The pines on that winter night stood like towering giants, stretching their bodies to block the blizzard and the howling north wind. Together, they formed an enormous cradle, allowing the baby nurtured in the darkness to sleep peacefully.
Gao Ming walked through the Pine Forest. None of the clamor outside reached this place. Everything around him was deathly silent, save for the occasional clump of snow sliding off a branch and landing on his clothes.
Picking up the used medical kit, Gao Ming arrived at the spot where he had agreed to meet the little girl. The tree hollow was empty. The stinking cotton stuffing and Cloth Doll had both vanished.
Listening to the snow fall, Gao Ming glanced toward East Lake. It was late at night, and the Flesh-and-Blood Seeds in his pocket sent out an urgent call, as though they wanted him to throw them all into East Lake.
The walkie-talkie he kept close to his body also crackled with static. Gao Ming strained to make out the sound and vaguely caught the word "you."
"What is it trying to tell me? What's wrong with me?"
"Who are you talking to?" A muffled voice suddenly sounded in the darkness. The branches of the Pine Forest swayed, and a vast shadow enveloped Gao Ming.
Looking up, Gao Ming saw a huge, hideous human face pieced together from torn, rotten fabric, with two enormous buttons for eyes. Her towering body was packed with soaked, foul-smelling cotton stuffing and covered in snow and dead leaves, as though she had been buried underground for years and had only just crawled out today.
"I thought you were going to stand me up." Gao Ming smiled at the enormous Cloth Doll. "Your Older Brother's memories are in my head. Tonight, I need you to