The Short-Lived Cannon Fodder Is Haunted By A Gloomy Monster [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 10

Midsummer Passes in a Flash…

Midsummer passed in the blink of an eye, giving way to the days of fluttering fallen leaves.

As the temperature dropped, the abnormal humidity finally returned to something resembling normal, at least, it felt much better physically.

Qi Qi reclined in her lounge chair, swaying back and forth. Gradually, she realized that the novel in her hand, which she had originally found quite interesting, was no longer holding her attention. As for why…

She lowered her gaze to look at the girl who had entered the room and naturally sat in her lap. The girl leaned against her in a state of total relaxation, as quiet as a wooden doll. Qi Qi suddenly didn’t know where to begin.

When exactly did our interactions turn into this?

When she had first told Shen Lu that she had to come “at least once a week to be bullied,” she expected the other girl to struggle and flee as she had before, after all, the girl had once threatened to kill her.

But she hadn’t expected such excessive obedience. Not only was there no attempt to escape, but the girl showed up punctually every single day, leaving Qi Qi, the one who made the demand, caught off guard.

Her plans had been completely disrupted. She had to constantly invent new ways to be “difficult” without actually causing harm. Even when she tried to force the “little monster” to bathe, the girl was exceptionally cooperative, even going so far as to ask for it when Qi Qi felt like being lazy. Qi Qi felt as though their roles of active and passive had been completely reversed.

In the end, her “bullying” was reduced to petty chores: “cleaning,” “not allowed to sleep during lunch break until I do,” and “sorting a pile of mixed red and green beans.”

However, the little monster’s cooperation didn’t just make things boring, a sense of inexplicable unease began to grow in Qi Qi’s heart.

It felt as though something had jumped the tracks while she wasn’t looking, hurtling toward an irredeemable end.

Worse still, because this had become the routine, Qi Qi felt like a frog being slowly boiled in lukewarm water. Her original alertness and sharpness had grown numb. She hadn’t even realized there was someone in her lap for the first few dozen seconds, only then did she react to the strangeness of it.

Habit is a terrifying thing.

Qi Qi idly stroked the little monster’s hair. Thanks to proper nutrition, the hair had become dark and lustrous, no longer the messy, withered, grass-like texture it once was.

The ears peeking through the black strands had lost their sickly, pale-green hue and now possessed the faint pink tint of a healthy person. No matter how she looked at it, the girl was much healthier.

She pinched the little monster’s earlobe, which seemed a bit fuller now. It felt like a small, resilient ball of dough, an addictive sensation.

The earlobe seemed to be a sensitive spot. The body that had previously shown only slight breaths suddenly trembled visibly, though it quickly calmed down.

She was likely enduring it.

As Qi Qi stared at the earlobe, which was turning red and hot under her touch, she was reminded of the deep red seeds of a pomegranate.

Shen Lu pressed one ear against Qi Qi’s chest, contentedly listening to the heartbeat amplified by their physical contact.

Even with her sensitive earlobe being pinched, she didn’t dare make a sound for fear that Qi Qi would find her voice unpleasant. Her heart, however, raced uncontrollably.

In a place only she could hear, the thumping was deafening.

“You seem to have gained some weight lately?”

The chest she leaned against vibrated with the sound. Unlike her own raspy, coarse voice, the girl’s voice was beautiful, carrying a faint afternoon laziness, as if it were just casual small talk.

But to Shen Lu, it sounded like heavenly music.

“Yes. I am very obedient. I’ve been eating a lot lately so that I won’t feel uncomfortable when you touch me.”

Shen Lu curled her lips into a tiny smile. Her usually expressionless face, hidden in Qi Qi’s embrace, revealed a flicker of vivid emotion. Because she disliked her own voice, she usually kept her words brief, but today she managed a long sentence.

She looked up at Qi Qi, who was gazing down at her, and forced a smile, desperately suppressing the unrealistic expectations and delusions in her heart.

Qi Qi stroked her cheek, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

She really had gained some weight. Before, she was so emaciated that her face was hollow and her skin was a ghastly pale green, making her large eyes look unnaturally huge, like a skeleton covered in a thin layer of flesh. Combined with the prominent birthmark covering half her face and her heterochromatic eyes…

She had been so conspicuous that no amount of heavy bangs or dusty, loose clothing could hide her.

She had truly looked like a lonely monster who had stumbled into human society, enduring sharp pain to grind down its horns and claws, hoping to become as mediocre as everyone else just to be accepted.

But it was, in the end, a clumsy imitation.

She was a drifter, out of place and utterly alone.

But now… at least she looked much healthier.

“Do you like me like this?”

Seeing that Qi Qi was just observing her without speaking, Shen Lu suppressed her shyness and took Qi Qi’s hand, pressing it against her own chest.

As she did this, the color in the girl’s cheeks deepened, yet she kept her eyes fixed on Qi Qi, observing her reaction.

Qi Qi had been scanning her from top to bottom and finally squinted with satisfaction. Hearing her words, Qi Qi looked back at the little monster’s face and noticed the poorly hidden expectation in her eyes. Suddenly, her palm felt an excessively soft sensation, causing her to subconsciously squeeze a couple of times.

She quickly realized something was wrong. Her fingers stiffened and spread, but that only made her palm press more firmly against the spot.

The girl clearly hadn’t expected this either, in her surprise, she let out a suppressed, short gasp.

After a brief daze, Qi Qi’s gaze moved down cautiously, finally landing on the little monster’s chest. She blinked her dry eyes, a faint sense of regret rising within her.

If I’d known, I wouldn’t have been so addicted to those “squishy” stress toys. Now I’ve truly cemented my reputation as a pervert.

“If you like it, you can touch it all the time.”

Shen Lu didn’t notice Qi Qi’s internal state of “social death.” She was only filled with joy at the fact that she was being touched and desired. Deep red blushes bloomed across her face, the eternal coldness in her eyes turned into shyness and helplessness as she summoned the courage to speak.

“…Um, you did well.”

Qi Qi gently withdrew her hand. Under the little monster’s confused gaze, she forced a look of arrogant disdain. “Keep it up.”

She sighed quietly in her heart.

An ‘abuse’ victim who is too proactive is really hard to handle.

A long-lost sense of boredom began to spread once more.

“…Did you see how that freak was acting so smug this morning? Just because she got lucky and latched onto a big shot. It’s disgusting. Qi Qi is a weirdo, too… maybe she has a thing for ugly people? I used to think she was okay and wanted to get to know her. I must have been blind, thank god I didn’t actually become friends with her…”

Back home that evening, Liu You was on the phone with a friend, venting her frustrations. She recalled the scene where she had tried to strike up a conversation only to be ignored. Although she claimed to be “relieved,” she didn’t realize she was gritting her teeth in rage, it was unclear if she was angry about losing face or resentful that the other girl wouldn’t acknowledge her.

Because she was so absorbed in her rant, she didn’t notice when the window opened a crack. She just suddenly felt a bit cold and wrapped her quilt tighter.

“Right? I think so too. That freak has been way too arrogant lately. We should teach her a lesson and show her place…”

Outside, a sudden gale blew, and the window slammed open with a loud bang.

Liu You finally noticed something was wrong. Her heart skipped a beat at the sound, and she snapped her head toward the window.

Under the bright bedroom lights, every corner was visible, which eased her midnight fears slightly. Besides, she wasn’t alone, if she called out, the servants would come immediately.

Thinking this, Liu You steadied herself. Seeing it was just the wind, she breathed a sigh of relief. She went to explain the noise to her friend, only to realize the call had been disconnected in the confusion.

The friend sent a message saying she was sleepy and would talk tomorrow. Liu You had no choice but to wrap herself in the quilt and walk to the window.

She closed the window. Nothing happened. The room returned to silence.

She found it a bit odd that the servants hadn’t come to check, but since the room was well-insulated and the wind was loud, she figured they might have missed it.

Liu You didn’t want to go downstairs for such a small thing, so she turned off the light and went to bed.

In the darkness, her fear resurfaced. Influenced by the quiet, she thought she heard a faint rustling sound, as if something were crawling on the floor. But whenever she tried to listen closely, it vanished. It felt like a hallucination…

The room suddenly became cold and damp. No matter how tight she pulled the quilt, it didn’t help.

Darkness amplified her imagination. Liu You reached for the bell on the headboard to call a servant.

However, she didn’t feel the familiar switch. Instead, she touched something cold, wet, and slimy.

Like… a snake!

The strange sensation made her scream, but no one could hear her.

The moment she opened her mouth, countless snakes hidden in the shadows poured into her throat.

An even more horrifying sight followed: in the darkness, countless glowing vertical pupils appeared the moment she lost her voice. Along with them was a familiar figure.

Those black and green heterochromatic eyes, the ones she had mocked and loathed, shone with a demonic light. As they met her gaze, the eyes narrowed. The distinct “hiss” of a serpent sounded in her ear.

Liu You’s eyes widened in terror. It’s the freak!

She was a literal monster!

She wanted to beg for mercy, to scream for help, but the snakes entering her mouth and the stinging pain all over her body left her capable of nothing but tears and snot.

The last thing Liu You heard was a slightly disgusted voice saying: “Barely edible.”

The snakes devoured everything. The human’s insides were hollowed out, leaving only a complete skin. Under the monster’s command, countless snakes scrambled to squeeze into the skin.

During this process, the paper thin skin puffed up like a balloon. Joints wriggled and twisted unnaturally, but they adjusted and filled the space with startling speed.

The monster stretched lazily, satisfied that today’s task was complete. She was getting closer to fully possessing this body.

It feels so much better to control a body personally rather than just watching.

A knock came at the door.

“Miss? Is everything alright?”

The servant on duty had arrived just two minutes after the call bell was accidentally triggered.

The door opened, revealing a face blooming with a smile.

“Liu You” smiled and shook her head. “It’s nothing. I just hit it by accident. Sorry to disturb your rest.”

The servant was flattered. Usually, the eldest miss never spoke to the help so kindly. Was she in a particularly good mood today?

“No trouble at all. I’ll head back down then. Call me if you need anything.”

The girl nodded slightly, her movements carrying a grace and lightness that weren’t there before. The departing servant couldn’t help but praise her in their heart.

“I’m leaving. You guys have fun.”

The monster waved to her “creations,” leaped from the reopened window, and vanished into the night.

“Liu You” made a “hissing” sound and controlled her hand to wave back at the window.