The right-hand man

Hikaru wasn't convinced. Junpei was probably telling the truth but after absorbing a couple of enhancers, he saw that there were no traces of secondary abilities in their genetic sequences.

It didn't mean that there weren't parasites with multiple abilities but it must be rare. He couldn't be sure as 4 specimens was a tiny test sample.

Also, it looked like Junpei was in denial.

***

A door opened to two men in their 30s.

"Riye! It is really you!" One of the two said.

The woman in the pink gown opened her eyes in surprise.

"Vea and Ikuo? I haven't seen you guys since your wedding, Ikuo. What are you guys doing here so late?"

"Well..." Ikuo murmured.

Riye widened her eyes after they were silent for a moment.

This must be serious, otherwise, they wouldn't have come here past 12.

Vea looked at Ikuo and patted him on the shoulder. Riye was very surprised now.

"It's... about what we did... You and I."

"What?" Riye said in a confused yet hostile manner.

Riye gazed at Vea with suspecting eyes.

"He told me everything," Vea explained.

"I don't know what you're talking-"

"I told him that I cheated on my wife!" Ikuo blurted out like he was coughing blood.

"Shut up! Be quiet!" Riye snapped.

She then looked around at her neighbours' houses to see if anyone noticed.

"What do you want!" Riye hushed.

"I came here to talk!"

"Okay quiet and come inside."

Riye left the doorway and the two followed her in. Vea pulled the door, almost closing it but leaving a gap. Some shadows emerged from behind the van parked outside.

Riye turned around after walking to the centre of the living room. Two hands reached out to her neck.

*Shnk!*

Ikuo held Riye's neck with his hands but there was no strength in them. Ikuo looked down at his chest. Riye had placed her hand over where his heart should be. There was a red stain growing on his shirt from around her hands.

Seeing that something was wrong with Ikuo, Vea came from behind him and swung at Riye's head with a crowbar. She caught it with her left hand.

As she pulled out her right hand from Ikuo's chest, out came a bone spike dipped in his blood. Ikuo fell to the floor with a thud.

"You're a parasite?" Vea said seeing the bone spike.

Riye pointed the hand towards him.

"Wait! What are you doing!"

Vea pulled on the crowbar but it didn't move like it was stuck in stone.

*Shplort!*

The spike rode on the tip of a tentacle that flew to Vea's chest and bored a hole. The spiked tentacle hooked Vea and started absorbing him. The tentacle enlarged in the process, engulfing him whole before returning to Hikaru.

He decided to keep this appearance to protect his identity.

Several parasites ran into the house and surrounded him/her in a semi-circle. Hikaru greeted them with a delighted smile. They all charged at him with various forms of melee weapons which were all blunt, to make less of a bloody mess when they had to clean up afterwards.

*Plorkk!*

All four of them were simultaneously impaled by spike tentacles that emerged out of his back. Hikaru then hooked them in like fishes.

"Retreat!" Someone shouted.

*Crunch crunch crunch*

Hikaru walked outside when he heard the sound of fleeing footsteps. Hikaru pointed his hand at the fleeing woman and shot her with his spiked tentacle. The driver of the van who was waiting for his now-dead teammate started the engine.

Hikaru then aimed at the driver before the car could take off.

A large shadow appeared from above him. Hikaru jumped away.

*Boom! *

The attacker had smashed into the ground from the air. There was a small crater underneath the parasite's fist from where he was standing earlier. The shadow then stood up and was revealed by the moonlight. It was a tall 2-metre teenager that towered over Hikaru.

It was Botan, Daichi's right-hand man.

'Good. I was hoping to test my strength in a rematch since the Battle Royale at the school gym. But first...'

Botan signalled to the driver with his hand to leave.

Hikaru pointed at the driver again and fired but his spike tentacle was caught by one hand as it was launched. Hikaru pulled on his tentacle which Botan held firmly.

*Rip*

Hikaru detached his tentacle as a lizard would when dropping its tail. As the van drives away, Hikaru spawns a bone javelin out from his wrist and throws it from the back of the van. Botan couldn't stop it because he was too far and the van was in the opposite direction of him.

The javelin penetrated the back of the van and continued until it pierced the driver's chest with precision. With Hikaru's parallel processing ability, running fast calculations was as easy as 1+1.

Botan swung in an arc from behind but Hikaru ducked and stabbed Botan in the leg. Botan took another swing but Hikaru jumped out of the way as fast as the wind.

'Does she have eyes on the back of her head?' Botan thought.

He wasn't serious but now he thought that maybe he did glimpse a third eye on the back of her head.

"You're strong," Botan commented.

The woman in front of Botan was silent.

"Tsk, who are you? Why are you attacking us? You're clearly a parasite."

After Daichi met with the other officers, he was warned about a faction of rebels within their ranks.

"Are you one of those radicals?"

"Radicals... I prefer the term liberated. And to answer your question, what kind of idiot asks that?�� The woman sneered.

*Crack, crack, crack*

Botan clenched his fists so hard that they cracked his knuckles.

"Hmph, I'm surprised you can stand with that kind of wound."

Botan's legs started to get bigger. From the hole where he was stabbed, the wound was closed off and disappeared behind the growth.