Chapter 329: The Trembling Punisher: What the Hell is Breaking Bad's Disposal Technology?!
The night was dark and moonless.
In the middle of nowhere.
Frank mentally grumbled about his older brother Chuck's supernatural stealth abilities, really wanting to turn back and grab the night vision goggles from the car to see if they could break Chuck's invisibility.
But Hailey had already gone ahead, and even though he knew Chuck had followed, he subconsciously suppressed the thought and chose to quickly follow.
Just as he approached, a soft sound entered his ears.
"Shit!"
The sound wasn't actually jarring in the dark, but he still cursed under his breath immediately, taking it as a sign that Hailey had been exposed.
After reading the information on the Bay Harbor Butcher's older brother, the Ice Truck Killer, he knew clearly that the guy was a true hunter, and this kind of sound would definitely alert him.
He became even more cautious.
By the time he got close, the sounds of fighting had already begun.
"Don't move."
Chuck's voice reached Frank's ears.
Frank listened intently but still couldn't detect any movement from Chuck.
"Type it on your phone."
Chuck's voice came through again.
Frank immediately understood, quickly took out his phone and typed, then his own voice appeared in his ear: "Hailey made a mistake! Wait, that's my voice?"
"That wasn't a mistake—it's just increasing the difficulty."
Chuck's voice sounded again. "And that is definitely your voice."
"Poor Hailey!"
Frank secretly observed the fight unfolding inside and quickly typed on his phone: "Anna's awesome!!!"
As soon as he finished typing, he was shocked to find that the text-to-speech function not only replicated his voice but even the intonation. When he typed three exclamation marks, his voice cracked when he said "awesome" in the earpiece.
"Don't mention Anna's name!"
Chuck's warning sounded.
"Okay."
Frank jumped, quickly agreeing, then exclaimed in amazement, "This technology is incredible... In that case, she should be able to speak now?"
"She's never been unable to—she just doesn't want to."
Chuck said.
The two brothers chatted via text-to-speech for a while before Frank, hearing Hailey's muffled groan, finally reacted. "Should we go in and help her? That's a ruthless Ice Truck Killer—we don't want anything to happen."
"It's your call."
Chuck's calm voice rang out.
"You can definitely protect her, I know..."
Frank muttered, then before he could finish, he moved again, violently rushing inside.
The Ice Truck Killer, wielding a scalpel and locked in a fierce battle with Hailey, was drawn by the loud noise.
"What are you doing!"
Hailey shouted in annoyance.
"I..."
After violently bursting through the door, Frank, noticing Hailey's displeasure, swallowed the words "I'll help you," raised his hands, took a step back, and shrugged. "Don't mind me—you guys continue. I'll just watch!"
After recognizing Frank, the Ice Truck Killer forced Hailey back with a scalpel strike, then decisively rushed toward the window, attempting to break through and escape.
A mere girl in a red hoodie was already this troublesome. Now, with this violent, burly combat-trained man added to the mix, he had no choice but to retreat tactically.
After all, he was used to hunting, not being hunted.
Just then, Hailey's tranquilizer dart finally fired, and Frank drew his gun.
Thud!
A silenced shot rang out as Frank's suppressed pistol fired at the Ice Truck Killer.
This was a reunion for the three siblings, but while they were testing themselves, they absolutely couldn't let this serial killer escape.
A dark figure appeared in their field of vision as if by teleportation, grabbing the Ice Truck Killer by the neck and pulling him back from the brink of crashing through the window.
Hailey's tranquilizer dart, missing its target, was about to hit the wall when it was caught between two fingers and flung away, colliding with Frank's subsequent bullet.
"Holy shit!"
Frank stared wide-eyed as the dark figure finished all this, threw the Ice Truck Killer to the ground, and then stood with the other two around him.
"You're showing off too much."
Frank complained to the shadowy figure.
"Exactly!"
Hailey couldn't help but chime in. "I already accepted that you deliberately increased the difficulty and made noise to alert him, and I didn't even complain about the tranquilizer dart. But then you brought Frank over and did it yourself. What's that all about?"
"You made the noise?"
Frank suddenly realized. "I knew Hailey wasn't this careless before. It was you. You didn't even tell me beforehand."
The Ice Truck Killer, who'd been thrown to the ground, watched the three siblings bickering, then silently got up, brandishing his knife. His face showed no surprise or fear as he listened quietly, his eyes scanning the three of them.
"You're not afraid at all."
Hailey noted, but her mind was almost entirely on the Ice Truck Killer in the middle, carefully observing his expression before nodding in approval.
"Why should I be afraid?"
The Ice Truck Killer said calmly. "If it weren't for those two, you wouldn't stand a chance against me."
"Trying to provoke me, huh?"
Hailey laughed. "You heard it—he's mine, and none of you are allowed to help me anymore!"
"Do as you please."
Frank retorted. "Anyway, with him around, you'll be fine!"
"Perfect."
Hailey smiled and attacked the Ice Truck Killer.
The Ice Truck Killer glanced at Chuck and Frank, then stepped forward with his scalpel.
The two began to fight.
Chuck and Frank watched from the sidelines.
During this time, Hailey faced danger several times, and Frank even flinched, but thinking of his older brother's incredible ability to subdue, catch darts, and even deflect his bullet with a tranquilizer dart in that instant—such exaggerated combat prowess—with Chuck watching, Hailey couldn't possibly be hurt. He forcibly held back.
"Watch out!"
But as the Ice Truck Killer endured his injuries and put on a show of going all-in for one desperate strike, Frank couldn't hold back any longer and rushed over.
Taking advantage of this opening, the Ice Truck Killer crashed toward the window on Frank's side again, preparing to escape, but the familiar feeling of being gripped came at his neck.
Chuck, who'd been standing far away on the other side, had appeared behind him without him noticing and grabbed his neck again.
"Detective Chuck is indeed Detective Chuck!"
The Ice Truck Killer, unable to move his body under Chuck's grip, still spoke calmly.
"This mentality is truly befitting a serial killer!"
Hailey walked up to the Ice Truck Killer, whom Chuck was controlling. "He wasn't afraid from beginning to end."
"I'm the hunter, not the prey!"
The Ice Truck Killer said calmly. "I have nothing to fear!"
"Is that so?"
Hailey stared into the Ice Truck Killer's eyes for a long time, then smiled. "Now who is the hunter and who is the prey?"
"Do I look like prey?"
The Ice Truck Killer looked at Hailey with the eyes he always had when looking at victims.
"True."
Hailey nodded. "As long as your mentality doesn't collapse, you'll always be the hunter, even in this situation. But don't you feel regret?"
The Ice Truck Killer's eyes flashed as he glanced at Chuck and Frank. "They're your brothers?"
"That's right!"
Hailey laughed. "You're quick-witted. This is the first gathering of the three of us siblings."
"If my brother had been here all along, things wouldn't have turned out this way when you came after us."
The Ice Truck Killer narrowed his eyes.
"So you really don't think much of Debra and are really planning to kill her."
Hailey stared at him.
"You mean Debra Morgan?"
The Ice Truck Killer wasn't surprised.
"Yes."
Hailey glanced at Chuck. "We're three siblings, and you're actually three siblings too. You only mention your brother, which clearly shows you don't think much of her."
"She's not his sister, and she's certainly not my sister!"
The Ice Truck Killer refused to accept Hailey's categorization. "But you're right—I do plan to kill her, with my brother. He and I are the real brothers. We share blood, we share interests, and he'll love everything I've prepared for him."
At this point, he actually laughed.
"So you're really confident you can convince him to kill his sister who's been with him for so many years?"
Hailey stared into his eyes. "Are you that confident? What if you fail? Have you thought about the harm it will cause your brother?"
"This world is inherently oppressive for him."
The Ice Truck Killer said calmly. "Whatever the outcome, I can accept it."
"Even if your brother kills you in the end for his sister?"
Frank couldn't help but ask.
The Ice Truck Killer's face lit up with an even brighter smile.
"That's part of your plan."
Chuck said. "If he's willing to follow you and kill his sister together, then you brothers will be officially reunited and depend on each other from now on.
And if he values his sister's bond and his adoptive father's code, and chooses to kill you instead, you won't regret it.
Because you know you'll always live in his mind, always by his side.
This is also a completely acceptable option for you.
So no matter what, you win!"
For a Bay Harbor Butcher with psychopathic tendencies, killing his own blood brother who shares his dark urges for his sister would inevitably lead to mental breaks and constant thoughts of him.
"That's right."
The Ice Truck Killer turned his head to look at Chuck. "Looks like we're the same kind of people."
"Who the hell is the same kind of person as you, you psycho!"
Frank cursed. "You're so obsessed with winning that you'd rather let your own brother suffer such a terrible fate. You don't even deserve to be compared to Chuck!"
"You're his brother. He took you hunting. That's the perfect outcome I envisioned for us brothers."
The Ice Truck Killer smiled. "It's just that you were lucky."
"We were indeed lucky."
Hailey smiled. "And that's your misfortune. Because your so-called 'no matter what, I won't lose' outcome has already been declared a failure under Chuck's watchful eye. Your brother doesn't even know you exist. That's the best outcome for him."
The Ice Truck Killer fell silent, staring at Hailey with murderous intent.
"Looks like Chuck's choice was right after all."
Hailey wasn't afraid of his gaze at all, smiling brightly. "Simply killing you wouldn't be any punishment for you. Only when you think you've succeeded and then destroy what you care about most will you understand the feelings of those you tortured and killed, and of Debra and Dexter who were about to suffer a tragic fate!"
"Killing someone also means destroying their spirit!"
Frank couldn't help but laugh. "This reunion is really something!"
"Alright, we can end it now."
Chuck tightened his grip and directly choked the Ice Truck Killer unconscious.
"Don't waste it!"
Hailey immediately stepped forward to stop Frank when she saw him about to finish things.
"Really?"
Frank immediately understood what Hailey wanted to do, his lip twitching. "This is a reunion for the three of us—there's no need to do this!"
"Do you know how modern medicine developed?"
Hailey retorted with a smile. "The fact that this kind of psychopathic killer can become a cadaver is the most beneficial outcome for society besides his immediate death."
"..."
Frank was speechless, looking at his younger sister as if she were unhinged.
He'd secretly protected her several times, witnessing firsthand how she didn't waste opportunities with her series of unconventional methods. The so-called cadavers were completely different from the cadavers used by medical students.
After all, her cadaver could actually answer her questions on the spot...
"Let's go outside."
Frank couldn't help but walk out. After a few steps, realizing no one was following, he turned around and saw Chuck standing there motionless. He looked at him incredulously. "You don't want to participate too, do you? I can understand her wanting to become a doctor, but what do you want?"
"I'm a detective."
Chuck said succinctly.
"So?"
Frank exclaimed.
"A detective needs to know enough practical knowledge, and many things can't be found in books."
Chuck said calmly. "There's a guy in London who often goes to the morgue, bribes the coroner, and studies human anatomy in depth with those unidentified bodies. I'm more principled than him. Even when studying practical knowledge, I don't disturb the peace of ordinary people."
"How noble of you!"
Frank retorted sharply after hearing Chuck's words, then walked away alone.
As soon as he stepped outside, he was filled with regret, cursing himself for being so weak. It was just observation—what was the big deal?
Unfortunately, he'd seen it all—gunfire and explosions—yet he couldn't accept the scalpel and surgical instruments on the operating table.
Initially, it wasn't so bad.
But after witnessing Hailey's efforts on her path to becoming a great doctor, he developed a deep-seated aversion to it, along with a slight, unacknowledged fear.
The next evening
Two cars stopped not far from the beach.
The three siblings got out and stood side-by-side, enjoying the sea breeze.
"What a beautiful sight!"
Hailey exclaimed, opening her arms to the ocean breeze.
"You mean what's buried under this bay?"
Having reviewed the documents and knowing the Bay Harbor Butcher's habits, Frank couldn't help but retort. "Yeah, it's really beautiful for you!"
"It's beautiful nonetheless."
Hailey replied with a grin, not arguing.
"This bay will be discovered sooner or later."
Frank, at a loss with his younger sister, could only look at Chuck.
"Yeah."
Chuck nodded. "There's already far too much buried here. Even if we wanted to clean it up quickly, it would cause too much attention.
But I've already warned Dexter and provided him with Breaking Bad's disposal technology. I believe he won't leave so many loose ends anymore.
As for the previous ones, he'll slowly erase the connections to them."
Frank: "..."
He just said it casually, but what did he hear?
What the hell did Breaking Bad's disposal technology mean?
Who exactly was his older brother?!
What had he missed all day yesterday?
(End of Chapter)
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