Chapter 10: The Pig - Man and Deception

The slaughterhouse wasn't far from the garrison. Given the frequent meat transportation in the Dulas Port area, many slaughterhouses had been set up here, saving on transportation costs.

This time, since they were only going after a low - level dark creature, the number of dispatched police officers was even smaller than in the operation against the Banca Gang last time.

Burke led the way, directing his subordinates to storm into the slaughterhouse. Kelot trailed behind, gun in hand, feigning a serious dash. He wore glasses today because two days ago, Burke had specifically arranged for someone to teach him how to shoot. Burke said that as a police officer, Kelot should know how to shoot; otherwise, future promotions would be tough, considering the regular police assessments in the garrison.

Kelot thought a firearm could conceal his strength, so he'd specially gotten a new pair of big - framed black glasses.

Actually, the glasses store clerk initially refused to recommend such glasses for Kelot. With his strong build, wearing them would just make him look dull.

But that was exactly the look Kelot wanted. He instantly said he'd buy them. Sure enough, his garrison colleagues laughed at him when he brought the glasses back. But he didn't care. To him, any prop that helped his disguise was valuable.

The slaughterhouse was in full operation today. Over twenty workers were processing freshly transported meat. Suddenly seeing a horde of police officers charging in, they instinctively dropped their knives and raised their hands to show they meant no harm. After all, police officers on a mission in the garrison had the right to shoot anyone who seemed threatening.

Soon, several police officers located the boss. Without wasting words, they flashed their badges and ordered the boss to gather all employees in the open space in the middle of the slaughterhouse.

"We've received a tip - off that a suspect in a recent murder case is here. Later, a few officers will check you. Please cooperate."

After the over twenty workers had gathered, and after confirming with the boss that everyone was present, Burke waved his hand. Several officers beside him shone special ultraviolet lights into the workers' eyes. This detection method had a long history, the result of government experiments after capturing numerous dark creatures.

Although dark creatures could walk in the sun without obvious signs in their normal state, they weren't human. Once irradiated by ultraviolet light, the pupils of these monsters would change. For instance, some monsters' pupils would briefly turn into beast - like shapes.

The remaining police officers surrounded the workers, watching their every move. They all held large - caliber shotguns. One sign of an escape attempt, and they'd open fire. Just as the inspector was checking the worker in the middle of the third row, a fat man on his right suddenly bolted from the line towards the side door of the slaughterhouse!

As he ran, his form kept expanding. In just seconds, he transformed into a pig - man and tried to knock down the unsuspecting police officer in front of him with his thick limbs and massive body.

The difference in their sizes was stark. To Kelot, who was behind the pig - man, it looked like a small car ramming into an unsuspecting passer - by.

However, most of the police officers on this mission were seasoned. As soon as they spotted the beast - man, they reacted quickly. They all raised their shotguns and fired. The pig - man's huge body was an easy target, and at close range, even Kelot, who had only practiced shooting for a couple of days, managed to land a hit.

But the pig - man was fast and seemed to have a tough constitution. Even after being hit three or four times, he didn't stop. After knocking down the ordinary police officer, he rammed open the side door with brute force and fled.

The police didn't care about the terrified ordinary workers. They quickly gave chase. Although the pig - man was fast, he'd already been hit several times. The blood seeping from his body gave away his whereabouts. The police followed the trail and cornered the pig - man in an alley.

"Wait, I have to explain. I haven't killed anyone! Even if I did... it was in other areas. Don't we have a rule? As long as I don't cause trouble in your territory, you won't bother me. The murderer you're looking for really isn't me!"

"Then why the hell did you run? You must be guilty!"

"You guys came to the slaughterhouse to arrest me! I'm the only beast - man there. If I didn't run, I'd be caught!"

The pig - man was desperate. He'd always followed the rules. He'd been working in the slaughterhouse for a while. When hungry, he'd eat some fresh beef and mutton. The last time he'd killed someone was months ago. Who could've guessed the garrison would come for him today? Panicked, he just wanted to escape.

Now cornered, he knew he had to come up with a good reason, or his hefty body would be doomed. So he quickly started explaining.

"Don't waste your breath. We're taking you down no matter what! Attack!"

"Wait! I surrender... Don't attack!"

The pig - man surrendered faster than a chameleon changes color. As soon as he saw the police about to surround and kill him, he immediately knelt down, admitting his mistake. This left Kelot, who was about to practice shooting on him, dumbfounded. Where was the so - called wild and untamed nature? Where was the madness and cruelty?

Long ago, these dark monsters were truly fierce and cruel. Back then, most humans only had ordinary iron weapons, and these monsters always had the upper hand in fights, so they were fearless.

However, with human technological progress and the study of magic, the wild power of these monsters was increasingly suppressed. There was no way around it. They were outnumbered by humans and couldn't match the professional fighters. They could only be subdued.

Ordinary dark creatures had to hide among humans. After living with humans for a long time, they naturally picked up human traits. Some beast - men even considered themselves human. They didn't eat people; when their wild nature flared up, they'd just eat some raw meat.

The garrison didn't want to spend all day chasing these so - called reformed dark creatures. So there were unwritten rules. As long as these beast - men didn't cause trouble, the garrison would turn a blind eye. This pig - man understood the rules well. He knew he hadn't crossed the garrison's bottom line. As long as he didn't resist, there was room for negotiation.

"What were you doing last night?"

"I was working in the slaughterhouse. I worked overtime last night. All the workers can testify for me. Hehe..."

As soon as the pig - man heard Burke's question, he realized these people weren't after him. A sycophantic smile spread across his face, making him look extremely obedient.

"Did I ask you so many questions? Stop blabbering!"

"Hehe... You're right, you're right."

Actually, Kelot could sense that by this time, Burke already believed the pig - man wasn't the murderer. After all, it was easy to find witnesses for him, and there was no need for such a clumsy lie.

"Well... I'll give you a chance to make amends. Do you know if any outsiders have come to Dulas Port recently? Someone was eaten in the small park last night. If you can tell me who the murderer is, I'll let you go."

"Hey! It must be Philek! He lives in that forest... Sean's elder brother. He just arrived some time ago. Damn it, although he's an outsider, he has a really bad temper. If I hadn't been busy, I would have definitely..."

"Definitely what?"

"Hehe, of course, I would have brought him to you so you could teach him a good lesson."

A flash of violence crossed the pig - man's face. After all, a beast - man was a beast - man. The bloodthirsty nature still lurked deep in his bones, just suppressed.

"Get out of here. What are you still doing? Do you want me to send you to the garrison hospital?"

"No need. I'll be fine after staying home for ten or half a month. Don't bother. I'll leave right away. Goodbye."

Noticing that the bullet holes on the pig - man's body made by his own pistol had stopped bleeding, Kelot secretly noted the recovery ability of these beast - men.

Watching the pig - man limp away, Burke's face was. From the pig - man's words, he could basically guess that Sean must have deceived him and Kelot. It seemed Sean wanted to protect his elder brother, so he'd reported a false location.

If it weren't for the beast - man here providing this information, they might have been kept in the dark for who knows how long.

"Let's go! Head to the forest in Dulas Port to find that forest ranger Sean and his elder brother! After we find them, no mercy! Kill on sight!"

Thinking about how confidently he'd taken Kelot to find that liar before, Burke felt his temples throbbing. When he gave the order, Kelot could even hear his teeth grinding. He could only silently pity those two unlucky guys.

By the time the police officers withdrew from the slaughterhouse and rushed to the forest, it was already one o'clock in the afternoon. They still hadn't had lunch. But due to the mission, they couldn't break away. So they were all seething with anger, eager to catch those two beast - men quickly so they could finally have lunch. As a result, their efficiency actually improved a lot.

"Sergeant! Come and take a look! We've found Sean's body here!"

Hearing a police officer's shout from one of the houses nearby, Kelot, who was standing in front of Sean's house with Burke, immediately ran over.

"What's going on? Did that Philek kill his own brother? This doesn't make sense. If these two brothers had a feud, why did Sean help his brother deceive us?"

Burke was also confused. The actions of these two brothers were truly contradictory. However, there was good news. A large number of human internal organs had been found in an iron basin in this empty room. Without a doubt, the murderer should be identified. The next step was to find the missing Philek.