After Being Parasiticized By A Monster - Chapter 64

Chapter 64: “You Smell So Good…”

Under Interrogation

“On March 21st, you were on duty in the Observation Tower Control Room. At 11:49 AM, you initiated the Level 3 defense procedure, and the entire area was sealed within ten minutes. However, our investigation found that the isolation net was undamaged, and the first alarm from the underwater facilities didn’t sound until 11:55 AM. So, why were you able to predict the incident six minutes in advance?”

Qu Ying clearly didn’t understand the complex reaction of ‘Group Leader Yan’ to her presence; she only suspected it was guilt-driven nervousness. She didn’t mince words, launching immediately into the most pointed question.

“What information did you use to press the warning button?”

Cheng Ming hadn’t anticipated this—that she, the victim, would be sitting in the defendant’s chair, defending her aggressor, Yan Li. She met Qu Ying’s steely gaze and felt a faint despair at the irrationality of the world.

Slowing her breathing, Cheng Ming responded: “Are you certain you’ve checked all the data? Every single log? Including the living quarters, the experiment zone, and the entire underwater control area—all the warning devices?” She threw the question back, meeting the eyes of the three people before her.

Qu Ying’s hostility was obvious. The man on the right, with the gold badge (Investigation Unit), was rigid and serious, listening intently. The woman on the left, with the green badge (Biology Unit), was more relaxed and friendly. They seemed only to be observers.

“There must have been an anomaly in the bay very early. I believe I made a rational judgment based on what I observed in the main control room,” Cheng Ming continued. “Frankly, gentlemen, I don’t understand what you’re suspicious of,” she said, looking directly at Qu Ying. “Was activating a timely warning to prevent greater loss a mistake?”

“Stop playing dumb!” Qu Ying kicked her chair back and slammed one hand on the table, starting to rise. The sudden explosion of energy, coupled with the clatter of the metal chair hitting the wall, echoed deafeningly.

Qiu Ju, sitting behind her, was startled and immediately grabbed Qu Ying’s arm. “Whoa, Commander Qu, calm down! Calm down!”

Cheng Ming was also shocked. If Qu Ying hadn’t been restrained, she would have instinctively backed away. She was stunned by the intensity of Qu Ying’s hostility—not just towards Yan Li, but a targeted, personal animosity. Didn’t these two barely interact outside of work?

Qu Ying’s eyes were like ice, her gloved hands trembling with barely contained strength. The room was tense, ready to erupt into a brawl.

Cheng Ming knew she couldn’t continue. More words meant more mistakes. Afraid Qu Ying might actually attack, she fell back on the most reliable excuse:

“I apologize, I have amnesia and haven’t fully recovered. Some details are genuinely fuzzy.”

…

An Unsettling Encounter

The first inquiry was unsatisfactory. As a result, Cheng Ming was detained, forbidden to leave until the cause of the incident was clarified.

Perfect. At 9:45 PM, she decided to carry out the pharmaceutical company’s mission.

She stripped off any identifying markers, left her wristband by her pillow, put on a mask and a protective suit, and walked out. Full environmental gear was required outside the living quarters, which conveniently aided her disguise.

The corridor was dim, and the flooring absorbed most of the sound, but she still moved cautiously. This was the security personnel’s dormitory area; she passed a door every few seconds.

She was on high alert.

“Cheng Ming~” Little Ming whispered, its voice sounding overly excited and close to her ear. “You smell so good…”

Startled by the unexpected compliment after passing a critical security section, Cheng Ming nearly tripped. Was it this agitated because they were so close to the sea?

She replied with a sense of bewilderment: “Have you considered that this body is also yours?”

“So?” Little Ming asked, confused.

Cheng Ming: “So you sound incredibly narcissistic.”

As the fungus fell silent, either in confusion or philosophical thought, Cheng Ming quickly reviewed the mission: Shuttle 1, the path to the seabed. Was the item related to the experimental creature below? The operative must be a long-term staff member who couldn’t leave Red Stone Bay, which is why she was needed as a middleman.

And the time—was it definitely 10 PM? The numbers had vanished too quickly.

Please, please don’t let me run into Qu Ying.

Speak of the devil.

Pat-tap. Cheng Ming froze.

A dormitory door two meters ahead opened. A cone of light spread, a shadow was cast, and a person walked out.

Fortunately, it wasn’t Qu Ying. It was the other Investigation Unit leader from the afternoon, Dong Wentao. Since Cheng Ming had been focused on Qu Ying, she hadn’t paid much attention to Dong Wentao, who was naturally unremarkable.

Just as she hadn’t given her trouble during the meeting, Dong Wentao now gave her a curt, neutral nod.

Uncertain if she had been recognized, Cheng Ming casually returned the nod. Her heart pounding, she followed Dong Wentao down the corridor, keeping a two- to three-meter gap. The anxiety stretched time. She didn’t dare slow down and look suspicious.

She almost breathed a sigh of relief as they neared the end of the passage. Then, Dong Wentao turned a corner, and Cheng Ming followed.

Five minutes later, she turned another corner, still following.

Cheng Ming: “…”

Little Ming: “You don’t think you’re going to the same place, do you?”

This couldn’t continue. For safety, Cheng Ming decided to take a longer, roundabout route. She was about to turn right at the next intersection when the figure ahead, who had been striding quickly, abruptly turned right as well.

Cheng Ming paused. When she reached the intersection, the figure had vanished into the darkness.

…

The Handover

Without her wristband, she couldn’t check the time, but she felt she was close enough. Following the fluorescent signs through several dim corridors, she reached the designated location: Shuttle 1 Entrance.

When the sensor light came on, she saw a person already waiting by the heavy metal blast door. A dark pool of shadow gathered at their feet.

“Hey, what took you so long? It’s almost ten o’clock!”

The person waved, clad in a suit even more concealing than Cheng Ming’s. She recognized the ID: M-0368, the handler. A low-level worker connected to the underwater creature, just as she suspected.

Cheng Ming didn’t speak, just held out her hand, indicating she was ready for the exchange.

Instead, the handler turned and pressed their pass. Beep. The shuttle bay door opened. Before Cheng Ming could react, the handler pulled her in.

“Forget the formalities. Let’s go!”

…

Missed Connection

Above Ground, First Floor.

The deep mechanical hum of the vertical shaft faded as the Shuttle 1 entrance fell silent.

A researcher who had returned from the underwater lab was taking the more distant Shuttle 3, circling around to avoid the handler, M-0368, who was known to arrive ten minutes early via Shuttle 2. It was a low-probability encounter, but precautions were taken.

The researcher, a valuable asset funded by the ENS Foundation, stood unknowingly at the exact spot where the handler had just waited. He held a sample vial like a grenade, alert and anxious in the cold air vent.

He checked his mechanical watch: 22:07:03.

Why hasn’t the contact arrived?

At the end of the narrow, closed corridor leading to the entrance, another figure finally appeared. Also fully suited, this person’s outfit differed slightly, the gold badge on their chest shining with scattered light. As they passed under the sensor light, a plain, unmemorable face was revealed: Dong Wentao, Team Leader of Unit 7.

She had been walking quickly but slowed as she approached, her scrutinizing gaze falling on the waiting researcher with a hint of hesitation.

The anxious researcher immediately rushed toward her. “Why are you so late? What time were you told to arrive?”