December 30. Today was the last day of the Extraterrestrial Parasitism rule, and the new year was about to arrive.
Before last April, New Year’s transitions were celebrated in every country with holidays and festivities.
But after the Doomsday Rules appeared, all holidays beca nothing but empty illusions. Surviving itself required every ounce of effort, and few people still had the heart to celebrate—New Year’s was no exception.
Still, on this day so voices of reflection appeared online.
“Ah, I made it through another year.”
“There are four more months until the two-year anniversary of the Doomsday Rules. Do I even have a chance to live that long?”
“Hope the Fire Thief behaves like a normal person in the new year—post simpler rules and give us fewer survival ones.”
“Hoping the Fire Thief will act human is pointless. We should be hoping the authorities step up protection. It’s been almost two years, haven’t the officials invented so black tech yet?”
“Unlikely. Officials are running ragged. Who has ti to sit down and do real research…”
“Rember that after Rule Fifteen was the Second Ascendant Challenge Tournant? That should be coming soon, right?”
“Take care of the present first. The parasitized forms issue isn’t solved, who has the headspace for tournants?”
“I live near a centralized training area. I’m terrified that when the rule ends, a bunch of parasitized monsters will co out. I’ll be screwed for sure!”
On the day before the rule ended, worries about the parasitized forms were not limited to netizens. Governnts everywhere were on high alert.
So far, no one knew what the final stage of parasitism would look like, or exactly what humans would beco after full parasitization.
Would they change into so kind of monsters? Or would they still retain a human appearance?
Would they pose a threat to others?
As a precaution, ard soldiers had been deployed inside and outside every Quarantine Zone in Beixing.
If a major threat appeared, they had to ensure the disaster was eliminated inside the quarantine area and must not spill over into neighborhoods of the unaddicted.
At this mont, at Quarantine Zone No. 3 under close observation by the Counterasures Research Office, several ard vehicles arrived at the gate.
Zhang Minglu and Dragon Soul got out first from the lead vehicle.
Many others followed from the cars behind—Ascendants all, wearing a brand-new dark blue uniform with an armband on the right sleeve that read “Mobile.”
This was the emblem of Beixing’s newly established unit, the Research Office Mobile Team.
The unit belonged to the Counterasures Research Office. It had been proposed by Zhang Minglu, seconded by Gao Liangwei, and finally approved by top-level decision-makers.
Zhang Minglu proposed forming this special mobile team after learning from past mistakes, such as how official Ascendants like Gu Fei were discarded.
Official team posts required few personnel but had fierce competition, often selecting one in a hundred or even one in a thousand.
The Ascendants who made it into the pool tended to be talented. Those who failed to make the cut often felt resentful and sotis joined illegal civilian groups, which hurt both the governnt and society.
So Zhang Minglu suggested creating an ard branch under the Research Office to retain such people.
As normal soldiers’ ability to suppress Ascendants weakened over ti, there was a need for a new ard force made entirely of Ascendants.
Thus the Research Office Mobile Team was logically approved and established. Its primary duty was to handle large-scale, confrontational disasters.
The current spore parasitism could very likely evolve into such confrontational incidents, so Zhang Minglu brought a team today.
He and Dragon Soul entered this gymnasium quarantine zone with the Mobile Team and found the plaza area completely cleared.
The quarantine zone head ca forward to report, “With the rule about to end, to prevent mass violent incidents, we require everyone to stay in their tents and not move around.”
The so-called “tents” were temporary shelters—this was a gymnasium, not a hotel, and it did not have many sleeping rooms.
Zhang Minglu nodded. “Have those with the deepest parasitism shown any new changes today?”
“I’m puzzled too.”
On hearing this, the head’s expression turned odd.
“Those who previously had the most violent tendencies started behaving obediently from this afternoon.”
“Obedient? How so?”
“They sit, or they lie down and stare into space. But last night they were screaming, pounding fists, smashing walls.”
Zhang Minglu fell into thought. Dragon Soul asked, “Doctor, could this be the change when parasitism enters the fifth stage?”
“It may be the final transition.” Zhang Minglu’s tone was laced with anxiety. “The rules ntioned that the failure punishnt is ‘to survive in parasitized form.’ The rule is about to end. Those with the deepest parasitism may be transforming into complete parasitized forms!”
The quarantine zone head grew nervous. “Doctor Zhang, should we—”
“No. Premature ‘purification’ is absolutely forbidden. The Research Office has already made that clear. You quarantine heads should know this.”
“Yes… but the current situation keeps us on edge.” The head forced a smile. “I haven’t dared sleep the last two nights; I’ve been watching the monitors constantly, worried soone will suddenly beco a monster.”
Zhang Minglu thought for a mont and said, “We’ll stay here tonight. I want to see the parasitized changes with my own eyes the instant the rule ends.”
“Doctor, Dragon Soul and I will stay with the Mobile Team.” Dragon Soul worried about Zhang Minglu’s safety. “You should return to base and watch via live streaming.”
“No, I’ll stay.” Zhang Minglu was adamant. “I need to see firsthand what these alien spores, which have left every country helpless, will actually turn us into.”
…
Late at night, in a lounge inside the gymnasium, a young man sat with empty eyes in a chair.
He stared at the door, aware that ard soldiers were posted outside.
The soldiers were strict with people who had used violence while parasitized.
Earlier soone had rushed out and, after ignoring several warnings from the ard soldiers, was shot dead.
He had thought about fighting them earlier—if only they would experience the wondrous feeling the spores gave.
If everyone felt it, if everyone joined this large family, maybe the world would have no more conflict.
But now he felt only one thing: exhausted.
So tired.
Just days earlier he had been full of energy, so vigorous he could go without much food, but now he was worn out to the extre.
His limbs felt weighed down as if filled with lead, while his mind beca extrely active.
He could “see” vast images flashing through his head, interconnected.
Those brilliant palaces of the alien civilization that used to appear only when he closed his eyes now presented themselves even with his eyes open.
The place that had been a kind of holy hall in his mind now felt right in front of him, within reach.
“Ahhh…”
The young man forced his hand forward to grasp at nothing, but it quickly fell limply back.
Then his whole body thudded to the floor as an invisible change rapidly spread through him.
The sound alerted the guards outside. The door flew open and two soldiers rushed in with guns raised.
They saw the fainted young man on the floor and exchanged a glance.
“Notify the head imdiately!”
A few minutes later, the quarantine zone head arrived in haste, accompanied by Zhang Minglu and Dragon Soul.
Seeing the unconscious young man, the head asked, “What happened?”
The two soldiers said they didn’t know.
Dragon Soul bent down to check him. “Vital signs are fine.”
No sooner had he said that than the young man suddenly opened his eyes.
“Careful!” Zhang Minglu warned.
Dragon Soul instantly locked both of the young man’s arms behind his back and pressed a knee into the back of his neck, restraining him firmly.
“Ugh!!” The young man struggled for breath, writhing in pain. “Let
go… I can’t breathe…”
Hearing him speak in such an orderly way shocked the others.
After all, those kept alone in single rooms were people who had reached the fourth parasitism stage and had used violence. Such individuals uniformly refused to listen. Yet this young man was pleading, even saying he couldn’t breathe—this was odd.
Under Zhang Minglu’s instruction, Dragon Soul temporarily removed his knee but still held the young man’s arms.
He pulled him up. The youth spoke weakly, “My stomach… I’m starving, I want to eat sothing.”
This even stranger behavior made Zhang Minglu thoughtful.
He imdiately had the head arrange a al and fed the youth.
After he ate his fill, Zhang Minglu sat down to talk with him.
“Do you rember what happened before? I an, everything since the new rule was announced.”
The young man nodded. “I rember. We practiced cultivation, received information from the alien civilization in the cosmos, and strengthened our bodies.”
“Do you rember trying to violently attack the guards two days ago?”
The young man’s face showed sha. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what ca over
then. I did that horrible thing.”
“…”
Not only Zhang Minglu, but also the quarantine head and Dragon Soul were filled with bewildernt.
How could a youth so deeply parasitized by spores now behave almost like a normal person?
Was the Research Office’s earlier supposition wrong—that in the final stage the spores would turn humans into uncommunicative monsters?
Zhang Minglu asked several more questions. The young man’s answers were reasonable each ti.
After questioning, Zhang Minglu and the others left first. The youth was returned to his single room.
But unlike before, when he closed his eyes grand alien palaces and gentle whispering flooded his mind no longer.
Instead, his own thoughts and voice occupied him.
“There’s surveillance in the room. I must be careful, can’t show any slips. To get out of here, I must make the heretics relax their guard, so I can keep this useful body.”
The youth slowly opened his eyes. The fervor in his pupils was barely concealed.
“To dedicate everything of this life and this body to the great Diffusion Movent—that is the true aning of existence!”
Reviews
All reviews (0)