They arrive in silence and darkness. They descend from the skies. They hunger for human flesh. They are everywhere.

  They are parasites—alien creatures that must invade and take control of a human host to survive. Once they infect their victims, they can assume any deadly form they choose: monsters with giant teeth, winged demons, creatures with blades for hands. But most have chosen to conceal their lethal purpose behind ordinary human faces. No one knows their secret—except for an ordinary high school student.

  Shinichi is fighting for control of his own body against an alien parasite. But can he find a way to warn humanity of the horrors to come?

  Lee looked around and saw the others. They were all accounted for, standing nearby—except for four new people who were positioned a short distance away. Two men and two women.

  Lee examined them closely. From their clothes, the three adults seemed like office workers. His gaze then shifted to the last newcomer—a kid. More precisely, a little homeless girl around thirteen years old. She had messy, long hair, dirty clothes, and a tiny frame.

  Lee turned to Mayson. "You should explain the situation to them. You have the fewest points out of all of us."

  Mayson, dressed in his newly acquired black clothes, nodded and stepped forward to address the newcomers. Meanwhile, Lee turned back to his group.

  "It looks like we’re fine for now. How are you guys feeling?"

  Jan stretched slightly. "Still a little dizzy from the teleport, but I’ll be fine."

  Ira nodded. "Yeah, just a bit disoriented."

  Oscar let out a small chuckle. "From what the guide said, teleportation could’ve been way worse than this."

  Lee remembered the first time he saw the guide. That teleport had dropped him a hundred meters in the sky. If that happened here, they'd be splattered all over the ground.

  "You’re right, Oscar. It could’ve been much worse. We should figure out some countermeasures for that next time."

  A few moments of silence passed.

  Lee raised his head. "Has anyone seen the Parasyte anime before? I’ve never even heard of it."

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  No one responded. It wasn’t surprising, considering they were all adults, but it wasn’t a good sign either. Entering a world they knew nothing about made their mission much more dangerous.

  Then, a small, hesitant voice spoke up.

  "I know a little about this anime."

  Lee turned to see the homeless girl had been the one to answer.

  "You do? Mind telling us about it?"

  The girl hesitated for a moment before speaking. "From what I remember, the anime follows a high school student named Shinichi. His right hand gets invaded by an alien parasite. These aliens take control of the brains of humans or animals. They’re called parasites, and their instinct is to kill and devour others of their host species."

  Lee absorbed the information carefully. So these aliens can invade people and take control of their bodies…

  "Do you remember anything else?" Lee pressed. "Any information could be useful."

  The girl’s expression darkened slightly. "Sorry, but that’s all I remember. And stop calling me ‘kid.’ I have a name."

  Lee realized his mistake. He extended his hand. "I’m Lee."

  The girl hesitated, then shook his hand with a small smile. "Emma."

  Mayson finished explaining the situation to the newcomers and returned. One of the new women—probably one of the office workers—looked furious.

  "I don’t believe you!" she snapped at Lee. "A place like this can’t exist without someone knowing about it!"

  Oscar smirked. "Oh, it exists. You’ll see for yourself—if you survive."

  The woman looked like she wanted to argue but clamped her mouth shut. If what they said was true, then as far as she was concerned, these people were her kidnappers.

  Lee turned his attention to the large screen floating in front of them. He glanced down at the watch on his wrist. Last time, he hadn’t had the chance to examine it properly. When he entered the realm, the watch had shut down, but now that they were in another mission, it had turned back on. He noticed that the information displayed on his watch was identical to what was on the floating screen.

  "Guys," Lee said, "I finally figured out what these watches are for. They show the mission details, just like the big screen in front of us."

  The others checked their own watches and confirmed it, even the four newcomers.

  Jack nodded. "You’re right, Lee. This will be useful for us."

  Lee exhaled. "We don’t know what’s waiting for us out there, so everyone, get ready."

  He grew a bone blade in his hand. Ira readied her Ruger Holy Blackhawk gun. Jack gripped his Trainee Two-Face Hammer, and Jan unsheathed her sword.

  The ten-minute countdown passed quickly.

  On the big screen, the timer reached its final moments.

  3…2…1…0.

  The countdown ended.

  A sound like shattering glass echoed through the air. A rush of fresh wind hit them as the second mission began.