After Being Parasitized by a Monster 20

Chapter 20: She really wanted to hold a knife to its neck.

Cheng Ming slept very poorly that night.

A continuous stream of nightmares.

At the end of the dream, a blurry figure kept waving and calling to her. She ran desperately after it, but was repeatedly beaten back to the shore by the waves. She stretched out her hand with all her might, trying to touch it, but the sun in the sky melted into a red seashell, which opened its big mouth and swallowed her whole.

When she woke up, her whole body was sore and weak, and her consciousness was scattered and difficult to gather.

She turned over and lay flat on her back, staring at the ceiling in a daze for a long time.

It was as if she wanted to lie there until the end of time.

Until she could no longer ignore Xiao Ming’s voice urging her to eat breakfast.

It was her day off today, so she didn’t have to go to work. She got dressed, washed her face, and brushed her teeth. With the toothbrush in her mouth, she stared blankly at the glass door of the kitchen, rarely having the leisure to think about what to eat.

The most convenient choice was usually bread. If she wasn’t in a hurry, the best choice was to go to the nearby cafeteria, where there were nutritious and well-balanced meals.

But it was also nice to cook for herself occasionally.

And so, Cheng Ming finally made the most complicated choice.

What she had in mind was the simple tomato and egg noodles that Cheng Ran used to make. But after opening the refrigerator, both she and the parasitic monster inside her fell silent.

“How on earth have you been living?”

Great. This time, she could hear its vivid and rich emotions—disbelief and bewilderment.

Click.

Cheng Ming nonchalantly closed the refrigerator door. “The noodles at the East Cafeteria on the first floor are pretty good. They have fried eggs and scrambled eggs…”

Xiao Ming: “Throw out that pile of rotten tomatoes and smelly eggs first!”

Apparently, ever since she had been parasitized by the Fish-Fungus under the guise of a cranial fungal infection, she had never cooked again.

Forty minutes later, Cheng Ming sat at the table and ate a bowl of plain noodles in clear broth, without any eggs or vegetables. As she ate, she opened her draft book to organize her thoughts.

The research institute was something she had to explore on her own. The Security Department, she could only rely on Qu Ying to get in touch with… a monster organization? She unconsciously traced the shape of the seashell again and drew a big question mark next to it.

After finishing her meal and cleaning up, she checked the water and electricity before leaving. But as soon as she stepped into the bathroom, she saw a full bathtub of clear water.

She immediately accused, “Did you secretly turn on the faucet and not turn it off again?”

Marine creatures liked water. When the weather was dry, it would occasionally turn on the faucet and drag a basin of water to the bedside while she was asleep, soaking its mycelia in it. Sometimes, when Cheng Ming woke up, even her scalp would be damp. But there was no reasoning with a monster. After several fruitless arguments, she could only let it be.

Xiao Ming: “I turned it off.”

Cheng Ming opened the drain and watched the water level gradually drop, warning, “Don’t waste water like this again.”

Xiao Ming: “I turned it off!”

This was the bad thing about being able to communicate neurally. It was still arguing with her in her head on the way. Cheng Ming told it to be quiet and took the relevant documents on public transport.

She first went to the research institute to get Jiang Dexin’s approval to apply for leave.

“Teacher Jiang, it’s my day off tomorrow. I want to go home for a trip.”

The research institute implemented a system of both single days off and rotational leave. After all, it was a high-risk industry on the front lines, and the benefits were pretty good. Everyone had at least seven days of vacation per month.

But to go outside the quarantine line, one needed the approval of the head of each research group. And nodding meant taking responsibility. Adhering to the principle of “the less trouble, the better,” the process was often very strict. When Cheng Ming first started as an intern, she was in the animal research team. The rules and regulations there often made her hallucinate about the anti-human curfews during her university days.

But Teacher Jiang was always easy to talk to. As she signed the approval, she asked with concern, “Is there anything wrong?”

The air conditioner was on in the office. She had her jacket draped over the back of her chair and was wearing a thin white sweater, its sleeves rolled up, revealing a section of her wrist. She wrote with a swift and vigorous hand.

Cheng Ming smiled, “No, I just want to go back and have a look.”

She saw that besides the standard-issue bracelet from the Defense Center, the other woman also had a silver bracelet on her wrist, which shimmered slightly in the diffused sunlight. The style was probably modeled after a Mobius strip, with two silver rings intertwined.

Jiang Dexin noticed her gaze and, as if she could read her mind, raised her hand and smiled. “It’s double-stranded DNA, the most beautiful biological macromolecule in the world… It’s very beautiful, isn’t it?”

Cheng Ming nodded in agreement, “It is indeed beautiful.”

“Your mother gave it to me,” Jiang Dexin said, looking at the bracelet and sighing with a hint of nostalgia.

After signing the document, she closed her pen and stood up, taking out a key from her jacket pocket. “Just in time, you can drive my car back.”

It turned out that the animal research team in the East Building had previously sorted out a batch of Professor Shuang Cheng’s old belongings. But at that time, Cheng Ming was still studying in the neighboring province, so they were moved to Jiang Dexin’s place first.

Since she was making a trip, she might as well take them with her.

It just so happened that Cheng Ming also wanted to go back and carefully examine the items left behind by the two of them, so this was an unexpected surprise.

She had a few handymen move the things into the car. Looking at the packed trunk, Jiang Dexin belatedly realized that it would be a bit difficult for a young girl to unload the goods later. “Um, why don’t I ask someone to go with you…”

As soon as she opened her mouth, Cheng Ming quickly waved her hand and declined, “It’s fine, I can ask a neighbor for help.”

She wasn’t alone.

A parasitic monster, a ready-made laborer.

“Can you drive?” Sitting in the driver’s seat, Xiao Ming quietly popped up and asked a very practical question.

Cheng Ming pulled on her seatbelt and looked at the steering wheel. A strong-willed woman, she didn’t want to admit that she was a little nervous. “I’ve been learning for three or four years…”

Her ID card age was much older than her physical age, so even though she had skipped grades and was not yet an adult in university, it didn’t affect her getting a driver’s license.

It was just that she didn’t have many opportunities to drive while working at the research institute. Fortunately, her muscle memory was still there. She started smoothly and drove out of the underground garage without any mishaps. The rest of the way was clear.

It had been over a month since the last mutated creature riot. She didn’t know how the protective wall was being repaired, but the security check at the quarantine line was clearly stricter.

As the wheels rolled over the ground induction coil, the lights of the checkpoint’s security system lit up.

Hearing the alarm beep, Cheng Ming’s heart skipped a beat.

There were radiation monitoring devices buried underground. If she was carrying prohibited experimental items or had mixed in sea creatures, the values would be abnormal.

Her first reaction was to ask a certain parasite in her brain, “Didn’t I tell you to hide well?”

Knowing that there would be a check, she didn’t even dare to let its mycelia be exposed. She wore a wig and a hat, and also wrapped a scarf around her neck.

“…” Xiao Ming said nothing, as if this could prove that it had hidden itself as well as possible.

The inspection personnel, in full protective suits, stood outside the car and gestured for her to roll down the window. They stuck a detector in, and it didn’t beep. They looked at the back seat and asked, “Hello, what’s in the trunk?”

Cheng Ming realized the problem, got out of the car, and opened the trunk door.

As the handheld scanner swept over it, it beeped continuously as expected.

Cheng Ming picked out the item list. “These are the belongings of two specially-appointed professors from the Biological Research Institute, Cheng Ran and Cheng Ran. They were first-level researchers in the animal research team five years ago. I am their daughter.”

There was a sealed strip with an official stamp on the outside of the box, proving that it had been inspected by institute personnel.

Fortunately, the procedures were complete. After verifying the authenticity of the documents with a document scanner, the checkpoint staff used a more precise instrument to measure again and confirmed that it was only a small amount of radiation, within a controllable range.

“Some of the experimental equipment is in a Class C contaminated state. Please be aware, do not store it at home, and do not have prolonged contact with it. Thank you for your cooperation. Have a pleasant holiday.”

After the official reminder, the gate was opened.

It wasn’t too much of a setback.

After a forty-minute drive, Cheng Ming returned to her long-lost former home. Her childhood, her youth, her young adulthood, and all her last moments with her parents were buried here.

It was only a forty-minute drive, but it felt like she had used half her life to muster up the courage to come back.

So much so that after parking and turning off the engine, she lay on the steering wheel, feeling that the road was long and her soul was tired.

“Cheng Ming?” Xiao Ming called her. “Are you okay?”

Only then did she move and sit up. “I’m fine.”

This was a talent community specially built for coastal scientific researchers by the higher-ups. Some were independent duplex houses with strong privacy, and the second floor was often equipped with basic experimental facilities.

After getting out of the car, she walked towards her own gate.

Looking up at the familiar yet strange gate, she felt as if she were in a long, long dream. Walking through the gate would be a warm afternoon, and her mother would be sitting in the courtyard, putting away her drawing board, and smiling at her, saying, “Baby’s home from school? Mom’s off today, what do you want to eat tonight?”

Anything?

Of course, with Mom here, anything is possible.

She entered the password, and the gate opened.

The dream was over.

The gray-white walls, the cold light, the flowers and plants had all withered, the dust covers were on, and dust was everywhere. The house was empty, a direct manifestation of people having left.

But the house was still there. After all, they were only missing, not confirmed dead, and they were outstanding figures who had made great contributions. It would be a heart-chilling thing to do.

In the first year, she had come back frequently, hoping that the moment she opened the door, her mother would open her arms and hug her, telling her that she had been waiting for her for a long time.

It was only later that she discovered that it was too cruel to herself to repeatedly bear the disappointment of her hopes. She finally gave up her unrealistic fantasies and stayed in the institute’s apartment.

After connecting the water and electricity, Cheng Ming first pushed open the door to her bedroom. Nothing had changed. Then she went to the master bedroom and the adjoining study.

She pulled out two large, heavy boxes of notes from under the bed and dragged them into the study. There were also a vast number of old books and papers on the bookshelf.

It was undoubtedly a huge project.

“Come and help,” she said, sitting down in front of the nearest pile of manuscripts and ordering Xiao Ming to work.

“My senses are limited by you, and the mycelia don’t have eyes,” it grumbled reluctantly.

But not having vision didn’t stop it from being a workhorse. It went to roll up the neatly arranged books, and thousands of mycelia worked together, like a black tornado, flipping through the pages and shaking them. If it found any notes, it would pull them out for Cheng Ming to look at.

“Your mother could draw?”

It pulled out a large stack of drawing paper, cotton pulp paper, sketch paper, and raw and cooked xuan paper, all sorted into categories and tied with ribbons.

Cheng Ming looked over, and the mycelia tore off the silk ribbon and accurately pulled out a sheet from inside.

“Why is this one so…”

“Ugly, right?” she took it calmly. “Because I drew it.”

Xiao Ming: “…”

Children always have all sorts of strange ideas. Her mother would give her paper and let her do whatever she wanted, so Cheng Ran’s many detailed and exquisite drawing books were mixed with her strange “masterpieces.”

Twisted buildings, deformed figures, cats and dogs with wings, swimming parrots, and, a girl with a fish tail…

Cheng Ming pinched the picture of the mermaid, and her hand suddenly froze.

Even her breathing stopped.

In the lower right corner of the picture, she saw what she had been looking for, but actually didn’t want to see.

A red seashell pattern.

The brushstrokes were very smooth and even, with a solid foundation. It was definitely not left by her.

It could only have been added by Cheng Ran.

She caressed the wrinkled paper, carefully examining and studying it, slowly inhaling and exhaling, reminding herself to calm down.

She had thought that the main focus would be on the experimental notebooks, but it had actually appeared in her own drawing.

Why did Cheng Ran leave this mark on her doodle? And why this picture?

She stared at every line and color change on the paper, but couldn’t see any difference from the other drawings. She also couldn’t remember under what circumstances she had drawn it. When people grow up, they can no longer understand their childhood selves. She had experienced this.

Kneeling on the floor, she picked up the other drawing papers and quickly searched through them. Countless drafts were stacked around her, and the bizarre colors intertwined and changed in the flying dust, surrounding her like a mad art student.

Finally, after flipping through all the colored pencil drawings she could find, she saw this mark again in another doodle that looked like seaweed.

The two drawings were stacked together, and her sweaty hands had left a mark on them.

So, what was the common point?

Fish, grass… the ocean?

The ocean.

The beginning of everything, the source of biological mutation.

The monsters she had encountered over the years flashed through her mind one by one.

First was the Fish-Fungus that had parasitized her, a newborn monster with too little information.

Then there was Wang Qi… or rather, the monster that had occupied Wang Qi’s body. Was it related to the red seashell? Was it an undercover member of this organization? So, the first thing it said to her when it saw her was, you are our companion…

Companion?

The fungal monster seemed to have used a similar word, directed at Xiao Ming, but Xiao Ming said it didn’t know, didn’t remember…

Cheng Ming gradually felt a chill all over her body.

“When exactly did you get on me?”

She suddenly realized that she had been misled by the narrative trick.

It had never admitted that it was born in that fungal infection. It also hadn’t admitted that it was really only a few months old.

“Xiao Ming… do you know my mother?”

…

The large house was dead silent.

The dazzling bookshelves were like towering tombstones.

“I don’t know her, but I may have seen her. I can’t be sure.”

Cheng Ming heard its answer, and every word pushed her heart deeper into the icy lake.

“When? Where?” her voice was squeezed out from between her teeth.

“I can’t be sure.”

Cheng Ming was on the verge of a breakdown. “Then what do you know!”

If they weren’t in the same body, she really wanted to hold a knife to its neck.

“In your words, I was at most an infant at that time.”

The mycelia slid back and forth beside her, it was unclear whether it was comforting or provoking. It was just short of pointing at her nose and denouncing her for being too harsh on an infant.

“All I can remember is being trapped in a transparent cover, the temperature was very high, I couldn’t breathe, and some people were standing around looking at me…” Xiao Ming continued, “After that, the next time I regained my senses and had true self-awareness was now.”

Cheng Ming had trouble breathing. It was as if the key to solving a world-shaking mystery was right in front of her, but she could see it but not touch it. She was so dragged down that she couldn’t do anything, and was uncontrollably going crazy.

Her mind was a mess, like a battlefield that had been bombed. She took a deep breath and lowered her head, looking at the large amount of materials that still needed to be checked. She didn’t want to deal with it for the time being.

Relying on this damn thing was really not as good as relying on herself.

“If you don’t believe me, we can try a deeper neural link. Maybe you can see my memories…” Xiao Ming proposed a new method.

“Shh,” Cheng Ming suddenly stopped it.

It wasn’t that she was tired of the parasite’s chatter, but that her attention was drawn to something else.

She put down the things in her hand, her knees pressing on the mycelia that were still flipping through the book, and held her breath and listened.

She heard a strange sound.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

The sound of flowing water?

Cheng Ming frowned, got up, and tiptoed out of the study, heading towards the master bedroom’s bathroom.

The closer she got, the clearer the sound became.

Finally, separated by only a pane of glass, she gripped the doorknob and, pop, she unexpectedly pulled the door open—

The bathroom was empty.

But the faucet at the far end was turned on, and the showerhead was quietly releasing water. The water had already accumulated to half a bathtub.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

The liquid flowed lonely, and the entire bathroom floor was soaked, with water droplets splashing at her feet.

The main water valve had been turned on a long time ago. Even if she had forgotten to turn off the switch last time, why would water only come out now?

“When you passed by just now, was there any sound?” she asked in a strangely quiet voice.

As if assimilated by the strange atmosphere, Xiao Ming was also strangely quiet for a moment before answering, “No.”

In this house that had been uninhabited for several years, in the short few hours she had been here, someone—or rather, something—had been active here?

Cheng Ming stood at the door, her hand still clutching the frame of the sliding door, but her feet seemed to be on the boundary between the inside and the outside.

One step further, and she would fall into a strange and bizarre dark world.