Attack Of Parasites

Tamiya sensed immediately that Dekim was not home, as she couldn't detect his presence through the parasite.

"Hello, I would like to speak with Mr. Albert, please," Tamiya said.

Unenthusiastically, his wife replied, "He's not here."

"Well, let me introduce myself first. My name is Nami, a former university professor. I taught your son..." Tamiya said, using a new name.

Interrupting her with a hint of interest, the wife asked, "What? Dekim?"

"Yes, Dekim. He's not here?" Tamiya inquired.

"No, he's at his grandmother's house. She's a bit ill, and he insisted on staying with her to take care of her until she improves. He's taking his lessons online. Was your visit related to his absence from university?" the wife explained.

"No, that's not the issue. As I mentioned, I taught him some time ago. I'm here to speak with Albert about something related to his work," Tamiya replied.

A sad expression returned to the wife's face. After a long silence, she said, "You mean the job he lost everything over—his physical and mental health?"

"I understand well the difficulties he faced and continues to face. I am fully aware of the injustice he suffered from the administration and their lack of acknowledgment for all his sacrifices... I know all this, but my purpose here isn't to reopen old wounds; it's to help him move past it," Tamiya stated.

Unconvinced, the wife said, "It's not that simple. My husband is currently in a psychiatric hospital after being deeply affected by the betrayal from those he dedicated his life to serving, helping elevate their research to the highest levels."

Tamiya's joy was indescribable upon hearing about Albert's situation, realizing that the profound damage inflicted on him would lead to severe revenge if her plan succeeded. In the end, she managed to get the address of the hospital where Albert was staying from his wife.

Without wasting any time, Tamiya headed to the hospital to visit Albert, but it was not going to be easy. For his psychological well-being, Albert was under a system that prohibited him from seeing anyone for a certain period. Despite Tamiya's numerous attempts to convince his doctor for a meeting, she faced repeated refusals.

Tamiya didn't want to resort to force, fearing it might ruin her plans, especially since she considered Albert a crucial piece in the establishment they were trying to create. So, she decided to wait until the period prohibiting visitors was over.

"A week has passed since the massacre that claimed the lives of 71 people, including students, professors, administrative staff, security officials, and police officers. The identity of the killer remains shrouded in mystery; the suspect is a newly transferred student at the university, reported to be a drug addict. The police discovered he was using a fake identity," a news channel reported on the television.

Sitting on his bed with books scattered around the room, Izumi turned off the TV and said, "Why is the police trying to hide the truth from the public? Shouldn't they show Shimada's body to the world?"

Migi, interrupting his reading of one of the books he had spread around the room, said, "Let's assume they did that and announced to the public that there are humans among them that are devouring people. What do you think would happen?"

"What would happen?! It would cause chaos, and they'd be able to capture all the parasites," Izumi replied.

"That easily?! Tell me how they would catch them," Migi challenged.

After a moment of silence, Izumi realized the task was not as simple as he thought and said, "It's impossible for humans alone."

Excited, Izumi added, "We need to cooperate with the police!"

"I absolutely refuse," Migi replied.

"Migi..." Izumi tried to appeal to Migi's sense of empathy for humanity.

"I've said it and I'll repeat it: I only value myself. I'm an ally to myself only, not to humanity or my kind," Migi said while flipping through the pages of his book.

"I know that, but there are innocent people dying," Izumi said, affected, his voice lowered.

"Even if the humans or the police find a parasite disguised as a human, it can change its identity and assume another appearance. Humans will never be able to catch one of them," Migi stated.

"That's why we need to eliminate them. We can sense them and track them..." Izumi insisted.

"Kill them?! Do you know how many there are? I don't possess human emotions, so when I see one of my kind killed, it doesn't affect my mentality..." Migi closed the book he had been reading and said.

Izumi rubbed his face with his left hand, feeling frustrated as he struggled to convince Migi.

In a spacious government building, a large hall gathered many influential figures in the country. Following the university massacre that claimed 71 lives, it was essential to do something to appease the angry public. Was hiding the existence of the parasites still an option?

"We've been concealing the truth about their existence to avoid potential panic and chaos, but perhaps the time has come to announce it..." said one official.

"Nothing has changed so far; how can we do something like that? If things spiral out of control, we won't be able to manage it. Some rumors even suggest that someone is trying to arm the parasites," another official replied, rejecting the idea of making the news public.

"Let's announce it," said a person sitting at the head of the table, the chairman of the council.

"How do you intend to announce this to the public?" asked one of the members.

"I said to announce it, not to reveal the existence of parasites among us... We'll announce a method that will help people distinguish between humans and parasites," the chairman clarified.

"Wait, are you saying that you've come up with a trick to help differentiate between humans and parasites?" asked another member.

"I'll leave the explanation to Professor Yuri."

Professor Yuri stood up and approached the large screen displaying Shimada's corpse. "I will now explain what we have discovered about their biological structure so far. The primary difference between the parasites we have previously dissected and the parasite you recently managed to kill is time. The studies began on the parasite immediately upon its death, which helped us reach a better conclusion.

This creature you see on the screen takes over the brain; in short, it can completely control the body as long as it has control over the brain. Its strength surpasses human limits, and its cells are similar to human brain cells. They can instantly transform from the host's human form to the form you see on the screen. They can stretch like rubber or harden like steel.

So, how can such alien cells connect with the human body? This occurs through an immediate fusion of the cells—something with properties that make the cell membrane..."

The chairman interrupted, slightly annoyed, saying, "There's no need to get into details; just tell them how to distinguish between us and them."

"Apologies. As I was saying, they are not just muscles and strength; they derive their intelligence from the host. Without flowing blood in the body, the parasite will wilt and die. This is what happens when a person carrying a parasite dies. Therefore, it can quickly merge with another human's cells. In short, if you pull a hair from a human carrying a parasite, the strand will move due to its survival instinct. This will not happen if you pull a hair from a regular human.

The cells will separate and die after several seconds of suffering," the professor explained.

"Okay, so pulling a hair is the trick that will help us identify the parasite," the chairman concluded.

"What if they are wearing a wig or are bald?" one member asked.

"It doesn't necessarily have to be head hair; you can pull hair from any part of the body. It doesn't matter which area," the professor replied.

The chairman then stood up and said, "Now, excuse me for this, but before you leave the hall, I'd like each of you to pull a hair from your head or any part of your body, even though the likelihood of one being here is slim to none."

The university reopened its doors after a period of time, but everyone returned to classes with shaken spirits. Students were fearful of a repeat of the events, knowing that the parasites were still at large and living among them. They felt endangered.

Izumi, not at his best, walked towards the university with his head down. When he finally lifted his gaze, he noticed Murano walking a few meters ahead of him.

"Murano," Izumi called out.

"Are you okay?" he asked as Murano stopped and waited for him.

"Yes, I'm sorry for not responding to your messages," Murano said, exhaustion evident on her face.

"It's alright. Shall we go?" Izumi suggested, and they continued walking together.

"How is Yuko? Did you check in on her?" Izumi added.

"Yes, she's fine. She said she would be here today," Murano replied.

"That's good to hear. She looked really frightened!" Izumi said, trying to prolong the conversation, hoping she might know something about the parasites or if Shimada had told her anything.

"What she went through wasn't easy; she faced the monster head-on," Murano said.

"I wanted to thank you back then, if you hadn't come..." she added.

"No need for thanks; it's all over now. Let's move on," Izumi said.

"Alright, but is your body okay? How did you manage to jump from that height?" Murano asked.

Avoiding her gaze, Izumi placed his hand behind his head, a smile on his face. "Maybe it was an adrenaline rush or something... I'm surprised at myself, but looking back, I admit I was a bit reckless," he said.

"Is that so... Thank you, really," Murano replied.

In the end, the government did not announce the existence of the parasites to the public. Instead, they devised a trick that people accepted, making the new way to greet one another to pull a hair from the other person.