The village chief led Wang Jue and me into the main hall, carefully closing the door behind us and gesturing for us to sit. It was clear his home was far more prosperous than Scarface’s; the walls were washed in pale yellow paint, the floor was covered in light brown marble, the ceiling held a crystal chandelier light fixture, and three large air conditioning units stood in the corners. All the tables and chairs were solid wood.

As we sat properly in the main room, the village chief poured us each a cup of tea and then began to speak.

"I spoke with Wu Zhuang on the phone. You aren't from Wu Zhuang; you came to Wu Zhuang from elsewhere and then arrived here." He paused, then continued, "Where are you from, and why are you looking for Hua Jinlan?"

Hearing his direct question, there was no need for me to hide anything further. I told him the entire story about my sister, explaining that our true purpose in coming here was to save someone and expressing our hope that he could help us locate Hua Jinlan.

After hearing our story, he didn't show any signs of suspicion or disbelief; he remained quite composed. He said, "We were already planning to look for Hua Jinlan, so you don't need to worry about that. However, what happened last night is somewhat connected to you, and I need you both to accompany us into the mountains tonight."

The question suddenly made me think of Li Xiaohao—was he just like Scarface? From the way he handled it, the village chief didn't seem eager to discuss last night’s events, but I still needed to ask, "That’s settled, but what exactly happened last night?"

The village chief lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and leaned back in his chair, blowing smoke as he thought deeply. It was a long moment before he spoke again. "You will see tonight when we go, but this story has to start with something that happened many years ago. Once, a family was holding a funeral, and several people staying up to keep vigil decided to play a game of Mahjong. Midway through, one man went to the latrine and saw a black cat dart past the funeral parlor. Fearing the cat would try to steal the offerings, the man chased after it, intending to scare it away. But the black cat was agile and led him around several wide circles, refusing to leave the vicinity of the altar. Enraged, he grabbed an apple and threw it at the cat. The cat jumped aside to dodge it, then walked over to the apple and sniffed it. The man, quick as lightning, seized the opportunity and snatched the cat. Little did he know, the cat had a fierce temper, and this grasp provoked it. It turned and clawed his hand. Stung by the pain, he let go. The cat took the chance to leap out, landing squarely on the coffin, then jumping from the coffin to the ground, and vanishing in a moment.

"Afterward, he returned to the Mahjong table. Before anyone could shuffle the tiles, movement erupted again inside the mourning hall. They heard the coffin lid thudding heavily onto the floor. Turning to look, they saw the person inside slowly rising from the coffin, gripping a sickle. Step by deliberate step, it emerged, and it began hacking at whatever it saw, sweeping through the entire parlor with the sickle, before turning towards the men playing Mahjong. Everyone was terrified and preparing to scatter, but the door slammed shut with a bang. They watched as the zombie’s walking pace quickened, and the rising and falling of the sickle grew faster. Slash! The Mahjong table was cut in two. Slash! The four chairs were reduced to splinters. After finishing with the furniture, the zombie lifted its head, spotted the four people huddled in the corner, and advanced towards them. Slash! The first man's head rolled out of the corner. Slash! The second man was severed cleanly at the waist. Slash! The third man, crouched on the ground, had all four limbs severed simultaneously. As the final blow was about to strike, the fourth man had already lost consciousness..."