Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Listening to the hurried footsteps outside the restroom, Lin Xingshu huddled in the storage closet behind the main door, clamping a hand over his mouth, not daring to breathe, terrified of being discovered by the villagers.

“Have you checked the restroom?! Hurry, search it! We’ll look elsewhere first!”

Suddenly, men’s voices barked outside the door. Lin Xingshu instinctively held his breath. The next moment, the door was kicked open with a loud *bang*, and a man rushed inside. Lin Xingshu shrank behind a broom, watching the man’s movements with bated breath.

The man entered, sweeping his flashlight through each stall but found nothing. Cursing under his breath, he quickly left, completely oblivious to the storage room behind the door.

Hearing the man leave, Lin Xingshu let out a shaky breath, but he didn’t dare relax. Only when the footsteps and voices outside faded did he cautiously emerge from the storage room and dart into one of the toilet stalls.

He didn’t dare make a call, afraid of alerting the villagers. Instead, he picked up his phone with trembling hands and sent a frantic SOS message to the police:

“Hello, my name is Lin Xingshu. I’m currently in Xiushan Village, City C. The villagers here have illegally detained me, and I can’t leave Xiushan Village. I need help!”

After sending the message, he immediately turned off his phone. In this situation, he couldn’t afford to waste precious battery. He had to ensure he could stay in contact with the police until they arrived.

Though he knew the chances were slim, his only hope now lay with the authorities.

*Buzz—*

His phone suddenly vibrated. Startled, Lin Xingshu fumbled to pick it up, only to be shocked—it was a reply from the police!

He was a law-abiding citizen who had never called the police before. He could hardly believe they had actually responded...

“Received. We’re on our way! Can you provide your exact location?”

Overjoyed, Lin Xingshu typed with trembling fingers: “I’m currently in the public toilet near the ancestral hall in Xiushan Village.”

“Understood. Please stay where you are. We’ll be there soon!”

Reading the reply, Lin Xingshu felt an immense weight lift from his shoulders. He exhaled deeply, sliding down the wall in relief. For the first time, he felt a sense of safety.

Then, his gaze inadvertently flicked to the signal bar in the top right corner—and his blood ran cold.

Only now did he notice the blinking red “×” over the signal indicator. There wasn’t a single bar of reception.

But if there was no signal... how had his text been delivered? Even more chilling, how had the other party replied without any signal?

A shiver ran down his spine. Just as he was about to power off his phone, it vibrated again—another message from the same number:

“I’m already here.”

“I’m coming to get you. You haven’t left, have you? It’ll be hard to track you if you have.”

“But don’t worry. Even if you run, I’ll still take you away from here.”

Lin Xingshu’s eyes widened in horror. This couldn’t possibly be the police. Whoever was behind this number was something... *else*.

Gritting his teeth, he immediately blocked the number. The moment he did, a sinister scratching noise came from the window above him.

His heart lurched. He jerked his head up, staring at the toilet window.

In the moonlit darkness, a small, yellowish hand appeared in his line of sight. It reached out, carefully pushed the window open, then gripped the frame and hoisted itself up.

As the figure rose, Lin Xingshu finally saw its face clearly.

Under the moonlight, the scarecrow wore an unnaturally wide grin. It grinned at him, even waving cheerfully. Its lips curled higher, but its black eyes were dull and lifeless, creating a nightmare contradiction with its sweet expression.

It was *him*—the scarecrow that had appeared repeatedly in his photos.

“Ah Shu, I found you.”

“Good boy. You didn’t run. Want to leave with me? I won’t hurt you.”

The scarecrow extended a hand, its voice deep and resonant—identical to Xie Guan’s. Now, Lin Xingshu was certain: the scarecrow *was* Xie Guan!

Lin Xingshu’s face paled further. He opened his mouth, but only choked sobs burst forth. Clamping a hand over his lips, he tried to stifle the sounds, terrified of alerting nearby villagers—but the terrified noises slipped out uncontrollably.

He was truly dealing with the supernatural.

Lin Xingshu could no longer hold back. He shot to his feet and burst out of the toilet like an arrow, not caring if anyone was outside.

Unfamiliar with Xiushan Village’s layout, he ran aimlessly. He didn’t dare head for the village entrance—Liu Rong and the others were surely waiting there. Going there would be delivering himself to them.

Overwhelming despair crashed over him. His phone had no signal. He couldn’t contact anyone. The only number he could trust had been taken over by some... *thing*.

At this moment, he deeply regretted ever trusting Liu Yuting, that damn online stranger he’d never met.

*If I can get out of here... if I can escape...!*

Furiously wiping tears from his eyes, hatred flared in his gaze. Through gritted teeth, he hissed, “If I ever make it out of here, Liu Yuting... just you wait... *Ah—!*”

His foot slipped. Lin Xingshu pitched forward uncontrollably, sharp wheat stalks brushing his face. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for impact—but the expected pain never came. Instead, he landed on something soft—a “straw mat.”

*“Mmm...”*

The “mat” emitted a wet gurgle. Startled, Lin Xingshu looked down under the moonlight—and his heart stopped.

Beneath him wasn’t a straw mat.

It was the *scarecrow*.

He was sprawled atop the creature, which still wore its coarse burlap clothes. Its empty eye sockets stared unblinkingly at him, glittering with hunger as its grin widened.

Lin Xingshu’s pupils shrank to pinpricks. Instinctively, he tried to scramble away—but his body felt pinned down by an invisible force. No matter how hard he struggled, it was futile.

“Let me go! *Let go!*”

The scarecrow said nothing, only smiling. It didn’t move, yet Lin Xingshu felt invisible hands encircling his waist—no, *multiple* hands roaming over his body.

One pair clawed at his inner thighs. Another slipped under his shirt, trailing up his abdomen with deliberate slowness—and those hands seemed intent on wandering higher...

“What are you doing?! Don’t touch me—! *Get off!*”

“Ah Shu, I don’t know what you mean. I’m not touching you.”

The scarecrow grinned. “See? My hands aren’t moving.”

Yet the ghostly hands grew bolder, seeking out every vulnerable place. Lin Xingshu’s body weakened uncontrollably, his face burning with shame. Glaring down at the scarecrow, he hissed through gritted teeth:

“If you’ve got the guts, just kill me. Don’t play these sick games. If you don’t kill me now, once I’m out of Xiushan Village, I’ll burn you to ashes—*Ah!*”

A shrill scream tore from his throat. Lin Xingshu slapped both hands over his mouth, his furious gaze locked on the scarecrow.

He didn’t realize how he looked right now.

Splayed across the scarecrow, his clothes disheveled, buttons popped open in his struggles—from the scarecrow’s angle, the pale planes of his chest lay bare. He thought he was glaring, but to the scarecrow, the feverish flush on his face undercut his fury into something more like the tantrum of an unwilling lover.

“Ah Shu, you smell amazing, and your body is so soft.”

The scarecrow suddenly spoke, and Lin Xingshu froze. In the next moment, their positions reversed—the scarecrow pinned him to the ground, its inky black eyes raking over his body without restraint, filled with raw hunger.

“What the fuck do you want—*Mmmph—!*”

Before he could finish, Lin Xingshu felt a hand clamp over his mouth while another forcibly pried his lips apart. Instinctively, he tried to bite down, but the scarecrow’s fingers slipped in first, icy fingertips grinding against his canines.

Lin Xingshu squeezed his eyes shut in distress as the hand seized his tongue, fingertips teasing it suggestively. He could only endure, helpless tears spilling uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes.

The scarecrow’s breathing grew ragged, its dark eyes black with lust.

“You’re so beautiful. You’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“What a shame you can’t see yourself right now... You have no idea how fucking gorgeous you are.”

The scarecrow praised him shamelessly, but each word only deepened Lin Xingshu’s humiliation. He glared up at it with burning hatred.

To covet his body yet humiliate it like this—he’d rather die right now than endure this torment!

A crooked, unnatural smile suddenly curled on the scarecrow’s face, and at the same time, the strange sensations on his body began to fade.

“Ah Shu, I just thought of a very interesting game.”

The scarecrow reached up, removed its straw hat, and bowed its head slightly. Gently, it cradled Lin Xingshu’s hands and pressed its face against his knuckles, its gaze sincere.

“Forgive me. Next time, I’ll let you play with me instead. But tonight... just indulge me. I can’t hold back anymore.”

As soon as the words left its mouth, skeletal hands oozed from behind the scarecrow’s body, dripping with shadow. Lin Xingshu’s eyes widened in shock, but the fingers in his mouth wormed deeper.

Tears welled up instantly, blurring his vision. The last thing he saw through his tears was the countless hands slowly reaching for him...