Original Suspense Novel: 《ℬ𝓁𝒾𝓏𝓏𝒶𝓇𝒹 ℳ𝒶𝓃𝑜𝓇》 EP28

Candlelight and firelight illuminated his face, but deep within his pupils, a blurry, unfamiliar face seemed to be looking back at him. The first faint light of dawn filtered through the frosted window into the hall. And a second scream rang out at the same moment. --- Chapter 5: The Children of Fog Valley The scream came from the second floor. Chen Mo was the first to rush up the stairs, followed closely by Fang Guodong. Old Zhou stumbled to his feet, the whiskey glass in his hand falling onto the carpet with a muffled thud. At the turn of the stairs, Shen Yuehua sat slumped on the floor, her face pale, pointing at a door at the end of the hallway. Her lips moved, but she couldn't form complete words, only intermittent gasps. Chen Mo stepped over her and pushed the door open. The room was empty. The window was wide open, and the cold wind, carrying snowflakes, gusted in, making the curtains flutter. There was a bed, a desk, and a chair in the room; everything was so neat it didn't look like anyone had lived there. But there was something on the bed. A red rope, tied into a noose knot, lay flat in the center of the pillow. Next to the knot was a photograph. Chen Mo walked over and picked up the photo. It was slightly yellowed, taken over a decade ago, with a village nestled among mountains and forests in the background – Fog Valley Village. In the center of the photo, about ten or so children stood under an old banyan tree, dressed in simple clothes, smiling shyly at the camera. One of the children's faces was circled in red ink. That child was about eight or nine years old, with short hair, (To be continued)