Six cents ans

Chapitre 17

What's outside the study room door?

The research lab has two doors, one right in front of Asakura and the other inside the room; both doors connect to the corridor. The noise came from the door further away from Asakura's desk, the one inside, which is very close to the culture room.

Suddenly, the refrigerator next to the door started beeping—the rising temperature had triggered its thermal sensor, and the refrigerator began to cool. Startled by this unexpected turn of events, Asakura screamed. She quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late; the dog in the hallway must have heard her scream.

Asakura's eyes welled up with tears, and the surrounding scenery blurred. Both doors to the research room were closed but unlocked; getting in would be easy—just a gentle turn of the handle would suffice… Asakura felt increasingly breathless.

The handle was turning, it was definitely turning. Asakura's body stiffened. If only she could rush to the door and lock it now. Asakura thought this, but her body wouldn't move.

With a "bang," the door opened.

No, I have to run! Asakura thought. Even if it's just a second earlier, I need to get out of this room as soon as possible. Because the lab bench blocked her view, she couldn't see what was happening through the open door from where she was sitting.

Asakura glanced at the other door. Because of the lab bench in the way, she had to go around it. But it was only about ten steps from Asakura to the door. Asakura walked between these two places countless times every day, yet the thought of that distance filled her with despair; to her now, it seemed utterly unattainable.

Suddenly, the scene before Asakura's eyes vanished.

For a moment, Asakura had no idea what was happening. He couldn't see anything—no, there were two faint blue lights, the monitor and desktop lamp on his desk, but everything else was swallowed by darkness. The fluorescent lights on the ceiling went out; the lab bench, the equipment, the door—everything was gone. The lights had been turned off.

Section 42

There was a switch next to the back door; it was he who pressed it. Asakura suddenly realized something and was terrified.

It knows that it can turn off the light by simply pressing the switch.

It knows that turning the doorknob will open the door.

...The other party possesses wisdom!

It's absolutely unbelievable!

At this moment, a pale yellow light appeared in the area around the back door.

The lab bench blocked Asakura's view, and he didn't know what was happening. The light was dim, barely illuminating the outline of the refrigerator. Asakura heard a faint "thump-thump" sound, as if something was moving. Intuition told Asakura that it had opened the refrigerator.

Then came the sound of reagent bottles colliding with each other, as if it were searching for something.

"Run!" These two words flashed through Asakura's mind like a police siren. She crawled on the ground, frantically moving her hands and feet, though she was desperate, her body was too weak to move. Finally, Asakura managed to crawl to a spot where she could observe the entire refrigerator.

The refrigerator door was ajar, and what was hidden behind it rattled and squeaked the shelves inside, occasionally accompanied by the gurgling of disgusting slime. Fortunately, it didn't seem to mind Asakura's presence. Asakura still couldn't see what it looked like, but she didn't want to.

Asakura turned around and slowly crawled towards the door, which was opposite to the direction of the refrigerator. Just a little bit more, just a little bit more to the door. Once there, all she had to do was stand up, open the door, and rush out with all her might. If she could just touch the doorknob, she would be saved.

Asakura's heart pounded faster and faster. Suddenly, there was a "crack" sound, and Asakura felt a sharp pain in his knee.

Asakura screamed and clutched his knee. Something had pierced his skin. He tried to pull it out, but his fingers were cut, and a sharp pain shot through him. Blood dripped from his palm. Asakura cried. How could this happen? He blamed himself for being so careless. It was a teacup; a shard of it had pierced his knee.

With a "whoosh," the thing started to move.

Asakura felt like her heart was about to stop beating.

The thing slid to the ground. It had realized Asakura was trying to escape.

With a series of sounds, it moved from the floor. It was pitch black all around, but the shape of the thing was vaguely visible—it looked like a soft, mushy lump of flesh!

"...Don't come any closer!"

"Asakura cried out. But the sound grew closer and closer, making a rustling sound as it moved, as if it were shaking some kind of tentacle-like organ."

With a "pop," the blister burst. The sound was like a tomato being smashed. The swaying of the tentacles and the popping of the blister mingled together, continuing to advance in this direction.

"Please, don't come any closer..."

Asakura kept pleading, repeating over and over, "Don't come any closer, don't!"

Asakura, trying to escape, crawled towards the door when a sharp pain shot through her knees. She collapsed heavily to the ground, her legs completely unresponsive. "Asakura screamed, crawling on the ground, slowly moving forward by alternating arm movements. The voice was getting very close. Tears and snot streamed down Asakura's face as she frantically waved her arms forward, but her body wouldn't budge. Asakura let out a desperate scream. Her knees throbbed like they were being pricked with needles, and her palms were sticky with a mixture of blood and sweat. She couldn't see anything. She didn't even know where she was crawling. — Something sticky and warm touched Asakura's ankle.

Suddenly, the thing grabbed Asakura's foot and pulled him backward with all its might.

Asakura flailed her arms, trying to break free. Her fingertips seemed to touch something, and she quickly grabbed it. It was the corner of the sink. Asakura used all her strength to dig her four fingers tightly into the edge. The other person also relentlessly pulled on Asakura's feet. The pain in Asakura's finger joints was unbearable; she screamed in agony, trying to reach for her other hand, but she couldn't reach it. Her body was being dragged back, inch by inch, her index finger already slipping off.

"No!" Asakura cried out repeatedly, but the dragging only intensified. After grabbing Asakura's ankle, the other creature attacked her thigh. Asakura's leg was tightly twisted and dragged backward. Her middle finger slipped off, leaving only her ring and little fingers clinging precariously to the edge of the sink, their fingers throbbing with pain as if cut by a knife. But the creature pressed its advantage, grabbing Asakura's other foot and pulling hard. With a "thud," Asakura's palm slammed to the ground, and her remaining two fingers slipped off as well.

Asakura's body was easily dragged back. The shards of glass embedded in his knees scraped and squeaked on the floor.

It pounced on Asakura from behind, sticky liquid splattering onto Asakura's back. Instantly, the unique scent of culture medium wafted over, sweet yet somewhat powdery. Asakura tried to break free, but the creature's body made it impossible to free itself; the slightest touch would cause Asakura's hand to sink into its flesh, impossible to pull out. Asakura was thrown onto its back, its legs kicking wildly, but to no avail.

Asakura's body was firmly under control.

Asakura desperately shouted "Help!"

Just then, something crawled into Asakura's mouth, silencing her. Asakura gritted her teeth, trying her best to stop its intrusion, but in the end, her mouth was pried open. The sticky substance wriggled in her mouth, sticking to Asakura's teeth and tongue.

Asakura vomited, lying flat on the ground, violently expelling the contents of her stomach. The vomit shot into the air and splashed back onto her face. The object in her mouth, while being bathed in Asakura's digestive waste, swelled violently. It blocked Asakura's throat.

"Parasite Eve"

Chapter Seventeen

December 24th has arrived this year.

Section 43

Before preparing dinner, Shengmei decorated the room. Pretty paper flowers adorned the living room walls, and a small, natural pine tree was placed next to the television, decorated with white cotton to mimic snowfall. Various trinkets and colorful lights hung from the branches. Pine branches also decorated the kitchen door, the dolls on the wardrobe were wiped clean, and a brand-new rotating tray with a gleaming candlestick was placed on the dining table. Within an hour, the room was filled with the Christmas spirit. Shengmei looked around the room with satisfaction and said softly, "All done." Since marrying Liming and moving into the apartment, Shengmei had meticulously decorated the house every Christmas. Initially, Liming thought the decorations were too elaborate and suggested to Shengmei that since they didn't have children, there was no need for a Christmas tree. But Shengmei insisted on her own way, saying that she had celebrated Christmas this way since she was a child. For Shengmei, this day, which was both Christmas and her birthday, required a strong festive atmosphere at home. Unwittingly, Shengmei's gaze drifted to the window. All was quiet outside. Full of hope, Shengmei walked to the window, drew back the curtains, and gently opened the window, which was covered in a thin layer of mist, looking out. White objects floated in the night air.

Saint-Mei cried out softly with delight. She leaned out of the window and gazed at the surrounding scenery.

Before I knew it, snow had begun to fall, blanketing the earth in a thin, white veil. Powdered snowflakes drifted down slowly and steadily. In the distance, all was pitch black, nothing could be seen clearly, but within the light of the lamplight at home, Saint-Mei could clearly discern the shape of each snowflake. A white Christmas.

Saint-Mei felt an indescribable joy in her heart, and she softly hummed a piece she had learned in her piano lessons before—"Silent Night".

"I might be back a little late today." It was already 8 PM when Shengmei received Liming's call. The cake was already baked, and dinner was ready. Holding the receiver, Shengmei glanced at the slow cooker out of the corner of her eye, sighing in disappointment. Liming said the fourth-grade students had messed up the experiment and it had to be done again from scratch, so he had to be there to supervise. "Does it really have to be done today?" Shengmei asked.

"The specimens awaiting reaction are all prepared. If we don't do it today, the specimens will be wasted."

"oh……"

Liming seemed to have noticed that Shengmei was unhappy, and quickly apologized repeatedly.

Saint-Mei tried to say "It's okay" in a calm tone. But in reality, she felt very lonely. At this time last year, Li-Ming also seemed to be coming home late because of his experiments.

Today is Shengmei's birthday, and she hopes he can put the experiment aside and come home early. Perhaps this request is too demanding, but it's Shengmei's honest opinion. The experiment seems to be taking longer than Shengmei expected. Liming called again to tell Shengmei about the next steps and gave a rough estimate of when he would arrive home.

"In short, the liver of the mice must be removed, homogenized, and then the mitochondria must be separated..."

Upon hearing this, Shengmei's chest throbbed.

(Lee Ming)

Saint-Mei was shocked. Her ears were ringing, her vision was completely red, and her whole body felt as if it were being immersed in scalding water; she began to tremble uncontrollably.

"……What's wrong?"

With a "whoosh," everything suddenly returned to normal. Shengmei hurriedly grabbed the receiver and smiled slightly. She told Liming that she was fine, that it was snowing outside, and that he should be careful on his way home.

Saint-Mei put down the receiver, momentarily unable to move, her armpits already beaded with cold sweat. Saint-Mei suddenly felt very cold and couldn't help but shiver.

The reaction she just experienced was getting worse. Since marrying Liming, Shengmei's physical discomfort had gradually intensified, and recently it had become particularly severe.

The mere mention of the word "mitochondria" would send Shengmei's heart pounding erratically. Her feverish temperature made her feel as if her blood vessels were about to burst, and even breathing became difficult. Before their marriage, to gain a deeper understanding of Liming, Shengmei had asked him questions about his experiments, but in recent months, she had refused to discuss research at all. The onset of her strange illness had become increasingly severe, reaching an unbearable level; her heart pounded violently, as if a storm was tearing her body apart.

Something unknown to Shengmei exists within her body that reacts strongly to the word "mitochondria" and makes a sound within her. This sound-making entity seems to rejoice at any mention of Liming's research; it even seems to jump around inside Shengmei. That's the feeling she had when Liming called earlier.

Saint-Mei herself longed for Liming to come home soon, but the voice in her head seemed to want Liming to do more experiments. What was going on? Saint-Mei was completely baffled.

Suddenly, Shengmei recalled her high school days. Back then, a persistent question lingered in her mind: what did she want to do in the future? She constantly pondered what she would become and what the future held. But now, these questions were resurfacing in a completely new way within her. What was wrong with her?

Li Ming got home after eleven o'clock.

Li Ming apologized for his late return. Looking at the festive atmosphere in the room, a delighted smile appeared on his face.

Saint-Mei lit the candles on the table, turned on the Christmas lights, and laid out a sumptuous meal. Li-Ming enthusiastically praised Saint-Mei's cooking skills; although he was late, his efforts to create a harmonious family atmosphere pleased Saint-Mei greatly.

After dinner, Shengmei brought out the cake. She learned how to make fancy cakes from her mother when she was in high school. Every year, Shengmei puts a lot of thought into the design of the buttercream patterns. This time, she came up with a great idea: a snow-covered forest with a small house in the center.

After turning off the lights in the room, the two began to eat cake and drink champagne. Li Ming took a box out of his bag and handed it to her, saying it was a birthday present for Sheng Mei.

It was a lovely watch.

When the two arrived at the bedroom, it was already past 2 a.m.

After turning off the lights, Liming gently kissed Shengmei.

The moment their lips touched, Shengmei felt an indescribable pleasure.

"ah……"

Saint-Mei couldn't help but cry out. Soon, her legs gave way, unable to support her body. The intense stimulation made Saint-Mei feel as if her body was about to melt away. Saint-Mei found herself actively sticking out her tongue. Although her whole body was limp and powerless, only her tongue stubbornly sought out Li-Ming.

"That's not how it is!" Saint Mei realized that she couldn't make a sound and could only scream in her heart, which was simply unbelievable.

"This isn't real." With no strength in her limbs, Saint-Mei was held by Li-Ming and could barely stand. However, her tongue still greedily darted into Li-Ming's mouth, eagerly capturing his tongue, wrapping around it, and constantly rubbing against the back of Li-Ming's teeth.

"How could this be?" At that moment, an intense drowsiness suddenly struck, and in an instant, the sudden onslaught of sleep seemed to push Saint-Mei into a dark abyss.

Saint-Mei was stunned. If Li-Ming hadn't been holding her, she probably would have collapsed already. Saint-Mei couldn't even straighten her neck; her head drooped weakly backward, yet her tongue still moved hungrily.

"What's wrong?" Li Ming, perhaps sensing that Sheng Mei was now in the mood, began kissing her throat. A bright light appeared in Sheng Mei's eyes, but sleepiness relentlessly enveloped her mind. Sheng Mei shook her head frantically, trying to drive it away, but to no avail.

"what is going on?"

Suddenly, just as Saint-Mei was about to lose consciousness, a voice rang out: (Li Ming)

Saint-Mei suddenly opened her eyes, her sleepiness subsiding slightly. But it was only for a moment. Sleepiness returned, and Saint-Mei felt her head spinning.

"No!" To shake off her sleepiness, Shengmei kept shaking her head. In addition, she shouted loudly, pounded her body with her fists, and stared wide-eyed.

It was that voice, the same voice I heard when I was on the phone with Liming, that mysterious voice.

“No!” Shengmei cried out, “I can’t fall asleep!” Shengmei pleaded with Liming. But as if deliberately trying to stop Shengmei, the voice roared in her mind once more. (Liming)

Who? Who is it?

Her heart pounded rapidly, relentlessly assaulting Shengmei's chest. She gasped for breath, feeling utterly miserable. Then, her entire body began to spasm, as if she were on the verge of collapse. Sleepiness surged like a tsunami, and just as she was about to be swallowed by the raging tide, Shengmei desperately pulled herself together.

Thus, Saint-Mei endured torment repeatedly, her consciousness gradually fading, while the roaring waves came and went.

Whenever Saint Mei became delirious, the owner of the voice seemed to leap out of Saint Mei's body, filled with joy, and constantly calling out Li Ming's name.

Saint-Mei felt anxious and agitated. In a daze, she fell into the illusion that it was the creature sleeping with Li-Ming, not herself. She imagined it floating to the surface and frantically mating with Li-Ming while she slept. Saint-Mei's mind was filled with this terrifying association; Li-Ming had been stolen from her. Saint-Mei desperately tried to open her eyes, managing to lift her eyelids several times, but each time she was quickly plunged back into the abyss of darkness.

Who's speaking? A loud voice echoed throughout the room. Was it my voice, or its voice? Saint-Mei couldn't tell. She only heard one voice, a voice full of excitement. Saint-Mei didn't know what she was doing; everything was in turmoil, overwhelmed by the surging emotions within her.

Section 44