Chapter 83 Resolution
Sheng Yao was clearly not the only one pursuing Zhou Wangyang’s family, but he was the fastest, swiftly leaving the previously questioning reporters far behind. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the excitement in the reporters’ eyes and their frantic attempts to take photos with their phones, but he was unconcerned—he and Bai Xiao had already carefully tested his ability to turn invisible. Not only could the human eye not see him, but optical instruments failed to capture his presence as well. He continued darting forward, quickly catching up to Zhou Wangyang’s family.
They were heading for the adjacent room. The distance was short, and in that brief moment, they had already entered and shut the door behind them. Their actions gave an impression of lucidity, yet Sheng Yao knew that their consciousness was not what governed their behavior.
He could not afford to worry about being discovered by the reporters behind him. He pressed his hand against the door panel, preventing it from closing. The door slammed into the wall and bounced back. Taking advantage of that gap, he slipped inside.
He only managed to catch a glimpse of their backs. He had been chasing their shadows, but in these few seconds, their pace had quickened. Their twisted gait remained unchanged, but their feet moved faster, their bodies swayed even more vigorously. Without stopping, they ran through the room and disappeared through another door.
Bang!
This time, Sheng Yao failed to catch up.
Click!
The sound of the lock came from behind the door.
Strange creaking and muffled noises soon followed from within the room.
Sheng Yao’s expression changed, and he slammed into the door, forcing it open.
Bang!
The crash resounded, yet it could not mask the sound of running water within.
Whoosh!
He saw Zhou Wangyang standing beside the toilet, pressing the flush button.
Zhou Wangyang hung his head low, staring fixedly at the swirling water in the toilet, his entire body soaked in blood.
Not only was he drenched, but so was his son, the toilet itself, the walls, the floor, the ceiling… Even the vortex was a deep, almost black red. Looking closely, one could see fragments of flesh, tangled strands of hair, and blood-soaked fabric caught within. A pearl floated atop the whirlpool, then was swept away with the rest of the remains into the sewer. A bloodstained high heel lay at the base of the toilet, the only testament to a person once present.
Sheng Yao froze.
Tap, tap, tap…
The reporter’s footsteps drew near, already entering the room.
Sheng Yao had no time to think. Seeing Zhou Wangyang’s son about to step forward, he grabbed the boy’s shoulder.
His grip wasn’t just physical—his palm emitted a suction force, drawing out the “thing” inside the boy.
Splitting his attention, Sheng Yao stretched out another limb toward Zhou Wangyang.
Wangyang’s drooping head turned slightly, first looking at the boy as if puzzled by his hesitation, and then, his lifeless eyes shifted, seeming to see Sheng Yao’s hand, following it to meet Sheng Yao’s gaze.
A smile twisted Zhou Wangyang’s lips. The “things” inside him tugged at his facial muscles, contorting his expression into a grotesque grin. Suddenly, the force surged.
Sheng Yao’s hand touched Wangyang’s shoulder, and at that instant, he was drenched in blood.
The blood seemed to land on an invisible membrane, sliding off smoothly onto the floor. In a moment, all the blood that splashed over Sheng Yao fell harmlessly to the ground, leaving him and his clothing untouched.
Unlike Sheng Yao, who remained unscathed, Zhou Wangyang had transformed. His body, like a towel wrung by unseen hands, twisted into an unrecognizable shape, leaving only his head perched atop a bundle of flesh.
In a blink, the mass of flesh bounced, fell into the toilet, and sank into the pipes with the subsiding whirlpool, leaving only Zhou Wangyang’s head, face up, grinning, eyes fixed on Sheng Yao.
Sheng Yao’s outstretched hand froze in midair.
He was reminded of his first encounter with the infant, of the moment he opened the toilet lid and saw the tiny body crammed inside…
“Ah… ah ah?” The reporter clung to the doorframe, phone in hand, too dazed to press the shutter, letting the phone drop limply to the floor.
Sheng Yao’s grip slackened.
Wangyang’s son’s eyes rolled back, his body collapsing to the ground.
The thud seemed to startle the reporter, who let out a scream, fell to the floor, and scrambled backward on hands and feet.
Sheng Yao hung from the ceiling, looking down at the unconscious boy, then at his own hand.
He had already drawn out all the “things” from the boy’s body.
His gaze shifted to Zhou Wangyang’s head.
The twisted smile stretched wider, resembling the exaggerated grin of a doctor.
Crack—
The mouth tore wider, twisting grotesquely.
Soon, the head lost its original shape, and was slowly dragged into the pipes, vanishing for good.
Outside the restroom, chaos erupted.
Those who had not yet understood hurried in, first seeing the terrified reporter, then discovering the carnage inside—the blood-soaked room, the unconscious, bloodied boy—enough to make them realize something horrific had occurred.
As they panicked and scrambled, Sheng Yao took a deep breath.
The scent of blood filled his nostrils.
He exhaled, his gaze sharp, and slipped silently from the room as he had entered.
Moving swiftly, he returned to the infant’s ward.
Only two nurses remained there, startled by the commotion next door and heading out together.
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Sheng Yao moved like a breeze, unnoticed, flying over their heads.
He entered the ward and saw the crib empty—no sign of the infant anywhere in the room.
Alarmed, his gaze swept the surroundings, piercing through objects, searching for the baby.
His heart sank.
He saw nothing, no trace of the infant anywhere his eyes could reach.
…
In a dark television room, a giant projection screen showed the infant crawling like a reptile along the hospital’s exterior wall.
As if possessed by Sheng Yao, the infant had acquired the same abilities—unseen by humans, slipping from their sight, able to climb walls and move freely.
The doctor watched with interest. Ten fingernails seemed to cheer excitedly, not so much encouraging as expressing the pride and admiration of an elder.
The doctor tapped her fingers, and a computer appeared beside her. On the screen was a pregnant woman.
The doctor’s blue eyes glanced at the computer, and the keyboard and mouse moved on their own.
In the video editing software, the woman caressed her swollen belly, the camera zoomed in, focusing on her abdomen. Off-screen, her voice spoke:
“What name should we give the baby after it’s born…”
She sighed blissfully, but was interrupted by another voice.
“Abort the child.” Zhou Wangyang’s tone was forceful.
The woman’s hand froze, pressing the skin so it sank inward.
The atmosphere was shattered by a phone ringing.
Wangyang answered, listened briefly, and replied, “I’m telling her now, I’ll have her abort the child in a bit. Don’t worry, just stay with our son. Yes… I know.”
“Is it your wife?” The woman’s voice lost its tenderness, becoming sharp.
Her palm pressed on her belly, unmoving, but the camera gained x-ray vision, passing through skin and flesh to reveal the still-forming embryo.
The tiny lump of flesh split open, revealing two blurry eyes.
Wangyang’s voice turned stern, lecturing, “Mind your place, don’t push your luck. I’ll give you what you deserve. If you keep scheming…” The threatening words cut off, he switched tone and audience, “It’s fine, I’ll handle it. Hey, it’s just that. Yes… I remember, I’ll attend the piano competition, flying over tomorrow. Lao Chen will go with me, or he’ll take the pictures. Yes, that new ad…”
Wangyang’s voice faded into the distance.
The camera withdrew from the woman’s womb, showing her curled fingers. She gripped her clothes, veins standing out, trembling slightly from the effort.
The mouse and keyboard moved under the doctor’s invisible command.
The next scene was spliced in.
The sound of heavy rain cut in.
In the downpour, a close-up of the woman’s hand.
Only one hand.
The hand twisted, skin splitting, bone protruding, then quickly crushed with flesh and skin.
The debris was washed into the sewer by the rain.
The doctor flicked her fingers again.
Another video was edited in, showing the scene Sheng Yao had witnessed earlier.
In the toilet, a red whirlpool overlapped with another image.
Different toilets, same vortex, different contents.
The infant stubbornly wedged in the toilet, slowly opened its eyes.
The murky, diseased gaze was gradually replaced by a normal, healthy black pupil.
The final image showed the infant clinging to the wall, melding seamlessly with the footage on the big screen.
The doctor nodded in satisfaction, raising her blue eyes to the screen.
The infant was nearly at ground level.
Just then, a camera suspended overhead caught the open window nearby.
The infant paid no heed.
From that window, a pair of slender hands reached out.
On the left ring finger, a dainty diamond ring gleamed.
The hands grabbed the infant precisely.
Startled, the baby was exposed on camera, even the “things” inside him visible on the big screen. Yet the forces within him were powerless against those hands.
He froze, then opened his mouth and wailed.
It was a dry cry, no tears squeezed out.
But even this brief wailing was quickly stifled by those apparently delicate hands.
The arms withdrew into the window.
The camera spun 180 degrees, aiming upward.
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A few seconds later, the window above was opened, and Sheng Yao appeared at the sill.
He looked down, searching, eyes narrowed, and suddenly leaped out.
The camera followed him, capturing his descent like a feather to the ground.
Sheng Yao looked up, gazed at the camera—and at whoever was behind it—relaxed his expression, stepped toward the lens, crossed the sill, and entered the room.
The doctor’s blue eyes narrowed, ten fingernails fell silent.
The dark television room was left with only the sounds from the projection screen.
…
“Is there anything I can help you with?” a uniformed nurse asked kindly.
Sheng Yao had his arm around Bai Xiao’s shoulders, taking the large bag she carried.
Bai Xiao replied calmly, “We’re waiting for the doctor. This is Dr. Lin’s office, correct?”
“Dr. Lin’s office is ahead,” the nurse replied, pointing forward with a professional smile.
Sheng Yao guided Bai Xiao, carrying the bag, toward the exit.
Behind them, the nurse closed the door.
Sheng Yao suddenly turned and asked, “Excuse me, where is the restroom?”
“All the way down this hall, then left,” the nurse replied. “Let me show you the way.”
“No need. Could you tell Dr. Lin we’ll be over shortly?” Sheng Yao declined smoothly, still guiding Bai Xiao toward the restroom.
“All right.”
Sheng Yao heard not only the nurse’s words but all the sounds within the building. Voices overlapped, but in his mind, they were organized and swiftly processed.
Those who had followed Zhou Wangyang upstairs were in chaos, but with Kang’an International’s doctors present, calm was quickly restored, and they began treating Wangyang’s unconscious son. Others, unnerved by the situation, searched for the missing Zhou Wangyang couple and soon realized the infant was gone as well.
No one called the police.
Everyone deliberately avoided the blood-soaked restroom.
After all, this was the most prestigious private hospital in Longcheng, and the incident involved the local business tycoon of Wangyang Fresh. With uncertainty about what had happened, no one dared to alert authorities. Their first thought was not the safety of Zhou Wangyang and the baby, but how to make the incident disappear without a trace.
This gave Sheng Yao time.
“We can’t take the baby with us directly,” Sheng Yao whispered in Bai Xiao’s ear. “Something happened upstairs—someone will call the police soon.”
There were security cameras at Kangcheng International’s entrance and throughout the corridors inside. They could register under false identities; Kang’an International wouldn’t check their social security cards or IDs, but the cameras had already captured their faces.
If they had quietly taken the baby, it would have been manageable—Kangcheng International, keen to avoid negative publicity, might even help cover it up. But now, with two important people missing and a room soaked in blood… Kang’an International and Zhou Wangyang’s secretaries and assistants, even if they didn’t call the police immediately, would surely do so later.
Bai Xiao didn’t ask for details, obediently letting Sheng Yao guide her.
Once inside the restroom, Sheng Yao placed the large bag on the shelf and unzipped it.
He paused at the sight inside.
The baby was bound tightly, unable to move, even gagged with a handkerchief to prevent any sound.
“What do we do?” Bai Xiao asked in a lowered voice.
Sheng Yao came to himself. “We’ll have to leave him at the hospital.” He looked at Bai Xiao.
Her face was full of regret, but she didn’t refuse him directly. “But he’s so dangerous…” she hinted, trailing off.
Sheng Yao’s hand rested on the baby’s head.
He was well aware of the baby’s danger.
In fact, he had returned to the baby’s ward for precisely that reason…
He glanced at the oblivious Bai Xiao, recalling that stormy night.
The infant, unable to struggle, could only stare with deep black eyes, watching helplessly as Sheng Yao absorbed the “things” from his body. In the baby’s pupils, Sheng Yao’s reflection appeared, as did Bai Xiao standing behind him.
Regret and sorrow lingered on Bai Xiao’s face; she sighed softly.
The sigh touched Sheng Yao, making him lower his eyes.
…
The sigh echoed in the dark television room, spreading far and wide, as if this endless darkness truly possessed infinite expanse.
On the big screen, the camera panned to Sheng Yao and Bai Xiao’s backs.
Bai Xiao’s loose hair swayed gently. Beneath it, her skin bulged, dark blue veins protruding as if something alive moved beneath.
The thing raged for a moment, like a volcanic eruption, then quickly subsided.
The same anomaly appeared on Bai Xiao’s hands, hidden behind her back. Her wedding ring squeezed her swollen finger, the metal band now etched with shallow marks.
As Bai Xiao’s hands returned to normal, she clenched her fists, and her tense body finally relaxed completely.
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