Chapter Twenty-Four: Fear
Liu Yu’s mind was a complete blank; all he knew was to run with everything he had, desperate to get as far away as possible.
A car approached head-on, headlights glaring. The harsh light struck his face, making his pupils contract and forcing him to an instinctive halt.
The car sped past him in a blur, engine roaring, tires hissing against the road, all receding into the night.
Liu Yu gasped for breath, chest heaving—not from exhaustion, but from nerves so taut that his heart felt as if it would break through his ribcage. Sweat soaked his clothes, and though his legs trembled, it was not the fatigue of running for too long.
Another car passed by, its dazzling lights flickering across the blank slate of his mind, awakening half-formed images.
A face flashed before his eyes.
It was a face that could almost be called unfamiliar, belonging to a young man he had only met once. Calling him a “young man” was perhaps not quite accurate—he must have been of age, maybe a university student, or perhaps he had never gone to college, already dropped out, drifting through society, hustling customers for that shop…
Liu Yu gripped his left arm. Only now did the horror settle in, a violent nausea rising from the pit of his stomach.
Clamping a hand over his mouth, he staggered to the roadside trees and retched, clutching a trunk for support.
Brother Yu... Yu Guangchun... eaten...
Liu Yu shuddered, tears welling in his eyes.
Yu Guangchun was dead... just like that? How could this be...
His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, releasing a muffled, choked sob.
It wasn't as if he liked Yu Guangchun; in fact, he might even say he disliked the man. If Brother Lu didn’t switch his group soon, continuing to partner with Yu Guangchun would one day breed true resentment. No, that wasn't right! Brother Lu wouldn’t let that happen. Yu Guangchun was just a colleague, nothing more.
If it became unbearable, he could just resign.
Resign...
Liu Yu hung his head, letting tears fall onto the pavement stones.
If finding a job were easy, he would have joined a big company like his roommate. He had sent out so many applications, and after endless rounds of selection, only three or four small firms had offered him a position. What he did now was already the best he could get. He wanted to move on, but as a rookie with only a year at a small firm, he was less attractive than a fresh graduate.
He didn’t have many options.
Neither did Yu Guangchun. As Yu himself had said, he had no other choices.
His limp left hand swung into view, and Liu Yu’s stomach convulsed.
There was no point in thinking further. Yu Guangchun was dead.
That thing had crawled from his body, devoured Yu Guangchun, and then returned to him.
Liu Yu retched again and again.
Another car went by.
The driver seemed to notice him, slowing the vehicle.
Liu Yu tensed immediately.
No, he couldn’t stay here! He mustn’t be discovered, mustn’t let anyone find out... Yu Guangchun, because of him...
He clung to the tree, pushed himself to his feet, stumbled a couple of steps before regaining composure. His body was still stiff, only his legs moving naturally as he forced himself onward.
The car drove off.
Liu Yu exhaled shakily, his rigid body relaxing just a little.
His thoughts tangled into chaos.
Would anyone discover Yu Guangchun had been eaten? The blood had all been licked away by the monster; surely no evidence remained. Yet, he and Yu Guangchun had left the restaurant together. So many cameras along the street. He was at the office building entrance when Yu Guangchun—No! Not him! The monster...
Liu Yu glanced sideways at his left arm, his eyes as if seeing something entirely alien.
That monster clinic, that doctor, and the young man who’d introduced him...
He seemed to have been drawn into a bizarre conspiracy.
It was like the opening to some superhero movie.
By current trends, this was the moment he should gain powers and become a hero, fighting evil. Yet the first thing he’d done with his “ability” was kill his own colleague—
No! Not him!
It was what the doctor had injected into him!
It wasn’t him!
It wasn’t him!!
Liu Yu quickened his pace.
When he finally came to his senses, he found himself standing at the entrance to his apartment complex.
He had walked all the way home without stopping.
His mind foggy, he blinked and found himself sitting on the living room sofa.
He remembered only yesterday, right here, his roommate had urged him to ask Brother Lu for a transfer. In just twenty-four hours, everything had changed.
Click...
The lock turned.
Liu Yu turned to see his roommate entering.
“Huh? You guys finished celebrating so early? Just dinner?” His roommate asked, taking off his shoes.
Liu Yu didn’t answer.
“You look terrible. Did you drink a lot? Please don’t tell me your company still forces people to drink?” His roommate changed clothes and returned, asking, “Did you talk to Brother Lu about switching groups? Did it work?”
Slumped on the sofa, Liu Yu’s left hand clenched into a fist.
“Hey, you okay?” Worry creased his roommate’s face as he came over. “You drank too much? Do you feel sick?”
Liu Yu shook his head slowly.
“So, the transfer didn’t work out?” His roommate guessed.
Liu Yu’s neck stiffened, his pale face growing even more ashen.
His roommate sighed. “Forget it, you’re still new. These things take time. Eventually, it’ll happen.” He went on, “Get some sleep early. Just wash your face and go to bed; don’t shower tonight, or you might faint.”
He patted Liu Yu on the shoulder.
The pressure on his left shoulder seemed to transmit straight to his fingertips, sending a strange tremor through his skin and muscle.
Liu Yu quickly gripped his left arm.
“Oh, right!” His roommate pulled his hand back and grinned. “Our project’s almost done. It’s my first completed project since joining! Just a small one, and I wasn’t there from the start, but the bonus should be around ten grand. Plus, a few days off. We should go out for barbecue! I’ll finally go home and see my parents. I didn’t get to visit during New Year.”
His voice was cheerful, even his footsteps brimming with excitement as he left.
Liu Yu sat quietly on the sofa.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when his phone vibrated in his pocket.
He pulled it out to see a message from Brother Lu in the company group chat:
“@LiuYu @YuGuangchun Did you two get home safely?”
Liu Yu’s heart clenched, his fingers stiff as he slowly typed:
“Home.”
After sending the message, he held his breath.
A long time later, Brother Lu sent another message:
“That’s good. You can come in later tomorrow. @Everyone no attendance check in the morning.”
The group burst into chatter—cheers, compliments, memes, voice messages... Several colleagues, drunk from the party, hollered into their phones. The festive noise reached Liu Yu’s ears.
His hand relaxed, letting the phone fall onto his lap, then to the floor. He didn’t bother to pick it up.
He could come in late tomorrow—no attendance, but not a day off.
Tomorrow, if Yu Guangchun didn’t show up... Yu had a wife and son. If he didn’t come home tonight, people would be looking for him long before morning.
Despair washed over Liu Yu.
It was over.
The police might burst in at any moment and arrest him. Then, he’d be dissected for examination... No, no, no... He’d be treated as insane, or a criminal pretending insanity. Brother Lu, Lin Xiaoyu... everyone in the office could testify that Yu Guangchun dragged him down at work; his roommate could attest to him hating Yu and wanting a transfer.
The only two pieces of good news: Yu Guangchun had been utterly destroyed, and the monster in his body wouldn’t emerge on its own. The police had no corpse, no evidence... but, wait, there were security cameras! They would have caught it all!
There was a monster inside him...
He’d still end up dissected, Liu Yu thought.
If he told the police about the monster clinic, could he escape punishment? Surely those doctors had a way to remove the thing inside him.
He was a victim too!
He was a victim...
Liu Yu gripped his left arm so tightly his fingers seemed to dig into the flesh.
...
Liu Yu’s shouts and mutterings echoed in the TV room.
The image lingered on him sitting silently on the sofa, but his inner voice was broadcast, relentless.
Outside the open door, in the darkness of another room, the clicking of mouse and keyboard never paused.
Two large monitors displayed professional editing software. The desk held only a mouse and keyboard, none of the complex equipment of the past.
The doctor’s hands danced busily over the controls, ten fingernails clattering noisily.
On-screen, a close-up of the monster. The scene of Yu Guangchun’s devouring replayed in slow motion, the camera delving inside the beast, revealing Yu being swallowed, sharp teeth like blender blades tearing everything to shreds.
The monster’s green eyes glowed with pure hatred and greed.
Side by side, Liu Yu’s eyes appeared vacant, unfocused, like any drunken man lost in a stupor.
This segment was played over and over, music added, effects amplified.
The night’s slaughter—bloody and terrifying.
The only witness, the victim, and the perpetrator all in one, sat like a sculpture, soul withdrawn, a cold and distant backdrop to the horror.
The doctor seemed dissatisfied, editing and re-editing, finally shoving the keyboard and mouse aside in frustration. The fingernails fell silent; the room went quiet save for Liu Yu’s ceaseless muttering from next door.
The doctor stood, entered the TV room, and spoke. The voice control system activated, fast-forwarding the projection.
He dropped onto the sofa, frowning, his blue eyes dark and brooding as he watched the screen.
“Play,” he commanded again, and the footage paused from its fast-forward, resuming normal speed.
...
“Damn... Did you sit here all night? Are you awake? Should I take you to the hospital?” His roommate’s shout jolted Liu Yu back to himself.
Liu Yu turned numbly to his roommate, then glanced at the balcony.
Outside, blue sky, white clouds, and brilliant sunshine all proclaimed the time of day.
Liu Yu felt like a condemned man awaiting execution, lifeless, yet filled with dread.
He stood, body stiff, as if bracing for the blade to fall.
“You sat here all night, with your backpack on?” His roommate sounded even more surprised.
Liu Yu barely reacted.
“Come on, Liu Yu, this isn’t necessary, is it? So you can’t transfer for now, that doesn’t mean you never will. If it’s really unbearable, just switch companies. Don’t be like this. It’s not worth it,” his roommate coaxed gently.
Liu Yu forced a smile. “It’s not that. I drank too much yesterday.”
“Oh... Well, do you want to take a day off?” his roommate asked.
Liu Yu shook his head automatically.
He’d never taken a day off since he started work. Not even when he was a student.
He’d walked home last night, his mind a fog then, but now clearer. He showered, changed clothes, packed his backpack, and took the subway to the office.
He paused outside the office building, watching people trickle in. Security guards stood in the lobby, posted by the property management. He didn’t know them, but Yu Guangchun was familiar with them. Working late, they’d often run into patrolling guards, and Yu would always greet them warmly, wasting time chatting. Liu Yu had always disapproved of this slacking, but at the same time, was secretly glad when Yu left his side, even briefly.
Clutching his left arm, head down, Liu Yu entered the building.
He queued for the elevator with workers from other companies. When he reached his floor and squeezed out, he didn’t feel the usual sense of relief.
He trudged into the office.
Colleagues sat in groups, relaxed.
Not everyone was in yet, but the first thing Liu Yu noticed was Yu Guangchun’s empty seat.
On that desk sat a coffee mug—the company’s commemorative gift. He’d broken Yu Guangchun’s old mug; the very next day, Yu had brought this one from home. It wasn’t new, but he’d said it was his spare.
“Hey, Liu.”
“Morning, Liu.”
“You didn’t stay till the end last night.”
Liu Yu nodded to his colleagues and sat at his desk.
All morning, he didn’t see Brother Lu, nor did anyone mention Yu Guangchun. Still, Liu Yu was on edge.
At noon, as usual, Lin Xiaoyu came to ask what everyone wanted for lunch.
“Liu, what do you want?” she called from the door.
Liu Yu had no appetite and ordered noodles at random.
She entered it into her phone and left, without asking about Yu Guangchun.
Why?
Liu Yu grew more anxious.
Could the police already be investigating, having spoken to the others and told them not to reveal anything? Did they already suspect him?
He couldn’t eat. He only managed to choke down a few noodles before dumping the rest.
Leaving the break room, Liu Yu ran into Brother Lu.
But Brother Lu didn’t see him, striding straight to the entrance.
Liu Yu glanced that way.
Two people sat at the company’s front desk—a young, gentle-looking woman with long curls, and a tall boy with glasses, the very image of a model student. When Brother Lu approached, both stood up. The woman’s face was anxious, the boy’s expression grave.
A premonition crept into Liu Yu’s heart.
“Aren’t those Yu’s wife and son?” someone behind him whispered.
Liu Yu spun around.
“That’s Yu’s...” His throat went dry.
“Yeah. By the way, Yu still hasn’t shown up today. Did something happen?” another colleague said.
“Liu, you walked Yu home last night, didn’t you?”
Liu Yu’s body trembled. He quickly pinched his left arm, forcing himself to stop.
Down the hall, the woman was sobbing into her hands, the boy’s arm around her shoulders in comfort. Brother Lu suddenly turned, his gaze landing squarely on Liu Yu.
Liu Yu tensed.
Brother Lu beckoned.
Liu Yu didn’t move.
“I think Brother Lu’s calling you,” someone nudged him forward.
Caught off guard, Liu Yu stumbled a few steps. Once moving, he couldn’t stop. Like a wind-up toy, he walked toward Brother Lu, head lowering as he approached, hands behind his back, right hand gripping his left, trying to steady his racing heart.
“Liu, you left with Yu last night, right?” Brother Lu asked directly.
Liu Yu felt three pairs of eyes on him, and more gathering behind.
“We... we split up halfway,” Liu Yu mumbled, cold sweat breaking out down his back.
“I see.” Brother Lu seemed unconcerned.
The woman’s sobs reached Liu Yu’s ears.
He glanced up and saw her wiping tears, the boy awkwardly patting her back, then speaking to Brother Lu: “Dad never came home last night. He didn’t answer his phone. After we called the police, they checked the security footage…”
Liu Yu’s heart leapt into his throat, and he stared at the boy.
He felt the veins in his left arm constrict and pulse, as though something was about to burst from his skin.
The boy continued, worried, “He left the restaurant, and then... we don’t know where he went.”
Liu Yu’s heart thudded back into place, his left arm calming once more.