After confirming with May Shaw several times, she truly had no knowledge of Serena Chen's existence and had never met her.
"What about the other three girls?"
When I asked, May Shaw shook her head, tears welling up again.
"They're dead."
As expected, what Serena Chen said was true—the three girls had already committed suicide.
Then May Shaw began to speak again. After the four of them stayed in the deserted town for more than ten days, none of them could smile anymore. Although there was food and drink, and some old DVDs to watch, they couldn't find any joy. They tried to cross the mountain, but found themselves powerless.
Within just a month, the four were on the verge of madness. There wasn't a single person in this place, and the highway was an endless trap—they could never leave. They began blaming and resenting each other.
They all wondered why they had made that bet with Rainie Chen in the first place. At the time, Rainie Chen was in poor mental shape and had just gone through a breakup. Outwardly, the four girls were close friends with Rainie Chen, but in private, they complained about her constantly. Rainie was a rich girl, with every advantage over them. Her everyday habits had long annoyed them—especially since Rainie had come to Snowridge Springs with her boyfriend, and before leaving, she told the four, 'Single dogs, I'm off.'
After Rainie came back, she broke up with her boyfriend and then encountered the haunting. The four began teasing Rainie, which led her to make a bet with them in anger—and that's why the four came here.
No one could have predicted things would turn out so badly. After a fierce argument, the four split up, each living in different parts of the town. Their days consisted only of eating, sleeping, soaking in hot springs, and watching the snow—there was nothing else to do.
Finally, after a month, May Shaw reconciled with the other two girls. They all agreed to work together and believed they could find a way out.
They began searching for the fourth girl. When they found her, they were shocked—the girl who seemed the strongest had hanged herself in her room. The scene was terrifying: her skin was completely blue, and she had clearly been dead for a long time.
This girl had been the most harshly blamed by the other three. She was also the one who suggested using Rainie Chen's money to go to the city, breaking their agreement.
The suicide devastated the three remaining girls, and they cried. But after the tears, the cycle of blame and resentment returned. May Shaw had been the first to criticize the dead girl, and now, under the accusations of her two friends, she felt guilty and withdrew from them.
This time, May Shaw decided not to make up with the other two girls. She hadn't meant to say those things, and there had always been problems between the four of them.
May Shaw stayed in that room for half a year. During that time, she occasionally saw the other two girls, but only exchanged glances. Even when they greeted her, she ignored them.
The other two girls didn't live together either—they separated. There was no trust left between the three; they treated each other like strangers. Each tried to find a way out on their own. Eventually, one girl discovered that at night, she could see a distant town on the ice surface—the same town of Faceless Ones where May Shaw now stayed.
Excited, the girl called the other two, and that night, the three set out together. But as soon as they stepped onto the street of the Faceless Ones' town, they screamed in terror.
They thought maybe the next town would be their way out, so they kept walking. But they only ended up back in another deserted town. Once again, the three split up, trusting no one. The tiny hope they had shattered, crushing the girl who had found it.
One morning, while May Shaw was walking by the river, she saw that girl standing on the ice, crying out in pain. May's heart softened, and she decided to approach. The other girl also came out.
But then, the thin ice broke and the girl fell into the water. Days later, they found her beneath the ice, her eyes wide open, dead for some time.
The other girl went mad. No matter how May Shaw called or shouted, she refused to step outside. May watched over her for days, but her breath grew weaker, and on the seventh morning, she died in the hot spring pool.
Left alone, May Shaw was in unbearable pain. She wandered the town like a walking corpse, full of rage, venting and destroying things, but none of it helped. She didn't want to die.
Until a few days ago, May Shaw accidentally heard something strange. She was in the bathroom but quickly ran out, only to find nothing. She lay on the bed, but then heard voices again and rushed out, seeing a shadow of a person.
But when she reached the highway, all the people she saw were Faceless Ones. She could hear them talking, but it all lasted only a moment before she returned to the opposite town.
"Sister, thank you for coming. I was planning to end my life in a few days. Rainie Chen once told us there was a world after death. I thought if I died, I could finally leave. Thank you."
May Shaw started crying again. I didn't know what to say.
"Don't get your hopes up. After noticing the strange events here, we began investigating, including your group's disappearance."
I told May Shaw about the details of the missing persons case. Their car was found by the roadside, empty, with the doors open. May believed it.
Now, I suspect Rainie Chen is somehow connected to all this. And why did Rainie Chen's cousin, Ivy Chen, come here? What is really going on between what she told me and the truth?
"What kind of person is Rainie Chen, really?"
I asked, and then was stunned: the girl I met who claimed to be Ivy Chen was actually Rainie Chen. And what were those four Straw Man Effigies she held?
I brought up Rainie Chen's shy, awkward boyfriend I'd met before. May Shaw immediately shook her head and told me:
"Impossible. Later, we learned by accident that Rainie Chen's boyfriend, William Wu, didn't just break up with her—he died."
I swallowed hard, suddenly realizing—I had been set up.
But I still couldn't figure out how I'd been tricked. I hadn't encountered anything strange or anyone suspicious along the way.
"Let's go to the deserted town over there. The Faceless Ones here are unsettling. Tonight, let's have a barbecue and drinks—I'm good at grilling."
But I saw May Shaw still looked worried, doubting me. When we reached the ice, I raised my hand and released flames, then took out Belle. May instantly cheered up, as if reassured.
I still couldn't find a way out, but at least I could save this girl's dying spirit. We returned to the deserted town. I saw Serena Chen quietly watching us from the hotel rooftop where I was staying. I ran over angrily, but Serena Chen vanished.
After preparing plenty of food, we started eating and drinking. When I asked about Rainie Chen, May Shaw told me a lot.
Rainie Chen was always generous in daily life. Whenever they went out to have fun, she paid for everything. But Rainie was also extremely controlling. Her boyfriend, William Wu, couldn't stand this side of her, and after just six months together, he broke up with her. Rainie loved him deeply and begged him to take one last trip with her.
That trip brought them here. No one expected that after they returned, William Wu would die. May Shaw didn't know the details, only that Rainie Chen said nothing except that they broke up. It was only days later, through other friends, that they learned the truth—so they all thought Rainie had suffered a mental breakdown.
Now I was pondering: if Rainie Chen set me up, how did she know I was alive and choose me? I saw her boyfriend, William Wu, alive and confirmed with May Shaw—he really was Rainie's boyfriend.
After a while, May Shaw got drunk. I put her to bed, and it seemed her long-held pain was finally released. She was much more at ease. When I returned to the hotel lobby, Serena Chen was already waiting for me.
"What exactly is going on?"
I asked, and Serena Chen smiled.
"Only people or ghosts from the world of supernatural arts can see me. Ordinary people can't."
I had thought of that, but quickly added:
"When those three girls died, you saw it—why didn't you help?"
I asked, and Serena Chen just smiled.
"Why should I help? They can't see me, and in the end, death is inevitable. Dying sooner means being freed sooner. After all, this place is impossible to escape. Once you enter, don't expect to leave. Over the years, I've seen too many people come in—their fate is always the same."
"Was it always like this before?"
I asked, and Serena Chen smiled and shook her head.
"If you want to go, I can tell you how. Every era, there are two opposite towns here."
I swallowed and nodded.
"I want to take a look."
Serena Chen pointed toward the river outside.
"Follow the river beneath the ice and you'll find other towns along the edge of Snowridge Springs."