vncnus Chapter 294 Thirst is deadly!
Chapter 294 Thirst is deadly!
At almost the same time, Wasim was also awakened by thirst.
He was in another dimension, and could not interact with Lin Feng.
The feeling was exactly the same—my throat felt like it was being sanded, my mouth was dry, and every breath felt like swallowing flames.
He cleared his throat forcefully, then reached for the bottled water by the bedside, turned it on, and gulped it down.
The thirst was not relieved; instead, it was instantly ignited, as if flames were rising in my throat, burning painfully.
"...Something's not right."
Wasim frowned.
As a professional criminal investigator, he knew that this was by no means a physiological reaction.
"A hallucination...trying to lure me out of bed to get water?"
He gave a sneer, "Then let's see who can endure longer!"
He simply leaned against the headboard, closed his eyes, and deliberately recalled a memory—
Three years ago, in the southeastern desert, a 48-hour manhunt for a serial killer.
The sun was scorching hot, and the sand was burning hot.
The kettle was empty, his lips were cracked and bleeding, and every swallow was excruciatingly painful.
His consciousness nearly dissipated several times, but his almost obsessive will kept him going.
He finally tackled the fugitive to the scorching sand in a dried-up riverbed half-buried by shifting sands.
In the moment of victory, he didn't even have the strength to cheer; he just lay on the scorching ground, panting like a broken bellows.
But he survived.
With willpower, they overcame despair.
At this moment, Wasim immersed himself completely in that memory.
The intense thirst came over me like a tidal wave; it was risky, and I would have collapsed if my willpower had been too weak.
But he was a detective, and he had won in much worse situations.
"Listen, Vassim," he told himself, "you survived without water, and now you're at least safe. This is just an illusion—you can win!"
The psychological advantage forged by real experience begins to crush the false manipulation of senses.
Every step taken in the Gobi Desert, every breath taken in that scorching heat, became the strongest shield at that moment.
The burning sensation in my throat gradually subsided, replaced by a calming power rising from deep within.
That's the kind of certainty only someone who has faced life and death can possess.
Wasim opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"Trying to play mind games?" He silently curled the corners of his lips. "You're still a long way off."
He lay back down, his breathing steady and deep.
The dormitory returned to silence in the darkness.
Only the ticking of the clock faithfully measures the night that will be prolonged.
........................
Girls' dormitory.
The moment Chiba Saori opened her eyes, it felt like a ball of fire was stuck in her throat.
She instinctively reached for the bottled water by the bedside, twisted the cap open with her fingertips, and took a big gulp.
But the icy water, instead of extinguishing the burning sensation as it slid down my throat, felt like oil had been poured on it, causing the thirst to surge and intensify, even making my tongue feel numb and tight.
Her hand suddenly stopped, the bottle opening was away from her lips, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
"...No, that's not right."
She is a print model from Japan. In order to maintain her on-screen appearance, she has undergone rigorous training in body shape and self-control, and her perception of her body is far beyond that of ordinary people.
She could clearly sense it—
My heartbeat was steady, my skin elasticity was normal, and I didn't feel the weakness and coldness that comes with true dehydration.
"This is... psychological suggestion?!"
She bit her chapped lips and forced herself to pull her hand back.
Instead of drinking water, she slowly sat up, crossed her legs on the bed, straightened her back as if doing yoga, and gently placed her hands on her knees.
She closed her eyes and began to silently recite the breathing mantras she had memorized while practicing yoga.
Inhale for four beats – hold for two beats – exhale for six beats – the rhythm is slow and steady.
This method was originally used in yoga to cultivate concentration and regulate the mind and body. Later, she used it to combat hunger, fatigue, and irritability when filming high-intensity scenes. It worked every time.
As her breathing gradually stabilized, her mind slowly snapped out of the illusion of "extreme thirst."
She even started mentally rehearsing a set of "summer pool" themed photos she might be shooting tomorrow—
Azure pool water, a cool breeze, the sound of ice cubes clinking...
Instead of fantasizing about drinking water, focus your brain's attention on the overall feeling of "coolness".
Gradually, the burning sensation in my throat became less sharp, as if covered by a cool, thin film...
........................
Songxi was not so rational.
Faced with an intense physical urge, she grabbed the bottle of mineral water from the bedside table and gulped it down in one go. But the burning thirst didn't subside; instead, it intensified.
"Water...I want more water..."
She threw off the covers, practically rolled off the edge of the bed, and stepped barefoot onto the ground.
In that very instant—
She froze.
The sensation under my feet... was completely wrong.
It wasn't the cold, hard floor I'd expected, but something... soft and furry.
"Um?"
Songxi paused for a moment, then looked down at the ground.
The dormitory was pitch black, but she could still vaguely see that a thin layer of... white fluff had somehow appeared on the ground.
"What is it?"
She frowned and subconsciously kicked the ground lightly with her foot.
The white fur was kicked and scattered slightly, but quickly gathered together again, as if it were alive.
A faint, indescribable fishy odor then spread out.
Songxi felt a churning in his stomach.
She was about to back away and return to the bed—
The white fur that had been lying quietly on the ground suddenly seemed to receive some kind of command, and instantly "stood up" from the ground, each hair standing upright like countless white steel needles.
Immediately afterwards, the furry touch tightened abruptly, wrapping around her ankle like a living thing!
Songxi's pupils constricted sharply, and a horrified scream pierced her throat—
However, her dimension was isolated and silent; her screams were like stones sinking into the sea, failing to elicit the slightest response.
The white hairs, like living snakes, began to frantically climb upwards along her ankles!
The cool, sticky sensation spread upwards, making the hairs on her body stand on end.
"No!!!"
She tried desperately to pull her feet out of the white hair.
But the white fur was wrapped very tightly, and the more she struggled, the tighter it became, and it even started to burrow into her skin!
The scariest thing is—
The white hairs that had burrowed into her skin began to wriggle and slither through her body, as if searching for something.
"ah--!!!"
Songxi let out a heart-wrenching scream, and his body began to convulse uncontrollably.
The mutation spread wildly across her body. Thick white hair suddenly sprouted from her previously exposed arms and neck, growing wildly along her skin and covering most of her body in the blink of an eye.
His jawbone protruded abruptly, his mouth was torn open, and his white fangs pierced through his lips, gleaming coldly.
The clarity in his eyes vanished completely, leaving only a surging crimson, violent and bloodthirsty.
In just a few breaths, she had completely transformed into a hideous white-haired monster. Her original human voice vanished, replaced by a deep, hoarse beastly roar that shook the windowpane.
The next second, the white-haired monster suddenly raised its hand and slammed it hard against the balcony window, shattering the glass and sending shards flying everywhere.
It leaped out through the gap, the moonlight casting a long, narrow shadow of its white fur. In the blink of an eye, it darted into the depths of the woods ahead and disappeared completely...
P.S.: Just a quick poll~ Do all you fans who watched the comic book really love the mysterious flight attendant Xia Ning?
If there's a lot of demand, I'll arrange for her to be the female lead again in the next storyline.
After all, she has already given birth and can now go out and move around.