Chapter Twenty-Six: Out of Control

The intern had vanished, but after a brief discussion, everyone in the company simply went back to work.
Liu Yu, too, resumed his tasks. His fingers danced lightly over the keyboard, and the cascading code on the screen gave him a sense of pleasure.
When the end of the workday came, Liu Yu smiled, said goodbye to his colleagues, and left the office.
He bought dinner on the way home and, upon opening the door, was surprised to see the living room brightly lit.
His roommate was sitting on the sofa eating takeout. Hearing Liu Yu come in, he turned his head and raised a hand in greeting.
"How come you're back so early today?" Liu Yu asked.
The roommate swallowed his food. "Didn't I tell you? I finished my work. I have a week off now—paid leave!" He grinned, lips shiny with grease and teeth stained with tomato sauce. "I've already bought my plane tickets—I'm going back to my hometown tomorrow. I'll bring you back some local specialties. Well, there aren't really any. My grandma lives in the countryside and raises chickens—free-range. They're delicious. I'll bring one back for you to try."
Liu Yu smiled. "Can you get through airport security with that?"
"No problem, I'm driving back," the roommate replied breezily. "Already told my dad—I'm buying a car once I get home. He's already picked one out. I got a big bonus this time, so I'm getting him a car as a gift. He and my mom will come here for a few days, then drive it back. They're planning a road trip together." He added, "Don't worry, they won't stay here. I've booked a hotel for them—the one by the river... what's it called... I forget the name, but it's over five thousand a night. Super expensive. But according to the reviews, the scenery is great, service is excellent, and the food's supposed to be amazing."
Liu Yu listened to his roommate's endless chatter, but it sounded like a swarm of mosquitoes buzzing in his ears. His good mood evaporated; he no longer felt like talking.
He went straight to his bedroom, closed the door, and started eating his dinner.
The apartment grew quiet. After a while, when the roommate had finished eating, he knocked and came in.
"Are you done eating?" The roommate glanced at the container on Liu Yu's desk. "If you are, take the trash down for me, will you? I have an early flight tomorrow. This place is so far from the airport—takes two hours to get there. But it's close to work, at least... Oh, by the way!" He suddenly raised his voice, "I'm planning to move out. This place is too small. I'm looking for a two-bedroom apartment to rent. My parents introduced me to someone—a girl. I was too busy before to talk, but we've chatted these past couple of days. Turns out we get along pretty well. She's a middle school teacher here. My parents want to meet her when they come. If things go well, I should have enough for a down payment by next year, and we can get married."
He wore a look of happiness and encouraged Liu Yu: "You shouldn't just focus on work, you know. What's so great about your job anyway? The pay isn't even high. Hurry up and find someone. With your qualifications, you could find a nice local girl with a good job—otherwise buying a house and raising kids will be too hard for the both of you. Sigh... not like me—I need someone capable, but then we'd both be too busy for the family. Her job's perfect—she can take care of the home, though her salary's not much, hasn't saved up here. But since I earn a lot, it doesn't matter. Heh heh..."
Liu Yu listened with a blank expression.
He held his chopsticks in his right hand, his left resting on the table. Beneath his sleeve, veins swelled against his skin, forming strange blue-green patterns.
At last, the roommate's rambling reached its end. He grinned at Liu Yu, an exaggerated mask-like smile hovering in the darkness of the unlit living room behind him.
"I've only been here a year, and now I'm moving out. Wonder how long you'll stay in this dump. Good luck, Xiao Liu. Hope you can move out soon."
Liu Yu heard the sound of a car engine.
Downstairs, a vehicle passed by, its lights shining through the bedroom window, illuminating both Liu Yu and his roommate’s face.
On the bedroom floor, a bizarre, elongated shadow stretched toward the roommate standing in the doorway.
Suddenly, the roommate was swallowed by darkness.
A massive tumor, grown from Liu Yu’s left hand, blocked the door. The thing opened its mouth, unfurling like a flower bud. Its “petals” squeezed through the doorway with a wet snap, closing around the roommate. In an instant, the roommate’s body was devoured.
It took two seconds for the scream to vibrate through Liu Yu’s arm, his body, and finally his mind.
“What’s happening! What is this!! Liu Yu! Liu Yu—! Aaaahhhh! It hurts... It hurts so much! My body... ahhh! Let me go! Let me out!!!”
That sticky, slurping sound was drowned by the screams, then gradually overwhelmed them in turn.
Liu Yu recalled his childhood home, his parents. During the New Year, his mother would make meatballs; the sound of mixing the filling was just like this—sticky, squelching, almost identical.
The tumor stopped writhing and gave a slight contraction.
Liu Yu knew: his roommate had been completely digested.
This time, the tumor didn’t immediately withdraw into Liu Yu’s body. It slowly pivoted, revealing a massive, inky-green eyeball. Reflected in the eye was Liu Yu himself.
Liu Yu sat at his desk, still holding chopsticks in his right hand, head tilted as he gazed at the tumor.
He grinned, just as his roommate had—smug, gleeful, and superior.
...
Liu Yu’s smiling face faded from the screen, replaced by a new scene.
Cheerful music played.
Liu Yu moved in time with the melody, sometimes typing at his keyboard, sometimes walking through the office or outside.
His expression was natural, but now and then, when the music’s tempo shifted, his lips would curl into that strange, unsettling smile. As he smiled, his left arm would swell, the tumor growing rapidly.
Lu Ge’s shocked face flashed by, his scream becoming the musical climax;
Lin Xiaoyu’s terrified expression appeared for an instant, her shriek adding texture to the background;
Other faces flickered in and out—colleagues, neighbors, even random passersby.
Gradually, Liu Yu’s strange smile replaced his natural look.
The images on the screen darkened as time passed, eventually reflecting the doctor’s face.
The doctor still wore his cap and mask, only a pair of deep blue eyes exposed. That blue shimmered like a shifting night sky, darkening further, deepening from blue to jet black.
"Sigh..."
A sigh came from beneath the mask.
The doctor’s interest seemed to fade; his ten fingers, adorned like ordinary manicured nails, lay quietly against his palms.
Tap... tap...
He drummed his fingers twice, bored.
The video froze on the screen, the progress bar marking the end.

A few seconds later, chaotic shouts erupted from the next room.
The doctor turned in surprise, his black eyes flaring back to an eerie blue. He vanished from where he stood, reappearing on the sofa.
On the large projector screen was Liu Yu’s terrified face—his mouth still curled in a smile, but his eyes wide with fear.
The doctor clapped his hands and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha..."
"Hehehe..."
"Oooh..."
The nails came alive, as if revived by long-awaited rain.
...
Liu Yu trembled, clutching his left arm, feeling the lumpy, monstrous skin, his eyes flickering.
Just two or three meters ahead, a middle-aged couple screamed hysterically, rushing at the tumor.
"No... no!" Liu Yu stepped back, but each retreat only stretched the tumor longer.
The monster opened its mouth again, snapping toward the charging couple.
"Daddy... Mommy..." came the wailing of a child from within the tumor.
"Yu Yu!"
"Xiao Yu!"
The couple’s faces twisted in horror, their voices cracking and breaking as they screamed.
Their cries soon vanished, swallowed by the tumor.
Yet Liu Yu could still hear them—every scream, every sound of death echoing in his mind.
His body shook, but the tumor remained motionless.
Gradually, those voices faded, replaced by the shouts of the surrounding crowd.
Liu Yu stared around him, eyes blank.
Some passersby had collapsed in terror, others screamed and fled, while some excitedly filmed with their phones.
Their gazes stabbed at Liu Yu like a thousand needles.
Just like that child...
"Mommy, look at that man's left hand..."
Liu Yu instinctively tried to cover his ears, to block out the voices in his mind, but neither hand moved. His left hand was now the monstrous tumor; his right, limp as dough, trailed along the ground.
The inky green eye rolled, the tumor following, swelling again to lash at the nearest crowd.
The mass of ruined flesh began to coalesce, as if birthing another tumor.
"Ahhh!"
"It's coming!"
"Call the police!"
Liu Yu heard sirens.
This can’t go on!
He jolted to action, spinning and running away.
The tumor stretched, trailing seven or eight meters behind, its ruined flesh dragging along the ground like gum that couldn’t be scraped off. The two grotesque masses strained to their limits, tugging against Liu Yu, one even wrapping around his neck as he turned.
Liu Yu felt himself suffocating, his vision dimmed, and for a moment, he thought he saw the office building and the security guard shining a flashlight inside. The sensation quickly passed; his lungs filled with air again. Agony shot from his shoulders, both arms being wrenched backward, bones creaking. Gritting his teeth, Liu Yu staggered forward.
Behind him, the tumor’s eye turned to stare. Another eye, emerging from the ruined flesh, fixed on him with a chilling gaze.
He didn’t dare look back, but he felt the malice and murderous intent trailing him.
Taking another step, he suddenly felt his shoulders lighten. The tearing pain vanished. He didn’t stop to check the tumor, but raced as fast as he could toward quieter streets.
He knew the tumor was still there, dragged behind him—its weight proved it.
People stared at him in horror, scrambling to get out of his way.
Luckily, it was night now, and there were fewer pedestrians.
Liu Yu ran through the bustling commercial district, gradually leaving the crowds behind.
The sky darkened further.
He didn’t know where he was anymore. The world around him had grown silent.
Slumping against a wall, he slid to the ground, hugging his head.
This time, both hands pressed to his skull.

Liu Yu lowered his hands and looked at them—normal again...
Ha! What did it matter if they were normal? This time was different from before. He had attacked people in broad daylight—so many had seen it! They’d all seen it!
That child... that couple...
Liu Yu buried his head in his knees.
The police would come for him; they’d find his parents... During the New Year, he’d told them he was doing well at work, that he was fine. After being forced to work overtime by Yu Guangchun, he’d only sent them two brief messages...
How long had it been since he last contacted his parents?
"Yu Yu!" "Xiao Yu!"
Liu Yu’s body shook.
The couple’s screams seemed to linger in him.
That child’s name was also “Yu.” It felt as if they were calling him—as if they were his parents, and their faces even looked like his...
He must be mad. His mind was broken. Ever since entering that monstrous clinic, he’d lost his mind. It was that doctor’s fault!
No... it was all his own fault...
He’d killed so many people... so many...
Shuddering, Liu Yu seemed to awaken from a nightmare, suddenly realizing what he had done over the past days.
He heard police sirens, saw headlights sweep past nearby.
He leapt up in panic, instinctively fleeing, his legs barely supporting him as he staggered from the alley.
Stepping out, he found himself on a quiet street. The lights and sounds fell away behind him.
Liu Yu wandered a few steps, dazed, until he saw a flowerbed. He stopped, body rigid, slowly turning his head to the side.
There stood a familiar office building.
He had somehow run all the way back to his company.
He swallowed, mouth dry as dust. He felt like a marionette, strings pulling him toward the flowerbed.
Right here... it happened right here...
He could barely breathe. The suffocating feeling was so familiar.
He collapsed to his knees with a dull thud.
He thought he saw Yu Guangchun—
Yu Guangchun, dead drunk, sprawled on the ground, snoring thunderously.
But no, Yu Guangchun was already dead—killed by his own hand. That was when everything became irreparable.
He’d killed Yu Guangchun, the intern, his roommate, Lu Ge and Lin Xiaoyu, his colleagues, his boss... anyone he disliked, he killed. Everyone he hated was gone. Everyone was gone...
Was he happy now?
Is this happiness?
Liu Yu’s face was devoid of any smile.
Earlier, his mouth seemed permanently fixed in a grin, lips stretched to his cheekbones; now, he couldn’t muster even a trace of a smile.
A beam of light hit his face.
He reflexively closed his eyes. When he opened them, the tumor was pressed against his face.
Two inky green eyes, like searchlights, bored into his pupils and stabbed straight to his soul.
The tumor writhed and grew a face.
It looked strikingly like Liu Yu, only wrinkled and ruined, with grotesquely large green eyes squinting, and a huge mouth curved in a grin.
“If I kill off this eyesore, then I’ll be happy!” The tumor squeezed out a deep, rumbling voice from its mouth, as if answering the question in Liu Yu’s heart.
It was Liu Yu’s own voice—only pitched down several octaves, mechanical and inhuman.
As the words ended, Liu Yu saw the gaping maw open wide.
The people he’d killed had all seen this before.
Now, it was his turn.
The fleshy petals enveloped Liu Yu. He didn’t resist; his limp hand brushed against something.
On his back...
Who was behind him?
Liu Yu wondered, dazed, as darkness swallowed his consciousness.