After Being Parasitized by a Monster 21p3

Chapter 21: Let me see your memories. p3

At night, on the ground floor of the central warehouse of the Defense Center, a fierce fire was burning.

This was originally a large distribution center, with all kinds of things and all kinds of people. It was the most mixed place in the entire Defense Center.

Therefore, it was also the easiest place for external forces to infiltrate. As long as a driver could get a certificate from a freight company, they could enter through the border checkpoint. The difficulty of disguise was much lower than other channels.

The Investigation Department’s “Expel External Threats” squad had safely evacuated the building. The police lights outside continued to flash, echoing the bright fire in the night, and fire trucks continuously sprayed water jets.

Five or six team members in combat gear were holding two tattered criminals and gathering in an open area.

Facing the thick smoke rolling out from dozens of meters away, one of them took off his gas mask, took two heavy breaths, and cursed, “Damn it, good thing this damn thing is afraid of fire.”

“Put your mask on!” The team leader, Yan Li, lived up to her name and immediately reprimanded him sternly. “Don’t let your guard down. We don’t know if there are other monsters.”

She switched the helmet’s communication channel and reported to her superior, “Shoreline coordinates 32.11, 7, MR-rank mutated creature, 1 head is dead.”

MR stood for Medium Risk, usually a non-intelligent monster, but aggressive towards humans.

They had originally come to investigate a group of thugs suspected of being infiltrated by a reactionary organization.

After the ocean pollution occurred, the social turmoil to a certain extent had given these evil sects an opportunity to grow.

Some were pessimistic, believing that it was useless for countries to spend so much GDP every year to fight the ocean, and that the world would sooner or later be destroyed and everyone would be finished, so they might as well enjoy themselves while they could. Some were conspiracy theorists, suspecting that the so-called ocean crisis did not exist at all, and that it was all a scheme by the upper class to accumulate wealth and power, calling on the people to resist the hegemony. Some were radical neurotics, believing that humans, as a part of nature, should accept natural transformation, and that radiation was also a means of evolution…

In short, one argument: the Defense Center should not exist.

The Investigation Department was truly the busiest branch of the Security Department, bar none. In addition to fighting external enemies, they also had to deal with their own internal strife.

Because they were worried that the thugs would blow up the warehouse, they had prepared various facilities before they came.

But apparently, they had not prepared enough.

The thugs did indeed plan to plant a bomb. When they saw the official troops arrive, they were still very arrogant. A man holding a detonation button even showed a ferocious smile and shouted with a great sense of ceremony, “Nature is innocent—”

He was suddenly shot in the head.

It wasn’t the Security Department that did it.

Red and white brain matter splattered out. After being sprayed with fresh juices like paint, everyone could see clearly that it was a tentacle.

From the back of his accomplice’s head, several tentacles, more than a meter long, extended out. The cylindrical, elongated head shell was like an alien creature from a science fiction movie.

No, “extended out” was not an accurate description.

This cylindrical shell and the tentacles at the top had always been on the other’s head, but they were completely transparent, and the human eye could easily overlook them.

The most primitive multicellular animals, without a thermoregulation system, their temperature blended in with the environment, and infrared imaging equipment could not record them.

Only by observing very carefully could one find a slight clue in the changing light and shadow.

Yan Li led the “Expel External Threats”1st squad. She had a new recruit who had just graduated from military school, and he was stunned at the time.

And then, this mission to capture the internal thugs temporarily turned into a plan to eliminate the external monsters.

In the end, even the detonation button was snatched by Yan Li and pressed by her own hand—compared to the loss of materials, the consequences of letting the monster escape were much more serious.

The newcomer who had been in the group for less than half a month was named Han Xuhua. He was squatting on the ground, half-dead. “We should really let those who don’t believe in radiation or want to be radiated come and see what a disgusting thing it is—blegh, blegh!”

Regarding “monsters,” the external media would have related reports to remind the public to always remember the principle of staying away from the coastline, but they would not over-dramatize it to avoid panic.

Yan Li still had a gentle side towards her own people. She bent down and patted her on the shoulder, then walked to the side and said into the intercom channel, “Let the biology department people come.”

The remaining team members were studying the two dying men.

One of them was already foaming at the mouth and rolling his eyes. A broken, slender tentacle was stuck in his chest, still twitching slightly.

“Team leader, what is this thing?” When Yan Li came back, they all asked in unison. Even the veterans who had served in the Investigation Department for more than ten years were not surprised.

The marine environment was ever-changing. After every riot, there was always a new surprise, and the mutated creatures that came ashore were different every time.

“A hydra mutant,” Yan Li sighed inexplicably. “We’re probably going to be busy. Lu Qian from the 2nd squad said they also encountered one, but it was a planula larva.”

“Huh?” The biologically illiterate Han Xuhua looked up as if he had heard a foreign language.

“It’s the larva of a hydra,” a teammate next to him kindly explained. “This thing floats in the sea and eats bacteria and fungi. It usually enters the next stage in about ten days and becomes a hydra.”

Yan Li said, “That’s right. According to the 2nd squad, the planula larva mutant will float in the air and swallow microorganisms…”

“Ah!” Han Xuhua covered his nose with an exaggerated gesture.

“You can’t inhale it, it’s this big.” Even the serious Yan Li couldn’t help but be amused. The corner of her mouth under the mask curved up a little, and she made a size with her index finger and thumb. “The more troublesome thing is that it’s also transparent and very hard to see. I’m afraid we’ll have to wait for the higher-ups to develop new technology.”

“This stage is fine for now, it’s not aggressive yet. But you’ve also seen that when they reach the hydra stage, they will grow a basal disc to attach to the human body and use their tentacles to prey…”

Looking at the still-burning warehouse, her expression was grave.

…

Cheng Ming did not know how much danger she had just brushed past.

A week passed, and the situation of the faucet being mysteriously turned on in her apartment did not happen again. She was a little disappointed.

She also found that the control of the research institute had become stricter. She needed her bracelet to collect vital signs and a door access key. Just entering and exiting the door took two or three minutes.

Qu Ying, who had been out of contact for some time, finally contacted her again.

As soon as she entered the door, Cheng Ming asked her, “Did any new monsters sneak in after the defense wall was damaged last time?”

“I was busy with other things, I didn’t pay attention.” Qu Ying was carrying large and small bags again. She turned to the sofa as if it were her own home, put down her things, collapsed, and picked up a water glass. “What’s wrong?”

“I might have encountered one…” Cheng Ming honestly told her everything.

As Qu Ying listened, she suddenly became nervous. She put down her glass and sat up straight, saying sternly, “You didn’t touch it with your hands, did you?”

Does letting Xiao Ming release conidia count… Cheng Ming opened her mouth but couldn’t say anything for a moment.

“You can’t even get close!” Seeing her reaction, Qu Ying stood up and emphasized, “You have no experience, you don’t know what abilities they might have.”

“I know,” she lowered her head and admitted her mistake with a good attitude.

Qu Ying pulled her over and examined her carefully.

Cheng Ming cooperated, but couldn’t help but say, “I’m not injured… With Xiao Ming here, there probably won’t be any serious consequences.”

“You trust it now, huh?” Qu Ying’s palm was cupped behind her ear, and she touched her from the parietal bone to the occipital bone. She lifted her eyelids and scoffed.

She was silent for a short while, then raised her eyes and looked straight at her, “Sister Yingying, you actually know Xiao Ming’s origin, right?”

“…”

The question came suddenly. Qu Ying lowered her hand and looked at her for a long time without saying anything.

Cheng Ming met her gaze, not giving an inch. “Ten years ago, I was hospitalized with a high fever. In Xiao Ming’s memory, you were there.”

She confessed directly, blocking the other’s path of concealment.

The air was as if it were wrapped in sticky glue, and the atmosphere solidified.

After a long time, the latter finally conceded and sat back down on the sofa. “Sigh, you…”

“Sister Yingying,” Cheng Ming’s voice was very soft. She squatted down in front of her, in a pleading posture, her eyes almost filled with tears.

“Cheng Ming… sigh. I’m not too clear, and I really don’t want you to investigate too much.” She sighed three times in one sentence. “I only know that when you were hospitalized in an emergency, I was called over by your mother. At that time, the one who was conscious was not you.”

As expected, it matched.

“I asked your mother, but she wouldn’t say much. She just asked me for help, hoping that I would suppress this extra consciousness…”

She looked at Cheng Ming, but she was probably not looking at her.

Through the host’s eyes, Qu Ying was also looking at the parasite, and said word by word, “I asked her why she couldn’t just eliminate this monster. She didn’t say she couldn’t, but she said you needed it.”

You need it, Cheng Ming.

This is the amulet your mother left for you.

…

Cheng Ming’s eyes were slightly out of focus.

She understood the hidden meaning.

The myocardial cells in her left chest were contracting and relaxing according to its rhythm, resonating at the same frequency. It was impossible to tell whose heartbeat it was.

“Then do you know…” she opened her mouth, her lips trembling, and pulled out the necklace from under her clothes. “Why did she give me this?”

The seashell swayed slightly under the thin chain, and the red and silver colors reflected a soft or sharp light.

“Sister Yingying, do you know that the pattern on this is the one you mentioned that represents the monster organization?”

Qu Ying’s mouth opened, and her face showed a shocked expression, as if she couldn’t believe her ears. “I don’t know—”

She suddenly remembered something, grabbed her, and quickly entered the room, slamming the door shut. Her chest heaved with her breathing, and she lowered her voice, “You haven’t told anyone else, have you?”

Cheng Ming shook her head, “No.”

She had no one else to tell, and no one she trusted enough.

Qu Ying frowned and picked up the seashell, repeatedly examining and rubbing it, with the same disbelief as her. “How could this be…”

The forces behind this symbol had always been a major concern for the Security Department. If this were to be discovered, she really didn’t know what would happen.

Cheng Ming thought of a question.

“Since when did the Defense Center discover that there was such an organization?”

The room was silent for a moment.

Qu Ying’s hand paused.

“The earliest record can be traced back to…” The corners of her eyes, which were usually lightly raised, lowered. “…2168.”

Cheng Ming’s pupils dilated.

That was the year Cheng Ran and Cheng Jin disappeared.

…

Late at night, Cheng Ming lay in bed, unsurprisingly suffering from insomnia.

She held the seashell in her hand, gently rotating and observing it. The deep crimson color glowed with a psychedelic hue under the night light.

She used to think that this was her everything, like a fiery heart that could continuously pump blood and give her strength. But now, it was like holding a cold bomb, not knowing when it would explode and blow her to pieces.

Cheng Ran, what was her relationship with the monster organization, and was she a part of it?

Cheng Ming closed her eyes and put the seashell back on her chest, her breathing extremely slow and long.

She repeatedly told herself that everything was still unclear, and she couldn’t think of the worst…

She couldn’t, suspect her mother.