"Even though I know the captain is ridiculously strong, calling him a god is a bit too much," Lei Gang muttered doubtfully.
"Hah, that's just your shallow understanding," the parasite scoffed. "I suppose your captain simply doesn't want to bother proving himself to you. After all, you're just a weakling. Saying he's a god isn't an exaggeration. Of course, I can sense that he's still in his growth phase—nowhere near his peak."
"You're incredibly lucky. In human terms, all you need to do is hold on tight and wait for success to come your way."
The parasite didn't care about Lei Gang's doubts. Sooner or later, he would understand. After all, the parasite also wanted to latch onto Su Xiuyu's coattails through Lei Gang.
"Something's off outside," Lei Gang said suddenly.
"Be careful, Lei Gang. I don't want you dying right after I've parasitized you. I can smell blood."
Lei Gang knocked on Su Xiuyu's door. "Captain, something might have happened outside. Should we check it out?"
Su Xiuyu opened the door, glancing at Lei Gang and his now-normal-looking arm. It seemed he had gained control over the parasite.
"Since you can basically control it, take Kana with you. Let's go see what's happening."
The group soon arrived at a marketplace near the hotel where small vendors had set up their stalls. Most people had already fled. A few bystanders remained, warning others to leave.
"What's going on ahead?" Lei Gang asked.
"You guys should run!" a panicked man warned. "The woman from the fish stall is going crazy! She's hacking her husband to death—blood is everywhere! And now she's attacking anyone who gets close!" With that, he sprinted away.
As they moved forward, they spotted fresh bloodstains on the ground. Suddenly, a monstrous figure lunged out—a grotesque abomination dressed in a waterproof coat for gutting fish. Its head had split open like a grotesque chrysanthemum, lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth. The ground was littered with severed limbs.
Kana nearly vomited at the sight. She and Lei Gang transformed their mutated arms into sharp blades, preparing to defend themselves.
"She's coming! Stay alert!"
"What the hell is that thing?"
"She was once human. But now, her brain is fully parasitized. At first, she was just overwhelmed by an insane hunger. Now, she's lost all traces of humanity."
Lei Gang and Kana shuddered. They were lucky they hadn't become something like that—completely mindless, driven only by instinct.
"You two handle this. I won't interfere," Su Xiuyu said, instantly leaping onto a nearby statue, watching from above.
"She's attacking!"
The monster charged, its arm shifting into a jagged blade that slashed toward them. Lei Gang and Kana blocked it with their own mutated limbs, sparks flying from the impact.
The parasites engaged in a frenzied battle, their attacks too swift for Lei Gang and Kana to follow. They could only watch as their own parasitic limbs fought on their behalf.
Eventually, the enemy parasite began to falter. It was strong, but outnumbered. A brief lapse in defense was all it took—Lei Gang's tendrils pierced through its heart.
Excited, Lei Gang turned to Su Xiuyu, eager to boast about his victory. But before he could speak, a sharp sound sliced through the air.
"Watch out!" Kana screamed.
Lei Gang spun around just in time to see a tentacle-blade lunging straight for his forehead.
"Wind Release—Wind Cutting Technique!"
A blade of pale blue wind streaked through the air, slicing the parasite cleanly in half before embedding itself deep into the concrete behind it.
The tentacle that had been aimed at Lei Gang withered and dropped to the ground, lifeless.
"Next time, make sure your enemy is completely dead," Su Xiuyu said flatly. "If I weren't here, your right hand would be collecting your corpse."
Lei Gang lowered his head in shame. "Captain, I'm sorry. I won't make that mistake again."
"Kana, that was a rookie mistake," Su Xiuyu added.
Kana quickly pouted, trying to lighten the mood. "Come on, don't be so hard on little Lei Gang!"
Ignoring her, Su Xiuyu turned and walked away. "Next stop—Xigao."
"Wait, Uncle, don't you mean Beigao? I'm from Beigao!" Kana whined.
"It's Xigao. Kana, you should just go home. Stop following us—it's dangerous," Su Xiuyu said coldly.
Lei Gang was obligated to stick around since he was on the team, but Kana had no real reason to be there. She was just a liability.
Hurt by his dismissal, Kana huffed and stormed off. "Hmph! Stupid uncle! I'm totally devoted to you, and you still treat me like this. Fine, I'm leaving!"
Su Xiuyu shook his head. "Come on, Lei Gang. Let's go."
After a long journey, they finally arrived at Xigao. Sneaking into the campus, they wandered the school grounds.
Technically, Su Xiuyu and Lei Gang weren't that much older than the students here—just recent high school graduates themselves. Seeing a high school in this different world was an interesting experience.
As the bell rang, students began pouring out of the building.
"Shinichi, wait up!"
A pretty girl called out to a boy ahead of her.
Shinichi turned. "Rimi? What's up?"
"Our way home is the same for a bit. Let's walk together," Rimi said shyly.
Shinichi hesitated, gripping his right hand as if afraid it would act on its own. His worst fear came true—his right hand suddenly shot forward, grabbing Rimi's chest.
A loud slap echoed through the air.
"Shinichi, what the hell?!" Rimi gasped, her face burning with embarrassment. Seeing the stares of nearby students, she quickly lowered her head and ran away.
"Migi, what the hell was that?!" Shinichi hissed, clutching his right hand.
An eye appeared on the back of his hand—it was indeed a parasite.
"I detected an increased heart rate, accelerated blood flow, and a spike in dopamine—all indicators that you wished to mate with that girl," Migi said matter-of-factly. "So, I helped you. What's the problem?"
Shinichi's face twisted in horror. "What's the problem?! Everything is the problem! She's never going to talk to me again!"
"Then why not find another mating partner?" Migi asked innocently.
"That's not—! Ugh, shut up!"
Suddenly, Migi's tone changed. "Be careful, Shinichi. I sense one of our own kind... a very, very terrifying presence. We might be in trouble."
Shinichi had never heard Migi sound so shaken. "Where?!"
"Behind you."
Slowly, Shinichi turned around.
Standing there was Lei Gang, grinning in what he thought was a friendly manner—but with his towering build, he only looked more intimidating. And next to him was Su Xiuyu, smiling in a way that sent a chill down Shinichi's spine.
His right hand trembled.
----
"Migi, do we still have a chance to run?" Shinichi asked, his voice tinged with desperation. He didn't dare to look back. Migi was strong, yet he was trembling with fear.
"No chance. This presence… it's different from the others." Migi had already given up on resistance.
"Hey, is it convenient for you to talk somewhere more private?" Lei Gang patted Shinichi's shoulder and pointed toward a narrow alley across the street. It was rarely visited, mostly used as a garbage dump.
Shinichi hesitated. He was more afraid that these two might attack him at school, putting his classmates in danger. If they were going to kill him, it would be better to go quietly.
"Alright," he agreed.
Lei Gang chuckled. "Relax, we're not here to cause trouble. We just noticed that you're partially parasitized and wanted to understand the situation." His words eased Shinichi's nerves slightly. It didn't seem like they were looking for a fight.
Shinichi forced a calm expression. "What exactly do you want to talk about?" He pretended not to understand what they meant by "partial parasitization," hoping to play it off. Unfortunately, Lei Gang wasn't fooled.
Lei Gang's right hand morphed, forming an eerie set of eyes and a mouth. "No need to pretend. We're the same kind."
Seeing this, Shinichi's right hand also transformed, revealing Migi's eyes and mouth. "You're parasites too? Finally, a rational human who can communicate normally."
"Who's the guy next to you?" Shinichi asked, glancing at Su Xiuyu, who had remained silent.
"I'm Su Xiuyu, Lei Gang's captain," he replied. "We're hunting mutant parasites. You and Lei Gang, being different from the usual kind, are easy targets for real parasites. We came to Xigao and happened to find you, so we thought we'd warn you."
"There are many brain-eating parasites in this country right now," Su Xiuyu continued. "Protect yourself and your family."
He spoke bluntly, but Shinichi could tell there was a deeper meaning. In Su Xiuyu's previous life, he knew Shinichi would soon be hunted by parasites, and even his mother would be killed.
After that, Su Xiuyu and Lei Gang left without another word.
The moment they were gone, Migi's right hand dropped limply.
"Hey, Migi! What's wrong?"
"I… I was too scared. That Su Xiuyu is terrifying."
Shinichi clenched his fists. "Then what do we do next?"
"We have no choice. You need to get stronger—fast. I'll train while you sleep, and when the time is right, it's safest to follow those two."
Shinichi took a deep breath. He knew Migi was right. The only way to survive was to grow stronger.
---
The next morning, on his way to school, Shinichi encountered a police blockade. He had to take a detour.
"Shinichi, this was caused by other parasites. I can smell the blood from here," Migi warned. "You need to stay alert. You don't have much combat experience yet."
"I know," Shinichi said, gripping his bag tightly.
Meanwhile, Su Xiuyu and Lei Gang were sweeping the city. They had eliminated six parasites the night before. To speed things up, Su Xiuyu had Lei Gang take photos and videos of the bodies, then leak them online. He even left some parasite corpses at the Metropolitan Police Department's entrance without being detected.
Soon, the existence of parasitic creatures was exposed. The murder cases that had been covered up were now out in the open, sparking widespread panic.
Kana watched the news and frowned. "This kind of precise cleanup… it has to be that uncle."
Such efficient extermination wasn't something the police could pull off.
---
In a dimly lit conference room, dozens of parasites gathered.
"Shimada Hideo, Tamiya Ryoko, you've probably realized by now that someone is hunting us," a parasite spoke.
What was terrifying wasn't just their ability to mimic humans, but how quickly they had adapted. They had infiltrated human society and even begun eroding government organizations.
"There's no need to worry about inferior creatures like humans," one parasite scoffed. "We'll send a few to deal with the hunter. The rest of us should continue infiltrating human institutions. We need time to grow—until we dominate this planet."
"Don't underestimate humans," Tamiya Ryoko warned. "Three of our kind tried sticking together for safety, but they were wiped out instantly. If you're not careful, you'll be next, Hideo."
Hideo sneered. "Are you scared, Tamiya? Or has the human baby in your belly made you lose your instincts? Should I help you snap out of it?"
"Enough, Hideo!" an older parasite interjected. "Tamiya's experiment is critical. We need to know if the offspring of a parasite is human or one of us. You can't act rashly."
Hideo scowled. "Hmph! A stupid plan! We take human bodies and feed on them. How can we coexist? We are wolves, and they are lambs. You old fools will regret this!"
Then he slammed his fist on the table. "Fine! I'll deal with those two myself! This ends tomorrow."
Without waiting for a reply, he stormed out.
The old parasite sighed. "Tamiya, don't let Hideo's words get to you. Your experiment is important."
"I know," Tamiya said, stroking her belly. "I won't let it bother me."
---
Meanwhile, Shimada Hideo sped recklessly down the highway in his stolen car, filled with rage.
Su Xiuyu, walking alongside Lei Gang, suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Be careful. There's a parasite in that car. To be precise, four parasites inside one body."
The car charged toward them at full speed.
Su Xiuyu made a hand gesture. A massive rock pillar erupted from the ground, skewering the car mid-air like a piece of meat on a skewer.
Shimada Hideo was lucky—he hadn't been inside when it hit. But he barely reacted to the supernatural event. Despite their intelligence, parasites still struggled to comprehend certain things.
Jumping down, he sneered. "So, you two are the ones hunting my kind?"
His face twisted as his parasite body began to morph.
"Then die!"
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