Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

Chapter 80: CCK (23)

They climbed the stairs which spiraled up towards a cellar. Minho paused for a minute to press his ear against it.

"Can you hear anything?" Kanji whispered.

"Nothing," Minho replied. "No footsteps. Nothing."

"I still think he's not here," Kanji stated. "We've been in this cave for hours and we still didn't come across anyone!"

But Minho was frowning. There was something odd going on.

"Do you...smell something?" he asked.

Kanji wrinkled in brows in confusion before realizing what Minho meant. A scent hit his nose. Something was cooking somewhere above them.

"It smells like curry and...meat?" he said, feeling unsure. "But the smell is strange. It doesn't smell like chicken, beef or pork. Is it some wild animal? Ugh the smell is disgusting!"

Minho winced and felt the bile coming up his throat. The smell was quite nauseating as if leather was being burnt. Then why did the whiff of spices come through? Even Kanji was holding his breath. What was it?

"It's not a wild animal," Minho concluded. "We need to get in there. I'm getting a bad feeling."

He took out the gun. Kanji was not pleased to see the weapon in Minho's hand but they had little choice. There was a possibly dangerous serial killer in the cellar above them and they had no other way to save Mina. 

Minho carefully pushed the cellar. It was unlocked so he peered into the room above them.

"Coast is clear," he whispered. He opened the cellar door and climbed up with Kanji following suit. They had entered some kind of a kitchen. It was dimly lit but they could see the kitchen appliances neatly arranged against the wall. A refrigerator stood in the corner while the dining table was scattered with cut vegetables and herbs. The shelves were stacked with different spices and cooking ingredients, nicely categorized. The stove was running as a pot was boiling over it. The place looked like a normal kitchen.

Except for the strong putrid smell which was suffocating them.

"Ugh it's worse in here!" Kanji complained. "What is it?"

"It's coming from that pot," Minho said, pointing at the boiling pot over the stove. 

"What in the world is he cooking?" Kanji wondered out loud, stepping towards the stove. He opened it to see a meat drowning in gravy. He picked up a spoon and took some gravy in his palm to smell it. The pungent smell was truly coming from there.

"What is this?" he breathed. Minho was also wondering the same thing. There was something very ominous about this scent.

"This meat" Minho began as he peered into the pot. "It looks like a...heart?"

He was right. The meat cooking inside the pot was shaped like a heart. 

Suddenly Kanji backed off in fear. He looked as if he had seen a ghost. His face was pale and sweat began to bead from his forehead.

"Kanji, what's wrong?" Minho frowned but Kanji was not listening. He darted towards the refrigerator and yanked it open. Minho watched as he rummaged through the contents before pausing.

"Kanji, what are you doing?" Minho hissed. Kanji's ashen face emerged from the fridge. He was holding a container in his hand.

"Minho...remember the news reports on the CCK?" he asked in a hollow tone.

"That he kidnapped women randomly and dissected them?" Minho recalled.

"There was something else."

Kanji held up the clear glass container for Minho to see. He took a closer look through it and was shocked.

"That's" 

"The CCK kept the hearts," Kanji grimaced. "Of his victims. To eat them."

He opened the fridge further for Minho to see. There were several similar glass containers which held the hearts of the victims. They were clearly labeled with the victims' names and ages along with the date of kidnapping. Some of the hearts were beginning to stink while others looked fresh. 

The nausea Minho had been holding in for so long had finally reached its maximum limit. He rushed towards the sink and threw up. The pot on the stove was still brimming with the heart in it. The very thought of a person's organs being cooked right next to him was making him throw up even more. 

Kanji was also disgusted and quickly closed the fridge. He patted Minho's back and glanced back to see if anyone had spotted them yet. Finally, Minho was done throwing up and wiped his mouth. He was too afraid of even using the water in that place.

"We have to find her," Minho announced weakly. "The killer is here. The pot is running, which means that he did not escape. Mina must be here as well!"

"Let's find her," Kanji agreed. "Before it's too late!"

Minho took one last glance at the pot. A sudden thought ran through his head. What if that heart belongs to Mina? Was he too late to save his sister?

He tried to brush off that thought and marched ahead. No, his sister was alive. He could feel it. She was not going to die that easily. He would not let the CCK snatch her away from him.

.

Mina was scared to death. The man was standing by his desk, sharpening his tools. She had been kept paralyzed in the freezer for three days and it was impossible for her to even move a muscle. She lost all track of time but still hoped her brother would come. 

The man had told her a strange story about his parents and even though she did not understand it, something about the tale frightened her. The man was unhinged and planned to harm her in some way. She could not even muster the energy to ask him why he was doing this.

"Time is near, princess," the man said. His face was covered by a black mask but he was still wearing those scrubs. "Soon, you're going to join the others."

He carefully sanitized the tools in front of him. Mina did not know what those were for but the man was giving off a sinister aura. Who was he and why was he doing this?

She had no answer to that. Brother please save me! She cried inwardly. Please

Suddenly, there was a loud crash outside. Startled, the man looked up.

"What the hell?" he muttered. Did someone find out about his hideout? Did that woman spill the beans? 

Impossible! Even if she had, it would be impossible for anyone to enter because the secret entrance was locked with a passcode. Did someone figure it out?

"Looks like we've got company," he sighed, turning towards the motionless girl. He took out an injection and filled it with more drug. Walking towards the little girl, he injected it all into her.

"That will keep you from running away," he said in satisfaction. Ensuring that Mina was properly sedated, he quickly dashed outside to follow the noise. Mina could not move an inch due to the drugs injected in her. The door was wide open and yet she was helpless.

Brother! She screamed in her thoughts. Kanji! Please save me!

Even tears would not flow. She wanted to yell and scream but her darned limbs betrayed her. She lay still, helplessly crying from the inside for her brother. 

As the drugs took over her, she could dimly see two figures towering over her. One of them said something but she could not hear anything as her consciousness faded away, leaving nothing but a black cloud shrouding her eyes.