Night fell once again.
The female reporter was forced to send a flattering report praising the beauty of the village to her employer during the day, but that was of little concern to her. What troubled her most was why her assignment still wasn't considered complete.
Even the village chief himself had hinted that the "Green-Faced Fangs" affair really did involve the villagers because they summoned a real monster with the gloom in their hearts.
What was still not right?
At night, after dinner, the village chief went to send the little girl back to the ancestral hall. In the living room illuminated by dim candlelight, only the female reporter and the artist remained.
Looking at the girl who was in a daze, who had been out of it from the beginning to the end, the reporter frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
The girl hugged her head with both hands and sighed, "I can't capture the true face of that monster."
"Green-Faced Fangs?"
The girl listlessly nodded her head.
Hearing this, the reporter's eyes shifted, and she leaned in with her chin propped on her hands, "Hey, since all those paintings are yours, you must know a lot about the legend of 'Green-Faced Fangs,' right?"
The girl glanced at her, "What else do you want to know?"
"Tell me about this legend, what exactly is it all about?" the reporter asked.
"Well, it is said that thousands of years ago, the village was facing natural and man-made disasters, on the brink of annihilation. Then people began praying to gods and buddha, and 'Green-Faced Fangs' appeared," the girl recalled the beginning of the murals and said, "As long as a boy and a girl were sacrificed to it every year, the village would enjoy peace and good weather."
Most ancient myths originated this way, due to people's needs, resulting in various images of deities embodying their hopes.
But as times changed, "gods" that consumed boys and girls began to be demonized, denounced, and sealed away. Later, rumors circulated that these demons often broke the seals to wreak havoc and destroy the peace.
Subsequently, "Green-Faced Fangs" was thoroughly perceived as a monster.
These were all painted on the walls, which the artist had previously studied carefully in order to reconstruct the true face of "Green-Faced Fangs." It didn't matter to speak of them now.
The reporter pondered with a frown, murmuring thoughtfully, "Maybe, I've got the definition of 'Green-Faced Fangs' wrong?"
The candlelight in the living room flickered, casting their faces in a dim light with dancing shadows, bright and dark intermittently.
Suddenly, the reporter narrowed her eyes, "Why has the village chief been gone so long?"
The girl beside her was startled and seemed to remember something. Her expression was odd and somewhat apprehensive, "He might be going to see that pitch-black monster again tonight."
Instantly, the three men who had been casually talking dropped their cigarettes, crushed them out, and crowded at the wall, peeking toward the village center's square.
A frail figure walked tentatively along the village road, the moonlight enshrouding her form as she looked around, seemingly searching for something, looking utterly lost.
She didn't look like she would cause trouble no matter how one looked at her.
As they pondered, a piercing, brief scream suddenly rang out from the village, painting the atmosphere with an ultimate blend of terror and panic!
The four people who heard the scream shuddered involuntarily, a chill running down their spines.
Has something happened?!
Their hearts skipped, and they quickly ran toward the source of the sound.
...
...
As the night deepened, the little girl who had been coaxed to bed in the right room of the ancestral hall obediently climbed into bed to sleep.
But though she had fallen asleep, it seemed as if she hadn't.
In an era without smartphones for entertainment, Xu Shuo had pulled out a game of checkers and sat beside the long wooden table, idly playing against himself.
The candle's flame, dwindled to a mere stub, illuminated the tiny room, casting his shadow on the wall, which flickered slightly beneath the dim, dancing candlelight.
The room was quiet and still, the sound of the checker pieces hitting the board barely audible, as if it were empty.
Suddenly, the candle began to flicker violently.
Xu Shuo, who was playing with the marbles, paused and looked sideways at the candle.
The shadows cast on the wall began to writhe chaotically, as countless dark tendrils flailed wildly from the bed, like a shadow play filled with bizarre and eerie images—a giant mouth full of sharp fangs seemed to snap open at his shadow on the wall, ready to bite down ferociously at any moment!
The creature crouched on all fours, arching its body like a beast coiled and ready to pounce, its green skin slowly being overtaken by black, before morphing into an indescribable monster, leaving only its crimson eyes clear and distinct.
Without emitting a single roar, strange gurgling noises came from what looked like tumorous organs on its body.
With a whoosh—
Suddenly, it sprung forward with a leap!
The petite dark form knocked over the table with the checkers, and in the blink of an eye, it had Xu Shuo pinned to the ground, its stomach-mouth exuding a foul stench.