tool shed was unlocked.

He lifted the heavy curtains and looked outside. It was almost completely dark, and there were no pedestrians on the road.

A strong desire to see the world again arose spontaneously.

Raphael returned to the basement, wrapped a blanket around himself, and sneaked out of the tool shed.

He noticed that the lights were off in the house and assumed that his parents and brother had gone out and had not yet returned, so he tiptoed toward the house.

Ambrose doesn't seem to be home either; I can't hear it barking.

Raphael pushed open the door; the room was deathly quiet.

He tentatively called out "brother," and a terrifying roar escaped from his tongueless mouth.

However, no one answered.

He turned on the lights, and the living room, kitchen, staircase, and decorative paintings were all as familiar as he remembered. However, Raphael knew very well how much evil was hidden beneath this peaceful exterior.

He hasn't been back here for a long time, since the burns.

Walking slowly inside, touching familiar objects and smelling familiar scents, Raphael couldn't help but shed two lines of tears on his ugly face.

How he wished he could live with his parents and brothers. If he hadn't witnessed those atrocities, if he could have accepted it all, perhaps he wouldn't be so conflicted.

For many years, Raphael has been fighting against his kind heart, suffering in struggle and pain, and constantly trying to escape.

Now, returning to this place, he was reminded of happy memories of the past, but the evil deeds of his parents and brothers also resurfaced in his mind.

Torn by these conflicting emotions, Raphael went upstairs from downstairs.

He walked into his parents' bedroom and saw the messy room, open closets, and clothes scattered all over the floor.

The arrival of strangers had already given Raphael a sense of foreboding, and upon seeing this scene, he hurriedly went downstairs and rushed towards the basement he thought he would never enter.

As soon as he opened the door and before even stepping down the stairs, Raphael was hit by a strong smell of blood. This smell mingled with the pungent odor of chemical fuel, making him involuntarily think of death.

He fumbled for the light switch, but the room did not light up after he pressed it.

Back in the living room, after rummaging through drawers and cabinets to find the flashlight, Raphael returned to the basement and witnessed the scene he least wanted to see—

The bodies of his parents and brother, who had died tragically, lay across the room, their faces obscured by bright red dye.

The bodies of countless travelers who died at their hands shared the same room with them, as if silently watching them and witnessing the day the murderers would be punished.

For a moment, Raphael felt as if his spine had been removed, and he had lost all his strength.

He slumped to the ground, but eventually stood up again.

……

The stars shift and the moon rises high.

In the quiet of the night, no one noticed anything unusual about Mr. Brian's house until the flames lit up Prescott and illuminated the church.

Raphael sat motionless in the basement, holding a match.

Beside him, Mr. Brian, Mrs. Brian, and little Brian all sat properly in chairs, at opposite ends of the long table.

There were no disgusting tools or undecomposed corpses on the table, only ordinary tea and cakes.

Mr. Brian and his wife's masterpiece also came here to participate in this unique candlelight dinner.

Inside an upright wooden box, a lifelike wax figure of a little girl stands quietly, keeping Raphael company.

After discovering that his parents and brother were pursuing so-called "art" in a way he could not imagine, and after all his attempts to dissuade them failed, Raphael himself began to try making wax figures.

He hopes to prove with his exquisite craftsmanship that even without the involvement of human tissue, it is still possible to create lifelike and vibrant works of art.

However, the answer he ultimately received was—

Killing itself is an art.

The wax figure he created by hand has been sealed away forever.

Perhaps Mr. Brian always felt guilty about all of this, which is why he didn't put the wax figure in this sinful basement, but instead kept it in the studio to prevent his youngest son's craftsmanship and pure soul from being tainted.

But in the end, "she" still came here, just like Raphael sitting with his dead parents.

Since I was born into this family, I cannot prevent evil from happening, nor can I eradicate it, so it is difficult to say that I have no connection with it.

Raphael never considered himself clean, just like the killings and rescues within this family.

He ran away for a long time, and even thought about ending it all.

In the end, however, he chose to accept it all and have his last dinner with his parents and brothers.

……

In the early hours of the morning, Raphael struck a match and set ablaze the wax figures, the dye, the corpses, the bloodstained wax figures, and the flawless works of art.

The raging flames devoured everything.

Raphael saw the wax melting, his parents' faces blurring, and the little girl beside him turning into a shapeless, flowing lump of wax.

He wanted to cry, but his tears had already evaporated in the flames.

The pain only made him open his mouth and let out a silent roar.

The fire grew larger and larger, spreading from the basement and engulfing the entire house.

The firelight illuminated the streets, the Ambrose ruins crushed by cars, the church, and the Gothic spires...

On the cross, Jesus watched all of this.

People rushed out of the room, making a ruckus, to put out the fire.

However, the flames seemed to come from hell, and no amount of water could extinguish them.

As the sun rose, only a charred house remained beneath the thick smoke.

The Chevrolet repaired the bumper and grille, replaced the windshield and the broken windows, and filled up the tank.

Just past noon, Chen Zhou successfully reunited with Ronald with Antina.

Before meeting Ronald, Chen Zhou made a deal with the girl, hoping she wouldn't tell anyone that he had smashed the car window and eaten inside.

Antina naturally agreed, but judging from the little girl's clever and mischievous nature, Chen Zhou couldn't guarantee that she would keep it a secret for too long.

The reunion of father and daughter was naturally a source of endless joy.

Despite Antina's previous doubts about whether Chen Zhou could lead her to her father, she kept a tense expression and looked unhappy.

But when she actually saw her father, this little girl, who had suffered so many setbacks and almost lost her life at Brian's hands, couldn't help but rush into Ronald's arms and burst into tears.

Chen Zhou stood aside, giving the father and daughter ample space and time to express their longing, while he tossed the money, guns, and ammunition he had collected from Brian's house into the back seat of the car.

A moment later, Ronald, who had regained his daughter, hugged Antina tightly and went into a restaurant with Chen Zhou for lunch.

……

Chen Zhou had saved Ronald's life and then kept his promise to save his daughter. The two acts of kindness combined left Ronald at a loss for how to repay them.

He only said that he had lost his wallet and could not come up with the promised money for the time being. He hoped that Chen Zhou could go to Little Rock with him. He said that after he withdrew the money from the bank, he would make sure that Chen Zhou received all the rewards and repay the money he borrowed from Chen Zhou.

While $5000 was painful for Ronald, it wasn't enough to make him back out, and besides, he wouldn't dare to back out anyway.

All that I've seen and heard in the past few days has proven that this mysterious, tall Eastern man is no ordinary person. Even if he doesn't give him the money, the other party has plenty of ways to get it back.

When Ronald asked Chen Zhou to come with him to withdraw the money, he was truly sincere.

Ronald will do his best to help Chen Zhou obtain an identity and acquire more advanced and expensive firearms.

He was almost certain that Chen Zhou would go to Little Rock with him.

Such a person would never be content to stay in a remote town. Without a doubt, Chen Zhou is a man destined for great things.

Whether as an assassin, a bodyguard, or a private investigator, he deserves the highest price.

However, this time, Chen Zhou's response once again surprised Ronald.

He had no intention of going to Little Rock with Ronald, nor did he want the $5000 or the money he had previously lent Ronald.

Chen Zhou simply asked Ronald for his Chevrolet, a car worth $2000, which was traded for $5000 here. With just a verbal promise, it became Chen Zhou's property.

Aside from the car, the issues of identity and firearms haven't been invalidated, but these matters can't be resolved in the short term.

Ronald needs to go back to familiar territory and get the support of his personal connections to get this done.

……

Without a car, the journey to Little Rock became significantly more difficult.

In return, Chen Zhou generously gave Ronald $400 as travel expenses, telling Ronald to find his own way out.

As for him.

Having received confirmation from Ambrose, he naturally wanted to get closer to see if he could gather more clues.

Currently, Ambrose is not holding a celebration, leaving its defenses extremely weak, making it a good opportunity to scout the area.

……

After lunch, I discussed with Ronald how to find him and where to pick up the ID documents we had prepared.

At 3:30 p.m., next to the gas station, Chen Zhou put two iron oil drums filled with oil and several new guns that Ronald had just bought for him into the trunk of his car, officially saying goodbye to Ronald.

Before leaving, he drove back to town and stopped for a while in front of the shop owner's shop.

He wanted to tell the shop owner that perhaps he had already avenged him and found the murderer who killed his son.

But after thinking it over, Chen Zhou still didn't get out of the car.

Perhaps for those who are alive, not knowing the news is the best news.

If he hadn't told his boss, he might have continued living, clinging to the illusion that his son was still alive, hoping that one day his son would return to this small town.

If you were to tell him this news, the truth would be even more suffocating.

Furthermore, the Brian family is only a small part of the Ambrose serial killer family. It seems there is still a long way to go before they can truly fulfill the contract and eliminate all those who have committed crimes.

……

The car was parked quietly in front of the store, attracting the attention of the store owner.

Just as he peered at the car, it honked its horn and then roared off, leaving the town behind.

Continuing along Highway 66, the buildings on both sides of the road soon disappear completely, replaced by endless farmland.

Farmers were busy in the fields, and every now and then, dilapidated pickup trucks or delivery trucks would drive by.

As the sun gradually sets, its golden rays bathe the earth.

The shadows of the trees swayed gently, and a farmer stood in the field, watching the passing cars and the magnificent clouds on the horizon, lost in thought.

He might be thinking about what to eat for dinner tonight, or whether he might own such a car in the future, but he would never realize the extent of the evil that exists in Arkansas.

The living are still struggling to make a living, while the dead will never be able to speak again; they will only be gradually forgotten.

……

Before it got completely dark, Chen Zhou arrived in a town even smaller than Prescott.

The streets of this small town can be seen from one end to the other at a glance, and there is only one gas station and a two-story motel along the highway.

Fortunately, this motel does not discriminate against people of color and welcomes everyone.

This was extremely rare in Arkansas in 1947.

Perhaps because the genetic modification is not yet complete, Chen Zhou has been feeling particularly hungry lately.

Thinking he could take a break and gather some information about Ambrose, he parked his car in front of the motel.

This hotel was much busier than the one in Prescott, and there were more cars parked there.

A dozen or so motorcycles, dilapidated trucks, pickup trucks, and cars filled the open space in front of the hotel.

Under the bright lights, the ground floor of the hotel was bustling with people, and the smells of alcohol, cigarettes, and sweat filled the crowded and cramped space.

Long-distance drivers stop here, travelers heading to Little Rock stay here, and motorcyclists from all over the world or men and women passing through for various purposes.

They were so engrossed in the pleasure of alcohol or the lively atmosphere that few noticed the unfamiliar faces that had just entered the hotel.

Chen Zhou still had two pistols tucked into his waistband. He bought a leather hat to cover his somewhat conspicuous appearance, and tried to walk into the hotel in an inconspicuous manner, going to the front desk.

He took a tattered cloth bag from his pocket, poured out a few coins—enough to cover his lodging for the night—ordered a drink, found a corner by the window, and stood there quietly observing the diverse travelers passing by. (End of Chapter)