Chapter Twenty-Five: The Intern
In the lively strains of cheerful music, the gentle images shifted in rhythm with the melody, constantly transforming.
Liu Yu was the central figure in these images. He exited his residential complex, entered the subway, then emerged and stepped into an office building, finally ascending steadily within the elevator car. His expression evolved from anxious unease to relaxed exuberance, morphing along the journey. His clothes and the passersby around him changed subtly with every passing second.
Click.
The doctor pressed the mouse. The music stopped; the image froze on Liu Yu at his workstation. The close-up captured him smiling—a smile so forced it seemed artificially imposed by an AI.
The doctor, uncertain whether to be satisfied or disappointed, stared at the image with his deep blue eyes for a long while. Then, with a tap of his toes, he slid his chair into the adjacent television room. He tipped back, landing softly on the sofa, the tilted chair melting into darkness and vanishing. The whole motion was seamless. As the doctor lay on the sofa, he grasped the remote and pressed play.
The projection screen displayed Liu Yu’s close-up.
Ring-ring-ring—
The phone rang dully from a distance.
The doctor frowned, a flash of genuine displeasure in his blue eyes, his ten fingernails rustling impatiently.
He rolled over on the sofa, but the persistent ring refused to cease. Unable to bear it, he finally jumped up, stomping his feet as he strode through two rooms, emerging from the darkness into the brightly lit consultation room.
Ring-ring-ring—
The ringing filtered through the wall.
The doctor opened the door to the consultation room and saw Bai Xiao standing at the triage desk.
Bai Xiao smiled politely and greeted the doctor.
The doctor ignored him, walked straight to the phone, and answered.
“Doctor, doctor! I’m coming over tomorrow night for barbecue! I’ve bought lobster, scallops, oysters! They’ll be delivered fresh in the morning!” Boss Le’s jubilant voice rang out, filling the clinic. “You cured Uncle Sheng, and I haven’t even thanked you yet!”
Bai Xiao paused in his retreat, looking at the doctor.
The doctor lifted his eyelids briefly, glanced at Bai Xiao, then withdrew his gaze and replied into the receiver, “No time.”
“Don’t say that! Tomorrow I’ll pick up beef, lamb, potatoes, chives, mushrooms…” Boss Le rattled off a list of ingredients, then asked, “Anything else you want?”
“No time,” the doctor repeated, more firmly.
Bai Xiao returned to his ward and closed the door. Only Boss Le’s boisterous voice remained, loud enough to be heard even through the receiver.
“I’ll bring my own grill, electric barbecue set, very convenient, no smoke. Let me tell you, my homemade sauce is—”
The doctor hung up abruptly.
He turned and walked back to the consultation room, hearing voices from the television room inside.
...
“Liu’s been full of energy these days,” Brother Lu praised.
Liu Yu smiled shyly.
“You’re a veteran here now, so it’s time for some responsibility.” Brother Lu patted Liu Yu’s shoulder with the air of entrusting him with something big. “Tomorrow, a new intern is coming. You’ll be his mentor.”
Liu Yu’s good mood screeched to a halt; his expression cracked.
Brother Lu saw right through him, saying, “You’re a team leader now, promoted and given a raise. You can’t keep working alone, can you? Besides, this intern is really talented. He’s an undergraduate from Jiaotong University, got a scholarship to study abroad before graduating, finished his PhD early. He’s your age, but less work experience—only did a six-month internship.” Brother Lu mentioned a company Liu Yu knew well.
Liu Yu was surprised. “That impressive? Why didn’t he stay there after the internship?” He realized his question was abrupt—it’s not always easy to land a job after an internship. Still, with such credentials, why would he come to their small firm?
“Today’s young people have unique ideas,” Brother Lu shook his head. “You should guide him, teach him.”
“Oh…” Liu Yu nodded, still a bit bewildered.
The next day, he met the new intern.
Brother Lu assigned him to Yu Guangchun’s old workstation and introduced him to Liu Yu.
The intern was half a head taller than Liu Yu, with sun-darkened skin, making him look less like a tech person. He reached out to shake Liu Yu’s hand, his grip powerful.
“I got into surfing recently, got really sunburned. Now I’m practicing rock climbing,” the intern introduced himself, greeting everyone in the office. “I’m into outdoor activities. If anyone else likes this stuff, let’s hang out together—I’m up for anything.”
Good-natured laughter filled the office, as everyone chatted with the upbeat intern.
Liu Yu stood off to the side, unable to join the conversation.
He observed the intern closely, feeling that the face looked familiar.
Soon, he realized he wasn’t just out of place.
“Liu, I’ve finished mine, how much do you have left?” The intern stretched and glanced at Liu Yu’s screen.
Liu Yu was sweating, his hands poised over the keyboard, unsure what key to press.
“You wrote this wrong…” A hand pointed at the screen.
Liu Yu was bewildered, meeting the intern’s frowning gaze, at a loss.
“Let me do it.” The intern leaned over, took Liu Yu’s keyboard, and typed swiftly.
Liu Yu’s hand still rested on the keyboard tray, but beneath his fingers, there was nothing. His hand began to stiffen, the sensation creeping up from his fingertips and consuming his entire arm.
“All done!” The intern pushed the keyboard aside, then called out to Lin Xiaoyu at the door, “Xiaoyu, is lunch here yet?”
“It’s arrived,” Lin Xiaoyu announced to everyone, “Time to eat.”
“Finally!”
“It’s a bit late today.”
“Rainy days, that’s normal.”
Liu Yu stared blankly at the dense code on the screen, feeling the letters tangled together like the heavy, impermeable curtain of rain outside, threatening to envelop him completely.
Suddenly, he noticed something in his peripheral vision. Glancing sideways, he saw his entire left arm was wrapped in a fleshy tumor. The tumor-head had only eyes and a mouth; the eyes glowed an eerie emerald green, the mouth filled with sharp, spike-like teeth. Between those teeth, bits of bloody flesh seemed to linger…
Liu Yu jumped up.
His chair crashed to the ground.
His feet tangled in the chair legs, his body tipping back, forced to support himself with his normal right hand.
Splat!
A strange, sticky sound drew his gaze.
His pupils contracted sharply.
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His right hand… was gone…
His right hand had vanished, replaced by another fleshy tumor like his left. This mass hadn’t fully formed yet, flattening into a squashed lump as it hit the floor. From the meat emerged two green, glistening eyes, locking gazes with Liu Yu.
Only Liu Yu’s heavy breathing echoed in the office; the adjacent rooms and the break room, the large conference room, were lively. His colleagues distributed lunch, and the intern’s cheerful voice rang out among them. They had all forgotten Liu Yu.
Anxiety surged within Liu Yu.
He had to return to normal!
He must return to normal!
After this thing devoured Yu Guangchun, it had…
Liu Yu trembled, suppressing his nausea with effort, squeezing his eyes shut. When he opened them again, both tumors had vanished.
He sighed in relief, collapsing weakly to the floor.
It’s fine… it must be fine…
Hadn’t the Yu Guangchun incident passed without consequence?
It’s fine…
Liu Yu muttered internally, but sensed a shadow fall across him.
He looked up and saw the intern.
The intern smiled, a textbook smile.
“Liu, are you okay? Why aren’t you eating?”
Liu Yu couldn’t answer.
The intern reached out, “Come on, time for lunch.”
Liu Yu looked at the hand, remembering how it had taken his keyboard, how it had typed lines of incomprehensible code, and felt his left-hand muscles twitch.
A fragment of night flickered through his mind.
He suddenly recalled that night in the convenience store, when a young man had abruptly approached him, offered suggestions, as if extending goodwill, but…
Liu Yu studied the intern’s face closely.
His heart thumped wildly.
The man was darker now, but those features…
Liu Yu slowly raised his left hand, intending to grasp the offered hand.
His skin wriggled beneath his sleeve, slowly changing.
The intern suddenly withdrew his hand.
A tumor lunged out, jaws gaping wide, but bit nothing.
“Brother Lu. I was just calling Liu for lunch,” the intern said to Brother Lu at the office door, turning back to Liu Yu. This time, he smiled but didn’t extend his hand, asking, “Right, Liu?”
The tumor had already been withdrawn.
“Liu, you ordered the beef bowl?” Brother Lu called out.
Liu Yu responded, noticing how awkward he looked with his hand raised. The intern had already turned away, talking to Brother Lu outside. Liu Yu had to pick himself up alone.
He’d barely taken a few steps when the intern returned, carrying two lunch boxes.
“Liu, I got yours,” the intern said with a smile.
Other colleagues also returned with their meals—some had brought food from home and carried warmed lunchboxes from the break room. The office filled again.
Liu Yu lowered his head, keeping his hands at his sides.
Brother Lu also carried his lunch, addressing everyone, “There’s an urgent matter, so listen while you eat.”
“Come on, Liu,” the intern didn’t hand the lunch box over but walked past Liu’s left side.
Liu Yu felt his left arm swell for a second, then shrink back.
Everyone took their seats, leaving only Brother Lu standing.
Brother Lu explained something, but Liu Yu couldn’t focus. He alternated clenching his left hand and squeezing his right, perpetually uneasy.
“Liu. Liu!”
Liu Yu snapped his head up, meeting Brother Lu’s furrowed brow. For a moment, it seemed he saw the intern’s frown superimposed.
“Brother Lu…” Liu Yu opened his mouth, nervously reaching for his lunch, only to find the hot box. He quickly lowered his head, seeing the keyboard moved aside by the intern, his lunch now centered on the desk.
“Don’t worry, Brother Lu, Liu and I are fine,” the intern’s cheerful voice interrupted Liu Yu’s thoughts.
Liu Yu glanced at the intern.
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you two,” Brother Lu said.
Liu Yu looked back at Brother Lu.
He was panicked. He hadn’t heard a word of Brother Lu’s briefing.
Brother Lu finished assigning tasks, then let everyone eat and returned to his office.
Liu Yu was at a loss, while the intern calmly ate takeout, reassuring him, “It’s simple, just…”
Liu Yu watched the intern’s lips move, chewing food, speaking. The indistinct voice reminded him of a monk chanting, bringing to mind certain incomprehensible college courses.
He grew drowsy, struggled to stay alert, but remained hazy.
Both hands no longer felt like his own. Though he was typing, his fingertips hurt as if pounding the desk.
Liu Yu came to, seeing chaotic letters on his screen.
He glanced furtively to either side, noticing the intern was focused, oblivious to Liu Yu’s condition.
The keyboard sounds from the left were like a melodic lullaby, coaxing sleep.
Liu Yu shut his eyes briefly, then startled awake.
His left hand trembled spasmodically, as if insects crawled beneath the skin. Thin tendrils sprouted from his palm, like a worm, emerging from his arm and slithering across the desk, quietly approaching the intern’s workspace.
There sat a mug, a company souvenir.
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Liu Yu could only hear his heartbeat now. He didn’t know when he’d stopped breathing, fixated on the worm crawling onto the mug and slipping inside.
Typing stopped. The intern picked up the mug.
Liu Yu’s gaze followed.
The mug was about to touch the intern’s lips, when it suddenly stalled.
A wave of panic surged in Liu Yu.
Did he notice? Had he discovered it?
Liu Yu looked up to see the intern staring seriously at the screen. He set the mug down and resumed typing.
Disappointment welled up in Liu Yu.
The next second, he froze.
He was… disappointed…?
Liu Yu realized in horror that he… he actually…
No! No, that’s not right!
He couldn’t possibly…
It was the monster that killed Yu Guangchun! The doctor’s creation! He had nothing to do with it…
Typing stopped again.
The intern picked up the mug.
Liu Yu’s jaw trembled, making no sound, his inner turmoil temporarily suspended.
The intern still didn’t drink. He stood, mug in hand, and walked toward the break room.
Liu Yu finally resumed normal breathing.
His palms sweated, drops falling onto the keyboard.
He looked at his trembling hands, embarrassed and frightened, covering his face.
“Liu.”
Liu Yu lowered his hands and saw Brother Lu.
He tried to force a natural expression, but his muscles wouldn’t cooperate.
Would Brother Lu notice something was wrong?
Liu Yu anxiously watched Brother Lu.
Brother Lu studied him for a while, as if scrutinizing. That gaze made Liu Yu want to flee. Fortunately, Brother Lu didn’t linger, shifting his attention to Liu Yu’s computer screen.
Brother Lu scanned Liu Yu’s screen and then glanced at the intern’s. “Where is he?”
Liu Yu felt as if someone was choking him, struggling to breathe.
“He’s doing well, isn’t he? I told you, he’s skilled—you have nothing to worry about,” Brother Lu said with a smile.
Liu Yu couldn’t smile.
“He just went to the break room. I’ll call him,” Liu Yu said, rising and passing by Brother Lu.
He walked faster and faster, wind in his ears—or was it voices whispering:
“What can I do? What can I do? A few more years and it’ll be over. It’ll be over…”
Liu Yu turned his head, as if seeing Yu Guangchun drunkenly slumped by the wall.
Yu Guangchun smiled drunkenly at him, rambling complaints, yet somehow sincere, pleading for forgiveness.
Yu Guangchun had no way out. Neither did Liu Yu.
Liu Yu stepped into the break room.
The lights were glaring, making him want to shut his eyes.
In the light stood the intern’s sun-darkened face.
Liu Yu saw his smile—a smile pasted on like a mask, mocking him.
No… it wasn’t mockery, it was a smile full of malice.
It was him! It was all because of him!
The face before him overlapped with the one in his memory.
Liu Yu’s left hand suddenly swelled, the monstrous tumor nearly enveloping the intern. The gigantic jaws opened and closed, and the intern vanished.
Crash.
The mug hit the floor.
The company logo shattered.
Crunch, crunch…
Inside the tumor came a tooth-grinding chewing sound.
This time, Liu Yu heard screams.
The screams echoed endlessly, traveling from his arm to his brain.
Gradually, the sound became a distant echo.
The tumor contracted, retreating into Liu Yu’s body.
“Liu.”
Liu Yu slowly turned.
Lin Xiaoyu looked at him in confusion. “Came to get water? Dropped your mug?”
“No. I came to find the intern. He wasn’t here, so I left the mug,” Liu Yu forced a smile, rigid and masked like a layer of veneer.
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