Nightmare (Part 1)

As Mo Li struggled to move his body, Director Liu seemed to notice him. A familiar, kind smile appeared in Director Liu's eyes, filling Mo Li with warmth. He wished he could embrace the benevolent old woman again.

Perhaps Mo Li's efforts finally broke the invisible restraints, and he could move. His movements were still stiff, but he could finally move. He slowly raised his hands and walked towards Director Liu. But for some reason, after Mo Li could move, Director Liu's gaze towards him suddenly changed, filled with terror.

After showing a look of fear, Director Liu turned and fled in panic. Mo Li had no idea what was happening. Why was Director Liu running? What had she seen?

Watching Director Liu run away, Mo Li anxiously tried to make a sound. This time, he succeeded again. A sound came from his throat, but it wasn't human at all, more like a beast's roar.

Hearing his own voice, Mo Li froze. He couldn't believe he could make such a sound. Was this really his voice?

As Mo Li was surprised by his own voice, the surroundings changed, transforming into the classroom of the orphanage. His brothers and sisters from the orphanage were all seated there, and Mo Li himself was in a seat. Seeing the familiar scene, Mo Li excitedly stood up, his body bumping against the desk and chair, making a creaking sound.

The other children in the classroom turned to look at Mo Li upon hearing the noise. When they saw him, their faces showed expressions of extreme terror, and they screamed and ran out of the classroom.

Mo Li stared blankly at the suddenly empty classroom, even more bewildered. What was going on? Why was everyone afraid of him? Didn't they recognize him?

The scene changed again. The classroom disappeared, replaced by a sentry post standing in the wind and snow. Mo Li saw his former comrades. This time, before Mo Li could react, the soldiers who saw him showed expressions of utter horror. Then, one by one, they raised their guns and aimed at Mo Li.

Mo Li truly didn't know what was happening now. Seeing himself aimed at by guns, he tried desperately to tell his comrades, who were like brothers, that he was Mo Li. But the sound he made was still that beast-like roar.

Finally, someone among the opposing soldiers pulled the trigger. At the sound of the gunshot, Mo Li closed his eyes in despair.

But the pain of being hit by a bullet didn't come. Not only did he not feel any impact from the bullets, but Mo Li couldn't even hear his comrades' shouts. Puzzled, he opened his eyes and found that the surroundings had changed again. He seemed to be in a hospital, but the white walls of the hospital were covered in blood. Mo Li stared at everything around him in shock. When his gaze fell to his feet, he was completely stunned. Mei Duo's corpse was lying at his feet, her body completely soaked in blood, with numerous crisscrossing wounds. Judging by the wounds, Mei Duo seemed to have been attacked by a beast.

Subconsciously, Mo Li reached out to touch Mei Duo. But when he extended his hand, what appeared before him was a huge, furry claw. Fresh blood dripped from the sharp tips of the claws.

Looking at his hands, Mo Li was stunned for a long, long time. Then he slowly raised his other hand. At this point, Mo Li's hands were no longer human. These two hands, covered in brown fur, were exceptionally thick, with long claws. Most importantly, there was a large amount of blood on these claws.

"What... what is going on? What happened to me? Did I kill Mei Duo?" The horror in Mo Li's heart was beyond words.

As Mo Li stared at his hands, at a loss, the hospital room door was violently kicked open. Then, five or six people in police uniforms rushed in. Mo Li recognized these people too; they were his colleagues!

As soon as the police burst in, they saw the blood-soaked room and Mei Duo's body on the floor. Finally, all the police officers, their eyes red, looked at Mo Li and drew their guns, aiming at him.

At this moment, Mo Li's mind was completely chaotic. Instinctively, he turned and ran. After smashing through the window, he escaped and then ran like a madman towards the forest.

He didn't know how long he ran. The scenery around him kept changing. When he stopped, he was by a small lake. Mo Li stopped again and looked at his hands. Then he walked directly towards the lake. He was filled with questions. What exactly was wrong with him?

Arriving at the lake, Mo Li took two deep breaths, then mustered his courage and leaned over to look at the lake's surface. The mirror-like surface reflected his appearance. It wasn't a human face, but the face of a yeti. Where was Mo Li's original appearance in that ferocious face?

Looking at himself in the lake, Mo Li completely lost it. He raised his right hand and slammed it onto the lake's surface, then roared loudly, "No! No~~~!"

"No!!!" Mo Li sat up, drenched in sweat, and gasped for air. It was pitch black all around, and Mo Li couldn't see anything. It felt just like what he had seen in his dream. Mo Li hadn't recovered from the terrifying dream yet, so he couldn't distinguish between reality and the dream.

After a while, Mo Li raised his hand to touch his face. His palm felt slightly stubbled skin, not the terrifying, furry face. This gradually stabilized Mo Li's emotions. Only then did he realize that everything that had just happened was a dream. Woken by the nightmare, he had returned to reality.

Wiping the cold sweat from his face again, Mo Li reached out and fumbled on the dark ground. He remembered putting some glow sticks nearby. The glow sticks had already run out of light, and the campfire had long since died out. To ascertain his surroundings, Mo Li needed illumination.

Just as Mo Li felt a glow stick, a "crack" sound came from his left. Then, the faint light of the glow stick reappeared. Immediately after, Zhong Lichun's somewhat cold voice came through, "Shouting so loudly! Were you having a nightmare?"