After Being Parasitized by a Monster 85

Chapter 85: They’re mature.

The next day, a secret message was spread among the authorized personnel—

Five hundred meters in front of the quarantine line, a pipe under warehouse B03 had exploded, and a small amount of radioactive material had leaked.

Because there were no residential buildings nearby, and the defensive works were also radiation-proof, the losses in this aspect were not very serious. The key point was that this explosion had triggered a chain reaction, and many other locations had also been severely damaged. And including this point, at least 7 underground waterways leading to the ocean had been found in the surrounding three hundred kilometers. After being blown open, the weak points were exposed, and the seawater poured in.

It was yet to be confirmed whether any mutated creatures had taken the opportunity to sneak onto the land.

The Security Department had already determined that VOM47 was a member of the monster organization that was in hiding.

Before this, they had confirmed that the creature that had been caught in the abandoned experimental area of the biology department more than a month ago had nothing to do with the unknown marine monster No. 47—this No. 47, which was not of a high level but had a very strong presence from last year until now, was still at large.

In the intelligence center building, members of the emergency response team and the relevant incident leads were gathered in the central hall for a meeting.

“Can we raise its danger level now?” the intelligence director asked in a tone of seeking opinions. “With such a high intelligence and such a good disguise, who knows what else will happen. Maybe tomorrow it will be shoulder to shoulder with us here.”

Hearing this, someone immediately laughed, “It might be sitting with us right now.”

“Everyone, if there are no accidents, the identity of VOM47 can be confirmed,” Dr. Chen Ke, a first-level researcher from the evolution department, was also present. As she spoke, she inexplicably glanced at Qu Ying at the end and maintained a rigorous and standard smile.

The latter only slightly raised her eyes, like a drop of rain falling into a lake and disappearing without a trace. There was no extra reaction. She leaned against the soft back of her chair and looked at everyone, as if the key information had not been revealed by her at all.

Or perhaps, she was just in a daze.

“Caught?” another person on the opposite side of the seat asked.

“It ran away. But we found something quite important—” as she spoke, Chen Ke looked at a lady in a neat and gentle attire at the head of the table. “VOM47 is a deceased researcher from your research institute.”

“Oh?” Chu Lanying’s reaction was also calm and gentle. She slightly raised the end of her voice, looking very interested, but she was still as calm and unhurried as ever. “Who is it?”

Chen Ke said, “A deputy researcher from the mycology research team, employee ID 7086, the daughter of researcher Cheng Ran, named Cheng Ming.”

…

What kind of person could be resurrected from such a deadly sea?

In order to restrain Xiao Ming, Qu Ying had uploaded the Fish-Fungus data into the department system from the very beginning. From this, Chen Ke and the others had learned that Cheng Ming had unfortunately been parasitized due to a fungal infection. Theoretically, the monster formed by the parasitism should be eliminated immediately, but on the one hand, she had not shown any danger, and many examinations had confirmed that her physiology was normal. On the other hand, Qu Ying’s relationship with her was not shallow. And thirdly, the MF204 project had failed, and the sample was rare. After weighing the pros and cons, they had finally chosen to observe mainly.

And now, not only had Cheng Ming returned to the land, she was inside the Defense Center, and she was hiding quite well. She had not shown any abnormalities for so long.

How did she do it? How could she do it?

As soon as this extraordinary news was exposed to the light of day, the Security Department began to carefully investigate the records of July 8th and the past experimental data from many years ago.

When Qu Ying was asked who Cheng Ming was now and where she was hiding, she said with a light mockery, “How would I know? You’re so powerful, you can just dig up the entire Defense Center and check.”

At that time, they had met alone. Chen Ke had looked at her, and her gaze was a pure scientific spirit of inquiry, quite serious, “How did you let her escape?”

“You’re giving me this kind of thing, and you’re still asking me why?” Qu Ying curled her lips without any fear and tilted her long neck. The angle was very suitable to face the sun outside the window, and she let the metal ring on her neck shine noisily. “It’s more appropriate to let Professor Cheng take it off for me.”

The people from the evolution department were naturally very familiar with the fusion project.

It didn’t take long for someone to think of the first experiment that Cheng Ran had started. MM1 had been declared a failure back then, and it was said to have been destroyed in the laboratory. Now, this matter was brought up again, and they began to doubt the truth.

Unfortunately, laboratory 40 had been destroyed, and everything was untraceable. And of the researchers who had participated in the first batch of the fusion project experiment, besides the equally mysterious and difficult to inquire about “Professor Cheng,” none of them could be found now. Some had been poached by the foundation and had been sent abroad and could not be contacted, some were missing and their whereabouts were unknown, and some were confirmed to be dead.

Then someone else thought, “What about outside the team? Are there any other people who might know?”

“There is… Jiang Dexin, the only one who did not join the team, but was very close to Cheng Ran in the past. It is said that she assisted Cheng Ran’s algaefungus research, but she died in the accident in laboratory 40 last year.”

It was too coincidental. Laboratory 40 was scrapped, and all the insiders were out of contact.

Anyone with a brain would feel that something was wrong, very wrong. However, the fact was that, at this point, the entire information chain was broken.

Something that was out of control was what the superiors feared the most and had the biggest headache about.

“Do you think there is an internal response?” After the emergency commander had thrown out this question, the scene had fallen into a dead silence.

On July 1st, the intelligence center building had held another emergency meeting. The content was still related to VOM47, but after a month, the situation they were facing again had become even more grim.

There were fewer people in the conference hall this time. The main difference was that the executors of the evolution department were not participating.

One wave had not yet subsided, and another had risen. It was a fantasy to want to be comprehensive on a 30,000-kilometer-long defense line. And so in this month, besides the disaster caused by the CR-rank monster in the east, two other major accidents had also occurred in other places—

“There have been defections in the south and the north. We also had one here the year before last, involving two experimental subjects, one DE127, and one semi-finished MF204. The instigator is still unknown.”

“The most important order is only one: the 78th sea defense incident cannot happen a second time. You all know what place is the easiest to be infiltrated.”

As soon as these words fell, the scene became even more silent.

Of course, everyone present knew.

—The fourth department.

The existence of the evolution department was a time bomb.

From the beginning of the project, it might have been a mistake.

Their man-made monsters were not that different from the members of that organization in the ocean.

It was originally a means to deal with a disaster, but it had instead become the trigger of a disaster.

“They are all great soldiers and excellent commanders,” after a long silence, a researcher sighed.

The identity of a researcher was like a human mother.

A mother was born with the power of life and death. It was just that people who feared this power would often excessively and wantonly exaggerate the mother’s compassion, tolerance, and selflessness, and would brainwash, cover up, and even use deformed teachings and even laws to forcibly distort the power that the role of a “mother” was born with, making people forget—

To have the power to create is to have the power to give death.

…

“Officer Qu.”

Just as she had passed the long and desolate borderline, Qu Ying heard this sound and stopped.

Unless she was on a mission, these Security Department personnel with a subtle identity were not allowed to enter and exit the Defense Center at will. So, to appear at the quarantine line privately, without any accident, was all a violation.

The view behind her opened up, and a faint light came from the corner of the low-security building, and a shadow was cast on the ground between them.

There was a person behind her and to her side.

Before she could see her face clearly, in her peripheral vision, the other’s round and blunt shoe surface appeared first.

Xia Qiao.

Qu Ying did not turn around, and said faintly with her back to her, “I’ve thought of many people. You are indeed the most likely, but also the most unexpected.”

Her surname was Xia, the same as the deputy minister of the headquarters. It was not a coincidence. Unlike most of them, who had no past, she was the daughter of Xia Guangsha.

So that was why it was unexpected—that minister was a soldier with a resolute style, and he would always see too many people in his eyes. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that he had neglected his daughter.

However, her understanding of this colleague stopped there. She didn’t understand, and she wasn’t interested in understanding.

“It has nothing to do with her,” Xia Qiao came up. “Does every daughter have to inherit her mother’s ideals? I’m just myself.”

Until she was shoulder to shoulder with Qu Ying, she leisurely turned and blocked her in front.

“Your choice is really timely. Do you know? The Defense Center is preparing to downsize the evolution department,” she said in a still-vibrant manner, and leisurely revealed their cruel future. “The algaefungus pollution is solved, and the monsters that have fused with humans are cleared. The evolution department will have no reason to exist. Who made us so uncontrollable.”

“I’m quite good at finding my own kind,” as she spoke, she happily extended her right palm, in a handshake posture. “At that time, I was the one who had a keen eye for Yangmei. What a powerful little sister. It’s just a pity about MF204…”

She was chattering on and wanted to explain more of her great achievements to her new partner. Qu Ying looked at her calmly and opened her mouth, “Class A incident, request to lift the ban.”

These words, one by one, were directed at the other monitor who was controlling the restriction ring during the mission.

In Xia Qiao’s suddenly frozen gaze, the response came immediately, “Approved.”

…

Little Seashell was no longer at the Defense Center.

When she suddenly learned of this news, Cheng Ming was a little stunned. “Where did she go?”

“I don’t know, it’s beyond the range of my perception,” Xiao Ming replied.

Although the mycelia that had been generated before had self-destructed to prevent the experiments that Cheng Ran had done from being unfavorable to them, there were still residual conidia that were dormant and hidden in her body.

MM221 was an important experimental subject. How could she be transported out? Even if a fungal parasite was discovered, according to Cheng Ming’s prediction, it would be to continue to do research. When needed, she would find a way to sneak in again, and it would not delay Yan Rong’s treatment process.

Accidents always happened unexpectedly.

In addition, the news that she was still alive had somehow been exposed, and then the blame for the warehouse explosion had also been placed on her. In response to this major dangerous person, the Security Department had begun to investigate suspicious targets one by one.

It was only a matter of time before they found her.

Cheng Ran’s situation had not been clarified, and a series of troubles had been involved. Time had suddenly become a monster that was frantically chasing and squeezing her.

And the most urgent, and most worthy of attention, was that—she seemed to be about to give birth.

The contractions came suddenly. Fearing that she would scare Yan Rong, she had locked herself in the bathroom.

She had filled the bathtub with water, and had not even had time to completely take off her clothes. She had sat down in the bathtub, her hands on the white porcelain edge, her fingers extremely hard, her knuckles raised, and her veins were clear. The blood vessels were squeezed and then opened, and her skin was tight and pale, but it still could not relieve the pain.

The elongated mycelia probed in, as gently as possible, and they were faintly visible in the surging water ripples, like a living black worm line. Xiao Ming was also anxious and in pain, and was spinning in circles—meaning its voice was spinning in her head, so much so that she was dizzy and wanted to vomit:

“They’re mature, but they can’t come out.”

Cheng Ming was numb with pain. She didn’t know what it was doing, and her brain seemed to have lost the function of processing tactile information. Only its choice of words made her tremble with fear, and her heart was like a balloon filled with water, and it was contracting and relaxing.

What was she going to give birth to? Was she going to lay eggs?