At the entrance of the village, in front of the propaganda wall.
The girl stood again at the end of the white wall, staring blankly at a blank space on the wall.
She had seen the legendary "Green-Faced Fangs" the previous night, but she really couldn't draw.
She remembered the monster was pitch-black, as if it had many limbs and mouths, with the largest mouth on its belly and a pair of red eyes, but she couldn't remember at all how those things were put together.
Whenever she tried to recall it, her head would swell with pain and nausea.
She took out her phone to look, but the blackness inside had mushed into a blob, even blurrier than the image in her mind.
The girl rubbed her head, which ached with pain.
This morning was not peaceful; the fields were bustling with noise. The cacophony from all directions made it even harder for her to concentrate on painting, her brain felt like it was about to explode, her thoughts a tangled mess!
Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind and patted her shoulder, startling the girl back to her senses.
The cool breeze of the morning made her mind feel a bit clearer.
Turning around, she saw the village chief holding a little girl, a rough and burly man and a soft, cute little girl—an odd pairing.
"Village, village chief?" The girl exhaled, greeting him somewhat awkwardly.
"You just now..." Xu Shuo pointed to her face and said, calmly uttering something quite terrifying, "grew a mouth on your face, your hair turned into tentacles, and your body was emitting a black qi. Were you thinking of some strange things?"
"???" The girl's face was one of shock.
Frightened, she hurriedly touched her face and hair, only to find that nothing was amiss; her face was still smooth, her hair still sleek.
Xu Shuo then laughed, "Just kidding."
Girl: "..."
This was not funny at all!
The detective's death the previous night was vivid in her memory, spewing from his mouth the flesh and blood chewed by the monster. Just thinking about it made her feel sick. She had a psychological shadow over these strange and bizarre things!
Moreover, the village chief had saved her last night, and in return, she had betrayed a lot of information about the village to the female reporter. Now she felt a bit guilty.
The girl gripped her paintbrush tightly and asked with unease, "Did you want to see me for something, Village Chief?"
"This thing, you still don't know how to paint it?" Xu Shuo gestured towards the white wall behind him.
"..." the girl.
Everyone here had been reasonable, except for you.
At this moment, two police cars drove up the main road leading to the village entrance. Even though the villagers were very reluctant to call the police, they did it anyway.
Xu Shuo's expression faded, and he spoke lightly, "Forget it, continue pondering on your own. But I suggest you not think too deeply, lest you follow in the detective's footsteps, because I wasn't joking with my earlier remark."
After saying that, he picked up the little girl and turned to leave.
The girl looked at the approaching police, then at the man's retreating figure. Slightly bewildered, she reflected.
The remark from before?
Following in the detective's footsteps?
Wait, the girl had a sudden realization and quickly touched her own cheek and then her hair, her heart pounding furiously.
She hadn't truly mutated just now, had she?
No wonder her head felt slightly swollen and painful; perhaps she had indeed been contaminated by that monster last night?
The more the girl thought, the more terrified she became, her face pale.
At that moment, the police cars came closer and stopped beside her.
The officer in the passenger seat, seeing a girl standing there looking distressed, couldn't help but show concern, "Hello, are you alright?" he asked.
The girl snapped back to reality, lowered her gaze, and shook her head, "No, I'm okay."
"This is Qingliu Village, right? You don't look like you're from the village," the officer continued to inquire.
"Um... I'm an artist invited by the village chief," the girl said with her head low, her slender figure in a floral dress looking slightly fragile and introverted.
"Oh!"
The officer had an epiphany and glanced at the dozens of meters long painting wall, then at the paintbrush in the girl's hand, saying appreciatively, "So you painted all these? Then you must be quite familiar with the happenings in this village. We received a report that someone had an incident last night?"
"Yes," the girl replied reservedly, pointing to the fields not far away.
The villagers also noticed the police cars by now and were quickly approaching, their expressions as if they were afraid she might say something.