Village Head Tian sprinted back to his office like a gust of wind, frantically shaking the receiver of the old rotary phone. As soon as the operator connected the line, he burst out shouting.

"Excuse me... may I ask who is calling?" A young man's voice answered from the other end, his tone betraying undisguised surprise.

"I need to speak to your captain, Zhou Guangting!"

"No... I mean, who are you? Let me take down your details, and then..." Before the young man could finish, he was drowned out by Village Head Tian's explosive fury.

"Take down your mother's backside! Get Zhou Guangting on the phone for me right now! There's a major crisis in the village!" Village Head Tian snatched the receiver, his mouth practically glued to the mouthpiece, splattering it with spittle.

"Alright, please wait." The young man was utterly bewildered and had no choice but to fetch their militia captain to sort things out. Listening to the faint, rustling dial tone, Village Head Tian felt like an age was passing with every second.

A few minutes later, there was finally movement on the other end. A hearty, robust voice boomed, "Weh, who is this! This is Zhou Guangting."

"It's me, Tian Guangrong..." the Village Head replied curtly.

"Oh, Village Head, what's the matter, speak!"

"Speak what? You damn well better get a truckload of militiamen over here immediately. A huge mess has broken out! Hey, wait, don't hang up yet. Remember to bring two barrels of gasoline too. Can't find gas? Don't you know how to steal it! Drain the tanks of those two trucks for me; I'll cover the cost afterward. And, bring your guns if you can." Village Head Tian commanded.

"Damn, Old Tian, what the hell are you stirring up! Is this an exercise or an actual fight?" Zhou Guangting's eyes widened.

"Stop wasting my breath, hurry up! This is serious!"

"Fine, I'm on my way immediately!" Zhou Guangting seemed to detect something amiss, furrowing his brow. He quickly slammed down the receiver and rushed outside to rally the militia. In his memory, Village Head Tian had always been calm, collected, efficient, and orderly—rumored to be the top candidate for the next Town Chief. For him to be this frantic, something significant must have gone wrong. Could it be bandits? Unlikely in this peaceful era, wasn't it?

Several hours later, more than a dozen militiamen carrying rifles suddenly arrived in the village. Their faces were blue with cold, and they stomped their feet, hands tucked into their sleeves. The villagers were immediately alerted, pouring out of their homes to see what was happening. They saw Village Head Tian accompanied by Young Master Liu.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Village Head Tian directed the militiamen to unload several large plastic barrels from the trucks, setting them around the great willow tree. The villagers wondered what scheme the Village Head was plotting. Young Master Liu, standing nearby, was the first to speak, urging the villagers to fetch as much firewood as they could from their homes. Farmers had little else, but every household had firewood. At the Village Head's command, they immediately set to work. Adults and children worked together for half a day, gathering several small mountains of firewood and stacking it all around the tree.

Village Head Tian then ordered two militiamen carrying ancient muzzle-loaders to clear the original obstacles set around the tree, stacking the firewood in a massive circle at the base of the trunk. They then opened the barrels; they were full of gasoline. A great deal was poured over the woodpile. Once everything was ready, the militia captain told the villagers to stand fifty or sixty meters back from the tree, while the militiamen positioned themselves much closer, looking utterly besieged, their faces taut with vigilance. They unslung the ancient rifles from their backs and loudly worked the bolts.

With all preparations complete, before the villagers could comprehend the plan, Village Head Tian gave the order. A militiaman approached holding a torch and instantly ignited the gasoline-soaked woodpile. The fire caught in a flash, growing stronger and hotter.

The fire, fueled by the soaked woodpile, burned fiercely in the desolate quiet of the wilderness, crackling loudly. The temperature around the blaze rose steadily, making the faces of those nearby feel hot and flushed.

Watching the spectacle, the villagers had no idea what Village Head Tian was orchestrating. The children, however, thinking of nothing else, were utterly captivated by the grandeur of the flames, staring with wide-open eyes.

Young Master Liu now utilized his specialized talent, settling onto a smooth, gray stone and beginning to spin a tale for the crowd. Village Head Tian listened for a moment, not interrupting, only instructing the militia to quicken their pace while remaining vigilant to prevent the monster from lashing out in desperation. Soon, the news of A'Lan’s corpse reviving spread like wildfire through the gathering crowd, compounded by the rumor that she had eaten the entrails of every chicken and duck in the village. Coupled with Young Master Liu’s terrifying description of A'Lan chewing the organs, the villagers turned deathly pale. Some of the timid children dropped to the ground and began to cry. The few knowledgeable elders, seeing the militia holding the perimeter, assured themselves there would be no true calamity. They maintained stern, unperturbed expressions, pointing their canes at the great tree and declaring that the Village Head was right. This wasn't resurrection; it was a corpse-transformation—a Shibian—and if they hadn't acted immediately, no one in the village of a hundred souls would have escaped once it fully manifested. Party Secretary Li Yang slowly realized that A'Lan was in the fire. As the saying goes, a husband and wife share a hundred days of favor; after all, they had been intimate. He rushed forward, intending to order the militia to put out the fire, but a cold, sharp glare from Village Head Tian sent him retreating, silent and chastened.

In moments, the great willow tree was entirely consumed by the blaze. Village Head Tian then spoke again, ordering everyone except the able-bodied young men to return to the village. Thus, the elderly, women, and children gradually retreated. Although a few particularly stubborn children protested, a couple of sharp slaps from their fathers sent them pouting back home.

The area around the fire soon thinned out, leaving only the strong young villagers, Village Head Tian, and his contingent of militiamen. At this point, the Village Head gestured, and the militiamen brought more items from the flat cart—things the villagers had never seen before. They were nets woven from thin steel cables, dotted with small iron hooks featuring five prongs at each knot. Everyone pitched in to spread these strange-looking contraptions in a circle around the inferno, securing them firmly to the ground with stakes. When done, Village Head Tian had everyone stand in a circle around the steel netting. The villagers, unaware of the purpose, simply complied with his instructions.

The flames grew larger, and the men standing nearby felt wave after wave of intense heat, stinging their faces. Many couldn't bear it and began to back away.

Suddenly, movement stirred within the tree engulfed by fire. A pillar of flame twisted rapidly between the burning branches and leaped down from the treetop, landing amidst the flaming, sputtering woodpile below.

Seeing this, the surrounding villagers and the handful of militiamen in their early twenties cried out, pointing and muttering amongst themselves. Some of the more timid screamed outright!

The object that had fallen into the fiery pit continued to writhe within the blaze. A brave few stared intently. Heavens! It was a howling, humanoid shape, completely engulfed in fire. It twisted its body in agony within the flames, desperately trying to burst out. But the fire was too vast, intensified by the gasoline doused over it. The figure thrashed for a long time, churning the fire pit, sending flaming pieces of wood scattering everywhere. This forced those nearby to retreat hastily to dodge the sparks. Yet, it still could not escape.

Finally, A'Lan was burned beyond endurance. She summoned all the strength she had left and leaped out of the pyre, landing squarely on the metal netting laid out below. But she was already ablaze; whether human or specter, the intense pain caused her to writhe violently on the metal grid. The iron hooks immediately caught onto her body. With every twist, they snagged deeper, embedding themselves into her once alluring flesh.

The more she struggled, the tighter the hooks gripped, and the more they caught. Eventually, A'Lan was exhausted, her struggles slowing until she finally lay still. Yet, the fire had not extinguished. The stench of scorched flesh filled the air, making those nearby gag. But no one moved. Immense curiosity rooted them to the spot as if their feet were nailed to the ground.

The fire gradually subsided, and the flames on A'Lan’s body finally died out. Strangely, her remains had not turned to ash from the searing heat and intense fire. Instead, thick layers of charred coke had formed on the surface of her skin, pitch-black, resembling a burnt sweet potato.

Seeing the black smoke rising higher and higher, Village Head Tian concluded that they couldn't let it burn any longer lest some accident occurred. As it seemed finished anyway, he relaxed. With a wave of his hand, he called for several strong men to retrieve a coffin from the undertaker’s shop and take the body away for burial. At this moment, that rascal Li Yang jumped out, insisting he needed one last look at A'Lan, to close the coffin lid for old times' sake. Village Head Tian, being keenly observant and possessing sharp eyes, knew exactly what that wretch Li Yang had done to A'Lan. But the fact that he could say such a thing now proved he wasn't entirely heartless. The Village Head nodded in agreement.

So, Li Yang stepped forward, preparing to place the lid on the box. But the moment his hand touched the coffin, A'Lan's charred corpse suddenly sat up and clamped its jaw around his arm. Though a woman's bite wasn't as powerful as a tiger's or wolf's, the pain made Li Yang shriek horribly. Sensing trouble, Village Head Tian immediately ordered Zhou Guangting and a few men to go and restrain her. After all, there was strength in numbers. Seven or eight strong men conferred and managed to yank Li Yang free from A'Lan’s grasp. Looking at the arm, the damage wasn't extensive—just a deep bite mark and a little blood. After taking a bite, A'Lan stopped moving and fell back down. The villagers declared it Zhashi—a reanimated corpse—and even the burly Northeast man Zhou Guangting concurred. Fearing complications, Village Head Tian instructed Li Yang to go to the village clinic to bandage the wound and disinfect it. He then ordered the militiamen to close the coffin lid, not forgetting to hammer four large iron nails into the top, front, back, left, and right sides, just in case the thing tried to bite again. With the nails secured, the militiamen were completely at ease. They lifted A'Lan’s corpse and staggered off toward the mass graves near the dam.