Grayson lit up a cigarette on the balcony. "Go ahead.""We suspect that the hooligans were related to the recent incidents of child disappearances. One of our informants stationed at Mandoria identified one of them as a hitman from Mandoria."Grayson frowned at the mention of Mandoria.His suspicions regarding the children's disappearance being related to Mandoria were finally confirmed."The restaurant owner also revealed that they had been ordering extra food recently. We think they are most likely for the kidnapped children."Unfortunately, none of the children could be found when we went to check on the men's hotel room. We're afraid that someone, attempting to evade capture now that the hooligans have been fatally poisoned, may have disposed of the children."Grayson took a while to gather his thoughts before responding, "Very well. Continue your investigation in the shadows. Don't alert our targets.""Of course."Grayson took another puff on his cigarette after hanging up
Belle was surprised. "Dead? Aren't they still in the hospital?"Grayson elaborated, "They were poisoned to death.""Who poisoned them?""We don't know yet."Frowning, she responded, "I don't believe it's Gabriel. He wouldn't have spared them to make it to the hospital if he meant to kill them. Is it a possibility that one of their own eliminated them to prevent them from talking to the police after recovery?""Most likely, yes.""Do those men have any criminal records?"Grayson didn't want to mention Mandoria in front of Belle. "I'm not sure."Belle sighed. "It was probably karma for all their sins against the public. They had it coming for them. It's best just to live life as an ordinary person."Not everyone gets the chance to redeem themselves once they venture into the shadier parts of life. They would be considered lucky to be poisoned to death as there are fates worse than death for people like them."Once again, she sighed, pondering the thoughts that occupied the mind
Grayson ended the call and stared at Belle in his arms. Belle was sound asleep right now as she couldn't sleep well last night due to overthinking about Hunter's problems.Grayson let out a sigh. He wondered why Belle was so concerned about Hunter when they weren't even close friends.He came to understand that her kindness was entirely genuine. However, a benevolent soul like hers carried the weight of a generational blood feud—an ongoing conflict tied to the secrets she inherited from birth. It seemed almost fated for her not to experience a tranquil and joyful life.Grayson pitied her as he held her in his arms.He carefully withdrew his arm and kissed Belle on the forehead before heading to the balcony, thinking about Mount Moriah.He made a call and ordered his men to survey the mountain. He then assigned another batch of his men to follow after Hunter.Grayson found himself questioning whether Hunter was an ally as he contemplated the link between Hunter and Mount Moriah.
Lucia enthusiastically shared, "It might be hard to believe, but Ms. Nina reached out to me first. She came across a video of my dance routine online, and understandably, she was displeased with my mistakes. So, she contacted me to discuss it, and that's how we became acquainted."Hunter asked, "Why did she choose you instead of the many others who had imitated her dance routine?"She smiled awkwardly and replied, "She's very strict about her image and was pissed off when she saw how bad I was at imitating her. She was furious when she first approached me.""Are you sure she's the real deal?""Of course! We've been having private lessons through video calls already! I've made significant improvements with her guidance. I've even surprised my current dance coach with my improvements."But you can't tell anyone about this, okay? Ms. Nina made it clear that she didn't want to be bothered by too many people while here in Mandoria for her vacation."Hunter furrowed his brows. "Does yo
Hunter could still follow Lucia by sight as the sky wasn't completely dark yet.Nearby residents were walking around the public square near the foot of the mountain. No one tried to hike up.He frowned when he realized that Lucia intended to hike up now. He tried to maintain his distance as he followed her.Over time, the public square emptied out, and the sky transitioned into complete darkness.Lucia was scared of her surroundings. She continuously sent voice messages, asking, "Where are you?"Hunter caught her response, indicating that she was meeting someone halfway up the mountain and needed to proceed further.Halfway up the mountain would also be where surveillance came to an end.Hunter began to panic as he realized they were inching closer to the halfway point of the mountain. Gritting his teeth, he advanced with a handkerchief in hand, attempting to cover Lucia's mouth with it.Lucia was startled. She put up a fight but eventually fainted.Hunter didn't dare to bri
"Hunter had remained silent."Belle was surprised. "What?" The man replied, "The police asked him about his motives for following and knocking Lucia unconscious. But he remained silent the whole time."Belle was in disbelief. "Why didn't he say anything? I'm sure he has his reasons for knocking his classmate unconscious. I don't believe he would actually harm anyone.""I have no idea. But it's not going well for him since he said nothing.""Do you know why the girl was trying to hike the mountain late at night?" asked Grayson."She's still unconscious, and the police confiscated her phone. So we have no idea why."Grayson looked toward Mount Moriah and fell silent for a while."The priority right now is to find out why the girl was going up the mountain alone at night. You don't have to stop the police if they want to take Hunter back to their station.""Yes, sir."Belle turned to Grayson after the man had left. "What about Hunter? Are we not going to help him?""We will. J
Belle was furious. "Her mother slapped you before finding out what happened? You should've spoken up! They'll think you're admitting fault if you don't say anything! What's stopping you from explaining what happened?"She was too worried about Hunter to calmly assess the situation and think about why he had deliberately remained silent."You are worried that the police can't be trusted, right?" asked Grayson.Hunter pivoted to confront Grayson, his expression marred by a deep frown.Grayson offered assurance, saying, "The policeman who brought you to us is one of my men. I'm arranging it this way to keep the mole in the police unaware of our meeting. Your secrets are safe here. You'll have to tell me the truth so that I can help you."Hunter remained silent.Grayson pressed on, "If you continue to remain silent, the police might imprison you for life. Consider your studies, your reputation, and your father. You need to make a decision now. If the police uncover what you are hidin
Hunter's lips trembled as he chose to disregard her question. He nervously swallowed before he continued to explain."That day in the restaurant, my concern peaked when I noticed the dirt on their shoes, leading me to fear they might be graverobbers. This prompted me to investigate the burial site at night."To my relief, it turned out they hadn't breached the actual tomb but were exploring a decoy chamber designed to mislead graverobbers."Eavesdropping from a distance, I heard the sounds of men scolding and beating up crying children, making me suspect that the missing children might be concealed there."I didn't dare to investigate further, and I didn't tell the police about it either. I was worried that they had a mole within their ranks. I feared they would come for me and move the kidnapped children elsewhere. "I've been thinking about how to save those children ever since."As for what happened to Lucia today … I began to worry for her when she mentioned her trip to M
Belle playfully reached for Sixteen again. "Come here!"Sixteen barked back, seemingly firm in his stance. "I'll cry if you don't come here, okay?" Belle then held her face in her hands and pretended to cry.Sixteen immediately calmed down as it nudged Belle's hands with its paws, trying to comfort her. Belle broke character, revealing a grin. "Are you still mad at me?"Sixteen, appeased, finally got into her arms and launched into enthusiastic licks.Grayson watched the exchange with a hint of envy. "Hey, Sixteen!"Sixteen whimpered and offered Grayson a sheepish look.Belle scolded, "Why are you scolding Sixteen? You're a bad guy!"She then petted Sixteen on its head and stood up. "Let's go! We'll get something tasty to eat! Just ignore him, okay?"Grayson was left speechless. He felt defeated by the pet dog as he watched Belle and Sixteen skip and hop into the house.Meredith had already finished preparing dinner when they arrived. She put on a gentle smile as she watched Belle
After returning to the house, Ava asked, "Why did Xenia go crazy? Wasn't she fine not long ago?"Lena wiped her hands and handed the towel back to Ava. "Someone drugged her and induced hallucinations of her worst fears. She's been on the edge ever since. After all, she did commit all sorts of misdeeds." "Someone?""Belle Walters."Ava was shocked. "Why would Belle drug Xenia?"Ava and Lena had been moving from place to place, seeking a safe hideout ever since they picked up Xenia. They had only found a relatively safe place today, so Ava finally had the chance to inquire about the details.Lena shot her a look of disgust and proceeded to ignore her question.Ava dared not press further and changed the topic. "Now that Xenia's lost her mind, can we still get her to talk?"Lena continued to ignore her and went to scribble down a prescription. She had spent the entire day with Xenia in the basement but hadn't managed to extract any useful information from her. Ava sheepishly c
Meanwhile, Ginger, too, was grappling with confusion. She'd also offered Hunter money, only to be stunned into silence by the astronomical sum in his bank statement. Compared to him, she was practically penniless. The largest amount she'd ever held was a few million Gabriel had won in the lottery—a drop in the bucket compared to Hunter's wealth."Why do you think Mr. Sanders was so wealthy?" Ginger queried, seeking Gabriel's insight.Gabriel was similarly grappling with confusion and remained quiet. However, he was preoccupied with a different mystery. His mind was consumed by the deaths of Penny and Terry. He had taken time to visit the corpses and noted the peculiarity surrounding their deaths. Their autopsies revealed unusual injuries that baffled forensics.Both victims, young adults in their prime, looked as if they'd been scared to death.Aware of Hunter's ties to the Nightwalkers, Gabriel wasn't surprised by the inheritance. Compared to the wealth amassed during the Sanders f
Belle pondered aloud, "While Hunter isn't as averse to exploring tombs as Benjamin, they share a similar disposition. Otherwise, with his expertise, he could easily be making a fortune.""The Sanders ancestors might not have been saints," Grayson conceded, "but perhaps Hunter's grandfather started a positive trend. Like Benjamin, he likely tried to shield Hunter from their legacy. A truly evil man couldn't have raised such a kind son."As Benjamin grew, he remained kind-hearted despite his timidity. And now, Hunter has grown into an upright, kind, and courageous young man. His talent for exploration makes him the pride of his lineage."Belle nodded and sighed. "Money is crucial for a comfortable life today. With what Hunter has, financial worries shouldn't trouble him. He'll be well provided for."Grayson pulled her into his arms and responded, "Don't fret. While Hunter may still be in school, he's mature for his age. He can take care of himself just fine."Belle leaned onto his s
Hunter crouched by the bed, methodically clearing away the books until a single floor tile lay exposed. Prying it open revealed a dark hole just big enough for one person. Grabbing a flashlight, he squeezed through the narrow opening and emerged into a moderately sized room of perhaps about 130 square feet. Wooden boxes, weathered with age and adorned with simple designs, filled the space.Hunter made a beeline for a particular box, brushing off the dust before prying it open. The wooden box was filled to the brim with notebooks. Hunter sat down on the floor, picked up one of the books, and started reading it.This hidden chamber and its contents were discovered by a young Hunter, seemingly guided by destiny. Hunter's father, Benjamin, had buried them, driven by a desire to safeguard their knowledge from Hunter's curious gaze. Fear had gripped Benjamin after learning about the Sanders family's history, the expertise that had seemingly drawn them toward a dangerous path. He
Nora let out a long sigh. "It's fine. Just keep it with you! I don't really need the money right away or anything. Besides, an old woman like me won't be spending much in town even if I tried."Hunter stopped Nora as she was about to leave and took a wad of money from his bag. "I have 20,000 dollars right here. It's far from the actual price, but you can keep it for now. I'll pay you the rest when I can."Nora was stunned. "Where did you get so much money?""It's the money I gathered from donations for the funeral, mostly from Ms. Belle and Mr. Grayson.""Oh, that makes sense. Here I was, wondering how you managed to get such a huge amount from donations. I can tell your friends are really kind-hearted people. You should treat them just as well as they treat you, okay? Study hard and make a name for yourself, and then you'll be able to properly repay their kindness.""Yeah, I know. Anyway, the gold nugget weighs slightly over 17 ounces. So, its worth is about 37,500 dollars. I'll pay y
As the final step of the funeral, the townsfolk gathered for a meal after Benjamin's burial. After Benjamin was buried, Belle and Ginger approached Hunter, inquiring about his plans for the future. Belle expressed her desire for Hunter to stay with her and Grayson, mentioning that their house had plenty of spare rooms. The only drawback would be that it was quite the distance from his school, but they could always arrange a driver for him.Ginger also invited Hunter to stay with her and Gabriel as their house had just finished with renovations. They also had a spare room for Hunter if he were to join their house.Hunter was genuinely touched by their offers, but he still declined them both. "I'd like to stay in my school's hostel for now. I'll think about what to do next when I graduate."Belle and Ginger recognized that they couldn't sway Hunter's decision, so they ceased their attempts to pressure him into making a choice."If you run out of space for your belongings, you ca
Hunter detailed, "I recall every person who came to offer prayers for my father... However, it was during my trip to the restroom that the dogs began barking. Upon my return, I spotted some unfamiliar footprints. Without seeing anyone there, I dismissed it. But upon hearing about Penny and Terry's deaths this morning, I began to connect the dots..."Both Gabriel and Grayson were left speechless.Gabriel exchanged a glance with Grayson before turning back to Hunter. "So, you're suggesting that the stranger who came to town also visited your house to pray for your father before departing to exact revenge on Penny and Terry for Mr. Sanders' death?""Yes.""Why didn't he meet you then?""I don't know.""Any other suspects you have in mind?"Hunter shook his head. "My father and I don't have friends other than you guys. It's just the two of us for as long as I can remember.""Could it be someone else from the Sanders family?" asked Gabriel."I don't think so. I'm an only child, and
Belle, Ginger, and the rest of the group arrived at 8:00 am. They noticed the crowd alongside police cars at the entrance to the town. The two of them then squeezed through the crowd to make it to the house as soon as they could. "What happened, Hunter?"The policemen were stunned by their sudden arrival. "Who are you?""We're Hunter's friends. You can tell us about what happened."Hunter's eyes gleamed with hope as he greeted them. "Ms. Belle and Ms. Ginger!"Grayson's car stopped in front of the town alongside a truck filled with equipment for the funeral.Without Belle and Grayson's friendship, Hunter would have had to manage all the funeral arrangements alone, and he wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet Ginger.Sam remained outside to stand guard while Grayson and Gabriel entered the Sanders family's old home.The townsfolk and the police were shocked when they saw them.They didn't recognize Grayson or Gabriel, but they could tell at a glance that they were really special peo