Vampirzahn

Kapitel 6

"Parasite Eve"

Chapter Thirteen

Against the dark blue backdrop of the night, the pharmacy building stood out prominently. A television signal tower, perched a few kilometers away on a high platform, emitted multicolored lights that shimmered against the sky. Li Ming glanced at the clock in his car; it was already 7:54 PM. From the outside, the classrooms in the pharmacy building appeared somewhat scattered with lights on. However, the classroom at the far end of the fifth floor remained brightly lit, indicating that the lecture on physiological pharmacology there was still ongoing.

Li Ming parked his car in front of the building's lobby, then hurriedly jumped out and rushed to his lab. Entering the lobby, he even forgot to change into slippers, running across in his leather shoes to the elevator. He pressed the button repeatedly, appearing extremely anxious. The elevator began to descend slowly. However, it stopped on the fourth floor and remained motionless for a long time. Perhaps someone on the fourth floor wanted to move a large piece of equipment into the elevator, so they locked it. Thinking this, Li Ming muttered a curse under his breath, slammed his fist on the elevator button, and immediately ran towards the stairs. Reaching the stairs, Li Ming immediately dashed upwards, the ice cubes in the freezer clanging and cracking against the inner walls with each stride. On the way, due to his excessive speed, he collided head-on with a passerby on a landing, splashing water from the freezer everywhere. Li Ming quickly opened the freezer to check its contents, only letting out a long sigh of relief when he saw the flask was intact. Then, completely ignoring what the student-looking passerby was saying, he immediately ran towards the eleventh floor.

"Teacher!" Li Ming had just stopped in front of the training room when he heard a clear voice coming from the corridor behind him.

It turned out to be Asakura, who had just finished attending a lecture. She was wearing a white work uniform and holding a bag containing Lan Yi tubing in her arms, standing behind Liming. She stared at Liming with wide eyes, then at the bag in his arms, looking somewhat puzzled.

"Let me use the culture room for a bit," Liming said curtly, trying to get Asakura out of the way.

But Asakura showed no sign of leaving. Instead, she moved with the agility of a spring and walked around to stand in front of Toshiaki, asking, "Mr. Nagashima, what happened? Weren't you always by your wife's side?"

"Could you please move aside? I have something very important that I need to do immediately."

"What exactly happened? One minute you're not contacting us at all, and the next you suddenly say you're going to do an experiment... Your students and other teachers are very worried about you."

"Hey, Asakura..."

"If there's anything we can do to help, please let us know, and we'll do our best..."

"Mind your own business. Get out of the way!" Li Ming shouted.

Asakura was taken aback by Toshiaki's fierce roar at her, and trembled in fear before timidly stepping aside.

Li Ming strode into the incubation room and then locked the door from the inside, not wanting to be disturbed by anyone.

The incubation room was bathed in the bluish-white glow of the sterilization lamps. Li Ming switched the lamps to regular fluorescent light, then hastily changed into the slippers by the door, walked to the sterile workbench, and hurriedly began to execute his plan.

Li Ming first pressed the switches for the cooling centrifuge and operating table, and the entire culture chamber immediately filled with a buzzing sound as the air in the operating table was being gradually drawn out by the fan. Next, he turned on the gas valve and lit the gas lamp in the operating table. Then, Li Ming took the flask from the refrigerator, checked it again to ensure it was intact, and placed it on the operating table. He then rolled up his sleeves, carefully disinfected his hands with alcohol, and adjusted the settings inside the operating table. Next, he stirred the solution in the flask with a stirrer, then filtered it through gauze into several centrifuge tubes and performed the first centrifugation. He then removed the clear liquid floating on top, added buffer solution to the centrifuge tubes to create a suspension, and performed a second centrifugation.

Liming repeated this process three times. After completing these steps, he poured the culture medium solution into the centrifuge tube to create a suspension again, and then used an adjustable pipette to transfer a small amount into a test tube. He then jumped up from the workbench, grabbed the test tube, and strode to the inverted microscope. Liming placed a drop of the solution from the test tube onto a graduated slide used for cell number determination, carefully covered it with a coverslip, and placed it under the microscope. With trembling hands, he adjusted the focus while meticulously observing the cells. Through the microscope, several yellowish-white, glossy cells could be seen in the drop of solution. Liming couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. The cell outlines were so clear, and the gloss was impeccable; the cells were in excellent condition. Cells that had begun to die would never exhibit such a perfect morphology. To be on the safe side, Liming mixed the cells with trypan blue solution and observed the cell viability and number again. If the cells were already dead, they should have been stained blue by the trypan blue solution—but under the microscope, Liming found almost no stained cells, a survival rate of 90%, yielding 8 × 10⁷ cells per gram of liver. This could be considered the ideal result. Liming returned to the workbench and quickly transferred the cells to several culture flasks, then placed the flasks in an incubator maintained at 37 degrees Celsius.

He then mixed the remaining cells with the preservation solution, put them into serum tubes, wrapped them in cotton, and stored them in a freezer at a temperature of -80 degrees Celsius.

After finishing all the work in one go, Li Ming finally let out a long sigh of relief. The culture room became quiet, with only the low rumble of the centrifuge's motor echoing through the air. Li Ming then took the flask he had just calibrated out of the incubator and placed it under the microscope. He swallowed hard and began to carefully observe the cells again through the microscope.

In the orange culture medium, the liver cells shone brilliantly—Liming couldn't tear his gaze away from them for a moment. "So beautiful," Liming thought, "hundreds of times more beautiful than any cells I've ever cultured before, large and round like pearls, radiating dazzling brilliance." Unconsciously, Liming began to murmur Shengmei's name repeatedly, as if in a dream. Shengmei's body had indeed suffered a fatal injury, but that didn't mean everything about her was dead. Hadn't Shengmei's kidney been donated to an unknown patient? Perhaps that patient was undergoing a transplant now, and Shengmei's liver was right before his eyes. Even though it had become individual cells, it wouldn't affect Shengmei's beauty in the slightest. Shengmei would continue to reproduce in this way. He wouldn't let these cells die; he would cultivate them no matter what. He couldn't afford to lose Shengmei's "body" any longer.

Just then, Li Ming suddenly felt a surge of heat throughout his body, and he couldn't help but tremble.

Li Ming swallowed hard again, involuntarily letting out a sound: "Ah..."

"Parasite Eve"

Section 16

Chapter Fourteen

She was very satisfied with the new environment.

This place is unrestricted and very comfortable, with a suitable temperature and an ample energy source. In this environment, "her" abilities can be maximized.

Every time he saw her, she felt an immense pleasure. But at the same time, she knew very well that he couldn't yet properly capture her form. Although she felt somewhat helpless about this, she wasn't too worried, because she had already planned that in the near future, she would present herself to him in a very beautiful form.

She remembered hearing the sounds he made unconsciously in his dazed state at that moment, which made her tremble with joy and cause her to wriggle and swim vigorously in the sol. She hadn't chosen the wrong person after all!

After such a long wait, "she" has finally seen this day arrive, and a man who truly understands and is willing to understand "her" has appeared. Nagashima Toshiaki. Only he is the man most suitable to be with "her." Before Nagashima Toshiaki, all the men "she" had encountered had merely served as intermediaries, tools to keep "her" alive until now. They were all so foolish, yet they steadfastly believed themselves to be the best in the world. Although "she" remained silent on the surface, in her heart, "she" constantly mocked their foolishness and arrogance.

But now, "she" no longer needs to hide.

Fortunately for "her," her long-term planning and scheming finally succeeded. On the surface, "she" pretended to be completely submissive to those foolish men, but in reality, "she" exerted power over various vital parts of their bodies, enough to control their central nervous system, while the men remained completely unaware. "She" believed that Li Ming was the first to discover "her" existence and begin to investigate "who" she was and what "she" was doing.

She recalled Li Ming's gaze. Just then, she felt her whole body heat up, as if all her bodily functions had been activated in an instant. This was it! Before meeting Li Ming, she had never felt this way. Although she couldn't yet properly explain what this feeling was like, she knew that whenever the woman named Shengmei felt deeply loved by Li Ming, she would experience a similar feeling. And now, she was experiencing something similar.

Could it be that this is because I have fallen in love with Liming?

Perhaps that's the case. However, she still couldn't find the answer to why she could remember this feeling so vividly.

No, there's nothing to be surprised about! This must be a form of evolution! She convinced herself.

Now that I have such a comfortable and pleasant new environment, I will definitely evolve even further!

It seems necessary to continue utilizing Liming, because only Liming can willingly give "her" everything. In this way, "she" will no longer be able to simply replicate herself; "she" can even reproduce! Now, "she" has begun to split; there is ample space here, and splitting at will is a very pleasant experience. However, "she" is not satisfied. In "her" view, everything at present is merely a preparatory stage, a prelude to the main event.

She continued to split herself in this way, while occasionally indulging in daydreams.

"She" reflected on the twenty-five years she had spent observing Seimei's life, meticulously unearthing and savoring the memories buried deep within Seimei's mind. Twenty-five years was insignificant compared to the long wait "she" had endured. However, these twenty-five years of memories left an indelible impression on "her." Peeping into Seimei's inner world was a pleasurable experience, because it allowed her to recall Nagashima Toshiaki. While indulging in these beautiful memories, "she" quietly and continuously underwent a process of splitting herself.

"Parasite Eve"

Part Two: Symbiosis, Chapter One

Kataoka Seimi really enjoys her birthday.

On her birthday, the school and the streets are filled with laughter and joy, brimming with life. This is exactly what Shengmei loves. Of course, she knows that not everyone's beaming smiles are because of her birthday. However, just thinking that everyone in the world is happy on her birthday makes Shengmei feel cheerful. On this day, the shopping street is always immersed in the melodies of "The Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Jingle Bells," and everyone walking on the street wears a smile. It is the most beautiful day of the year. Before Christmas, Shengmei's family, as usual, places a natural pine tree in the living room. Since kindergarten, Shengmei has loved decorating Christmas trees with her parents. Every time, her family would deliberately dim the lights in the room and let Shengmei be the first to light up the colorful lights. The huge pine tree emits colorful light, illuminating the wallpaper. When all this comes into view, Shengmei feels that her Christmas Eve birthday is wonderful! When she was in kindergarten and elementary school, every year on her birthday, Shengmei would invite a large group of friends over to celebrate. Mom would bake cakes and chicken for the children, and Shengmei would help her mom make sandwiches. Cooking with Mom was a lot of fun. After the food was ready, her friends would gather around and say in unison, "Shengmei, happy birthday!" Seeing the gifts piled up under the Christmas tree, Shengmei felt indescribably happy. Her friends would sit around a large round table, eating, playing games, and singing together. Shengmei would often play "Silent Night," a piece she had learned from her teacher, on the piano. After everyone had left, her parents would give Shengmei her gifts: a large stuffed animal or an interesting book. "Shengmei, this child, was born right around this time!"

When I was in the third grade of elementary school, my mother said this while looking at the wall clock.

That time, Dad sat on the sofa, pipe in hand, looking at Shengmei with kind eyes. He smiled at her and said, “The first time I heard Shengmei cry was at nine o’clock at night. The sound was not only very lovely, but also very spirited. Your mother cried with joy. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky that night. At midnight, I looked out of the hospital window—the hospital was built on a small hill, and the streetlights looked especially beautiful from there, and the stars in the sky were clearly visible. It was at that moment that I decided to name our daughter Shengmei.”

Saint-Mei lay in bed, hugging her doll, waiting for Santa Claus to visit. But she couldn't stay awake any longer and would soon close her eyes and fall asleep.

On Christmas Eve, Saint Mei is sure to dream.

It was pitch black there. A low, guttural call echoed in her ears, and she couldn't tell which way was up or down. She felt enveloped in gently flowing water, drifting along with the current, warm and comfortable all around, oblivious to the passage of time. Where was she? Saint-Mei was completely baffled. It felt both incredible and strangely familiar. Yes, she had been here before! But where exactly was she? Saint-Mei couldn't remember. Pitch black, empty, like a dream… When she opened her eyes in the morning, Saint-Mei found beautiful Christmas presents beside her pillow. These gifts were just as exquisite as the birthday presents her parents had given her.

Once, Saint-Mei tried asking her parents, "Did Santa Claus make me dream?"

Upon hearing this, the parents looked at each other, seemingly confused. Seeing this, Shengmei recounted the scenes she had dreamt of every Christmas Eve. At first, the parents were simply puzzled, but when they heard Shengmei say that she had been there before, they looked astonished, as if they had suddenly understood.

"Dad, Mom, do you know where that is?"

Hearing her question, her mother smiled and hugged Shengmei tightly, saying gently, "Oh, maybe she's in Mommy's tummy!"

"Inside the stomach?"

“Saint-Mei was born from her mother’s tummy! You must be remembering what you saw there!”

"Is it dark inside Mommy's tummy?"

"Yes, it's dark and warm, it feels like soaking in a bathtub."

"oh……"

Section 17

"Mom has never had a dream like that. Saint-Mei has such a good memory!"

"Don't other people have this kind of dream?"

"Maybe. But everyone's forgotten about it."

Afterwards, Dad and Mom talked about some profound things: how prenatal education works, how memories are formed, etc., but Shengmei didn't understand any of it.

While her mother's explanation wasn't entirely unreasonable, Shengmei still felt uneasy. The scene in her dream seemed to originate from a far more distant place. Her intuition told her that it was a vision she had seen before she was born. However, it wasn't in her mother's womb. It had already appeared in the distant past.

"Parasite Eve"

Chapter Two

The summer sun is blazing.

Sachiko Asakura gently placed her hand on her forehead and looked up at the sky. Cotton-like clouds drifted from right to left. Perhaps a strong wind was blowing, but there wasn't a wisp of air moving on the ground. Standing on the asphalt road like this, she could only feel waves of heat rising up. Asakura wiped the sweat from her neck with a handkerchief. Perhaps because of her anxiety, she felt her black dress was heavy. To avoid the sunlight, Asakura slipped into the shadows of a building. The funeral service had just ended.

Like other students and staff, Asakura came to help with the funeral arrangements at Nagashima Toshiaki's house. Actually, with the funeral company staff and the bereaved family, they weren't short of manpower. But Asakura insisted on attending, so Toshiaki had no choice but to let her handle the reception. The funeral was about to take place, and Asakura had come early to check if the hearse could pass. Toshiaki lived in a civil servant's dormitory. The gray-white walls were covered in cracks, conveying the vicissitudes of time. Each of the four-story buildings housed twenty-four families. Toshiaki lived on the third floor of one of these buildings with his now-deceased wife. This was Asakura's first time visiting this apartment building. This area must have used to be farmland. But now, the densely packed houses had turned it into a residential area. Many people came to pay their respects, and the apartment parking lot was packed, leaving only enough space for one car to barely pass, all exposed to the intense sunlight. The vehicles, scorching hot from the sun, listlessly emitted heat—a touch could easily result in a burn. The alleyway outside the apartment building seemed to have begun its afternoon nap, the street returning to its usual tranquility. Only the occasional roar of a motorcycle engine could be heard in the distance. Suddenly, the area seemed to be shrouded in gauze, the light dimming abruptly. Looking up, he saw a cloud appear out of nowhere, obscuring the sun. Asakura stepped outside, emerging from the wall of the apartment building. But in that instant, the light intensified once more, becoming blindingly bright. The glaring white light made Asakura squint.

"Attention, we're on the first floor!" someone shouted, followed by a clattering sound. Turning around, several men were carrying a coffin down the stairs. The weathered cement stairs were quite narrow, and turning the coffin at the corner would take considerable time. Liming walked at the front, holding the memorial tablet in both hands, followed by a man and a woman who appeared to be the deceased's parents, carrying a portrait. Funeral company personnel drove the hearse, weaving nimbly through the gaps between vehicles. Then, they parked the hearse on the side of the apartment building and opened the rear door. After a few soft chants, the coffin was loaded into the hearse. Asakura stood behind, silently watching everything. The funeral preparations were complete, and the mourners formed a circle behind the hearse. Asakura then realized it was time for Liming to say a few words. She quickly turned around and ran over to stand carefully in the backmost position—luckily, Asakura was tall, so she could still see Rimei standing in the center of the arc.

"Thank you all for coming to pay your respects today..." Li Ming began to speak. However, his tone was light and detached, completely devoid of emotion, giving the impression of reciting a prepared speech. This felt somewhat awkward. Only a woman standing next to Li Ming, holding a portrait of the deceased, had tears in her eyes and was sobbing softly; she appeared to be the deceased's mother. She was short, with shiny hair; although there were some wrinkles on her forehead and around her mouth, she looked remarkably petite. She must have been very cute when she was young. Her gentle features remained even now. In contrast, the man who looked like the father was in his prime, with a dignified air. He had his head down and his eyes closed, seemingly listening intently to Li Ming's speech, but his shoulders would occasionally tremble, indicating that he could not ultimately hide the deep sorrow in his heart. The expressions of these two men contrasted sharply with Li Ming's chanting tone. All of this was like the flickering heat waves under the blazing sun, making it seem utterly unreal. Asakura's mind flashed back to Riming's appearance during the vigil and at the recent funeral. The Riming sitting by the altar, dressed in mourning clothes, was completely different from the Riming Asakura knew so well. He was no longer the kind-faced, sharp-eyed Riming from the laboratory. He was pale, with dark circles under his eyes, shivering intermittently, and experiencing slight finger spasms. Asakura had first seen Riming with this expression last night during a lecture; at that time, she simply couldn't believe that the same person could change so drastically in such a short time, to the point that she was speechless. Riming's not-so-large home was mostly occupied by the altar. A large black-and-white portrait sat on the altar. The deceased smiled, his expression still retaining a touch of childlike innocence. Asakura had only met the person in the photograph once. Last month, when the pharmacy department held a public lecture, Riming had brought her to the university. Her smile was captivating. Actually slightly older than Asakura, she looked a few years younger due to her facial features, and appeared shy and nervous. It was said she had a beautiful name: Seimi. Several times, Asakura had gazed at the body in the coffin from afar. She looked at the deceased's face, intentionally or unintentionally. Of course, because the head had been fractured in the traffic accident, the skull was covered with a white cloth. Therefore, the deceased's current appearance differed from the impression Asakura had previously held. Nevertheless, her endearing appearance remained the same. After post-mortem cosmetology, a slight smile appeared on her lips. Looking at her smooth, white cheeks and the delicate texture of her skin, Asakura suddenly had a strange urge to touch it.

During the ceremony, Riming stared blankly at the portrait. When mourners offered their condolences, he remained absent-minded. Most of the time, he seemed lost in thought, and every now and then, he would suddenly smile at the portrait. Last night, Asakura had also noticed Riming's expression. Because the expression was so strangely calm, Asakura felt a chill and quickly looked away. It felt as if she had overheard a secret between the deceased and Riming.

Liming's speech wasn't over yet. Several times during his address, he directly referred to the deceased by her name, "Saint-mi." The scorching sun had already begun to wear off the mourners. Some were constantly wiping sweat from their brows with handkerchiefs, but most stood there listlessly, heads drooping, silently waiting for the ceremony to end. Liming had changed. This tragedy had pushed him to the brink of a mental breakdown. Asakura felt that the Liming before her was so unfamiliar. Although she was helping with the funeral arrangements, she had barely spoken a word to him, and a growing sense of unease grew within her. The last time, in the middle of the night, when Liming suddenly appeared in the research lab, he was in the same state. He first lashed out at Asakura, who was trying to comfort him, then, as if possessed, buried himself in the sterile operating table. Afterwards, Liming returned to the hospital without a word. At that time, he was completely absorbed in his own world, his expression resembling that of a drug addict.

After Riming left, Asakura, wanting to figure out what he was up to, quietly opened the incubator. Riming had heavily written "Eve" on the lid (this word is a double entendre, referring both to Saint-Mei's birthday on Christmas Eve and to the progenitor of human mitochondria; the meaning will be revealed later in the text). A name she had never heard before. Asakura gently removed the flask and examined it under a microscope, seeing many vibrant cells inside. Although Asakura didn't know what kind of cells they were, she felt uneasy looking at them and quickly put the flask back into the incubator. After putting it back exactly as it was, Asakura worried that Riming would discover it and felt very uneasy. And now, Asakura suddenly noticed a subtle change in Riming's voice as he spoke to the mourners.

"...Next, we'll be holding Saint-Mei's funeral. But Saint-Mei isn't dead! Her kidneys have been transplanted into two patients. Saint-Mei is still alive in their bodies!"

A subtle excitement lingered in his calm words, each sentence delivered with force and conviction, a tone completely unlike that of someone mourning the dead. Asakura noticed a brief smile even appear on Toshiaki's lips. Perhaps due to thirst, Toshiaki licked his lips several times, and watching him, Asakura unconsciously felt her own mouth dry. The sun shone brightly, its rays illuminating the ground. Everyone was drenched in sweat, yet could only silently stare at the asphalt beneath their feet. Only Toshiaki held his head high, still expressing his gratitude. Asakura stared at Toshiaki's face, a strange unease rising within her. Toshiaki finally began his final summary. "Seimi will continue to live!"

By the time Asakura came to her senses, everyone had already moved about. Toshiaki and several other bereaved family members were already on the road outside in two cars, while the rest followed behind, seeing off the hearse at the apartment building's main entrance. The hearse led the way, with Toshiaki and the others in their black car close behind. The convoy gradually disappeared into the distance with a low rumble. As it turned a corner, the hearse's black exterior emitted a dazzling, cold light before vanishing from sight. Everyone stood motionless for a moment.

"Well then, please get ready, the remains will be brought back soon," said a man who was probably a relative of the deceased.

Those present breathed a sigh of relief and immediately stirred. The man walked back to the stairwell of the apartment building, and everyone followed him in twos and threes. Asakura walked at the back of the line.

"The deceased's husband was really strange, didn't he?"

Hearing this at that moment, Asakura abruptly looked up. Two middle-aged women were talking about Toshiaki in front of him. He didn't know if they were relatives or friends of the deceased, but judging from their immediate gossip, they probably weren't very close to him.

"Saying that they will still live on is kind of scary."

The two women began to talk loudly, oblivious to everyone else. Their voices were so loud that even if you didn't want to listen, you couldn't. Asakura felt very uncomfortable and intentionally kept some distance from them as she went up the stairs. However, their voices seemed to have a target, drilling straight into Asakura's ears.

"Didn't her husband look strange when he was keeping vigil? Things happened so suddenly, he was probably at a loss."

"Yes, yes, I heard there's more to it than that. Didn't I hear recently that Saint Mei was in a state of brain death for a while?"

"Oh, really? I'm not entirely sure, but I certainly don't want it to turn out that way."

"That's right! Her husband agreed to use Saint-Mei's kidney for a transplant. It's said that her husband was already acting strangely at that time."

"How could he agree to a transplant? Isn't that the same as taking a kidney out of his wife's body? Doesn't he feel sorry for his wife?"

"He deliberately didn't give his wife a proper burial! I never expected this person to be so concerned about saving face, donating his body like that."

I can't take it anymore! Asakura suppressed her anger and ran upwards as fast as she could. Even just getting a little further away from here would be fine!

"Excuse me!"