Chapter 102: The Bizarre Vagrant

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: The Bizarre Vagrant

Heath Hale aimed the tranquilizer gun at the tree, his voice sharp.

The local police officers scrambled to the scene.

As soon as they arrived, they saw the large pit in the middle of the clearing. They also saw a little boy with a red, flushed face, his hair and clothes covered in dirt, surrounded by two female officers.

Nearby, three boys stood with their heads bowed, watched over by a male officer. A shovel lay not far away.

With their experience, it didn’t take them long to figure out what had happened.

The lead officer sucked in a sharp breath, not daring to imagine the uproar if the child hadn’t been rescued.

"What’s going on here?" the officer asked, jogging over to Zoe Sawyer and Sean Hughes.

Barry Quinn stepped forward, positioning himself in front of the officer. He pointed to the three silent boys and explained, "They were trying to bury this child alive. We caught them."

"Bury him alive?!" The officers behind him couldn’t help but gasp, their expressions horrified.

The lanky teen spoke up to defend himself. "No, we weren’t! We were just playing with him! If you hadn’t shown up, we would’ve pulled him out already."

’I don’t know how these cops found out and got here,’ he thought, ’but as long as I can get through today, I’ll have plenty of chances to trick him into coming back here again!’

’He refused to believe this group could show up on time every single time!’

A vicious glint flashed in the lanky teen’s eyes before he quickly concealed it, but Evan Keller, who had been watching him closely, saw it all.

"Yeah, yeah, we were just playing!" the other two chimed in, hearing the lanky teen’s excuse.

They were all minors, and no one had died. As long as they stuck to the story that it was just a game, they were sure they’d be fine.

Recalling the pop-science legal articles they had read, the three boys felt a sense of relief.

Zoe Sawyer raised an eyebrow. "Think we don’t have any evidence? Do you know why we got here in time? It’s because we saw the livestream.

Someone filmed everything: you premeditating this, bringing him here to bury him, extorting him, then actually burying him, hitting him with a stick, and even trying to use the shovel. What do you think, did my partner save a recording?"

"Premeditated crime, attempted murder, extortion, and assault with intent to cause injury... add all that up, and even if you’re minors, it’s enough to land you in some serious hot water," Sean Hughes said, picking up where Zoe left off. He stared at the three boys, then turned to the local police. "If you need it, I can provide the screen recording as evidence at any time."

As Sean Hughes spoke, the color drained from the three boys’ faces.

"Right! We understand!" The officer nodded, knowing what he had to do.

Since it was a livestream, they weren’t the only ones who saw it. If this wasn’t handled properly, it would reflect badly on the police department’s reputation.

The officer knew where his priorities lay.

Meanwhile, up in the tree, Heath Hale’s shouts finally got a reaction.

First, a pair of sneakers, so worn the original color was impossible to tell, emerged from the foliage, testing the air cautiously. Then, a thin man appeared before them, a pink cell phone clamped between his teeth. ℴ

His clothes were filthy—some pieces too big, others too small—as if he’d just thrown on whatever he could find.

His hair was a tangled mess, like a bird’s nest.

Once he was all the way down from the tree, everyone’s attention was drawn to his hands.

Most people have five fingers on each hand, though some, in rare cases, have more or less.

But the man before them had only two fingers on each hand, and the digits were split all the way down to his wrists, leaving him with no palms.

After climbing down, the man awkwardly put the phone in his pocket. He twisted his four fingers together, looking timid and flustered.

Barry Quinn’s eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on the hem of the man’s clothes. There was a dark red stain there, but it was hard to make out against the already filthy fabric.

"Look, does that look like a bloodstain to you?" Barry Quinn asked, tapping Zoe Sawyer on the shoulder and pointing to the mark.

Zoe Sawyer and Sean Hughes followed his gaze and saw the stain on the man’s clothes.

Heath Hale, being closest to the man, picked up on it most clearly. Besides the sour stench from his clothes, there was a faint, salty, metallic smell, like rust.

Then, Heath Hale noticed more large, dark red stains—not just on the hem, but also on the man’s pant cuffs and knees.

"Talk. Why were you livestreaming the whole thing, but when we told you to call the police, you left us on read?" Heath Hale stormed up to the man, his face flushed with anger. ’If it weren’t for Zoe Sawyer’s ability, this could have ended in a disaster that couldn’t be undone!’

The man gave Heath Hale a timid glance, then looked over at the three teens.

Then he bolted. Heath Hale immediately gave chase.

No matter how many warnings or shouts Heath Hale gave, the man didn’t stop. Left with no other choice, Heath Hale shot him with the tranquilizer gun, then called Evan Keller over to help carry the man back.

The moment the local officer saw Heath Hale fire the gun, he immediately put his hand on his stun baton, pulled the little boy behind him, and watched Zoe Sawyer’s team with wary eyes.

"Relax, relax. We’re colleagues. And that’s a tranquilizer gun, it won’t hurt him," Sean Hughes said, raising his hands and holding out his badge.

Barry Quinn and Monkey didn’t move. They simply stood in front of and behind Zoe Sawyer, shielding her completely and giving no one an opportunity to make a move.

The three teens had long since been terrified by the sudden turn of events. They huddled together, trembling.

Soon, Evan Keller and Heath Hale carried the unconscious man back.

As they were carrying him over, something wrapped in black cloth fell from the man’s waist with a CLATTER.

Judging by the size and shape, it was clearly a kitchen knife.

Heath Hale frowned. After setting the man down, he took a pair of sterile gloves from his pocket and put them on.

He carefully unwrapped the black cloth, revealing a sharp kitchen knife completely covered in bloodstains.

"That’s a kitchen knife!" The local officer’s expression changed drastically. Carrying around a sharp, bloody kitchen knife...

’This is not normal at all!’

Barry Quinn, Monkey, and Heath Hale were more experienced; they could tell at a glance that it was human blood, not animal blood.

"This is human blood. Heath, you two tie him up. We’re taking him back to the station," Barry Quinn said, his expression grave. He couldn’t be bothered with anything else.

The man was wearing so many layers of clothes that he looked bulky, which was why Heath Hale and the others hadn’t noticed he was hiding something at his waist.

After the kitchen knife fell out, they didn’t dare let their guard down. Wearing gloves, they searched the man from head to toe.

Besides the cell phone he’d put in his pocket, they found a very pink wallet and a car key in a pocket in his innermost layer of clothing.

"Something’s wrong. These aren’t his."