Hewitt took down the hunting rifle from the wall and held it in his hand, drawing the long blade and strapping it to his back. He then quietly walked towards a nearby grove of white wax trees at the back of the house.
The white wax trees were staggered, forming a narrow passage that seemed to be deliberately left for curious intruders.
Hewitt pressed down on the teak butt of the rifle, calmly loading up the rounds.
Although this single-shot rifle was slightly weak in close-range combat, if it hit a vital point, even a large mammal would fall directly to the ground.
Sun-Day had quietly receded, and the silver moon dominated the sky.
Hewitt's amber pupils gradually enlarged, trying to absorb as much light as possible from the surroundings.
A shadow quickly moved through the bushes more than ten meters away, and the thick sound of liquid and solid entwining caught the demon hunter's ears.
Hewitt shouted loudly:
"Come out! This is private territory, and whatever you are, if you keep running, I'll shoot."
It seemed that the shadow was frightened, and the leaves around it trembled. Then, the shadow became still.
After confirming that the uninvited guest could understand human language, Hewitt continued urging:
"Now, slowly walk toward me. If you make any unwarranted moves, I'll shoot your head off.
"Bullets are faster than running."
After dozens of seconds of silence, a girl crawled out from under the cover of the bushes.
Tear drops hung like morning dew on her sapphire eyes, and a patched brown-yellow coarse linen robe protected her body and kept dust and mud on her clothes.
The girl bit her lower lip, with brown curls barely covering her shoulders. There was bloodshot in her blue eyes, and an unusual redness covered her tender cheeks, probably from a mild frostbite.
A faint glimmer flashed in Hewitt's eyes, and after confirming something, he walked straight up to the girl.
When the girl saw Hewitt's movement, she was startled, baring her canine teeth and staring at him with her unthreatening eyes like a frightened kitten pretending to be ferocious.
Hewitt gently looked her in the eyes, gradually dispelling the fear and resistance in her gaze.
"Child, where are your parents?" Hewitt asked softly.
As soon as Hewitt spoke, the girl retreated nimbly but found herself hitting a tree trunk, forcing her to stop.
When the little girl realized she had nowhere to run, she quickly looked at Hewitt. Seeing that he had no intention of pursuing her, she calmed down.
Hewitt cautiously took two steps forward, and seeing that the girl did not run away, he slowly removed his coat and gently placed it over the girl who was only wearing a tattered robe and then stepped back to give her enough space.
The demon hunter showed a gentle smile, at least by his standards:
"It's alright, you're safe now, nobody can hurt you."
The girl sniffled, still mistrusting Hewitt, and asked timidly:
"Really?"
Hewitt nodded firmly and said:
"Yes."
Hewitt stroked his chin and asked:
"Are your parents nearby?"
The girl shook her head vigorously, and the wariness in her eyes diminished slightly.
He couldn't be sure whether the child had run away from home or just escaped from some purely evil hands.
Hewitt crouched down in front of the girl and asked quietly:
"Do you know where your home is?"
The girl's tone was somewhat uncertain:
"I don't know the way, and I don't live around here."
"How long have you been away from home?"
The girl furrowed her eyebrows and thought for a moment before answering:
"A long time."
Hewitt placed both hands on the girl's shoulders and lowered his volume:
"I'm going to ask you something, and it's okay if you don't want to answer, don't worry.
"But if you could tell me a few things, maybe I could help you even better."
Hewitt's expression turned serious:
"Were you with someone before you met me? What did they do to you?"
Upon hearing this, the girl suddenly widened her eyes, and her bright pupils lost their sparkle:
"I, I..."
Hewitt hastened to comfort her:
"It's okay, it's okay. What happened in the past is not important, what matters is that you're safe now."
The girl looked up at Hewitt, not quite daring to believe his words, and asked timidly:
"Am I really safe now?"
Hewitt lightly patted the girl's back and nodded:
"Yes, with me here, nobody can hurt you."
The girl finally relaxed, and her entire body softened slightly:
"I remember being in a crowded place, with men in black clothes walking around outside, and often seeing uncles and aunts in white clothes..."
Hewitt squinted his eyes.
Wearing uniforms? It seemed like a large and well-organized evil organization, no wonder it hadn't been discovered yet.
The girl's eyes filled with a hint of courage:
"And, and dad."
Hewitt was taken aback.
"Every time I wake up seven times, I see dad, and he's also in a white clothes, but everyone seems to be afraid of him."
Hewitt asked:
"Are you scared of him?"
The girl dared not speak.
Hewitt closed his eyes for two seconds.
Hewitt took a deep breath and asked:
"Why do you call him dad?"
The girl recalled:
"He told me to call him dad the second time we met."
Hewitt suddenly thought of something and hurriedly asked:
"Do you remember how many times you've met him?"
"89 times," the girl said, providing an overly precise number.
"Once every seven days? Never missed?"
"Mhm."
Less than two years? This so-called dad might be a madman. If that was the case, maybe he had kidnapped more than one "daughter."
"Follow me for now, and I'll think of a way."
Hewitt grabbed the girl's little hand and pulled her toward his cabin.
The girl struggled slightly:
"The bad guy…"
"It'll be fine if I'm here, even if the bad guy comes," Hewitt held the girl's hand tighter.
Fear still filled the girl's eyes, like a rabbit that could jump away at any moment.
The demon hunter knew all too well the psychological trauma that prolonged captivity could cause to an immature child.
Before she could establish trust in the world, she was crushed by the cruel and heartless reality. Lacking love, the girl gradually became overly sensitive to the thoughts of everyone around her, fearing harm even from strangers.
In her eyes, the entire world was distorted and filled with malice.
There were many questions Hewitt hadn't asked the girl yet - her name, how she had escaped.
But these were not important right now. What concerned him more was the girl's mental state. Having just escaped from hell, her mental state might not be very stable.
Like a desperate person standing on the edge of a cliff, staring at the Abyss of No Bottom on one side, and longing to escape from reality on the other - any minor stimulus could cause a normal girl to have a mental breakdown.
As a demon hunter, Hewitt's profession was to save others, and he was especially good at appeasing children.
During that insane era, too many children had lost their families.
Even if the so-called men in black came chasing now, Hewitt would not be worried. He was also good at dealing with two-legged monsters.
At the back mountain of Dawnshire Town.
Lightning flashed, illuminating the faces of the three people.
The entire town was sunny all year round, except for this mountain, which was often covered in dark clouds and thunderstorms.
The mayor and the two detectives briskly walked up the rugged mountain path.
Both detectives had abundant physical strength due to their professions, but they were still surprised by the seemingly slightly overweight mayor who was walking on the mountain as if it were level ground.
The mayor turned to the two men and said:
"As a matter of fact, the master on this mountain knows this land better than the demon hunter Hewitt. He even knows it better than any resident of the town you might find."
The tall, thin detective said:
"But you didn't intend to take us to him at first."
The mayor nodded:
"That's because I wasn't sure if I could persuade him. We'll leave the subsequent negotiations to you.
"It's said that this master appeared here when my father was young. He is moody and impulsive, with the characteristics of people from the old times."
The tall, thin man asked curiously:
"Since he's so old, can he still move normally?"
The mayor smiled:
"He's not like us ordinary people. Time can't leave its mark on him.
"He is a demon hunter."