Chapter 278: Chloe, Are You Satisfied with What You See?

I finally understood why his voice was so hoarse—he had been through a fire. His face was badly scarred. Investigating through his facial features was no longer an option; it was unrealistic.

“Chloe, are you satisfied with what you see?”

His cold, mocking voice cut through the air. I knew he was deliberately trying to provoke me, hoping to make me frustrated enough to strike him, or better yet, kill him.

“Without a face, does that mean you don’t have fingerprints? Damian, take his prints.”

“Understood, Mrs. Zoey,” Damian replied as he prepared to press the man’s fingers onto a piece of white paper. But just as Damian lifted his hand, he looked at me, bewildered. “Mrs. Zoey, he doesn’t have fingerprints.”

I was speechless. What kind of man was Silas? His past seemed more mysterious by the minute.

“Chloe, you’re wasting your time. You can kill me if you wish; consider that as collecting your debt for killing you. If you’re hoping to get answers from me, I’m sorry, but I can’t give you anything.”

“You may have destroyed your face and erased your fingerprints, but remember, you still have hair, skin flakes, and blood. We can test everything in your body for DNA.”

Damian quickly chimed in, “Mrs. Zoey, leave it to me.”

I casually pulled a dagger and said, “Of course, testing DNA might not provide an immediate answer. Silas, remember how you and your people chopped up my body? I’ll return the favor in kind. I trust your kidneys are in good condition; I can donate them to someone who needs a transplant. Want to know what it feels like to have your kidney removed without anesthesia?”

As I spoke, my dagger slowly moved down, halting at a particular spot.

“I wonder if you’ve ever had children? Ever wondered what it feels like to be castrated without anesthesia? Care to—?”

“You—how dare you!” His face turned red with rage. “How could a woman say such things?”

“Silas, humans are incredibly resilient. Even if you cut out organs, as long as there’s no infection, you won’t die immediately. Even if you do get infected, it won’t kill you instantly. I can make sure your organs are slowly removed, one by one.”

I watched him with interest. “Have you ever heard the story of the bear that ate a man? A traveler was caught by a bear in the wild. Before he could die, all he could do was watch helplessly as the bear took one bite after another. A body like yours, a bear would probably need two days to finish. Think about it—where would it start? Human bones are tough, but a bear’s jaws can shatter them easily, snap, snap…”

As I spoke, the dagger traced along his body, mimicking a bear’s slow, methodical eating process, beginning from the foot.

“When you killed me, I didn’t suffer much before losing consciousness. But if I kill you, I’ll make sure you suffer to the point that death will seem like a relief. Your fate is sealed, but you can still choose a dignified death and leave Anna with a chance to live.”

Sweat covered his body. My words appeared to have taken him by surprise.

“Fine, I’ll tell you. You’re right. She isn’t your real sister. The real Anna is someone else.”

I had already confirmed this information, but hearing him say it sent my heart racing.

“Who is she? Where is she now? Is she still alive?”

“She’s alive.”

The moment I heard those words, I nearly broke into tears. I grabbed Silas’s shirt and asked, “Really? Is she okay? Did you deliberately make her disappear all those years ago?”

The idea that my sister was responsible for my death had haunted me for so long. I always wondered how she could have been so cruel. Finally, the truth came to light, causing the knot in my heart to loosen. I worried about that little girl—what would happen to her after so long in their care?

“Yes, someone purposefully pushed her into the water. There were two options back then, but she was young, and once she was lost, it would be hard for anyone to find her again, so she became the target. But you don’t need to worry too much. She has received excellent care over the years, and her life hasn’t been too difficult.”

“Where is she now?”

“She’s at… ” His voice was raspy. “Do you have water?”

It was as though the confession had suddenly been interrupted, but I had to fulfill his request to find out about my sister.

“Wait a moment.”

Damian quickly brought a glass of water. Silas drank deeply, seemingly parched. He drank a lot.

“She’s been kept at Mister’s house.”

Finally, he gave me the answer. I pushed further. “Who is Mister? And why did you and Anna get involved in all this? How many people are in your organization? Where is your headquarters?”

Silas argued, “You’re asking so many questions at once, how can I answer all of them?”

“Then let’s take it one by one. I have all the time in the world.”

He licked his lips and began, “Anna and I were both pawns in Mister’s game. He set us up long ago to target and take revenge on the Sanders. We’re orphans, no parents, just abandoned children. We were taken in by what we thought was a good, kind orphanage, but that place was a living hell.”

“Inside, children were trained from a young age, starting with hunting animals and ending with killing people. Our mental toughness comes from that kind of professional training.”

I asked, “How many children were in the organization?”

“At first, there were a lot. But many couldn’t survive the training and died. Not many of us remain. Only those who succeed in the training are allowed to move on to the next stage.”

“Was Anna one of them? What’s her real name?”

“People like us don’t have real names, just codenames. But I hoped she would live, so I always called her Anna.”

I sneered. “You’re quite devoted.”

No wonder in that video Anna had kissed him first—perhaps he felt too insecure with his disfigured face to approach her. Anna had a deep bond with him; she was deeply in love with him. If she hadn’t made me her target, I might have even applauded their unwavering love.

He argued, “Chloe, you’ve always lived a privileged life. How could you understand what we’ve been through? Have you ever eaten human flesh? To survive, we did whatever it took. If it weren’t for each other, we wouldn’t have made it this far.”

I rebuked, “Whatever hardships you faced in the past, they don’t justify killing me. Your suffering isn’t my fault.”

“Who can really explain the cause and effect in this world?”

He smiled, his eyes filled with sorrow. “Chloe, can you do something for me?”

“What?”

“If you ever see Anna again, I hope you can tell her that I loved her. I know I can’t escape the Boltons.”

His expression was full of despair, and my heart wavered. I nodded slowly. “Okay, I’ll tell her how you feel. Now, you can tell me everything else, right?”

“Fine. I’ll tell you…”

But before he could continue, he suddenly bit down hard on his own tongue, his determination clear. It happened so fast, I didn’t even have time to react. Before I could process it, he spat out his severed tongue.

“Arghh!”