Three minutes later, after hearing the story, the four burly men couldn't help but shiver. "Alright, cut it out! It's the middle of the night, and I can picture it too clearly!" one said, shaking his head. Ever since the Great Heat began, nights had become livelier than days. But their post was way out in a back alley, far from crowds. Even at night, almost no one came by. Still, maybe because of the ghost story, all of them felt uneasy. Despite the heat, a chill crawled up their spines, as if someone was watching them from nearby. "Come on, change the subject! I've got goosebumps already!" "Give me a break, we're all grown men. Don't be such cowards," another snapped. "Stop talking and just switch the topic. Don't you always run your mouth at work?" Most of their shifts were just standing guard and killing time, so chatting had become routine. At the mention of it, one guy perked up and started. "You guys hear? Tomorrow is Magnus's birthday party. I heard it's not just good wine and meat—there'll even be vegetables!" "For real? Man, I haven't had veggies in forever. Eating meat every day is messing me up." "Quit complaining. We're lucky we even have meat and rice. People outside are starving to death. We've got it made." "Yeah, you're right, but I still miss veggies." "Forget it. We'll be stuck guarding the well tomorrow night. No party for us." Rusty spoke up then."Don't worry. I already asked someone to pack some food for us. But vegetables? No way. Those will get snatched up first. We'll be lucky with whatever's left." The others cheered up right away. "Good enough for me! Packed food is better than nothing. Last time at the victory party, I didn't eat half as much as I wanted." "Magnus's birthday party has to be even better than that. Even without vegetables, it'll still be a treat." The moment they started talking about food, their mouths watered. The mood eased, and the tension faded. But not for long. The two men standing to the south suddenly squinted. "What's that?" A figure was slowly walking toward them from the distance. "Someone's coming!" Just then, the two on the north side shouted too. "We've got one over here!" From both ends of the alley, shadowy figures appeared, moving closer, closing in from both directions. "Stop right there!" Rusty shouted. "Get out of here now, or don't blame us if things get ugly!" The two shadowy figures didn't stop. They kept moving closer. When they finally stepped into the light, the men guarding the well could see their faces. One had a twisted mask with sharp fangs; the other wore a red mask with sunken cheeks and bulging cheekbones. "Arghhhhh!" "Ghosts!" Under the dim moonlight, the sudden sight of those hideous faces made the men scream in fear.Rusty snapped out of it first. He narrowed his eyes and barked, "There's no such thing as ghosts! Somebody's just trying to scare us!" He swung his bat at the red-faced figure. The others, emboldened by his move, fought back too. Adrenaline rushed through their bodies, pushing away their fear. With adrenaline pumping, their courage grew. Looking again, they realized these weren't ghosts at all, just two people in masks. "Dang it, who's playing games out here?!" one of them yelled. The shorter one in the green mask roared in a hoarse voice, "This is a robbery! Hand over the well!" The men guarding the water instantly understood. Just two thieves trying to steal their supply. They had guarded this well for weeks. They had seen beggars, bullies, and even raiders before. But never anyone who wore masks to scare them. The thought of how close they'd been to losing their nerve made them furious. They fought harder. Six figures clashed in a wild brawl; the scene was chaotic. No one noticed the thin white powder drifting into the well water, dissolving and vanishing without a trace. It didn't take long before the four defenders gained the upper hand, pinning the masked intruders down. Just as they reached to rip off the masks, the two thieves suddenly broke free, bolted in opposite directions, and disappeared into the night. Those guards wanted to give chase, but they worried it might be a trick to draw them away. So two stayed to guard the well while the other two ran after them. The pair left behind sighed in relief."At least they knew they couldn't beat us. Good thing they ran." "Man, when I first saw that ghost face, I nearly lost it. Scared me so bad I almost wet myself." "What a baby! Did my grandma's ghost stories really get to you?" "Shut up! Like you weren't scared! I saw your face—white as a piece of chalk!" Not long after, the two who had chased the thieves returned, shaking their heads. "Well? Did you catch them?" Both answered the same way—no. Not a single one was caught.