“You damn monster, what did you just say?!”
Hearing these words, it was Xia Hua, of all people, who was the first to snap. To her, Lu Ying, her junior by more than four years, was her sole confidante, a kindred spirit in the realm of the occult. The mere thought of Lu Ying potentially joining the ranks of those soulless, infected beings ignited a furious blaze within Xia Hua’s heart.
“Oh, come now, don’t get so upset. This is clearly a wonderful development,” the ‘hybrid,’ despite having no less than three gun barrels pressed against her head, maintained a remarkably relaxed and cheerful demeanor. “To be granted entry into our swarm, to become an integral part of a greater superorganism, is a truly magnificent opportunity, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Wonderful, my foot!” Xia Hua, her hands flying, delivered a barrage of a dozen or more resounding slaps to the other’s face. The sheer velocity of her onslaught left even Ji Bingyao and Shijō Yurizumi, both confident in their combat prowess, utterly dumbfounded. “Extract that parasite from Lu Ying at once!”
“Oh, that’s remarkably simple,” the ‘hybrid’ replied. “All it requires is a simple knife: sever her skull, then manually extract the swarm’s implanted fragment from her brain… Naturally, she wouldn’t survive such a procedure, but that, of course, would no longer be our concern.”
“You! You! You!” Provoked by the ‘hybrid’s’ taunting words, Xia Hua’s face flushed a furious crimson, like that of an enraged demon. She drew the steak knife she’d been carrying for self-defense from her waist, poised to plunge it directly into the ‘hybrid’s’ throat, only to be restrained by Ji Bingyao just in time.
“Calm yourself, Xia Hua!”
“Precisely. This one still has her uses,” Eileen interjected, offering her own counsel. “Her physical capabilities are markedly inferior to those of the previous ‘hybrid.’ Perhaps we can safely subdue her, then proceed with a thorough study…”
“Ah, Dianna, you mean? So, you’ve already had the pleasure of her acquaintance?” The sickly loli sneered, a cold amusement in her voice. “Little wonder, then, that I can no longer sense her presence… It’s true, my physical prowess indeed falls short of Dianna’s, but do you truly believe mere mortals such as yourselves can hope to control me?”
“Then perish!” Consumed by fury, Xia Hua, akin to a Doomguy fueled by a berserker potion, tore free from Ji Bingyao’s grip and plunged her knife downwards!
To the astonishment of all present, however, the blade was abruptly deflected by an unseen force, halted less than an inch from the sickly loli’s throat!
“Heh heh, allow me to impart a piece of crucial wisdom: never, under any circumstances, afford a ‘hybrid’ like myself the slightest moment to prepare, even when it appears I’ve been thoroughly subdued.” In the very next instant, the ropes Ji Bingyao had used to bind the ‘hybrid’ abruptly snapped. Subsequently, a powerful surge of force struck the group, causing them all to involuntarily stagger back several paces. “While my physical strength indeed pales in comparison to that of my sisters… I can, however, draw upon the power of the Li Hentian, even if only a fraction of its might.”
“Damn it, she’s escaping!” Shirley discharged her pistol. Yet, just as the 9mm bullet was poised to strike, it inexplicably ricocheted in mid-air, instead shattering the delicate neck of a decorative porcelain vase.
Following this, the ‘hybrid’ lashed out with a phantom punch, and an invisible force instantly sent Shirley sprawling to the floor. Seizing the opportune moment, she fled through the dormitory entrance.
The hosts, now utterly subservient to the parasites, trailed in her wake, all of them escaping through the door.
****
“They… they simply absconded?” Shirley queried, a note of palpable surprise in her voice.
“I believe that to be the case…” A distinctly weakened voice drifted down from the nearby staircase. “She had not anticipated your possession of actual weaponry, and thus was ill-prepared to confront you. For her, a temporary retreat was indeed the most pragmatic course of action.”
“Lu Ying?! But that creature—”
“Her words ring true,” Lu Ying affirmed, slowly descending the stairs, her hand clutching the banister. “Two hours… it was two hours ago that she had those abominable insects implant that… vile substance within us.”
“Us? Are there others still here?!” Shirley’s brow furrowed even deeper, her concern mounting.
“There are also twenty-four younger students, all below the fourth grade, seven of whom are still first-year pupils.” Lu Ying suddenly doubled over, retching forth a mouthful of foul-smelling, acidic bile. “That monster… she is truly despicable. At the time, two teachers from the elementary school department risked their very lives to locate the children within the elementary school building, bringing them here to seek refuge… only for that creature to disguise herself as one of the elementary staff, infiltrating our ranks, and then…”
Upon hearing Lu Ying’s account, a heavy dread settled upon Shirley and her companions. Saint Lian Girls’ Academy, renowned for its stringent safety protocols, had ensured its dormitory buildings were not only structurally robust but also fortified with reinforced doors and windows, capable of resisting explosions and small-caliber gunfire.
As long as they remained entrenched within, the dormitory building, given the combat prowess exhibited by the parasite hosts, would prove impregnable for a considerable time.
However, in the initial pandemonium that ensued after the dense fog descended and communications were severed, the situation had been starkly different. The ‘hybrids’ drawn by Salome had likely infiltrated the campus under the cover of night, ambushing students who had failed to return to the dormitories in time. Through these attacks, they had acquired school uniforms and a rudimentary understanding of the school’s layout.
By the following morning, they, along with the initial wave of infected individuals like Li Nini, would have disguised themselves as refugees, successfully infiltrating the dormitory. From there, they would initiate an internal assault, unbarring doors and windows, thereby completely nullifying the defenses.
This, in all likelihood, was the very reason every dormitory building along their path had been so effortlessly breached!
“After subduing all of us—the classmates and those grotesque insects—that creature began to have some of the bugs… perform *those* acts upon everyone.” As she spoke, a profound look of trepidation crossed Lu Ying’s face. “The adults, along with the high school and middle school students, were the first to be infected. However, that monster claimed ‘the embryos were temporarily insufficient,’ so the younger children and I were held captive for a period, until two hours ago when another wave of insects… ugh…” Lu Ying began to retch once more.
“She has not yet succumbed to full control, but it is merely a matter of time,” From the ‘wand’ tucked into Shirley’s pocket, Salome’s voice once again resonated. “The process by which the parasites assert control over a host varies with individual differences. On average, however, approximately five to six hours after embryo implantation, the host’s behavior will begin to align with the parasite’s inclinations, making them susceptible to influence from other infected hosts. After ten to twelve hours, as portions of the cerebral cortex are supplanted by the parasite, the host’s personal consciousness will progressively fade and vanish, rendering the subsequent parasitic process irreversible.”
“Damn you! If it’s me you despise, then simply come for me directly!” Shirley cried out. “Why… why must you drag so many innocent classmates into this?!”
“Why, indeed? Oh, what a remarkably challenging question to ponder… I daresay it’s because, dearest Mother, you so diligently instilled in us the belief that the incompetent and the inferior are undeserving of life, didn’t you?” Salome’s voice dripped with malicious glee. “I am merely fulfilling, with utmost fidelity, the profound lessons dear Mother imparted. If blame must be assigned, then it surely rests with dear Mother, yourself.”
“Enough!” Shirley cried, collapsing to her knees and clutching her head. “Very well, I shall take responsibility now! Surely that suffices?! Release the others, and provide us with the deworming agent! You may do anything you wish to me afterwards! I beg of you!”
“Dear Mother would beg? How truly rare,” Salome purred. “Yes, my sisters and I do indeed yearn to ‘do things’ to you. As for the deworming agent, I possess an entire crate. At least for the little ones who were only infected two hours ago, timely injection can still save them… but I require payment.”
“Payment?” Shirley had barely echoed the word when, from the five-pointed star on the ‘wand,’ a holographic ‘price list’ once again materialized. This time, however, in addition to weapons and ammunition prices, it displayed an extra entry.
“Deworming Agent (single-dose syringe): 10 doses \ 1 life.”
“Why must even this be bought with a life?!”
“Because, Mother, you taught us that there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world,” Salome replied. “If you’re unwilling to venture out and slay human hosts or hybrids, that’s perfectly fine. Not all of those little lolis can be saved anyway. If you simply eliminate three of them, the rest can all be rescued, and you’ll even have some deworming agent left over for emergencies…”
“This… ugh…” Shirley’s face clouded with difficulty, and she hesitated for a long moment. Finally, she shook her head. “Is there… truly no other way?”
“Oh, since it’s dearest Mother’s request, I can certainly devise an alternative,” Salome hummed. “How about this: you could also pay with your own body. You know what ‘flesh payment’ entails, don’t you?”
“Never!” Alice was the first to cry out upon hearing this. “You… you’ve gone too far, to think of taking advantage of someone in distress, to… to do such things to Shirley…”
“Exactly! We will protect Shirley’s chastity!” Shijō Yurizumi exclaimed. “You won’t lay a finger on her!”
“That’s right, Shirley belongs to me… ah, no, to *us*!”
“Absolutely not…”
“Are you perhaps misunderstanding something?” Salome’s voice was laced with confusion. “My meaning is quite simple: to use Mother’s flesh and blood to replace lives, to purchase my goods. Just like the method of debt repayment in *The Merchant of Venice*.”
“Flesh and blood?”
“Precisely. For my sisters and me, dearest Mother is greater than all others, and thus, Mother’s value is the highest,” Salome explained. “As for the precise price… you’ll know soon enough.”
With that, the price list projected by the ‘wand’ suddenly vanished. In its place appeared a full-body projection of Shirley, accompanied by a string of numbers!