Chapter 1
A sharp bolt of lightning tore through the curtain of rain, illuminating two shadowy figures in the abandoned warehouse.
Jack Thompson dragged a mutilated female corpse to an open space. “This must be what they were talking about.”
Ethan Collins swept his cold gaze over the scene, putting on a mask while handing one to Jack. “The smell is unpleasant.”
He gripped a scalpel, his eyes falling on the corpse, seeming to zone out for a moment.
“What are you spacing out for? Just open up the chest and abdominal cavities. I’ll pour the acid. We can’t waste time, Olivia is still in the kidnappers’ hands.”
Ethan snapped back to attention, skillfully cutting open the woman’s body.
He pulled out a shapeless lump of flesh from the corpse’s abdomen.
Jack took one look and couldn’t help but retch.
“What is that?”
Ethan casually tossed the bloody mass aside, his tone flat: “The victim was pregnant, probably about three months along.”
Jack found some discarded cardboard boxes and set them on fire, burning the bloody embryo to ashes.
Even though Ethan had performed countless autopsies over his years in the field, he couldn’t help but be shocked at the gruesome state of this female corpse.
Thirteen steel nails, each about three inches long, were driven into the skull. Almost all the ribs had punctured the lungs. The heart had been brutally excavated. The bones in all ten fingers had been ground to powder. The leg bones were bent at extremely unnatural angles.
It was clear the victim had endured unimaginably horrific torture before death.
Ethan couldn’t help but sigh, “I hope once we’re done with this body, the kidnappers will release Olivia. Their methods are extremely cruel. Olivia must be terrified right now.”
Ethan stood up and stepped back a bit. “It’s done. Go ahead.”
Jack poured the sulfuric acid he had prepared into the open abdominal cavity, then doused the entire corpse.
The already mangled flesh quickly shriveled and fused together upon contact with the acid, making a sizzling sound as it emitted large clouds of white smoke.
Soon, the corpse was damaged beyond recognition, barely resembling a human form.
As a professional forensic pathologist, Ethan knew exactly how to destroy evidence of a crime on a body.
My soul hovered in midair, watching them work together seamlessly to destroy the evidence. I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
These two men were my biological brother, the renowned forensic pathologist Ethan Collins who had cracked many difficult cases, and my husband, Jack Thompson, the principled lawyer with an undefeated record.
And here they were, out in the pouring rain, doing something that went against all their professional ethics, all because they had received a distress call from Olivia White two hours ago.
Olivia, the fake heiress, the one they had always cherished and protected above all else.
“Ethan, Jack, save me… I’m so scared…”
As soon as they heard Olivia’s tearful voice, Ethan and Jack couldn’t sit still. “Olivia, where are you?!”
“I—”
Olivia’s phone was snatched away by the kidnapper. “I hear you two are some big-shot forensic pathologist and lawyer. Want this woman to live?”
Jack anxiously asked, “How much money do you want? I can give you anything, just let Olivia go!”
Even the usually calm and collected Ethan was as agitated as an ant on a hot pan. “Don’t hurt Olivia. Whatever your conditions are, just name them!”
The kidnapper unhurriedly said, “I know the Collins are a wealthy family. Ten million dollars is nothing to you. Plus, do something for me, and I’ll let this woman go.”
Ethan agreed without hesitation: “I’ll do it!”
Jack quickly followed, “Whatever it is, we’ll do it. Just don’t harm Olivia!”
They agreed without even asking what the task was, all to ensure Olivia wouldn’t be harmed in the slightest.
“I killed someone and dumped the body in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. Go destroy the evidence for me. Otherwise, this Olivia looks quite delicate and juicy…”
“Ah! Don’t touch me! My brothers will save me! Don’t tear my clothes! Brothers, help me!”
Olivia’s voice came through the phone. Ethan and Jack roared in anger, “Don’t you dare touch her! We’re going right now!”