c12: The Protagonist of the Parasyte World
"Strange!"
"What's going on? Why are all the parasites in Shibuya Ward leaving?"
"What on earth is happening?"
In a dimly lit basement, a girl with long, straight black hair and glasses took a bite of a biscuit, staring at the radar system displayed on her computer screen with a puzzled expression.
There were originally around 300 parasites active within Shibuya Ward, many of them having already infiltrated key sectors such as finance, hospitals, and local administration, quietly replacing humans just like in the early stages of the Parasyte storyline.
But strangely, these parasites were now rapidly withdrawing from the region as if they had received a unified order.
A young man nearby overheard her and approached, lowering his voice as he spoke near her ear, "Check the internet and see if anything major has happened recently. Parasites are extremely rational creatures; they wouldn't abandon territory they've already secured without a reason."
The girl nodded, her fingers flying rapidly across the keyboard. As she swallowed her biscuit, she quickly bypassed multiple layers of encryption and directly hacked into the national information network.
In this world, public news was merely a controlled narrative.
Just like in the original Parasyte incidents, governments often concealed large-scale anomalies to avoid panic, meaning the real truth was buried deep within restricted systems.
Therefore, directly accessing internal databases was the fastest way to uncover reality.
The long-haired girl before him was none other than Shizuku Tsukino, one of the top hackers within the Resistance Alliance, whose abilities rivaled elite cyber warfare specialists.
Her pupils flickered as lines of data streamed across the screen. With astonishing processing speed, she filtered through massive classified records and quickly locked onto a suspicious incident.
But suddenly—
Dense red warnings flooded the interface:
Warning, warning, warning
Unauthorized access detected
Trace initiated
…
Shizuku Tsukino's expression changed slightly. Without hesitation, she immediately cut off the connection, severed all access nodes, and deployed multiple false signals to mislead the tracking system.
Her fingers moved so quickly they left afterimages, executing a series of countermeasures with precise efficiency.
Within seconds, she successfully escaped the digital pursuit.
The man behind her frowned and asked urgently, "Did you find anything?"
Shizuku Tsukino nodded first, then shook her head, her expression turning serious. "I found something, but I need confirmation. If I'm right… this might explain everything."
She quickly opened the Resistance Alliance's encrypted communication network and initiated a secure connection.
"Hello, is this Kamiya Shotaro from Kobe-cho Ward?"
Kamiya Shotaro: "Yes, speaking. What's the situation?"
Shizuku Tsukino: "I received classified information that around 50 people were killed in your area recently. I need to confirm—were those victims parasites?"
Kamiya Shotaro hesitated before replying:
"I'm not certain. Using parasite detection radar right now is too risky. As you know, parasites can detect being scanned, and our current equipment isn't advanced enough to avoid counter-detection."
He paused before continuing:
"Besides, after such a large-scale incident, the authorities whether human or parasite-controlled have already locked down Kobe-cho. They're conducting thorough investigations."
"If we activate radar now, the entire resistance network here could be exposed."
Shizuku Tsukino nodded slightly, her gaze deepening.
"I understand. Thank you for the information."
She ended the communication, her mind racing.
Fifty parasites eliminated overnight… and now all parasites in Shibuya are retreating.
This wasn't coincidence.
This was fear.
Somewhere, something or someone had appeared that even parasites, creatures known for their cold logic and adaptability, could not afford to confront.
At that moment, an image unconsciously surfaced in her mind
A six-year-old child with a tail.
A being whose combat power, even without formal ki control training like the warriors of Planet Vegeta, already far exceeded normal limits—just like the mutated Saiyan known as Broly.
A monster who could crush enemies with raw physical strength alone, much like how Saiyans relied on instinctive battle power before mastering techniques like Ki manipulation, flight, or energy projection.
Shizuku Tsukino slowly pushed up her glasses.
"If my guess is correct…"
"Then the one who caused this isn't the Resistance Alliance…"
"It's something far more dangerous."
After the chat, Shizuku Tsukino took a sip of mineral water and looked at the man beside her: "I just hacked into the national information system and discovered that 50 murders occurred in Kobe-cho yesterday. The news was suppressed layer by layer by the authorities, reduced from 50 people to 10, and finally reported as only 5.
Moreover, according to internal military dispatch records, that infamous Special Self-Defense Force has already begun mobilizing units toward Shibuya.
So I suspect that if those 50 victims were all parasites, then perhaps a group similar to us—individuals capable of resisting parasites has appeared.
And they are currently moving toward Shibuya."
The young man sitting next to Shizuku Tsukino frowned, his fingers interlocked as he carefully considered whether making contact would be wise.
Suddenly, his left hand began to twist unnaturally, the flesh writhing and restructuring as it transformed into a grotesque creature with a single eye, a mouth, and two curved blade-like appendages.
Even more strangely, the transformed hand spoke in a calm, analytical tone:
"Koizumi, I do not recommend establishing contact with them. Their methods are excessively extreme. If we engage with them, it may very well drag our entire resistance network into destruction.
Furthermore, there is a non-zero probability that this is a deliberate trap orchestrated by the authorities.whether human or parasite-controlled to lure us out and eliminate us entirely.
My recommendation is to avoid all interaction, suspend operations temporarily, maintain concealment, and prioritize long-term development."
Tsukino Shizuku nodded slightly and added, "What Koizumi said makes sense. Recently, more civilians in Shibuya have begun to notice abnormalities in society.
Just like in the early stages of the Parasyte incidents, awareness spreads slowly but inevitably.
One day, the truth will surface completely, and humanity will unite against the parasites."
Although Shinichi Izumi understood that both of them were logically correct, his gaze hardened slightly, revealing his own stance.
"Any force capable of resisting parasites is valuable.
And according to the information you've gathered, this group possesses overwhelming destructive power—enough to instantly eliminate parasites before they can even react.
If there's a chance, I would prefer to assist them if they encounter danger."
Shizuku Tsukino immediately shook her head and firmly grabbed Shinichi Izumi's arm. "No, that's far too dangerous."
Shinichi Izumi replied calmly, his tone unusually composed almost devoid of human hesitation:
"Don't worry. I won't make direct contact.
I simply hope that such a force can survive… and perhaps, in the future, cooperate with us to increase our chances of victory.
Besides, with Migi, I am not easily killed."
Years ago, Shinichi Izumi suffered a fatal injury when the parasite failed to reach his brain and instead merged with his right hand, forming a symbiotic relationship.
That parasite known as Migi had reconstructed parts of his body using its own cells, enhancing his physical abilities and sharpening his reactions, while also gradually influencing his emotional responses, making him more rational and detached.
Hearing this, Shizuku Tsukino had no choice but to agree. She immediately began issuing internal orders, suspending operations and arranging the evacuation of key members away from Shibuya to avoid an imminent large-scale purge.
On the other side, Broly and his group had also encountered a problem.
Naruto reported that after checking over 300 individuals using shadow clones and the hair-testing method, not a single parasite had been found. It was as if all parasites had deliberately withdrawn from populated areas.
This immediately made Broly narrow his eyes, a sharp glint flashing across them.
He had already guessed the truth.
The parasites had reacted far faster than expected.
From the moment fifty of their kind were annihilated in a single night, it became obvious that the hunters himself, Naruto, and Su Xiaoyou had been completely exposed.
And now, the enemy had chosen the most rational response: retreat, regroup, and prepare overwhelming force.
A large-scale suppression operation was inevitable.
Most likely, an elite armed unit would arrive first highly mobile, heavily equipped followed by larger military forces once the situation escalated.
After all, even in highly organized human societies, deploying a full army required time, while special forces could respond immediately.
Broly slowly stood up, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
But the object of that smile… was himself.
Over the past few days, his rapidly growing power constantly increasing without the need for structured training, just as described for Saiyan mutants had unconsciously made him arrogant.
As a Saiyan, especially one like Broly, whose power continuously surges in battle and even in a calm state, his instincts were naturally inclined toward dominance and combat.
Even without transforming into a Super Saiyan, the sheer pressure of his ki was already enough to overwhelm ordinary beings.
This overwhelming strength had caused him to subconsciously disregard the threat posed by both parasites and humans.
But thinking about it carefully…
No matter what strategies or tactics the parasites used, no matter how advanced human weapons were they could not truly threaten him.
In the Dragon Ball universe, once a warrior's power reached a certain level, conventional weapons even military-grade artillery became meaningless.
A properly controlled ki blast alone could level entire regions, and physical durability scaled to match that power.
The gap was absolute.
"Still…"
Broly clenched his fist slightly, feeling the violent, ever-expanding energy within his body—the same uncontrollable power that once drove him into a berserk state when his emotions spiked.
"If I lose control…"
"That would be the real problem."
But as for the enemies ahead
No matter what they tried, they wouldn't even be able to create a ripple.
....