Chapter 86: Deadly Curve, Deformed Family

In the forest, on a wooden watchtower.

Chris was drenched in sweat; he felt awful.

Today had been a string of disasters: first, a car accident on the way to his interview forced him to detour, then he crashed into another vehicle.

To make matters worse, he realized he and the others were lost—his phone had no signal in this forest.

Then came the worst luck: a tribe of cannibals lurked in the forest, hunting humans. They were monstrously strong, thick-skinned, could drive trucks, fire guns, and shoot arrows with deadly accuracy; if not for their insanity and grotesque appearances, they might as well have been evolved humans.

To escape these powerful cannibals, they tried every trick they could think of.

But in the end, many died—only he and two women remained.

Still, he would not give up hope of survival.

At that moment, a girl named Jesse found a first-aid kit: “Great, Chris, your leg can still be saved.”

During their escape, he deliberately ran out to draw the cannibals’ attention so the others could flee—and was Buxing shot in the leg.

After treating the wound, they found a glow stick and a radio; the luckiest part? The radio still had some signal.

“Hello? We’re being hunted by cannibals… our location is…”

Before he could finish, Chris suddenly spotted firelight below—he instantly fell silent, but it was too late; the three cannibal brothers below had already noticed them.

They quickly tried to climb up.

Chris’s eyes hardened; he stomped down hard on one of their fingers.

“Aaaah!”

After the piercing, inhuman scream, silence didn’t last long.

Arrows shot in one after another; flames erupted fiercely.

“No, no—I must survive.”

Chris looked out the window, where many tall trees stood; his gaze turned ruthless. “Go. Jump. Bet it all.”

He leapt first, landing squarely on a tree branch and standing firm.

Soon after, the two women jumped over too.

But here, the cannibals were the locals—being up in the trees didn’t mean safety.

Bang!

An axe smashed through a woman’s throat; white bone instantly turned crimson with spurting blood.

The cannibals smiled at Chris and Jesse.

Chris and Jesse were filled with despair, yet refused to accept death—they walked toward the opposite side of the tree.

This deadly hunt wasn’t over…

…

Inside Hobbs Manor, Louis had reached the back mountain—and unexpectedly, there was a small village here!

But the residents living inside…

Were all deformed people!

Men and women alike, all laughing hysterically, their expressions manic, as if preparing for a bonfire party.

Normally, parties prepare pork, beef, vegetables—yet their ingredients…

An elegantly dressed old woman, her face caked in blood, throat slit, was carried over like a pig tied to a wooden frame.

The ingredients were obvious.

Dozens of grotesquely deformed people gathered around, drooling as they stared at the old woman.

Louis shook his head—he recognized her. She was one of the manor’s guests.

The situation was clear: these deformed people were the product of generations of inbreeding. To ensure survival and maintain secrecy in human society, the least deformed among them posed as the manor’s owners.

While running the manor and providing normal food and living conditions, guests were randomly selected each month to be served as meat at the feast.

The rumors of people vanishing into the forest? They didn’t vanish there—they were eaten.

This system had likely been running for a long time.

But could mere inbreeding and cannibalism produce such physical strength?

Shouldn’t they be intellectually stunted, genetically fragile?

Something else was at play here—best not to involve the occult.

But these mysteries could wait. First, get David and the others settled, then start the ranch plan. Wait—I still need animal pelts. Fine, I’ll cripple them first, then buy pelts later.

Yet when Louis returned and watched David and the others get into the car…

Jackson, polite and gentlemanly, suddenly appeared, blocking Louis’s path. His eyes flickered toward Emma in the car, then returned to Louis. “Gentlemen, have we failed to provide adequate service? Why such a hasty departure?”

Louis glanced at him, ignored him, and said to David, “Uncle, given the situation, I think we shouldn’t leave. But to avoid accidental harm, drive farther away.”

With me here, they’re truly safe. If they drive out, I fear traps or accidents on the road. Better to stay nearby—just don’t slow me down.

David nodded grimly; his gun rested beside him. Emma and the others in the back seat held rifles too.

The car started, driving outward.

Jackson’s smile faded. “You’re cruel. Because of you, so many guests in this manor will die.”

They had to be silenced.

Louis: “So inbreeding really does damage the brain. Even you—who look normal—turn out to be mentally ill.”

Jackson’s face darkened instantly; he waved his hand.

An axe flew toward him.

Louis kicked the handle, sending it flying back.

Bang!

It slammed straight into the face of a deformed man hiding behind a tree—but he didn’t die. He sat on the ground, dazed, pounding his head, babbling madly.

Jackson’s face twisted in rage as he charged forward.

Louis smirked.

Flames erupted!

…

Meanwhile.

Chris drove a police car with Jesse, speeding wildly onto the highway, crashing forward without regard for anything.

They’d escaped the three cannibals—but it wasn’t over. They had to get away fast and call the police to end this.

Vrrrm! Vrrrm! Vrrrm!

The engine roared, pushing the car to its maximum speed.

But Chris soon realized he didn’t know the way—he could only keep driving straight ahead.

Finally, a glimmer of light appeared beside the road—it looked like… a manor?

“Go, Jesse. Head for that manor.”

They drove toward it, hope swelling—the faintly glowing manor now seemed to them like the dawn of salvation.

Once they reached it, they’d be safe.

At that moment, they faintly saw fireworks rising above the manor.

(End of Chapter)