Chapter 223: A Family Annihilation Case by an Acquaintance

Chapter 223: Chapter 223: A Family Annihilation Case by an Acquaintance

As the blood dripped onto the floor, the woman’s expression twisted in terror.

In the dead of night, a knife-wielding intruder suddenly breaks into your home, his blade dripping with blood. Who wouldn’t be terrified?

In the very next second, the woman spun around and tried to dash into a room.

But she wasn’t as fast as the killer. Just as she was about to reach the room, he caught up to her.

The killer forced her facedown onto the floor, clamping one hand tightly over her mouth and nose to stop her from screaming and alerting the neighbors.

"To thank you all for taking care of me, I’ve come to give you a special gift."

"Don’t worry, Auntie is already down there waiting for you. Your kid will be joining you soon." A rapturous smile spread across the killer’s face as he raised the cleaver in his hand and brought it down again.

After hacking away for a while, once he was sure the woman pinned beneath him had stopped breathing, the killer stood up and walked deeper into the room.

A newborn baby lay crying on the bed in the room, woken by the commotion.

But instead of his mother’s warm embrace and gentle comfort, all that came was a pair of rough hands, clamping down hard over his mouth and nose.

A newborn has no strength to resist. Within moments, he stopped breathing.

’I remember there was another little brat.’ The killer straightened up, walking from the room to the living room. He turned on the lights in each area, searching the entire second floor.

As he walked, he gently called out the other child’s name.

He called out promises of buying snacks and finding their dad.

The killer, so focused on his search, naturally failed to notice the faint glow of a phone screen coming from a bedroom in the house directly across the way.

Inside, a teenage girl had one hand clamped tightly over her own mouth, and the other over the mouth of a little girl beside her.

She carefully pulled the little girl into a corner of the room. After making absolutely sure the child wouldn’t make a sound, she quickly used her phone to call the police.

By the time the killer had searched the entire house and found no one else, he decided to leave. But the moment he stepped outside, he was subdued by police officers who were already lying in wait on both sides.

As the killer was captured and escorted to a police car, the door flung Zoe Sawyer back.

But with the experience from the past few times, Zoe Sawyer was already prepared.

She quickly planted her feet in a firm stance, steadying herself so she wouldn’t be thrown off balance and fall like before.

After Zoe Sawyer straightened up, she was about to ask if Sean Hughes had arrived when she saw Evan Keller and his team already waiting at her dorm room door.

Every one of them wore a tense expression.

When Zoe Sawyer looked over, Evan Keller was the first to speak. "What kind of case is it this time? Is there anything we can use to pinpoint the location quickly?"

"A family annihilation, committed by an acquaintance," Zoe Sawyer said, taking a deep breath. "It looks like a revenge killing. The killer had a clear target. It must have been premeditated for a long time."

The general location was easy to confirm this time. The headlights of one police car lit up the area, illuminating the license plate of the cruiser next to it.

Zoe Sawyer memorized the license plate number and recited it to Evan Keller.

The group headed toward the office, using the license plate to look up its place of registration.

They quickly determined the general area.

"Are there any other distinguishing features?" Officer Lee asked, zooming in on the regional map.

Zoe Sawyer frowned, recalling the scene she had witnessed.

"Even though it was the middle of the night, there was a row of streetlights on the road across from the victim’s house. One in the middle was out, and the one next to it was flickering."

"The rest were fine, and they lit up the road and the area behind the lights clearly."

"Behind the streetlights, there’s a slope. At the bottom of the slope is a small river, with a simple wooden plank bridge built by the local residents."

"It’s a bit dark past the river, but you can faintly make out what looks like a patch of farmland."

Following Zoe Sawyer’s description, Officer Lee quickly highlighted all the marked rivers on the nearby map.

The search area for the victim was narrowed down once again.

"This is as far as we can get. We’ll need the local police to determine a more precise location," Officer Lee said, looking at the map with a helpless expression.

Evan Keller didn’t hesitate, immediately dialing the number for the local police station.

Even though it was the middle of the night, an officer was on duty, and the call was answered quickly.

After identifying himself, Evan Keller laid out the situation.

"A house directly facing a river and farmland, with streetlights... that sounds like Silvanis, not too far from here. But that’s still a pretty big area. Are there any other details to narrow it down?" the officer on duty replied swiftly.

Silvanis happened to be his hometown, which was why he could identify the location so quickly.

"The family has a big yellow dog, and a woman who just gave birth recently," Evan Keller added, relaying the specific details about the victims.

The officer on the other end quickly locked onto a specific household.

If it were just about a big yellow dog, he wouldn’t have been able to be sure. But a family with a new baby, whose house also faced the streetlights and farmland? The target was crystal clear.

The officer on duty quickly gave the exact location to Evan Keller. After he finished, he asked hesitantly, "Is... is their family okay?"

’For the provincial bureau to get involved, it must be a huge case!’

"Sorry, it’s a confidential mission. You’ll find out in due time," Evan Keller replied, deflecting the question.

Once they had the address, Evan Keller and his team wasted no time. They quickly put on their gear and stood behind Zoe Sawyer, ready to go.

Since the killer was carrying a cleaver, Evan Keller and the others couldn’t afford to be careless.

Zoe Sawyer opened the door, leading Evan Keller and his team to the vicinity of the victim’s house.

Guided by the streetlights, the group was standing at the victim’s front door in less than a minute.

From the initial discovery to pinpointing the address and arriving on-site, over half an hour had already passed.

Based on past experience, the killer would likely arrive in about an hour. Zoe Sawyer’s team couldn’t afford to waste time. Just as they were about to knock, a dog started barking from the yard.

"We can’t let it keep barking. It’ll be a problem if it attracts the neighbors’ attention," Heath Hale said calmly, scanning the surroundings.

If there was no other choice, they’d have to climb the wall.

They’d deal with the official reports and any punishment after the case was over.

Fortunately, just as they were about to scale the wall, a light on the first floor flicked on.

It was followed by the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Who is it?" a woman asked from behind the iron gate, her voice wary.

"Hello, police."