Category: The Grotesque Miss’s End Story

Chapter 9: …The Truth?

“What are you saying, Sister…?”

Luo Ling paled. She hadn’t expected her sister to take the blame for her.

No, perhaps… it was expected.

Because this was her beloved sister.

But, from her last words, it was clear that her sister hadn’t believed her explanation from the beginning.

Just like the mad woman, no one believed her child was still alive.

—It was all just the ramblings of a lunatic.

But even if she was a lunatic, her sister still protected her carefully.

Unwilling to let her suffer any harm.

Looking at Su Wan’s forced smile, more painful than tears, and the sorrow in her eyes, Luo Ling felt a pang of heartache.

She looked up at the police officer and said urgently,

“Officer Ji, actually…”

“There’s no need to argue about this.”

Just then, Officer Ji Ying interrupted Luo Ling.

Her heroic face had remained impassive, like a machine, since her arrival. “First, regarding your report, the bureau has already reached a conclusion.

“Second, Ms. Su, compared to your sister, you might be the one with the mental health issue.”

“Huh?”

Luo Ling and Su Wan both looked surprised, although Luo Ling was concerned about Ji Ying’s last sentence, while Su Wan was anxious about the first.

“Officer Ji, what’s wrong with my sister?”

“No! My sister is frail, how could she possibly kill two adults?!”

They spoke simultaneously, then looked at each other, confusion in their eyes.

“Don’t worry, you two. If two people had actually been murdered, the bureau wouldn’t have sent just me, and not a day later.”

Ji Ying spoke calmly, then turned to Su Wan and said seriously, “Ms. Su, regarding the two victims you reported yesterday, one is Wu Qin from the psychiatric department of the County People’s Hospital, and the other is Li Tianming from the neurology department.

“It has been confirmed that Wu Qin died of a sudden heart attack at home a year and a half ago, and Li Tianming died of a cerebral thrombosis yesterday. Clearly, neither death is directly related to either of you.”

Ji Ying paused, then continued in her icy tone, “We live in a scientific society governed by law. Curses cannot be prosecuted as murder weapons.”

It sounded like a joke, but Ji Ying’s expression was as serious as if she were reciting legal articles.

After Ji Ying finished speaking, Su Wan froze, her mind reeling.

After a long while, she murmured in disbelief,

“No, impossible… I buried them with my own hands. Yes, I buried them in the wasteland near the scrap yard. Go and look!”

Su Wan had struggled internally before calling the police. She had initially chosen to bury the bodies to cover up the incident, but her conscience had ultimately prevailed.

“We excavated and examined the location you provided yesterday. Unfortunately, there was no trace of burial,” Ji Ying shook her head.

“But, but…”

Su Wan wanted to say more, but she had no evidence.

“Ms. Su, your current mental state is concerning. I suggest you contact Qingshan Hospital. It might be beneficial for you to go there,” Ji Ying said, then turned her gaze to the bewildered Luo Ling. “As for you, Miss Luo Ling, please come with me to the station to give a statement. Although you’re not a suspect, the report was about a homicide.”

“Could it be… that it really was me…?”

Meanwhile, confusion lingered in Su Wan’s eyes. She couldn’t tell if she was ill or if everything she had witnessed yesterday was just a dream.

She looked at Luo Ling pleadingly, but Luo Ling remained silent.

It wasn’t that Luo Ling didn’t want to respond to her sister, but she had thought of the Puppet Ballad.

The Puppet Ballad could not only control people’s actions but also implant memories and alter perceptions.

Luo Ling was certain that yesterday’s events were not a dream; her current appearance was proof enough.

If it wasn’t a dream…

Then the only explanation for the discrepancies in memory was the Puppet Ballad.

Besides Li Tianming, how many other people were under the Puppet Ballad’s control…?

Therefore, Luo Ling had to remain silent. She couldn’t be sure if Ji Ying was also a puppet.

If she revealed any weakness…

Yesterday’s tragedy might repeat itself.

Luo Ling didn’t want to make the same mistake.

“Let’s go, Miss Luo Ling,” Ji Ying said flatly. “It won’t take long.”

“Wait!”

Just then, Su Wan grabbed Ji Ying’s arm and pleaded, “I really killed them. It has nothing to do with Xiao Ling!”

“Neither of you killed them.”

Ji Ying turned around, placing her hand on Su Wan’s, her voice softening slightly. “Ms. Su, it’s just a routine statement. I haven’t even handcuffed her.”

“…”

Su Wan stared intently at Ji Ying, trying to find any hint of deception in her expression.

But she failed.

“Sister, it’s okay. I’ll go,” Luo Ling stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on Su Wan’s shoulder. “We have to listen to the police officer, that’s what you always told me.”

“I’m not an officer uncle.”

Ji Ying’s eyebrows rose slightly, a barely perceptible change in her expression.

After some internal struggle, Su Wan finally released her grip.

She lowered her eyes and said, “I… understand.”

Ji Ying nodded at Luo Ling, signaling her to follow.

Luo Ling carefully stepped past Su Wan and walked towards the door.

Before leaving, she couldn’t help but look back and saw her sister looking at her with helplessness in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Sister, I can’t involve you in this,” Luo Ling thought silently, then closed the door.

However, Luo Ling took precaution, leaving a single “Spore” in the room, so she would know if anything happened to her sister.

Luo Ling and Su Wan lived in a sparsely populated area between the small town and the countryside, mostly inhabited by elderly residents. It was possible to walk for a long time without encountering anyone.

Along the way, Ji Ying didn’t speak to Luo Ling, walking silently ahead.

Luo Ling followed, keeping a certain distance.

She didn’t fully trust Ji Ying. Because Ji Ying had contradicted her memories, she might be a puppet controlled by the Puppet Ballad, or a puppet of a puppet, like Wu Qin.

However, after much deliberation, Luo Ling decided to test Ji Ying with a few words.

“Officer Ji, do you think… my sister’s illness is serious?”

Ji Ying stopped abruptly, and Luo Ling immediately became alert, reaching for the pen she always carried in her pocket.

“I don’t know about her illness,” Ji Ying said, glancing sideways at Luo Ling. “But your illness is very serious.

“It requires ‘treatment.’”

Chapter 8: Mental Illness

“…Sorry, I need you to wait a little longer. I want to watch her finish this last meal.”

Su Wan spoke softly, her hands continuing to stir the food in the wok.

The sizzling of hot oil drowned out her voice.

“Mm.”

A flat reply came from beside her.

“Thank you for your trouble,” Su Wan sighed.

“It’s no trouble.”

Su Wan gave the other person a strained smile, then expertly plated the dish and brought it to the table in the small living room. She called towards the inner room,

“Dinner’s ready, Xiao Ling.”

“Mm.”

A reply came from inside, and the wooden door opened. A frail-looking girl with long, white hair that nearly reached the floor emerged. The color was almost blinding.

Seeing her sister’s sickly appearance, a pang of sympathy flashed through Su Wan’s eyes.

“Sister, the bodies upstairs…”

Luo Ling couldn’t help but ask after leaving her room.

She had used her “Spores” to search the entire room but found no trace of the bodies. She couldn’t believe her sister had disposed of them.

Her sister was always timid, screaming at the sight of a dead mouse, let alone dealing with two gruesome corpses on her own.

Luo Ling was worried about the Puppet Ballad’s lingering effects. What if Li Tianming and Wu Qin came back to life?

She didn’t want her sister to get hurt.

Hearing Luo Ling’s words, Su Wan’s movements faltered, but she quickly said in a low voice,

“Don’t worry, Xiao Ling, Sister has… taken care of everything.”

Luo Ling looked surprised, but Su Wan twitched the corners of her mouth, forcing a smile.

“It’s okay. They were bad people who wanted to harm Xiao Ling, weren’t they?”

“Mm…”

Luo Ling nodded noncommittally, but seeing Su Wan’s uneasy expression, she frowned slightly.

She hadn’t paid much attention to her sister’s demeanor yesterday, being close to unconsciousness.

Now, looking closely, her sister seemed… like she didn’t quite believe her explanation.

Well, it was normal for ordinary people to find talk of “Grotesqueries” and “Awakened Ones” absurd.

Even she herself… despite witnessing it firsthand, had suspected it was a hallucination until her life was threatened.

As Luo Ling thought about how to further explain to her sister, Su Wan quickly changed the subject.

“Come and eat, Xiao Ling. You haven’t eaten in two days, you must be starving. I made your favorite stuffed tofu, and there’s braised pork too. Eat more, don’t waste it.”

“…Okay.”

Luo Ling nodded in response.

Since her sister didn’t want to talk about it, she wouldn’t press the matter.

It would be better to explain clearly after things had settled down.

Luo Ling sat down and noticed there was only one set of bowls and chopsticks on the table.

Her sister sat opposite her, gazing at her with a loving expression.

“Sister, aren’t you eating?” Luo Ling asked.

She wasn’t actually hungry. The only time she had felt hungry recently was after killing Li Tianming and consuming his heart.

Otherwise, even after sleeping for three days and nights, she wouldn’t wake up feeling hungry.

Eating was just a habit for Luo Ling now.

“I already ate,” Su Wan said softly. “It’s okay, you eat. Sister will just watch.”

“Mm.”

Luo Ling nodded slightly and picked up her chopsticks.

Only the sound of Luo Ling silently eating filled the dining room as Su Wan watched her intently.

Finally, when Luo Ling had eaten almost everything, Su Wan spoke,

“Xiao Ling, listen to Sister. Although those two doctors were bad people who wanted to harm you, not all doctors are bad. You still need proper treatment for your illness.”

Luo Ling paused, then nodded hesitantly.

“I know.”

In fact, Luo Ling knew she wasn’t sick. These strange symptoms were because she was an Awakened One.

Special abilities came with a price. Everything in this world was an equivalent exchange. Trading sleep for immense power was reasonable.

But saying this now would only make her sister worry more, thinking she was resisting treatment.

So, Luo Ling decided to wait until she could prove everything before explaining clearly.

She didn’t want her sister to worry anymore.

“Remember to listen to the doctor. Also, it’s going to get cold soon, so be careful…”

Su Wan started rambling, and the more Luo Ling listened, the more it sounded like her sister was giving final instructions.

Before Su Wan could finish, Luo Ling put down her chopsticks and said seriously,

“Sister, what are you trying to say?”

Su Wan was momentarily speechless after being interrupted.

After a pause, she sighed deeply.

“Alright, I’ve said everything I needed to say, and things I shouldn’t have… Officer, you can come out now.”

As her voice fell, the slightly ajar door opened, and a short-haired woman in a police uniform entered.

She walked straight to them, showed her police ID, and said calmly,

“Officer Ji Ying. I apologize, but please cooperate with the investigation.”

“Sister, you… called the police?”

Luo Ling’s eyes widened. She had been thinking about how to avoid the police, but her sister had called them first.

Li Tianming and Wu Qin, whom she had killed, couldn’t even be called human. They were merely puppets controlled by the Puppet Ballad.

The moment they became puppets, they were already dead, only their bodies remained, controlled by another.

In a way, Luo Ling had freed them, so she didn’t feel guilty or that she deserved punishment.

“Xiao Ling, even if they were bad people, we should let the police handle it.” Su Wan looked at her with heartache. “Don’t worry, I’ve explained everything to the police. Given your cooperative attitude, they should be lenient.

“But, Sister still believes you did nothing wrong, truly… nothing wrong.”

To Luo Ling’s astonishment, Su Wan turned resolutely, held out her hands, and said,

“Officer Ji, I killed them. Arrest me.”

“Sister…”

“My sister has some mental problems. Don’t believe anything she says. Please send her to Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital afterward. I’ll pay the hospitalization fees after I’m released from prison.”

Chapter 7: The Girl in the Coffin

Whispered murmurs echoed in her ears, like a calling, or perhaps a soft chant.

As Luo Ling’s consciousness gradually returned, she slowly opened her eyes, and all the sounds disappeared.

“Where… is this?”

Luo Ling sat up and found herself in an unfamiliar, ancient corridor.

Shouldn’t she be at home?

Confusion flickered in her heart, but she quickly regained her composure and reached up to touch her face.

There was no sensation.

…This must be a dream.

Realizing this, Luo Ling relaxed slightly and began to examine her surroundings.

A single, faint candle burned in the dim corridor, illuminating a closed, antique wooden door below.

Looking closely, she noticed similar wooden doors lining both sides of the corridor, but the lamps above them were unlit.

Besides the lit candle, the door in front of Luo Ling differed from the others in one more aspect.

—It wasn’t locked.

Luo Ling hesitated for a moment, then pushed the door open.

This was just a dream, after all. Everything would vanish upon waking.

Creak…

The door’s hinges creaked, a sound strangely familiar to Luo Ling.

The next moment, she understood why.

“This is… my room?”

Luo Ling’s pupils constricted as she looked at the room beyond the door. It was identical to her own.

The only difference was a coffin made of crystal, placed in the center.

A sense of foreboding washed over Luo Ling, but she still stepped forward, approaching the coffin.

Inside the small coffin lay a petite girl, seemingly around eleven or twelve years old. The girl’s delicate skin had an unnatural, sickly pale hue. Her exquisite features, even in sleep, held an indescribable allure. Her long, white hair spread out around her, appearing eerily familiar in the dim light, reminding Luo Ling of something she had seen recently.

Looking closer…

Luo Ling’s breath hitched.

Yes, she had seen this girl before. It was the form she had taken after consuming Li Tianming’s heart.

…This was her.

Or perhaps… the Puppet Ballad.

Luo Ling’s chest rose and fell slightly as she unconsciously placed her hand on the coffin.

The next moment, a card-like projection appeared above the coffin, displaying some text.

Luo Ling was startled but quickly became engrossed in the words on the card.

[Silent Demise: Puppet Ballad]
[Innate Ability: Spores — Can parasitize any being with “Spores.” The host and the “Spores” share senses and vision.]
[Skill 1: Locked (50%)]

What… was this?

…An ability?

The Puppet Ballad’s ability?

Had she really become the Puppet Ballad?

Or… was her situation similar to Li Tianming’s, both parasitized by the Puppet Ballad?

Luo Ling’s thoughts were in turmoil.

She clearly remembered Li Tianming’s despairing expression before his death, and Wu Qin’s appearance. She knew the horror of the Puppet Ballad.

This was definitely not a power a human could control.

But now that it had happened, Luo Ling had no choice.

“It seems this isn’t a dream, but my mindscape.”

Luo Ling took a deep breath and stepped back. “The reason it’s my room is because I transformed into the Puppet Ballad’s form, or rather, gained its abilities, in my room.”

But Luo Ling was still puzzled. Why couldn’t her “Puppet Ballad” control others? It could only act as surveillance.

Could this have been Li Tianming’s situation when he first acquired the ability?

Unfortunately, Li Tianming could no longer answer her questions.

“Since this is my mindscape…”

Luo Ling closed her eyes again.

If she wanted to leave, she had to do it herself.

With a mental call, Luo Ling felt her surroundings blur, her awareness of the real world sharpening.

Finally, when she opened her eyes, she saw the familiar ceiling.

Luo Ling sat up immediately, breathing slightly heavily.

Everything in the mindscape gradually faded like a dream, along with the events of yesterday, becoming hazy and difficult to recall.

But the only proof that these things had happened was…

“It seems I still haven’t changed back.” Luo Ling picked up her long, white hair that had fallen onto the bed and gave a wry smile. “Hopefully… I’m not a puppet of the Puppet Ballad now.”

Luo Ling looked around and realized this wasn’t her room.

The small, cramped space didn’t even have a dressing table. There was only a bed and a shabby, old cabinet. This must be Su Wan’s room.

Just then, Su Wan’s voice sounded from outside, cautious and hesitant,

“Xiao Ling, are… are you awake?”

“I’m awake, Sister,” Luo Ling replied.

Su Wan outside seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. After a long pause, she said,

“I was worried you wouldn’t wake up before I finished cooking. Just lie down for a bit longer, and come out after Sister finishes making breakfast.”

After her words, the sounds of pots and pans clanging came from outside.

Su Wan hadn’t opened the door.

Luo Ling noticed her sister’s unusual behavior, the hint of wariness.

But she understood. After all, those things had happened just yesterday.

She had killed two people…

Even though Luo Ling had explained everything, it was normal for Su Wan to be wary.

“Since Sister doesn’t want me to leave the room, I’d better be obedient.” Luo Ling thought for a moment, then remembered the bloody mess in her room. “Right, the bloodstains… I haven’t cleaned them up yet…”

Her sister probably… wouldn’t dare to, right?

But asking her now seemed inappropriate.

However, Luo Ling wanted to see the current situation to plan her next move…

A thought struck her, and she remembered her new ability. It was a good opportunity to test it.

Although it was the Puppet Ballad’s power, she could use it freely now.

Luo Ling closed her eyes. Her long hair floated up, and she pulled out a nearly invisible, pale strand, emitting a faint white glow.

This was the Puppet Ballad’s innate ability—Spores. All its skills were based on these spores.

Luo Ling mentally controlled the spore, guiding it through the ceiling to her room directly above.

Then, she closed her eyes, sensing the detached spore.

Soon, a new perspective unfolded before her, along with strange, indescribable sensations, as if she could attach herself to anything.

“So this is the power of the Puppet Ballad…”

Luo Ling murmured. Then, through the spore, she saw a clean and tidy room.

No trace remained of yesterday’s bloody carnage.

Chapter 6: Sorrow

Sister!

Luo Ling’s breath hitched. She looked around the room, her heart leaping into her throat.

Although she didn’t understand why she felt nothing after killing someone, this was definitely not something her sister could easily accept.

Before Luo Ling could figure out how to explain, Su Wan, seemingly impatient, pushed open the door.

“Xiao Ling, are you… Ah!!!”

Su Wan’s scream echoed through the room as she saw Li Tianming’s corpse on the floor and Wu Qin lying not far away.

She recoiled against the wall in terror, slowly raising her head to look at Luo Ling standing amidst the bodies, confusion and fear swirling in her eyes.

Luo Ling knew her appearance had changed drastically and that her sister might not recognize her immediately, so she quickly said,

“Sister, don’t be afraid, it’s me, Xiao Ling… It’s not what it looks like. I did kill them, but there’s a reason!”

Su Wan stood at the doorway, covering her mouth, her face filled with horror as she took in the hellish scene.

Her beloved sister stood covered in blood between two gruesomely dead bodies, her hands stained crimson.

Clearly, her sister had killed the two doctors who came to treat her, and in a brutal manner.

Su Wan had to clamp her hand over her mouth to stifle her screams of terror.

Xiao Ling had killed someone…

Her always-obedient sister had killed someone…

Su Wan had been waiting outside, listening. Although she had heard some commotion, Dr. Li had warned her beforehand that mental treatment might provoke resistance from the patient, so she had resisted the urge to barge in.

But she never expected… this…

“Sister, listen to me, they were bad people, they wanted to kill me!”

Luo Ling spoke calmly. She knew that in this situation, appearing overly hysterical or terrified would only worsen her sister’s misunderstanding.

“Bad people…?”

Hearing this, Su Wan calmed down slightly.

Fighting back the nausea, she looked again at the two bodies.

This closer look sent a chill down her spine.

Dr. Li’s heart had been ripped out, and Dr. Wu’s head had been pierced.

The sight of their lifeless, unseeing eyes seared itself into Su Wan’s memory, nearly making her vomit.

“Sister…”

Luo Ling rushed over and supported Su Wan.

“Sister… is alright.” Su Wan shook her head, her face pale. She looked directly at Luo Ling and whispered, “Xiao Ling… tell Sister, what happened in here?”

Even now, with everything pointing to Luo Ling brutally murdering the two doctors, Su Wan still wanted to hear her sister’s explanation.

With the strange, immense strength Luo Ling had displayed before, killing these two defenseless doctors would have been easy.

Luo Ling hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell Su Wan everything.

For her, the person she trusted most was her sister, the one who had been with her since childhood.

She started with the mad woman’s monstrous baby at the hospital, then recounted everything Li Tianming had done to try and control her with the “Puppet Ballad,” including the so-called “treatment.”

She even explained about the “Grotesquery Sequence” and “Awakened Ones.”

However, to avoid worrying her sister, Luo Ling didn’t mention how she had inexplicably eaten Li Tianming’s heart… if that thing could even be called a heart.

Su Wan wanted to interrupt several times, but after hesitating, she listened to the whole story.

“Sister, look, I’ve even changed like this… I look completely different. You should believe me, right?” Luo Ling nervously lifted her newly grown white hair.

“Yes…”

For some reason, Su Wan seemed distracted.

She looked at the two bodies with lingering fear, a strange emotion, perhaps guilt or regret, flickering in her eyes.

Then, she looked at Luo Ling, who was looking at her expectantly, hoping she would accept her explanation. She was reminded of the mad woman at the hospital.

The mad woman had looked at everyone with the same hopeful expression, hoping someone would acknowledge that her child was still alive.

My little sister…

Su Wan felt a sudden urge to weep, but she held back.

Stripping away all the delusional talk of “Grotesqueries” and “Awakened Ones” from her sister’s story, the remaining version was clear.

—Dr. Li and Dr. Wu had tried to treat Luo Ling, but she thought they were trying to harm her and killed them in a brutal fashion.

The most convincing point was that Luo Ling kept emphasizing her changed appearance, but in Su Wan’s eyes, her face hadn’t changed at all, only stained with the stench of blood.

It was all imagined, just like the mad woman’s living child.

Therefore, there was only one possible explanation.

Xiao Ling… had gone insane.

Her illness was incurable.

Why did such a tragic fate befall them, two sisters who only had each other?

Su Wan’s eyes reddened, but she dared not cry, dared not further agitate Luo Ling.

If even she, as her older sister, didn’t believe her, then the mad woman’s fate would be Xiao Ling’s future.

Seeing that Su Wan didn’t question her story too much, Luo Ling breathed a sigh of relief.

But now, a new problem arose. What should she do with the bodies?

Thinking back, regardless of the truth, she had killed people!

In this peaceful, ordinary small town, murder was a major crime, let alone the murder of Li Tianming, a renowned neurological expert!

Li Tianming’s schedule was very clear, and everyone at the hospital knew he was treating her.

Once his disappearance was discovered, the police would definitely investigate her.

Then… there would be no way to cover it up.

There was another crucial matter. Luo Ling knew that her status as an “Awakened One” was a fatal attraction to “Grotesqueries” like Li Tianming.

She worried about what she would do if she encountered a similar situation again.

Luo Ling knew clearly that her victory this time was partly due to luck.

The small room had hindered the swift Wu Qin, giving her, a strength-based Awakened One, an advantage.

And then there was her sister…

She couldn’t implicate her sister, who was just an ordinary person with no power to protect herself. She couldn’t drag her into these grotesque events.

As Luo Ling rapidly pondered these things, she suddenly felt dizzy, her consciousness fading.

“This…”

Luo Ling wearily lowered her eyelids. This feeling was familiar; it always preceded her bouts of drowsiness.

Her condition had been improving recently, with longer periods of wakefulness, but it seemed the fight had taken its toll, forcing her into slumber earlier than usual.

No, there were still so many things to deal with, these two bodies, and the impending storm…

She couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t…

Before completely losing consciousness, Luo Ling saw her sister rushing over in a panic, embracing her, her anxious voice echoing,

“Xiao Ling! Xiao Ling, are you alright… Don’t scare Sister…”

Right, there was still her sister…

It was alright, her sister was still with her.

At least for now, she didn’t have to worry.

Luo Ling relaxed slightly, a warm smile gracing her lips as she closed her eyes.

Chapter 5: The Pale Girl

“No, this… how is this possible?!”

Li Tianming stared at Wu Qin’s fallen body, his face filled with disbelief.

He slowly raised his head, meeting those terrifying eyes. His previous composure had completely vanished, replaced only by fear.

“You… you…” Li Tianming stammered, his face filled with horror. “What… what are you…?”

An Awakened One?

No, this couldn’t be an Awakened One…

She must be a Grotesquery!

The girl didn’t answer his question. Her small, demonic figure slowly walked towards him.

“Wait! Miss Luo Ling, this is a misunderstanding!” Li Tianming shouted, a look of terror appearing on his face. “You don’t need treatment, we should be allies…

“Just like ‘Forgotten River’! The woman’s child in the hospital, he’s our ally too!”

Li Tianming retreated towards the door as he spoke.

But his limbs wouldn’t obey. He collapsed onto the floor, just a few steps away from the door.

Just a few steps, yet the difference between life and death.

The girl continued to approach, seemingly oblivious, step by step.

As she drew closer, despair filled Li Tianming’s eyes.

He tried to summon his Grotesquery, “Puppet Ballad,” but the white mark on his arm remained dormant, as if even it feared those burning, dark-gold vertical pupils.

“No, don’t kill me…”

Finally, Li Tianming let out a terrified scream, no longer resembling the judge who controlled the fate of Awakened Ones.

But the girl didn’t respond. She simply extended her delicate hand.

As casually as picking up an object, her hand plunged into Li Tianming’s chest and pulled out his heart.

…No, it wasn’t a heart, but rather a mass of writhing, white threads that seemed alive.

Even more bizarre, despite having his heart removed, Li Tianming wasn’t dead.

He stared blankly at his heart, his expression shifting.

Only one thought filled his mind:

“Why am I not dead?”

Li Tianming slowly lowered his head and saw that his body was like an empty shell, filled with slowly wriggling white threads.

He recognized them. They were the mycelia of the “Puppet Ballad,” used to control puppets.

Wu Qin’s body was filled with these mycelia. If Luo Ling had been successfully “treated,” her flesh and blood would have been replaced by them as well.

And now… the Puppet Ballad’s mycelia were inside him.

There was only one possibility.

An expression of disbelief and madness crept onto Li Tianming’s face.

“No… this is impossible…”

He could feel his memories receding like a tide, all memories related to Awakened Ones and Grotesqueries fading away.

This meant… these memories had been implanted into his mind by someone else using the “Puppet Ballad.”

The “treatment” and salvation that Li Tianming believed in were nothing more than the laughable actions of a puppet controlled by someone else.

He was just another puppet.

A puppet of Grotesquery Sequence Number Forty-Nine, the “Puppet Ballad.”

…No human could ever truly side with a Grotesquery.

Realizing this, the only part of Li Tianming’s brain that truly belonged to him withered and died.

Finally, his expression froze in utter despair.

Perhaps it was Li Tianming’s loud cries that brought Luo Ling back to her senses.

She had been in a semi-conscious state, and upon waking, she saw Li Tianming cowering before her.

At the same time, Luo Ling caught sight of her own hand in her peripheral vision. Looking at it, even she couldn’t help but gasp.

“Is this… my hand?”

Her once delicate hand was now covered in bluish scales, her fingertips tipped with razor-sharp claws. The claw on her thumb was still stained with bits of brain matter.

Although the temple was the weakest point of the skull, reinforced by “Bone Steel,” even a drill would have difficulty penetrating it.

But for Luo Ling, with her monstrous strength and sharp claws, it was like paper.

Luo Ling turned to look at the mirror on the dressing table. Just one glance, and she recoiled in horror, shattering the mirror.

With a crisp sound, the scattered shards of glass all reflected a demonic figure.

“Is this… me?”

Luo Ling was suddenly terrified, but something even more terrifying followed.

She watched in horror as the girl in the mirror calmly picked up the white heart and slowly… ate it.

“What am I eating?”

Luo Ling looked at the viscous white mycelia in her hand, half-eaten, and felt a wave of nausea.

But a horrifying impulse controlled her. Even though she tried to resist, she couldn’t fight the temptation.

This impulse was called “hunger.”

An unprecedented hunger.

“So fragrant…”

So hungry…

Luo Ling ate with tears streaming down her face, but the small clump of mycelia seemed endless.

More and more mycelia flowed from the still-living Li Tianming and the deceased Wu Qin, converging in Luo Ling’s palm.

Luo Ling slowly knelt on the floor, staring in horror at the scattered mirror shards.

The demon in the mirror greedily devoured the mycelia in her hand. Her hair grew longer and longer, turning white like the mycelia. Her skin became deathly pale, and her body seemed to shrink.

“Don’t eat… don’t eat…”

Her spreading white hair almost covered the entire room, continuing to spread outwards.

Only after devouring all the mycelia did this terrifying transformation finally stop.

The white hair on the floor seemed to burp in satisfaction, gradually receding to Luo Ling’s ankles.

Finally, free from the controlling hunger, Luo Ling stood up, staring blankly at the two corpses before her.

“I… killed them?”

Li Tianming’s terror, Wu Qin’s relief, remained frozen on their faces.

There was no doubt, they were both dead.

Murder.

For an ordinary high school student, it seemed like a distant concept.

But now, it had happened at her hands, and for some reason, she only felt… lost.

She looked again at her reflection in the broken mirror shards and saw only a delicate, pale-skinned girl with white hair.

The girl’s frail appearance evoked pity. Her pale lips and faded pink pupils made her look like she had been suffering from a long illness.

Although Luo Ling could still see traces of her former self, the difference in demeanor was stark.

Was this her?

Or…

Luo Ling remembered the “Puppet Ballad” that Li Tianming kept mentioning, and she shuddered.

Had she become some kind of Grotesquery? Had she become… the “Puppet Ballad”?

Also, Luo Ling noticed that her severed arm had grown back, while the severed arm on the floor, previously pinned by the ‘Bone Spike,’ had vanished.

Was this also because of the “Puppet Ballad”?

As Luo Ling pondered in confusion, a knock sounded on the door, and Su Wan’s worried voice came through,

“Dr. Li, Xiao Ling… are you alright?”

Chapter 4: Puppet Ballad

“What… is happening?”

Luo Ling stared intently at Li Tianming, struggling to free her impaled arm.

Logically, it should have been excruciatingly painful, but Luo Ling felt nothing. A surging impulse filled her mind, her vision gradually tinged with a deepening, bloody red.

Why… had the kind Dr. Li suddenly changed?

What was this “Awakened One” he spoke of?

What was this so-called “treatment”?

And what about the uncanny abilities displayed by Dr. Wu…?

Luo Ling didn’t understand these things, but she knew that what Li Tianming intended to do to her… was definitely not good.

“It’s useless. Anything fixed by a ‘Bone Spike’ cannot move,” Li Tianming said coldly. “Miss Luo Ling, I advise you not to resist the ‘Puppet Ballad.’ If I have to force it, your appearance will become as hideous as Dr. Wu’s, and I’ll have a hard time explaining it to Sister Su.”

As he spoke, Li Tianming rolled up his sleeve, revealing a prominent white mark on his arm.

The white mark squirmed, and tentacle-like white threads pierced his skin, slowly extending outwards.

Was this… the “Puppet Ballad”?

Luo Ling seemed to smell a familiar stench, very similar to the monstrous infant she had seen yesterday.

So, was Li Tianming a monster too?

What about Dr. Wu?

These beings, which Luo Ling had thought were hallucinations, were now vividly displayed before her.

“Miss Luo Ling, are you feeling wronged?” Li Tianming looked at Luo Ling, his hateful gaze softening. “But this is your fate. From the moment you became an ‘Awakened One,’ countless people were destined to die at your hands. I’m only doing this for them.

“I’ve witnessed an ‘Awakened One’ slaughter an entire city overnight. I’ve experienced their terror and irrationality firsthand. So, after I mastered the ‘Puppet Ballad,’ I swore to bring all ‘Awakened Ones’ under my control, to prevent such tragedies from ever happening again.

“Come, accept my ‘treatment’…”

A white tentacle slowly reached towards the crown of Luo Ling’s head. With her arm pinned by the ‘Bone Spike,’ escape seemed impossible.

Just as the white tentacle was about to touch her, Luo Ling suddenly jerked back several meters, leaving Li Tianming grasping at air.

“Hmm?”

Li Tianming looked surprised, then noticed the severed arm still pinned to the floor by the ‘Bone Spike.’

Not far away, Luo Ling leaned against the wall, panting, blood gushing from the stump of her right arm.

But she felt no pain. Instead, a strange, exhilarating impulse surged through her, threatening to overwhelm her.

“Why bother?” Li Tianming sighed, retracting the white tentacle. “Miss Luo Ling, the ‘Puppet Ballad’ can read your memories, control your body, and perfectly replicate your past appearance. The only thing you’ll lose is your self-awareness.

“That way, you’ll be free from the torment of your illness, your sister will see her sister recovered, and I will have eliminated a factor of social instability. Everything will have a happy ending. Isn’t that a win-win situation?”

Wasn’t that just becoming his puppet?

Luo Ling glanced at the vacant Dr. Wu and understood.

The so-called “Puppet Ballad” simply turned people into mindless puppets. What was the difference between that and being killed?

She couldn’t surrender!

“Not… a… chance…”

Luo Ling stared unblinkingly at Li Tianming, each word a low growl.

For some reason, her voice had become hoarse and raspy, like a demon from hell.

“As expected, no ‘Awakened One’ ever heeds my advice or accepts ‘treatment’… Fortunately, I anticipated this and brought Wu Qin with me.” Li Tianming’s face darkened, thinking to himself,

“Her ability, ‘Bone,’ has two skills. Although I don’t know what this girl’s ability is yet, she’s only recently awakened and shouldn’t be a match for Wu Qin.”

With that thought, Li Tianming willed Wu Qin to teleport in front of Luo Ling again, another bone spike aimed at her.

But this time, Luo Ling, despite her lack of combat experience, instinctively dodged the attack. Seizing the opportunity, she swung the makeshift weapon in her hand towards Wu Qin’s throat.

Crack!

A snapping sound echoed.

It wasn’t Wu Qin’s throat that was severed, but the weapon in Luo Ling’s hand.

Li Tianming had been startled by Luo Ling’s decisive strike, but after seeing the so-called weapon in her hand, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“A pen? Miss Luo Ling, you don’t seriously think you can break through ‘Bone Steel’s’ defense with an ordinary pen, do you?”

Wu Qin’s skin at her throat had been cut open, but instead of blood, a strange, white, viscous substance oozed out, looking like clumps of thread.

However, her neck bone was unharmed, so Luo Ling’s attack hadn’t even managed to hinder Wu Qin’s movements.

Wu Qin, expressionless, pulled out another rib, wielding the two bone spikes in a cross grip as she advanced towards Luo Ling again.

At the same time, Li Tianming’s calm voice sounded once more,

“Miss Luo Ling, it’s best not to struggle too much. Just accept my ‘treatment.’ Your sister will be very worried if you injure yourself further.”

Wu Qin’s movements were concise and swift. The two bone spikes blocked Luo Ling’s escape routes, forcing her into a corner.

There was no way for her to dodge this attack.

Li Tianming wore a triumphant expression, a smirk playing on his lips as he looked at Luo Ling.

But the moment his eyes met Luo Ling’s, all his composure vanished, replaced by uncontainable terror.

What kind of eyes were these…?

Burning, dark-gold vertical pupils, slightly slitted, gazed down at him with an indifferent yet heavy gaze, filled with an arrogance that seemed to look down on everything. It was hard to believe these eyes belonged to a young girl.

Under such a terrifying gaze, even Wu Qin’s swift movements slowed.

“Hah…”

Luo Ling exhaled softly, looking at the bone spikes about to impale her against the wall. She clenched her right hand into a fist, extending only her thumb, and swung it in a seemingly slow but unavoidable motion.

Rip—

In an instant, more white threads gushed out, and Wu Qin froze mid-motion.

The two bone spikes clattered to the floor, followed by her body.

A hole pierced Wu Qin’s temple, yet a faint, relieved smile appeared on her lips.

Chapter 3: Treatment

“…Worse?”

Luo Ling was slightly taken aback by these words.

Su Wan remained silent for a moment, seemingly unsure of how to explain.

Just then, Li Tianming entered the room from the doorway and said calmly,

“To be precise, Miss Luo Ling, your illness is no longer just a neurological issue. It’s highly likely that there’s also a psychological component, or even…”

“Dr. Li!”

Su Wan interrupted anxiously, but Li Tianming raised his hand, signaling her not to be too nervous.

“Ms. Su, please go outside for a moment,” Li Tianming pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a familiar smile on his lips. “Please rest assured, I’ve brought Dr. Wu from the psychology department with me today. She’s very skilled in psychological counseling. Only by addressing the psychological root cause can we effectively carry out targeted treatment.”

The silent doctor beside him looked up and nodded at Su Wan. Luo Ling then realized it was a female doctor, as she was heavily covered.

Su Wan hesitated for a moment, then recalled Luo Ling’s behavior at the hospital yesterday, which seemed to resemble the mad woman’s. Finally, she nodded.

She stood up to make way for Li Tianming, and before leaving the room, she instructed Luo Ling,

“Xiao Ling, cooperate with Dr. Li’s treatment.”

“…Okay.”

Luo Ling nodded slightly and turned her gaze to Li Tianming.

She looked directly at him, but Dr. Li only lowered his head slightly, his gaze never meeting Luo Ling’s, hidden behind the reflective lenses of his glasses.

Why did Dr. Li seem so strange today?

A hint of doubt arose in Luo Ling’s heart. Usually, Dr. Li would look at her kindly during consultations, not like now, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

It seemed to have started yesterday, after she mentioned seeing the monster…

Could it be that Dr. Li thought she had become like the mad woman, and that’s why his attitude had changed?

However, Luo Ling herself was unsure. She knew her illness seemed to stem from some neurological problem, so she couldn’t be certain if what she saw were hallucinations.

…But what if they weren’t?

Li Tianming paid no mind to Luo Ling’s wandering thoughts. He found a chair, sat down, and asked in a flat tone,

“Miss Luo Ling, can I ask you a few detailed questions?”

“Why are we doing the treatment at my home today, and not at the hospital?” Luo Ling asked in a low voice.

“You’re asking me questions first,” Li Tianming chuckled noncommittally, then said, “On the one hand, it’s because your mental state isn’t very stable. On the other hand… psychological treatment is best conducted in a comfortable environment, such as your own home.”

Psychological treatment…

Luo Ling glanced at the so-called psychologist, Dr. Wu, who hadn’t spoken a word from beginning to end and was still standing in the same spot.

Noticing Luo Ling’s gaze, Li Tianming smiled faintly and said,

“No need to be so resistant. Everyone has psychological issues. I do occasionally… Let’s return to your condition. Yesterday, you did indeed see… a ‘monster’?”

Luo Ling remained silent.

“Let me describe it, and you can tell me if it’s accurate… The monster vaguely resembled a human infant, but its head was a deformed, fleshy mass, and its mouth—or rather, its maw—split open to about…” Li Tianming extended his finger and traced a line from the corner of his mouth to his ear. “This position.”

Luo Ling’s pupils constricted, and she looked up at Li Tianming.

But Li Tianming still didn’t meet her gaze, instead continuing in a leisurely tone,

“Then, when that poor, mentally ill woman was comforting it, it opened its large mouth—snap, and bit down.”

Li Tianming’s tone was flat, but the imagery was vivid.

“Did you see it too?” Luo Ling finally couldn’t help but ask.

“No, I only saw the woman self-harming while holding a corpse,” Li Tianming shrugged. “I was merely describing what you saw.”

Hearing this, Luo Ling lowered her eyes, her wavering thoughts returning to confusion.

She didn’t know if what she saw was real or fake, hallucination or reality.

Perhaps… she really was mentally ill.

“You’re right. I did see those things,” Luo Ling said with a bitter smile.

“Right? I wasn’t guessing.” Li Tianming said slowly, “I didn’t see those things, but… she did.”

Li Tianming pointed to Dr. Wu beside him. Luo Ling looked at the “psychologist” who hadn’t moved at all and saw that she had now removed her mask and hat, revealing her true face.

In an instant, Luo Ling understood why she had concealed her appearance.

Large, white patches covered her bald scalp, spreading across her entire face.

Her eyes were devoid of color, leaving only grey pupils, dull and inhuman.

Although traces of her former beauty could still be seen, she was now utterly hideous.

“Miss Luo Ling, your ability to see ‘grotesqueries’ is an illness, an illness that must be treated,” Li Tianming’s gentle voice turned strangely cold. “If you don’t receive ‘treatment,’ you will kill many people, a great many.”

At the same time, Dr. Wu stepped forward, reaching out to grab Luo Ling.

“What are you doing?”

Luo Ling’s gaze sharpened. No matter how she tried to rationalize it, she couldn’t imagine this scene being “psychological treatment.”

She leaped lightly to the other side of the room, her face filled with alarm and uncertainty.

“Don’t resist treatment,” Dr. Li said, his back to Luo Ling. “I’m saving you, ‘Awakened One.’”

Saving?

Is this how you save someone?

Luo Ling watched in disbelief as Dr. Wu, expressionless, pulled a bloody rib from her own chest, holding it like a sharp dagger.

Dr. Li… wanted to kill her?!

“Help! Help!”

Luo Ling didn’t hesitate and screamed.

She jumped off the bed without a second thought and rushed towards the door.

But a figure moved faster. Dr. Wu teleported in front of Luo Ling in the blink of an eye.

She casually pulled out a rib and pierced Luo Ling’s arm, pinning her to the floor.

“I am saving lives right now, saving many lives.” Li Tianming walked slowly towards Luo Ling, looking down at her. “Miss Luo Ling, you are an ‘Awakened One.’ In the future, countless people will die at your hands. I’m doing this to save them.

“However, I am a doctor, after all. I won’t kill you directly. I will use the power bestowed upon me by God’s mission to ‘treat’ you.

“Just like I cured Dr. Wu.”

Finally, Li Tianming met Luo Ling’s gaze.

His eyes were cold as a viper’s, filled with barely suppressed disgust and hatred.

No wonder Li Tianming had been deliberately avoiding Luo Ling’s gaze. He was afraid that his true intentions would be revealed through his eyes.

“Xiao” means “small”, “little”, or “young”.

Chapter 2: Worsening Sickness

Decaying skin, putrid organs, a blackened body—it was clearly the corpse of an infant.

Yet it opened its eyeless sockets, wailed, and continuously flailed its twisted limbs, convulsing and struggling before Luo Ling’s eyes.

Caught off guard by this horrifying scene, Luo Ling subconsciously stepped back, a wave of nausea surging through her.

What was this thing…?

Whether it was a corpse or a monster, it was certainly not a living human baby!

The woman looked at Luo Ling expectantly, waiting for her answer, like a drowning person clinging desperately to the last straw.

The nurses beside her rushed to restrain the near-frantic woman, but even together, they couldn’t move her.

“It…”

Luo Ling hesitated.

“He’s still alive, he’s still alive…”

The woman stared intently at Luo Ling, mumbling deliriously.

But she didn’t seem to be talking to Luo Ling; it was more like she was trying to convince herself.

Luo Ling looked at the nurses, then at her sister Su Wan. From everyone’s expressions, it seemed that no one found the appearance of this monster strange or out of place.

In their eyes, there was only pity and helplessness for the mad woman, and concern for Luo Ling, who was now entangled with her.

Could it be… this was normal?

So, Luo Ling mustered her courage and said,

“Your child is still alive, but… he has become a terrifying monster.”

The mad woman’s expression froze, and the nurses turned their gazes to Luo Ling, all with a hint of disbelief.

What nonsense was this girl talking about?

Li Tianming looked at Luo Ling with some shock, but quickly masked the look in his eyes.

“Mon-monster?” Su Wan’s expression faltered. She looked at Luo Ling in confusion. “Xiao Ling, you said… you saw a monster?”

Luo Ling hesitated briefly, then nodded.

“Please, don’t further agitate the patient,” Li Tianming stepped forward and said helplessly.

“Impossible!”

Just then, the mad woman screamed.

She stumbled back, looking at Luo Ling in terror, clutching the horrifying little monster tightly in her arms.

“He’s not a monster! He’s my child, I gave birth to him!”

In Luo Ling’s eyes, as the struggling little monster was held tightly by the mad woman, it suddenly reached back and grabbed her body. Its gruesome, gaping maw opened wide and bit down fiercely.

“Look, he’s still drinking my milk… My little darling, slow down, slow down…”

The mad woman suddenly calmed down, lowering her head and lovingly stroking the tumor-like head of the little monster, her face full of bliss, even as her embrace became a bloody mess.

The strong smell of blood mixed with the faint scent of milk made Luo Ling gag.

Seeing this scene, the nurses beside her recoiled in horror. The mad woman was self-harming again; they had treated her countless times for this.

It wasn’t that the nurses didn’t try to stop her, but every time they did, the mad woman thought they were trying to harm her child and had scratched several nurses in return.

However, the hospital couldn’t ignore such a mad woman. After all, it was a place for healing and saving lives. They couldn’t just stand by and watch, even if the person was a penniless lunatic.

At this moment, the bewildered Su Wan thought that Luo Ling’s words had caused the woman to dig into her own chest, and she was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes.

She looked at the woman helplessly, then turned a pleading gaze to Li Tianming,

“Dr. Li…”

Seeing Su Wan’s distraught expression, Li Tianming realized something and comforted her,

“Don’t worry, it’s not your fault. She’s self-harmed like this several times in the past few days.”

Self-harmed?

Luo Ling froze, fighting back nausea and discomfort, and looked again at the mad woman being led away by the nurses. She saw the doting, blissful smile on the woman’s face and her bloody, mangled chest.

The little monster seemed to sense Luo Ling’s gaze and slightly raised its deformed, fleshy head. Its eyeless sockets seemed to hold a hint of mockery, its gaping maw still dripping with blood and flesh.

Luo Ling chose not to speak of what she saw. She had realized… the scene she witnessed seemed different from what others saw.

Was it a hallucination?

But it felt so real…

Meanwhile, Li Tianming glanced imperceptibly at the slightly pale Luo Ling, then walked over to the woman and said softly,

“Ms. Liu, don’t worry. Let the nurses take you to the operating room, and then we can discuss how to save your child, okay?”

Li Tianming’s words seemed to have an effect, and the mad woman gradually calmed down, though she still clung tightly to the “child” in her arms.

“Take her to the operating room first and let the surgical team take care of her,” Li Tianming instructed the nurses, then contacted a few other doctors for assistance.

Only after the mad woman was taken away did Li Tianming turn his attention back to Su Wan, his expression grave.

“Sister Su, your sister’s condition… might be different from what we expected.”

“Wait, Dr. Li, are you saying…”

Su Wan’s eyes widened slightly, wanting to say something, but Dr. Li raised his hand to stop her and continued,

“Some new symptoms have appeared. As for their specific impact—”

Li Tianming trailed off, his peripheral vision falling on Luo Ling without directly looking at her.

It seemed that ever since she said the mad woman’s child was a monster, Dr. Li had avoided looking directly at her.

Luo Ling found it strange but didn’t pay much attention to it.

“Let’s do this, Ms. Su. I’ll discuss your sister’s situation with you privately.” Li Tianming’s eyes flashed with an inexplicable glint. “There are some questions that require your decision, as you are her guardian.”

Su Wan hesitated for a moment, glanced at Luo Ling with a hint of sadness in her eyes, and then nodded.

She seemed to be still reeling from the previous scene.

Just like that, Su Wan was taken aside by Li Tianming. After a brief conversation, she returned, looking dazed.

“Let’s… go home, Xiao Ling,” Su Wan said softly.

For some reason, Luo Ling felt that her sister’s gaze was evasive.

She frowned slightly and looked up at Dr. Li.

Dr. Li was standing in the light, his gold-rimmed glasses filled with white light, obscuring his eyes. Luo Ling could only vaguely see him staring at her. His intense gaze made her uncomfortable.

“Goodbye, you two.”

“Let’s go, Xiao Ling,” Su Wan tugged at Luo Ling’s sleeve and whispered.

Although hesitant, Luo Ling nodded and followed closely behind Su Wan.

…

After leaving the hospital, Luo Ling’s drowsiness returned. She was groggy all the way home and fell asleep immediately upon arrival.

When she woke up again, it was already the next day.

Luo Ling recalled the time before she fell into a deep sleep and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. She had slept for a full twenty-six hours and seventeen minutes.

Perhaps because she had forced herself to stay awake for the hospital visit yesterday, she had slept significantly longer.

Despite this, Luo Ling didn’t feel hungry.

She turned over, intending to record this data, when a knock sounded on the door.

“Xiao Ling…”

“Sister, I’m awake,” Luo Ling replied.

Her sister outside the door seemed to sigh in relief and pushed the door open slightly, entering the room.

“How are you feeling today…?”

Her expression was hesitant and somewhat stammering.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, as if she hadn’t slept all night.

“Same as before,” Luo Ling replied, noticing the unusual look on her sister’s face. “What’s wrong, Sister?”

Su Wan sat beside Luo Ling, her head lowered, lost in thought. When she finally looked up and met Luo Ling’s questioning gaze, she quickly looked away.

“It’s nothing, just… asking casually.”

“Just tell me if you have something to say, Sister,” Luo Ling said. “If it’s about my illness, I can handle it.”

When it came to her condition, her sister was always overly concerned and indecisive.

“But…”

Su Wan hesitated again, but finally gritted her teeth and asked,

“Xiao Ling, when you looked at that baby’s corpse yesterday, did you see a living monster?”

“…Yes.”

Luo Ling nodded.

She might have denied it to others, but she didn’t want to lie to her sister.

Su Wan’s face paled slightly, and she asked again, a little urgently,

“What else did you see? Like… did the monster do anything to its mother afterward?”

She looked at Luo Ling expectantly, her expression strangely familiar.

It was inexplicably similar to the mad woman from yesterday.

She was seeking an answer.

Luo Ling’s pupils constricted. Could it be… her sister saw it too?

Was it possible that she wasn’t the only one who could see these hallucination-like, bizarre scenes?

So, it wasn’t a hallucination, but something real?

Luo Ling considered her words carefully and answered seriously,

“I saw… it gnawing on its mother.”

Hearing this answer, the hopeful look in Su Wan’s eyes gradually dimmed, leaving only a long sigh.

“Sister Su, see? I told you I was right.”

A light voice sounded from outside the door, a voice Luo Ling found familiar.

Just then, the door swung open, and Luo Ling saw two people standing behind it.

One of them was Luo Ling’s attending physician, Li Tianming. The other was also a doctor in a white coat, but wearing a mask and a hat, obscuring their face.

“Indeed, Dr. Li.”

Su Wan looked at Luo Ling distraughtly and sighed softly,

“Xiao Ling, your illness… has gotten worse…”

Volume 1: Weaving Lies

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Strange Transformation

“October 14th, Sunny.”

Luo Ling steadied her slightly trembling right hand, closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths before picking up the pen again.

Under the dim light, her eyes seemed to emit a faint glow, and a terrifying dark gold color could be vaguely glimpsed in her pupils.

“Sleep time seventeen hours and thirty-two minutes, a decrease of forty minutes.”

“Single-hand grip strength three hundred and twenty-four kilograms, an increase of twenty…”

Crack.

The ballpoint pen broke, even poking a hole in the diary.

Luo Ling sighed, skillfully using transparent tape to patch up the broken pen barrel, carefully placing it on the table.

Just then, a heavy drowsiness washed over Luo Ling, but she quickly resisted the urge to pass out.

After taking a few deep breaths, Luo Ling finally managed to focus.

She looked up at the clock and exhaled softly,

“This time, I’ve finally managed to stay awake for more than half an hour…”

All the signs of mutation appeared three months ago.

Uninterrupted drowsiness every day, at its worst, she slept for three whole days straight.

A strange, immense strength suddenly surged within her consistently thin frame, now reaching the terrifying point where she could bend rebar with her bare hands.

More troublesome was Luo Ling’s inability to control this terrifying power. Anything in her hands was like paper, easily crushed if she wasn’t careful.

These symptoms distressed Luo Ling greatly, disrupting her once peaceful life.

The good news was that everything was improving. Luo Ling gradually became accustomed to the strange power, and her waking hours increased, preventing her from suddenly falling asleep while walking down the street.

Moreover, along with these symptoms came some physical changes.

For example…

Luo Ling looked at the vanity mirror on her desk. The person in the mirror had pupils with a captivating dark gold hue, faintly glowing in the dim room, as if burning.

She slightly parted her lips, revealing two sharp canine teeth, about a third longer than her other teeth.

If Luo Ling didn’t deliberately conceal them, even with her lips closed, the canines would protrude slightly.

The strange pupil color and elongated canines added a touch of ghostly allure to her originally delicate features.

Luo Ling merely twitched the corners of her mouth, and the pale-skinned girl in the mirror seemed to give a morbid, cold smile, making even herself shiver.

Luo Ling didn’t know whether these changes were good or bad, but they all seemed to be pushing her in a “non-human” direction.

Knock, knock, knock…

Just then, three cautious knocks sounded on the door, followed by a gentle voice,

“Xiao Ling, are you awake?”

“Yes, come in, Sister.”

Luo Ling quickly put away her notebook and tried to hide her slightly ferocious canines.

Outside the door was Luo Ling’s older sister, Su Wan. They weren’t biological sisters, but they had depended on each other since childhood and were no different from real sisters.

Su Wan was twelve years older than Luo Ling. For as long as Luo Ling could remember, Su Wan had always been there for her. She was more like a mother than a sister.

Creak~

The hinges of the old wooden door creaked harshly as Su Wan entered.

She sat beside Luo Ling and said softly, “Xiao Ling, it’s time for your follow-up appointment at the hospital.”

“Sister, I don’t want to go to the hospital,” Luo Ling whispered. “My condition has improved. In a few days… I should be fine. There’s no need to waste any more money.”

“What nonsense are you talking about, child?” Su Wan frowned and gently scolded, “If you’re sick, you have to go to the hospital and see a doctor. That’s how you get better.”

“Sister… no, really, no need.”

Luo Ling looked up at Su Wan, her heart aching at the sight of the dark circles under her eyes and the few strands of white hair at her temples.

These three months of visits to various hospitals had already cost a lot of money. Her sister’s savings should have been depleted.

She was probably borrowing money everywhere to treat her endless, strange illness.

“Sister, how about… I stop going to school and get a job to help you,” Luo Ling said, her eyes downcast, not daring to look into her sister’s eyes. “Anyway, I’m very strong now. I can do a lot of things…”

Hearing these words, Su Wan’s smile froze and slowly faded.

“Have I put too much pressure on you?”

In an instant, her expression seemed to become even more dejected.

“No… no! It’s not like that!” Luo Ling hurriedly said, “I just think… Sister, you’re just too tired.”

Her sister could have had a better life, at least more comfortable than now. It was all because of her, this burden… that things were so difficult.

Not only was there another mouth to feed, but she also had to pay for her schooling. To avoid affecting her studies, they even rented an apartment with a separate room.

Not to mention that during this time, because of Luo Ling’s illness, the examination fees alone had cost a lot, and the imported medicines were getting more and more expensive.

“Sister’s not tired.” Su Wan shook her head, forcing a smile. She stretched out her rough hand and gently stroked Luo Ling’s delicate cheek. “Xiao Ling, after you recover, study hard and find a good job, then Sister won’t be tired anymore.”

Luo Ling wanted to say something more, but Su Wan’s finger pressed against her lips.

Su Wan raised her eyebrows, her tone a bit firmer,

“Just listen to Sister. We’ll go to the hospital. Dr. Li promised us he would do his best. I can only relax after you recover.”

Luo Ling looked at Su Wan, gazing into her clear, gentle eyes filled with emotion, and ultimately couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

She lowered her head slightly,

“…Okay.”

Luo Ling had always listened to her sister.

This time was no exception.

…

A pale ceiling, the faint smell of disinfectant, busy doctors in white coats, and patients and their families of all kinds.

This was the hospital.

“Miss Luo Ling, it seems your spirit has recovered quite well.” A young doctor in a white coat looked at the pale girl in front of him, pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, and said with a smile, “It’s rare to see you awake.”

The drowsy Luo Ling managed a polite smile, but soon a heavier wave of sleepiness washed over her.

Su Wan, who was beside her, asked nervously,

“Dr. Li, is Xiao Ling’s condition getting better? When will she fully recover?”

The young doctor, who looked to be in his early twenties, was named Li Tianming, one of the best neurologists in Jiangcheng County.

Many patients with complicated illnesses recovered quickly under his care.

Even more commendable was that Dr. Li not only had skillful hands but also a benevolent heart. If it weren’t for his repeated assistance in waiving fees, Su Wan would have run out of money to continue Luo Ling’s treatment long ago.

“As for a full recovery,” Dr. Li pondered for a moment, “it’s difficult for me to give a definite answer at the moment, but there has been some improvement.”

“Phew, as long as there’s improvement…”

Su Wan patted her chest, relieved. She was afraid that it wouldn’t be curable.

She had long made up her mind to cure Luo Ling’s illness, no matter the cost.

“I won’t prescribe any medicine this time. To be honest, for this kind of strange illness, it’s hard to find targeted medication. We can only use some expensive tonics… which aren’t very effective.”

Li Tianming wrote a few lines in his notebook, then tore off the page and handed it to Su Wan. “These are common herbs, available at the market. Boil them in water for half an hour, three times a day.”

“Thank you, Dr. Li, thank you…”

Su Wan repeatedly thanked him, carefully putting away the prescription.

She hesitated for a moment, then took out a red envelope from her pocket.

But before she could hand it over, she heard Dr. Li say righteously,

“Sister Su, we don’t encourage red envelopes, especially considering your family’s situation. It’s better to save the money for Luo Ling’s recovery.”

Su Wan looked up and saw the gentle smile on Li Tianming’s face.

“Don’t worry, this is all within my duties… My salary is quite decent.”

“Thank you so much for your hard work.”

Su Wan stood up and helped the drowsy Luo Ling to her feet.

Luo Ling forced herself to stay alert and whispered to Li Tianming,

“Thank you, doctor…”

“You’re welcome,” he replied politely, walking out from behind his desk to see them off at the door.

Just then, a commotion could be heard from outside, growing closer.

Hearing the noise, Li Tianming’s expression changed slightly, as if he sensed something.

At the same time, the half-awake Luo Ling heard a sharp, piercing sound in her ear.

It was like the strange cry of a baby, with a chilling eerieness that instantly woke her up a bit.

“Dr. Li, what’s happening outside?”

Su Wan also heard the commotion and asked curiously.

Li Tianming’s face was clearly pale, but he still opened the door of the consultation room.

“You two go ahead. I have something to take care of.”

Su Wan nodded and pulled Luo Ling to leave.

However, it seemed to be too late. As Li Tianming opened the door, a mournful cry rang out,

“Dr. Li, please… please save my child…”

Luo Ling looked over curiously and saw a distraught woman kneeling in the consultation room, holding something in her arms. Several nurses stood beside her, their faces filled with distress.

“Sorry for the disturbance.” Li Tianming apologized to Su Wan and Luo Ling, then looked at the nurses with their heads bowed, his face grim. “How did she get out?”

“We’re sorry, we’re sorry… Dr. Li, she… she was terrifying. She gnawed and clawed her way out of the ward, making a hole in the door…” the nurses said with a tone of grievance.

The distraught woman’s face was covered in blood, her hands bloody and mangled, a gruesome sight.

She knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly to Li Tianming, muttering,

“Save my child, please…”

Li Tianming rubbed his forehead, seeing the bewildered expressions of Su Wan and Luo Ling, and said with a wry smile,

“I apologize for this. This woman is also pitiful. Her child died at birth, but she couldn’t accept it. She developed a severe mental illness, clinging to her dead child and refusing to let go, begging me to save it…”

“He’s not dead, he’s not dead!” The distraught woman looked up, staring intently at Li Tianming, but quickly returned to pleading, “Dr. Li, please… save him…”

“So pitiful.”

Perhaps because she was also a person who had suffered, Su Wan’s gaze towards the woman was more complex than just sympathy.

Luo Ling looked over curiously, but in her vision, she saw the child in the woman’s arms seemingly struggling and whimpering, making a hoarse, unpleasant sound… It was the strange cry she had just heard.

…Isn’t it still alive?

So, while Su Wan and Li Tianming were lamenting, Luo Ling couldn’t help but say,

“But, her child is still alive…”

As soon as she spoke, Su Wan and Li Tianming looked at Luo Ling, their expressions equally astonished.

At the same time, the crying woman at the door also heard these words and abruptly turned her head.

She stared straight at Luo Ling, her dirty face showing traces of madness.

Then, the woman burst into a delirious laughter and rushed towards Luo Ling with almost impossible speed,

“Yes, yes! My child… my child… he’s alive! He’s still alive!”

She held her child up to Luo Ling, her eyes filled with a gentle, almost melting tenderness mixed with insane hope,

“He’s still alive, right?”