Wang Yanfei didn't buy it.
For others, "being yourself again" might be tempting. For him, it meant nothing.
"Maybe," he said lightly. "But I'm more interested in anomalies. Maybe…"
Before he finished, Goldwater let out a soft laugh.
"Greedy children are never very likable."
She tilted her head, looking at him. Her tone suddenly cooled.
"Or… are you trying to threaten me?"
The air tightened all at once.
Goldwater's smile froze mid-motion, as if someone had hit pause. The color in her eyes deepened, slowly turning into a strange shade of violet.
That violet looked heavy, almost dripping outward from her pupils.
Wang Yanfei felt his chest tighten, as though an invisible hand had wrapped around his heart.
But the change came fast and disappeared just as quickly.
Goldwater returned to her earlier smiling expression, as if nothing had happened.
"So, what is it that you want?"
Wang Yanfei drew a long breath, forcing down the fear. He looked her straight in the eye.
"Something that strengthens me."
He said each word clearly.
"Something that makes me stronger."
Goldwater thought for a moment, then raised her hand.
Her palm twisted, and something began to "flow" out of it.
It was a pulsating mass of flesh.
Fist-sized, vaguely shaped like a distorted human face. Its mouth opened and closed, letting out faint, whimper-like sounds.
Before he could react, Goldwater pressed the thing directly against his abdomen.
The next second, a tearing pain exploded outward from his stomach.
If he hadn't been bound by the threads, he would have curled up like a shrimp.
Then came a cold, sticky sensation spreading along his spine, branching toward his entire body.
Goldwater raised her other hand and drew a light line across his abdomen with one fingertip.
Countless fine threads emerged from the edge of the wound, pulling the torn flesh together, stitching it up little by little.
In less than ten seconds, only a shallow mark remained.
If not for the lingering pain, he might have wondered if it had all been a hallucination.
Goldwater withdrew her fingers and calmly pulled out a handkerchief, wiping them clean.
"You… put… what…" Wang Yanfei forced the words through clenched teeth.
Goldwater glanced casually at the blood on her fingertips. "Isn't this what you asked for?"
Wang Yanfei could feel something gnawing on his organs from inside his abdomen.
The pain made his vision flicker.
Even so, he held on and asked, "No reward comes free… What do you want me to do?"
Goldwater looked at him, and this time her gaze held a hint of approval.
"Good."
She nodded thoughtfully and reached into her suit pocket.
She pulled out a tiny device. Its casing was cheap plastic, and there was only a single red button on it.
"At the next assembly," she said, tossing the device onto his lap, "you press this."
"I will give you what you truly want."
With that, she seemed to lose interest.
She stood.The threads behind her withdrew automatically, retreating like a tide. Then she turned and walked out.
Click.
The room was left with a sweating Wang Yanfei, and a white snake cocooned into a tight bundle, struggling on the floor.
Wang Yanfei bent down and tore away the threads binding Alvina.
The moment the threads broke, they lost all structure and dissolved into drifting gray ash.
Alvina finally regained freedom. She shook herself hard, tail sticking straight up, spun twice on the spot, then glared up at him.
Her eyes clearly said:Try using my name again. I dare you.
But she didn't actually say anything. She swallowed the emotion back down, though her tone carried rare tension.
"Human, open your panel. Check your status."
Wang Yanfei obeyed immediately.
The familiar panel floated into view—
[Wang Yanfei]
Race: Human
Status: Parasitized (green humanoid display; abdominal area marked with a distinct yellow block)
Height / Weight: 183 cm / 78 kg
HP: 87%
Sanity: 24 / 80
Energy: 1 / 1 (Ghost Core)
Attributes: (Base → Bonus → Total)
Strength: 4 → (Ghost Core) → 5
Agility: 4 → (Ghost Core) → 5
Constitution: 4 → (Ghost Core) → 5
Spirit: 5 → (—) → 5
Perception: 4 → (—) → 4
Abilities: Universal Communication, Ghost Core
Ghost Core: A piece of flesh that never stops wailing.
Strength, Agility, Constitution +1.
Can grow by devouring "consciousness," increasing maximum Energy (up to 10).
Raising Energy cap increases the max of Strength/Agility/Constitution (up to 7 each).
Note: Ghost Core has its own consciousness; currently parasitic.
Wang Yanfei closed the panel and rubbed his forehead.
A sudden wave of dizziness hit him, like someone had stirred his brain with a stick.
Whispers crept into his ears, chaotic and incomprehensible, seeping in from every direction.
The next moment, everything around him began to "grow."
The table rose taller. The bed stretched farther. The room elongated. Even the air felt thin and weightless.
His consciousness drifted outward, his thoughts dragged downward into some deep place—
Suddenly, pain shot across his finger.
"Hss—!!"
Alvina was biting him with all her strength, her fangs embedded in his skin.
Only when she saw his eyes regain a bit of clarity did she release him, immediately shouting:
"Human! Your sanity's dropping too fast! Keep this up and you really will go insane!"
Wang Yanfei panted twice, nodded, but didn't pay his Sanity value the slightest mind.
He said calmly, "Looks like I can't sleep tonight."
Alvina froze. "Huh? What are you planning? If you keep this up you'll go crazy!"
Wang Yanfei didn't answer. Instead, he asked:
"Remember the experiment report we saw before?"
Alvina blinked, still not following. "Huh?"
Wang Yanfei lifted his head.
"All those skins retained consciousness. We can hunt them and gain strength."
The air went cold.
Alvina stiffened.
"But… but they look the same as normal humans. How do we know which ones are skins?"
Wang Yanfei slowly turned toward her.
A flicker of madness flashed through his eyes.
Alvina felt a chill crawl down her spine. She even shrank back a little.
Wang Yanfei didn't look away.
"I… naturally have my ways."
———————
Late night.
After confirming Jessica was asleep, Wang Yanfei rose silently.
He pressed a hand to his cheek and gave it a tug.
His skin peeled away like clothing, coming off with faint, sticky sounds.
He donned the black cloak he had prepared.
Took the Bullet Ant.
Pulled the hood down low, covering half his face.
Then he reached out and slid the door lock open.
A cold night breeze seeped in from the crack.
The first night of the hunt had begun.