After Being Parasiticized By A Monster - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: “Let Her Climb Out and Curse Me.”

The New Cemetery

Woo—

A cold wind swept across the domino-like rows of gray and white tombstones at Cemetery 78. Two short-haired women walked in, dressed in somber formal wear, holding bouquets. A white corsage was pinned to their navy military jackets.

Their footsteps left faint gray prints on the newly turned, immature turf.

The original public cemetery couldn’t accommodate the dead, so this new section was opened specifically to inter the public service personnel who died during the 7/8 Coastal Defense Incident.

The cemetery faced the Defense Center and lay just fifteen kilometers outside the new isolation line. The official explanation was that the fallen heroes, having guarded the coastline in life, surely wished to continue doing so in death. The practical truth, however, was that coastal land was cheap.

Over the past two months, intensive search-and-rescue efforts had clarified the fate of most missing persons. Skeletons or belongings swept away by the tsunami were collected by underwater robots, identified, and returned to families.

Many remains, contaminated by nuclear radiation from prolonged seawater immersion, had to be encased in concrete before deep burial. This method, disrespecting traditional customs, was why the women heard a commotion at the entrance.

Family members, refusing to accept the reality of radiation and demanding a proper burial, had brought construction equipment, threatening to dig up the bodies.

“Does arguing like this make the dead any more peaceful?” Han Xuhua couldn’t help but turn her head toward the noise.

“The self-proclaimed clever fools are always the majority,” Yan Li said, walking past the spectacle calmly.

The post-disaster situation was grim. While facing massive repair challenges, the Investigation Department had also arrested a group suspected of being anti-Defense Center agitators who had tried to obstruct reconstruction by dismantling metal isolation nets, claiming they simply wanted to sell scrap metal for money.

It was an absurd and disheartening internal division during a time that demanded unity.

Han Xuhua stumbled, nearly tripping over a protruding rock, and clutched her flowers. “Group Leader, you’re getting quite sharp now,” she chuckled.

“…” Yan Li rubbed her forehead. “Still calling me Group Leader? I’ll have to start learning from scratch with you.”

“You’re always our Group Leader,” Han Xuhua lowered her voice.

The Investigation Department’s Group 1, which Yan Li led and which was often deployed to the frontline, had been nearly wiped out in the battle. Yan Li herself was swept away by the wave but was found by a subsequent unit. She survived but spent over a month in critical care, suffering brain trauma that resulted in memory loss.

They reached the section for the Investigation Department’s fallen soldiers and found the names of their comrades.

…

A Visit to the Empty Grave

Hoo—

The same autumn wind, cold and damp, passed over the cemetery’s somber air and tousled the hair of Qu Ying, who stood silently before Cheng Ming’s tombstone.

She wore no expression, just stood holding a thin cigarette, several butts already littering the ground at her feet. Her return was delayed, causing her to miss Cheng Ming’s funeral and her final opportunity to see her alive.

The Xingsha stone she had bought—the raw, unpolished fluorescent rock—lay on the dark granite, looking utterly unremarkable in the daytime.

Her mood darkened. She had preemptively gone to Cheng Ming’s apartment to sort through her “effects,” primarily to clear away any damning evidence. Of the two packets of nutrient fluid and inhibitors she had given Cheng Ming, almost all the inhibitors were untouched, while only two nutrient packets remained.

More strangely, she found that the walls of the shower stall were covered in mirrors. Mirrors in the shower?

Was Cheng Ming observing the parasite that occupied her body? Qu Ying had stood there for three minutes, the subtle details confirming her chilling, reluctant suspicion: Cheng Ming’s relationship with the parasite was likely unusually complex, and she had clearly dropped her guard.

She had lost her chance.

Smoke curled around her. The wind carried a cold, wet hint of rain and sea. Qu Ying focused on the carved letters on the stone, sorrow creeping up on her.

“There should have been a spot for me here,” Yan Li said quietly, standing among the rows of tombstones.

“Don’t say that, Group Leader,” Han Xuhua replied, trying to lighten the mood. “I can’t lose you.”

After paying their respects, Han Xuhua still had a bouquet of daisies and mentioned visiting another section. Yan Li offered, “I’ll go with you.”

Passing the main gate again, they saw the scene had quieted. The official in charge was on the phone, the scraps of conversation indicating the families were demanding double the compensation. Money.

The two women, who had just scornfully judged the selfishness of people, fell silent. Trading dead relatives for cash sounded despicable, but how could they condemn them? The dead were gone; the living had to keep going.

In the pine forest passage leading to the Researchers’ section, a lone figure stood, dressed casually in an apricot-white top and black trousers—Qu Ying.

She glanced at them, gave a brief nod, and returned her gaze to the tombstone, her manner aloof.

Han Xuhua walked over to place her flowers. Yan Li walked directly up to Qu Ying.

Qu Ying spoke first, seeing the other woman’s approach: “Group Leader Yan, did you know Cheng Ming?”

“Not well,” Yan Li replied instinctively, gesturing to Han Xuhua. “I accompanied Little Hua.” She maintained a subtle watch on Qu Ying. “My condolences.”

Qu Ying frowned, seemingly finding the interaction odd. She casually put the cigarette back in her mouth, ignoring Yan Li to focus on Han Xuhua near the grave.

But Yan Li persisted, nodding toward the tombstone. “I remember, she didn’t like the smell of smoke.”

Qu Ying flicked the ash. “She can climb out and curse me if she has a problem.”

Yan Li/Cheng Ming remained silent.

“Oh, it’s empty in there,” Qu Ying stated flatly. “She doesn’t even have bones; she can’t climb out.” Her voice ended on a breathy, almost scornful note.

Most of the victims were never recovered; their identities were confirmed only by residual biological material from clothing or fragments. Cheng Ming was one of them.

The atmosphere froze, only the cold wind whispering between them.

“This is a perfect opportunity, you can curse her right now,” a mischievous voice prompted in the pseudo-Yan Li’s mind.

Yan Li—or rather, Cheng Ming disguised as Yan Li—silently shot back: “You shut up.”