Chapter 172 – Food Reserve
Tu Ran nodded and looked at Deng Changtai. “Please provide specific details about the situation inside the castle, and also send us the layout of the castle.”
“The layout of the castle has already been sent to Zero; Zero will guide you based on real-time positions. As for the situation inside the castle, you can take a look at these.”
Deng Changtai manipulated his communicator and brought up a holographic image.
It was displayed before the three of them.
From the angle, it looked like a corner of a room’s surveillance.
The scene was a bedroom.
“This is the footage sent back by our tech team after they hacked into the castle’s surveillance.”
The bedroom in the image was luxurious and had a classic European style. In this world, a home with such decoration was either extremely wealthy or noble.
On a magnificent large bed, a man lay sprawled in a haphazard manner.
His eyes were wide open, his gaze vacant, and his line of sight was directly at the location of the surveillance.
Looking downward, there was a large black hole near his chest, where his heart was missing, as if it had been punctured by a claw, literally ripped out.
His white shirt was stained with large patches of red, which had darkened over time due to oxidation.
Blood had seeped out of his body, flowing onto the sheets and the floor, like a river of blood.
“He was Mira Wells’ husband. He was the one who first reported, saying his wife had undergone a mutation. Unfortunately, by the time our people arrived, he was already dead.”
Deng Changtai then brought up several other images. “This is Mira Wells’ eldest son, who also had his heart removed.”
In the image, the man lay on the floor with a submachine gun beside him. Shell casings were scattered around, indicating he had tried to shoot his mutated mother but had failed.
Min Tao asked with difficulty, “After the mutation, does Mira Wells have a preference for eating human hearts?”
“Yes,” Deng Changtai nodded. “The extremist resistance organization have not perfected the development of the divine medicine. Humans who take it become more beast-like and develop certain peculiarities. Mira Wells’ peculiarity is that she views human hearts as a delicacy.”
Deng Changtai did not elaborate further on this peculiarity.
As they were approaching Jing Lake, he quickly explained Tu Ran and the others’ mission.
“Mira Wells’ family of four—two have died, and one younger son is still alive.”
The image shifted to an endless expanse of green grass with an ancient and sturdy tree standing in the center.
A young boy was hanging upside down from the tree, eyes closed, his white clothes fluttering in the wind, leaving his condition uncertain.
“He is Mira Wells’ youngest son, Das, nineteen years old, a sophomore. After learning that his mother had bought a bottle of divine medicine from the extremist group, he rushed back from school overnight to stop her, only to be hung from the tree by the already deranged Mira Wells.”
“She didn’t kill him? Did Mira Wells recognize him as her youngest son?”
Deng Changtai shook his head. “It seems that Mira Wells considers him as food reserve. There are other servants in the castle who, like Das, are also hung up high.”
“Our security teams once sent two squads to infiltrate the castle to rescue survivors. The first squad safely withdrew, rescuing thirteen servants from the castle. The second squad wasn’t as lucky and was discovered by Mira Wells. All twelve guards of that squad were sacrificed,” Deng Changtai said with a sad expression.
“Due to federal restrictions, we can’t use weapons with too much firepower. Ordinary bullets can’t penetrate her, and the few laser guns available were borrowed for other operations. We can’t risk sending another squad in. The remaining survivors inside the castle have been found one by one by Mira Wells—some had their hearts ripped out and eaten, and others were hung up as food reserve.”
“Once you go in, your sole responsibility is to capture Mira Wells. We will handle the rescue of the survivors.”
“Understood,” the three of them replied.
The patrol vehicle landed, and Tu Ran and her team stepped out of the vehicle.
A guard from the Executive Department approached and whispered a few words in Deng Changtai’s ear.
Tu Ran looked around at the surroundings.
No wonder it’s called Jing Lake. From where they stood, the first thing visible was a blue lake reflecting the sky.
The water was so clear and transparent that Tu Ran felt as if she had returned to her hometown, a world untouched by pollution.
Mira Wells’ castle was situated in the center of the lake, with a verdant lawn in front of it. A tree stood prominently in the lawn, easily noticeable.
Tu Ran gazed into the distance and indeed saw a person hanging from a tree branch. Due to the distance, the person looked like a small cucumber hanging from the branch.
The Executive Department’s guards were encircling the perimeter of Jing Lake, and none were on the grass in the center of the lake.
Deng Changtai walked up behind her, his expression somewhat strange.
“I’ve just received orders from above. You are not allowed to damage the building while capturing Mira Wells.”
Min Tao was the first to protest, “We can understand being asked not to kill Mira Wells, but now we’re also being told not to damage the castle’s architecture! Are we supposed to deal with a genetically modified person while also being careful not to knock over a vase?”
Deng Changtai’s Mediterranean tan glistened with sweat as he took out a handkerchief to wipe his brow. He said with difficulty, “This… this is the order from above. I have… I have no way to change it.”
It’s not easy for him; he’s caught between two sides.
“Why? We need a reason for such an order,” Tu Ran said, looking at Deng Changtai.
“This castle is the old residence of the Wells family. The first head of the Wells family lived here. Although Mira Wells and her family are temporarily residing here now, the current head of the Wells family doesn’t want the old residence to be damaged because of Mira Wells,” Deng Changtai explained.
So, it was the current head of the Wells family who made this request.
Tu Ran closed her eyes, feeling frustrated. She wanted to drag that old man, Stephen Wells, over here to see what his aunt had become! Given Mira Wells’ combat ability to take on twelve guards single-handedly, how could they avoid damaging the castle’s interior? She suspected the order was meant to deliberately hinder them.
“We’ll do our best,” Tu Ran said as she headed towards the long bridge leading to the castle in the lake’s center.
The bridge was surrounded by many guards discussing strategies. When they saw Tu Ran and her team, they immediately stopped talking and looked at them.
“We’ll engage Mira Wells and keep her occupied. You’ll handle the rescue. Once everyone is rescued, leave quickly; we’ll take care of the rest,” Tu Ran quickly organized the plan.
One of the guards, who seemed to hold a higher rank, approached. He scanned Tu Ran and then looked at Min Tao and the others. “Can the three of you handle this?”
