Chapter 32 Bloodline Kinship (Please read on!) Morandi picked up a wooden rod used to hang curtains from the window and walked closer to the figures with courage. There were five wax figures sitting around a round table. On the table were various wax tablewares. On the tableware were placed the remains of a wax figure. Judging from the texture, the "food" should be a wax figure of an adult male. His palms, calves and other parts were placed on plates in front of the five wax figures. These five people were more lifelike than the wax figures outside, and they were so lifelike that they were indistinguishable from the real ones. If Morandi hadn't known the identities of their wax figures, he would have definitely mistaken them for living people. At the dining table, the mother was distributing food to the other four people. Under her knife, the various wax organs were chopped and separated like roasted turkey. Two little girls, one about sixteen or seventeen years old, and the other thirteen or fourteen years old, were helping their mother scoop out soup. The soup was white-brown and somewhat thick. As the girls stirred it, Morandi could vaguely see a nose and ears in the soup. The father, who was in his fifties, sat solemnly at the table with a glass of blood-red wine in front of him. He held a book in his hand and faced the only little boy at the table, as if he was preparing to test the boy on his homework for the day before the meal. The boy was about seven or eight years old and was chubby. He was already impatiently nibbling on the wax finger on the plate. Mrs. Morendi had always thought that wax figures could not open their mouths, but the boy in front of her was obviously an exception. Although his movements were stiff, every bite made the wax fingers in his hands crunch. Morandi covered her mouth tightly to prevent herself from screaming. She slowly backed away. Although the wax figures outside the house were weird and scary, Morandi was more willing to face them than the family sitting in front of her. But her left foot was broken, and she lost her balance and fell onto the desk. Fortunately, she was quick to support herself with her hands. But even so, when her palm touched the table, there was a harsh friction sound. The friction sound was so abrupt and inappropriate in the silent night.
Morandi didn't dare to look behind her because she heard the sound of a chair moving and she didn't know who was walking towards her. She was trembling like a sieve, not daring to move an inch, hoping that the five wax figures would let her go, but a wax hand still rested on her shoulder. It was an ice-cold, stiff hand. Mrs. Morandi struggled several times but to no avail; she was held tightly by the hand. She could only turn around. What she saw before her was the hospitable and dull smiling face of the housewife. Her hand slid from Morandi's shoulder to her palm and pulled him to the dining table. Morandi covered her mouth and dared not resist. At this time, even the severe pain from her ankle could not dispel the fear in her heart. There were five people at the dining table, but there were six chairs. Mrs. Morandi only noticed at this time that the two little girls had already stood up and pulled out the empty chair. Mrs. Morendi's mind was blank at this moment, and she could only let the wax figure press her into the chair. During the process, the little boy and his father's heads also turned, staring at him. The wax figures had no expression and no eyes, but Mrs. Morandi could vaguely feel the complex emotions they brought to her. There were memories, resentment, cruelty and threats; the wax figures treated her as an ordinary guest that they had entertained when they were alive, but she didn't dare to think about what would have happened to those guests. When Mrs. Morendi sat down, she discovered that there was a black-and-white photo in front of the empty seat where she was sitting. There were six people in the photo: a middle-aged couple, a little boy, and two sisters. The extra person is a gloomy young man. He is standing alone in the corner of the photo, looking so out of place. This face looked very familiar, and Mrs. Morendi suddenly realized that this was what Mr. Lewis looked like when he was young! "I am a high-ranking member of Lewis's Order, his female companion, you can't do this to me!" Mrs. Morendi seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw, screaming at the top of her voice, tears streaming down her face, wetting the delicate makeup on her face. The tear marks mixed with dark brown makeup flowed in forks on her face, and her spirit was about to collapse. The little girl put her finger in front of her lips, made a "hush" gesture with her finger, then looked at her mother mischievously, as if asking for her opinion. The housewife nodded mechanically and pushed the large plate in the center of the dining table in front of the little girl. Like the main course of all formal banquets at Mosesad, the large plate was covered with a silver semicircular bowl cover. The little girl opened the lid, and what appeared in front of Morandi was the upper body of a human figure, or more precisely, the torso and head of a wax figure. This was a wax figure of an adult male, except that his ears, nose, and half of his skull had been shaved off, leaving only one eye on his head looking at her. Mrs. Morandi knew that the wax figure's body was actually filled with a human soul, and the soul in front of her... She didn't dare to think about how much pain the human soul would have to endure under such inhuman torture. "Plop", a piece of face skin was cut off and placed on the plate in front of her. The meaning of the five wax figures was self-evident, they hoped to share the "delicious food" with the guests. "Ah!" Mrs. Morandi could no longer hold on, and she tried desperately to stand up and escape.
But when she took the first step, she was hit hard in the abdomen. It was that boy! His movements were stiff, but not slow. What attacked Morandi was a leg hidden under the table, a leg that looked like wax food on the table. Mrs. Morendi lost her balance and was about to fall. Just as she was waving her hands in the air, a soft hand supported her shoulders. She looked up and saw that it was Dorothy! It was Dorothy who came to save her. Morandi was so excited that her whole body was convulsing, and tears were pouring out of her eyes with her rapid breathing. "Poor little beauty, look how scared you are." Dorothy, still wearing her iconic top hat, patted Morandi on the back. The moment the five wax figures saw Dorothy, they seemed to have received some clear signal. No one cared about Morandi anymore, and they turned around and returned to the dining table to enjoy their own dinner. At this time, Morandi had still not recovered from the thrilling and horrific experience he had just had. He was crying breathlessly, and his arms were tightly holding onto Dorothy, as if a drowning man was grabbing the last tree of life. The two left the study and walked through the long and dark exhibition hall. Morandi finally regained some of her sanity, let go of Dorothy, and used the wooden stick used to lift the curtain as a crutch, following closely beside her. "Why did those... wax figures let you go?" She didn't know whether Dorothy had any special privileges or mastered any forbidden magic. "It's no big deal, they don't know me, but they know my hat." "Hat?" Morandi's heart moved. No wonder Dorothy wore her top hat no matter what she did in the wax museum. "After all, the wax figures contain only broken souls. Their vision is limited. I guess they can only recognize the rough outline of humans, so they need to make some obvious marks on themselves." "Of course, Mr. Lewis told me the first half, and I guessed the second half, but it does work," Dorothy added. "Then...what about the five wax figures in that room? They are different from the other wax figures..." Morandi couldn't help but shudder. "Those five wax figures? That's interesting. They are smarter and more capable than ordinary wax figures. They even know how to go home. Because...those five people are all Mr. Lewis' flesh and blood relatives." This answer was beyond Morandi's expectation. She stopped and was stunned. She knew very well how the wax figure was made. It was definitely a taboo ritual that was not allowed in the world. It was not only bloody but also cruel and twisted. Mr. Lewis would actually make a wax figure of his own relatives... "Oh, let me correct you. I was wrong. There are only four of them who are his blood relatives. That middle-aged woman is just his stepmother." "Stepmother? Mr. Lewis' mother..." "I don't know. He never mentioned it. He must have died a long time ago. Mr. Lewis is a bastard." Morendi thought of the old photo again. The other five members of the family were sitting on chairs with warm and intimate expressions. Only Mr. Lewis was standing in the corner with a gloomy expression. Morandi could imagine the story involved: the unwelcome illegitimate child, the brothers and sisters who mocked him, the strict and harsh stepmother and father, and... the cruel revenge of the illegitimate child when he grew up. "Let's go. Remember, next time you come out of the bedroom, don't walk around randomly, and don't go into Mr. Lewis' study. The duty of the five wax figures is to guard there. If you go in again, I can't guarantee..." "No, I won't go into the study again." Before Dorothy could say anything, Morandi nodded like a little chicken. Not only at night, but even during the day, she didn't want to go to that horrible place again. "Very good. Now that you have a new body, you should cherish your life even more." At the entrance of the wax museum, Dorothy pinched Morandi's face and watched him get on the carriage. Not long after Morandi left, Dorothy, who was standing at the door, felt a slender but strong hand on her shoulder. She knew without looking that it was Mr. Lewis who came out. "You could have come out to help her a long time ago, couldn't you?" "Yes, she can do that when she's acting up in the hall." Dorothy's tone was confident and full of contempt. "It's okay to let her suffer a little, but you seem to be very keen on publicizing my glorious deeds as a child." Lewis' hand touched Dorothy's plump buttocks and pinched it hard.
"What's wrong with that? It'll make those short-sighted lackeys more respectful of you." Although Dorothy felt pain, her expression showed that she enjoyed it very much. "Go up and wait for me. It seems that I should discipline you more." Lewis took two steps forward with his hands behind his back. "What about you? Not going up?" "I've been stuck in the study writing my diary all day, so I have to come out for some fresh air. Don't worry, I'll be back after a walk, twenty minutes at most." Lewis took out a small box and took a deep puff of snuff. The two parted ways. Dorothy went into the house and went upstairs, while Lewis walked around the wax museum with his head down, wondering what he was thinking about. All of this fell into the eyes of Liu Yonglu who was standing on the corner of the street. He took out his pocket watch and looked at the time. It was almost midnight. He had already calculated the time and it was time to start taking action in two days. Hi, I have to trouble you all today. Please help me catch up to the last chapter. Thank you. It's a pity that these two chapters today are just for easing the topic, not for the main part. But what's wrong with easing the topic? It's good to easing the topic, because I am a very serious person. (Hippie smile) I would also like to report on the progress of my subsequent writing. When I was writing a major event a few days ago (I have always saved a draft), I was so worried that I couldn’t sleep all night. Why? I had to ensure the quality, so I revised tens of thousands of words several times, and the scrap draft may have only written 5 words, but fortunately, I feel that I have made some progress. So everyone should be as at ease as possible, there will be more interesting characters and funnier plots waiting for you later. It's a new day again, I wish you all a happy work and life. (End of this chapter)