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?”
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