After Being Parasiticized By A Monster - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Why Not Consider Finding a Partner?

Hundreds of kilometers away.

The first rays of orange light crossed the vast ocean and sprinkled onto this desolate land. The abandoned bay welcomed another sunrise.

Several naval vessels were anchored at the port until multiple military helicopters passed through the air route, breaking the silence.

A metal sign, forbidding passage, hummed in the fierce wind. A woman was the first to jump down the ladder. After landing, she pulled off her mask, walked to the mooring post, and lit a cigarette.

While waiting for the others to assemble, she casually crushed a sprawling starfish in a crack in the ground with her foot.

If they were to still use the shoreline coordinates established for the Defense Center, their ordinate (y-coordinate) would be negative.

They were now far outside the mainland’s range.

Cangzhou Port, once one of the world’s largest industrial seaports, had now been successfully converted into a military port—of course, there was no other option. After the full-scale outbreak of marine pollution, the shipping industry was basically paralyzed. These places, sitting idle, could only be handed over to the Defense Center for management.

Helicopters landed and flew away.

The Third Division team was assembled, but the team leader and its members quietly lined up, showing no sign of urging.

Qu Ying subtly tutted, finally extinguishing the cigarette butt and turning around.

“Go on, what are you waiting for?”

The smile was still on her lips, but anyone could tell she was in a bad mood.

Communication rights revoked, personal positioning device confiscated, loss of freedom of movement, restriction of ability scope… They called her a “specially hired external aid,” but in reality, she was watched more closely than a prisoner. It would be difficult for anyone to feel good.

She voluntarily extended her hand, asking for the potent inhibitor.

The team leader paused, looked back at a frail-looking female experimenter in a one-piece protective suit, and only after the latter nodded, did he retrieve a syringe from his carrying gear.

“I apologize, Commander Qu.”

Qu Ying took it and, without expression, plunged it into the vein of her wrist.

As if experimenters had an inherent instinct to placate their subjects, Chen Ke stepped forward, her smile gentle. “We’re not doubting you, but the ocean conditions are unpredictable, and this is for your safety.”

“I understand,” Qu Ying raised an eyebrow. “Heavy weapons need a safety mechanism.”

“Ah… this isn’t your safety mechanism though,” Chen Ke’s smile deepened, but her voice lowered. “**Actually, for suspect targets, if they don’t currently exhibit harmfulness, our attitude is often not to take them all out, but to observe.”

She deliberately paused. “For instance, Wang Qi.”

And for instance—

She didn’t continue, but Qu Ying knew there was another name that followed.

Breaking the needle, Qu Ying expressionlessly tossed the discarded item to the nearby team leader. Her pupils were like a winter lake; the ripples disappeared, solidifying into hard, cold ice.

She asked flatly, “What’s the destination this time?”

“Dongyu.”

…

The Breakthrough

The experiment was nearing results. Cheng Ming spent longer hours at the institute and didn’t even have time to soak in water. She was truly forgetting to eat and sleep.

If she didn’t solve the virus soon, she might be defeated by her own body.

The direct result was that because she was constantly coming and going, running into Song Manqing in the hallway for several consecutive days, the woman’s face grew sourer each time.

It was as if Song Manqing had a vendetta against her; she also stayed later and later. The time they encountered each other quickly climbed from 8 PM to 10 PM.

Fearing the other party would mistake her for engaging in excessive competition, Cheng Ming knowingly reduced her trips out.

At 11 PM, after exporting the latest data for the day, she was about to go downstairs back to her apartment when she suddenly covered her nose and rushed into a nearby laboratory.

The abnormality in her body always came without warning. Worried that her bl00d would contaminate the water source, she had to collect it and pour it into the waste liquid bin every time.

But perhaps because she walked too hastily while bent over, it didn’t look like an act of goodwill.

Just as she finished cleaning the bloodstains in the sink, the door behind her opened. “What are you doing?”

Cheng Ming was turning to grab the doorknob. At the sound, she quickly backed away, her spine hitting the edge of the sink. Already dizzy, her hand failed to steady her, and she nearly fell.

“You—” Song Manqing, who had pushed the door open, choked on her words and froze.

What kind of low-grade trick is this?

Shocked as she was, after two seconds of internal struggle, she stepped forward to help Cheng Ming.

Cheng Ming had already recovered, waving her hands repeatedly. “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

Unable to understand why this person always seemed to be watching her, she fumbled in her bag and proactively handed over her mobile hard drive. “Do you want the gene data for the core structural protein?”

She thought the other party had a request but couldn’t bring herself to ask.

Song Manqing was first surprised, staring at the item in Cheng Ming’s hand, as if unable to believe she had already analyzed the key protein. Then, her frown deepened.

“You’re still so young. Why are you so eager for quick success?”

Her tone was even slightly aggressive, as if she strongly disapproved of Cheng Ming’s actions.

Cheng Ming: “…”

Huh?

So, was this lady worried that she was stealing her credit…? She smiled helplessly.

Since she couldn’t exactly say that she might die if she didn’t work hard, she simply stood firm, said “Thank you,” shoved the hard drive into Song Manqing’s hand, and bypassed her to leave the laboratory.

The antibody extracted from her bl00d had already been proven to have a down-regulating effect on the virus’s inhibition of algae-fungus proliferation.

After another half month, Cheng Ming finally obtained the first vial of genetically engineered preparation.

Looking at the clear liquid, she took a portion of the algae-fungus sample, injected the preparation, and observed.

The effect was good. It was almost identical to the antibody purified from her bl00d; no abnormalities appeared.

However, the side effects of using it on a human body were still unknown.

And there was nowhere to find a second “hybrid” creature like herself to experiment on.

She was her own guinea pig, her own experimenter, and her own savior.

That evening, she brought three nutrient solutions from her apartment. She injected one before the experiment, just in case.

It was the first trial, with only a minimum 10 mL dosage.

She chose to stay at the institute to be near the fastest possible medical aid in case of a severe adverse reaction.

The door to the lounge was locked. Boundless silence enveloped her.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, banishing all distracting thoughts.

The needle pierced her vein.

With every 1 mL descent of the plunger, she could almost hear the sound of the immunoglobulin colliding and mixing with her plasma protein.

This was the coldest day of winter, the longest night.

Curled up in a blanket, as she quietly waited for the drug to take effect, she looked up and saw her solitary reflection in the mirror on the opposite desk, and she couldn’t help but curve her lips into a slight smile.

It was a flicker of self-mockery.

She thought it was quite absurd.

Once upon a time, she tried everything to kill it. Now, at its weakest moment, what she had to do was find every way to save it, genuinely hoping for its response.

The needle wound stopped bleeding. She tossed the cotton ball aside. A notepad was spread out in front of her. With a pen in hand, she recorded her reactions over the next two hours as the wall clock ticked by.

Headache, low-grade fever, nausea, chills… mild, non-specific immune response.

Highlighting the key points, and confirming there were no severe side effects, Cheng Ming exhaled halfway, flipped the blanket over, and lay down.

Seven hours later, she was jolted awake by her alarm. She got up to check again.

No allergies, no sustained low-grade fever.

She hadn’t taken any hydrating measures the night before, but her skin condition hadn’t deteriorated either.

Effective.

Finally, the other half of her held breath was released.

…

New Year’s Eve

The end of the year was approaching. The institute was about to close for an eight-day holiday. Projects that could be paused would be. Teams responsible for ongoing work like culturing fungi and raising fish couldn’t leave, so rotating shifts were arranged during the break.

Cheng Ming volunteered for shifts. She took a moment to confirm the schedule and her assigned areas with Jiang Dexin.

“Just come in to check around noon during the day, and come back to check once every two nights; you don’t need to stay here all the time… Learn to give yourself a break, Xiao Cheng. This isn’t good for your mental health,” Jiang Dexin advised, half-jokingly and half-reproachfully, while signing documents.

Cheng Ming could only repeatedly agree.

Although she was close to forgetting how a normal person spends a holiday.

She used to be able to partner with Qu Ying for a New Year’s Eve dinner, but now that Qu Ying was gone, it was more realistic to rescue Little Ming to keep her company.

“Didn’t your classmate come looking for you a few times? The pass is here for you. Go out and walk around with her on the first and second days of the New Year.”

This referred to Han Xuhua.

She had forgotten to leave contact information last time, but after learning Cheng Ming was at the institute, she would run over whenever she had a free moment. If she couldn’t find her in one building, she’d try the next, relentlessly staking out and asking everyone she met.

It only took a few days for her to locate Cheng Ming.

When Cheng Ming heard about this impressive feat, she was dumbfounded, as if listening to a ghost story—How can a person be that outgoing?

However, she had been busy with the new project and kept postponing Han Xuhua’s invitations for a reunion.

If the institute had shifts for the New Year, the Security Department had rotating leave—the border defense line couldn’t be left unmanned. Strictly speaking, they had no New Year’s holiday and couldn’t go home.

She could ask if the other party was free then… Unable to defy her mentor’s instruction, Cheng Ming nodded. “I understand.”

Jiang Dexin added, “If that doesn’t work, consider finding a partner. Even within the department is fine. I’ll reluctantly allow your lab romance. Don’t be so lonely all the time…”

Cheng Ming: “…”

Cheng Ming: “Professor Jiang, you’re not married yet. Don’t you know…”

“But then again, lab romances are actually bad,” Jiang Dexin said solemnly. “It’s better to make more friends.”

Cheng Ming: “…”

A truly harmonious teacher-student relationship must be this: loving and hurting each other.

In late December, the Defense Center was quiet, but faint sounds of firecrackers were already drifting in from the distant city.

After the last person left, the building became much more tranquil.

With no one watching, Cheng Ming moved more freely. At least she was spared the discomfort of being constantly monitored by a certain Ms. Song.

This time, she brought three vials of immunoglobulin from the laboratory.

The procedure was the same, and it had been repeatedly verified to be somewhat safe, yet she was more nervous than the first time.

Although she couldn’t exactly articulate who she was nervous for.

The dosage was increased, and her physical reaction was more intense.

Wrapped in a blanket, she measured her temperature before going to sleep: 38.3∘C.

It was high, already outside the low-grade fever range.

However, fever at this stage was the body’s natural process of fighting the virus. Unless the temperature continued to rise, sleeping it off was the best option.

While she still had the strength, Cheng Ming climbed up and prepared a basin of cold water beside her, placing a towel within reach. She set an alarm, deciding to measure her temperature again in two hours, then turned off the light, shrank into the fuzzy blanket, and fell into a deep sleep.

Her body shifted from cold to burning hot. Her immune system was mobilized dramatically. Every beat of her pulse tore at her brain with a pinprick-like pain.

She gradually couldn’t sleep, but she couldn’t fully wake up either.

The heat was unbearable, yet her forehead felt cool. A damp towel had been placed there at some point.

Her throat was dry and sore. Her exhaled breath felt like a burning flame, scorching her lips dry and cracked. She was very thirsty and wanted to lift her hand to pull the towel off and get a drink of water, but her limbs cried out with weakness, refusing to move.

Just then, a few drops of water fell onto her lips. Slowly accumulating, they provided a gradual moisture.

Cheng Ming vaguely opened her mouth, swallowing unconsciously.

It wasn’t until the cool, smooth sensation belatedly traveled from the sensitive soft tissues of her mouth to her brain nerves that she woke up.

Opening her eyes, she was met with vast darkness. The faintly glowing wall clock opposite showed that it was past midnight.

The alarm she set hadn’t gone off.

Cheng Ming suddenly sat up. The towel fell from her forehead onto the blanket.

Her senses returned. The distant rumbling noise from outside filtered in. A burst of colorful light reflected onto the small window, briefly illuminating the room.

Countless black fungal threads encircled her. Some cascaded like a waterfall from the lounge chair into the basin, and others were right in front of her.

Dripping wet, they swayed at her. “Cheng Ming, you’re awake?”

Outside the building, fireworks exploded in the low sky.

The institute was basically cleared out; it could only be the Security Department celebrating.

It was the New Year.

Inside the building, in the room filled with shifting colors, she slowly regained her composure and softly, dazedly, murmured, “Mmm.”

She was awake.

It was awake too.

The discomfort in her body seemed to vanish completely at this moment. She couldn’t help but smile. “Welcome back.”

The derivative growing from her scalp swayed in response, like undulating ocean waves. Having survived a life-or-death race with the virus, they seemed even more active upon their return.

But the next second, Cheng Ming felt something was wrong.

Looking at the water basin on the floor, and then at the triumphant fungal threads, she frowned and grabbed a handful of them—

“What water did you use to feed me?”