The next day, Zhao Han sent over a string of numbers.

Zhao Han: The day before Uncle Fang had his accident, he had called this number and went to the riverside. Maybe he had arranged a meeting.

Zhao Han: Also, in this village, there have been several missing persons reports. The reporters were all minors, but soon their parents said it was just children's pranks.

Me: Thanks, when exactly did these cases happen?

Zhao Han: August 25, 2005, August 23, 2015, August 30...

Zhao Han: These dates don't really appear to be related.

I tapped these dates on my phone's calendar and found that all the reporting times were a few days after the Ghost Festival.

The day Hu Jun ran out was also the Ghost Festival. His parents mentioned a ritual, which forced me to make a terrifying conjecture—

The missing persons were sacrificial offerings.

But... since the ritual is a major event in the village, everyone should be aware of such traditions. Why would someone report it?

Even Mu Ping's case, which happened on August 14, 2000, was right on the Ghost Festival. Could it also be related to the ritual?

Stuck in thought, I set this matter aside for now and dialed that number.

This time, the call was answered, but it was a young girl's voice saying her mother was not home.

I asked her name, but before she could answer, I heard several men's voices on the other end.

Then came the sounds of men's heavy breathing and the girl's low sobs.

"Why are you crying? It's not your first time."

"Li Wen, that bitch. If she weren't the former village head's granddaughter, who knows how many times she'd have been had. Still dreaming about going to college!"

"Should've broken her legs back then."

"Shh, stop talking nonsense. We can't afford to mess with her. Beware of being possessed."

As I listened to the voices on the other end, a shallow figure seemed to appear before my eyes.

I gripped my phone tightly and rushed out the door, but an endless field blocked my view.

Where to go to save her?

I wandered around the village again, this time imprinting every detail into my mind.

The more I walked, the more I realized a chilling fact—there were almost no women in this village.

Along the paths, by the river, beside the woods, in front of houses... I never saw a single woman.

The only people I had seen were Li Wen and Hu Ke, but they were labeled lunatics by the villagers.

And those men's conversations...

Because Li Wen wanted to go to college, they broke her legs...

Oh my god, what kind of village is this?

The villagers' kind smiles now morphed into demonic faces in my eyes.

They approached me, but I sensed malice in their intentions.

"Mr. Fang." Four men blocked my path, "You'd better leave today."

It didn't sound like advice but a warning.

"Why?"

"There's an event in the village tomorrow night that outsiders are not allowed to attend."

The leading man squinted and smiled, but I only felt a chill.

Under their watchful eyes, I had no choice but to nod.

They left satisfied.

But the heavens didn't want me to leave; the sky changed abruptly, and rain poured down.

Fierce winds toppled trees, blocking the only road out of the village.

I stopped my car to check, but it was evidently manmade.

They threatened me to leave while simultaneously preventing me from doing so.

This contradictory behavior made it difficult to understand their intentions.