A knife that could break down a side of beef?

Surprised, the shop owner asked, "Ma'am, where are you folks going camping? I didn't know there were places around here you could slaughter a cow."

In The Capital, there weren't many places for that sort of thing.

"We're going to the countryside," Elsa replied flatly.

"Don't you need some kind of license for that?" the owner asked, curious.

Elsa shook her head. "No, it's just for us to eat, not for sale."

The owner glanced at Elsa, seemingly surprised that such a delicate-looking young woman was capable of butchering a cow. "Well, you'll need more than one person to hold it down, won't you?"

"Sir, I'm here to buy things, not to chat," Elsa said, her patience wearing thin.

The owner realized he'd been too talkative. "Sorry, sorry about that."

He then gathered the items Elsa had requested: the shovel, the tent, the fishing rod.

"Ma'am, we don't have knives specifically for butchering, but we have these chef's knives for cutting meat and vegetables. Will this work for you?"

Elsa picked up the knife, testing its weight. "This will do."

"That'll be three thousand, six hundred and fifty in total. Let's just call it an even thirty-six hundred," the owner said.

"Right," Elsa added. "I also need a coil of rope. A sturdy one."

"A sturdy one?" the owner asked. "Are you planning on doing some rock climbing?"

Elsa hadn't thought of an excuse for the rope, but the owner had conveniently provided one.

She nodded. "Yes, rock climbing."

"Safety first. I'll get you the strongest rope we have, guaranteed."

Elsa had driven to the store in Xander's car. Just as she finished loading everything

into the trunk, a young man approached and knocked on the window. "Xander! Xander! I finally caught you! Why haven't you been to the office in days?"

Elsa lowered the window.

The young man stared. "Elsa..."

Elsa managed a faint smile. "Hi, Tom." She had met him before and vaguely remembered him.

Tom scratched his head. "Elsa, why are you driving Xander's car? Where is he?"

Elsa replied smoothly, "My husband is on a trip with my parents right now. He's not in town."

"Oh, that explains it." Tom nodded. "When are they coming back?"

Elsa's composure was impressive. Faced with his questions, she answered without batting an eye. "It'll probably be a while."

"Oh, by the way, Elsa," Tom continued, "I heard from Xander that he was thinking about starting a business. Is that true?"

"It is," Elsa said with a smile. "Actually, this trip is part of his research for it, so it's going to take some time."

She paused, then added, "Where are you headed, Tom? I can give you a lift."

"No thanks, Elsa. I just live around the corner," Tom said, shaking his head.

"Alright then. I'll get going."

Elsa slowly drove away.

"See you later."

"Bye."

Only when Tom's figure had completely disappeared in the rearview mirror did Elsa let out a breath she hadn't realized she was Holding Her forehead was shick with sweat, and her hands trembled on the steering wheel.

If anyone else had been in the car, they would have seen the horrifying truth: laid out on the back seat were three large, vacuum-sealed bags containing dismembered human remains.

The sight was beyond chilling.

To avoid any more unexpected encounters, Elsa floored the

accelerator, driving a hundred

kilometers out of the city until she reached a remote mountain in the

suburbs. Xander's car was an SUV

perfectly suited for the winding

mountain roads.

He probably never dreamed that the beloved vehicle he had so carefully chosen

would one day be used to transport the corpses of his entire family.