"Because of the Red Moon Society's experiments, some unexpected changes occurred in the Human-Faced Forest."
Through the Doll named "Yao," using the power of the Puzzle Piece, those eyes far away on Fog Mountain were watching Su Bai standing in the forest through the curtain the Director had constructed.
He remembered it clearly. Back then, he had still seen Su Bai as a responsibility entrusted to him by a friend, a rare source of companionship in his long, lonely days. Although he had already become unable to let Su Bai go, he had been alone for too long to know whether that counted as affection, let alone understand what he truly felt.
Had it been his present self, he would never have let Su Bai venture into the Human-Faced Forest alone without investigating first.
Even if the area seemed ordinary, even if the Vengeful Ghost Puzzle at Su Bai's side was enough to handle it, he would never have chosen to let go the moment Su Bai took that step.
But back then, he had realized it too late.
The instant he lost contact with Su Bai, a sudden, suffocating feeling that everything had gone completely off the rails crashed over him. It was the first time since his birth that the being known as the "Ghost Shaman" had truly felt panic.
He tore through space at any cost and took only three minutes to reach the Human-Faced Forest, where he had lost contact with Su Bai.
But he was still too late.
The Ghost Shaman's arrival in person put the Red Moon Society on alert. He made no attempt to conceal his purpose, stating without hesitation that he had no interest in their experiments and had only come to take away a human who was vitally important to him.