A MACHINE FOR PIGS: Government investigator

London, 1949

"Mr. Mandus, I am glad to be in your famous factory... " A man in his thirties spoke, his hair was brown, he was wearing a black coat to protect him from the cold, with a tall hat on his head.

Mandus smiled upon hearing the words of the man standing in front of him. "Mr Owen, you'll catch a cold if we just stand outside, how about if I take you for a tour of the factory?"

Mandus was wearing a brown jacket, his hair had turned white and wrinkles appeared on his face, and he looked like a person in his seventies.

Mandus started walking in front, with Owen behind

"I deeply apologize for wasting your precious time, but I should have paid this visit…." Owen's tone was apologetic

"There is no need to apologise, I know you are doing your duty, and it is my role as an honorable citizen to help the authorities…"

"I heard you funded the Allied forces during second World War, and even contributing to the British Army in the First World War. You deserve to be called an honorable British citizen. We don't find many men who are willing to do so much for their country..."

"Haha, you are over-praising me…." Mandus laughed

"I am not exaggerating, Mr. Mandus. The miracle of your company's rise is like a legend. I heard from my father that your company was on the verge of bankruptcy, but you were able to save it, and not only that, you were able to make it one of the most important companies trading in meat, agricultural crops, and even medicines." ..."

Mandus' lips lifted as he smiled softly. "It's all thanks to my dear friend..."

"You mean the engineer?" Owen's tone became excited. "I heard you praise him a lot at the parties and meetings you attend, and many are wondering who is this person who helped you save the company..."

"Yes, I am talking about him. He is present at the factory today. He is a little eccentric, but he will certainly impress you...". There was a strange smile on Mandus' face as he glanced at Owen

"I have to admit I'm excited to meet him, I think this would be an interesting topic to talk about at parties...". Owen did not hide his excitement

"Hahaha, young men are always so impulsive…"

Owen didn't seem bothered by Mandus' words. "You too were young once, sir..."

"Yes, I was a naive young man, but I learned the truth of this world...". Mandus' eyes became deep and the smile disappeared from his face

But Owen, who was walking behind, didn't notice the change in Mandus' expression and continued. "I thought it appropriate to tell you about the matter I was sent to investigate…"

Mandus did not speak, and continued to move forward with his hands behind his back

The two of them were walking quietly through the quiet corridors of the factory. In contrast to the cold outside and the snowy weather, the factory was strangely warm. This made Owen even more admire the person who designed this place.

"The government heard about the huge investments you were making in Paris...". Owen spoke, looking at the pipes in the ceiling and on the walls. "And the French authorities say that you have built a huge pipeline network under Paris for an unknown purpose...". Owen stopped talking while waiting for an answer from Mandus

"Paris is a city in distress...". Mandus still kept his cool, not caring about the questioning. "So I decided to help them by pumping investments there and building factories there...".

Mandus gave Owen a playful look and said sarcastically. "You can tell your bosses that I will not close my factories in London or lay off workers..."

Owen's face reddened when he heard Mandus' last sentence. His superiors were worried that Mandus would shut down his factories in Britain. This will make Britain lose a lot. Mandus is one of the most important investors supporting the government, so the government did not want to lose such a person, especially in A sensitive time like this, Britain experienced two world wars, and although Britain won, Europe emerged from these wars on its knees. It will take decades to treat the effects of these wars.

"And what about the pipes..."

Knock! Knock!

Mandus knocked on the pipes on the walls as he walked. "These pipes are used to get rid of grease and waste from the meat industry and processing. I intend to make a complete network of pipes so that my factories can work there efficiently..."

"I understand that you are trying to build infrastructure for your industry, but I heard that these pipes extend for tens of kilometers. Do you really need all these pipes for your factories?"

Mandus did not reply

"Mr. Mandus, I do not question your intentions. I heard that you have built dozens of homeless shelters and orphanages all over France and Britain, but all my superiors want is to know what your goal is in building all these pipes and what you are trying to do." Owen's tone becomes sharper when he notices that Mandus is trying to hide something

Mandus stopped walking, and stood in front of an ordinary metal door

Mandus opened the door slightly, Owen could see that the lights were off because the room was completely dark

"The engineer is in this room, you can come in, I'll be right behind you...". Mandus turned to Owen and asked him to enter the room

"Does he stay in a dark room like this?… Well, I guess all geniuses have weird hobbies…." Owen whispered, suppressing his laughter at the engineer's behaviour

Owen adjusted his clothes and entered the room. "The Engineer, I..."

Baam

But before Owen could finish his words, the door slammed shut and was locked from the outside

The room became completely dark, and Owen could not even see his hands in this place.

"Mandus... Mandus, where the devil are you...". Owen approached the door and tried to open it, but to no avail

"Grrrr"

Owen heard something like a roar behind him

Owen froze, he knew there was something standing right behind him, but he didn't have the nerve to turn and look.

" Mandus, please..." Owen whispered in a desperate voice

Baam

Mandus heard a loud bang inside the room, then something heavy fell to the floor

"Don't you think killing him will attract the attention of the authorities?…." Mandus spoke while still staring at the door

"Sure, killing this detective will cause us trouble…." A voice spoke from the void, this voice was similar to that of Mandos. "But we can't let him roam the factory freely because he might discover the monsters working here..."

"you are right...". Mandus shook his head, and started moving until he reached the end of the corridor

Mandus was standing high up and looking at the workers working below him

But these workers were not human beings, they were pigmen

They have the heads of pigs and bodies similar to humans, but larger, and some of them reach two meters

"The Engineer, what procedure should we follow now…"

"I think we have to speed up the construction, we have to finish laying the pipes under Paris before someone stops us...".

"The end is near..." Mandus whispered as he looked at his precious monsters