Chapter 038: The Monster Covered in Tumors

Loli pounces, loli hugs—these are scenes most boys dream of.
But today, as that fantasy became reality, Li Tianque felt as if he’d stumbled into a horror movie still.
He truly regretted it now—why on earth had he agreed to Lü Mou’s request in a moment of madness?
Maybe it was just to save his own skin, but looking back, since death was inevitable either way, perhaps a swift end would’ve been preferable.
At this moment, Danni had once again clamped down on Li Tianque’s arm with a vise-like grip, as though two iron weights had crashed down on him, leaving him utterly powerless to resist.
That dreadful stench still billowed in the air, forcing its way up Li Tianque’s nostrils, and compared to the terror of dying, it was the ghastly noise that now threatened to break him.
“Ahh… Why won’t you hold me while we sleep… ughhh…”
Through a jumbled mess of electronic distortion and bizarre, unintelligible shrieks, Li Tianque finally managed to make out a single sentence. Danni’s voice had turned strange, as if transmitted through some malfunctioning speaker, now older and harsher, jarringly at odds with her earlier appearance.
“I’ll hold you while you sleep… I’ll hold you right now, just let go of me first, Danni, calm down, let go of me…”
Li Tianque answered on pure instinct, though he had no idea whether he’d actually be able to do it—in any case, his mind was looping these phrases over and over.
But Danni no longer replied. Her voice grew garbled again, laced with ear-itching static, becoming even more menacing.
“Awoo…”
At last, Danni lunged to bite again.
Though her mouth was already decayed, sharp fangs remained, snapping down like monstrous guillotine blades—this time aimed for Li Tianque’s throat.
He tried to dodge, but in his current state, there was no chance of escape.
It’s over…
Who could have guessed his life would end so soon, tricked by that bastard Lü Mou into becoming food for this terrifying little girl!
Li Tianque’s mind went blank. He struggled with all his might, but those iron hands were glued to his arms—he couldn’t move at all.
“Raa… raa…”
Two deafening roars exploded beside him, and Li Tianque instinctively shut his eyes, feeling as though he were listening to his own death knell.
This edge-of-death terror was worse than dying itself—Li Tianque experienced it in all its intensity.
I must be dead by now…
With death so near, time somehow seemed to slow to a crawl.

Could it be that I’m already dead, that my life is about to flash before my eyes?
Li Tianque wondered. About a minute passed before he realized the crushing grip on his arm had vanished and Danni was no longer on top of him.
Startled, he quickly opened his eyes. Sweat rolled down from his brow, past his temple, and dripped from his chin.
When he looked up, he was appalled to see a massive monster pinning Danni to the ground, holding her in a tight embrace.
The creature’s head resembled a lion’s, but its forehead was covered in fleshy tumors, shaped like long, dark, finger-like grapes.
It seemed to have no eyes, or perhaps they were hidden among the masses of growths. Its mouth was small, with no teeth visible. Its body was enormous and flabby, slick and hairless.
Li Tianque quickly realized this was the same terrifying beast he’d seen in the fog on his way here.
He never expected that the monster which had given him such a fright would now end up saving his life.
He exhaled deeply, taking a closer look.
The creature paid him no attention, simply cradling Danni tightly, its thick tail swaying gently.
Li Tianque came to his senses. His first instinct was to get away as fast as possible. He stood and dashed into the thick fog ahead.
By his recollection, he should only need to sprint a few steps to escape, but to his shock, he ran for nearly ten minutes and still found himself circling back to the same spot, unable to break free of the mist.
The flowers in the garden had somehow all rearranged themselves into the same configuration, making it impossible to retrace his path.
Worse still, earlier he’d been able to see the area around him by the villa’s lights, but now, after a while, the light inexplicably vanished.
He was left in a darkness so dense he couldn’t see his own hand in front of his face. In his panic, Li Tianque had forgotten to bring his phone, and now he blundered around like a headless fly.
Sometimes he ran into the edge of a flowerbed, sometimes crashed into bushes.
As he kept running, his breathing became labored and his fatigue grew, yet he still couldn’t find a way out.
Damn it, I must be caught in some kind of ghostly maze.
A chill ran down his spine as Li Tianque stared blankly around him.
The fog was thick, visibility was zero, but this was the only way forward—he had no choice but to keep running.
So, he kept on, sprinting through the unknown. After who knew how long, at last he saw a faint glow in the mist and hurried in that direction.
Judging by the light, it seemed to be coming from a streetlamp.
Li Tianque quickened his pace and plunged into the glowing fog.

But when he finally burst through the haze, he was crushed by despair: he’d ended up right next to the villa again, only from a different angle, directly facing the streetlight.
There, the monster still sat with its back to him, holding Danni close.
The strange markings on Danni’s body had vanished, the odd colors on her face faded away, revealing once more her sweet, innocent appearance.
She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, curled adorably in the monster’s embrace, a faint smile on her lips as if she were dreaming of something pleasant.
Staring at the outrageous scene before him, Li Tianque thought that if he hadn’t just survived the ordeal, he might actually have found it heartwarming.
But right now, the sight sent chills down his spine.
Damn it—looks like there’s no way out for me tonight…
Exhausted and hungry, Li Tianque just wanted to rest for a moment.
The monster remained perfectly still, as if carved from stone, holding Danni, who nuzzled contentedly against it.
Li Tianque felt utterly superfluous now, but if he wanted to leave, he’d have to pass right by the beast.
He hesitated, glancing nervously at the creature.
The monster caught sight of him instantly—though Li Tianque couldn’t see its eyes, the tilt of its head was unmistakably aimed his way.
Li Tianque swallowed hard. This was trouble. He couldn’t afford to provoke this brute, or he’d end up facing two monsters at once—what could be more disastrous?
With that thought, Li Tianque tried to tiptoe back into the fog.
But to his surprise, the monster gestured toward the villa with a nod, as if signaling him to go back inside.
Li Tianque kept retreating, hoping to slip out of its line of sight and make a run for it, when the beast suddenly snorted and stamped its foot lightly.
A shiver ran up Li Tianque’s spine. He thought it best to do as the creature indicated—after all, terrifying as it was, it had just saved his life.
Without it, he’d probably already have been torn to pieces by that crazed little girl.
With that, Li Tianque scurried past the monster and hurried into the villa.
He anxiously dashed upstairs, planning to use the compass on his phone to find his way out of the fog.
But before he could attempt to escape, there was something even more important to do—he had to call Lü Mou and ask why the bastard had tried to get him killed!
With that in mind, Li Tianque hurried to Danni’s bedroom in search of his phone.
But as soon as he stepped inside, the world went black—and he collapsed unconscious…