Ruan: "Even though the stick is gone, I still have other things prepared."

　　She said, taking out a folding pocket knife from behind.

　　 "Old man, let's get to the bottom of this. If you don't tell us clearly, we're all going to die here. Taking you with us as company before we die isn't a bad idea."

　　The carpenter: "..."

　　The carpenter, and even Lin, were speechless.

　　A strange silence fell over the group, and most people were thinking, "Is there really such a thing?"

　　The carpenter was furious but couldn't do anything about Ruan, so he gritted his teeth and explained about "the woman."

　　It turned out that the woman was a god they worshipped in their village.

　　Although she was a god, she was an evil god.

　　While she protected the village, she also had a strong craving for raw flesh.

　　Every winter, the villagers would sacrifice live animals to her.

　　 But this year, something went wrong in the village, and there were no live animals left...

　　Fortunately, a few outsiders came who were willing to help them make coffins.

　　At this point, everyone understood.

　　They were the live animals in the eyes of the villagers.

　　"Does she need to be fed full? What will happen if she's not?" Chi asked.

　　The carpenter said, "If she's not fed full... she'll come looking for you. Everyone who makes coffins has to serve her, so this year, besides you, no one else has made coffins."

　　He took a drag of his pipe. "That's all I can say. As soon as you fill the well, I'll start making coffins."

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　　Ruan didn't say anything.

　　She lowered her head and played with the pocket knife in her hand.

　　Her fingers were long, and the sharp blade flew quickly across her fingertips, blurring the vision.

　　The carpenter also fell silent.

　　He seemed to be quite wary of Ruan, and often glanced at her as he spoke.

　　Just when everyone thought Ruan was going to say something else, she sighed and said, "Let's go."

　　"Leaving now?" Chi said.

　　"What else?" Ruan said impatiently. "That's all he knows. We won't get anything more out of him."

　　She turned and pushed open the door, her attitude extremely resolute.

　　Seeing this, everyone also began to leave one after another.

　　Lin felt that Ruan didn't seem to be in a good mood.

　　 He chased after her and asked what was wrong.

　　Ruan said, "Be careful tonight."

　　"What do you mean? Do you mean that thing might come after us again?"

　　Lin could only think of that as a reason to be careful.

　　"Heh." Ruan laughed.

　　She suddenly turned her head and leaned close to Lin's ear, whispering, "Sometimes, people are much more terrifying than ghosts."

　　Lin was stunned.

　　"Let's go back." Ruan turned and walked forward.

　　Lin looked at her back and suddenly felt that he couldn't understand this girl at all.

　　If people had occasionally exchanged a few words before going to the carpenter's, then after returning, the atmosphere among them had completely become like a stagnant pool of water.

　　Lin didn't understand why.

　　Ruan ate a baked potato, explaining slowly: "You're stupid. It's because before, everyone was still thinking about working together to survive, but now..."

　　"Now?" Lin was confused.

　　"Now, everyone is hoping that the others will die sooner." Ruan leaned back in her chair. "As long as someone dies, we'll have a dead thing to fill the well, and the coffin will be made. Everyone can leave alive..."

　　Lin: "..."

　　He hadn't thought about this at all.

　　He was a little dazed after hearing it.

　　"Is the world within the door always like this?"

　　Ruan continued, "This is actually a good thing. Tonight, you absolutely can't go out. Otherwise..."

　　Lin: "You'll encounter the female ghost?"

　　Ruan shook her head.

　　"You might encounter something even scarier than the female ghost."

　　Lin actually guessed what she meant, but he was still reluctant to admit it.

　　After all, he was born in a society governed by law, and his thinking hadn't yet escaped its framework.

　　 Ruan hinted that someone would kill their companions to get a dead thing to fill the well, but he didn't want to believe that anyone would actually do that.

　　That night, Lin couldn't sleep.

　　Ruan lay beside him, still sleeping like a carefree pig.

　　Lin looked at the ceiling, thinking about the things that had happened that day.

　　 He had closed the windows and doors, and he was even going to use a chair to block the door.

　　But Ruan said beside him, "Aren't you afraid that thing might suddenly appear in our room... ?"

　　Lin: "....!!"

　　Makes sense.

　　So he obediently moved the chair away.

　　But what was going to happen would happen sooner or later.

　　At two in the morning, Lin, who was plagued by insomnia, heard a scream again.