## Chapter 2161 – 2161. Eternal Eden
The Saetbyeol Apartment incident was over.
The mutated monsters that had been circling the apartment entrance as their territory were dead, and those who had reigned as the residents’ representatives were also dead. Half of the residents of Saetbyeol Apartment were gone, but 400 residents had survived.
However, freedom was not given to the residents.
They were controlled by the Sungak Elementary School’s Guard. Naturally, the 400 residents protested. This was South Korea, after all. Forcing others to be restrained was a crime. They even threatened to report it to the police. It was no use.
Sung Yu-jin was already on the side of the South Korean government. This was all part of an agreement. The justification Sung Yu-jin brought was parasites. They had to be controlled until all the parasites hiding among the crowd were found and killed. There was no way to argue against that justification.
The ones controlling Saetbyeol Apartment were armed forces called the Guard. They called themselves a vigilante group, but judging by their military-grade equipment, it was clear they had made some kind of deal with the military.
The residents of Saetbyeol Apartment eventually complied. If they acted rashly, they would be branded as parasites and killed. They were also promised they would be released within a week, and they were given adequate food rations. Enduring a few days was not a big deal.
However, it was not the same for the parasites hiding among the crowd.
Released within a week? That meant they would have a way to identify parasites within a week. Otherwise, there was no reason to promise to release people.
The parasites had to escape from this place to survive. If they didn’t, they would be discovered and killed.
A parasite that had taken over a woman’s body rose from her seat. There were nearly ten people sitting around her. Most parasites preferred human males. A male’s body was slightly superior to a female’s.
But this parasite had chosen a female’s body. There was only one reason: to hide itself more safely. To hide until the end for safety. That was the path this parasite had chosen, but… the situation had reached a point where doing nothing meant death.
“How long do we have to live like this? They’re going to kill us, saying they’re looking for parasites. They’ve been doing that all along.”
She opened her mouth to incite them. She succeeded in drawing people’s attention.
“What are you talking about? They said they wouldn’t kill us.”
“If they were going to kill us, they would have done it right away. Why would they give us food?”
“Miss, don’t talk nonsense and stay still.”
The people had witnessed the massacre that had occurred a few hours ago. They had seen people die from bombs and be hunted by combat drones. They were exhausted. They didn’t want to die. They didn’t want to step forward. They just wanted to stay still now. And if they stayed still, they would get food.
The parasite changed its approach. If incitement didn’t work… then seduction. The Guard member watching this building was a young man. Even if she wasn’t a beauty, she knew that young men’s sexual desires were enormous. If she seduced him a little, the young man would fall for it immediately.
She headed towards the Guard member standing by the entrance. He stood still, armed with a rifle. He didn’t intervene even when people were fighting among themselves. He just controlled people from going outside.
“……”
The parasite approached the Guard member. The Guard member remained motionless. The moment she got closer, the Guard member’s rifle was aimed at the parasite’s head. The parasite stopped.
“Do you have something to say? Dinner distribution starts at 6 PM.”
“No, it’s not that… I just want to get some fresh air for a bit…”
The parasite unbuttoned her top and lowered her pants, revealing her pubic bone. She exposed her underwear to him. He didn’t flinch.
“That’s impossible. You are not allowed to go outside. Go back.”
“I’m not saying I want to go out alone. You can watch me, right? Huh?”
She even lowered her underwear. But the Guard member was indifferent. He spoke firmly to the parasite with eyes that saw her as worthless.
“It is not possible. If you do not comply with the control, you will be judged as a parasite and executed.”
His voice was more emotionless than a machine.
The parasite clicked her tongue openly and stepped back. The Guard member still didn’t react.
‘Let’s wait for an opportunity.’
As long as he was human, there would be a gap.
The parasite quietly watched the Guard member.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tang!
Soon after, gunshots rang out from a short distance away. When people felt uneasy, the Guard member opened his mouth.
“It’s nothing. Please wait quietly.”
People watched him carefully. Soon, the gunshots stopped, and time passed as if nothing had happened.
The parasite cautiously asked the Guard member.
“What happened? I think we have a right to know.”
“Parasites incited people to attempt an escape, so they were suppressed.”
He answered as if it was nothing.
Suppressed. Judging by the gunshots, they must have killed them all. People were even more terrified.
Night fell. The Guard members changed shifts. When everyone was asleep, the Guard member quietly muttered something. The parasite focused her ears. The parasite had better hearing than humans.
The parasite realized that he was quietly muttering the words he was hearing through a wireless earphone.
-He guides us and saves us. …In this world, only he saves us, so we must follow him.
“He guides us and saves us. …In this world, only he saves us, so we must follow him.”
-He touches the eyes of the blind, and the blind will open their eyes and regain their sight. He touches the rotten water, and it becomes holy wine and feeds everyone. …He bestows mercy and miracles upon us, so we must serve him. There is no need to fear death. Death is nothing before his miracles. The hand of salvation will come from death.
“He touches the eyes of the blind, and the blind will open their eyes and regain their sight. He touches the rotten water, and it becomes holy wine and feeds everyone. …He bestows mercy and miracles upon us, so we must serve him. There is no need to fear death. Death is nothing before his miracles. The hand of salvation will come from death.”
They were terribly cult-like words.
The parasite knew this was a kind of brainwashing. But when it continued for two hours, three hours, four hours, she began to feel fear.
‘That’s not something you can do just by forcing it. They believe it from the bottom of their hearts.’
Fanaticism.
Cold sweat formed on the parasite’s forehead and disappeared. The parasite was influenced by the memories and personality of the human it parasitized. It was inevitable since it was digesting the human’s vast memories. But what if she were to parasitize that fanatic? Could she avoid being consumed by the fanaticism? The parasite couldn’t be sure.
The parasite, feeling fear towards the Guard member, tightly closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
She hoped that there would be a chance to escape tomorrow.
The parasite’s wish did not come true.
Two days later, the apartment residents, including the parasite, were forcibly gathered in the plaza.
The 400 residents had been reduced to 350. It was obvious what had happened to the other 50.
“From now on, we will begin parasite identification. Please extend your left arm and cooperate. Any resistance will be immediately judged as a parasite and shot.”
A Guard member said. Around them, fully armed Guard members held rifles emotionlessly.
One Guard member held a small device in his hand. It looked like a body temperature measuring device, but it had a trigger. He placed the identifier on a person’s left arm and pulled the trigger.
“Ugh?! Are you, are you stabbing us with a needle? What’s the principle behind that? It’s not like, if it hurts, you’re human, and if it doesn’t, you’re a parasite, right?”
“Parasites also feel pain.”
That was obvious. The parasite’s main body was eating the brain and taking over its functions. The Guard member separated the identifier needle, put it in a sterilizer, and replaced it with another needle. As he did so, he calmly explained to the people.
“When you are infected by a parasite, your body’s genetic structure changes. The identifier detects genetic structures that are different from humans. Your genetic structure is human. And you have just been identified as human. Please step aside. The next person is waiting.”
“So, does that mean I’m free now?”
“That’s right.”
“…What should I do now?”
“Do whatever you want. Go back home and sleep, or move to another shelter. We no longer have a reason to control you.”
“Wha, what about food…”
“The government will take care of it. Now, please step aside.”
The Guard checked everyone, not missing even one child. Those who refused the check? They were immediately identified as parasites and subdued.
The parasites identified by the identifier were also subdued. They dragged the parasites somewhere.
The same was true for the parasite wearing a woman’s skin.
Her arms and legs were restrained with special handcuffs, and she was being transported by the Guard. She was blindfolded, had earplugs in, and a gag in her mouth. As if that wasn’t enough, she was paralyzed by a tranquilizer gun.
When the unconscious parasite woke up, she was inside a transparent glass wall. The floor was pure white, and there was only a bed and a toilet in the room.
The parasite realized that she had become a lab rat. The parasite felt the urge to commit suicide and looked beyond the glass window.
People in suits were standing there. They were all expressionless, as if they were machines. This excessively clean facility and the elite atmosphere. This was probably an institution of the South Korean government.
The most noticeable among them was a woman in a suit. A beauty with long, jet-black hair that reached her thighs. She looked so pure that she seemed almost ghostly.
“What are you trying to do with me?!”
The parasite asked. She didn’t expect an answer, but… an answer came through a speaker installed in the corner.
“It’s obviously an experiment for the future. Infected, mutated, and variant. They are all evolving over time. Parasites are no exception. We will observe your evolution and come up with countermeasures. The experiment will begin in an hour, so please cooperate quietly.”
An hour later, the parasite’s skull was opened on the operating table.
