I was in a complete daze. Ever since that sickening sound of something bursting, the monsters had stopped their assault and vanished into the shadows. My right hand, however, was radiating a white-hot agony—a pain that didn't just crawl across my skin, but felt like it was deep in the marrow. I was convinced those things had snapped my bones.

　　Even with the monsters gone, my heart was hammering against my ribs, and I was gasping for air. Aside from my mangled hand, I could feel bite wounds on my left side and right leg, though they weren't as bad since I’d instinctively used my right arm as a shield.

　　I didn't give Hu Xi an answer. Instead, I fumbled with my left hand until I found my Ericsson 688 in my pocket. I managed to dial 911, but before I could utter a word, a dark shadow lunged out. It grabbed my left hand and squeezed with such crushing force that I cried out and dropped the phone.

　　The glow from the screen hit the floor, illuminating the thing that was pinning me down. I looked up and froze. It was a long, spindly, segmented limb—hard, black, and jointed. And it was coming from under Hu Xi’s legs. I’d never paid much attention to her legs before because they were always draped under a blanket. Now it hit me: I’d never seen her wear shoes, let alone seen her feet.

　　"Hu... Hu Xi... what are you? Are you even human?" I stammered, completely losing my grip on reality.

　　"It’s time to end this little charade," she said, her voice chillingly calm. "Papa will be home soon. If he finds you here, the rats will tear you apart piece by piece. Now, back to our original question. You still have two choices. One: resist, and let me kill you—or eat you. Two: I patch you up, and you do me a favor. Make your choice, Chen Feiyu." In the darkness, her eyes glowed with a predatory, crimson light.

　　"Option two," I choked out. I didn't have a choice. I was hobbled and broken, and I knew that if she’d wanted me dead, that limb could have skewered me through the chest in a heartbeat. "What do you want me to do?"

　　I wasn't giving up, though. If a window opened, I was bolting. There was no way I was staying anywhere near a monster.

　　Hu Xi tilted her head, and the limb retracted instantly. "Good. Now pick up the phone and give it to me."

　　I did as I was told, walking over and placing the phone in her lap. I couldn't help but glance at her legs, unable to fathom how such long, insect-like appendages could just vanish back underneath her.

　　"I might have been seeing things, but it looked like you actually killed one of the rats. And yet, when I attacked you, you reacted like a regular human. Maybe my eyes played tricks on me," Hu Xi continued. "The rats won't be coming back out for now. I need you to push me to the stairwell. There’s a door there that leads to the basement."

　　I began to push her slowly. The shop was a tomb of shadows, but those red eyes of hers could clearly see everything. She navigated me through the dark, calling out turns and obstacles until we reached the stairwell.

　　"There’s a small medical kit in the cabinet above you," she said, adding, "Top shelf on your left," when she realized I was still blind in the dark.

　　I found the kit and handed it to her. Using the phone as a makeshift lantern, she began to clean and bandage my wounds.

　　It was an surreal experience—like being on the African savannah and running into a man-eating lion, only for the lion to decide not to eat you and instead lead you to water because you were dying of thirst. It was jarring, wrong, and deeply unsettling.

　　"What exactly... are you? A person or a monster?" I couldn't help but ask.

　　"Before Papa gave me a brain, I was a monster. Now that I have one, I’m Hu Xi," she replied, bandaging me with meticulous care. "But don't get any ideas about running away. I’m still a man-eating monster, and I’d really rather not relapse after quitting meat for so long."

　　"Got it. Loud and clear," I muttered. "Can I ask... once we get to the basement, what happens next?" I was trying to map out the next steps, hoping to find a window of opportunity to bolt.

　　"I feed you to the rats," she said flatly.

　　My heart skipped a beat, and I shut my mouth. I sat there in silence as she finished treating my wounds. However, when she got to the deep gash on my right hand—a cut so deep the bone was visible—her crimson pupils suddenly constricted. She looked as if she’d seen something that shouldn't exist.

　　"You... never mind. Even if I asked, you probably wouldn't know." She handed me a key. "Here. Open the basement door. Papa put the lock up high so I could never reach it, yet he gave me the key anyway. Feel along the right side of the door and keep going up. You should find the keyhole. Just unlock it and push."

　　I did as I was told. I had to reach as high as I possibly could. I'm about five-foot-nine, so my maximum reach is roughly six-foot-three, and the lock was right at that limit. There was no way Hu Xi could reach it from a wheelchair. Even with those limbs of hers, she probably lacked the dexterity. She could have smashed the door down with brute force if she really wanted to, but the fact that she hadn't told me she was afraid of something—or someone.

　　Just as the door clicked open, the lights flickered and surged to life. The power was back. At that exact moment, a man's voice drifted in from the back entrance.

　　"Xi? Xi, where are you? Why is one of the rats dead? Did you do this?" The voice was getting closer.

　　Panic flashed across Hu Xi's face. She snatched the key back and frantically wheeled herself out of the room. I ducked into the shadows of the alcove, crouching low and praying I wouldn't be seen.

　　"Papa... you're home early."

　　"Of course I'm home early. Did you forget? Tomorrow is Hu Xi's birthday. We're going to celebrate her. With the help of that benevolent deity, Hu Xi will be resurrected at midnight tonight. I’ve finally secured the last sacrifice. I just went out to buy some peaches—her favorite. I want her rebirth to be full of sweetness."

　　"Oh, that's wonderful news, Papa. I’m sure little Hu Xi will be very hungry."

　　"Xi, why are you sounding more like a human every day? Where are you picking this up? Didn't I tell you to stay inside during the day? Don't forget—you aren't human, and you aren't my family. You're just an accidental byproduct. A lab rat. Understand? I can return you to the grave whenever I want. Your power was a gift from me, and I can take it back just as easily!"

　　"Yes... Papa. I understand..."

　　"Good. Then why did you kill a rat? I told you, those things are your brothers and sisters. They are precious test subjects. Every one you kill is a loss!"

　　"The power went out... they lunged at me. I didn't have a choice..."

　　Before she could finish, a piercing scream tore through the air, followed by the sickening crack of a whip hitting flesh. I flinched, reeling backward, and accidentally knocked against the basement door I’d left unlatched.

　　"Who’s there?!"