Chapter 18

As the sky darkened, the mountain forest became devoid of any signs of human life. The landscape was a bleak expanse of gray and white. The weather had been relatively good these past few days, with several consecutive days of clear skies, unlike the usual cold and gloomy days.

Fourth went to the outhouse behind the house and took the opportunity to bring back a bundle of firewood.

Although the weather was good, the temperature difference in the mountains was significant, and without any heating, the nights could be deadly cold. Fortunately, there was still plenty of dry firewood stored in the house, perfect for burning to keep warm. A few sips of strong liquor and some bites of Braised Beef with a sprinkle of chili powder made the experience even better.

Humming a tune, Fourth carried the bundle of firewood back. The thought of soon getting five million made the smile on his face even broader.

However, he hadn’t walked far when he suddenly heard a faint sound coming from not too far away!

“Thump…”

“Thump… Thump…”

“Thump thump…”

The sound startled him. With the heavy snow sealing off the mountain, even small animals had found places to hibernate, let alone people. The mountain was rarely visited even during the day, much less at night.

If there really was someone…

His face hardened, and he stepped toward the source of the sound. Unfortunately, he found nothing and saw nothing suspicious. When he listened carefully again, even the thumping sound had disappeared. The surroundings were so quiet that he could hardly hear any movement, only the rustling of the wind. It was as if everything he had just heard was a figment of his imagination.

Scratching his head, Fourth thought he might have misheard and didn’t think much more about it. He continued humming his tune and headed back.

Back in the house, he took a swig of liquor, feeling significantly warmer. He raised his chin and asked, “Bear, has the guy inside woken up yet?”

Bear, who was indeed tall, fat, and muscular, was sitting on a makeshift stone stool, drinking and smoking. When asked, he replied, “I just checked. He’s still out. That pretty boy is pretty weak. Trip gave him a heavy dose of anesthetic. He probably won’t wake up for a few more hours.”

“Good, saves us the trouble of him causing a fuss when he wakes up.”

“Don’t worry. Deuce is guarding the back. Nothing will go wrong. Want a drink?”

Fourth, who was naturally lazy and indulgent, immediately sat down, drinking and eating heartily. Bear reminded him to drink less and wait until the job was done to celebrate, to avoid messing things up. Fourth agreed, thinking it made sense. Once they got the money, they could eat and drink as much as they wanted.

Bear, having drunk a bit too much, got up to go to the outhouse. Just as he was about to relieve himself, he heard a faint sound.

“Thump…”

“Thump thump…”

The sound made Bear shiver. He quickly pulled up his pants and rushed out, shining his flashlight around. But he saw nothing. There wasn’t even a shadow outside. But he had definitely heard a sound, like something being chopped. He shouted, “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

The forest remained silent.

After a while, seeing no one, even the thumping sound had disappeared.

Despite his size, Bear was meticulous. He felt the sound wasn’t just a figment of his imagination and couldn’t help but search the snow-covered ground with his flashlight. Suddenly, he saw a shadow in the distance, moving in an eerie manner!

It was a black shadow, and he could only make out the back of a person, with seemingly long hair.

…A woman?

“Hey, who are you? Stop right there!”

The figure didn’t stop, only slightly turning its head. He seemed to see half of a pale face. The figure then moved behind a tree and quickly disappeared.

He ran after it, but when he reached the tree, he found nothing. The area was empty, let alone any woman.

He was puzzled. Could he have seen wrong? No way…

At that moment, he noticed something at the base of the tree that made his rugged face show a terrified expression. He cursed under his breath, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, and ran back frantically.

Fourth, hearing the commotion, came out and saw Bear rushing back. He immediately became alert. “What’s wrong? Are the cops here?”

Bear, breathing heavily, shook his head. “No, no cops.”

“Then why are you running?”

Bear’s eyes widened, his large body trembling uncontrollably.

“No footprints! There were no footprints!”

He had clearly seen a woman walk past the tree. Worried she might have discovered their hideout and was going to report them, he chased after her. But when he got there, he found no one, not even footprints. Besides his own fresh tracks, there were no signs of anyone else having walked there.

The snow in the mountains was deep and thick. How could someone walk through it without leaving any traces?

What had he seen?

Wiping his face, he realized his forehead was drenched in cold sweat. He quickly recounted his experience to Fourth, who shivered upon hearing it. He had also heard the thumping sound earlier but hadn’t seen any strange woman.

“Could it be someone playing tricks?”

“Impossible! The snow is so thick. How could anyone walk through it without leaving footprints?”

The two exchanged glances, both shivering with fear.

Deuce, hearing the noise, came out and couldn’t help but say, “What’s got you two so scared? Do you still want to make big money? Calm down! If you get scared over a little thing, what else can you do?”

Bear and Fourth quickly explained what had happened. The more they talked, the more anxious they became. “Deuce, I think there’s something off about this mountain…”

Deuce, having not experienced it himself, naturally wasn’t scared. Although he felt a bit uneasy, he said, “Off? Nonsense. You must have seen wrong. There’s no such thing as ghosts.” He snorted. “If there were ghosts, they’d come for me first. Look at me, still alive and well. Don’t scare yourselves. Do you want the money or not?”

Five million was a huge sum. If they got the money, each of them could get over a million. Then they could escape abroad and live a good life.

With that, their previously anxious hearts settled a bit. There were no ghosts. They must have seen wrong.

Deuce, worried these two idiots might mess things up, said, “You two go guard the guy in the back. Don’t let him escape. I’ll guard the front.”

Bear and Fourth went to the back, leaving Deuce in the front. He sat on the stone stool, drank a few sips of liquor, and ate some Braised Beef with chili powder. He was still a bit uneasy. Bear had said he saw someone. Maybe someone had indeed come and discovered them.

Thinking this, he became more uneasy. He put down his cup and went out with his flashlight.

He checked the direction Bear and Fourth had mentioned. He didn’t hear any strange thumping sounds, let alone see any shadows. There was nothing. It seemed they had indeed seen wrong. Relieved, he turned back. Just as he was about to step inside, he heard a strange, faint sound from behind, in a completely different direction.

He listened closely. “Thump… Thump… Thump…”

It seemed to be coming from the front of the house. The sound was exactly as Bear and Fourth had described, like something being chopped with great effort. It echoed in the empty mountain valley, making it even more eerie.

But wait, Bear and Fourth had said the sound came from the back of the house. How did it suddenly come from the front?