Chapter Thirty-Two: The Canoans and the Strange Creatures

Clana Town.

Today, another group of outsiders arrived. They were all burly men with bulging waistbands. Upon entering, they headed straight for a hotel—the very same one where Louis and his group had stayed. After obtaining information about the customers from the owner, the leader, a man with a massive scar across his face, quickly led his men to their next destination: the parochial school.

"These are the places where the 'monster' has stayed. Split up and find out who little Louis has been in contact with and what he has been doing. If necessary, bring them in!"

Barely half an hour later, the men regrouped. Two of them were dragging a pair of trembling women—a mother and daughter. "They are connected to little Louis."

"Take them. Let's go, next place."

As he spoke, the leader pulled out a device. The red dot on the screen began to move. Wait, was it heading back? And in that direction...

"As expected, they really did settle in Orlando. It’s a good thing we left some people there. With Anderson on site, we shouldn't miss them."

The group climbed into their cars. Roar! With engines revving violently, the convoy sped away. As for the missing mother and daughter, the locals dared only to call the police, but the sheriff was still in Crystal Town dealing with Jason’s corpse and could not return.

...

Orlando, downtown.

At home, Louis was contemplating how members of his family had appeared here. Had he been exposed? Regardless, he had to consider one question: did these people coming for him harbor malicious intent? That mysterious kidnapping from before made it impossible for Louis to fully trust the family now.

But...

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door. Angela, who had just finished wiping down the coffee table, was puzzled. Was it the bill collector? Couldn't they just put it in the mailbox?

"Coming!"

Click!

A crowd of men in black suits surged in, the black grips of pistols protruding prominently from their waistlines. The leading white man, wearing sunglasses, looked around. After a moment's hesitation, he turned to Angela. "Hello, is Louis back?"

Louis?

At that moment, David heard the commotion and came downstairs. Seeing the situation, he was startled. "Who are you?! What do you want? This is the city!" He spoke loudly, as if to issue a warning.

The man in sunglasses frowned. In truth, he wanted to be rougher—perhaps pull out his gun to intimidate them and save the chatter—but if the intelligence gathered over the past two days was correct, this man could be considered little Louis's foster father, so he couldn't act that way.

"Mr. David Grossman, we are little Louis's uncles. We heard he was here and have been searching for him for a long time. We hope for your cooperation, otherwise..."

Standing at the top of the stairs, David couldn't tell if they were telling the truth; after all, they didn't look like good people! Just as he was caught in a dilemma:

"Uncle Anderson, if you don't mind, I would prefer you show more respect to Uncle David."

Louis walked out of his room, dressed in a small black suit.

The moment Anderson saw Louis, a smile touched his lips. "Very well, my mistake. Mr. David, I apologize."

Anderson. One of the family's most capable enforcers, brother to Andre, and a powerhouse of martial prowess. He had been a soldier, had taken lives, and in his youth, had killed no fewer than a hundred men in gang warfare. He was also the foster son of his grandfather, Carl. His presence here could, to a certain extent, be seen as the grandfather's will, meaning he could be trusted to a degree.

In the living room, David and the others went upstairs, leaving Anderson and Louis to converse. Anderson did not treat Louis entirely like a child, thanks to the genius persona Louis had unconsciously cultivated before his memories awakened.

Through their exchange, Louis shared what he could and learned about what had happened after he left. Carl had been furious, hanging his father up to beat him and sending out numerous men to search, but to no avail. A few months ago, he had even placed his hopes in a medium, but after the famous medium Elise arrived and said only that she "could not see," she would say nothing more. As for gypsy fortune tellers and Voodoo practitioners, they had also been sought out, but the power of the gang was limited, and those they hired were mostly con artists, whom they eventually chopped up and threw into the sea.

With no other choice, Grandfather Carl had turned his attention to the gangs, initiating internal and external investigations, as the situation was clearly not simple. Not long ago, perhaps having discovered something, or for other reasons, several Mexican drug cartels had attacked the family. Forced into a corner, Grandfather Carl had resorted to other means...

Before he could finish, *bang!* *Whoosh!*

The sound of shattering glass and a piercing whistle rang out simultaneously. Looking over, a monster about the size of a large dog—but with a body of bone covered in pale skin, long retractable claws, a petite head with sharp fangs, membrane wings at its joints, and a tail that was a sharp spine—was sniffing the air and moving rapidly toward Louis.

Louis’s pupils constricted, and he reflexively prepared to spit out a steel needle, but Anderson laughed, "This is one of the methods Father unleashed."

The monster stopped, chirping at Louis and then at Anderson. Its cry sounded like a cat or an insect, but sharper and quite bizarre. Anderson pulled a bag of beef from his coat and fed it to the creature. Watching the blood drip onto the floor as it tore into the meat, Louis remained silent.

What was this thing?

"Don't be afraid. It's like a big dog, just a bit fiercer. It’s very useful—finding people, killing people. Usually, you just feed it meat, popcorn, and let it watch TV."

"It's here now, so Andre and the others should be arriving soon," Anderson said, feeding the creature more meat with a smile.

"So, this is what you relied on to find me?"

"More or less. Besides that, we've actually found clues about the trafficking organization. It's just that they are backed by a massive conglomerate, so we can't touch them yet; we can only kill the ones causing trouble below."

After a moment of silence: "What are Grandfather's plans for me?" Louis did not ask about the monster or the conglomerate.

"Father said that if we found you, we should see how you're doing. He doesn't want you to return to the family just yet. He told me to find you a safe place, as things are in a complete mess back there and need a thorough cleaning."

"If we hadn't found you, you would have had to go back. The little monster's strength is quite impressive, after all."

"Alright, I understand. But I need some things here, and I need the family to support me."

Anderson scratched his head. "Of course. I’ll leave you my phone number, and I’ll leave some of these men with you to ensure your safety. Don't worry, they are all members who can be absolutely trusted. And here is Father's number; remember to contact him. He misses you very much."

Anderson didn't even ask what kind of supplies Louis needed.

"Good. I miss Grandfather too."

Louis nodded, his small face devoid of any childhood innocence.