The fire in the slum burned for a day and a night.
The fire did not spread over a large area, mainly around the St. Anne's Orphanage. However, due to the near absence of fire-fighting facilities in the slum, the few existing facilities were dilapidated and had no water flow. Fire trucks could not access the narrow roads of the slum, so firefighting relied entirely on nearby residents using pots and pans to extinguish the fire.
It's already a blessing that the fire was contained around the orphanage and prevented from spreading further; how could we talk about extinguishing the source of the fire?
So the fire actually extinguished itself after the St. Anne's Orphanage had burned down to its last remaining flames.
In such a raging fire, not only would you not survive, but your bones would be burned to ashes.
After the fire was extinguished, the patrol team set up a cordon, and forensic experts entered the scene to conduct DNA testing on the remaining traces. The conclusion was that the DNA traces left at the fire scene belonged to at least 200 different individuals, and most of them were children.
The crowd watching outside the police cordon sighed. With 200 different DNA individuals, the children in the orphanage must have all died in the fire.
There was actually only one intact body left at the scene.
The body was submerged in a liquid inside a glass container, which was still boiling when the patrol officers discovered the intact container.
Through the steam, an old nun inside had bulging eyes, her body had been soaked and boiled, and her skin was ulcerated, like a steamed dead fish.
The patrol officers responsible for moving the body vomited all over the place.
According to the initial investigation by the patrol team, the fire was caused by an alcohol lamp in a room overturning and igniting gauze stored in the medical room. The elderly nun named "Saint Anne" must have jumped into the glass jar to escape the fire, but the fire grew larger and larger, and she suffocated inside the jar.
The fire occurred in the early hours of the morning, when many people were still asleep. They fell into a coma due to inhaling excessive carbon monoxide and were burned to death in their sleep. This coincides with the fact that DNA traces of many of the victims were found in the rooms near the beds.
"This was a tragedy caused by an accident."
In the news report, the Chief Inspector of Adelaide said with great sorrow.
Helenburgh Villa District.
Hou Wu stared at the television screen in disbelief. He had been on tenterhooks all night after returning to the villa, and when he got up for breakfast with dark circles under his eyes, this was the news he saw?
And why didn't any patrol officers come and arrest them?
"Don't doubt it, the patrol team suppressed the matter themselves," Zhang Fan said with a smile, seeing Hou Wu's confusion.
"Brother, why is this?" Hou Wu racked his brains but couldn't figure it out. "We killed his son, and that old hag said she sent them the video. As the chief patrol officer, he couldn't possibly not know the truth."
“Precisely because we know the truth, we can’t say it,” Zhang Fan said, taking a sip of milk. “If the truth is revealed, how will he explain his son being there?”
"And it wasn't just his son who was there; the entire patrol team, from top to bottom, is utterly corrupt! If the truth about the St. Anne's Orphanage were revealed to the public, he would be the first to resign!"
Hou Wu remained silent for a long time. It was because he had discovered that the patrol team and St. Anna's Orphanage were inextricably linked that even though his conscience tormented him and he had nightmares every day, Hou Wu dared not report it to the police.
"Where do you think all that ill-gotten money from St. Anna's Orphanage went?" Zhang Fan continued. "So many orphans disappeared, and the patrol team didn't notice anything? Didn't they know about the orphanage's inhumane practices?"
"If I'm not mistaken, the patrol team is the 'protective umbrella' behind St. Anna's Orphanage. A significant portion of the money from the orphanage's illegal human organ trafficking goes into their pockets, which is why the orphanage has been able to exist for so long."
"Brother, is this all there is to it?" Hou Wu asked somewhat dejectedly.
“How could nothing happen?” Zhang Fan said seriously. “Once things calm down in a few days, they will try every means to kill us under other pretexts. It’s not difficult for the patrol team to frame us with a few crimes.”
"Brother, what should we do?" Hou Wu asked worriedly.
"It's alright. If they don't come looking for me, I'll still go to them to demand an explanation for my dead child!"
For a moment, Zhang Fan's face was filled with murderous intent, his sharp gaze seemed to want to kill, and Hou Wu couldn't help but shrink back.
"By the way, how's the thing I asked you to do going?" Zhang Fan asked after calming down.
"Last night we rescued a total of 130 children from the orphanage, and as my elder brother instructed, we arranged for vehicles to take them to Xilin," Hou Wu replied. "Although Xilin is a harsh place, no one there will bully them. The village chief also told me personally that the children were sent by our benefactors, and as long as there is still food in the village, we will definitely raise them to adulthood!"
Zhang Fan nodded. Xilin is truly a wonderful place. We must find an opportunity to get it from Reinhard in the future!
"I have a card here."
The village suddenly gained one-fifth of its population, which means each household has at least one more mouth to feed, and it's impossible to take care of everyone all at once.
"Today, you and Aunt Wu go to the market to buy some necessary supplies and transport them all to the village."
"Buy whatever the children need, the only requirement is that they must spend all the money in the card before coming back! Got it?"
"Yes, brother!" Hou Wu took the card with both hands.
"Big brother, there's something else..." Hou Wu suddenly stammered, lowering his head and avoiding Zhang Fan's gaze.
"Spit it out!" Zhang Fan glared at Hou Wu. "Didn't I tell you before, don't beat around the bush when you talk to me!"
"It's...it's like this..." Hou Wu stammered, "There are...two orphan girls who don't want to stay in the village, they want to go somewhere else...somewhere else..."
"Oh." Zhang Fan pondered for a moment. That's true. Life in Xilin is too harsh. It's normal for girls not to want to stay there. "If they have other places to go, let them go."
"Ah? Really?" Hou Wu looked pleasantly surprised.
“Of course, are we going to restrict their personal freedom?” Zhang Fan said. “Let them go wherever they want, that’s their freedom.”
"Great!" Hou Wu stood up with a beaming smile, turned around and said, "You can come out now!"
The door opened, and the two girls from last night walked out hand in hand, leaning on each other, looking timid.
The spoon Zhang Fan was using to drink porridge fell to the ground with a clatter.
"No, how come they're here?" Zhang Fan stared at Hou Wu.
"Big Brother said they can go wherever they want," Hou Wu said innocently. "They want to stay here."
"I..." Zhang Fan was so angry that he couldn't speak.
"Sir, please don't be angry with Brother Monkey. We begged him to stay." The two girls walked up to Zhang Fan and knelt down with a thud.
“We have no relatives left in this world. You saved us, sisters, and you are our closest relatives! Please, sir, let us stay by your side as servants so that we may have the opportunity to repay your kindness!”
“My sister and I are not rich heiresses; we can do all the housework.”
"Please, sir!"
Seeing that the two girls were about to kowtow, Zhang Fan quickly stopped them.
"That's enough! You can all stand up and talk first."
“If the master doesn’t agree, we sisters will kneel here forever.” The two girls refused to get up.
"Alright..." Zhang Fan said helplessly, "You can stay, but I don't have many rules here. Kneeling and kowtowing are absolutely forbidden in the future."
With Zhang Fan's permission, the two girls stood up with joy on their faces.
"Aunt Wu—" Zhang Fan instructed, "Add two more sets of bowls and chopsticks, and make two more breakfasts."
"Okay!" Aunt Wu replied, already carrying out two servings of breakfast.
Well, it seems I'm the only one who didn't know there were two girls hiding in the house.
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