Chapter Sixty-Six: Preparations
The first thing that caught Sheng Yao's eye was the only source of light in the room—a projection screen that spanned an entire wall.
Even though there was now a light source in this dark space, Sheng Yao still couldn’t discern the size of the room.
He soon gave up this futile effort and turned his gaze to the wall opposite the projection screen.
The doctor was seated comfortably on a long sofa, legs crossed in a relaxed posture, looking nothing like his usual self in the consultation room. He glanced at Sheng Yao, then withdrew his gaze and continued watching the film on the projection screen.
“Doctor, I have some questions for you,” Sheng Yao spoke with genuine respect. “About the drug you injected us with—I’d like to know what it truly is. What is its purpose, and what are its side effects? If side effects occur, how should we handle them?”
Sheng Yao’s inquiry was interrupted by a peal of silvery laughter.
He instinctively glanced at the projection screen.
On the screen, there was a glimpse of the back of someone’s head, and, across the table, a young woman with a radiant smile and her hair in a topknot. Beautifully plated desserts adorned the table. The young woman was laughing as she scooped up some cake.
Sheng Yao didn’t know this young woman. It had been years since he’d watched any drama seriously, let alone a brightly colored idol show like this. He was somewhat surprised that the doctor enjoyed such programs.
He looked at the doctor again and met the doctor’s deep blue eyes directly.
“The treatment I could provide was already done when I injected you with the drug. I told you before—it’s a biological agent, didn’t I?” the doctor said carelessly, raising a hand and pointing at Sheng Yao’s chest. The exaggerated face painted on his fingernail let out an excited shriek, the sound sharp and faint.
It felt as if a needle had been driven into Sheng Yao’s skull, making him wince in sudden pain. He remembered his last “conversation” with the doctor. Back then, as soon as the doctor had mentioned “biological agent,” Sheng Yao had started to question him, only to be interrupted by Bai Xiao.
The doctor’s voice sounded again, drowning out the fingernail’s noise. “There are now the genes of other organisms in your body. Whether your human genes take the upper hand, drawing on the power of those other genes for your own use, or the opposite occurs, depends entirely on you.”
As the doctor finished, the fingernails erupted in another round of cheers, like spectators at a spectacle, all jeering in unison, maddening in their clamor.
Sheng Yao felt a headache coming on from the noise. Deep inside, he felt as if those fingernails were audience members with a divine perspective, already knowing the plot’s direction and excited to watch the characters unknowingly step into a trap.
He took a deep breath and waited for the doctor to lower his hand and for the fingernails to fall quiet again before asking, “Is conflict between the two sets of genes inevitable? Is this change irreversible?”
The doctor cast him a sidelong glance, his eyes glinting with a shadow of a smile. “I only injected you with some genes. It’s not as if I implanted a monster inside you.”
Sheng Yao’s eyelid twitched.
“But if you do transform entirely into a monster and lose yourself completely, then there’s nothing left to reverse, is there?” The doctor turned back to the projection screen, reclining against the sofa, his posture making it clear that this line of questioning was over.
Sheng Yao didn’t leave right away. He followed the doctor’s gaze to the screen and, for the first time, listened attentively to the show’s dialogue:
“…We shouldn’t have to work this weekend, so where should we go? I want to see a movie, then get something to eat. My classmate recommended a restaurant—the crab dish there is amazing. Look, this one…”
The young woman held out her phone, her eyes sparkling, unconsciously licking her lips.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, brightening the restaurant and illuminating her face, making her glow with vitality.
It was a world apart from the monster clinic tucked away on a shabby street, nothing like Sheng Yao’s battles with monsters in the dark, and wholly at odds with this pitch-black, impenetrable room.
“Can you tell me about Tong Bin’s illness and treatment?” Sheng Yao looked away from the girl.
He had neither the time, energy, nor mood to watch a bright and cheerful romance.
The doctor didn’t even lift his head. “To protect patient privacy, I won’t disclose any medical information.”
Sheng Yao narrowed his eyes. “What about non-medical information?”
A smile curved beneath the doctor’s mask, his blue eyes rolling upward to reflect Sheng Yao’s face. “And what does that have to do with you?”
His ten fingernails tittered conspiratorially.
Sheng Yao closed his eyes and let out a long breath.
“You’re right,” he said after a moment, bowing slightly to the doctor. “Sorry to have bothered you.” With that, he turned and left the dark room.
The door opened and closed again.
Now, only the sound of the video remained in the room.
The camera on the projection screen shifted to the outside of the restaurant, where the background noise swelled. Through the glass, the young woman’s charming profile and half of Liu Yu’s smiling face could be seen.
The two of them laughed and talked. The video didn’t play their voices; only the bustling soundscape of the street—cars, crowds—formed the familiar backdrop of everyday life. The pair, however, seemed to exist in another world, sharing tranquility and sweetness.
The smile beneath the doctor’s mask grew broader, stretching past its boundaries.
The fingernails, too, erupted in rowdy laughter.
All the sounds stopped abruptly after a few moments.
Ring, ring, ring—
A telephone rang in the darkness.
The doctor looked toward the direction Sheng Yao had left. The door to the consultation room still stood there.
He frowned, glanced at the still-playing video on the projection screen, then at the door again.
The fingernails muttered softly.
He hesitated no longer, and as he reached out, a telephone materialized on the previously empty sofa. Its long, trailing cord disappeared into the darkness, reappearing by the door.
The doctor picked up the receiver.
“Doctor, are you busy?” Boss Le’s cheerful voice came through.
His tone interrupted the sweet romantic scene playing on the projection screen.
The doctor’s frown deepened. He reached into the air and grasped a remote that appeared out of nowhere, pausing the video.
“I have something to ask you. I’ve met this girl recently, and she seems to have developed a case of pre-wedding jitters…” Boss Le’s tone grew serious as he patiently described the situation. “Can you treat this condition? She hasn’t been diagnosed yet. Her family is taking her to see a psychiatrist…”
“Not seeing her.” The doctor cut him off, short and firm.
“Huh? But after she’s diagnosed, could you…”
“Not seeing her,” the doctor repeated.
“Oh…” Boss Le fell silent for a moment, as if crestfallen, but it was only a fleeting impression. Soon, his voice grew lively again. “So, it’s not that serious then? She should be fine, right? A regular hospital can handle it, yeah? I didn’t think it was too bad—though it looked serious, compared to Uncle Sheng’s case…”
This time, the doctor didn’t answer immediately, nor did he cut Boss Le off.
He fumbled with the remote and pressed a button softly.
The projection screen changed, and Sheng Yao’s face appeared.
He was gently holding Bai Xiao, head lowered, gaze slightly averted.
The shot followed his eyes to the back of Bai Xiao’s neck.
There, a dark blue-black blotch spread like ink staining her skin, as if her veins and nerves beneath had all mutated.
Sheng Yao stared unblinking at the spot.
“Do you really have to go?” Bai Xiao’s voice trembled with reluctance and worry through the speakers.
Sheng Yao released her from his embrace, looked at her solemnly, and nodded. “I have to.”
Tears welled in Bai Xiao’s eyes, but she forced a smile. “Alright… then… make sure you stay safe. Be careful. If you can’t do it, then forget it. Just come back safe, that’s all that matters.”
Sheng Yao smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
The camera pulled back.
Sheng Yao and Bai Xiao parted. Bai Xiao remained where she was, watching Sheng Yao leave the clinic.
Sheng Yao waved to her through the glass door before finally disappearing from her sight.
The camera didn’t follow Sheng Yao, but turned to face Bai Xiao.
All expression vanished from Bai Xiao’s face. She stared at the glass door for a while, then turned to the consulting room with an unfathomably calm gaze. She raised her right hand to touch her left.
The camera followed her hand downward, capturing her left arm as it abruptly turned blue-black. The dark tracery spread up her forearm.
Bai Xiao did nothing else—she simply let her hand fall and walked toward the ward.
The projection screen changed again, and Sheng Yao’s face appeared once more.
He leaned against a taxi window, the streetlights flickering across his eyes. For a brief moment when the light failed, his eyes were as dark as a bottomless pool, eerily similar to the calm in Bai Xiao’s gaze.
A smile curled beneath the doctor’s mask.
“Hello? Doctor, are you still there?” Boss Le’s voice sounded from the phone, urging but never impatient. Each call of “Doctor” carried a peculiar, cheerful lilt, as if he’d already convinced himself there was nothing to worry about regarding Kong Yajie’s condition.
“She’ll be fine soon,” the doctor answered impatiently, then hung up.
The phone vanished from the sofa.
The doctor stood up, like a TV viewer from years ago stretching during a commercial break.
He glanced down at the empty coffee table, tapped the air with his fingers as though counting invisible items.
With each tap, popcorn, two bags of chips, a bottle of soda, a box of fried chicken and fries, and a cup of juice appeared on the table.
Satisfied, the doctor nodded, his fingernails joining in with jubilant sounds, clamoring to be heard.
After arranging the snacks and drinks, the doctor reclined on the sofa once more.
On the projection screen, Sheng Yao had gotten out of the taxi and returned home.
Clutching the bucket of popcorn, the doctor watched intently as Sheng Yao opened a cupboard and retrieved a suitcase from its depths.
The suitcase opened to reveal neatly arranged compartments: a machete, an axe, a small knife, a shovel, a powerful flashlight, rope, a compass, a first-aid kit—everything one might need.
The doctor stuffed a handful of popcorn in his mouth, eyes wide, glued to the screen.
All ten fingernails seemed to hold their breath at once, then exhaled with excitement, filling the dark TV room with their strange chorus—a sound that spilled out into the consulting room, the clinic hall, and the wards beyond.
In the hospital room, Bai Xiao sat upright on the bed, her right hand gripping her left so tightly that five clear finger marks were left on her darkened forearm.