The clawing hand slowly pulled itself out from behind the building, dragging the rest of the creature into view.
Zixin's breath caught.
What emerged was a monster.
Its head was grotesquely distorted, the familiar features stretched and warped until they barely resembled the woman he remembered. Her hair had become a tangled mess, hanging wildly around her face, while her skin had taken on a sickly, lifeless appearance. Her neck remained almost the same size it had been when she was alive, but everything below it had changed.
Her body had elongated into a horrifying, bony structure. Her limbs were unnaturally long, her shoulders twisted at an impossible angle, and her fingers had stretched into thick, claw-like appendages capable of tearing through concrete.
The thing slowly straightened itself.
Every movement was accompanied by the faint cracking of bones.
Zixin stared at it from the ground, his mind refusing to accept what his eyes were seeing.
That was not his mother.
No.
That couldn't be his mother.
His mother had been an ordinary woman. She had cooked for them, scolded him when he came home late, complained when he forgot to wash the dishes. She had held Lin Jing when he was sick.
She couldn't possibly have become this.
Yet the jade bracelet remained around the creature's wrist.
The same jade bracelet she had worn every day.
Zixin's fingers trembled.
His mind went completely blank as he stared at the monster standing several meters away.
"Zixin!"
The sudden shout snapped him out of his daze.
"Get up! Get the fuck up, you idiot!"
Bao hurriedly crawled higher around his neck, his tiny body tense and his scales standing on end.
"Are you planning to stare at it until it eats you?! Now is really not the time for your emotional reunion!"
Zixin's eyes finally sharpened.
"Shut up!"
He pushed himself off the ground in one swift motion and immediately scooped Lin Jing into his arms.
The boy clung tightly to his chest, startled awake by the impact and shouting.
"Ge…"
"Hold on to me."
Zixin's voice was low and tense as he pulled Lin Jing closer, placing his body between the child and the monster.
Across from them, the creature slowly tilted its head.
Its empty eyes settled on them.
Then its jaw opened.
A distorted growl crawled from its throat.
Zixin's heart hammered.
He knew that sound.
It was the same hunger he had heard from every zombie he had killed.
But there was something different about this one.
It was aware.
The creature's gaze moved from Zixin to the child in his arms.
Then it smiled.
It wasn't a human smile.
Its lips stretched far too wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth.
Zixin's stomach dropped.
"Bao…"
"I know," Bao hissed.
The little snake tightened around his neck.
"This one is definitely not a normal zombie."
The monster suddenly lunged.
Zixin barely had time to react.
He twisted his body and threw himself sideways, shielding Lin Jing with his own body as the creature's enormous claw swept through the space where they had stood.
BOOM!
The claws slammed into the ground.
Concrete shattered.
Chunks of pavement flew into the air, and a deep crack spread beneath the monster's hand.
Zixin rolled across the ground and immediately scrambled back to his feet.
"Holy shit!" Bao flicked his tongue. "That thing looks like a fucking giraffe had a baby with a human..."
"Not the time for jokes!" Zixin screamed as he dashed to the side evading one of its attacks.
"You're the one who stopped to have an emotional moment with the zombie!"
"That….that's my mother!"
"And she is currently trying to turn you into minced meat!"
Zixin gritted his teeth. "fuck!"
The monster twisted around with shocking speed.
Its long arm whipped toward him again.
Zixin ducked.
The claws passed over his head so close that he felt the wind from them against his hair.
He tightened his hold on Lin Jing and sprinted toward the side of the building.
He couldn't fight properly while carrying the child.
But he couldn't put Lin Jing down either.
Not against this thing.
Not even for a second.
"Run!" Bao shouted. "Don't let it corner you!"
"I fucking know!"
Zixin pushed his legs harder, his lungs burning as the monster charged after them.
Its elongated body moved unnaturally fast.
Each step smashed into the ground with enough force to send tremors through the pavement.
Zixin glanced back.
The monster was already catching up.
Its elongated legs struck the ground with frightening speed, each step sending small cracks through the pavement as it closed the distance between them. Zixin's breathing grew heavier as he tightened his hold around Lin Jing, his arms beginning to ache from carrying the child while running at full speed.
He couldn't keep this up for long.
Just as he was preparing to turn into the next alley, the monster suddenly stopped.
Zixin nearly stumbled in surprise.
The creature stood completely still, its head slowly lowering as its strange eyes fixed on something lying on the ground.
A wide, unnatural grin slowly spread across its face.
Zixin couldn't see what had caught its attention from where he was, but Bao could.
The little snake suddenly stiffened around his neck.
"Fuck, Zixin!"
The shout was so loud that Zixin's ears rang.
"That's the Growth Mushroom! It has the mushroom!"
Zixin's eyes widened.
He looked back just in time to see the monster bending down. Its enormous clawed hand reached toward the ground and closed around the brown mushroom.
"Shit!"
Zixin immediately ducked behind the nearest building, pressing his back against the wall while panting heavily. He kept Lin Jing tucked securely against his chest and peeked around the corner.
The monster held the Growth Mushroom between two enormous fingers.
It stared at it for a moment.
Then it opened its mouth.
Zixin's face went pale.
"What happens if it eats it?"
Bao stared at him.
"Well, obviously, it will shrink into a tiny ant."
Zixin slowly turned his head toward the little white snake.
His expression said everything.
Bao rolled his eyes.
"Why are you even asking the obvious? It's going to grow! Grow until it's even stronger and faster!"
His tiny tail smacked against Zixin's neck in frustration.
"You are dead meat today for sure."
Zixin clenched his teeth.
Across the street, the monster opened its mouth and swallowed the mushroom.
For a brief second, nothing happened.
Then its body twitched.
A deep, guttural sound rumbled from its chest.
Zixin's expression changed.
"Bao…"
"I see it."
The monster's fingers suddenly dug into the ground.
Its entire body began to tremble violently.
Bones cracked.
The already elongated limbs stretched even farther, joints shifting with loud pops as its body began changing again. Its back arched, its shoulders widened, and the muscles beneath its grayish skin swelled as though something was forcing its body to evolve from the inside.
Zixin's stomach dropped. "Oh, fuck."
Bao flicked his tongue.
"Yes. Congratulations, genius. You have successfully discovered that feeding an already terrifying monster an evolution item is a terrible idea."
"I didn't feed it to her!"
"You left it on the ground!"
"I was running for my life!"
"Excuses, excuses."
Before Zixin could argue, Lin Jing slowly raised his head from his chest.
His little face was pale.
"Is… is that Mother, Ge?"
Zixin froze.
His gaze flickered toward the monster.
The jade bracelet was still there.
For one brief moment, his chest tightened painfully.
But he quickly looked away and pulled Lin Jing closer.
"No."
His voice was firm despite the tremor underneath it.
"It's just a monster."
Lin Jing's fingers curled into his clothes.
"But it looks…"
"Don't look at it."
Zixin lowered his head and pressed the child's face against his chest.
"I'll take care of it. You just hug me tightly, okay?"
Lin Jing nodded shakily.
"And don't open your eyes."
"But, Ge—"
"Promise me."
The boy hesitated before wrapping both arms tightly around Zixin's neck.
"I promise."
Zixin gently held the back of his head, shielding him completely.
Then he slowly looked back toward the street.
The monster had finished evolving.
Its head rose.
Its eyes locked directly onto the building where Zixin was hiding.
That grotesque grin returned.
Bao's tiny body stiffened around Zixin's neck.
"Zixin…"
"I know."
Zixin's expression hardened.
The monster suddenly lowered its body.
Its claws dug into the ground.
And then it launched itself straight toward them.