How many people had already given up and told Xiao the same thing: “Give it up, this case has no end” or “Without evidence, there’s nothing we can do.” He was tired of hearing those words. His stubbornness was strong, but his grudge was even stronger. Every month, people vanished in a forest near the village where he had grown up. The Jade Forest — once just a legend to frighten children — had become a real threat. Xiao realized this in the worst possible way: when his childhood best friend became one of the victims.

There were never any clues, no bodies, not a single trace. It was as if people had simply ceased to exist. The mystery haunted him more than any case he’d ever taken. He became a detective specializing in paranormal investigations, driven by a quiet obsession. Even as new cases came and went, the shadow of the Jade Forest followed him. Years passed, and at last, he made the decision to return — one final time. He promised himself: if he found nothing, he would bury the past and abandon the mystery with the rest of his frustrations.

But to his surprise, something was different the moment he arrived in the village. For the first time, he could feel a presence lurking nearby — like a held breath between the trees. It was dissonant, as if the very space around him bent in silence. Its exact source was impossible to pinpoint, but Xiao knew: it was there. Watching. Waiting. And perhaps, just perhaps, the case had never gone unsolved… because something in that forest didn’t want to be found.