Lost in the Otherworld

"What is a Parasite?" Gao Yang quickly grasped the key point.

Bai Tu sighed deeply, "Goodness, how have you all survived this long without knowing anything? Truly fortunate!"

"A Parasite is one type of Greed Beast," Wu Dahai explained. "Currently, we know of two types: the Parasite and the Lodger."

Bai Tu continued, "As the name suggests, a Parasite sacrifices its life to merge with a human, co-existing in one body. It retains a sliver of its own will and abilities, but the human remains the true master of the body."

"Ah!" Fat Jun exclaimed, meat still in his mouth, which he promptly spat out in excitement. "Isn't that exactly what I am?"

"I’ve heard about your situation from Wu Dahai, and yes, your right hand is indeed a Parasite."

"Praise be!" Fat Jun's heart was finally at ease. "I'm still human! What a relief!"

"Sadly, you’re still unable to control your hand’s shape and power freely, so you’ve got to work harder!" Bai Tu winked with a playful smile. "Once you can master it, you’ll be promoted!"

"I won't disappoint the organization!" Fat Jun, feeling reborn, was filled with determination.

"Wake up, you sycophant!" Wu Dahai splashed cold water on him. "Once you become useful and sign your soul away to the organization, she won’t even look at you again. Trust me, I’ve been there."

Fat Jun scratched his head, chuckling foolishly, "Hehe, that’s fine by me."

Wait, something's off.

As Gao Yang listened attentively, a thought crossed his mind.

If the white cat was a Parasite, biting Fat Jun should have caused its death.

But the white cat reappeared later. Could it be that this wasn’t really a cat? Never mind, for now Fat Jun seems perfectly healthy.

"I’ll continue," Bai Tu brought the conversation back. "Besides the Parasite, there's the Lodger. The Lodger is easy to understand—it’s possession. This type of beast sacrifices its body to invade an awakened one's, fully taking over, transforming into a new species—a creature with a human shell and a beast’s soul."

The newcomers listened in rapt silence.

"That bride, she was an awakened one, possessed by a Lodger," Bai Tu explained. "From a biological standpoint, she's undoubtedly human. She can choose to keep pretending to be a beast or sever all ties with her past and live as a person. We call such beings 'Half-Humans.'"

"Half-Humans," Gao Yang mused over the term, finding it intriguing.

"The Half-Human bride married into Hua Zi's family in Gujia Village," Bai Tu sighed, "and that very night, she controlled the entire village to murder Hua Zi’s family in the manner you've already discovered."

"Why kill them?" Officer Huang was puzzled.

Gao Yang was suddenly startled. "Could it be… Hua Zi’s family was entirely human?!"

"Bingo!"

"How is that possible?!" Officer Huang was incredulous. "The odds are astronomical!"

Gao Yang was equally shocked but couldn't help feeling a twinge of hope: maybe his own family might all be human too. At least... the possibility now seemed a bit more real.

Suddenly, Gao Yang noticed something was wrong. "Wait a minute!"

"What's wrong?" Bai Tu asked playfully.

"If Hua Zi's entire family were awakened, how could they lose to a Half-Human?"

"Hmm," Bai Tu nodded, "In theory, four awakened individuals should have had a fair chance against a Half-Human, even with the added power of a Rune Circuit. At worst, the outcome shouldn't have been this tragic. And why would four awakened people live together and marry a beast? It doesn’t make sense."

"Quit dragging it out," Wu Dahai leaned back lazily. "Just tell them."

Bai Tu's voice grew a shade darker, "Because Hua Zi's family wasn’t awakened. They were just ordinary humans."