Molly paused, then said: "I'm not sick. I was out shopping with Sylvie when my stomach suddenly started hurting. She happened to have painkillers on her, so she gave me one."
"You really can't stand her. How did you end up shopping with her?" I couldn't help asking.
"People's opinions change," she said with a toss of her head. "Actually, she's not that bad once you get to know her."
A woman's heart—truly a needle in the ocean!
11
Heavy rain had been falling for days, turning the entire city into a water prison. People were rarely seen on the streets; everyone was trapped indoors.
Late that night, I suddenly received a call from Sylvie. She said she'd spotted the raincoat man again, right outside her building. She was terrified, so she called me.
Without hesitation, I threw on my clothes and headed out.
"Where are you going?" Molly had been woken up, rubbing her eyes. "It's the middle of the night, and it's still raining."
"Emergency." Fearing she'd overthink it, I didn't mention Sylvie.
I hurried through the torrential rain.
The moment the door opened, Sylvie threw herself into my arms, crying: "Officer Mark, you're finally here!"
Perhaps because she was so frightened, she hadn't even changed. Through her thin nightgown, her curvaceous silhouette was faintly visible. My heart skipped several beats...
Perhaps there were implants in her nose and silicone in her chest, perhaps her body held other unknown secrets. None of that diminished her visual and physical impact on a man.
With tremendous effort, I pushed her away, grabbed a coat, and draped it over her shoulders. Whether I imagined it or not, a flash of disappointment seemed to cross her eyes. But at that moment, I couldn't think about such things.
"Where's the raincoat man?"
"He was just downstairs..."
I went to the window and looked out. Everything was a gray blur. In such heavy rain, visibility was less than a meter. But her apartment was on the eleventh floor...
She was lying!
By the time I realized this, it was too late. A gust of cold wind, a heavy blow to the back of my head. Everything went black...
12
I woke to a splash of cold water. When I opened my eyes, I found myself firmly tied to a chair. Sylvie stood across from me, staring coldly.
I had never seen such an expression on her face before—so indifferent, so defiant, so dismissive. As if the person before her was nothing more than an insignificant ant.
A baseball bat lay on the floor, one end still sticky with blood from the back of my head.
That had been one brutal blow. I could barely believe such a delicate woman was capable of it.
"Sylvie, you knocked me out?" I asked in disbelief. "Why would you do that?"
"Heh, guess." She smiled sweetly. "Officer Mark, aren't you the famous super detective?"
Her smile was still as sweet as ever, but it concealed unfathomable malice.
I knew I shouldn't provoke her further.
"My head hurts so much, I think it's bleeding. Come on, untie me." I frowned in pain.
"Sorry about that—I hurt you. But bear with me a little longer, okay? It'll be over soon." She spoke softly. "Once you become a corpse, you won't feel any pain!"
"You're going to kill me?"
"That's right—just like those nine victims." She reached out with her slender fingers, gently stroking my neck. "Throat crushed, all the blood drained from your body..."
A chill ran through my entire body. "Sylvie, what are you saying..."
"Haven't you always wanted to know who the serial killer is?" Sylvie smiled slyly. "Let me tell you—it's me."
13
I was stunned.
I never would have guessed it was her. Her appearance was incredibly misleading!
Who could have connected such a delicate beauty with a blood-soaked serial killer?
"So you approached me with an agenda," I realized. "To gather intelligence?"
"That was only part of it," she said coldly. "The most important reason is—" she gave a sarcastic toss of her head, "you're Molly's husband!"
"Why?"
"Molly probably told you—in high school I was an ugly duckling. Everyone looked down on me. They mocked me, isolated me, called me 'Fat Rat.'"
"Do you know who gave me that nickname? Your wife, Molly!"
"My original plan was to win you over and humiliate you both, but who knew you wouldn't take the bait!"
"It's been a very long time since I've experienced being rejected. Mark, what makes you so special?"
She grew more and more agitated, grabbing my collar and shaking me. Her beautiful face twisted, becoming grotesque.
"Is that your reason for killing me?" I said. "Then what about the others? What's your reason for killing them?"
Sylvie released my collar and smoothed her disheveled hair. "No reason—they were just unlucky enough to cross my path..."
"And that day, I happened to be in a killing mood. So those poor souls became my victims!"
I stared at this woman, finding it all utterly incomprehensible.
Once, she'd nestled in my arms like a frightened bird, weeping, seeking my protection...
And all along, she was the most terrifying monster of all!
14
"You're saying murder is just your hobby? But why drain their blood?" I couldn't help asking.
"Let me ask you—why do you eat?" She touched the back of my head, then elegantly brought her bloodied fingers to her lips.
Her tongue curled out, licking the blood clean off, like a hungry vampire finding a pulsing artery.
"There's one more thing you got wrong—I never use any dental appliance when I feed."
Sylvie sneered and opened her mouth wide. Her neat jade-like teeth suddenly extended, transforming into sharp fangs...
I was dumbfounded.
I'd only seen this kind of thing in horror movies.
"Officer Mark, although you rejected me, I still admire you. Originally I didn't want to make my move this soon, but I'm just so hungry. The rain won't stop, and I can't find any prey. So I'll just have to settle for you!"
With an apologetic expression, she slipped her hand inside my shirt. "You've got a great body—you clearly work out. Tsk tsk, even an eight-pack! I bet your blood tastes amazing..."
15
Overwhelming terror made it almost impossible to breathe. I tried to push her away, but all four limbs were firmly bound to the chair. I couldn't move at all. I could only watch helplessly as she bared her sharp fangs and leaned greedily toward my neck...
I closed my eyes in despair.
After seeing so many victims, I never imagined that one day I'd become one of them myself...
The irony was absolutely crushing!
Suddenly, Sylvie froze. Then she released me and slumped to one side. I opened my eyes in confusion and saw Molly standing there, holding the baseball bat, her whole body trembling.
It turned out that when I took the call, Molly had overheard. Seeing me leave after being called out by a woman, she'd quietly followed me...
The elevator in this building required keycard access from residents. After confirming the floor, she'd taken the stairs. Fortunately, when I entered, the door hadn't fully closed. She'd managed to get in at the critical moment, picked up the bat from the floor, and swung it hard...
Her blow had caved in Sylvie's skull.
But what was bizarre was that instead of blood, Sylvie's wound released a swarm of long, thin worms...
They writhed together slowly, both terrifying and nauseating...
16
When Sylvie's body was opened, everyone was horrified. Inside that beautiful body, it was crawling with densely packed worms. The flesh and organs had been hollowed out, leaving only a shell.
Tests confirmed they were genetically mutated roundworms.
The following was the coroner's conclusion:
"Some women believe that roundworms can consume excess nutrients and fat in the body, thus achieving beauty and weight loss. They take the desperate risk of swallowing roundworm eggs.
"This practice is actually extremely dangerous. Roundworms can reach many organs in the body—intestines, stomach, even the brain. If not properly controlled, the consequences are unimaginable.
"Clearly, the deceased used this method. She did get thinner and more beautiful, but what she didn't know was that her body had become a breeding ground for worms.
"With the massive proliferation of the worm colony, the nutrients in her body could no longer satisfy their needs. So they hijacked her central nervous system, creating a string of bloody crimes...
"The serial killer that had plagued us for so long was actually them!
"These mutated roundworms!"
17
When Molly heard all this, her face turned ghostly white.
"You know what? I really hated Sylvie!"
"But I also have to admit, I envied her."
"To become as beautiful as her, I went so far as to try plastic surgery, letting knives carve up my body..."
"Later I even put aside my pride and went to her door to ask for advice."
"Unexpectedly, she was so generous, sharing her beauty secrets with me."
"She taught me how to do skincare, how to whiten my skin, how to detox, how to slim down... I really did become more beautiful, didn't I? Then, she suggested I try the roundworm weight-loss method."
"She said it was the simplest and most effective way—no dieting, no exercise needed. That's why, as a food streamer who's around food all day, she could still stay so slim..."
My heart grew colder with every word. "Did you... did you agree?"
"Yes." Molly smiled bitterly. "That little red pill you saw me take—it wasn't a painkiller. It was... a roundworm egg."
I felt the blood drain from my face.
Good God—she'd swallowed roundworm eggs!
Which meant that in the near future, she might become just like Sylvie—a soulless walking corpse, a cold-blooded serial killer...
"Every man likes beautiful women. But do you know how a beauty is made? Inside those glamorous shells, there are many secrets that no one knows..." After saying this, Molly ran out in tears.
She was never seen again.
Perhaps she was hiding somewhere, enduring the agony of worms devouring her heart.
Perhaps her body had already been hollowed out by worms, and she'd become a blood-soaked monster...
No one knows.
(Story 1 Complete)
*
"After Molly went missing, I was filled with guilt and sorrow. So I quit my job and went looking for her everywhere. Two years have passed, and I still haven't found her." Mark took a somber sip of his drink. "I won't give up. I'll keep looking—alive or dead, I need to know."
His story was over, and everyone felt moved.
Women would do anything to become beautiful. But ultimately, wasn't it all to capture a man's heart? Was it really worth it?
"Women—they're just too foolish and naive!" A plaintive sigh drifted from a corner. "They'd give anything for the man they love, even their lives. But do those men deserve it?"
The speaker was a somewhat older woman, dressed entirely in black—black shirt, black pants, black hat, black shoes. She sat there quietly, like a shadow.
If she hadn't spoken, no one would have even noticed her.
"Ma'am, it seems you have a story to share as well," the boss smiled. "Would you like to tell us?"
The woman hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Then I'll tell a story about a scumbag."
"Wonderful, we're all ears." The boss walked over and added some hot water to her cup.
"Thank you." She took a sip, then said softly, "This story happened to a friend of mine. But for ease of telling, I'll use first person.
"My surname is Yu. Yvonne.
"Before I turned twenty-seven, I always thought I was no different from anyone else. Born the usual way, mammal, primate, member of the human species. I could smile, walk upright, and I had 206 bones in my body.
"After twenty-seven, I discovered that in addition to all that, I also possessed an ability that no one else had..."