Hannah had found the second pistol in the house. Somehow she managed to hold it in her hand. Maybe she managed to convince Yu Qingshu to let her take a look, but when Lot put the bread knife on Jania's neck, Malcolm immediately held her hand down. In fact, he didn't need to remind him. Hannah fully knew how difficult it was for a novice shooter to hit half of the head hiding behind the two hostages.
"Let them go!" Yu Qingshu screamed and ran down the stairs.
"Everyone, put down your weapons," Lot said, "and be quiet, okay?"
He pushed Zhaniya's head forward a little, and the blade made an indentation in the skin of her neck. Yu Qingshu, who had already gone down to the living room, stopped. Jania's eyes met hers and she saw her mother's chest rising and falling, trying her best to regulate her breathing. "What do you want?" her mother asked. "What do you want to know from me?"
"I have no interest in your career, madam," Lot said. "I just want to talk to your children."
When he asked everyone to put down their weapons for the second time, Malcolm gently took the gun out of Hannah's hand, held the barrel of the gun and placed it on the ground. It would be unwise to accept threats from an uninvited guest who breaks into your home. But Malcolm obviously didn't think it was time to risk his daughter's life - everyone could see that Lot didn't have a gun in his hand, and it wouldn't be that easy to kill everyone in the house single-handedly.
Jania and her father held diametrically opposed views on this conclusion. She believed that Hannah must have sensed something was wrong from her face. They exchanged glances, and Jania guessed she was looking for a chance to get a weapon. But that was too risky for Hannah, so she pursed her lips vigorously to indicate that she was strongly opposed to any risky move.
Lot asked everyone to sit on the couch. Jania left her brother alone and noticed that his eyes were a little unfocused. She patted his face, her tentacles as cold as stone. "Are you okay?" Jania asked. She held up a finger and shook it in front of her brother's eyes. It took several seconds before her brother's eyes met that finger. He stared at her nails stiffly, as if looking at a monster that had never appeared in the world.
"I'm fine."
"You're very slow to react," Jania said, wagging her finger again. Her brother, however, did not blink and stared at the air. He didn't even have the conditioned reflex to react to dynamic objects, and Zhaniya suddenly felt that the situation was serious.
"A little dizzy." Her brother said, his expression still dull. Jania looked at him worriedly for a moment.
"I need your cooperation." She said softly, "We have to get through this together."
Her brother blinked hard and twisted the back of his hand. The muscles on his face were twitching slightly, perhaps psychologically, but he did look more awake.
"Nothing will happen to you," he said clearly. This time his eyes finally followed the movement of her fingers. Zhannia had to admit that she was a little happy and a little embarrassed at the same time, but she still secretly reminded herself that no one could guarantee anyone's safety now. If she didn't figure something out on her own, something would eventually happen to everyone in this room.
She could feel Lot's eyes on the back of her head. In fact, almost everyone in the room was staring at her. This left Jania a little breathless. Maybe this is what it feels like for a newbie walking a tightrope, not so much panic or fear, but a numbing dizziness. She subconsciously looked at Hannah, who was indeed staring at her, with a pale face but a bright light in her emerald eyes.
No one knows this look better than Jania. When Hannah bites her lip, her eyebrows will gather in the middle, and the skin on both sides of the bridge of her nose will reveal subtle wrinkles, making her look attentive, especially like a figure in a portrait. Hannah does sometimes look less like her peers and more like a strange goblin who pretends to integrate into human society, but is actually secretly pondering her own secrets. Jania could hear that superior mind whirring secretly, figuring out how to deal with the current situation. She seemed to speak with her eyes, Jania, we can't trust this kidnapper's guarantee, we have to take action.
However, even Hannah, who has a lot of imagination, doesn't understand what she is worried about. There were five of them, even though there were only three adults, but Malcolm and her brother looked tough, and her mother had seen a lot. The reason her parents were still sitting still was because Lot had a knife. He was a threat, but not threatening enough to cause despair. Jania bets that Rod planned it all on purpose: he kicked Malcolm's gun on the floor into the deepest part of the sofa, a false sign of goodwill that led her parents to believe that the kidnapping was for some kind of negotiation purpose. Instead of trying to create a tragedy that would wipe out the whole family - otherwise Lot would have to keep the gun in his hand, right? Her parents undoubtedly felt that they would rather let Lot steal some property or information from the house than have anyone present get hurt. Only Hanna, the smart and wonderful little witch from the academy, Hanna, can always deal with everything calmly and shrewdly, even if she doesn't see any weird clues.
If Jania had been given another chance, she would have told Hannah, at least part of it, about her adventures at the seaside. In this way, Hannah would surely realize that the situation in front of her was unusual, and she might even guess Lot's weird ability. But now Jania couldn't tell her anything, she could only press her chin at her, as if she was hinting in class that she didn't need help. She was asking Hannah not to do anything, and Hannah would definitely understand this, but she didn't know if Hannah could read Lot's danger from her expression. As Hannah herself admits, sometimes her overactive imagination can lead her astray.
Her mother's face was red, her shoulders were shaking slightly, and her eyes wandered between Jania and her brother. Jania could tell she was going crazy, for her children, who were clearly suffering. In comparison, Malcolm was relatively calm. He always liked to tell Jania about things that wanderers might encounter in the wild, including law enforcement and criminals. As far as Jania was concerned, Malcolm had never been the kind of person who was particularly territorial. Since Jania could still stand upright by herself, he just looked at the intruder and thought about how to strike up a conversation with him. He'd actually done it before, talking about pomegranate chicken and Persian noodle soup with a robber who broke into a campground late at night.
No one in this room seemed to be frightened and overwhelmed, which was very different from the situation that Jania had imagined when she was a child - yes, when she was a child, she always imagined that kidnappers broke into the home or school, and everyone was frightened and panicked, and she Like a heroic protagonist in an action movie who saves the day. Such fantasies cannot be told to others, not even Hannah, so she doesn't know if others have fantasized about similar things. Maybe everyone has fantasized about it, then she is an ordinary person; maybe she is the only one who likes to think like this, then she is an out-of-place freak. Regardless, at this moment she suddenly felt like she wasn't that special, or that, from some perspective, everyone was a freak.
"I really don't want to disturb your family gathering like this." said the only foreign freak, "ma'am...and this..."
Malcolm announced his name enthusiastically, completely unaware of Jania's glare at him. Lot looked at him carefully for a few seconds.
"I thought I wouldn't meet you tonight," he said. "People in town say there is a mother and daughter living in this house."
Jania immediately felt that this was a strange and thought-provoking statement. It was so unexpected that she almost suspected that Malcolm was hiding some shocking secret. But Malcolm didn't look like a guilty man at all. He grinned with an almost worldly grin and said with a hint of wonder, "Oh, I'm often out of town."
"You came back in the past few days." Lot asked slowly, "But why?"
"Because of a working holiday?" Malcolm said innocently. He looked at Yu Qingshu, obviously getting a warning from his spouse. He cleared his throat and said in his kindest and most endearing voice: "Sir, if you wish to get something from my wife, I propose that we—"
"The only thing I'm interested in is your children, sir." Lot interrupted, and Malcolm's face wrinkled. "Now, please allow me to talk to your daughter in detail."
There was an urging in his tone. Zhaniya had to turn around and face the monster's gaze. "Okay." She said as fearlessly as possible, "Let's talk alone."
She put an emphasis on the word "alone," hoping it would bother Lot a little, but her parents were frightened. "Jennia?" Malcolm asked tentatively, as if she had done something bad when she was a child, and Malcolm was preparing to help her cover it up in front of her mother. Needless to say, they must now feel that this matter has something to do with her. And the worst part is that Jania herself can’t explain clearly. Her head was buzzing and she really wanted to just lie on the ground and do nothing. But of course she couldn't really do this, but forced herself to stare at Lot, wondering what to do next.
Lot looked thoughtful. Jania had no way of knowing what he was thinking. She could only guess that Lot didn't want too many people to hear about Kolain, so he would prefer to talk to her alone. Which was a good thing, because if he let her parents hear it without a care in the world, that might suggest the worst-case scenario, that he wasn't going to let anyone live - but who could tell? Maybe Lot saw further than she did, and he deliberately let her think so. Although Zhannia vaguely felt that Lot was not a person who was good at concealing and coaxing. He lacked some necessary and stable self-control, and people with mental problems often could not follow the pre-arranged plan. Can Lot do it? She really didn't know enough about this freak.
She was silent, but Lot had made his decision. "Let's talk at the door." His eyes flickered and his tone was kind. "It will help you talk more where your parents can see, right?"
Of course, Jania thought, this would also make it easier for you to monitor the house. The distance between the entrance hall and the sofa in the living room is indeed just right. Every time her mother receives a call in the living room, if she doesn't want to go up the stairs to the study, she will go to the entrance hall and whisper. And as long as the TV is on in the living room, the person sitting on the sofa can't hear anything clearly.
At the moment, the TV is off. But Rod's eyes had already fallen on the record player that Malcolm had moved out. He walked over, touched the brass horn with interest, and knocked on the wooden base cabinet. "Very exquisite." He opened the cabinet and checked the records inside. "Aha!" he shouted with satisfaction.
Behind him, Malcolm had quietly stood up from the sofa. He might have considered finding the pistol from under the sofa, but that would make too much noise, and it would be too slow to pull the gun out while lying down, so he immediately stared at the kitchen again, considering whether he could get there if he ran out. Come back and fight before you have to take a hostage.
Jania's expression changed. She shook her head violently at Malcolm, gestured for him to sit back, and told him through her mouth that it was no use - she had done it a long time ago! They were indeed father and daughter. If she hadn't seen Lot's strange ability with her own eyes, she would have thought exactly the same as Mal. Malcolm noticed her reminder, and as her most loyal childhood wild playmate, he immediately understood what she meant. After hesitating for almost half a second, he sat back down and put his hand on his spouse's arm, making Yu Qingshu unable to move. Zhannia felt relieved and couldn't express her feelings for a moment. Mal! He is always so confused, but it is difficult for people who know him not to like him. Because he is so good at listening and observing, he never disappoints people at critical moments.
Almost as soon as Malcolm sat down, Rod turned around with a record. Jania didn't know if he noticed their little antics or if he just didn't care. Regardless, the record he found satisfied him.
"I rarely admit that Germans have real humor." Rod said. Jania and Malcolm couldn't help but look at him, "but you always have something interesting when talking about the French."
Jania squinted, trying to make out the label on the record. She didn't know when Malcolm collected these things. Maybe Malcolm didn't even know. But the record must have been old, and the label on it was blurry, so she couldn't see it clearly. It can't be a record of World War II military songs, right? That didn't look like something Malcolm would like at all. He was an anti-war activist through and through.
Lot turned back to change the record. He lowered the tonearm, adjusted the speed, and an orchestral music flowed from the speaker. The melody was bright and warm, but not exciting, unlike the military parade or march that Jania had imagined. It was more like some kind of dance music, and it was familiar to her. The name was on her lips, but she just couldn't call it out for the moment. But she had no time to think about such a trivial matter. Lot turned around in the pleasant melody, covered in dirty blood, with a sick smile on his face, and made an invitation gesture to her - it was really human A hellish scene. Zhannia took a deep breath and walked towards the entrance. The cheerful melody released from the record gradually left her, but the chill followed her closely.
She walked to the door, leaned against the shoe cabinet, and looked back over the closet into the living room. In fact, it is only a dozen steps away, but looking from the entrance, there is a strange sense of distance. The lights were bright and warm, and the music was beautiful and moving. Her relatives and friends were all sitting on the sofa, with stiff postures and dull expressions. The scene was so deliberate, so small and lifeless, like the scenery in a doll's house. As long as she reaches out her hand, she can grab any toy figure from the window of the doll house and adjust them to a satisfactory position and posture.
If only she could just grab Lot out of the house and throw him into Leo's kennel - Jania suddenly realized what was missing from the house. Is Leo still locked up in her bedroom? But it never ignores strangers visiting. Normally, it would have roared. Fortunately, he did not do this, because Jania was not sure if Lot would try to scare the monkeys. He might not kill her family right away, for that story about Klein, but a dog... She knew that many perverted killers started out as cats and dogs. She could only hope that Leo had fallen asleep in her bedroom, for as long as possible. She tried not to let the horrible thought come too clearly: if they were unlucky tonight, Leo might be the only one left alive in the room.
The cold air was approaching her. Jania forced herself to move her eyes from the warm and bright living room to the shadow close to her. Under the light, the smile on Rod's face reminded her of the Judit family's son, Nick Judit, whom she had dealt with. It is really very similar. When Judith talked about the "devotees" chewing up all the chicks that fell on the ground, the expression on his face was like Lot's state at the moment. She will definitely be more careful about Judith's affairs in the future, assuming she survives tonight.
Can she do it? That's really hard to say. Lot might be really interested in Kolain's affairs and therefore willing to let them go, but that was just Jania's wishful thinking. When she saw the expression on Lot's face, a stronger, truer voice said in her heart: Look, this is the look of a murderer. He is looking forward to surprising you, looking forward to letting you loose. I'll break the necks of your family members while I'm breathing, and then I'll kill you too. You have to be smarter.
She should be smarter, but what exactly should she do? Zhaniya stood there blankly, with countless thoughts running through her mind. Some of them had no origin, and some were obviously inspired by movies or TV shows. But she didn't need to identify them one by one to know that they were all worthless. She is deeply aware that this is the reality: when you suddenly encounter something unknown and dangerous, the little cleverness accumulated in common sense and experience will ultimately be of no use. Unless you are fully prepared - that is, as prepared as planes, tanks, or even an entire army - you can't do anything.
This is not an infallible comedy like Home Alone. This time, the quick wit that once allowed her to send Klein to jail may not be able to help her anymore. This depressing thought made her heart beat fast and her hands and feet became numb, as if she had really turned into a fool who didn't know what to do. Now that she was really about to take action, she couldn't believe that she still hadn't come up with a suitable story, one that would hint to her brother and make them tell the same lie. This should be a breeze, right? They have so many experiences in common and their chemistry should be second only to her and Hannah. But damn, she just couldn't think of anything at this critical moment. What happened to her? Frightened by this series of weird things tonight?
Perhaps Lot had a hidden ability to sniff out the guilty conscience of others. The more nervous and flustered Jania became, the prouder Lot looked. He even pretended to ask Jania if she wanted a glass of water. Jania agreed with some annoyance, just to delay a little more time, but Lot ordered Hannah in the living room to get a glass of water.
Hannah calmly obeyed the order. Worried about her safety, instead of seizing more opportunities, Jania became even more half-hearted. Damn it, Lot was clearly playing a trick on her, using Hannah to get her upset.
"I think we can get started now," urged Lot. "Come on, tell us your brother's interesting travel story. Don't worry about your family, they are enjoying the music."
Music in the distance has reached a new stage. The living room echoed with the melody of a solo violin. The smooth and clear tune suddenly stirred up Zhaniya's memory. Of course she knew the name of the song, and it had something to do with the group presentation she was going to do this week! Could it be that those romantic dramatists abandoned the Trinity? Hannah loved this stuff, and while her mind was filled with termites and prisons, Hannah was watching the best bits with great interest. Jania was absent-minded at the time, but the masterpieces handed down from ancient times do have a way of getting into other people's heads - wasn't it "Orfeo in Hell" that was chosen by Lot? That cheerful and ironic overture. This might be the joke Lot wanted to play on her right now! Look, what a show of "Jennia in Hell."
Hannah held the water glass and slowly approached them. Jania pursed her lips, remembering the story her brother once told him about a water glass and the devil. Her favorite witchcraft story, and who's to say Colin wasn't a devil? She had no choice but to take the glass of water and look towards the living room, hoping that her brother would notice her fingers running along the wall of the glass. Can he understand? Does he remember that story? Jania can remember almost every story he tells, but that may not be the case for the other person. She had to risk giving more hints, so she turned the cup silently, hoping that her brother would remember how the devil was summoned: the cup filled with the tears of good people, turned in the right order, and the devil came from Revealed in the cup. She turned the cup gently and slightly, three times clockwise and three times counterclockwise——
The doorbell rang behind her.
Happy Children's Day everyone!
(End of chapter)
