Death

After a simple wash, Su Mian changed out of the clothes he had stained from falling on the ground yesterday.

He glanced at the time; it was already past nine in the morning.

He suppressed his body’s instinctive resistance and prepared a simple breakfast for himself.

It was just a fried egg and some yogurt he had bought from the supermarket.

It was not that he did not want to eat more, but that he truly could not swallow it.

Specifically over the past few days, the feeling of being starving yet having food get stuck in his throat was maddening.

He felt slightly better today because his other self had consumed the desires of those two people.

This provided some spiritual satisfaction and physical relief, allowing him to finish the egg and yogurt.

He rubbed his stomach, though a lingering urge to vomit remained.

He felt helpless, but he had to eat since activity required energy.

Without blood full of activity and power or souls full of desire, he had to rely on this food.

Even if his instincts resisted, his human half could still derive nutrients from normal food.

Su Mian felt as if he had severe anorexia or pica, which explained his current weakness.

However, he had to consider the words of his other self.

Ordinary food could keep him from starving, but it could not solve his underlying problem.

The other demonic power in his body was awakening.

If he could not satisfy its needs, he would lose control and his body would collapse.

The question remained.

Where could he find flesh and blood full of power and activity?

“Should I go look on the streets again?”

After thinking for a moment, he gave up on the idea.

He was genuinely afraid he would not be able to stop himself from biting a passerby.

He did not want to be reported to the police; being caught and sent to a lab to be sliced up would be a disaster.

Su Mian had always wondered if he was the only demon in this world.

Were there others of his kind?

Both his parents were normal humans, so why was he born a succubus?

He had doubted if he was their biological child, but his parents had loved him immensely.

The photo albums and videos from his childhood proved he was indeed theirs.

It was a mystery why two humans would give birth to a demon, and a half-blood one at that.

The possibility of his parents being demons was slim.

Even a weak demon would not die in a common car accident, and he had never sensed anything special about them.

His elder sister, who was rarely home, was somewhat suspicious.

But it was almost impossible for her to be a demon either.

As for other demons in the world, there likely were some, but he had not met any yet.

He did not know what would happen if he met one.

There were too many things he did not understand, so he often just stopped thinking to avoid a headache.

Su Mian lay on the bed in a daze, nearly falling asleep until a ringtone woke him.

He did not even bother to open his eyes, reaching out for his phone and unlocking it by habit.

– Hello?

– Su Mian, something huge has happened!

The voice was urgent and completely gender-neutral.

In Su Mian’s mind, a face that could belong to either a boy or a girl appeared.

He raised an eyebrow and finally opened his eyes.

He propped himself up against a pillow before speaking lazily.

– What is the big news, Qi Bao? Did you finally get your period?

Silence followed before a furious voice erupted.

– I have said it a f*cking hundred times, I am a man! A man! And do not call me Qi Bao! It is disgusting! My name is Qi Chuan! Qi Chuan!

– Why are you shouting so loud?

Su Mian moved the phone away from his ear and rubbed it.

– So, what actually happened?

– Oh, it is not about me, it is Professor Zhou from our department!

– The police just came to the school to ask about his recent whereabouts and talked to teachers and students!

– I worked for him for a while, so they talked to me too. The officer was so scary and expressionless, I was terrified…

– Get to the point!

– Oh, right. The point is, they said Professor Zhou is dead!

Su Mian froze for several seconds.

He remembered Professor Zhou clearly.

He was a famous history professor who had written several books and contributed to textbooks.

Unlike other professors, he was very gentle and understood modern youth culture.

Su Mian had a good impression of him.

– Dead? So suddenly? Was he sick or…

– I am not entirely sure of the details.

Qi Chuan was very sad, as he had been the professor’s assistant for a while, helping identify antiques.

– I heard it was a home invasion robbery.

‘A home invasion?’

Su Mian frowned.

Professor Zhou was not wealthy, especially after donating most of his assets following his wife’s death.

He lived alone and spent most of his time on campus.

Why would someone rob him?

It felt strange, but he could not figure it out with so few clues.

He comforted his friend instead.

– Do you want to meet up? I have some things to tell you.

– Meet up?

Su Mian hesitated, fearing he might turn Qi Chuan into sashimi if he got too close.

But he eventually agreed.

– Fine. The old place?

– The old place!