She is not an investigator.

Without hesitation, she threw herself into Igris's chest. Perhaps she had finally found an opportunity to vent, and a trembling voice squeezed out of her mouth.

“I know…of course I know…they’re dead, all of them are dead. Their bodies are everywhere. I was once their family, their friend, but I…I don’t even have the courage to see them, Igris, Igris…I’m sorry, I just…want to cry for a while…”

"Of course you can, no one will blame you for it... those sinners will pay the price, I assure you."

"……Thanks."

For once, Isabella took the initiative to release Igris, revealing a smile she knew all too well, though her eyes were red and her tears had not been wiped away.

After all, Igris's chest was not a suitable place to wipe away tears.

"You don't think I'm ridiculous, do you? I mean... I should have acted stronger."

"Hmm—maybe? I don't think it's a bad thing. At least this is the real you, and I like you more this way."

"Hmph... You really know how to talk, no wonder so many people like you."

Iglesias shrugged, not wanting to steer the conversation in that direction.

After a brief hiccup, the two finally followed the ravine to the end of the clue.

Almost the instant she saw it, Isabella couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

"Aunt Jenny..."

"..."

The woman she called Aunt Jenny was a middle-aged woman who looked somewhat old. She was lying in the middle of the road, in the ditch.

It was horrific, just like the people Iglis had seen before; it was all blatant torture and murder.

That ravine, that bloodstained mark, came from her.

Her body was almost entirely covered in mud, and her skull was a bloody mess, embedded in a ravine.

Apart from that, there were no other fatal wounds on her body, so it was clear that her cause of death was dragging.

Someone grabbed her and dragged her head, leaving a long furrow and causing her to bleed uncontrollably.

She showed signs of struggling, so she was dragged such a distance while fully conscious until she died.

It's a disaster.

"Oh my god..."

Perhaps Isabella was already prepared, but when the scene was actually right in front of her, she still couldn't help but feel suffocated and her whole body turned cold.

"brute……"

Igris sighed and went to the body to examine the other clues.

But soon, a detail caught her attention.

She was indeed dragged to her death, but the wound on her head didn't seem to be enough to kill her directly. What truly caused her death was excessive blood loss.

So why did the killer suddenly stop dragging her here instead of continuing until she was completely dead?

The answer is probably quite simple: someone is trying to prevent all of this from happening.

Beyond the ditch, not far away on the road, was another pool of dark red blood, which, judging from the time, was probably around the same time as Jenny's death.

However, no body or other clues were found nearby.

Perhaps this massacre came to an end here, because someone tried to stop it from happening and, to some extent, succeeded?

If that's the case, then there's a high probability that the bloodstain wasn't left by the victim, but by the murderer.

However, with this level of bleeding, if the other person were an ordinary person, they would certainly die. But no body was found here, so if they are still alive, we can probably rule out the possibility that they are an ordinary person.

If he wasn't an ordinary person, then it's impossible to determine whether it was truly a gang crime. The situation in the bar might simply be because his strength was so overwhelming that no one had time to react.

Even so, based on the clues we have so far, we still can't get any reliable information directly. The only thing we know is that the other party is definitely an antisocial lunatic.

They are even more disgusting than cults.

The Bizarre Stage Play – The Book of Secrets: Chapter Thirty-Nine, Life Without Survival

Not much time had passed, less than half a minute, when Wilson approached as Igris tried to talk to Isabella and calm her down.

Igris didn't see where he came from, but he just looked at Igris and waved his hand, signaling her to come over.

He only called Igris, which makes the implications quite clear. Just as Igris was reluctant to let Isabella witness the horrific scenes that could be described as hell, Wilson had similar considerations.

Igris nodded, preparing to follow him, but Isabella looked up and followed as well.

"Isabella..."

"It's okay, I had to face it sooner or later. Only by seeing it all come to an end can I truly remember it all."

Isabella's tone was calm, but there was a slight tremor in the last syllable of each sentence. Her emotions were far from calm; at least compared to her outward composure, she was probably more furious.

Igris said nothing more and continued to follow Wilson.

Not far away, they arrived at the only unique building in this small town.

It should be a police station. Although it doesn't look very professional, there is indeed a sign at the entrance.

The gate to the courtyard was slightly ajar, and Wilson pushed it open without hesitation and went inside. He probably opened the gate here as well, and in doing so, he discovered something noteworthy.

As people entered the courtyard, the targets placed there immediately caught their attention.

It was probably a place used for shooting practice. There were still many bullet holes on the target, which was fixed to the ground by wooden sticks.

This is just one of the targets, and it's the most normal one.

Besides that, there were probably all sorts of bodies placed next to the targets, also fixed to the ground with wooden sticks, and stuck into them.

Arms, legs, and body—it's a pity we can't see the head. The clothes on the body were completely soaked in blood, the deep red color almost completely covering its original appearance. There weren't many parts left, as if the whole person had been torn apart, and the clothes couldn't be preserved either.

Igris glanced around briefly before turning her gaze to the rooms in the courtyard.

These targets certainly seemed childish compared to the ones she had seen before, but the situation here was probably more complex than that.

For example, the identity of the deceased is still unclear, and his head has not been found, making it difficult to directly determine any other information.

Before Igris could speak, Wilson pushed open the door and turned to look at the two of them.

Igris understood immediately and went in first, followed by a pungent smell of blood.

"...The head is here."

Igris couldn't help but frown, looking at the decorations in front of her that were almost full of morbid humor, and felt nauseous.

Compared to those mad artists, what lay before her now had no aesthetic appeal whatsoever; it was a flawed creation born solely for the purpose of violence.

Aside from being nauseating and uncomfortable, it makes almost no sense.

"...wool, and..."

"—"

Isabella also saw what was happening in the room. Her face turned ashen almost instantly, and she couldn't help but whisper the name.

The dog's name is Wool.

In the living room, a dog was lying on the floor, looking at the people at the door, as if happily welcoming the arrival of friendly people, its tail drooping slightly.

It might wag its tail happily, but in this situation, it's difficult for it to react in that way.

The rough and awkward stitches made its flaws particularly obvious; the dog's cute head had vanished, replaced by another head covered in blood.

It was a man with many bullet holes in his face, a ferocious expression, looking like he died a painful and angry death.

Of course, compared to his miserable appearance, what is most noteworthy is his small mustache, which is particularly eye-catching.

His head was sewn onto the dog's body, and the sewing technique was very similar to that on the cleaner's body, so it was most likely the same person.

It's estimated that only one person would have such a perverse sense of humor.

"What a gruesome death... Ha."

Isabella smiled, her face pale, but in the next instant, she rushed out of the room without hesitation.

The sound of vomiting reached Igris's ears, causing her to sigh helplessly.

It seems this is the friend Isabella mentioned. I really don't know what kind of beast could do such a thing.

"—Did you bury them all together?"

Igris looked at Wilson, but he didn't answer. Instead, he put his index finger in front of his mask, signaling Igris to be quiet.

As the room fell mostly silent, save for Isabella's occasional vomiting, other, more subtle and peculiar sounds reached their ears.

"...There's someone here."

It was a muffled groan filled with pain, a very low sound, as if it were being endured, or as if its mouth had been gagged.

"—I can't hear the exact location."

Wilson shook his head. His hearing was not good enough to pinpoint the exact direction of a sound of that magnitude. He could only hear the sound because he had already discovered it before he left.

"..."

Igris fell silent, slowly pacing around the room, quietly listening to the source of the sound, and constantly trying to get closer.

Finally, she stopped and looked up at the ceiling.

"—It's on top."

boom--!

No sooner had Igris's voice fallen than a loud crash followed, the wooden planks of the ceiling above her head snapped, and a blood-red shadow lunged directly at her face.

She instinctively raised her weapon, but just before she was about to strike, she quickly withdrew the blade.

That wasn't an attack on her; it was just a corpse hanging from the ceiling.

It was a woman, petite in stature, whose clothes were stained deep red with blood. Her arm was pierced by a wooden splinter, with a rope hanging from the middle of the splinter, connecting to the roof beam above her head. Her hands and feet had been cut off, but were connected by silk threads. Whether intentionally or not, there was always a small gap between the severed limbs, so that they would sway slightly as they hung down.

Of course, another striking feature was a tail, wrapped around her neck, with the other end connected to her broken ankle, suspending her at an eerie angle.

She appears to have many fatal wounds, such as severe head injuries, an almost cut-open abdomen, and extremely severe ligature marks on her neck.

In comparison, she was probably the most badly hurt of all the victims Igris had encountered.

The Bizarre Stage Play – The Book of Secrets: Chapter Forty, Mysterious Clues

"..."