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墨書 Inktalez
All night long, I pondered a question:
Do werewolves really exist? I asked myself.
The answer is yes. I have never been abroad and do not know the circumstances there, but I have read stories about werewolves in China. Back in high school, I came across a tale in Pu Songling's "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio." The original story goes like this: "Once, there was a good-for-nothing man who, after his wife died, was unable to remarry. He was left alone with two children. One day, while wandering in the mountains, he saw a beautiful woman walking alone and decided to flirt with her. Seeing that no one was around, he thought of abducting her. The woman became furious and said, 'If you want to marry me, you should do so properly and bring me home as your wife. How can you act this way? If you are willing to marry me properly, I will go home with you!' The man was overjoyed and took the woman home. She managed the household well, allowing him to focus on his business. Little did he know that this woman was actually a wolf in disguise, and while he was away, she devoured his two children!"
When I first read it, I dismissed it as an old tale meant to warn people. However, looking back now, it may not be entirely baseless. As a medical student, I know there are several explanations for the phenomenon of the Sheng Xiong; since I first encountered the Sheng Xiong, this idea has lingered in my mind. One explanation is a phenomenon called atavism; another is congenital generalized hypertrichosis, commonly known as "Wolfman Syndrome," which is an extremely rare disorder characterized by abnormal hair growth. Since the Middle Ages, this rare syndrome has attracted attention from both scientists and the general public.
Wolfman Syndrome is an extremely rare congenital condition. In earlier times, those suffering from congenital generalized hypertrichosis often chose to stay at home to avoid the strange and disdainful looks of others, only venturing out at night when fewer people were around. Because of their behavior, people began associating these unfortunate individuals with wolves, leading to the more common name "Wolfman Syndrome."
Currently, the most famous cases of congenital generalized hypertrichosis come from a family in Mexico. The hair growth on this Mexican family's members is denser and darker than that seen in werewolves from Asia and Europe. The men in this family have coarser and denser hair than the women, indicating that congenital generalized hypertrichosis is an X-linked dominant genetic disorder.
In fact, many films depict such scenarios; titles like "Dean's Fur" and "Human Nature" feature scenes related to Wolfman Syndrome. In Patricia Cornwall's work, the female protagonist Jean Baptiste Candona also suffers from this condition. Some studies suggest that genetic mutations may cause this disorder or that a dormant gene within the human body may "awaken." Further research into this condition has revealed that excessive hormone secretion can also lead to hypertrichosis. The hair growth in men is a natural response to hormone levels within their bodies; male hormones stimulate hair growth and increase hair thickness.
I believe that the situation with the Sheng Xiong falls into one of these categories; however, I am particularly interested in the connection between the moon and the activities of the Sheng Xiong. This curiosity led me to decide to observe the Sheng Xiong at night. To avoid unnecessary complications that might affect morale, I did not inform Instructor or several Squad Leaders; instead, I arranged for Xuanhua and Zhang Sheng to take over night watch duties so that I could investigate further.
The evening activities proceeded as usual. During roll call before lights out, I paid special attention to the Sheng Xiong and noticed nothing unusual. Well, there was quite a bit of stubble; it was clear he had hurriedly groomed himself. However, even under the light, his thick stubble was still somewhat visible. Additionally, it seemed like the Sheng Xiong was not in high spirits; he appeared somewhat listless with drooping eyes.
After lights out, I returned to my room intending to get some sleep before checking back around 1 AM. I instructed Zhang Sheng to report to me immediately if anything happened. Once back in my room, I lay down fully clothed and fell asleep quickly. One good thing about me is that while I might not always wake up on cue, once I'm asleep, I'm out like a light.
Before I knew it, I had drifted off into slumber. I lost track of time until I felt someone shaking me awake. Struggling to open my eyes, I realized it was Zhang Sheng. Startled awake, I exclaimed, "Zhang Sheng! Is something wrong?"
"No," he replied quickly. "But it's almost 1 AM. Company Commander, should we proceed as planned?"
"Of course!" I flipped over and sat up, grabbing the flashlight from the table as I walked out of the Company Headquarters with Zhang Sheng.
It was a rare clear night, and the atmosphere was excellent. The moon was big and round, casting enough light to clearly see the surroundings.
Xuanhua was stationed at the stairway, but he was unaware of what was happening; he had simply come out to stand guard as per my orders. The fewer people who knew about this, the better. When he saw us coming out, Xuanhua stood up.
I waved my hand at him, signaling him to continue sitting, and walked into the A Row Barracks with Zhang Sheng. As usual, the Barracks were filled with various smells and sounds. I quickly located the low growling sound that had become clearer and more urgent than before; it was coming from the Sheng Xiong.
Zhang Sheng wanted to go check it out, but I hurriedly pulled him back and stepped out of the Barracks. Ignoring Xuanhua's confused gaze, I stood outside with Zhang Sheng and whispered to him, "Don't disturb the soldiers; just watch from here."
We pressed against the wall, standing on either side of the window, quietly conversing while observing the activity in the Barracks. Zhang Sheng glanced over and asked me, "Company Commander, why is it that every month has a full moon, but the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival is always the roundest?"
I thought for a moment and quietly explained to him, "The moon is at its fullest and brightest during 'Wang.' On the first day of each lunar month, the moon is positioned between Earth and the sun, with its illuminated hemisphere facing away from us; we can't see it at all. This is called 'New Moon' or 'Shuo.' By the fifteenth or sixteenth day of the lunar month, the illuminated side of the moon faces Earth completely, allowing us to see a round moon known as 'Full Moon' or 'Wang.'"
In fact, I had calculated that today wasn't the fifteenth day, but I knew tonight's moon would definitely be full because according to lunar calendar regulations, Shuo occurs on the first day of each month. However, Shuo can happen in the early morning or at night on that same day, and each lunar month varies in length. Thus, 'Wang' can occur as early as early morning on the fifteenth or as late as morning on the seventeenth. It is well-known that the lunar calendar is based on the moon's orbit around Earth; therefore, it corresponds accurately with lunar phases. However, since the lunar calendar combines elements of both lunar and solar calendars, discrepancies are inevitable. When people define the first day of a lunar month as 'Shuo,' 'Wang' depends on the moon's movement; typically, it appears on days fifteen or sixteen. The fundamental reason for a delayed full moon is due to the non-constant speed of the moon's orbit around Earth; hence we often say that "the moon on the fifteenth is rounder on the sixteenth or even seventeenth."
Just as I was sharing this knowledge about the lunar calendar with Zhang Sheng, there was some movement inside. I quickly gestured for Zhang Sheng to look inside. Through the moonlight, we could clearly see Sheng Xiong getting up from his bed! He was about to get down! Wearing shorts and a tank top for physical training, he seemed unbothered by the cold as he walked outside barefoot!
I patted Zhang Sheng on his shoulder and made a shushing gesture before moving parallel to him along the wall. We hadn't taken more than two steps when Sheng Xiong suddenly flung open the door and darted out from another side of the Barracks toward the stairs.
Seeing this, I immediately took off after him with Zhang Sheng closely following behind. We followed Sheng Xiong all the way to the third floor—sure enough, something strange was happening! I thought to myself.
As Sheng Xiong reached the third-floor platform, Zhang Sheng and I crouched down on the stairs leading up to it, peeking our heads out to take a look.
Sheng Xiong walked to the center of the platform, gazing at the moon. He slowly lifted his head and opened his mouth, a low growl emanating from him. It started as a suppressed whimper, gradually transforming into a long, howling sound that echoed like a wolf!
I muttered under my breath, "What the hell! This can't be a dream." Before I could finish my thought, I noticed Sheng Xiong's entire body was tense. Even from several meters away, I could see his muscles coiling tightly, as if he were exerting all his strength.
Sheng Xiong took a step back, his hands forming claw-like shapes as he raised his head to the moon, mouth wide open. The pose resembled that of a wolf howling at the moon, and with Sheng Xiong's thick fur, I almost believed he was about to transform into a werewolf from the legends of the night!
"Oh my god! What is this?!" A sudden scream came from behind me, startling both me and Zhang Sheng! My heart raced as Sheng Xiong turned to look in our direction, his eyes faintly glowing with green light!
(To be continued, more exciting content tomorrow!)
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