Mutated Tao

Li Huowang chased after anything red as he ran on the road. He constantly felt the Eighteenth Lunar changing its location as he chased after it. Sometimes it took the form of a red hat, while at other times, it was a red store sign. But no matter how many times it changed, Li Huowang still chased after it fervently and never lost sight of it. He had finally gotten a chance to kill it, so he would never give up so easily. After all, whether or not he would be released from Dan Yangzi’s grasp depended on whether or not he could obtain the Eighteenth Lunar’s eyes.

He also realized something bizarre while chasing the Eighteenth Lunar. The thing somehow didn’t have an eyelid. It had no choice but to look at everything within its field of vision, even itself.

What a weird being. I wonder what it looks like back in reality?

Li Huowang silently thought to himself as he chased after it.

Thanks to him chasing it so intensely, Li Huowang was getting closer and closer to the Eighteenth Lunar. Five meters … Three meters … One meter!

Li Huowang suddenly raised his right hand and leapt, pouncing toward the red-colored blob right in front of him.

However, just as he was about to capture it, a hand grabbed his wrist and stopped him. “Li… Li Huowang? Are you Li Huowang from the second year, class four?”

Li Huowang glared at the one holding his wrist. The one who stopped him was a bald man in his fifties.

The man propped his square glasses up and continued talking. “Have you forgotten me? I’m your class teacher. Where are your shoes?”

Li Huowang gazed at the familiar face and uttered unconsciously. “Teacher Tong?”

“I recall that your mother submitted the notice to terminate your studies due to your disease. Why are you out here, running in a hospital gown? Are you okay?” Teacher Tong was very worried as he tidied up Li Huowang’s collar that was within the hospital gown.

Staring at the teacher who had helped him so much during his school life, Li Huowang felt quite conflicted. But he calmed down soon enough, shaking off his teacher’s hand as he ran toward the red object that had gotten further away.

“Fake! Everything is a hallucination! Don’t think you can fool me! Everything is fake!” shouted Li Huowang.

Staring at Li Huowang running further and further away, Teacher Tong was worried as he whipped out his phone. “Hello, is this Li Huowang’s mother? I’m his math teacher from his high school. Yes, that’s right. Glad to hear from you as well. I just saw your son on Lotus Street; he was running around without any shoes. Yes, that’s right, I’m sure it's him. I’ve taught for so long, and I never confuse my students. Mm hmm.”

Meanwhile, Li Huowang’s eyes were bloodshot as he scanned left and right on the street, trying to find the Eighteenth Lunar. He was currently holding a broken piece of glass that he had picked up from somewhere. “Goddammit! Where is it?”

He completely ignored the police sirens. He knew that they too were fake.

He was searching for the Eighteenth Lunar in a frenzy when he suddenly stopped in front of a building with the image of a deer drawn on it. Children were doing their morning exercises in the field. When he saw a small streak of red amongst the children’s clothes, Li Huowang laughed like a maniac. “Hahaha! I found you!”

The toy-like metal fence could not stop Li Huowang at all as he leaped over it with ease.

A female teacher ran toward him to try and stop him, but was punched in the face, causing horrified shrieks to ring out all around him.

However, Li Huowang ignored everyone else and just grabbed a girl in his iron grip as he glared intensely at the red sakura hair clip in the girl’s hair.

On the other hand, the girl was visibly shaken with her lips trembling and tears welling up in her eyes.

“Still trying to trick me? You will never be able to fool me!” Li Huowang shouted in rage.

Just then the police sirens got closer. The sound of tires screeching soon rang out in front of the building. “Stop! Police, put up your hands!”

Li Huowang turned around and saw two police cars. There were several policemen squatting down with their guns aimed at him!

Li Huowang looked at the Eighteenth Lunar in his hand and then stared at them. He smiled coldly. “Trying to trick me again? This is fake! Everything is fake!”

The girl in Li Huowang’s arm started crying even louder.

Just as Li Huowang was about to end the Eighteenth Lunar with his own hands, a figure suddenly ran out from the surrounding crowd and stood between him and the gun. “Stop! Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot! He’s my son! He… He’s always been a good son. He turned into this because of an illness. Please… please let me talk to him, alright? He will listen to me… He will listen to me for sure… He’s my good son.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Li Huowang stopped his hands. Then, he saw the figure with whitening hair slowly turn around. It was none other than his mother, Sun Xiaoqin. But… her face looked very disheveled. Compared to the last time he had seen her, she looked like she had aged quite a lot.

Looking at her son behind the iron fence, Sun Xiaoqin tried to force out a smile but ultimately failed. Her warm tears fell as she pleaded. “My good son, please listen to your mother. Let the little girl down, alright? Let’s go home. You can play video games for as long as you want. I will not stop you.”

Li Huowang once more felt conflicted. He stared at his mother, who looked ever so real, and then gazed back to the Eighteenth Lunar in his hand.

Just as Sun Xiaoqin gingerly walked toward Li Huowang, he took a step back, his face twisting in pain. “No, no this is fake! Everything is fake! All of these things are just hallucinations made by the Eighteenth Lunar! The world over there is real! I will not let the hallucinations control me again!”

Li Huowang tried to persuade himself but he couldn’t move the sharp glass in his hand. His breathing turned rapid as his pupils dilated and shrank over and over.

Meanwhile, Sun Xiaoqin slowly closed in on the fence, to the point that she could almost touch it, and then she slowly kneeled down. “Son, please… Please stop. We sold our house because of you. We don’t have any money left for compensation.”

Her words broke Li Huowang. He hugged the girl in front of him and cried, tears streaking down his face.

“Mom!” Veins started to bulge on his face as opened his mouth and shouted. Saliva and tears dripped down onto the floor tiles with the image of a kids’ cartoon.

Then, looking at his mother in front of him, he took a deep breath and shouted out everything he had kept in his heart, including his struggle and confusion.

“MOM! I CAN’T! I REALLY CAN’T DETERMINE WHICH SIDE IS REAL!!”

Chacha and Char's Thoughts

This chapter sent goosebumps up my body