The Secret of Height-Increase Clinics

"Height is justice" - this mantra, which Xiao Jia held as an indisputable truth, had recently become the root of his anxiety. Watching his former childhood friends, once half a head shorter than him, now all looking impressive at the class reunion, even the company's receptionist was taller than him by a head. He felt like a dwarf abandoned by the times, his small body harboring the desire to grow like a wild weed bursting from the earth.

Xiao Jia decided to take a risk and go to a height-increase clinic that claimed to be "painless and fast-acting." The clinic was hidden in a dilapidated residential building in the suburbs, with no sign at the door, only the words "Height Dreams Start Here" scrawled on the wall. This eerie sense of mystery only made Xiao Jia more convinced that this was the place to make his dream come true.

He was greeted by a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, who introduced himself as Dr. Wang. Dr. Wang was smiling and friendly, like an insurance salesman. He assured Xiao Jia that the surgery was absolutely safe, the effects were immediate, and that they used "the latest technology" to ensure no scarring and no impact on daily life.

Xiao Jia was hesitant, after all, the term "limb lengthening" sounded terrifying. But looking at the success stories Dr. Wang presented, the before-and-after photos that seemed like miracles, Xiao Jia gritted his teeth and decided to take a gamble.

The operating room was more rudimentary than he had imagined; more like a storage room than an actual operating room. An old operating table, a rusty pair of tweezers, and a few bottles of unknown liquids. Xiao Jia's heart began to pound, but he was already in too deep.

The surgery process was more painful than he expected, and Dr. Wang chatted and joked as he was "operating," as if it was not a serious medical procedure, but a casual conversation.

"Don't worry," Dr. Wang said, wiping sweat from his brow and smiling, "Our technology is unique; it will not disappoint you."

After the surgery, Xiao Jia was told to recuperate for a while, and the clinic provided him with a small private room to rest.

For the first few days, Xiao Jia was in excruciating pain. He felt as if his legs were being gnawed on by countless ants, every cell crying out in agony. Dr. Wang gave him a shot of an unknown liquid every day, claiming it was a "nutrient solution to promote bone growth."

Gradually, Xiao Jia's pain subsided, and he began to feel that his legs were indeed growing slowly. He was excited; he felt he was getting closer to his dream.

However, as time went on, he began to feel uneasy. There was no one else in the clinic besides Dr. Wang. Every day, all he did was eat, sleep, and wait endlessly. He felt like he was imprisoned in this dilapidated room, waiting for the "new life" that may never come.

He began to observe the clinic carefully, and he noticed details he had previously overlooked. The success stories photos on the wall all seemed to be of the same person, just taken from slightly different angles and with different clothes. The so-called "nutrient solution" smelled no different from ordinary saline. And the "latest technology" was just some outdated medical equipment.

He finally understood that he had been deceived. This was not a height-increase clinic at all, but an elaborate scam.

One night, Xiao Jia decided to escape. He quietly pried open his door and tiptoed out of the room. He found the hallway was empty, the whole building was silent, not a single sound, which made him suspect that it might not be a clinic at all, but an abandoned factory.

When he reached the main entrance, he was stunned. He saw a few people standing outside the door, all of them unusually tall, like bamboo poles, wearing loose clothes, as if to hide something. What terrified him the most was that the expressions on their faces were extremely numb, like puppets whose souls had been emptied out, and their eyes were staring straight at him, like predators looking at their prey.

A chill ran from the soles of Xiao Jia's feet to the top of his head. He realized that these so-called "success stories" were the people who had been stretched out, but what they had lost was the soul of a normal person.

He turned to run away, but found someone standing behind him, it was Dr. Wang, who was still smiling at him, and said in a calm tone, "Child, don't run, join us, this is your true home."

Xiao Jia was in despair. He looked at Dr. Wang and the tall "bamboo pole people", he felt like he was in a huge cage, and he was just a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

In the end, Xiao Jia also "successfully" grew taller. He stood at the door, like a puppet, numbly looking at the next person being tricked in.

Outside the window, the night was deep, and the city was brightly lit, but in this dilapidated building, there was still a ridiculous story about height.