The Savage Within

Chapter 7: The Abnormal Cancer Patient

Since the night before last, when Ethan killed Lucky, he hadn’t eaten a single bite of food—only drank water—yet he didn’t feel hungry at all.

He retraced the timeline of his mutation.

On April 25th, his body first began showing abnormal reactions. The itching, swelling pain, and hunger began on Thursday, May 7th.

By the morning of May 11th, when he saw the goat in the market, his body showed the instincts of a predator for the first time—an impulse to pounce, to tear, even fantasies about eating Lucky’s flesh.

It was clear now: the loss of control two nights ago had been triggered by that abnormal hunger—or, more precisely, an overwhelming urge to feed.

But the sudden bout of mania earlier had been new, something that hadn’t happened before.

Combining that with yesterday’s transformation, Ethan speculated that he had completed some kind of mutation process, an evolution of sorts, giving him new and incredible abilities.

The mania, he guessed, might be the product—or side effect—of that mutation.

In other words, it wasn’t a sign of him losing control.

But if not, then what was it?

Ethan had no background in biology; everything he had learned in high school had long since faded.

Still, with more than seven billion people in the world, surely he wasn’t the only one going through something like this.

He washed off the sweat in the bathroom, then opened his laptop and began searching online.

First, he looked up information about mutations.

In biology, “mutation” broadly refers to differences between species or individuals in terms of appearance, physiology, biochemistry, or behavior. Mutation is the root of biological evolution and human breeding—both hereditary and non-hereditary.

To the average person, influenced by movies and novels, “mutation” sounded bizarre, far removed from everyday life.

But biologically, it was extremely common—growth, development, and evolution all depended on mutation.

Still, Ethan knew his regeneration, leaving no scars at all, was far beyond normal biology. It was too extraordinary to explain away with the word “mutation.”

So he searched for terms like genetic mutation, abnormal cancer patients, and genetic mutation curing cancer.

Most results were science fiction, video games, or case studies of rare diseases—many too far-fetched, unverified, or without scientific basis.

Just as he was about to give up, one article caught his eye:

“This year, there were 18.1 million new cancer cases worldwide and 9.6 million deaths. According to the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, by the end of this century, cancer will become the leading cause of death worldwide—the single greatest barrier to extending human lifespan.”

The article highlighted something unusual: among the 9.6 million deaths, 108 patients had only just been diagnosed earlier this year. They shared key traits: healthy living environments, balanced diets, no family history of cancer, and no early symptoms. From diagnosis (in early stages) to death (in late stages) took less than a month.

The similarities to Ethan were striking. He, too, had gone from initial symptoms to a diagnosis of late-stage bone cancer in under twenty days.

The only difference was: those 108 were dead. Ethan was still alive.

Reading this, Ethan couldn’t help but speculate: could there be 108 others worldwide who underwent the same unknown mutation as him?

Perhaps they hadn’t survived the mutation process, dying as cancer victims, while he had been the lucky one.

And maybe, beyond those deaths, there were others like him—rare survivors who had endured the mutation, lived through the ordeal, and gained new abilities.

Unfortunately, the article didn’t mention anything like that. It merely suggested that these unusual cancer patients likely suffered from abnormal genetic changes that triggered cancer.

As for the cause of those changes, it offered no explanation.

Still, Ethan grew more certain: he wasn’t really a cancer patient. He was mutating—or evolving. The “bone cancer” was just a symptom of the process, a test. Survive it, and you lived to evolve powers; fail, and you died as another statistic.

Looking at his own abilities, he couldn’t ignore the resemblance to the werewolves of Western legend. The bite marks and claw marks on Lucky, the shredded clothes—all pointed to that.

Werewolves appeared in countless stories, and Ethan knew their powers well.

What made them terrifying was that they looked like ordinary humans—until the full moon, when they transformed, losing reason and succumbing to feral violence.

But his own loss of control had happened on May 11th, the 19th day of the lunar month. There had been moonlight, yes, but it wasn’t a full moon.

So was the legend wrong? Or was something else at play? Ethan didn’t bother digging deeper—he only wanted to understand the cause of his mania.

“If I really awakened wolf genes, maybe studying wolf behavior will explain the mania,” he muttered.

He was just about to search when his phone rang. It was his mother.

“Mom? It’s only a little after eight—why are you calling so early?”

“What? Did I wake you?”

“No, I’ve been up for a while. What’s going on?”

“Nothing much. I just wanted to ask—how’s that girl your aunt introduced you to? It’s been over a month and you haven’t said a word.”

At once, the image of a broad-shouldered, heavyset woman flashed in Ethan’s mind.

“Mom, please. She runs an excavator. Her arm could crush my thigh. You really think we’d make a good match?”

A month ago, his mother had forced him to take leave and return home for a blind date. She’d described the girl as “wonderful” and insisted he hurry before someone else snatched her up.

Ethan had been curious—until he met her. She wasn’t unattractive, but her build was… imposing. Stronger than most men.

“You exaggerate,” his mother scolded. “She’s quite decent-looking. She just doesn’t dress up. She’s the kind who would make a good wife and mother. Do you know how many people want her hand in our town? You should be grateful she even considered you.”

“I don’t like her type. We had nothing in common.”

“Then what type do you like? Women dolled up like sirens every day? Yes, the girls you’ve dated were pretty, but did any of them stay? You’re thirty now, Ethan. Men your age already have kids calling them grandpa. In our village, apart from Shui Ming’s i***t son, who else your age is still single? A few more years and—”

In the countryside, being thirty and unmarried marked you as either poor, sick, or mentally unstable.

Ethan knew his situation gave the villagers plenty to gossip about, piling pressure on his mother.

Over the years, he’d dated plenty of women. Not one relationship lasted long enough for marriage talks.

His most recent had lasted a year and a half and seemed solid—until her parents forced them to break up.

He wanted to start a family someday, to make his parents happy. But he wasn’t about to settle. Marriage was a lifetime commitment.

“Mom, enough. I’ll find you a daughter-in-law you’ll be proud of.”

“You’ve been saying that for years. My ears are calloused from hearing it.”

“These things can’t be rushed. You want me to marry just anyone and end up divorced?”

“Divorce, remarriage—whatever! As long as you produce a grandchild!”

Ethan froze. So that was what he was to her? Just a tool to make children?

His silence told her she’d gone too far. She softened her tone. “Alright, fine. Forget her. But I heard from your third uncle—there’s another girl. Used to work in Dongguan, now she’s a livestreamer. She sings and dances. Maybe she’s more your type. Why not take another trip home?”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Mom, let’s talk later. If I keep asking for leave, my boss will kill me.”

“Let him. What’s the point of money if you can’t find a wife?”

“Okay, okay. Let’s talk later. I’ve got an early meeting. I’ll call you back.”

The call ended, leaving Ethan rattled.

Women were never the problem. It was finding the right one that mattered—and now was not the time. His condition made romance impossible.

He tried to refocus, planning to resume his search about wolves. But just then, a knock came at the door.

When he opened it, two police officers were standing there.