Chapter 42: Slaughter, A Call from Mary

Sitting in his slightly traditional-style room, Louis savored his dessert. Beside him, Fu Sheng seemed to have something on his mind but hesitated to speak.

"Grandpa Fu, what is it?"

"Young Master, the way you answered those questions just now... it didn't sound like a child of your age. Patriarch Kano is likely starting to grow suspicious." Fu Sheng spoke without reservation. He did not seem at all worried about whether Louis had been replaced by someone else.

"Grandpa Fu, are you not worried that I’ve been possessed?"

Fu Sheng smiled. "You are wearing the peach-wood talisman. Besides, when I hold you, you feel exactly the same as you did when you were small."

Louis smiled as well. "Don't worry, Grandpa Fu. Grandfather is no fool. The woman beside him is likely there specifically to test if there’s anything wrong with me; her scrutinizing gaze was quite obvious, after all."

He had already guessed that his grandfather would be suspicious upon his return. After all, he had revealed so many unusual traits; it would be truly strange if his grandfather, a man who had built such an empire from scratch, didn't have any doubts at all. Especially since he had just escaped from that old witch, Amelia. His grandfather had likely discovered the Amelia estate while searching for him and had uncovered some of its secrets. Having such concerns was only natural. Once his grandfather verified that he was fine, everything would be settled.

However, who was that woman beside his grandfather? Louis felt a spark of curiosity. Since awakening his memories, the only human he had encountered with special abilities was the old witch Amelia. But since beings like Mary Shaw, Jason, and Madison existed, there must certainly be people like exorcists as well. So, what was that woman's profession?

Just as he was pondering this, a knock sounded at the door—it was the servant sent by his grandfather to lead the way.

Louis followed the servant toward the back of the estate, taking the opportunity to bring along Golden and Khorne as he left.

Soon, in a grassy area, six hog-tied Mexicans were struggling desperately while hurling insults at Carl. Carl remained expressionless, merely tapping his cane. A few burly men standing nearby immediately struck them one by one, sending teeth mixed with blood and saliva flying.

"Little Louis, these are the culprits who kidnapped you."

"Five of them are from a drug syndicate; they wanted to use you to blackmail me. This one here is from a human trafficking ring—the one who, through a twist of fate, ended up saving you."

The general gist was that due to a conflict of interests with the Kano family, they had intended to kidnap Louis for leverage. However, the professional trafficker they hired was unreliable—or rather, the man had intentionally caused them to go to war with the Kano family. He had deliberately not handed Louis over to the gang, choosing instead to sell him off, which led directly to the war between the Kano family and the drug syndicate.

"Pah! Fuck! Carl! You old bastard, if it weren't for that monster, you would have been dead long ago!"

"Haha, little one, it was your 'Black Dad' who sold you out. It’s just a pity we didn't get to see how a soft-skinned brat like you tasted after being roasted..."

"I heard your mother was a yellow-skinned monkey? Half-breed! Hahaha!"

Louis’s eyes turned icy.

Carl looked toward Louis. "How do you want them to die?"

Max, standing nearby, looked pained. Don't misunderstand—he wasn't sympathizing with these traffickers. He just felt that while every member of a mafia family should possess a ruthless spirit to avoid being devoured by the "upper-class" people who masqueraded as gentlemen and philanthropists, Louis was still too young! His own sons and daughters hadn't killed anyone until they were over sixteen...

Louis smiled and snapped his fingers.

*Roar—*

A low, guttural growl rose from behind him. Everyone couldn't help but feel their hair stand on end as a strong sense of threat emerged.

Golden, lean and exceptionally agile, moved like a gust of wind. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of one of the traffickers. Before the man could react, Golden’s sharp canines clamped down on his throat.

*Crack!*

The throat bone shattered instantly!

With another bite, he severed the artery, and blood surged out like a fountain!

But Golden’s performance was merely child's play; the truly brutal one was Khorne.

Spreading its wings, it descended from the sky in a flash. The whistling wind and the savage, bloody maw made the traffickers scream in terror. With terrifying bite force, it snapped off an arm in one go. Its sharp claws shredded clothes, carving deep bloody furrows and tearing open stomachs to reveal what lay beneath...

Wolves and dogs are of the same species, both harboring latent wildness and cruelty in their bones, and Khorne, trained through special methods, was even more so. It intentionally kept the victims alive, controlling its strength to play with them slowly!

It was extremely cruel—much like the vicious habits of a cat, playing with its prey.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

"God! Help!"

"Kill me..."

The scene became so bloody that the gang members turned their heads away, and Max’s brow furrowed violently. What struck Max as most incredible was not his father—who had walked through the chaotic years and had seen plenty of severed limbs and gore—but Louis!

Why was he so calm?

A chill inexplicably arose, but then, Max felt a surge of joy. This was a good thing! In a mafia family, one doesn't fear cold-bloodedness or cruelty; one fears weakness and sentimentality! Especially in this special era where anti-bribery laws were being enacted and the space for gangs was being suppressed, a core member had to have a ruthless edge! Well, intelligence was also essential, or else mere ruthlessness was just stupidity.

The screams slowly faded away.

Carl patted Louis’s hair with satisfaction. "Good boy. Not bad."

Louis steadied his grandfather at the appropriate moment. The grandfather and grandson walked toward the front yard, the warm golden sun casting a soft glow, looking quite heartwarming. As for the fate of those traffickers? No one cared.

...

Louis and his grandfather were both intelligent men, and they maintained a certain tacit understanding. His grandfather never asked Louis about the Kitchen God or the winged hellhound; for him, being certain that Louis was his grandson was enough.

In this way, Louis spent some time there. Unfortunately, because the "Mountain-Driving Dog" had not yet been fully mastered, and Khorne—that special large dog—had not yet reached adulthood, the next stage of the inheritance—whether it was an ancient technique or an occult art—had not yet been unlocked. He could only continue to practice his "Concealment Art," striving to reach the point where he could mask his soul fluctuations.

But apart from practicing, the thing he did most often was practice shooting with Max! That’s right, practicing marksmanship with that small pistol! Not only that, but there was also other physical training, under the pretext that even if he couldn't win a fight, he had to be able to run away. Finding that Louis had good physical potential, Max intensified the training, even making him practice throwing grenades and shooting moving targets. He simply didn't treat him like a child!

After two straight months, Louis felt like he was about to die from exhaustion every day!

Until a phone call came through.

"Mary?"

The caller was indeed Mary, but for some reason, her voice on the other end was faintly choked with sobs.