After Being Parasitized by a Monster 67

Chapter 67: Can’t you take care of yourself first?

Big misunderstanding.

Cheng Ming looked at the mess on the floor and, in the three seconds of suffocating silence, her mind was spinning wildly—

The scene really looked like she had illegally infiltrated, attacked the staff here, and then killed the mermaid.

Each crime was worse than the last.

“Officer Qu, you’ve come at the right time.”

Three seconds later, she quickly jumped off the platform and flipped the person on the ground over.

“This breeder has been parasitized for a long time. She had an accomplice in her actions tonight, but she mistook me for a partner. I sensed that something was wrong, so I went with the flow and followed her all the way. Unfortunately, I was a step too late and couldn’t stop her from committing this evil act…”

Smack. The corpse was turned face up, and its ferocious chest and abdomen were exposed in front of them.

Anyway, a dead person wouldn’t refute her. Cheng Ming decisively chose to lie through her teeth.

Moreover, what she had said was actually all true.

It was just that it was not the whole truth.

Qu Ying bent down and stretched out a hand, and fiddled with the monster’s several pairs of thoracic legs. This direct action was too informal, and it made Cheng Ming’s hair stand on end.

The monster was of course dead.

But when the person in front of her looked up and met her eyes, she revealed a faint smile. “Do you think I’m easy to fool?”

They were close, and her micro-expressions were clearly visible. Cheng Ming’s heart skipped a beat.

Reason told her that she should be more vigilant when she met this person, but her subconscious still made her feel safe and relaxed when she saw Qu Ying.

And so the tragedy had happened.

She was about to say something else when her shoulder suddenly hurt, and her whole person was thrown out. Thump! She flew past the control console, knocked over the miscellaneous items in the middle, and after a series of earth-shaking movements, rumble, she hit a hard iron plate behind her. A machine of unknown purpose was buzzing and shaking, and along with the splashing water, several blue and purple electric arcs flashed.

From her scapula to her arm, her body was half numb from the shock.

She was stuck in a corner, clutching her shoulder. She flapped her arms twice, and with her remaining strength, she grabbed the corner of the equipment with her right hand, twisted her waist, and straightened her posture. Not daring to leave her back exposed, she struggled to prop herself up, tensed her body, and leaned against the wall with her knees bent, facing Qu Ying, who had suddenly attacked her.

“Officer Qu, if there’s anything you don’t believe, I can explain it. Why do you have to do this?” she panted, and thought with a bitter smile, good thing the protective suit is insulated.

Besides the intense pain, she had to firmly hold back the mycelia that had gone berserk in an instant, and not let Xiao Ming out.

The person on the other side was looking down on her, as if she hadn’t expected it to be so easy, so much so that she was a little vigilant and slowly walked towards her.

“I’m really not with them. I don’t know what their purpose is,” Cheng Ming looked up at her and, seizing the time to reason, she didn’t know if this blow had dispelled the other’s suspicion. “But I guess this thing is very important—”

She took out the evidence, controlled her slightly trembling hand, and handed over the egg sac that had been parasitized by the fish egg.

It was a surrender. She couldn’t have hidden this thing privately. If she wanted to keep this identity, she would have to hand it over to the Security Department in the end.

The woman in all black strode past the overturned instruments and walked up to her, like a judge of the underworld, staring at her. Her expression was hidden in the dimness and was unclear.

Silence was the privilege of the superior.

She could only continue to raise her hand, and with her facial features that were deformed by the pain, she tried to make herself look less pathetic.

Finally, Qu Ying took it. The ugly sac-like object contracted and relaxed slightly in her slender five fingers, looking very energetic.

Seeing the other examine it for a few moments and then put it in her pocket, Cheng Ming let out a slight sigh of relief, lowered her arm to support her body, and wanted to stand up.

“Sorry.”

Before she could finish her sigh, Qu Ying bent down, put her arm on her shoulder like a good sister, and said what seemed to be an apology, but she pressed down heavily with her hand—

“Actually, it doesn’t matter if you’re a monster or if you’ve violated the discipline. I’m just using my official position to vent my personal anger. Did you see that?”

The back that had just been straightened instantly collapsed again and hit the iron plate. Cheng Ming grabbed the strong wrist on her shoulder in pain and, in the flashing red light, she could clearly see the smile on this person’s face, which was horrifying.

Sister, your mental state is really not very good…

What was wrong?

She was in pain, worried, and anxious for a moment, and her expression was unpredictable.

The distance between them was only a dozen centimeters, and Qu Ying’s vision was not affected in the dark. And so, it was clearly reflected in the latter’s eyes, and it looked like she was up to something.

“In March, the research institute’s project group was going to conduct an off-site experiment here. It was you who took the initiative to report and apply for this security. On the 21st, you violated the regulations and left a researcher trapped at the bottom of the sea for six hours,” Qu Ying sneered and increased the strength of her hand. “After that, you took her away for four days. If it weren’t for the fact that the research institute wanted her, you probably would have wanted to keep her for longer… What exactly did you do? Do you think I can’t find out?”

“Who gave you the order?” her voice gradually became fierce. “This time, you’ve returned to the old place. Whose job did you take to come here in the middle of the night, huh? Team, Leader, Yan?”

It was because of her.

Cheng Ming paused, and her breathing became light. After a moment, she said, “It’s a normal procedure to be quarantined if you stay for too long…”

Before she could finish, her forehead suddenly hurt, and with a thump, she leaned back and hit the hard object behind her head. Her clothes were covered in cold sweat.

“Tell the truth,” Qu Ying held half of her head with her black-gloved hand, as if she were holding a melon of a suitable size. “Don’t force me to violate the regulations too. At that time, it won’t be as simple as amnesia for you.”

Through the thin protective hood, the danger was imminent.

Cheng Ming took two breaths and couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Then, she sighed, “Officer Qu, do you know about the foundation?”

Qu Ying stared at her motionlessly.

“The biggest investor behind the research institute, ENSF, the Eternal Natural Science Foundation, controls the largest pharmaceutical group in the country, and supports the construction of the Defense Center… I don’t want to have anything to do with these powerful people either, but my sister needs medicine…” she looked up at her, her tone a little weak and ethereal. “Do you have a sister? Can you understand me?”

She was also observing Qu Ying’s reaction.

The relationship between this foundation and the Defense Center was too subtle. Did the higher-level supervisors have any idea?

The research institute had cooperative projects with it, and the Security Department had a large number of infiltrators, but it was not right to say that it was all-powerful. The foundation was very gentle and careful in its actions, and clearly did not want to be directly caught.

Or was this a tacit understanding between the official and the investor? The former provided funding for the latter, and the latter provided convenience for the former?

The more Cheng Ming thought about it, the more she felt blocked.

It was a matter of life and death for mankind, but it was like a child’s play to the upper class. Or was the world just a toy for the high-level people, and they could play with the world as they pleased, and the bottom-level people couldn’t even be a part of the toy.

Whether it was soft words or showing weakness, she had thrown out enough information and had also made her attitude clear, appealing to both reason and emotion.

All of this was based on her trust in Qu Ying. If it were someone else, she would at most have thrown a smoke bomb to confuse the other, and then directly dealt with the problem once and for all.

Of course, the problem of not being able to win a fight was also a consideration…

After she had finished speaking, she looked at Qu Ying like this, waiting for the result. However, the latter narrowed her eyes and did not show any obvious expression, as if she were skeptical.

Cheng Ming was shrouded in her shadow, and she was a bit like a dead fish that was not afraid of boiling water. She sighed again and said, “Officer Qu, may I ask, what is your relationship with this researcher? Do you know that her problem is much bigger than mine?”

She maintained a serene smile and looked at the other.

Although the reality was very tragic, this scene was really so bizarre that it was laughable—what did it mean to use herself to threaten her own people who had once made things difficult for her for her own sake.

“She has a big problem. Have you ever suspected anything else?” she lowered her voice. “Are you sure you want this information to be revealed?”

In Qu Ying’s eyes, her strange expressions were inscrutable and meaningful.

And so she also curled her lips into a smile, “Are you threatening me?”

She was obviously angry.

Something cold was pressed against the back of her neck. A strong sense of crisis made Cheng Ming react in 0.01 seconds what it was. She ducked in horror, and her spine went soft, and she let herself fall to the ground.

In the chaotic intertwining of light and shadow, with two beeps, Qu Ying’s arm trembled, and she lost her strength, and did not catch the person who was like a loach.

But the burst of that moment was also enough for Cheng Ming to deal with.

Her hair surged to protect her head, and she hit the hard metal floor with a thump. She panted rapidly and looked at Qu Ying above her in astonishment. The ring that was stuck on her neck lit up with a circle of faint blue light spots.

If it weren’t for this thing that had restricted her ability, Cheng Ming suspected that she would have been crushed to death by the invisible tentacles in that second.

She propped herself up with one hand, quickly pulled back her feet to a safe distance, and pressed the back of her head with the other, soothing the almost-stressed Fish-Fungus.

Qu Ying’s reaction was also a second late, and she didn’t notice that there was anything unusual in her hood.

It was just that her face was very ugly. She put her hand back in her jacket pocket, stood up, and looked at her with a gloomy gaze, it was unclear if she was thinking of another way to force a confession.

When she thought she was going to die, Cheng Ming had not considered confessing, and there were no surveillance cameras here, so it was a suitable place… but, now she was looking at the thing on her neck, and she didn’t think so anymore.

This ring, which looked extremely dangerous and high-tech, she had never seen her wear it before. Had something happened? Was the Security Department putting pressure on these “monsters” they had created themselves?

At the very least, it showed that Qu Ying’s freedom was far less than before.

A trapped beast, how could she have the extra energy to look after another escaped criminal beast.

Looking up at the silver ring, she couldn’t help but show a look of heartache. Seeing this, the latter frowned, and her face became even uglier.

“Can’t you take care of yourself first?” Xiao Ming was firmly pressed down by her, like a vicious dog in a cage, barking furiously.

Cheng Ming did not respond.

The angle at which she was lying down was just right, so she didn’t know if she didn’t look. At this glance, she was startled.

The top of the experimental area was not sealed, but was exposed in its original state, with various pipes of different thicknesses and shapes running through it, some high and some low, or horizontal or vertical, and the shadows were heavy.

And at this moment, on the lowest ventilation pipe, a mass of indistinct, strip-like substance was climbing on it, and was writhing and approaching them.

Every flash of red light made its whole body bloom with strange, bright spots. It was at least two or three meters long, and as thick as a bowl. The upper half had already drooped down. A warning light nearby lit up, and a flash of light reflected its terrifying appearance.

Its head was surrounded by dozens of tentacles, and its huge mouthparts were opening and closing. On both sides of its posterior body, hundreds of pairs of short, fleshy limbs were rapidly alternating, and the dense bristles were vibrating slightly, as if they were sensing the changes in the air.

The target was aimed directly at Qu Ying’s back.

“Watch out!” Cheng Ming didn’t even think and jumped up like a fish, grabbed her by the shoulder and neck, and pulled her to the side.

Qu Ying turned her head abruptly.

It happened in the blink of an eye. A column of liquid shot down, and hiss, hiss, it splashed on the ground, and a pungent smell instantly filled the air, and a shallow, bubbling pit appeared on the spot.

A deep-sea annelid.

This thing originally lived in the extreme environment at the bottom of the sea and could roam freely in high concentrations of sulfides. After being exposed to nuclear radiation, its metabolic system had mutated, and it had synthesized a strong acid as an attack weapon, which could corrode metal and biological tissues without any problem.

“So it’s here.”

Qu Ying stood firm, her tone calm.

This was the monster that was attached to Dong Wentao’s spine. Because it had no access, it was forced to abandon the human body, climbed up the traction rope, and had followed her all the way down the shuttle elevator.

Screech—rumble!

The shaky ventilation pipe completely collapsed.

The two of them retreated a few meters away. The worm’s outer skin was covered with a tough cuticle. It was unharmed when it fell to the ground. A second wave of corrosive liquid was sprayed out and was blocked by a data board that was still connected to a wire that Qu Ying had kicked over. It deviated from its direction and hit itself hard.

But soon, the acidic mucus sizzled like grease, and the still-lively worm crawled out of the hole in the iron plate. Its fleshy segments pushed forward, and the entire space it passed through seemed to be melting.

Cheng Ming thought for a moment, put back her dagger, and took out the multi-functional self-defense pen she carried with her.

Metal would be corroded if it got close, and it was a thankless task. It was best to use a flame laser weapon, but they didn’t have one on hand now, so she wanted to try if electromagnetism could destroy its senses.

She pressed the switch, and a high-energy microwave beam shot out and hit its glowing light-sensitive spot. Hiss. A wisp of green smoke was burned out.

It was effective!

Before she could be happy, the worm’s abdomen let out a dull, drum-like scream. With a flick of its tail, a string of mucus danced towards her.

Cheng Ming got goosebumps all over her hands.

This thing could spray strong acid from both its head and tail!

So from which gland of its body was the liquid secreted? The digestive tract that ran through its mouthparts and its anus?

Qu Ying took a step closer, grabbed her by the back of her collar, and threw her away neatly. She said coldly, “Get out of the way, don’t break the little one.”

The air was cut through. Cheng Ming only felt a tightness in her neck and was forced to change her position.

Sister, your choice of words is very dangerous… she coughed a few times, her throat sore. Hearing the words “little one,” she subconsciously shivered, and for a moment, she couldn’t tell if it was referring to her or the worm over there.

Understanding that the other wanted to wait until the worm’s reserve liquid was exhausted to make it easier to capture it alive, she put away her self-defense pen and consciously hid behind the control console.

Although she had just been attacked by her, the mutated worm did not even turn its head and was focused on biting in its original direction.

Cheng Ming ducked down, and soon discovered this.

It was only going after Qu Ying. Was it… because Qu Ying was carrying the fish egg?

Rumble. Another overloaded pipe crashed down. The water level on the floor near the glass curtain wall was rising, and it had submerged the bottom of the slanted stairs.

“Xiao Ming.”

While the person and the worm were both busy, she cautiously squatted down and, using the large screen of the life monitor as cover, she quietly pulled open her protective suit and called out in her mind.

The latter immediately understood what she meant, but was very reluctant, “I think she can solve it herself…”

Cheng Ming: “Cut the crap.”

“…”

Xiao Ming obediently released the conidia.

Dragging the mucus and strong acidic substances, the worm crawled over the metal and dissolved into a white foam. It crawled over the organic matter and formed a black carbonized layer.

Its long body was like a tube of paint, leaving its winding scraping marks all over the place. No matter what electronic equipment, rare specimens, or precious data, they all turned into charred waste under the worm’s claws.

A few minutes later, Qu Ying, who was walking the worm, found that the worm was not very active.

She leaned against a row of biochemical analyzers on the left, and with a hook of her foot, thump! the entire side of culture dishes fell down. The glass shards shattered all over the floor, soaked in the sewage, and were then run over by the worm.

This was close to where Cheng Ming was hiding.

She poked her head out to look at the scene, and was instantly stunned by the mess.

Sister, are you actually here to cause destruction…

Buzz. In the distance, the sound of the airlock opening came, and the ground under her feet trembled slightly. The blocked passage was cleared by a powerful explosion.

The follow-up troops had arrived.

The weak and helpless, large worm was no longer moving much. Only the slow contraction of its segments showed that it was still alive.

Qu Ying withdrew her leg and stood up straight. The corner of her jacket was not even dirty, but a few strands of her hair were messy, blocking the sharp corner of her eye, but not the sharp gaze.

She glanced at her with her peripheral vision and warned, “Keep your mouth shut.”