After Being Parasiticized By A Monster - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Please, Live Well, Okay?

“Home to see Mommy.”

A phrase containing two deceptive words.

The home wasn’t a home, just one of countless laboratory areas.

However, compared to other cold and solemn hells, the architecture here was too grand and magnificent. If an outsider mistakenly entered, they would likely assume it was a marine-themed resort.

The dominant color was sky blue. A colossal dome was inverted, looking like a pile of crashing waves. Transparent aquariums were scattered orderly, shimmering with light.

And the Mommy wasn’t a mother, just an experimenter.

But her experimenter was slightly different from the others.

She had only one subject: her.

Having finished her outdoor mission, Little Shell changed back into her own clothes and appearance, walking through a hidden corridor formed by the aquariums into the depths of the experimental zone.

Around her, red marine fish floated in the water like bl00d-stained feathers. As she passed, they uniformly turned to look at her.

The scene was profoundly eerie, as if devout worshipers, drawn by an unknown force, were offering prayer.

Their eyes were also gleaming.

They were countless miniature cameras.

“Little Shell.”

The voice, like a ghost, traveled through the vast empty space. The called girl froze. The redness slowly drained from her cheeks, leaving her pale. Gone was the perpetually playful, almost flirtatious smile, replaced by the maturity that matched her body’s age.

“Mommy,” she whispered.

Facing her was a standard-dressed female experimenter: white lab coat, white gloves, white mask. Her figure and face were obscured, giving off a sense of silent coldness, like a withered willow covered in white snow.

“You returned late, and you did not obtain useful data.”

This was absolutely not the affectionate chiding of a mother for her daughter’s late return.

As the voice emerged from beneath the mask, the girl’s face grew paler, her body slightly trembling.

She knew most of her “colleagues” disliked missions. Conversely, she always enjoyed going outside. That way, she could at least temporarily escape this place.

However, the department watched her closely, and the missions that required her were few.

“Hand.” The experimenter approached, casting her in shadow.

A one-word command.

She didn’t dare resist, lowering her head and slowly pulling up her sleeve.

The sweater was already soft and loose enough, but as it slid up, the dry skin beneath was still chafed and wrinkled, suggesting that a light touch would cause it to tear and peel away, exposing delicate bl00d vessels and weak white flesh, like a fish being scaled and skinned.

She stared at the floor, unable to see her “Mommy’s” gaze, but she could guess that there would be no emotion there.

“Come.”

The other person led the way, leaving a gray-white back view.

She followed. After a dim corridor, she stepped into an elevator. As the light shifted, it gradually revealed a giant, cylindrical aquarium standing in the center.

Clearly understanding what was about to happen, she trembled more violently, softly calling out, “Mommy…”

However, the experimenter only turned away coldly and picked up an injector. She would not take pity on her or even say, “This is for your own good.”

Under that gaze devoid of warmth, the girl could only bite her lip and remove her clothes.

It was like a procedure for making a certain food: making a cut in the neck, stuffing a soft tube into the body cavity, and inflating the inside with gas—not too much, not too little—until the skin and flesh were separated to a moderate softness, after which the incision would be stitched up and the body thrown into the water to set the form.

No living person would be treated this way. Yet, with a horrifying similarity to the process above, she was pressed underwater.

Just before the water submerged her head, she saw the eyes of the “Mother”—the one she shouldn’t call mother but who had indeed created her—eyes that were much calmer than the ripples on the water.

Such soft eyes, such indifferent emotion.

Dozens of meters high, the colossal cultivation vessel designed specifically for her was a glass-enclosed cylinder. A tube was inserted into the back of her neck, its cone tip pressed into the bone seam. Nutrient solution was pumped into her body, filling the space beneath her skin. As she sank, a terrifying water pressure simultaneously rolled over her.

In the past, she would have thought this was punishment for being late. The later she returned, the longer the “punishment” time.

But she later realized it was worse than punishment.

Punishment carries emotion.

“Mommy” had no feelings.

A fish egg cannot live for more than a month.

And she had lived for many years.

It was merely the cost of being alive.

…

Floors 110 to 120 of the North Building of the institute were completely sealed off. The Cultivation Room was undergoing reconstruction.

No related news had leaked out. Field witnesses like Cheng Ming were required to sign a confidentiality agreement the moment they regained consciousness. However, the atmosphere at the Defense Center was visibly tenser, a low pressure preceding a storm.

This was mainly reflected in the requirement for all personnel to go to the Security Department for a mandatory medical check-up on December 19th.

Cheng Ming, fresh out of the hospital, was no exception.

Jiang Dexin had initially wanted to give her two more days off, but Cheng Ming refused.

Too much accumulated work made it hard for her to sleep well.

It was only after this incident that Cheng Ming learned the risk level for the Waveseed Flowerglow Algae-Fungus was actually classified as MR (Medium Risk).

No intelligence, but still dangerous.

“You were practically soaking in the fungal solution. It’s truly a miracle nothing serious happened,” Jiang Dexin remarked in fearful relief, making Cheng Ming feel a twinge of guilt.

After reporting her safety, she didn’t talk much more, hanging up the phone, claiming she needed to clean her apartment.

Having been away for a while, the apartment was indeed dusty everywhere.

Halfway through cleaning, Qu Ying arrived.

This time, she brought a whole box of nutrients and inhibitors, setting them down on the living room coffee table. “Twenty doses, half of each.”

Closing the door, Cheng Ming was briefly stunned when she turned around. She couldn’t help but ask, “Sister Yingying, did you raid the department?”

Qu Ying glanced at her. “For tomorrow’s check-up, you’d better inject at least two doses of the inhibitor before you go.”

Her tone was serious. Cheng Ming slightly frowned. This meant the check-up standards were quite high.

“But…” She subconsciously hesitated.

“What?”

“Nothing. I’m just worried about the effect on my body.”

“It won’t affect you,” Qu Ying said naturally.

Cheng Ming dared not say she was worried about Little Ming. She guiltily changed the subject, seeing the hurried look about Qu Ying. “Is something the matter?”

“Yes,” Qu Ying nodded. “I have a new mission soon. It might be dozens of days, or a few months. I’ll be completely out of contact.”

The news came suddenly. Cheng Ming looked up in surprise.

Qu Ying took the opportunity to press a hand to Cheng Ming’s forehead, looking straight into her eyes, which were clear and distinct, like an indisputable contract on black and white paper.

She said, “Please, live well, okay, kid? Don’t let me come back and find you in the hospital again.”

…

Qu Ying left.

The winter deepened, and the nights grew colder.

The apartment was empty. After showering, Cheng Ming sat by the bed in her pajamas, picked up the small knife, briefly disinfected it with iodine, and made a cut on her little finger.

After a moment of quiet waiting, she was not surprised to find that the wound healed at an extraordinary speed. Only a bead of seeping bl00d remained embedded in the spot, about to fall but still clinging.

Her enhanced cell regeneration ability was not affected by the reduction of Little Ming’s conscious activity.

Normal embryonic development relies on stable aggregation through intercellular interactions. However, the growth of this parasite may have been tightly bound to her. From its very beginning, its dividing cells scattered, flowing with her bl00d, infiltrating every corner of her body. Truly, you in me, and me in you.

At least on a cellular level, they were indistinguishable.

Looking at the shallow scar on her fingertip, Cheng Ming made a calm judgment.

She couldn’t just sit and wait.

Her body was only truly safe when it was under her own control.

Wiping away the bl00d with a tissue, she put the unused band-aid back in the drawer, suppressing the underlying anxiety. She lifted the blanket and slipped in to sleep.

“Little Ming—” She only realized her mistake after speaking the two words, and the ending sound abruptly stopped.

With her handy little house manager gone, Cheng Ming had to climb out of bed again, travel two steps in the cold air to hit the switch, and snap, the room plunged into darkness.

Lying down again, she returned to the not-so-warm quilt and closed her eyes.

Why hadn’t she noticed how cold the night was before?

…

The next morning.

Squatting in front of the supplies Qu Ying brought last night, Cheng Ming hesitated for a long time before finally injecting only one dose of the inhibitor and closing the drawer.

She left at the appointed time, took the shuttle bus, and arrived at the Security Department’s Health Monitoring Center.

She only remembered visiting this place once for her pre-employment medical exam. After that, the Security Department always provided door-to-door service, so she didn’t recall the internal structure. Fortunately, she was guided the entire way.

The Hydra incident, which involved widespread injury, didn’t trigger such a large-scale investigation. The appearance of the fish egg, however, was not only kept a secret but was also causing this much trouble. The Security Department was highly concerned and alert about this fish-monster anthropomorphic event—a piece of information she easily inferred.

It was a blessing in disguise: the virus had severely weakened the parasite inside her, which ironically helped her cope with this check-up.

Routine items like internal and external medicine, bl00d counts, and head CT were, as expected, a false alarm.

In addition, there were special instruments she hadn’t seen before, such as the Holographic Detection Imaging System, which records the complete state of the human body, including bones, muscles, internal organs, and bl00d circulation, comparing it with the individual’s past physiological data and normal average data. There was also the Biophoton Spectrum Analysis System, which scans the body surface to detect weak and ultra-weak photon radiation from the living organism, using spectral analysis to determine any abnormalities.

These two reports showed abnormalities for Cheng Ming.

The technician looked at the results, then at her, and frowned. “Your brain radiation value is too high…”

This was dangerous. The fish egg had parasitized the brain, so her data inevitably raised suspicion.

But Cheng Ming was prepared. She handed over her two discharge reports—one for the previous fungal infection, and the other for the recent viral infection.

The person took them and read them carefully, and their eyes instantly changed from vigilance to pity.

Walking out of the Security Department building intact, Cheng Ming adjusted her hat to thoroughly cover her head. Facing the biting cold wind, she felt a massive weight finally lifted.

Indeed, many of her worries were unfounded. Unless they conducted targeted testing based on prior suspicion, such as gene sequencing, other methods would simply be unable to detect Little Ming.

She had previously been unsure of the form the monster used to parasitize her, leading to many terrifying imaginings—like it squatting in one of her organs, clinging to her cerebral cortex, or perhaps her body had already been quietly replaced and would tear apart her flesh if it ever left her…

Now, she was certain: it was complete fusion.

It cannot leave her.

Nor can she leave it.

The Security Department was closer to the shore. The land warmed quickly, and the wind blowing from the sea carried a characteristic cool moisture.

She pulled up the hood of her jacket and quickened her pace toward the exit gate. Suddenly, she saw a dark shadow rapidly approaching behind her in the reflective glass of the opposite guard post.

Her heart almost skipped a beat. She looked again and saw it was a Security Department member in uniform, a tall, slender young person, striding toward her.

Her heart slightly seized up. Was he coming for her? Why? Was there a problem with her medical report?

Cheng Ming stopped, intending to turn and ask, but just as she turned half her body, a great force pounced on her, nearly breaking her waist.

Two strong arms twisted around her upper body like clamps.

In contrast to her confusion and alarm, the other person was overjoyed.

“Cheng Ming!” The person grinned broadly, completely forgetting they were on duty. “It really is you! Biology Class Rep!”

At this unique nickname, Cheng Ming froze. Her eyes gradually widened, finding a trace of long-ago familiarity in the unfamiliar face.

“You’re—Little Hua?” she tried to recall. “Han Guohua?”

Reuniting with an old classmate so suddenly made her head spin.

“Hey, hey! I’m Han Xuhua! How can you forget my name!” The latter squeezed her neck in mock annoyance.

It had been so many years; the fact that she remembered even two words suggested they had been quite close… Cheng Ming pulled her hands away and asked incredulously, “When did you start working here?”

“I was about to ask you when you started working here!”

It really was a small world.

However, since both were locals who had returned to build their homeland after graduation, the probability of meeting was naturally higher than for others.

The only thing was, after that incident in middle school, she had a falling out with the class. Being young and hot-headed, she didn’t know how to leave room for reconciliation. She quit the class group chat after graduation and deleted everyone with one click.

Compared to her reclusiveness, Han Xuhua was the kind of person who got along well with everyone. Thanks to her largely unchanged personality—besides being darker and skinnier—Cheng Ming, who rarely encountered such happy, boundary-less “puppies” in her life, could quickly pull up the corresponding image from her memory.

“Where do you work? The institute? As expected, a big scientist! I knew you’d end up doing this—”

She was so excited she couldn’t stop talking. Cheng Ming didn’t even get a chance to interject.

“Han Xuhua!” A strict female voice boomed in her earphone, so close that Cheng Ming heard it too. “Report to the first-floor Left Hall!”

“Ah! I’m doomed!” Han Xuhua practically jumped up, quickly released Cheng Ming, and dashed off, nearly knocking Cheng Ming’s hat askew.

Then, with lightning speed, she spun back and said quickly, “Class Rep, let’s meet up sometime! Can’t do it these few days, I’ll probably be punished… Anyway, I’ll contact you later!”

Before she finished speaking, she was already dozens of meters away.

Cheng Ming stood there, completely stunned.

It took a full ten seconds before she realized what was wrong—You didn’t give me your contact information!

…

10:00 AM, North Building of the Institute.

On the 113th floor, construction workers were removing old components and installing new biometric systems. The hallway clanged loudly, filled with the sounds of electric welding and machinery.

“Huh? Why is the elevator coming up?” Someone suddenly asked.

Of the four main elevators in the North Building, three had their stopping rights for these ten floors revoked. One was left operating to facilitate workers carrying large tools upstairs. The one currently running was the elevator that, theoretically, no one else should be using right now.

The number on the display screen had passed the 110th floor and was still slowly ascending.

Noticing this, the people nearby stopped what they were doing and involuntarily held their breath, watching. The person leading the team was Security Department personnel, responsible for supervision and confidentiality. Seeing the situation, they were about to send a message to the security station to ask if there was a malfunction.

Ding—

The hall door opened.

A young person, dressed completely bundled up, stepped out. She pulled down the heavy hood of her jacket, revealing a knitted wool cap underneath. The bright neon yellow color instantly dispelled the cold, windswept feeling.

Smiling, she showed her ID badge. “Employee ID 7086, Cheng Ming, one of the people in charge of the 113th floor. I have special access clearance.”

Although Professor Jiang had her back, the feeling of being chased by work was deadly for someone with Cheng Ming’s personality.

So, as soon as her medical exam was over, she rushed straight to work.

She needed to check the condition of the algae-fungus and collect and organize the data that had accumulated over the past few days.

Passing through the newly modified and installed access control system into the sealed zone, she dumped her outer jacket in the break room, changed into a full set of clothing and shoes, and walked into the dimly lit Cultivation Room.

The internal repairs had finished. Looking at the clean, new floor and the obviously relocated cultivation tanks, she felt a bizarre sensation, like a victim returning to the crime scene.

She completed a round of inspection and recording. Finally, she stopped in front of two specially marked cultivation tanks and, once again, violated protocol by unzipping her protective suit.

Although the previous intentional sabotage was stopped in time, some of the algae-fungus was disposed of due to exposure to air and light. The remaining quantity was extremely precious. These two tanks had damaged glass but were temporarily not classified as contaminated, so they were separated from the others and kept for observation.

The cultivation tank had a reserved sampling port for manual operation. Pulling back the cover plate, she single-handedly picked up a syringe, inserted it into her left wrist vein, drew out approximately 1 mL of bl00d, and injected it into the culture solution.

The slightly denser liquid, like ink bleeding into water, was not obvious in the dim light. Gentle ripples spread, and it quickly dissipated without a trace.

Zipping up her suit again, and while waiting for the wound to heal, she looked at the thick glass in front of her. Her reflection stared back, causing her a moment of abstraction. The stinging pain lingered on her skin, but her expression was so calm that even she felt unfamiliar with it.

She used to be very sensitive to pain, but now, harming her own body had become increasingly routine.

She couldn’t see any immediate changes in the fungal solution.

Cheng Ming dressed completely and left to attend to other work first.

Six hours later, she returned.

The automation level of the Cultivation Room was high. Each cultivation tank had a concentration measurement system, primarily recording the proliferation of the algae-fungus through a photoelectric turbidimetric method.

She tapped the digital display a few times and exported the growth curve for the last 12 hours.

The algae-fungus concentration was far from its maximum capacity at this time, which should have been the period of fastest proliferation. When the analytical graph was fully displayed, Cheng Ming’s mind was filled with only two words: “As expected.”

The virus that infected her was indeed targeting the Waveseed Flowerglow Algae-Fungus. Perhaps this virus was a “weapon” the fish-monster deliberately brought ashore.

And, as expected, the fungus inside her body was indeed the Waveseed Flowerglow Algae-Fungus.

This algae-fungus also had a dimorphic form, so the parasite inside her was a filamentous body, while in the culture solution, it was unicellular? Then what exactly was Little Ming, fundamentally? An aberrant fish species named “Jiao” by the Security Department, but a moldy, mutated version?

She watched silently for a moment, put on her gloves, and took out 10 mL of the fungal solution from the sampling port, sealing it in a bag.

Then, she went up to the Large Instrument Laboratory on the 126th floor.

The usage authorization Professor Jiang had approved for her had not yet expired.

Entering the deserted electron microscope room, Cheng Ming methodically performed the procedure: drying, sample preparation, and observation.

She repeatedly adjusted the sample and parameters until she finally obtained a clear image.

Hospital treatment methods ultimately rely on experimental breakthroughs at the institute.

She leaned over in front of the electronic screen, looking at the abnormal particles clinging to the displayed algal-fungal cells, examining frame by frame.

Finally, she picked up her phone and sent a message—

“Professor Jiang, I’ve discovered a virus that can inhibit algae-fungus proliferation.”

…

Returning to the apartment, the sky was completely dark.

Professor Jiang Dexin was likely working late, holding a meeting with researchers in the virology group to discuss the new subject. Cheng Ming, the one who proposed it, had already taken leave and departed.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to stay. She was more anxious than anyone to understand this virus. However, she had discovered a problem with her own body.

Holding it in until she stepped inside, Bang. She forcefully shut the door. Leaning her back against the solid wooden panel, she raised her hand. Every single finger was trembling.

The interior lights shone coolly. Strange patterns spread across her thin, translucent fingernails. Streaks of red threads coiled beneath the nail beds. With a light touch, they squeezed through the gaps, sliding down like thin worms.

It was bl00d.