Chapter 58: Chapter 058 The Haunted Manor
Due to its geographical location, Swamp Town had a vast residential area, with some families even living deep within the swamp, miles away from any other human habitation.
The lakeside cabin Roger rented was on the outskirts, far from the town center.
When passing by the supermarket, Roger bought a bunch of food since Thomas, skinny as he looked, had a big appetite and was happily munching away in the back seat.
“Roger, I misjudged you before; you really are a good friend,” Thomas said.
“I’ve always wanted to conduct a field survey of the wildlife distribution in swamps, and this provides a great opportunity.”
“What’s our plan next?”
After some time, the car stopped in front of a small lakeside cabin.
“Is this what they call a lakeside cabin?”
Thomas’s eyes widened in shock as he looked at the dilapidated wooden cabin, which was nothing like what he had imagined, and he began to have second thoughts.
“There’s a lake, there’s a cabin, um…”
Henrik gave a mock serious evaluation, then burst into laughter, “Pfft… Haha…”
“What kind of godforsaken place is this?”
He was well aware that this was a place Roger had rented.
Roger’s face also looked a bit displeased.
“Kid, you’ve been swindled.”
But since they were already there and the money was paid, they had no choice but to make do.
Fortunately, although the cabin looked run-down, the essential facilities like the refrigerator and plumbing were all functioning normally.
After a bit of cleaning, it was marginally livable.
Everything was finally in order.
“The girl you like is Betty, right?”
“Did you two meet last time?” Thomas asked.
Before coming, Roger had discussed with Thomas, saying that he wanted to live with a girl he had a secret crush on during the trip, hoping Thomas could provide an alibi.
Roger was covering all expenses for the trip, and Thomas could visit the swamp area he had always wanted to see; as a seasoned homebody, he found no reason to refuse and had agreed.
“No need to pretend, brother. I’ve already seen through it,” Thomas said.
“When we first met, although you two acted distant, it didn’t escape my eyes,” he said, posing as someone experienced. However, in truth, most girls at school didn’t even have the courage to give him a glance.
Thomas was willing to imagine things, which saved Roger the trouble of explaining; he mumbled something vague and patted Thomas on the shoulder.
“Anyway, I appreciate the help this time.”
“It’s nothing; we’re friends after all,” Thomas responded.
“Alright, I’ll finish up here myself. The girl must be getting anxious, hurry up and go!” Thomas said with a suggestive smile.
Roger grabbed his backpack and, on his way out, noticed Henrik on the phone with someone.
“All set; we can head off now.”
Roger fastened his seatbelt, “We can discuss the mission now.”
Henrik extinguished the cigarette in his hand.
“The mission is simple, investigate a haunted manor,” Henrik began.
“A few days ago, a crime occurred in a manor on the outskirts of Swamp Town. A group of idle troublemakers went there to amuse themselves.”
“Then, around midnight, the group ran out of the manor panicked. They claimed they had seen a ghost. When the police arrived later to take headcount, they discovered one person missing.”
“The next morning, the guy who died was found on the estate, and the police announced to the public that he had died from an overdose of hallucinogens.”
“But in reality, the guy had actually pulled off his own genitals, yet the most bizarre part was that when he died, his face wore an expression of immense pleasure.”
“As if he had reached the peak of happiness.”
Roger imagined the scene and felt it must have been painful.
“Where do we go next?”
“Directly to that estate?”
Henrik shook his head.
“No, first let’s ask those punks for some information.”
“According to the information I have, that estate where the incident happened is no simple place. Just a few months ago, a horrific tragedy occurred there.”
“That was before I took my post.”
“The master of the estate was named Hannam, and it was said that his family line once included nobility, tracing their origins back to Faku. During the colonial period, they owned a large number of farms, estates, and slaves.”
“Later, during the civil war in Armenia, serfdom was abolished, and the family fortune declined. By the time it came to Hannam’s generation, his assets had shrunk severely.”
“But Hannam always liked others to refer to him as a ‘Sir’.”
Roger didn’t speak a word, seriously jotting down every detail.
“Although the glory days were gone, Hannam’s family was still considered wealthy locals, and his one true hobby was women.”
“All sorts of women.”
Henrik let out a light sigh.
“Color, age—he wasn’t averse to anything.”
“Tsk tsk, that old man was over 60 years old, and in his lifetime, he actually married 7 times!”
“Until he met his current wife, Edith, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian girl.”
“He showed extraordinary enthusiasm and care for this wife, but unfortunately, she miscarried three times in a row and fell seriously ill.”
“To cure his wife’s illness, he nearly spent his entire fortune.”
“Even when he was desperate, he began to attempt some rituals of mysticism.”
Upon hearing this, Roger felt a stir in his heart.
“And that was the start of the disaster.”
“According to the records, to save his wife’s life, Hannam drugged the maids, gardeners, stable boys, and butler in the estate.”
“He brutally killed 5 people and used their fresh blood and limbs to perform rituals.”
“The foul stench drifted out of the estate, and by the time the police arrived, Hannam was kneeling beside his wife’s corpse, with the surrounding walls and ceiling stained red with blood and viscera.”
“And there was Hannam, lying next to his wife, seemingly digging something out of her stomach.”
“The police who entered were forced to take a half-month break before they could recover from the horrifying scene.”
Henrik glanced at Roger.
“After such an incident, how could this be a normal estate?”
“Honestly, I’d rather hunt monsters than exorcise evil spirits because, many times, human hearts are more terrifying than monsters!”
“What happened afterward?” Roger asked.
“Hannam was committed to an asylum due to mental instability, most of his property was sold off, leaving only this estate.”
“Over time, it was abandoned.”
Henrik sneered, “Those guys were truly courting death. If it had just been left alone, given enough time, the souls might have dissipated on their own, but they had to break in.”
“Now that someone has died, it’s much more troublesome to deal with.”
As he spoke, Henrik slowly stopped the car.
“Let’s get out and grab a bite, and at the same time, try to get the address of those guys.”
At that moment, Roger also noticed a new prompt appearing on the notice board in his perception.