ACIFITFDB – Chapter 6

Chapter 6: This Dog Has a Problem

Grotesque beings always have at least one weakness from their birth, sometimes an object, and sometimes a person with whom they have a strong causal connection.

The grotesque lying on the hospital bed before them wasn’t very strong, and it had far too many weaknesses. An Baixin was one of them.

If anyone else attacked it, it would be ordinary damage.

But if it were someone with a strong causal connection, like the old man’s son or daughter-in-law, it would be critical damage.

It was a pity that the other three had been successfully assimilated and polluted, increasing the grotesque’s power. Only An Baixin remained conscious.

Therefore, when she raised her knife to resist, the small surgical knife directly severed its entire tongue.

“Ahhhhhh!!!” The grotesque wailed, clutching its mouth, and the process of merging with the other three accelerated.

Within seconds, the three had completely lost their human appearance, with only their arms and legs dangling. As the monster howled, their arms and legs twitched like pendants.

After merging with the three, the grotesque’s strength greatly increased, and its tongue instantly grew back. It whipped An Baixin, sending her flying into a nearby hospital bed and onto the floor.

An Baixin gritted her teeth and got up, only to find that the monster before her had grown to the height of the hospital ceiling.

The hospital room door also began to bang loudly, with mutated people like zombies banging on it from the outside.

Qin Xian kicked a cabinet over, blocking the door and holding it shut.

Although these things weren’t strong, if they were allowed to enter and merge with the large monster, the situation would become even more troublesome.

Qin Xian held a marrow bone in one hand and took out three more surgical knives with the other. He placed his index finger against the handle of a knife and flicked his wrist, sending the surgical knife flying like a dart directly into the grotesque’s eyes.

The next one, the heart.

The next one, the throat.

The grotesque, with its vocal cords ruptured, made “gurgling” sounds, its multiple legs kicking wildly in pain. It looked a bit like a grasshopper being squeezed by someone.

Without the surgical knives, Qin Xian picked up the marrow bone again, jumped onto the hospital bed, and swung it down towards the grotesque’s forehead.

“Crack.”

The marrow bone broke.

“Ah, a pity.” The dog’s treat was gone.

Qin Xian reacted quickly, swinging the broken end of the marrow bone towards the grotesque’s other eyeball and stabbing it fiercely.

The sharp bone easily pierced the fragile crystal, even sinking in five or six centimeters deep. It was stable enough for Qin Xian to grab it and use it as leverage, kicking off the surgical knife in its throat.

With this, the surgical knife, including the handle, was fully embedded in its throat.

An Baixin in the corner gasped.

Just imagining it made her throat ache.

This grotesque was a solid, humanoid monster that could be killed with physical attacks, and its weaknesses were basically the same as a human’s.

Both the throat and eyes being pierced were severe injuries, but more importantly, the heart in its chest needed to be protected.

The struggling grotesque desperately reached out to pull out the surgical knife slightly embedded in its heart, but Qin Xian was faster. After landing, he grabbed a thermos cup and smashed it down on the handle of the surgical knife.

With this, the last fatal weakness was also pierced by the surgical knife.

“Boom boom boom!”

The grotesque’s painful roar erupted into a final resistance, wildly thrashing its tongue, hands, and legs, smashing everything in the room at Qin Xian.

It even clawed at the ceiling, trying to pull it down.

Fragments flying around the room scratched Qin Xian’s face and arms, narrowly missing his eyes.

“Tsk. Let’s go.” Qin Xian quickly jumped off the bed, grabbed An Baixin’s clothes, and dragged her out of the room.

An Baixin ran out, gasping and stumbling, following Qin Xian through several hospital rooms before stopping.

She leaned against the wall, panting heavily, and listened as the struggling sounds from not far away gradually grew fainter until they disappeared completely.

The dim lights in the corridor flickered and then gradually returned to their normal brightness.

Qin Xian stood under the flickering lights, his breathing steady as he brushed the dirt off his clothes.

“Congratulations on surviving. What are your plans now?”

An Baixin looked bewildered. “I don’t know. I don’t even understand what happened. What about them?”

Qin Xian replied calmly, “They’re dead. Congratulations, if your father-in-law has no other wife or children, you might get his inheritance.”

An Baixin hadn’t expected this topic to come up and replied blankly, “It seems… it seems he has no other relatives.”

“So what do you plan to do?”

“Uh, if I really get the money. I want to open a dessert shop… I want to have my own life. I don’t want to think about getting married for a while. Maybe I’ll get a dog.”

Qin Xian smiled. “Indeed, a dog won’t betray its owner. I wish you success. Your life can have a new beginning. Of course, if you still care about the people in that house, then forget I said anything.”

His words were very direct.

An Baixin quickly waved her hands and shook her head. “No, I won’t be like before. Um, thank you for saving me. Thank you so much. May I know your name?”

Qin Xian replied, “My surname is Qin. If you want to thank me, buy me a bag of dog food.”

“Huh? Oh, no problem, I can buy ten bags. Mr. Qin, do you also have a dog?”

“No, I just picked one up. Do you want it? You said you wanted a dog, didn’t you?” Qin Xian asked.

An Baixin hesitated. “Uh? What breed is it? I’d be very happy if I could adopt one.”

Qin Xian gestured. “A black dog, about this big, likely a medium to large breed. It looks like a mixed breed.”

An Baixin hesitated. “Ah… I think I’d prefer a small dog, like a Bichon Frise.”

Qin Xian decisively gave up. The dog at home didn’t seem very friendly with people.

“That dog doesn’t seem to suit you. Never mind, I need to go back and see it.”

An Baixin nodded. “Then let’s go find a pet store nearby. I’ll buy you some pet supplies!”

More than an hour later, Qin Xian got out of a taxi with bags and bags of goods. An Baixin was very enthusiastic and bought a lot of things at the pet store, stuffing them into his hands.

Seeing that he couldn’t refuse, Qin Xian simply accepted them. He got into the taxi she called and returned home.

He opened the door, and the house was silent, not a sound. Even after turning on the lights, he heard nothing.

“It’s not dead, is it…” Qin Xian walked quickly through the living room and saw through the glass that the dog on the balcony had sat up and was turning its head towards him, staring intently without barking.

This dog was truly unlikable.

Qin Xian frowned.

However, it might just be wary of strangers. After being injured, this state should be normal.

Qin Xian wasn’t bothered to be cautious or coddle it, nor was he afraid of the dog suddenly lunging at him.

He reached out and pushed open the balcony door.

The thick, aging glass door made an unpleasant creaking sound, making the dog’s ears twitch.

Qin Xian placed two ceramic bowls on the ground, one filled with water and the other with some dog food.

But the injured dog seemed uninterested in the dog food, not even lowering its head, and kept staring at Qin Xian.

Qin Xian squatted on the ground, making eye contact with it boredly.

The dog remained silent, not making a sound.

Qin Xian asked, “Are you a mute dog? Woof woof, bark so I can hear.”

Dog: “…”

“You were howling a few hours ago… Never mind, I brought you food. Eat up.” After speaking, he stood up and left, closing the balcony door again.

The dog seemed to have regained its spirit and wouldn’t die. He wouldn’t bother with it for now and would let it stay quietly by itself.

Qin Xian took a shower first. Feeling refreshed, he returned to the living room and lay down on the sofa.

The soft sponge hugged his back tightly, and his tensed nerves finally relaxed.

Qin Xian looked at the ceiling, his black pupils flickering slightly in the light.

He was sorting through the day’s information.

According to the rules, only the ultimate victor among those who were drawn into the Infinite Stream World could return to the Real World.

For this position, everyone fought to the death.

When Qin Xian won, he was immediately besieged by other players.

The Main God opened the door for him to return, but the other players cast hateful, jealous, and crazed glances at him.

Those people lunged at him like madmen, their faces contorted, shouting, “Why?”

“Why can you live and we have to die? Why can you go home?!”

Under such psychological pressure, even if the Main God said they would have their limbs severed to return, they would readily agree.

Let alone carrying back a grotesque seed.

In fact, such a condition even aligned with the already twisted psychology of some people.

Why was only he dragged into this terrifying world? Why were others living peacefully and happily?

Qin Xian shifted slightly, recalling Xun Dawei’s abnormality when he escaped the police pursuit.

A normal person couldn’t dodge bullets continuously. Did Xun Dawei retain his abilities from the Infinite Stream World, or did he gain power from a grotesque?

Qin Xian looked at his palm and fell silent for a moment. There was nothing unusual.

He couldn’t summon his weapon again. However, his “Insight” ability had recovered not long ago.

Could it be that his abilities would gradually recover after returning? Why was that? Was the erosion from that world intensifying?

Regardless, the peaceful life he had imagined was unattainable.

“…This is bullshit.”

Qin Xian cursed.

But no matter what, he would survive. Although he didn’t want to be a savior, he would definitely stop the grotesques. Also, he needed to earn some living expenses.

Qin Xian thought for a moment, opened his phone, and posted a strange advertisement on a part-time job forum.

[Location A City. Have you encountered any strange incidents recently? Look for me, I can help you solve them – Poster: Q]

Staring at the post for a moment, Qin Xian couldn’t help but laugh.

He hadn’t expected that after returning, he would end up as a charlatan just to make money.

Putting down his phone, he sat up from the sofa… Suddenly, Qin Xian looked towards the balcony with a neurotic vigilance.

Through the glass door, the dog on the balcony was still watching him.

Its black fur blended almost perfectly with the night, only its eyes reflecting light in the darkness.

For some reason, the color of the light was slightly reddish.

This dog had a problem.

Qin Xian frowned and stood up. The light shifted, and the dog across the glass tilted its head, its ears also tilting to one side.

It seemed like mere vigilance and curiosity.

Qin Xian walked directly to the balcony door and looked down at the dog.

The dog also looked up to meet his gaze.

Qin Xian’s eyes began to turn golden, but then red bloodshot veins started to creep across his eyeballs.

As his eyes ached to the point of shedding two tears, he covered his face and exhaled slowly, enduring a wave of intense pain.

Using his “Insight” ability, he looked at the dog. Its appearance hadn’t changed at all. This basically meant the dog wasn’t a transformed grotesque, but there was another possibility…

Its current appearance was its original form.

Author’s Note:

———————-

Current dog: Mute dog

Future dog: Woof woof, don’t you want me anymore, woof woof [Pitiful]

Ah, I really like the little emoticons on Jinjiang now!