The forest wasn't just a place.
The forest was a graveyard of secrets. Whispers of the wind drifted through twisted branches, carrying with them the scent of ancient blood and the screams of the forgotten. In one of the abandoned houses, its walls scarred by fire and time, sat Luyuan, the detective who had followed the trail of bodies far away. Her coat was torn, her breathing shallow, and the silence transformed the place into a world of nightmares.
At that moment, Luyuan composed herself, but warm, sticky blood spread through her belly, piercing her with pain. She laughed, a bitter laugh that cut through the stillness. "Haha... I'll finally be done. Want to join me?" Her words echoed off the rotting walls, as her evil eyes caught a shadow standing by the door.
Another man appeared, calm and still, his face hidden in the shadows. He took two steps toward her, his footsteps echoing across the cracked wooden floor. He smiled, a cold smile colder than the night itself. "Are you really inviting me to come with you?" he asked, his voice laced with playfulness and cruelty.
In that moment, the illusion around her was shattered. Luoyuan wasn't just a victim of this place; her thoughts were clouded with doubt. She had solved her interrogators' dilemma with precision, but she hadn't expected to be at the center of the chaos surrounding her. This man was the cause of everything: the destruction of grief, leaving his victims in the depths of oblivion.
She tried to regain her strength, and that smile seemed to spark hope in her corrupt heart. "Jack... why did you do all this?" she said, her smile pulsing with mockery.
He laughed and said "If this is your last word then I will answer honestly I don't know... I wanted to have fun and raise the banner of.... the scholars." His response was cold, but Luoyuan was determined. She remembered the moment on that fateful day when she discovered the victims and the sacrifices. Each one, for all the emotional losses, all the scars it had left on her heart. She was fragile, but she wasn't ready to give up the fight.
She laughed and sneered, "The flag of the scholars? ... You're the liar," as everything pushed her toward that unknown man who posed her greatest threat. Despite the pain, she moved her hand toward her gun, which was trying to escape into the chaos. The man laughed, but his voice sounded less confident. "You think you can succeed?"
"I'm here to win..." She fired, but hit nothing. Now she was transformed into a ferocious animal, shooting wildly. Her vision was blurry, her breathing labored. This was her final moment.
In that moment, the pain echoed, the distrust tearing her heart and mind apart. She was determined to face her fate with dignity. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice deep and penetrating.
The man smiled, a smile that concealed all the secrets he held inside his mind. "I want to see you reveal yourself! All the secrets, all the tears."
She laughed sarcastically, "Tears? Don't dream...." She didn't try to get up even though she couldn't stand. "If you're my end, I won't die alone, handsome," I said sarcastically.
She quickly pulled out her gun and fired. But with his incredible reflexes, he tilted his body aside, easily dodging the first bullet. A mocking smile spread across his face as he slowly approached, like a wolf closing in on its prey.
"That wasn't good enough…" he sneered.
In a flash, he raised his knee and struck her hand, sending the gun flying. Pain tore through her stomach wound, but adrenaline surged through her body like a storm. She spun quickly and aimed a kick at his leg to knock him down. He dodged, yet she didn't flinch. She smiled, as if savoring the final moment, turning the confrontation into a deadly dance on the edge of death.
"Weak," he taunted.
"Weaker than your mom." she shot back, before punching him in the stomach and kicking at his leg. He retaliated with a brutal punch to her wound. She staggered backward and collapsed, but her eyes still burned with defiance.
She crawled quickly, grabbed the gun, and aimed it at him.
But he had already drawn his own weapon, pointing it straight at her.
"Then… we'll race to hell," she said coldly, a sly smile curling her lips.
He grinned, his eyes blazing with unquenchable fire.
"Then we'll meet again… in your next life."
A gunshot rang out.
She felt the heat of the bullet piercing her head. Her body trembled for an instant, then went completely still. Blood poured from her mouth, yet she smiled—as if mocking even death itself.
Darkness swallowed everything. But… just before she lost all consciousness, she saw a blinding light. And then… nothing. She died.
When she opened her eyes again… she was no longer in the forest, nor in the abandoned house.