In the next instant, the old man's vision blurred, and Wu was standing right in front of him. "What are you looking at me for?"
The old man jolted in surprise. Before he could explain on his phone, his neck suddenly tightened. Wu tugged him outward by his scarf without the slightest courtesy. "Your scarf is so red. I bet... you must know the way, right?"
Old man: "???"
Wu didn't waste words on him. He simply pulled the old man's shadow out. What happened next was much like what had happened with the young man. The shadow put up a fierce fight in full view of everyone, but the words on the phone told the truth.
Once he had the information he wanted, Wu turned and left.
After Wu had gone far enough that he probably wouldn't turn back, the old man's shadow slowly straightened up. It opened its mouth wide, and its neck stretched strangely toward Wu's retreating figure, as if it still wanted to curse him a couple of times and complete its act of dying rather than surrendering.
But as soon as it opened its mouth, it caught sight of Wu's back swaying slightly. Its head snapped back in fright, and its knees gave way. With a thump, it fell to its knees and scrambled toward its body on all fours.
The scene fell silent once more.
Following the old man's directions, Wu entered a cave that looked unremarkable from the outside. It was dark inside, and there weren't any bodies, but Wu knew this had to be the place.
He caught a peculiar scent coming from the end of the cave.
Suddenly, a phone rang. Wu lowered his head and took a phone with a pink case from his trench coat pocket. Cheap rhinestones were