Chapter 458: Chapter 458 Parasite_1
In the Kingdom of Gistas, at Sunset City, Golden Lake District residential area.
"Please come and clean again next Sunday. I might go out that day. I’ll leave the key in the usual place beforehand," the middle-aged gentleman instructed the old maid who was preparing to leave in the courtyard.
"Certainly, Mr. Katch, please rest assured," the maid bowed slightly.
"This is your pay for today; thank you for your hard work." Mr. Katch took out his wallet and handed the cleaning fee to the maid.
"Thank you." The maid accepted the money as usual and turned to leave.
Just then, she saw the figure of the shepherd dog walking on the lawn of the courtyard.
"Bye, Tony," she said kindly, waving at him.
As usual, Tony, the shepherd dog, politely barked back once in farewell.
The maid smiled, took a few steps, then suddenly heard a low growl.
She looked over in surprise and saw Tony pacing back and forth quickly on the lawn, growling faintly, seemingly a bit restless.
Moreover, the shepherd dog’s body was trembling slightly, as if caught in the depths of winter.
"Mr. Katch, Tony doesn’t look quite right..." she said to her employer with some concern.
Mr. Katch was also staring at his pet with a grave expression, but as soon as he heard the maid’s comment, he quickly suppressed that serious look and dismissed it with a wave of his hand: "He’s been a bit allergic lately, had diarrhea, and drools. I got some animal medicine for him on West street. It’ll react this way after he takes it, but it’s nothing, just a normal reaction. It’ll be fine once the medicine effect wears off."
"So that’s how it is. I didn’t even notice it was sick this afternoon... I hope it gets better soon," the maid said with a look of concern.
Mr. Katch watched the maid leave, glanced around, and suddenly his expression changed. He turned his head to look at the shepherd dog.
"Tony, quick! Inside!" he called to the dog.
The shepherd dog walked towards the sound, its body constantly shaking, shaking more and more violently, and it kept panting heavily.
Mr. Katch led Tony into the inner room, then knelt down and gently stroked Tony’s back: "The limit has been reached so soon; hurry out of this body."
The shepherd dog took a couple of breaths, then actually began to speak in a human voice: "I’m fine, Daddy..."
"Stop pushing yourself, this body is starting to demonize again; once it passes the critical point, it’ll be irreversible," Katch urged. "Get out now!"
Upon hearing this, Tony no longer protested. It took several deep breaths and then suddenly let out a mournful howl.
The shepherd dog arched its back as if convulsing, with deformed bone protrusions rising along its spine, breaking through the skin to tear open a long gash on its back, much like a zipper opened on a leather bag.
An eerie figure was squeezed out of this opening. First to emerge was its spine, dotted with bone protrusions, followed by a body encased in skin stretched over bones, with a neck that was little more than a column of vertebrae connected to a human head, and finally, limbs that were ludicrously long and thin, making its bizarre body proportions reminiscent of a stick insect.
A "stick insect" that had been parasitizing the shepherd dog, except for its head, its body seemed to be only a skeleton covered by a layer of black membrane. His ribs were turned outwards, exposing an empty chest cavity, and a long bony tail extended from where his tailbone should be.
Of his entire body, only his face still had some traces of humanity. It was as if a handsome young boy’s face had been attached to a deformed black-leather skeleton with a tail.
It was hard to imagine how a large dog could peacefully harbor such a monster inside it, but after he crawled out from the back of the shepherd dog, the torn gash on the dog’s back rapidly closed up. Afterward, the shepherd dog, now looking slightly thinner, lay down on the floor and passed out.
Having left his host, Tony lay on the ground, struggling to support himself on all fours, breathing weakly.
By his side, his father, "Mr. Katch" from the Golden Lake District—the real Professor Dodge—reached out to him, "Come onto me first, child."
"I’m okay, Dad. Just let me stay like this for a while..." Tony shook his head, trying to stand up, "I can still move; I’m just not used to it yet."
"Don’t be foolish, boy! How long do you think you can last in that condition?" Professor Dodge’s voice took on a stern tone, "Is now the time to worry about my health?"
"I really am okay, Dad." Tony waved his hand, "At least... let me stay like this for a day, it’s alright."
"You...sigh!" Professor Dodge let out a helpless sigh, "Why must you always be so stubborn."
"Dad, Hans’s body... it’s weaker than before." Tony looked towards the unconscious shepherd dog, which now appeared thinner and visibly older after he had withdrawn from its body.
"Because it’s already twelve years old, nearly dead from old age and no longer suitable for possession. This time it only lasted a month before it started to fail... Ah, it has become resistant to the stabilizer too, I don’t know how much medicine it will take to reattach this time." Professor Dodge helped his son up from the floor and supported him to lie on the bed, "It’s time I found you a human body..."
"Dad, you promised not to bring this up first." Tony managed to sit down at the edge of the bed.
"I can catch another criminal for you, one who deserves death, whose Spirit can be erased to be used." Professor Dodge placed his hand on Tony’s shoulder, the bony shoulder feeling prickly to the touch, "Afterward... you should live a proper human life."
"What’s the point, Dad? The truly guilty criminals, their bodies are filled with sin lingering in their consciousness. It only takes a few days before they are eroded by the power of Demonization. But the bodies you give me, sometimes... Ah, I should have realized earlier, where are there so many people who deserve death in this world? I know sometimes you lie to me, Dad." Tony gave a bitter smile and shook his head, "Let’s see in a couple of days. I want to stay with Hans a bit longer; it feels more stable that way. When I’m with him, I can feel his consciousness with me, but if I change bodies... he won’t recognize me."
"Tony, you have been like this for too long... you should live a human life." Professor Dodge pleaded earnestly.
Lowering his eyes, Tony fell silent. After a moment, he asked, "Dad, in this world, can I really only survive by hurting others?"
Professor Dodge was silent. After a long time, he heaved a sigh, stood up, and patted Tony’s head.
He remained silent, with the reflection of his son’s half-human, half-demonic body in his eyes, his expression as rigid as a stone carving.
