Chapter 4: Monster

“Ming Ci, come in… to nurture, to grow.”

It mimicked human speech with a bizarre tone, its words intermittent and in disarray.

“Go away…”

Go away!

Go away, go away, go away, go away…

“Go away!”

A sudden surge of survival instinct overwhelmed the fear, and Ming Ci erupted, breaking free from the soft limbs wrapped around his arms, violently tearing off the soft membrane sticking to his cheeks, struggling forward with all his might.

“Huff… huff…”

His heart was pounding relentlessly, each breath heavier than the last.

Ming Ci couldn’t hear anything clearly, couldn’t afford to pay attention to anything else, his confused brain had only one thought.

Escape, he had to live!

The moment he escaped the bathroom, he forcefully pushed the door shut.

Bang!!

Ming Ci never knew he had such strength; the walls shook along with it.

“Ming Ci?”

It disintegrated into a viscous liquid on the spot, flowing along the floor tiles, seeping through the gap under the door, flooding the entire living room in the blink of an eye.

The dim moonlight spilled in from the balcony, illuminating a rich crimson hue.

“Ming Ci.”

The entire crimson pool beneath his feet was beckoning.

Ming Ci hoped it was a nightmare, an illusion, but everything before his eyes was so real, so real that it drove him to the brink of madness.

He staggered backward, each step feeling like treading through sticky mud, difficult to move.

“What…?” His teeth chattered, his palms covered in sweat, barely able to grip the fruit knife. “What are you, exactly?”

“What do you want to do? Eat me?”

“Eat? Feed, to grow.”

Accompanied by indistinct murmurs, the crimson undulations surged forth, stretching upwards like a fleshly blanket, unfolding towards him.

“Merge, hatch, devour.” It incessantly chanted those dreadful words, interspersed with his name, “Grow, body, Ming Ci, mine, forever… together.”

To Ming Ci’s ears, this was undoubtedly a terrifying death sentence.

Cold sweat dripped down his jaw, falling into the crimson abyss, instantly absorbed by it.

Extreme tension, on the brink of collapse.

The more fearful his body became, the more frenzied his thoughts, disregarding all but desperate resistance.

Ming Ci clenched his teeth, raised the knife in his right hand upwards, and forcefully slashed downwards.

Splut!

The tip of the knife sank in effortlessly, even easier than imagined, as if piercing through the flesh and blood without tendons and bones, the blade slid down with almost no resistance, slicing the body into two halves!

“Huh?”

It felt no pain, just a bit bewildered.

As the host tore apart the body it had cut open, it did not resist, but emitted a long, eerie moan.

Ming Ci, terrified, scrambled out from between the halves, stumbling towards the iron gate.

“Ming Ci…”

The low, hoarse, sweet voice followed him like a shadow, accompanied by strange, gurgling noises.

The monster wasn’t dead!

Ming Ci gasped for breath, unable to resist looking back, only to see the two halves of the crimson body melding and rapidly reforming into a complete mass, wriggling towards him on the floor.

This scene was horrifying, heart-stopping.

Ming Ci rushed to the side of the iron gate, gripping the handle tightly, turning it with all his might. The lock clicked, and the heavy iron door opened slightly.

But it was too late.

The monster had already wrapped around his feet, spreading upwards incessantly, from his ankles to thighs, waist, and abdomen, about to engulf him from bottom to top.

Ming Ci struggled desperately, frantically feeling for the lighter on the shelf by the door, grabbed it without hesitation, and pressed the ignition switch.

A blue flame burst out, flickering chaotically, burning towards the crimson body. In that instant, it let out a sudden, piercing scream.

This was its first firsthand experience of pain, and the small flame suddenly became dangerous and terrifying. It panicked and cried out in a voice full of grievance, hoping to make the host throw away that dreadful thing.

“Ming Ci, throw it away! Throw it away! Bad, bad thing, throw it away!”

Ming Ci didn’t expect it to be so afraid of fire. His spirits lifted momentarily, his fingers pressing the lighter tightly, the blue flame flickering wildly in front of it.

“Get away! Stay back, or I’ll burn you alive!”

The soft tendrils around his waist shrank away as soon as they touched the flame, evading it repeatedly.

Sizzle…

The smell of burning flesh filled the air.

Its low, eerie tone took on a sorrowful sob as it mimicked human crying: “Wuwu… Ming Ci, don’t, don’t…”

But Ming Ci remained unmoved, his black pupils gleaming with a bloody cold light.

He grabbed the cloth hanging on the shelf, ignited the dry fabric with the lighter, and the flames roared to life.

“Die, monster.”

Before the words had even finished, he let go of the cloth, letting the blazing fabric fall into the crimson pool below.

“Wuwuwu…”

The monster let out a miserable wail, shrinking away from the flames, giving Ming Ci the opportunity to free his legs and push open the iron gate, running out without looking back.

The corridor lights had long been broken, and it was dim in the middle of the night. Ming Ci stumbled and ran a few steps before suddenly bumping into something about waist-high, falling down unexpectedly.

The blaring alarm sounded, and he realized he had bumped into an electric scooter.

Ming Ci cursed silently, nervously looking back at his door.

Fortunately, the monster hadn’t followed.

Had its wailing disappeared? Did it escape from the balcony? Or… was it hiding inside the house?

The shrill sound of the electric scooter alarm echoed through the entire building, waking up many people from their sleep.

The neighbor next door often parked the electric scooter in the corridor, regardless of whether it blocked others’ way or not. Now, awakened by the noise, he was furious.

Afraid he wouldn’t catch the culprit, the man got up in a hurry, walked to the door, and angrily shouted at Ming Ci as he opened it: “What’s wrong with you, kid? Why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the night, running around outside!”

Ming Ci got up, “I…”

The man angrily interrupted him, “I heard noise earlier, what were you banging around for in the middle of the night? And you ran out and hit my scooter! If you don’t want to sleep, others still need to sleep. If you want to run, go run on the main road!”

Ming Ci looked up, “Uncle Tan.”

The man’s front door was wide open, and the bright lights from the living room spilled into the corridor. He caught a glimpse of Ming Ci’s pale face and involuntarily stopped his reprimand.

Something was wrong.

This kid must have encountered something.

Ming Ci’s cheeks were soaked with sweat, pale and chilling, resembling a ghostly figure. His dark eyes emitted a chilling aura, completely different from his usual restrained and calm demeanor.

Before the man could ask, he saw Ming Ci reaching out, urgently saying, “Uncle Tan, there’s something strange in my house. Can you lend me your phone? I need to call the police.”

“The police?”

The man’s gaze shifted to the end of the corridor, vaguely seeing Ming Ci’s apartment door half open, with no lights inside.

“Something strange,” he swallowed, asking skeptically, “What kind of strange thing? Is it in your house right now?”

Ming Ci, still in shock, spoke with a slight tremor in his voice, “I don’t know. It might be hiding in the house, or it might have escaped from the balcony. Either way, we need to call the police quickly.”

The man said, “What’s worth the police coming over for? Don’t be paranoid. I’ll go to your house and take a look.”

“It’s a monster, a monster bigger than a person!” Ming Ci interrupted urgently, taking a step forward, “There’s no time to explain. I’ll call the police first and tell them.”

A monster bigger than a person?

Is it true or not?

The man hesitated, took out his phone, dialed 110, and handed it to Ming Ci, saying, “You talk. If the police come for nothing, it’s not my problem.”

“Hello, this is Sunlight New City Community, Building 6, Unit 502 on Sanlihe Street. I found a monster in my house…”

Ming Ci tried to control his panicked emotions as he calmly recounted:

“Yes, I’ve never seen that kind of creature before. It’s all blood-red, boneless, and toothless, like a soft-bodied creature that can change shape freely. It can even speak human language… I’m sure it’s not a hallucination; it’s speaking.”

“…It’s afraid of fire. I managed to escape. I don’t know where it’s hiding now… Its method of attack? It might involve entanglement or releasing toxins… I’m not injured for now.”

On the other end of the phone, the dispatcher from the local police station asked the key questions, and finally reassured, “Don’t panic, wait in a safe place nearby, we’ll be there soon.”

The Sanlihe Police Station was very close to the community, so the response time was quick.

A moment later, two police officers arrived at the door with electric batons, pepper spray, and other equipment.

They didn’t fully believe the description of the monster given by the caller.

They had seen many cases where extreme panic could deceive the brain, causing hallucinations and paranoid delusions.

Such examples were common.

Entering the caller’s home, 99.9% of the time they encountered some rare animal or someone playing a prank.

The two officers placed the iron cage at the door, shining their flashlights inside before cautiously entering the living room.

After confirming that the living room was safe, they fully opened the iron gate and cautiously proceeded inside with electric batons and pepper spray.

While the officers inspected the house, Ming Ci obediently stood in the corridor. The curious neighbor with a bad temper approached, peering inside.

The man lit a cigarette, blowing smoke rings, and asked, “Ming Ci, did you really encounter a monster?”

Ming Ci’s eyelashes drooped, staring blankly at the living room floor, silent.

“I said, Ming Ci, did you really encounter a monster?” he repeated loudly.

Ming Ci seemed to have just heard him, lowly murmuring, “Mm.”

The man squinted and peered into his house.

He saw the police officers checking each room several times. Not to mention a red monster, they didn’t even find a drop of red liquid or a single red hair.

“Did it escape?”

Ming Ci murmured to himself, somewhat disbelieving, and stepped into the house.

The floor was spotless, without any traces of a monster ever being present.

But he had a strange intuition, feeling that it wouldn’t leave easily. It must be hiding in some secret corner unknown to others, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

The two police officers didn’t get angry about their wasted trip. They didn’t directly refute Ming Ci’s statement but calmly said, “We’ll go back and check the nearby surveillance footage to see if any strange animals have been spotted. Also, think back, have you offended anyone recently? Could it be a prank?”

They didn’t believe there was a monster.

Realizing this, Ming Ci’s heart sank. He looked up and met the police officers’ eyes directly. “I’m sure it’s not a prank or a hallucination.”

The two officers exchanged a subtle glance, their expressions somewhat ambiguous, but they didn’t argue with Ming Ci.

“Alright, we’ll head back for now. We’ll text or call you if there’s any progress. If you have any emergencies, report them anytime.”

Officer Liang emphasized the words “emergencies.”

Ming Ci surveyed the living room and decisively said, “Officer Liang, I want to spend the night at the police station tonight.”

Officer Liang raised his thick eyebrows. “Are you afraid to stay home alone? Do you have any relatives or friends nearby? You should stay with them for a few days.”

Ming Ci shook his head, his pupils slightly narrowed. He said softly, “I suspect it will come looking for me. It lurked in my house for a few days, so it’s familiar with my scent.”

Officer Liang pondered for a few seconds before nodding. “Alright, take your phone and ID, and come with us.”

From the east gate of the community to the police station was only a few hundred meters away. They arrived in a few minutes by police car.

Ming Ci followed behind the two officers, keeping his head down and silent as they entered the police station.

After completing the registration, Officer Liang found an empty room and poured a glass of warm water for Ming Ci to drink.

“You can only stay until six in the morning.” Seeing Ming Ci’s young age, he couldn’t help but ask, “What about your parents? Why didn’t you call them home when this happened?”

“My mom passed away two years ago. My dad,” Ming Ci paused and said calmly, “He never cared about me.”

Officer Liang furrowed his brows. “That won’t do. What’s your dad’s phone number? Let me try calling him.”

“I’m already an adult and can take care of myself. I don’t need a guardian,” Ming Ci replied.

“…” Officer Liang stared at him, hesitating to speak. After a moment, he sighed and said, “As long as you know what you’re doing. Rest for now. I’ll be in the next office if you need anything.”

Ming Ci lifted the corners of his lips and smiled faintly. “Thank you, Officer Liang.”

The door closed gently.

The small room fell into silence. Ming Ci sat in the chair, silently lowering his eyelashes.

Time passed silently. The central air conditioner on the ceiling blew cold air, gradually drying his damp hair and clothes. The warm water on the table gradually cooled down.

“Ming Ci…”

A mournful and hoarse voice echoed softly, seemingly close at hand.

Ming Ci startled, suddenly raising his eyes.

“Ming Ci… Wuu… Don’t… abandon me.”

The familiar whisper surrounded him, as if piercing through his eardrums and reaching deep into his brain.

The monster, it had actually followed him.

Under the eyes of the police, it had entered this room!

A bone-chilling coldness spread from the depths of his heart. Ming Ci’s breath stagnated, and it felt like all the blood in his body had frozen.