Treatment on a Rainy Night

The rain outside the window poured down harder, like a celestial river bursting its banks, violently lashing down on the world. The dense raindrops pounded against the windowpane, no longer just tapping, but almost hammering, producing a continuous, unsettling roar. The wind, carrying the rain, whipped at the pipes of the buildings and exterior walls, making a strange, whistling sound. The entire city seemed to be submerged in this cold, noisy water world.

In Sun Tingting's warm living room, the laughter from the variety show seemed to be drowned out by the sound of rain outside the window, becoming somewhat distant and unreal. She had just finished eating the wontons her mother had cooked, licked her lips contentedly, and curled back into the sofa, ready to continue watching her show. Her father yawned, put down his newspaper, and got up to stretch his limbs. Her mother was clearing away the dishes in the kitchen; the sounds of running water and the clinking of dishes could be faintly heard.

Amidst this seemingly safe background of sounds—a mixture of rain, television, and everyday noises—a highly discordant voice abruptly broke in—

"Ding-dong--"

The doorbell rang.

The sound was crisp, yet like a cold needle, instantly piercing the warm and peaceful bubble inside the room.

"Who could it be so late?" Mr. Sun muttered, glancing at the wall clock with some doubt, but still walked towards the entrance. Sun Tingting and Mrs. Sun in the kitchen didn't pay much attention, assuming it was just a neighbor or a delivery person who had come to the wrong door.

Sun's father peeked out through the peephole. The hallway outside was dimly lit, and he could only vaguely make out a figure wearing a hat and a dark raincoat, seemingly carrying something in his hand, with his head down, so he couldn't see his face.

"Who is it?" Mr. Sun asked, raising his voice.

There was no response from outside.

Mr. Sun frowned. Perhaps the rain was too heavy and the other person hadn't heard him clearly? He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and turned the lock. With a click, the door opened.

What happened next happened so fast that Sun Tingting in the living room couldn't comprehend it at all.

She didn't hear the expected conversation, but instead heard a dull thud, like a heavy object falling to the ground, coming from the entryway—"Bang!"

Immediately following was a short, muffled groan from the father, as if it had been cut off in his throat, and then silence.

The television in the living room was still on, with the variety show guests laughing exaggeratedly. But at that moment, the laughter sounded incredibly eerie and jarring.

"Old Sun? What's wrong?" Grandma Sun, who was in the kitchen, had obviously heard the commotion. She turned off the tap, wiped her hands on her apron, and leaned out of the kitchen towards the entrance. "Did you drop something? How many times have I told you not to be so clumsy..."

Her footsteps stopped abruptly at the junction of the living room and the entryway.

Sun Tingting's heart leaped into her throat; an ominous premonition coiled around her heart like a cold snake. She instinctively sat up straight, held her breath, and listened intently.

Dead silence.

Apart from the torrential rain outside the window and the inappropriate laughter from the television, there was no sound from the entryway. No mother's questions, no father's responses, nothing at all.

Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Then--

"Ah--!!!"

A piercing, terrifying, and desperate scream suddenly erupted from the entryway! It was the mother's voice! But the voice was so distorted that it almost didn't sound like her!

The scream was as sharp as shattering glass, yet it seemed to be abruptly stopped at its highest point, as if gripped by an invisible hand, and replaced by a duller thud as the victim fell to the ground.

"Mom!!!" Sun Tingting finally reacted, screaming as she sprang up from the sofa. A huge fear gripped her instantly, leaving her ice-cold and weak in the knees. She wanted to go see her, but her legs felt like lead and she couldn't move.

Just then, she heard footsteps.

It wasn't the steady footsteps of a father, nor the light footsteps of a mother. Instead, it was a kind of... dull, damp, sticky footsteps, slowly and deliberately walking from the entryway toward the living room.

"Pat... pat..."

Each sound felt like a blow to Sun Tingting's heart. She could even picture the owner of those feet, the raindrops dripping from their raincoat onto the floor.

Escape!

That was the only thought left in my mind!

Like a startled rabbit, she practically tumbled into her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her with a bang, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest. She slid down to the floor against the door, panting heavily, her ears perked up, trying to catch any sound outside.

The footsteps paused briefly in the living room, as if they were surveying the area. Then, with a clear direction, they resumed, heading towards her bedroom door!

"Pat... pat..."

Getting closer and closer!

Sun Tingting was terrified. She looked around and her gaze finally fell on the space under the bed. That was the only hiding place she could think of. She crawled over on all fours and desperately squeezed into the narrow, dark space under the bed, curling up in the deepest part and covering her mouth tightly, afraid of letting out a single breath.

"Squeak--"

The bedroom door was pushed open.

Those feet, clad in muddy rain boots, stepped into her room. The boots left obvious water stains on the floor.

Sun Tingting hid under the bed, staring intently through the gap in the sheets at the pair of feet not far away. Fear, like an icy tide, engulfed every inch of her skin, making her tremble uncontrollably. She bit her hand hard to keep from crying out.

The feet moved slowly around the room, seemingly examining the girl's private space. It paused at the desk, then turned towards the wardrobe. Every step tugged at Sun Tingting's nerves, pushing her to the brink of collapse.

After a while, the footsteps seemed to be moving towards the door.

Is he leaving?

A surge of overwhelming joy and disbelief welled up inside Sun Tingting. Yes! He probably didn't notice me! He thought no one was in the room!

Just as her tense nerves relaxed slightly, and she instinctively, tremblingly, reached for her phone lying beside her, wanting to call the police for help—

The rain boots, which had already reached the door, suddenly stopped.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Sun Tingting froze, even her breathing stopped. She stared in horror at the motionless rain boots, her ominous premonition reaching its peak.

Then, under her desperate gaze, the owner of those rain boots suddenly bent over at an extremely bizarre angle, defying ergonomics!

A male face wearing an ordinary mask and a hat pulled low suddenly appeared upside down between her legs. His cold, emotionless gaze pierced the darkness under the bed and locked onto Sun Tingting, who was cowering in the corner, terrified out of her wits!

Their eyes met!

"Ugh--!!!" Sun Tingting's pupils dilated to their maximum size instantly, extreme fear overwhelming her reason. She opened her mouth, wanting to let out the most piercing scream of her life--

However, before the words could even leave her throat, the figure referred to as the "Patient" moved with inhuman speed! He swiftly crouched down and crawled under the bed like a cheetah, one hand clamping down on her mouth and nose like an iron clamp, while the other hand held an object crackling with dangerous, eerie blue electricity, precisely pressed against the artery on Sun Tingting's neck!

"Sizzle!"

A strong, irresistible tingling and excruciating pain instantly spread throughout her body. Sun Tingting's body convulsed violently a few times, her vision went black, and she completely lost consciousness.

The "Patient," expressionless, dragged the unconscious Sun Tingting from under the bed. In his consciousness, he reported in an almost mechanical, calm tone. "Master, target under control."

Lin Feng, who was far away in the safe house, received this message and replied succinctly and coldly, "Proceed as planned."

The "Patient" didn't linger. He went to the door and brought in a box that looked like a large takeout insulated box. Opening the box, instead of food, there were some strange "tools" neatly stacked inside: several rolls of cable ties of different colors, a few old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs that looked to be of high wattage, and other items whose purpose was difficult to discern at a glance.

This was something he had prepared specifically for; he wasn't an expert in kidnapping. However, he had watched many movies beforehand and had acquired some theoretical knowledge.

In movies, when kidnappers take hostages, they often gag them with a rag so they can't make a sound or call for help. He found this plot point ridiculous. A rag—they can just spit it out. How could it possibly block out all the sound?

However, he had watched another TV series before coming here, which gave him an idea. He remembered a scene from the series. "Don't put it in your mouth, or you won't be able to take it off."

With a slight smile, the Patient placed the three light bulbs into the mouths of Tingting and her family of three one by one. She tried again, and just like in the TV dramas, they were swallowed but couldn't be taken out.

Next, he used cable ties to securely bind the hands and feet of Sun Tingting's parents—two middle-aged people in a coma—behind their backs, and threw them in a corner of the living room, as if discarding two pieces of trash.

Finally, he roughly stuffed Sun Tingting, who was still unconscious with a light bulb stuffed in her mouth, into the large cardboard box like a folded piece of cargo, and sealed it with tape. He easily carried the box and went outside. The hallway was eerily quiet, with only the continuous sound of rain outside the window. A simple flatbed cart leaned quietly against the wall, obviously prepared in advance.

He placed the cardboard box on the trolley, pushed it, and headed for the elevator. The elevator descended, the numbers silently ticking, and the metal box carried him and the "goods" inside away from this once warm scene, now only deathly silence and sin. The torrential rain perfectly concealed everything, washing away all possible traces.

The next morning, the torrential rain that had raged all night finally stopped. The sky was turning a pale white, and the air was exceptionally fresh, carrying the scent of damp earth washed by the rain.

At the teachers' college, students were jogging in twos and threes in front of the girls' dormitory. A girl in sportswear was jogging slowly along the path next to the dormitory, breathing in the cool morning air.

Suddenly, she stopped abruptly, her eyes widening in terror as she stared intently at the green belt at the base of the dormitory building not far ahead.

There, something resembling a human figure lay, its posture extremely contorted and bizarre.

She rubbed her eyes and cautiously took a few steps forward.

The next second, a heart-wrenching scream shattered the morning tranquility and burst from her throat!

"Ahhhhhh!!! Someone's dead... dead!!!"

On the tangled bushes and damp grass lay a woman's corpse, face up. The body was soaking wet, her clothes disheveled, and her exposed skin covered in bruises and scratches. Most gruesome of all was her face—completely disfigured from the fall, her skull even deformed, making her features unrecognizable. Only her stiff limbs and lifeless posture testified to the utter annihilation of life.

The screams attracted more joggers and passing students. People gathered around, some covering their mouths in terror, some bending over and vomiting on the spot, and others turning pale and trembling as they pulled out their phones to call the police.

The sound of sirens grew louder as they approached, shattering the tranquility of the campus. Police quickly arrived and cordoned off the area. Uniformed officers and forensic doctors in white coats busily conducted a preliminary examination around the body, taking photos, measuring, and collecting any possible trace evidence...

Due to the severe damage to the body, facial recognition was difficult, and no items could be found on the person to identify them. The police were unable to determine the identity of the tragically deceased body immediately. They could only treat it as an unidentified corpse and take it back to the forensic center for further examination, while simultaneously investigating recent missing persons reports from both inside and outside the school.

The morning sun struggled to pierce the clouds, shining on this land that had just experienced death, but it could not dispel the heavy stench of blood and fear that permeated the air. One night, one heavy rain, seemed to have covered up too many secrets, or perhaps, it was merely the beginning.