68
Ch.68 Bug Incident
Humans and heroes still do not know about the existence of parasites.
When a human infected by a parasite sees me, they commit suicide, and beetles devour the corpse without leaving a trace.
Right now, only Gu Seo-ryong and I—two Despair-class monsters—are aware of the problem in W-City.
Thinking it would be difficult to handle this alone, I revealed myself on a high rooftop and waited for Starlight.
“This is District 6, Black Cat spotted… Huh? Something’s off.”
“What? It’s the same Black Cat as always… Hmm? You’re right? Why is it just standing there?”
“Grrrr…”
“Whoa! This is District 6, Black Cat is attacking—no, wait, it’s pushing us away, telling us not to approach?”
Normally, I would be napping, but this time, I bared my teeth and pushed them away with telekinesis. Sensing something strange, the heroes quickly called for Starlight.
A moment later, Starlight hurriedly arrived at the rooftop where I was and pulled something out of her bag.
“What, what is it? Are you hungry? Do you want treats? Here, have some treats!”
“Ugh…”
With one hand holding meat and the other holding treats, I motioned with my chin for Starlight to send the other heroes away.
Perhaps sensing the unusual atmosphere, Starlight dismissed the heroes, leaving just the two of us on the rooftop.
[There are parasites in W-City.]
“Parasites? Don’t tell me there’s someone among the high-ranking officials you want dead? Like those orphanage directors back then?”
[No.]
Why does the mention of parasites immediately bring up high-ranking officials? Are there really more people like those orphanage directors?
Frowning at the sudden question, I decided to address the urgent matter first.
[The parasites I’m talking about are monsters. I can’t handle them alone.]
“What…?”
Realizing the gravity of the situation upon hearing that even I couldn’t handle them, Starlight’s expression darkened.
“Don’t tell me… An Annihilation-class? There haven’t been any movement alerts for observed Annihilation-class monsters.”
[They’re Terror-class. No, below Terror-class…]
“Monsters below Terror-class? But… You can’t handle them?”
[Follow me quietly.]
Thinking it would be faster to show her than explain, I had Starlight follow me as I flew over W-City.
However, even after circling nearly every District, the creatures didn’t show themselves.
“Black Cat? How long do I have to follow you?”
[…Strange.]
Even the beetles hiding in the clouds high above had vanished, and no infected humans appeared.
Could they be detecting the heroes?
[…If I sound my core, can you get here within seconds?]
“Huh? It depends on the distance, but… At most 10 seconds?”
[Stay back.]
After shaking off Starlight, I flew around again, and this time, the infected humans revealed themselves.
“Black Cat! Help me!”
“Black Cat! Save us! Help!”
“Ahh…! Black Cat!”
Disturbingly, the way the infected humans called for me was changing.
The ones who worshipped me were not W-City citizens but the original humans. Those who didn’t worship but begged for help were W-City’s residents.
As if the two groups were communicating, more and more people were calling for my help.
“Ahhh… Black Cat… Please, I’ll give you meat, help me. Eat me, eat me~”
A W-City resident, feeling ecstasy, plunged a knife into their own heart. White worms wriggled from the wound.
Landing in front of one of the corpses, I loudly sounded my monster core.
Evidence secured. With the blaring monster alert, Starlight flew in from afar.
“What, what is this?!”
At that moment—BZZZZT!—a loud buzzing of wings filled the air as beetles swarmed from all directions.
An overwhelming number, unfazed by the monster alert. Startled unleashed her powers, dyeing the entire city sky red.
Under the intense heat, the beetles rained down as fire.
Meanwhile, the beetles frantically descended on the corpses, devouring the human remains.
I immediately stood atop one corpse, shielding it from the beetles.
[Starlight, come here first.]
WHOOSH! Starlight, who had been burning the beetles, landed beside me and intensified her flames.
The human corpse began to melt.
Acid secreted from the silk worms’ bodies. As the corpse dissolved in seconds, Starlight looked at me in shock.
“You didn’t kill them just now, did you?”
[They did it themselves.]
Who knew parasites could commit suicide?
Stepping away from the bubbling brown liquid that was once a corpse, the beetles that had cleanly devoured the other corpses burst apart, silencing the monster alert.
“This is Starlight. Operator, respond.”
[Responding.]
“All units, emergency alert. Exterminate the swarm of insect-type monsters spreading from District 7. Emergency evacuation of surrounding areas. The monsters are below Terror-class and undetectable by sensors. Detect them manually.”
[Confirmed.]
Seeing the insect monsters hiding in building crevices, sewers, and all over W-City, Starlight urgently called for other heroes.
Then, as she was about to chase the insect monsters, she stopped and demanded an explanation.
“Can you explain? What was that just now?”
[Parasites. And beetles.]
“Those flying things were beetles, and the parasites…”
Starlight frowned at the brown liquid on the ground.
I explained the parasites to her.
[There are humans who worship me, as you said. Their bodies host parasites that drive infected humans to suicide.]
“What…?”
[The parasites are too weak to detect. They reside inside the beetle-type monsters and the bodies of those who call me ‘God’s Apostle.’ And now, the parasites are spreading to W-City’s citizens.]
“W-Wait… Hold on.”
Stunned into brief silence, Starlight collected her thoughts.
“So the cultists’ bodies have parasites that make people kill themselves? And they’re spreading to W-City’s citizens? And because the parasites are too weak to detect, we can’t even tell who’s infected?”
[Correct.]
“How… Did we not know?”
[The beetles eat the corpses of those killed by the parasites. No traces are left, and the parasites transfer to the beetles’ bodies.]
“What happened just now… If the parasites can’t transfer to the beetles, they melt and die?”
[Probably.]
Nodding, Starlight’s face hardened.
With such thorough concealment, there was no way to know what was happening unless witnessed directly.
And… These things were even hiding from heroes.
Unmonster-like.
“Parasites that make humans kill themselves, carriers are beetle monsters below Terror-class and the cultists…? The cult once temporarily tamed a Terror-class monster. Did they get infected while trying to tame it? This feels more like a virus than a monster…”
Muttering quickly, Starlight suddenly looked up and asked what I was also wondering.
“Is there a cure? A way to kill the parasites inside the body.”
[I don’t know.]
“Right, you’re a monster, so you wouldn’t know that… Got it.”
Pressing a hand to her ear, Starlight urgently issued orders over the comms.
“Top priority: as of now, W-City is locked down. Train stations are closed, no movement between sectors. Arrest anyone who resists… And isolate anyone suspected of being part of the cult. Also, summon all W-City monster researchers to the conference room immediately.”
Hanging up, Starlight looked at me with a tense expression.
“First, thanks for telling me. Unlike with the bad cats… This’ll help us respond faster.”
[Can you handle it?]
“…With this many insect-type monsters, there must be a leader. Swarm creatures follow a central figure, like a queen bee or ant. We need to find it.”
[Central figure?]
Is that a thing? Since the lab only ever had single specimens, this was my first time hearing about it.
“It’ll be slightly stronger than the others, so finding it won’t be hard. If we eliminate all the beetle carriers and isolate the cultists… We can handle this.”
Kill the leader.
A solution I hadn’t known—how to eradicate the bugs.
I nodded quietly, glad I’d told Starlight.
[Be careful. Eating the bugs or corpses will infect you.]
“No… Humans don’t eat that stuff.”
At my warning, Starlight smirked in disbelief despite the situation and amped up her powers.
The conversation was over. Now, it was time to exterminate the insect monsters infesting W-City.
“Thanks for the help, Black Cat.”
With that, Starlight flew into the sky, spreading her power’s wavelength.
Much denser than usual, to ensure even the weakest monsters wouldn’t slip through.
Not just Starlight—all of W-City’s heroes began hunting the hidden bugs.
The beetles dwindled rapidly, and infected humans were no longer seen.
But the bug incident wasn’t over.
No matter how many they killed, the beetles didn’t disappear.
There was no leader here.
***
As the bug incident in W-City dragged on, the heroes tightened control over the citizens.
To root out remaining cultists and isolate the infected.
Though meant to protect, the citizens’ frustration grew.
[Why did W-City suddenly turn into a hero dictatorship?]
[Copying A-City?]
[No, tracking movement in real-time and banning groups larger than four is weird.]
[Was controlling proximity to the Black Cat just to gauge public reaction?]
[Anyone know why they’re blocking exits? I have a business trip.]
[Probably because of monsters.]
[But the Black Cat’s fine. If we ask it to handle this, it’d be over in a day. Why all this?]
As discontent grew, Starlight finally faced the cameras again.
Exhausted, the heroes released some controlled information to curb panic and explained the situation.
“This briefing will be quick due to time constraints.”
“A swarm of insect-type monsters continues to circle W-City. These monsters carry a special parasite…”
“The parasite eats part of the brain, driving the infected to suicide. When exposed to a hero’s power wavelength at close range… It secretes acid, killing the host.”
“The current restrictions are to isolate the infected. We’ve succeeded in quarantining all known cases, but the beetle carriers keep coming…”
“The parasite spreads through physical contact, especially mucous membranes. Even if we stop the beetles, human-to-human transmission is possible.”
“The beetle monsters are weak, below Terror-class. All heroes are doing their best to exterminate them. Until the situation stabilizes, please comply with the restrictions.”
We’re exhausted protecting you, so just listen for once… With a drained voice, the heroes left without taking questions.
Afterward, the citizens’ complaints vanished instantly.
Replaced by terror and disgust.
[W-What the hell? Brain-eating parasites?!]
[AAAAH! More restrictions, please! MORE!]
[I’m not leaving my house from now on…]
[Groups larger than four? Make it two.]
[If it’s contact transmission, I’m safe, right?]
[It’s not just sexual contact.]
[Still safe, right?]
[Oh.]