Mysterious New Colleague: A Terrifying Journey in a Small Private Company

One and a half years ago, I was working at a small private company. The characteristic of such a workplace is that the colleague beside you today may leave tomorrow, and people who once got along well can easily become strangers.

I had worked in this company for a year, making me one of the "older" employees, so I always paid more attention to new colleagues.

The new colleague's surname was Zhang. Little Zhang was an introverted young man who struggled with social interactions. He would often be seen alone, head down as if talking to himself. As a warm-hearted person, I couldn't just sit by and watch.

So, I took the initiative to get closer to him, helping him coordinate his relationships with other colleagues. Gradually, Little Zhang became more open. Sometimes, he would invite me to his place. He lived alone, and his home was clean and tidy, which couldn't be compared to my doghouse-like room. Little Zhang told me it was his mother who helped him organize it. I found it strange - how could his mother still come every day to clean up for him?

That weekend, I was working overtime at home. The project was urgent, and although there was no overtime pay or any bonus in sight, the work still had to be done. Hmm? My USB drive was gone?! Oh no! After searching high and low, I remembered - I left it at Little Zhang's house yesterday. No way, the newly modified code was all on it; I had to go retrieve it!

The sun was blazing outside, and it had just rained, causing my clothes to stick to my body as soon as I stepped out. "What bad luck!" I muttered under my breath as I hailed a taxi and headed straight to Little Zhang's place.

Little Zhang's home was an old-style building, with six households per floor arranged side by side. The doors had glass windows covered with colored paper or stickers. The corridor also served as a balcony, resembling the single apartments of factories from the past. It was probably given to him by his parents. When I reached Little Zhang's door, wow~ a cool breeze came through the door crack onto my feet wearing slippers. It felt so good.

Hmm? Why did it sound lively inside? I didn't knock but instead pressed my ear against the door to listen. From Little Zhang's room, I heard a cacophony of voices, both old and young, chatting animatedly.

Oh no, it seemed like his whole family was here. I looked down at my outfit: an oversized T-shirt, big shorts, and slippers. Sigh~ what a miscalculation.

Regardless, I knocked on the door, "Dong dong dong"...

Suddenly, it went silent inside. I knocked again, "Dong dong dong"...

After waiting for a while, the door finally opened. I was ready with a rather obedient expression to greet everyone behind the door, but...

Only Little Zhang?

I looked over Little Zhang's shoulder, but there was no one else!?

Little Zhang let me in and asked, "How do you have time to visit today?"

I looked around, "I left my USB drive here yesterday, did you see it?"

It was strange - the two-bedroom apartment only had Little Zhang himself. The entire house didn't look like anyone had been there. Goodness, was I delirious from the heat?

Little Zhang didn't notice my unnatural expression, found the USB drive for me, and my mind immediately returned to the endless program I needed to finish. After thanking him, I rushed home with the USB drive.

When I reached the building's entrance, I remembered I should check his documents as well, so I turned back and ran upstairs again. As I prepared to knock on the door, those voices were heard again!

Once again, many voices came from inside the door! Carefully listening, it seemed like Little Zhang's parents were saying something about him, and Little Zhang himself was defending himself. There were also other voices, obviously from his relatives.

But I had just checked - there was no one inside!

The glass window on Little Zhang's door was covered with an old calendar page, seemingly not replaced for a long time. I found a small hole on it, put my face close, and peered through the small hole.

Even though it was blurry, I could still see the situation inside. Coincidentally, I saw Little Zhang sitting sideways on a rattan chair facing the door, shirtless. But there was no one else in the room, only Little Zhang himself, whose upper body kept shaking with the various voices.

Suddenly, he stood up and said, "Dad, Mom, stop arguing, my colleague is here."

"How did he know?!"

I didn't know what to do as his body had already turned around...

To my astonishment, there were several faces growing on his chest and abdomen! There were elders and children, each with different expressions. One of the older ones was saying, "Oh dear, we'd better stop talking and invite our guest in. It's such a hot day."

Little Zhang smiled towards the direction of the door where I was, "Lan, you're here, let me introduce you to my family... hehehehe..."

This scene was too bizarre!

I don't know how I ran home, feeling dizzy... The next day, I developed a high fever... When I called in sick, a colleague from the company told me that Little Zhang had resigned...

Postscript: Later, I researched various materials and learned about a tumor called Ren Mian Chuang (Human Face Carbuncle). This tumor has eyes, a nose, and a mouth! The mouth even has teeth and a tongue, equivalent to growing a human head, hence its name Ren Mian Chuang (Human Face Carbuncle). However, I had never heard of someone like Little Zhang who grew them all over his body, and each had thoughts and could speak. This mystery could probably only be answered by Little Zhang himself.

Since then, I haven't seen Little Zhang again. Not long after, I also resigned from that company...