After completing the bizarre game, the world experienced a global resurgence of strange occurrences.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yu on the other end of the walkie-talkie dared not exchange another word of pleasantries and quickly and concisely relayed Captain Liao's words.

"Team Leader Liao said that after a whole day of investigation, they found no trace of the Ghost Gate at the residence of the first murderer or at major hospitals throughout the city."

They are currently expanding their search area and will notify you immediately if they have any updates.

"Tell Captain Liao that there's no need to expand the search area; tell him to go directly to the Dachang City Mental Hospital."

Chen Zhuo recalled for a moment the eerie aura he sensed when he left the mental hospital.

At the time, he thought it was just a hallucination, and even after he learned that something strange was about to happen, he didn't want to get involved.

But he is a man of his word; he took over the human body jigsaw puzzle, so naturally he was responsible for seeing it through to the end.

"A mental hospital? Captain Liao has searched there, but didn't find the strange gate."

"There's an old inpatient building next to the mental hospital that's about to be demolished. Go look for it there."

After Chen Zhuo finished speaking, he immediately cut off the communication and, without pausing, quickly walked towards Shi Yi's house under the guidance of the Mirror Ghost.

The village was unusually quiet, with only the occasional crowing of roosters and barking of dogs, and the rustling of the wind blowing through the rice paddies.

Moreover, once Chen Zhuo entered the village, he did not encounter anyone else.

A moment later, Chen Zhuo stopped in front of a bungalow with a small courtyard.

The courtyard wall is somewhat mottled, and the corners are covered with moss, showing that it has been there for many years.

Chen Zhuo pushed open the courtyard gate, walked to the front door of the bungalow, and gently knocked on the door.

As soon as the knocking sounded, a series of light, hurried footsteps came from inside the room, slowly approaching the door.

About half a minute later, the tightly closed door slowly opened a crack inward.

An elderly man with a full head of white hair and a slightly hunched back peeked out from under the door.

She raised her wrinkled face and looked Chen Zhuo up and down with her somewhat cloudy but kind eyes.

She was neither surprised nor frightened by Chen Zhuoqi's unusual attire.

The old man gently opened the door, his voice hoarse with the typical senility of the elderly, but his tone was exceptionally gentle.

"Child, is there something you need?"

Hearing Shi Mu's voice, Chen Zhuo felt a little relieved.

It seems that the Stone Mother is safe and sound and has not been affected by the straw man.

Chen Zhuo opened his mouth, but didn't know how to tell the elderly Shi's mother that her son had passed away.

Chen Zhuo took a deep breath, bent down slightly, and handed the group photo tucked inside his pocket watch to Shi's mother.

He softened his tone, his voice gentler than ever before.

"Hello Auntie, I'm Shi Yi's friend. I came here today specifically to visit you."

Upon hearing this, Shi's mother was somewhat dazed until her gaze fell on the group photo. When she saw the person she had been longing for day and night in the photo, her eyes instantly reddened.

Five years of pent-up longing finally burst forth at this moment, and tears silently streamed down her face, etched with wrinkles.

Five years have passed; she has waited a full five years, and finally she received news of her son.

Shi's mother quickly raised her hand, wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve, and turned to fully open the door, letting Chen Zhuo in.

"Come in quickly, child, come in and sit down."

As she spoke, she turned to walk towards the kitchen, saying, "You've come all this way, you must be tired. Let me make you a cup of tea."

Chen Zhuo quickly stepped forward, gently supporting Shi's mother's arm and stopping her.

"Auntie, no need to trouble yourself, please don't bother."

He helped Shi Mu into the house and they sat down.

As soon as Shi's mother sat down, she gripped Chen Zhuo's wrist tightly, her eyes filled with urgency.

"My child, how is my son Shiyi doing now?"

Why, after all these years, has he never even called home, never come back to see me?

Hearing the worry in Shi's mother's words, Chen Zhuo finally couldn't bear it and told her about Shi Yi's death.

He composed himself slightly and told a white lie to the stone mother.

"Auntie, Brother Shi is doing well now, so you don't need to worry."

The reason he hadn't returned home for five years was because the country had a rather special, confidential mission that required his completion.

This mission came suddenly and was kept completely secret, so he couldn't contact you or tell you his whereabouts.

Chen Zhuo's tone was very steady, making people subconsciously trust his words.

"Brother Shi's mission is going very smoothly. He has been thinking about you, so he specially asked me to come and see you and let you know that he is safe and sound."

After hearing Chen Zhuo's words, Shi's mother had a complicated expression and tears welled up in her eyes again, muttering to herself repeatedly.

"Good, good, it's good that everyone is alright. National affairs are more important; we can't sacrifice the greater good for our own families."

I don't blame him, I just miss him so much. Knowing he's safe and sound puts my mind at ease.

Shi's mother took Chen Zhuo's hand and walked to a cabinet. She took out a photo album and began to talk about Shi Yi's childhood.

Before we knew it, the sun had risen directly overhead.

Shi's mother glanced at the time, immediately put down the photo album, and patted Chen Zhuo's hand.

"Child, it's getting late. Don't go. Have lunch at Auntie's house. Auntie will make you a bowl of hand-pulled noodles."

Chen Zhuo did not refuse and immediately nodded in agreement.

Firstly, he wanted to spend more time with this lonely old man and fulfill Brother Shi's filial duty.

Secondly, he could take this opportunity to ask about the strange straw figures in the village.

Shi's mother was very quick and efficient; before long, she had brought two steaming bowls of hand-pulled noodles to the table.

The noodles had two poached eggs on them and were sprinkled with chopped green onions, making them smell delicious.

Chen Zhuo quietly finished his noodles, listening as Shi's mother continued to recount Shi Yi's childhood.

After finishing the meal, Chen Zhuo rushed ahead of Shi's mother, collected all the dishes and chopsticks, and took them to the sink to wash.

Shi's mother tried to stop him several times but couldn't, so she could only stand aside and smile as she murmured how sensible the child was.

After washing the dishes, Chen Zhuo also swept the floor and wiped the table clean.

After finishing his work, Chen Zhuo turned to Shi Mu, who was sitting to the side, and slowly asked her a question.

"Auntie, when I entered the village just now, I saw scarecrows standing everywhere in the fields."

The quantity seems to be more than usual in the fields. Is this a special custom in our village?

Upon hearing this, the smile on Shi's mother's face slowly faded, and she gently shook her head.

"It's not a custom. Our village never had so many straw figures before."

These things appeared silently and without anyone noticing.

By the time we realized what was happening, so many had already been erected in the field.

Chen Zhuo's gaze darkened slightly, and he continued to ask.

"Besides this, has anything else happened in the village recently?"

Upon hearing this, Mother Stone paused for a moment, then frowned and began to recall carefully.

After a long while, she nodded, her tone tinged with lingering fear.