Anomaly

Chapter 2: Mutation

"Mom, the company has been quite busy lately. Once things settle down, I might be able to take some time off, and I'll come visit you then." Xiang Kun didn't reveal to his mother that he had been laid off; he didn't want the family to worry. In any case, he still had some savings and wouldn't starve for the time being. He just needed to find a new job as soon as possible.

After hanging up, Xiang Kun picked up the glasses he had taken off earlier, wiped them, and put them back on. He checked the date on his phone once more: Sunday, July 14th. There was no mistake.

Yet, he was absolutely certain that the day he left the company and went to drown his sorrows in alcohol was Thursday, July 11th!

His WeChat chat history, the Alipay record of his payment at the street food stall, and his ride-hailing app history all confirmed this.

According to the ride-hailing records, he had arrived home at approximately 8:50 PM. Because he was so drunk and dizzy, he hadn't washed up or even taken off his clothes and shoes upon arriving home; he had simply collapsed onto the bed and fallen asleep.

And now, the time was 10:47 AM on July 14th. In other words, he had slept for over two days—nearly sixty hours?

Even with a poor tolerance for alcohol, three cans of beer shouldn't have caused that!

The strange thing was that after sleeping for such a long time, he felt neither hungry nor thirsty upon waking, aside from a lingering dizziness in his head.

Xiang Kun boiled some water and made a bowl of instant noodles, but after only a few bites, he felt a violent discomfort in his stomach and ran to the bathroom to vomit everything up.

"Is this still a hangover?"

Rubbing his stomach, Xiang Kun put on his shoes and headed out, intending to find something light to eat.

As soon as he stepped outside, the dazzling sunlight seemed to worsen his dizziness, forcing him to walk close to the edge of the road to avoid the glare as much as possible.

He found a small shop near his apartment and ordered some plain congee and two small side dishes. He hadn't been sitting for long before his stomach spasmed again. He ran to the side of the road outside the shop and vomited everything he had just eaten, tears and snot streaming down his face. The shop's proprietress and the waiter both rushed out to the doorway, staring at him in bewilderment.

Xiang Kun took a tissue from the waiter to wipe his mouth, then waved his hand at them. "It has nothing to do with your food. I drank too much last night and my stomach is upset."

After paying, although Xiang Kun didn't feel hungry and his body seemed to have no other symptoms besides some weakness and dizziness, he still turned into a nearby clinic to see a doctor.

The doctor on duty was an experienced veteran, rumored to be a retired surgeon from a top-tier hospital. His medical skills were highly regarded, and Xiang Kun had visited him twice before, finding him very reliable.

"You slept for two days after getting drunk?" The old doctor asked about his symptoms while checking his pulse, then examined his tongue. "You rarely drink, right? And you've been sleep-deprived and staying up late recently, so your body is already weak. I'll prescribe some medicine. Rest well, eat light, avoid tobacco and alcohol, and eat more vegetables and fruits."

"Doctor, is it normal to sleep for two days—nearly sixty hours—after drinking? Also, my teeth feel a bit loose..."

"Usually, one wouldn't sleep that long. Hmm, as for the loose teeth, it's likely inflammation causing gum recession. Pay attention to oral hygiene, drink more water, or you could see a dentist. If you're really worried, go to the hospital for a full check-up." The old doctor briskly wrote out a prescription, handed it to Xiang Kun, and spoke.

Although the old doctor didn't think there was anything seriously wrong, Xiang Kun still felt his body was acting strangely as he stood at the clinic entrance with his medicine. He secretly decided to take the medicine and sleep today, and if he still felt this strange tomorrow, he would go to the hospital for a comprehensive physical examination.

It was already past twelve o'clock, and the aroma of food wafted from the various shops along the street, but Xiang Kun felt no appetite at all.

This left him feeling uneasy. Even with a hangover, after not eating for such a long time, he should be hungry. Why didn't he have any appetite?

He intended to buy some bread to keep as rations so he wouldn't be without food later, but as he passed the wet market, Xiang Kun was drawn in by an inexplicable scent.

There weren't many people in the market at this hour. Xiang Kun followed the scent, and when he finally found the source, he froze—

It was an older woman skillfully slaughtering and bleeding a chicken.

And the scent that had attracted him was actually the bloody stench of the chicken?

Under normal circumstances, if Xiang Kun had smelled this, he would have felt disgusted and repulsed, wanting to get away as quickly as possible. But now, he felt a craving originating from the very depths of his body.

Xiang Kun hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to ask the woman if he could buy a chicken. She told him to pick one out himself. When she offered to slaughter and pluck it for him, he stopped her, then carried the live chicken straight home.

Once he was home and the door was locked, Xiang Kun dug out his Swiss Army knife, searched online for how to slaughter a chicken, and took the bird into the bathroom to do the deed.

Because it was his first time, the chicken struggled and ran around, and it took a great deal of effort to catch it. He messaged the feathers on its neck and cut the blood vessels.

Before the chicken blood could even fill his stainless steel soup bowl, Xiang Kun couldn't resist and began to drink deeply directly from the wound.

When Xiang Kun woke up, the room that met his eyes was in a state of utter chaos. Chicken feathers were scattered all over the bed, the floor, and even stuck to his own body and mouth.

The bled-out carcass of the chicken lay at the bathroom door, with bloodstains splattered everywhere, looking like a crime scene.

Xiang Kun remembered being guided by an inexplicable impulse to buy a chicken and drink its blood. After drinking the blood, he had felt extremely exhausted and had fallen asleep the moment he touched the bed.

He picked up his phone and checked the time. This sleep had lasted over 24 hours; he had gone from 1:00 PM yesterday to 4:00 PM today.

Feeling something in his mouth, Xiang Kun spat into his hand and discovered that he had actually spat out two teeth.

He reached up to probe his mouth and easily pulled out a front tooth, which scared him so much he jumped off the bed.

He rushed to the bathroom, turned on the light, and looked in the mirror. He discovered that all his teeth were loose; with the slightest bit of pressure, they could be pulled right out.

However, beneath the old teeth, the tips of new ones were already emerging.

Thirty years old, and suddenly teething?!

What he found even more inconceivable was his own face in the mirror. Aside from the few chicken feathers and bloodstains, his entire face looked as if it were covered in a layer of torn plastic wrap.

Looking closely, he realized it was his own skin, peeling off in large sheets.

It wasn't just his face; his arms, stomach, legs—his entire body was "molting"!