Chapter 22 This Isn’t Me, This Is a Beast

Chapter 22 This Isn't Me, This Is a Beast

Shen Juanjuan hurriedly put on his clothes, grabbed a water pot, and stepped out the door, intending to scoop some water from the puddles formed by those metal blocks for Chu Ya to drink. But when he approached and climbed up to look, all the small puddles had dried up.

He had no choice but to turn back, but before he could enter, he heard Chu Ya's plea for water again, causing his feet, clad in round, chubby slippers, to stop in their tracks.

He knew there was only one place with water—the welfare home—but it was too far away. He doubted that if he made the round trip, Chu Ya might have already died of thirst. Undeterred, he tried to turn the faucet behind the tin shack, but it was rusted solid, immovable despite his best efforts.

Shen Juanjuan anxiously looked around, his gaze falling on Mixin Town ahead, pausing for a few seconds before quickly turning away.

No, he couldn't go there; there were ghosts inside.

He turned his head to stare at the concrete bricks beside his feet.

But there were many houses there, and surely there would be water inside them.

He licked his lips.

Even if there was water, it was too terrifying in there.

His eyes darted left and right, avoiding the sight of Mixin Town ahead.

But if I don't go, Brother won't have any water and will die of thirst! I finally found him, and I've only been taking care of him for a day. Am I going to let him die after just one day?

Absolutely not.

Shen Juanjuan finally turned around and walked step by step toward the back of the tin shack.

He followed a row of tall concrete steps to the left, reaching the end where a passage appeared before him.

If he crossed this passage, he could enter Mixin Town.

He stood hesitantly at the dark entrance of the tunnel, peering inside and asking in a trembling voice, "Hey, is there a ghost in there...ghost...ghost..."

"I'm just here to find some water for my brother, so please don't...I'll leave once I find the water...leave...leave..."

Although Shen Juanjuan had already greeted the ghost, he still wasn't reassured. He picked up a small iron stick from the ground and carried it behind his back.

He cunningly thought that he shouldn't anger the ghost and should pretend to be obedient, so he hid the small iron stick and didn't shout about a mental attack, which would clearly indicate he was ready to fight. Both his hands hung loosely by his sides, but they were secretly positioned for a mental attack gesture.

I'm getting smarter and smarter, Shen Juanjuan praised himself inwardly.

"I'm coming in...coming in...I didn't hide the stick...stick..."

Chu Ya lay in the tin shack, covered only from the waist down with a blanket. Due to a high fever, his breathing was shallow and rapid, and his exposed chest rose and fell rapidly.

He felt as though he had sunk into the earth's core, surrounded by churning magma. The fiery liquid burned through his skin, searing into his lungs and heart. He desperately wanted water, wanting the cold stream to flow through his parched throat and extinguish the burning flames within.

...Where am I... Where are Mom and Dad? Why aren't they here... Who is this boy...

Although Chu Ya's mind was hazy, he knew there was a little boy beside him who had given him medicine, fed him, and kept chattering incessantly.

His consciousness was clouded, and the intermittent words drifted in and out of his ears, but the only thing he could remember was the pair of big, black eyes.

Chu Ya hovered between unconsciousness and wakefulness, vaguely hearing strange sounds, like a beast's roar. He subconsciously followed the sound, pushing aside layers of darkness, and saw a strange scene.

This was an enormous space, and he floated weightlessly within it, as if suspended in space. Yet it was also a broken and dark world, filled with black tornadoes and spinning, colliding rocks, as if a cosmic explosion had just occurred, leaving only whirlwinds and lifeless planetary debris.

Chu Ya floated in the air, feeling no fear, only a sudden surge of pain and discomfort.

"Roar..." he heard the beast's howl.

His gaze pierced through two tornadoes, seeing a large wolf standing on a floating rock.

The wolf was entirely black, baring its sharp teeth, drooling. It seemed ready to pounce, crouching half-way and staring at him with fierce, vicious eyes.

But in the next moment, a bright gap appeared behind the wolf, like a curtain being pulled halfway open in a dark room. The wolf suddenly turned its head and lunged forward, diving into the bright gap.

And Chu Ya felt a heavy shock in his mind, losing consciousness once more.

Shen Juanjuan walked along the empty, long street, tightly gripping his water pot. The street was covered in thick dust, leaving a trail of shallow, chubby footprints behind him.

The distant lights from the landfill illuminated the surroundings, casting eerie shadows. The walls that were lit appeared ghastly white, while the unlit areas were shrouded in deep darkness, hiding countless dangers. A gust of wind blew, making a door creak somewhere, sounding particularly frightening.

Shen Juanjuan took deep breaths, worried that the noise might wake the ghosts, forcing him to hold his breath. He wanted to run, but he had to keep his eyes open, searching for a water tap.

He had lived in the welfare home since childhood and had never even been to Keke Town, so although he was terrified, everything before him was also strangely fascinating.

He stopped in front of a metal bench on the street.

Every time he passed by outside the barbed wire fence, he could see this bench through the gaps in the buildings. This was the first time he was so close to it.

"Lili Grandpa's long bench."

Shen Juanjuan panted as he approached, tremblingly climbed onto the bench, sat down, and slowly moved back until his little feet dangled in the air.

"...Child, life is like this. Instead of being unhappy, why not sing and bask in the sun with Grandpa."

He nervously recited a few lines, not daring to savor the experience of sitting on the bench, and quickly got up to continue walking.

"Mental attack! Attack yourself! Attack!" he silently chanted, positioning his hands for an attack.

This area used to be full of shops, with some glass walls shattered, leaving only open, empty rooms scattered with fallen shelves.

Shen Juanjuan did not see any water taps on the street, but there was a small alley to the left lined with residential courtyards. He thought there might be water inside.

Shen Juanjuan entered the alley, the light blocked by the high walls on either side, hearing only the sound of his uneven breathing and the soft rustling of his slippers on the ground.

He stopped at the nearest courtyard gate, peeking through the half-open iron gate. Although dimly lit, the courtyard was visible, empty and covered in thick dust.

Shen Juanjuan spoke tremulously, "I want to come in, oh~ I just want to see if there's any water~ If you don't want me to come in, just say something~" He quickly corrected himself, "You'd better not speak. If you don't want me to come in, just tap your foot, okay?"

He waited for a few seconds and heard nothing unusual, so he said, "Then I'm coming in, oh, I'm really coming in..."

Shen Juanjuan slowly walked into the courtyard and saw a faucet protruding from the laundry table under the left wall. Overjoyed, he hurried over and wiped off the dust on the faucet. The stainless steel faucet was not rusty, and its surface was smooth. He applied force with both hands.

"So tight... Oh, geez..."

The shaft emitted a dry friction sound, and the pipe gurgled as a thin stream of water flowed out.

"I knew there was water here, I knew it! Even the clever Tang Yuanyuan wouldn't know there was water here; only I knew!"

Shen Juanjuan bent down to taste the water. It had a strong metallic taste, so he spat it out hastily. Fortunately, when he tasted it again, the metallic flavor had diminished significantly. He stood by the faucet, patiently waiting, occasionally scooping a small handful to taste.

Once the water tasted normal, he took off the water bottle hanging around his neck and filled it up.

Shen Juanjuan prepared to leave but stopped as soon as he turned around.

The courtyard floor was covered with an inch or two of dust. Under the pale light of the lamp, he could see a series of oval footprints between the gate and the laundry table, which he had left earlier.

But now, next to those footprints, there were additional ones, spaced evenly apart, gradually increasing toward him.

These footprints were three times the size of his own, long and heavy, each deeply embedded in the dust, clearly showing four tightly arranged toes, with the middle two noticeably longer.

Shen Juanjuan momentarily forgot how to react, staring blankly at the footprints approaching him, as if an invisible person were walking toward him at a steady pace.

The world fell silent once more, even his breathing disappeared, and he could hear the faint creaking sound of the dust being compressed underfoot.

In the courtyard, right in front of Shen Juanjuan, appeared a massive wolf. Its entire body was pitch black, with a thick tail slightly dragging on the ground, and its eyes glowed with a faint green light. Drool dripped from its fangs.

The Black Wolf savored the sight of the child before it, who was already terrified, its eyes gleaming with excitement and ferocity as it approached step by step.

Shen Juanjuan remained frozen, his gaze fixed on the row of newly added large footprints, his eyeballs seemingly welded in place.

But in the next second, he finally snapped back to reality, gasping for air. Then he let out a blood-curdling scream and bolted out of the courtyard like the wind.

Shen Juanjuan's high-pitched scream shattered the silence of the dead town, echoing through the buildings. The Black Wolf was taken aback by the sudden noise, its raised paw freezing mid-air.

"Aaaaah... Ghost..."

As Shen Juanjuan ran past the Black Wolf with his head tilted back, the wolf seemed confused.

It stood still, watching Shen Juanjuan's lolling tongue and bulging eyes, listening to his shrieks as he dashed past and out of the courtyard, into the alley.

Shen Juanjuan continued screaming as he ran, reaching the main street before his breath finally gave out. He took deep breaths and started wailing again.

"Waaah..."

His cries rose and fell with his steps, but their volume did not diminish. He ran past a bench, several shops, kicked a tin can that clattered against a wall.

Gradually regaining his senses from the shock, he kept running while swinging an iron rod, sobbing, "Waa... mental attack... Waa... individual attacks..."

The Black Wolf also appeared at the alley entrance, chasing after Shen Juanjuan with its powerful limbs. It was clearly enraged, its expression more menacing than before, its eyes filled with malice, emitting a low growl through its bared teeth.

In an instant, it was within seven or eight meters behind Shen Juanjuan, its strong hind legs propelling it forward, leaping toward him.

The Black Wolf opened its mouth wide in mid-air, while the child ahead continued screaming, the water bottle and messy hair bouncing in terror.

Shen Juanjuan felt something pounce from behind, bringing a gust of pressure-filled wind that made him unable to even shout about mental attacks, his cries muffled in his throat.

The Black Wolf's fangs were about to touch the child's head when, without warning, the entire wolf vanished into thin air.

Only a faint shadow remained in mid-air, maintaining the pouncing posture, quickly dissipating into dust.

The pressure on Shen Juanjuan suddenly vanished, but he was too terrified to move or cry, half-bent on his legs, slowly turning his eyes.

To the left... nothing.

To the right... nothing.

He turned his head inch by inch, looking behind him.

Behind him was only an empty street, nothing there.

But as his gaze slowly extended, he saw a deep indentation in the dust some distance away.

Those were not his footprints, but the same kind he had seen in the courtyard.

Was the ghost still standing there, watching him?

Shen Juanjuan, unaware that the Black Wolf had disappeared, stared at the footprints, breathing heavily. His pupils dilated from extreme fear, tears streaming uncontrollably.

"Ghost? Are you a ghost?" he cried softly, then drew a long breath, "I, I just came for some water, I won't hurt you or eat you... Don't eat me, okay? My flesh is not tasty, really, it's awful... Sorry, I shouldn't have used mental attacks, I was wrong, sniff... I'll change..."

There was no response, as if the entity remained motionless. A window somewhere was blown open by the wind, slamming against the wall with a loud bang.

"Aaaaah!!!"

Shen Juanjuan screamed in terror and ran away.

Chu Ya, who had been in a deep sleep, suddenly opened his eyes, staring fixedly at the ceiling. His eyes were pitch black, as if soaked in ink, even the whites of his eyes turned black.

Yet his mind was clearer than ever, naturally recalling the scenes from his unconscious state:

He leaped across rooftops at night, sniffing a scent in the air, his heart filled with rage, following the smell...

His paws landed silently on the ground, filled with the thrill of a predator, slowly approaching the small figure fetching water...

He ran through the streets, chasing the small figure ahead, driven by the urge to tear apart and crush its skull.

But in the final moment as he leapt up, his mind suddenly cleared, and a thought flashed through him like a thunderbolt—

—this wasn't himself! This was a beast, a beast that wanted to cruelly slaughter!

In the last second, Chu Ya forcibly stopped, suppressing the urge to pounce and bite wildly, thinking to leave quickly, to get away from here, to leave quickly...

The next moment, he abruptly opened his eyes, and what he saw was no longer the empty long street and the running child, but a rust-stained tin roof.

He realized he had merely been dreaming.

But the dream was so vivid; it felt as if he had truly entered the body of a beast, with a strong physique and sharp claws. Through those beastly eyes, he viewed the world, leaping and running uncontrollably, filled with raging violence and anger.

This feeling was so real that he could hardly distinguish whether the bloodthirsty thoughts flooding his mind belonged to the beast or to himself.