The beam from the headlamp above had dimmed slightly. I cautiously turned my head to survey the surroundings, the room feeling increasingly perilous.

A wave of sheer panic washed over me. If Officer Liu’s face continued to swell, wouldn't he soon resemble the Faceless Thing on Director Wang's back? If his two accomplices suffered the same fate, I’d be completely finished…

Trembling, I stood up and shuffled over to the half-dead Officer Liu. The sight of his swollen face intensified my terror: people in government offices usually had delicate, fair complexions, yet his skin had suddenly become coarse and terribly dark. I could almost feel the pores on his face expanding ceaselessly… At this rate, he would truly become the next Director Wang, or the Faceless One. If that happened, we were all doomed.

Just then, I caught the whiff of that putrid, oily smell I’d noticed upon entering. I started violently. Officer Liu’s eyes snapped open, his entire pupils—black orbs utterly devoid of whites. The situation mirrored Director Wang’s that night exactly. Horrified, I recoiled, leaping away lest Officer Liu attack me.

Unexpectedly, Officer Liu showed no interest in me whatsoever. He rose stiffly in a peculiar manner, yet remained rooted in place, as if awaiting some unseen command.

I was seized by a mixture of shock and dread, unsure what he intended. I wanted to find rope to secure him again, but my feet felt glued to the floor. The smell of rancid grease intensified in my nostrils, churning my stomach with nausea. Looking back at Officer Liu, the stronger the odor grew, the more animated he became, as if injected with adrenaline. He swayed incessantly, slowly shifting his weight toward the window.

Not good. This must be Director Wang using the smell to summon Officer Liu!

With no time for deeper thought, I lunged forward, tackling Officer Liu and pinning my elbow hard against his neck. For an ordinary person, this hold would have been immobilizing, but Officer Liu’s strength suddenly surged. He thrashed relentlessly, trying to flip me over. Keeping one hand locked on his throat, I strained with the other to tighten the rope already binding him. It wasn't enough; he needed at least two more ropes to be truly secured.

“Get the rope here!” Casting aside my previous petty argument with Xiaozhou and the others, I shouted for them to help immediately. Only then did the three of them snap to awareness. They scrambled, tossing the coil of rope near my feet before quickly covering their noses and backing away in disgust.

In that frantic state, I lacked the energy or focus to scold them. The ropes lay in a tangled mess at my feet. Silently, I pulled one free and, after exerting Herculean effort, finally managed to bind Officer Liu securely.

With Officer Liu restrained, I straightened up, longing for a cigarette to cut through the overpowering stench. Yet, patting down all my pockets yielded nothing but lint. Instead, my hand brushed against the gun at my hip—one I had almost entirely forgotten.

A pistol. I instantly calmed. With the gun, I had nothing to fear. If escape proved impossible, I could always grant myself a bullet and forgo further torture.

The commotion with Officer Liu had left me utterly drained. Finding the gun gave me courage. Disregarding everything else, I sank down next to Officer Liu, gulping air in deep, ragged breaths…

As I gasped for breath, a strange sensation pricked my awareness—something warm pressed against my waist, slowly wriggling, nudging me forward. I started violently, twisting my head around to look. It was Officer Liu: trussed up like a zongzi, his body undulating like a worm, his eyes fixed rigidly on the window. Following his gaze, I saw Director Wang, still bearing the Faceless One, staring back just as intently.

I sprang up instantly, watching Officer Liu in terror. I jumped back, but he didn't react; he continued his agonizing effort to curve and stretch his bound form…

The situation was clear: as long as Director Wang was outside, no matter how tightly we bound him, Officer Liu would find a way to establish contact with him. And Director Wang was controlled by the Faceless One. To solve the problem, we had to destroy the entity riding on his back.

Destroying the Faceless One? Easier said than done… But there was no alternative. I swiftly steadied my mind and scanned the room for anything usable. After looking around, I noted that besides the three others still panting heavily and the pile of knotted rope at my feet, the room offered nothing else. I couldn't rely on those people; the only asset left was the rope.

Long ago, I had seen a Tibetan hunter fashion a type of snare net. If any strand of the net tripped the prey, the other ropes would immediately tighten and secure the capture. In moments of boredom, I had actually learned how to tie that very knot… “Perhaps I can risk a try.” I quickly made up my mind.

I picked up the heavy-duty rope from their discarded pack and moved to a corner, beginning to tie the snare knot, albeit clumsily. Once the loop was formed, I rummaged around and found a painted iron rod in the corner—perfect for serving as a handle.

With the snare ready, I gripped the handle tightly and walked over, using my foot to nudge Officer Liu closer to the window. I glanced up at Director Wang; he still stood there, the Faceless One mounted, fixedly staring at Officer Liu. Seeing Officer Liu closer, he seemed poised to make a move.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

Steady, steady!

I suddenly lunged forward, yanked the window latch, shoved the sash outward, and immediately leaped aside, holding the snare handle firmly, waiting for Director Wang to thrust his head inside.

The sudden opening caught Director Wang completely off guard, slamming squarely into him. However, he paused only for a fraction of a second before darting back, scrambling rapidly across the window frame, utterly ignoring Officer Liu inside. I had expected him to push his head in so I could slip the loop over his skull. But with the speed he moved—darting back and forth across the frame—I had no chance to ensnare him.

I held perfectly still, tracking Director Wang’s erratic movements, waiting for the split second he flashed across the center of the window. Only there could I have a clean shot. According to his climbing frequency, he crossed the center numerous times. Several times I snapped the snare forward, but he easily evaded it, resuming his frantic traversal afterward. I whipped the snare toward the window like a madman, relying purely on luck… Suddenly, I felt a weight and a tightening in my hand—the loop had caught! Focusing, I saw it was fastened around Director Wang’s head. He thrashed violently, his hand, which had been protecting the Faceless One, dropping away. He clawed at the air, and more bloody saliva hissed from the corners of his mouth… I was chilled to the bone, yet dared not release the tension. I yelled for help.

Perhaps the arrival of Xiaozhou and the others only fueled Director Wang’s rage. He lunged inward, his hand narrowly missing my face. Terrified, I instinctively drew my pistol and fired wildly at him—“Bang! Bang! Bang!”—my hand shaking, I had no idea where the shots landed. Following the deafening gunfire, Director Wang slammed through the window with a loud thud and fell into the room.

He landed right by my feet. My legs trembled too violently to let me jump back. “It’s over, he’s definitely going to bite me…” I aimed the gun shakily at Director Wang. If he showed any hostile move toward me, regardless of who he was, I would fire without hesitation.

But after a long moment, Director Wang showed absolutely no sign of movement. Mustering my courage, I lowered my gaze: The Faceless One lay on his back, half his neck blown away. His head lolled brokenly to one side. From the severed neck sprouted two or three appendage-like limbs, like those of an arthropod. There was no blood; only a slow ooze of oily substance trickling from the wound, releasing an intensely foul, rancid smell. And beneath this horror lay Director Wang.

My head buzzed, my scalp prickled, and the hair on my body stood on end. It wasn't the sight of half a neck missing that scared me, but the things emerging from the Faceless One's wound—things far more terrifying. I had never seen such growths erupt from a human corpse! Furthermore, although the Faceless One’s clothing was ragged, I could vaguely make out the remnants of an old-style military uniform, meaning this person had been a soldier in life.

The thought of a soldier sent a jolt through me, and some fragmented clues surfaced in my mind. However, I couldn't be certain yet. I glanced at the other three; they were still recovering from their own shock, oblivious to what I’d seen. I crouched down carefully, forcing back the overwhelming nausea and fear, and began to search the Faceless One’s clothes.

The outer garments were so decayed that they crumbled into dust at my touch. He wore an inner layer, and just as I pulled away the fragments of the jacket, preparing to check beneath, I saw a book strapped to his waist—a simple, hand-copied Tibetan Buddhist scripture. Forcing down my surging excitement, and seeing they were still distracted, I carefully detached the scripture and, ignoring everything else, quickly tucked it inside my own clothing. Then, affecting an air of complete nonchalance, I walked to the side and sat down.

After what felt like an age, once everyone had regulated their breathing, I instructed them to pull the Faceless One off Director Wang’s body.