A faint beam from the flashlight cut through the darkness of the woods. The area was overgrown with weeds, and there were no nearby fields or homes—people rarely ventured here. The group moved their flashlights around, scanning their surroundings.
"Where is it?"
"I don't see anything."
Liu Fugui, trembling, shrank behind Tiger and pointed to a large tree to their right. "Over there, behind that tree!"
Lu Fei walked over with his flashlight. The ground was littered with fallen leaves and weeds; there was no sign of any four-legged creature with a baby's face.
"Old Liu, you must have seen it wrong," Lu Fei said, a little exasperated. "With no lights in the woods, shadows from the branches can look pretty strange."
"No way, I saw it clearly. It had a face, and it opened its mouth at me. I didn't even notice the face at first, but when I looked again, it scared me half to death."
Liu Fugui's eyes were wide as he stepped out from behind Tiger and looked around nervously.
"Probably just got spooked and ran off when it saw us," Tiger said with a scoff, rolling his eyes in disbelief.
The rest of the group agreed. This wasn't some desolate wilderness; the idea of a bizarre creature lurking around seemed far-fetched.
"I'm not making it up! I really saw it!" Liu Fugui protested, frustration in his voice. He snatched the flashlight from Tiger and shone it all around, finally stopping to pick something up from the ground.
"Look, there's some fur here!"
"And? You don't have fur on you?" Tiger retorted sarcastically.
"This is from that creature! Take a look!" Liu Fugui held the tuft of fur under the flashlight's glow.
Curiosity piqued, the others moved in to examine it more closely. The fur was grayish-white, stained with dark red grime, and looked dirty yet soft and flexible.
"That's sheep's wool," Tiger declared confidently. "My family raised sheep; I used to pluck this stuff as a kid. It looks just like this."
"Sheep's wool?" Liu Fugui muttered, bewildered.
"There might be a stray sheep or two around here; there's a village at the base of the mountain. A sheep's head can look pointed, and in the dark, it might resemble a human face," Tiger explained.
"Maybe..." Liu Fugui scratched his head.
"Alright, enough already. We're heading out; Hua-jie is waiting for us," Chen Jinfa urged impatiently.
The group shared a laugh at Liu Fugui's expense and left the woods behind. The car started moving.
Lu Fei glanced back at the woods and felt a chill run down his spine. For a split second, he thought he saw a pale, childlike face peering out from the dark leaves.
"Wait a second!"
His voice halted the car abruptly.
"What's wrong, Master Lu?" Everyone turned to look at him.
Lu Fei rolled down the window, peering into the darkness, but saw nothing. The pale face had disappeared in the blink of an eye, and he couldn't tell if it was a sheep's head or a child's face.
"Little Lu, did you see it too?" Liu Fugui asked excitedly, his voice shaking with both fear and vindication. "I told you I wasn't mistaken! What did you see?"
"It was too fast; I couldn't make it out."
"These woods are connected to the mountains, so it's not unusual for animals to wander around. Forget about it; Hua-jie is probably getting impatient," Chen Jinfa said nonchalantly, signaling Ah Long to continue driving.
As the car rolled down the mountain, heading back into the city, Lu Fei kept glancing over his shoulder. The face did not reappear.
If what Liu Fugui described was accurate—a creature with four legs, a baby's face, and fur-covered body—it matched descriptions of mythological beasts with human heads and animal bodies.
But did such creatures even exist? And if they did, why would one be here?
Lu Fei shook his head, brushing off his concerns. He was tired, and finding such a thing in pitch darkness was impractical. Besides, even if a monster did exist, what did it have to do with him?
As they entered the bustling city streets, Lu Fei spoke up. "Brother Fa, just take us back home."
"What? Go home now? We didn't even have a good meal or any fun!" Chen Jinfa looked shocked.
"Brother Fa, I appreciate the gesture, but these outings aren't really my thing. I'd be more comfortable heading back and getting some rest."
Lu Fei's firm tone left no room for argument. Chen Jinfa glanced at Tiger and Liu Fugui.
"What about you two?"
"I'm with my boss. I'm a respectable man," Tiger said, maintaining a straight face.
Liu Fugui sighed. "Forget it. Every time I plan a night out, something creepy happens. Maybe I should swear off this kind of thing for good."
Chen Jinfa could only shake his head, feeling disappointed. "Next time, Master Lu. I'll plan something better."
The ride back to the antique shop was filled with light banter. Even Liu Fugui seemed to have forgotten the strange incident, absorbed in checking his phone.
Once back at the shop, they shared a round of instant noodles. The luxury dishes from earlier had left them unsatisfied, and they hadn't eaten enough.
"Nothing beats a bowl of instant noodles!" Tiger said, patting his stomach.
After dinner, Lu Fei went to work on the books while the others tidied up. He then picked up the small coffin he had collected from the worksite, wiping off the dust.
"Old Liu, spread the word that we have this little coffin up for sale. There's a niche market for items like this, and we can set a sky-high price."
Liu Fugui's eyes sparkled. "How high are we talking?"
"As high as possible. The highest bidder wins," Lu Fei said with a grin, patting the small coffin.
"Got it!"
Liu Fugui eagerly sent out the message, already envisioning the profits.
"Boss, who'd want to buy a coffin like that?" Tiger asked, puzzled.
"Why don't you take a guess?"
"No clue." Tiger shrugged.
"Let's see how quickly Old Liu finds someone," Lu Fei said with a chuckle, stretching.
"Alright, it's late. Let's get some rest; I've got somewhere to be tomorrow."
The group split up to get ready for bed. Lu Fei, still restless, decided to read for a while.
Sitting at his desk, he noticed a missing person flyer.
"Where did this come from?"
He stared at it for a moment before remembering the couple who had handed it to him when he was buying books. The image of their desperate faces came to mind.
"Hope they found their kid..."
As he glanced at the child's photo on the flyer, a chill ran down his spine.
"Wait, could it be? This kid looks just like the face I saw in the woods..."