Chapter 9: Still a Wild Beast After All
"Damn it, I waited three hours for you," Xia Shang said impatiently under the streetlamp.
Stopping alongside him was the figure not far behind him.
"Damn it, I waited three hours for you." The figure's voice was stiff, as if learning word by word.
Xia Shang turned to look at the stalker who had been following him. The middle-aged man looked ordinary, his white shirt heavily stained with blood. Under the moonlight, the man's face appeared exceptionally pale, and his eyes were lifeless.
The middle-aged man, realizing he had been discovered, instantly gave up hiding. Then, like a wild beast, he launched an attack on Xia Shang.
As he attacked, several cracks appeared on his face. His facial skin then split into multiple strips that peeled outwards, revealing dense, sharp blades embedded within, like a bizarre and disgusting flesh and blood flower.
"That's truly disgusting."
Xia Shang quickly turned and fled into the alley. He had walked this path dozens of times and had already scouted it beforehand.
Hearing the rapid footsteps behind him, he knew the other party had taken the bait.
Using the narrow terrain within the alley, Xia Shang consistently maintained a safe distance from the Parasyte. Soon, at a corner, his figure disappeared.
The Parasyte, with a vacant expression, arrived at the spot where Xia Shang disappeared and looked around. Just as it thought its prey had escaped, a shadow, illuminated by the moonlight, stretched from the top of the wall onto its body.
Xia Shang took out a glass bottle containing sulfuric acid and threw it at the Parasyte's head. The faint whooshing sound from above made the Parasyte instinctively lift its head and look up.
Bang! The hard glass bottle hit the Parasyte's face and shattered instantly. The concentrated sulfuric acid inside immediately splashed all over the Parasyte's face.
The intense pain caused all the tentacles the Parasyte had extended earlier to retract. Accompanied by sizzling sounds of burning, wisps of white smoke drifted from the bloody flesh sphere.
A good opportunity, but to be safe, Xia Shang didn't attack. Instead, he leaped off the wall and ran into the distance.
It turned out that being cautious wasn't a bad thing.
The incredibly pained Parasyte clutched its distorted head and let out a painful roar. Boom! In an instant, several blade tentacles, mutated from flesh and blood, whipped around like steel whips. Their speed was so fast that even afterimages were hard to discern. In just a few breaths, the walls around the Parasyte had turned into a pile of rubble.
"This guy probably doesn't have much stamina left. Huh, it can actually sense me."
He didn't know if it was because the Parasyte's sense of smell was too sensitive, or if it heard the slight sound Xia Shang made while moving.
In any case, the Parasyte that found Xia Shang ran towards him extremely angrily.
Xia Shang's strategy was still to avoid fighting. After all, his reaction speed was not enough to withstand the opponent's tentacle attacks. Instead of risking a desperate fight, it was better to wait until the other party's stamina was exhausted.
By this point in the chase, the two arrived back on the street.
Unable to catch up to Xia Shang, the frustrated Parasyte could only vent its full fury on the ground. Accompanied by explosive sounds, the ground centered around it was instantly carved with grooves of varying lengths.
After venting its anger, the Parasyte's stamina was basically exhausted. It hunched its body, preparing to turn and leave.
"Isn't it a little late to want to leave now?"
Xia Shang stopped and took out another glass bottle, though this one was smaller than the last. For safety, he had specifically prepared several smaller glass bottles. After all, he couldn't guarantee hitting with just one, so having a few extra wasn't a bad thing.
"Buddy, have another one!"
After aiming, Xia Shang didn't hesitate to throw the concentrated sulfuric acid in his hand towards the Parasyte's head.
Bang! The glass bottle shattered upon impact, and the concentrated sulfuric acid inside instantly enveloped the Parasyte's entire head.
The indistinguishable flesh and blood instantly boiled, emitting a large amount of white smoke. Furthermore, the tentacles the Parasyte had extended withered and turned black at a visible speed.
After confirming that the other party couldn't go berserk again, Xia Shang quickly came before it and said coldly, "Go to hell!" Pfft! The long sword, fast and accurate, instantly pierced the Parasyte's heart.
Perhaps worried that this injury wasn't enough, he then twisted the blade until the Parasyte's heart was completely shredded.
The Parasyte, which had been writhing in pain moments ago, seemed to have had its life paused by God. Its knees bent, and it knelt before Xia Shang, gradually losing all signs of life.
"No matter what, as long as I win." After speaking, Xia Shang used his sword to slice off the flesh sphere on its head.
Everything settled.
Xia Shang moved a motorcycle from the roadside, whose unlucky owner he didn't know. After twisting open its fuel tank cap, he pushed it onto the Parasyte's corpse, then took out the lighter from his pocket and ignited the gasoline that had flowed to his feet.
Boom! Flames rose, engulfing the entire corpse.
And Xia Shang's figure gradually faded into the distance under the illumination of the flames.
...
Inside a Chinese BBQ Restaurant in Tokyo Ginza, Xia Shang, with a band-aid on his face, was enjoying the barbecue before him. As he put a thick slice of beef into his mouth and chewed, the rich oil and perfectly exquisite meat aroma instantly filled his mouth. Xia Shang was so happy he almost fainted.
Is there anything more satisfying than eating a late-night snack?
Moreover, this shop was one he had found with great difficulty, as most shops were closed so late.
"Not bad." Xia Shang patted his stomach contentedly.
At this moment, he finally opened his panel.
[Innate Ability: Transformation]
[Analysis Condition: Kill a Parasyte]
[Analysis Condition unlocked. Fuse Innate Ability Transformation?]
"Fuse."
[Transformation Talent Fusion in progress, current progress 2%]
Xia Shang could clearly sense that his body was undergoing some peculiar change. This felt like a change at the gene level, with itching sensations coming from all over his body. However, this feeling quickly disappeared.
"To fuse the Transformation Talent faster, perhaps I need to observe or fight other Parasytes." With the experience from fusing the Kendo Talent earlier, Xia Shang roughly understood how to quickly increase the speed of Talent Fusion.
Furthermore, a thought occurred to him at this moment: perhaps other talents could be born after Parasytes grew.
And Shinichi Izumi, Reiko Tamura, or Goto, the final boss in the source material, these three were perfect subjects for observation.
After paying the bill, Xia Shang walked out of the barbecue restaurant.
His residence had already been arranged by the panel beforehand. As soon as he returned to the one-bedroom, one-living room, Xia Shang began to experiment with the Transformation Ability he had fused.
Xia Shang recalled the blade tentacles that the previous Parasyte had extended.
Imagining it while controlling his right hand, under his persistent efforts, his right hand gradually changed. He could see his right hand melting like rubber, then gradually transforming into a curved blade shape... and then, there was nothing more.
With Xia Shang's current fusion progress and stamina, he could only achieve this level for now.
"Damn it, can this thing even cause damage?" Xia Shang poked the table with his soft right hand, wanting to cry but having no tears.
(end of chapter )