Xenoparasitism - Chapter 1

“Go inside. You’ll be transferred to Headquarters tomorrow. Until then, stay put and behave yourself.”

With a clang, the iron gate slammed shut and locked. Wei Chen sat down stiffly, staring at the cramped, less than ten-square-meter solitary cell. He almost felt like he was dreaming. Just two hours earlier, he had been a high school senior on a date with his dream girl. Now, he was locked up in a detention center—a jarring contrast that could drive anyone to despair.

In the opposite solitary cell, a man lying on the bed sat up, a roguish grin spreading across his face. “Hey, buddy,” he called out, “what got you locked up in here?”

Wei Chen looked at him, opening his mouth to speak. “I…”

“Murder?”

In the office, a young police officer studied the case file, which included Wei Chen’s photo. “Captain Wang,” he said, “are you sure about this? Wei Chen, 18 years old, high school graduate. He’s just a kid, and he looks so mild-mannered. He doesn’t seem like the type to commit murder.”

“Xiao Ling, what did they teach you at the police academy? We handle cases based on evidence, and the evidence here is conclusive. The suspect’s fingerprints are all over the crime scene, even on the murder weapon. He’s going to be charged with premeditated murder, no way out of it. But…” Another middle-aged detective in his forties frowned.

“But what?”

“Motive,” Captain Wang said. “When we arrived at the scene, the suspect was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He’s in no state for a proper interrogation. With no clear motive, we’ll have to detain him for now and let the Headquarters take over tomorrow.”

“Then I’ll start checking his background and notify his family.”

“Alright.”

In the cell, the man sitting on the bed froze when he heard the word “murder.” After a moment, he said, “Not bad, brother. I didn’t think you had it in you. So, was it manslaughter? If so…”

The man rambled on, but Wei Chen couldn’t hear a word he was saying. As if the word “murder” had been a key, unlocking the room of memories, every detail of the day’s events flooded his mind.

Two hours earlier, as Wei Chen perched on the school wall, Lu Yinglan stood on the other side, waving and calling out, “Hurry up and come over!”

Under the moonlight, the girl looked so pure and lovely. Her beckoning smile tugged at Wei Chen’s heartstrings. He mumbled a dazed “Okay,” but when he tried to climb over the wall, he clumsily fell. Fortunately, the wall overlooked a grassy lawn, so the fall wasn’t serious, only earning a soft giggle from Lu Yinglan.

Lu Yinglan was the girl Wei Chen had secretly loved for three years, his goddess. Now that he had graduated from high school and was about to leave the city with his university acceptance letter, he finally mustered the courage to ask her out this weekend after the college entrance exams, hoping to confess his feelings. The day had gone well so far, and he had planned to confess during a touching romance movie that evening. But Lu Yinglan suddenly had a whim and, instead of the movie, dragged Wei Chen back to the school.

Because it was summer vacation, the school was deserted. Yet Lu Yinglan excitedly pulled him toward the old school building, which was being reconstructed. The original structure had already been demolished, leaving a construction site. Steel bars and unopened cement bags were piled around, with bulldozers and mixers parked nearby, suggesting work would begin soon.

“Yinglan, why did you want to come here?” Wei Chen couldn’t see anything romantic about this place.

Still, it was quiet, at least. If his confession failed, no one would witness his embarrassment. The thought made Wei Chen’s heart race, and he clenched his fist tightly.

Lu Yinglan turned around, lowered her head, and whispered, “Because it’s quiet here. It’s a good place to talk.”

Wei Chen froze, then erupted with joy. Could it be? Could it be that Yinglan likes me too? he thought.

Lu Yinglan walked closer, the night breeze carrying her faint fragrance into Wei Chen’s nostrils. Just as they were about to touch, she stopped, gently rested her head on his shoulder, and said, “Actually, I’ve been noticing you for a long time, Wei Chen. You’re very special. I don’t know when it started, but I’ve become obsessed with your scent. It excites me. Every time I smell you, I can’t resist wanting to devour you.”

A voice screamed in Wei Chen’s mind: What’s happening? Is Yinglan confessing to me? Is this… the legendary spring for losers?

“I like you too,” Wei Chen stammered, his heart pounding so hard his words came out haltingly.

Lu Yinglan lifted her head, her cheeks flushed crimson in the moonlight. “Really? Then let’s become one…”

“So soon?” Wei Chen chuckled awkwardly. “I’m flattered, but this place doesn’t seem very convenient. And I didn’t bring my ID, so we probably can’t get a hotel…”

Without warning, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. Wei Chen looked down at the girl buried against him, watching as his T-shirt gradually stained crimson with blood. He froze. “Yinglan, what are you doing?”

Lu Yinglan raised her head, her mouth dripping with fresh blood—Wei Chen’s blood! Her eyes glazed over with a mix of excitement and madness as she shrieked, “Didn’t I say it earlier? I’m going to eat you! No metaphors here, just the literal meaning!”

“You… you’re my food now.”

“What? I don’t understand!” Wei Chen stumbled backward, tripped over something, and landed hard on his rear.

Under the moonlight, the girl laughed like a madwoman, pointing a finger at Wei Chen. “Don’t worry, you’ll understand soon enough. Because the feast has already begun!”

Her arm suddenly writhed, elongating and contorting until it transformed into a serpentine appendage. When the transformation ceased, Lu Yinglan’s arm had become a python-like creature, its gaping maw revealing rows of Nested Fangs, like those of a sandworm, exposed to the air. Lacking eyes or scales, it resembled a freshly shed snake, utterly repulsive.

The serpentine arm shot out, and Wei Chen instinctively raised his left hand to block it. The creature clamped down on his forearm, and he heard a sickening snap beneath its razor-sharp teeth. From the elbow down, Wei Chen’s hand was severed. The serpentine arm retracted, its maw still chewing. Lu Yinglan wore an expression of ecstasy as she murmured, “So delicious! Of all the flesh I’ve tasted, yours is the most exquisite! I want more, more!”

“Th-th-this…” Wei Chen stared at his severed hand, the white bone still visible within. He let out a bloodcurdling scream and scrambled to his feet, fleeing in terror.

What’s happening? Am I dreaming? If this is a dream, please let me wake up now!

“Where do you think you’re going? Didn’t you say you liked me? Turning your back on the girl you love is terribly rude, you know.”

Lu Yinglan’s voice echoed in Wei Chen’s ear. Suddenly, something struck him from behind, sending him flying into a pile of steel rebar. He winced in pain, looked up, and saw Lu Yinglan’s serpentine arm lunging at him. He rolled aside, and the arm bit down on the rebar, snapping several pieces in half. One of the severed rods rolled to Wei Chen’s side, and Lu Yinglan immediately pounced. Without thinking, Wei Chen grabbed the rebar and shouted, “Don’t come any closer!”

He thrust the rod forward.

The rebar pierced Lu Yinglan’s abdomen, blood trickling down the metal. She glanced at her wound, then back at Wei Chen. “Such a disobedient child,” she said. “I’ll have to punish you.”

Wei Chen dropped the rebar, staring at her in disbelief. Lu Yinglan stood up as if nothing had happened and reached for the rod. Wei Chen couldn’t bear it any longer and fled, screaming. Lu Yinglan yanked the rebar free and flung it behind her, tripping Wei Chen as he ran. By the time he scrambled to his feet, Lu Yinglan was already upon him. He frantically climbed into a nearby bulldozer, slamming the door shut. Lu Yinglan leaped onto the cab and, without hesitation, rammed her serpentine arm through the door. Wei Chen ducked under the seat, looked up, and saw the keys still in the ignition. He immediately turned the key, started the engine, and slammed his foot on the accelerator. The bulldozer lurched forward, throwing Lu Yinglan off.

Flustered, Wei Chen scrambled back into his seat and glanced outside. Lu Yinglan was just getting to her feet. He roared, stomped on the accelerator, and the bulldozer lurched forward. The jagged bucket slammed into Lu Yinglan’s chest, shoving her forward. By now, Wei Chen was recklessly flooring the gas pedal, the bulldozer pushing her out of the construction site, across a road, and crashing into a classroom building opposite the site!

The violent impact sent Wei Chen flying from the cab, landing in the bulldozer’s bucket. After a few disoriented seconds, he gradually regained his senses. His vision refocused, and he saw Lu Yinglan’s stunned face. Startled, he scrambled up in the bucket, only to realize the girl had been impaled against the wall by the bulldozer’s long tines. The tines had pierced her chest, and Lu Yinglan lay utterly still.

Was she dead?

Wei Chen extended his trembling right hand and checked beneath her nose. There was no breath. Suddenly, as if all strength had drained from him, he collapsed into the excavator bucket. Moments later, a flashlight beam pierced the darkness, followed by a panicked shout: “Murder! Call the police!” Wei Chen glanced at his severed arm before his consciousness finally slipped into darkness.

When he awoke, he saw a square-jawed face. The man was slapping his cheek, the police badge on his cap glinting under the light.

In the prison cell, Wei Chen bolted upright, startling the man across from him. He slowly lowered his gaze, then froze.

His left hand had been bitten off by the monstrous Lu Yinglan, yet now both his hands were shackled. Thinking back, he realized his left hand had already grown back when the police woke him.

How is this possible? Am I dreaming?

The monstrous Lu Yinglan, the severed hand that had regrown—Wei Chen could no longer distinguish between reality and illusion.

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