Out of the corner of his eye, Bo Yi caught sight of a distinctly human-shaped bulge beneath the covers beside him.
When had that thing gotten in?!
Perhaps it had noticed Bo Yi pause, or perhaps it had realized he was aware of its presence. Whatever the case, the thing began to move slowly, without the slightest hesitation-a cold, slippery mass gradually wound around Bo Yi's exposed ankle. Skin as cold and hard as ice pressed tightly against his warm skin, slowly squirming; the chill seeped through his pores, invading his body bit by bit.
Bo Yi's heart gave a violent thump. His body went rigid, and he froze halfway through sitting up, not daring to move. He had entered this instance entirely by accident, and for certain special reasons preceding his entry, he had nothing on him now-not a scalpel, not a detector, nothing. So until he knew exactly what that human-shaped thing beneath the covers was, he had no intention of acting rashly.
After all, the thing did not seem to intend to attack him yet. But if he moved and angered it, that would be bad... especially now, when they were so close and part of his body-his ankle-was already directly in its grasp. All he could do was hope that once it realized he posed no threat, it would leave of its own accord.
Unfortunately, such a fairy-tale wish could never come true inside an instance. When the slippery thing found that Bo Yi remained motionless and gave no reaction at all, it actually began to creep slowly up his calf. It rubbed its way upward inch by inch, a faint tickle spreading up his leg. Although the fabric of his trousers now blocked that slippery, profoundly unpleasant sensation, the tiny tickles were magnified endlessly in