"Brother An, what should we do? It looks like an ancient tomb. Should we tell the foreman?"
The setting sun hung low, staining the sky blood-red. At a construction site where workers were rushing to dig the foundation, a group of laborers huddled around a pitch-black hole, murmuring nervously as they waited for their leader—a burly man called "Brother An"—to make a decision.
Brother An stared at the hole in silence for a long moment, his gaze sweeping over their uneasy faces before he finally spoke in a low voice:
"The foreman's already gone home. As long as none of you blabber later, whatever's inside will stay our secret. If you're sick of being poor and aren't afraid to die, follow me down there. If we find anything valuable, we split it. If anyone wants to back out, I won't force you..."
"I'm in!"
"Me too!"
"Count me in!"
The men buzzed with excitement, as if they could already see piles of gold and treasure waiting in the depths.
"Good! The eight of us are brothers now—we share fortune and hardship alike! Anyone who betrays the rest won't die a clean death!"* Brother An's face flickered with both anticipation and unease as he led the way into the gaping maw of the hole, like a beast ready to devour them whole...
**Ten months later.**
"Ping'an, don't go! Don't leave me and our unborn child! Waaah...!"* In a hospital room, a woman nine months pregnant wailed uncontrollably at her husband's bedside.
Brother An lay dying, his breath faint as a thread. With great effort, he managed to rasp out: *"We shouldn't have… disturbed her rest. She must've been furious… took revenge. They're all dead… and now me too... Cough, cough—"* He hacked violently before forcing out his last words: *"Take care… of our child. I've worked construction my whole life… so whether it's a boy or girl… name them 'Xiaolou'..."*
His breathing stopped. His wife collapsed to her knees, her anguished cries piercing the air—yet beneath her sobs, a faint, sinister *"hssss..."* seemed to slither into the silence...
The full moon hung high, its cold silver light draping the quiet medical university campus in a melancholy veil. Outside the school gates, three drunken students stumbled back late at night, preparing to climb the wall to their dorm. One of them, Xiao Yu, suddenly shivered as he glanced at the moon. *"Hey… is tonight the fifteenth of the lunar month?"*
*"Probably, look how round it is. What, Xiao Yu, feeling poetic? Wanna compose a 'masterpiece' with Four-Eyes here?"* The fat one, already halfway over the wall, grinned back at them.
Four-Eyes adjusted his glasses, tilting his head skyward as if actually considering it. Xiao Yu shoved him. *"Screw that! I just remembered… the legend of the ghost woman with the baby."*
Four-Eyes shuddered. *"Don't talk about humans in daylight, don't mention ghosts at night—"*
*"With me around, what's there to fear? Hurry up!"* The fat one reached down from the top of the wall to pull them up.
The midnight campus was eerily still. Even as a trio, an unnatural chill prickled their spines. Then, as they passed the camphor grove behind the dorms, a childlike rhyme—barely audible—drifted through the shadows:
*"Hssss hssss, the White Snake Immortal…*
*Lives a thousand years, her magic boundless…*
*Whoosh whoosh, the north wind blows…*
*Belly full, hearts taste fresh…"*
Four-Eyes froze, his face draining of color. *"Did… you guys hear that?"*
Xiao Yu hugged himself, trembling. *"Seniors say… on full moon nights, a ghost woman carrying a baby appears in these woods, singing that rhyme over and over. If you meet her… she'll dig out your heart..."*
*"Stop scaring yourselves! That's just upperclassmen messing with freshmen. The dorm's right ahead—let's move!"* The fat one scanned the darkness but saw nothing.
*"Go!"* He led the way—until all three jolted to a halt.
A woman leaned against a tree, cradling an infant, her lips moving softly as she hummed the haunting lullaby. Her long, tangled hair cascaded down her back, veiling all but half her mouth.
Slowly, she turned her head toward them. Behind the hair, something glinted—eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty hunger.
A bloodcurdling scream shattered the campus's silence.
**Provincial Public Security Department, Director's Office.**
Director Liang frowned deeper with each page of the case file from the Criminal Investigation Bureau. A knock sounded at the door.
*"Enter."*
*"You wanted to see me, Director?"* A paunchy middle-aged man stepped in, his jowly face belying the sharpness in his eyes.
*"Zheng, just call me by name when it's just us."* The director's tone was warm, without a trace of authority. Yet the other man remained cold. *"During office hours, 'Liang Zheng' will do, Director."*
*"You still blame me for transferring you out of the bureau. I had no choice back then."* Director Liang sighed.
*"It's fine. The Vice Squad's easy—eating, drinking, mahjong, stocks. No brain needed."* Liang Zheng smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
*"Cut the act. I know what's eating you. Two years ago, I had to bury that case under pressure from the former director and the provincial government. But you kept digging. That's why I reassigned you."* The director closed his eyes briefly, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.
*"Ancient history. No use bringing it up."* Though his tone was light, a flicker of resentment flashed in his gaze.
*"What's past may not stay past."* The director suddenly turned grave, tossing the file to Liang Zheng.
After a cursory glance, Liang Zheng set it down. *"Two dead, one injured in a 'ghost attack' at the medical university? Not the Vice Squad's jurisdiction."*
The director smirked. *"True. In fact, it's no department's jurisdiction—not officially. I've spoken to Secretary Wang. We're forming a 'Special Investigations Unit' for cases involving… supernatural elements. Interested in a change of scenery?"*
A spark of excitement lit Liang Zheng's eyes, quickly masked. *"The government would never authorize such a unit."*
*"Exactly. So it won't exist on paper. On record, it's an ordinary task force under the bureau—but it answers only to me. Trials and rulings will be internal, with no public or media disclosure."*
Liang Zheng's lips curled slightly, his satisfaction hidden. The director added, *"Pick five from any provincial department. Even outside hires. But solve this case in two weeks."*
*"Give me one man, and I'll wrap it up in seven days."*
*"Who?"*
*"Mu Shenyu. From the Anti-Pickpocketing Unit."*
The director paused. *"Ah, the one who used to work under you?"*
*"Him."*
*"Done. Wasting him on petty theft is a crime anyway."*
*"I'll finalize the rest after reviewing personnel files."*
*"Mm."*
As Liang Zheng reached the door, he glanced back.
"...Thank you.bro."