DIM Chapter 5

Translator: Abo Dammen

Cold sweat broke out instantly from D172, and his body trembled slightly.

Ruan Zhou noticed it.

Well, it’s understandable. Anyone would be upset to see their hotel bathtub being used to raise fish.

It’s just that Zhong Renbao’s uncle’s temper was a bit too intense.

Seeing the man shaking with anger, Ruan Zhou felt genuinely embarrassed.

“If you don’t mind, I can stew it tomorrow as compensation for the cleaning fee.”

Stew what?

D172’s neck stiffened as he looked at Ruan Zhou.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Stew this monster that he couldn’t even clearly identify? What?!

The young man looked human, but at this moment, he seemed more terrifying than the most powerful anomaly!

Although D172 was only a D-grade anomaly, he had seen B-grade and even A-grade anomalies before. None of them had ever given him such a feeLin of being trapped.

Not a single one!

Could this “fish” be a legendary S-grade anomaly?

D172 shuddered.

That was a level that didn’t even exist in the entire Xinhai region! Such beings were few and far between!

And it was being kept in this tiny bathtub by this young human?

D172 lowered his head. Clearly, the bathtub monster had also heard the suggestion of being stewed.

Its countless limbs trembled and flailed wildly, as if protesting the young man’s decision. But to D172, it seemed more like the monster was blaming him.

It’s all your fault!

If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have said such a thing!

The monster screamed, its slimy, bloated body pressing against the bathtub, making creaking sounds.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you not satisfied? Should I give it to you alive instead?”

The monster in the bathtub struggled even more violently. Its black tentacles whipped against D172’s body, causing bone-deep pain that made his teeth chatter uncontrollably. He bit his lip until it bled.

He waved his hands frantically, terrified. “No! Not alive!”

“Alright then.” The young man lowered his head slightly, and noticed the corner of his clothes that had been soaked by the bathtub water. “Your clothes are all dirty. I’m really sorry. Should I wash this white jacket and return it to you?”

White?

The body he had possessed belonged to an employee of the Investigation Bureau, who indeed wore white clothes. But in the eyes of ordinary people, “Zhong Renbao’s uncle” should be wearing black clothes!

D172 forced a smile, one that looked worse than death. “Heh.”

“Hehehehe…”

So, he had never fooled “Him” from the beginning.

Of course, how could a weak anomaly like him deceive such an existence?

He could have killed him with just a thought, but he didn’t.

Why? Because he was kind?

D172 glanced at the monster in the bathtub and seemed to understand.

The bathtub monster wasn’t at its peak strength, and he had just happened to show up as an appetizer. No, perhaps not even an appetizer—he was more like a glass plate, easily shattered with a single swipe.

D172’s body stiffened as his consciousness was swallowed by the furious bathtub monster. Filthy, incomprehensible knowledge flooded his mind, making him dizzy and disoriented.

Ruan Zhou felt guilty.

He noticed that the middle-aged man was now drooLin, his eyes unfocused.

He had heard that hysteria could be hereditary. What if he had pushed the man too far?

Ruan Zhou cautiously suggested, “If you can’t wait until tomorrow, we could kill it now.”

D172, “!”

With the last bit of his strength, he scrambled out of Ruan Zhou’s room.

The two eyeballs in his sockets were no longer under his control, spinning freely and asymmetrically at 360 degrees.

He held onto the handrail, watching as black liquid oozed from his pores, his legs trembLin.

He didn’t even dare to recall what had just happened.

If it weren’t for the young man’s words anchoring his consciousness, he would have fallen into chaos the moment he saw that chaotic entity, whipped into oblivion by an indescribable existence!

And “He” had even mentioned eating him…

Eating him…

Thankfully, he hadn’t shown any hostile intent toward “Him,” or he would have already become a dish on the table!

Just recalLin what had happened, thinking about that being who looked human but was something entirely different, his consciousness began to unravel again.

His body moved uncontrollably, staggering until he missed a step and tumbled down the stairs.

Thud! He slammed into the wall, his head lolLin to the side as he lost consciousness. His hat fell off.

“What’s going on?”

The noise was too loud. Zhong Renbao hurried up the stairs and locked eyes with Ruan Zhou, who had rushed out.

“Your uncle seems to have fainted from anger,” Ruan Zhou said with an awkward smile.

Zhong Renbao looked at the unfamiliar man at the stairwell, wearing white clothes and with a long scar on his face. He thought, this isn’t my uncle!

Many guests, hearing the commotion, opened their doors and were shocked. “Quick, let’s get him downstairs!”

Everyone helped carry the man down from the stairwell. Zhong Renbao didn’t forget to grab the man’s hat.

“Call an ambulance!”

“Renbao, I’m sorry your uncle had to go through this.”

Zhong Renbao patted Ruan Zhou’s shoulder. “Why are you taking responsibility? If he couldn’t handle it, that’s his problem. It’s not your fault.”

Ruan Zhou, …You’re really filial, huh!

The sound of an ambulance siren grew closer.

Although the internet was down, emergency calls could still go through.

Several people in white coats rushed out of the ambulance, loaded the man onto a stretcher, and left.

“Who’s the family member?” Ruan Zhou saw Zhong Renbao not moving and thought he was being signaled. He prepared to get on the ambulance to accompany the man.

Zhong Renbao grabbed him. “Are you his family?”

Ruan Zhou shook his head. I’m not. You are.

Zhong Renbao, “Then don’t cause trouble.”

He shouted to the medical staff, “This guest was staying alone at the hotel. He has no family.”

Ruan Zhou, …

After saying this, Zhong Renbao noticed Ruan Zhou looking at him with a complicated expression. He whispered, “Don’t make trouble for yourself. The hospital will verify his identity and contact his family. He must have his own children or relatives. We don’t need to worry about it.”

Ruan Zhou silently moved a bit further away from Zhong Renbao.

He’s a good brother, but when it comes to family, he’s really ruthless.

Zhong Renbao stuffed the hat onto the stretcher and clapped his hands. “Alright, everyone, let’s disperse and get some rest.”

The guests scattered.

These past few days, something always seemed to happen at the motel. With no internet and no way to make calls, it felt like an isolated island. Everyone planned to leave as soon as it was daylight. Who knew what else might happen if they stayed?

Zhong Renbao,”Bro, let’s head back.”

Ruan Zhou couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you going to check on him?”

Zhong Renbao looked touched. “Bro, you’re really kind. Since you insist, we’ll go see him tomorrow morning. Right now, sleep is more important.”

Since Zhong Renbao didn’t care, Ruan Zhou didn’t press further.

The next morning, the two of them carried bags of fruit and went to the hospital.

Sitting in the hospital’s waiting area, Zhong Renbao went to ask which room the man was in, while Ruan Zhou waited in the lobby.

Glancing at his phone, Ruan Zhou noticed a message on WeChat.

The contact’s name: Boss.

Ruan Zhou was stunned.

The boss had sent a message?

[Are you there?]

[Are you there?]

[Are you there?]

…

Over a dozen messages, sent even in the early hours of the morning.

Ruan Zhou realized his phone might have been hacked. After all, this world didn’t have the chat app he was using.

Ruan Zhou tentatively replied: [Who is this?]

[It’s me. You’ve been absent from work for so long. I couldn’t reach you and was about to call the police.]

Ruan Zhou was skeptical. [Really? I don’t believe it.]

He had crossed over to another world. How could his boss still be asking him to work?

The other person sent a video. The gray thumbnail made it impossible to see what it was.

[You don’t believe me? Click on the video. Isn’t this our company?]

Just as Ruan Zhou was about to press play, there was a commotion nearby.

A pale-faced man, clutching his phone, was sweating profusely and breathing heavily, his lungs sounding like bellows.

It was the young man who had given him water at the internet cafe a couple of days ago.

Song Jiayang was gasping for air, his consciousness blurring. Beneath his collar, black patterns crawled up his body like tree roots.

He propped his elbows on his knees, sweat dripping to the floor.

He wanted to ask the old man next to him to call a doctor, but when he turned to look, the old man suddenly stood up and moved to the back row, screaming, “Someone’s dying!”

Chaos erupted. People avoided looking in his direction, as if afraid of catching a disease. They scattered to other seats, leaving nothing around him.

Song Jiayang couldn’t speak. His elbows gave out, and just as he was about to collapse, someone caught him.

“Doctor! Someone’s fainted here!”

Song Jiayang’s vision blurred, and shadows overlapped. A figure flickered in and out of his sight.

That night, he hadn’t clicked on the video. He quickly calmed down and realized something was wrong. Despite the internet being down, he could still receive messages. It was too strange.

After that, indistinct murmurs began echoing in his head.

He thought it might be a concussion from being beaten by those two men and decided to tough it out. But when he woke up, the voices were still there.

Then things got worse. The murmurs turned into screams, and he finally realized something was seriously wrong.

As a young man who spent a lot of time online, Song Jiayang had come across many stories about anomalies in the world. He had even researched them deeply after his own encounter, but he never thought he’d actually experience something like this.

He tried eating garlic and even poking his head with silver jewelry, but nothing worked.

The whispers in his ears grew louder, blending with reality. He had no choice but to go to the hospital.

As soon as he entered the hospital, the screams accelerated, attacking every part of his brain.

He used the last of his strength to resist clicking on that video.

He curled up, hearing a young man’s voice.

The young man was calLin for a doctor.

Song Jiayang almost cried.

It was him! The guy from the internet cafe that day!

Hearing his voice, Song Jiayang felt strength returning to his limbs.

His mouth was pried open, and something dark melted on his tongue, flowing down his throat.

It was chocolate.

So sweet.

The voices in his ears disappeared.

Song Jiayang felt as if he had been reborn. He opened his eyes to see the young man kneeLin in front of him.

Sunlight from the atrium danced on his face, casting a gentle glow. His tea-colored eyes were soft and kind.

Song Jiayang’s eyes reddened, and he let out a small whimper.

“Eat more.” Ruan Zhou steadied him, patting his back, and shoved the rest of the chocolate bar into his hands.

Cold sweat, pale face, weakness, and fainting. Ruan Zhou quickly figured the young man had low blood sugar.

Within minutes, a doctor arrived and crouched down to assess the situation.

Ruan Zhou supported Song Jiayang, providing additional information.

The body under his hands was too thin. Ruan Zhou could feel his bones, and from this close angle, he could see the injuries the young man had been trying to hide.

—This boy was hurt.

As they were leaving, Song Jiayang asked Ruan Zhou, “Can I get your contact info?”

Ruan Zhou shook his head. “Sorry, my phone’s broken.”

Song Jiayang was disappointed. When Ruan Zhou had bent down, Song Jiayang heard the constant notifications getting received on his phone.

“It’s okay,” Song Jiayang said softly.

After seeing Song Jiayang off, Ruan Zhou returned to his seat.

Zhong Renbao came back.

“Bro, the hospital won’t let us visit. They said it’s confidential. Let’s just go back.”

Ruan Zhou hesitated but finally nodded.

Alright, it’s not like it’s my uncle who’s in the hospital anyway.

As they picked up the fruit basket and prepared to leave, a commotion broke out behind them.

“Ahahahahahaha…”

A sharp laugh rang out. It was the old man who had avoided Song Jiayang earlier. His laughter drew everyone’s attention, and many people moved away.

Some took out their phones to record, looking excited.

Zhong Renbao pulled Ruan Zhou, afraid he’d get involved again.

This was a misunderstanding. Ruan Zhou had recognized Song Jiayang’s low blood sugar and happened to have chocolate, so he stepped in. But the old man clearly had a pre-existing condition. Ruan Zhou wasn’t a doctor, so there was nothing he could do.

As they left the hospital, Ruan Zhou brushed past a very tall young man.

His white hair stood out in the crowd.

He seemed to be in his twenties, nearly two meters tall. He wore a white coat over a black shirt that couldn’t hide his well-defined muscles.

He walked at a leisurely pace and seemed to notice Ruan Zhou’s gaze. He turned and smiled.

His chiseled, handsome face was fully exposed. The brown double-hooped ear cuff on his right ear gave him a rebellious look.

Ruan Zhou smiled back.

Zhong Renbao saw the man and said in surprise, “Isn’t that the person who borrowed our bathroom?”

Ruan Zhou, …

Don’t talk nonsense! That was your uncle who used the bathroom that day, and he’s still in the hospital!

He looked at Zhong Renbao with concern. “Should we go back to the hospital and get you checked out too?”

Zhong Renbao: ???