Chapter 078 Forced to Use "Beyond Cure"

"Who’s there?"

Li Tianque turned around, only to find no one behind him.

Ever since the Nightmare Eye had taken root within him, he had become exceedingly wary of ghostly shadows, and tonight, his vigilance was keener than ever.

The desolate expanse of the Gobi was swept by chill winds, and as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but rocks and wild grass—nothing else at all.

In the distance, the faint roar of thunder could be heard rolling through Hell’s Demon Valley, the ground trembling faintly in response.

In such a barren and open land, any ghostly figure should have nowhere to hide.

But Li Tianque surveyed his surroundings for a long while and still discovered nothing out of the ordinary.

He took another sip of water, preparing to resume filling his bottle.

But just as he bent down once more, a cold, sinister laugh suddenly rang out.

The sound was shrill, like a rusty saw cutting through glass.

“Who’s there?” Li Tianque called out sternly, glancing once again at the river below.

The water surged swiftly, unchanged, and that bizarre, elongated shadow was nowhere to be seen.

"Hehehehe... hehehehehe..."

Now the laughter grew bolder, clearer.

Li Tianque swallowed hard, his pupils dilating in an instant.

The first time he’d heard the laughter, he hadn’t felt afraid—he’d assumed it was a trick of his mind, or someone playing ghostly pranks.

But now, hearing the sound with such clarity, he couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine.

It dawned on him: the sound wasn’t coming from around him, nor was it the wind stirring the grass…

That ghastly, cackling laugh…

Was coming from inside his own body!

How could this be?

Why would something be laughing inside me?

"Hehehehe... hehehehehe..."

The sinister laughter continued, now tinged with a mocking edge.

This was simply absurd…

Could there have been something strange in the water he’d just drunk?

Li Tianque frowned. That seemed unlikely.

According to Duan Xiaoyu’s introduction, the military-issue water filter provided by the company could supposedly even purify BLK3.0, the world’s blackest pigment, into drinkable water.

If any living thing had managed to get past and into his stomach, it would be nothing short of a miracle.

Besides, with the state of his body, if anything abnormal had entered, his own cancer cells would have devoured it immediately.

Still, to be safe, Li Tianque jammed his fingers into his throat.

“Ugh... urgh...”

Li Tianque heaved violently, retching up all the water he’d just drunk.

But the eerie laughter did not fade with the expelled river water; if anything, it grew clearer.

“Damn it! What the hell are you?” Li Tianque roared, but received no reply.

The swift river surged forward, stirring up white spray.

The red sun was about to sink, and the bright moon had already begun its slow ascent in the west…

After a while, Li Tianque realized that though the laughter continued to come from deep within him, it seemed to have no other effect.

He decided to ignore it, filled his canteen, and continued his journey along the riverbank.

The sun soon disappeared, leaving the world bathed in silver moonlight.

As he walked, Li Tianque suddenly felt something was wrong—his body was growing heavier, as if something were dragging at his legs.

He glanced back and was shocked by what he saw.

By the light of the moon, his shadow stretched impossibly long behind him.

And the force he felt tugging at his legs—it came from his own shadow!

Man and shadow, moving in opposite directions.

The situation was bizarre beyond belief.

Strangest of all, Li Tianque could distinctly feel himself being pulled by his shadow—and the force was growing stronger.

"Hehehehe... hehehehehe..."

The laughter rang out again, no longer from within his body, but from near his shadow.

Li Tianque turned, facing the elongated figure cast behind him.

His five fingers turned black as ink, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

He could sense now, his shadow was no mere illusion—it was alive!

The long, dark shape began to change. It no longer mirrored his movements, but stretched out its arms, reaching in the opposite direction, growing ever longer.

As the arms extended, the body followed, stretching further and further.

The pull on his feet intensified. Li Tianque stabbed his fingers into his own shadow beneath the moonlight.

With a dull thud, his nails pierced the ground, sending dust flying.

Yet his shadow remained unaffected, as if untouched.

He had thought the black shadow some living creature.

But now it seemed his shadow was only that—a shadow—completely impervious to attack.

After his failed attempt, the shadow changed again.

It raised its hands above its head, forming a gesture like quotation marks.

Though he couldn’t make out its expression or movements, the shaking of the shadow’s head suggested it was sticking out its tongue at him.

The laughter now brimmed with mockery.

Li Tianque grew annoyed. He ignored his shadow and continued running along the river.

This time, he picked up his pace, sprinting with all his strength.

But after only a few steps, the pulling force behind him strengthened, growing ever more powerful.

He looked back to find his shadow stretched nearly ten meters long.

It no longer resembled a human figure, but some monstrous jointed insect!

He tried to run faster, but staggered and nearly fell—his shadow’s grip was too strong.

"Hehehehe... don’t run..."

Li Tianque paused, startled. Hidden within the laughter, a woman’s sharp, thin voice spoke.

His own shadow could talk?

He was about to investigate when his shadow suddenly began to stretch even faster.

Li Tianque couldn’t tell if his shadow had a limit, but its pull was accelerating, and his own strength was useless against it.

He now felt as if a giant of immense power had seized him, dragging him backward relentlessly.

He was almost certain now—this had to be the work of the nuclear parasite. He struggled with all his might, but still could not resist the giant’s pull.

Faced with this terrifying force, Li Tianque felt as feeble as a sparrow.

He had the Insect Eradicator within him, yet he still was no match for this nuclear parasite.

At that moment, he inexplicably recalled the tales of water ghosts from his hometown.

In those stories, most drowned ghosts had died unnatural deaths. Their souls, unable to pass on, would need to find a substitute before they could reincarnate.

A substitute ghost.

Especially when someone was weary or in low spirits, passing by a river became a perilous affair.

If a drowned ghost lurked nearby, it was likely to set its sights on such a person.

When one peered into the water and saw their reflection, or noticed their shadow behaving strangely, supernatural events often followed:

Perhaps their reflection in the river was not their own, or their shadow seemed to walk into the water.

Fear would seize them, and in the grip of terror—when the will and spirit are weakest—the evil ghost would seize its chance.

The poor soul would be lured to the water’s edge and drown.

Thinking of these tales and his own current weakness, Li Tianque realized how closely his experience matched the legends.

Perhaps these waterborne nuclear parasites had existed for ages, giving rise to so many stories of water ghosts.

Of course, another in his place might have been scared witless by now.

But for someone who had faced death and witnessed the nuclear parasites, such ghostly happenings were child’s play.

“Drink up...”

With a thunderous shout, Li Tianque spurred his cancer cells into action, preparing for the first time to unleash the power of “Terminal Illness” in real combat.