Iris stood motionless in the dim alley, the foul stench of rotting garbage and urine hanging in the cold air. She looked down at the three piles of "trash" on the damp concrete floor with a gaze as disdainful and cold as polar ice.
"Hmph… not only are you weak, low-life creatures, you can't even follow a simple agreement," she said to the unconscious bodies, her voice chilling. "...In that case, you no longer deserve to have your own free will. You deserve to be nothing more than food... or a part of my kingdom."
At her words, she flicked her sleeve lightly.
As if responding to an unseen command, a dozen of the new breed of flesh-colored, dragonfly-like parasites, each the size of a pinky finger, crawled silently from her sleeve. They were the offspring of the sire king, Owen, and the broodmother, Talia... a miniature army, lethally dangerous. The most perfect biological weapon, which Iris had ordered Rosy to always carry for emergencies such as this.
She gave a mental command to the three strongest-looking parasites. They immediately crept towards the three unconscious men, moving as fast and silent as spirits, before using their sharp, needle-like tails to pierce the skin at the back of the men's necks. They quickly burrowed inside, embedding themselves in their brainstems. The wounds closed instantly, leaving no trace.
'Iris! What is this!? You… how are you this strong!?' Rosy's shocked voice rang out in their shared consciousness. She had seen everything... a fight that was over in the blink of an eye. As for the parasites taking over the men's bodies? She didn't care or feel any pity for scum like them. What shocked her was Iris's hidden power.
Iris laughed heartily in her mind, a laugh that was both bright and cunning. 'Just a little evolution to strengthen our body, my love… Didn't you notice you've been eating an unusual amount lately, especially meat? Our body might even be stronger than our king's by now…'
'What!? And you never told me!?' Rosy retorted immediately. 'If I'd known I was this strong, I would've kicked those bastards' asses myself! I wouldn't have just let them insult me like that!'
'Hmph~ And that's exactly why I didn't tell you…' Iris replied with amusement. 'Telling you would be no different from giving a five-year-old a loaded gun to play with.'
As the two debated the extent of their new strength and the secrets Iris had kept, the time that should have been tense passed quickly in their shared consciousness, until an hour had gone by without them noticing…
The bodies of the three men, which had been lying still, began to convulse violently before they slowly and naturally stood up as if nothing had happened. They looked at Iris, their eyes empty at first, before their expressions changed to one of the utmost respect and worship, as if they had met God.
The three of them quickly knelt before her in unison.
"Thank you for giving us a new life... Your Majesty."
A cruel smirk appeared at the corner of Iris's lips, her eyes shining with ambition. "Since they dared to break the rules and start a war with me first... I will indulge them... Let's begin the plan to infiltrate and take over this low-life mafia gang... my children~"
A cold-blooded plan immediately formed in her head, and the first target was clearer than ever. The center of their power…
…..
The soft sound of jazz and the faint haze of cigarette smoke filled "The Velvet Shadow," a famous pub hidden in a corner of Titan City's entertainment district. On the surface, it was a luxurious establishment decorated with blood-red velvet and dark wood, a gathering place for businessmen and influential figures. But behind an oak door engraved with "Employees Only," it was the secret base and the heart of one of the city's most powerful mafia gangs.
The three parasite-controlled bodies staggered through the employee entrance into a back room. There was no luxury here. The air was thick with the smell of cheap liquor, cigarette smoke, and gun oil. A group of low-level gang members were playing cards in a corner, while another group was counting a large stack of cash, freshly collected "protection money."
The bruises at the corners of their mouths and the faint red marks on their cheeks (which Iris had deliberately ordered them to inflict on each other for realism) made them look like pathetic losers, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
"You're back!" a deep, displeased voice boomed. A giant, bald man with a dragon tattoo coiling from his arm up to his neck rose from a leather chair. He was Marco, one of the two sub-bosses of the gang. "Where's the girl?"
"Our apologies, big brother…" The body of the leader stepped forward. The parasite controlling it had accessed all of this body's memories. It knew exactly how this man would act when he failed a mission in front of his superior... It began its 'performance' instantly.
It hung its head low, copying the original's fearful and submissive demeanor to perfection, before reporting in a hoarse, trembling voice…
"We… we failed. When we were about to bring the girl, a mysterious Awakened suddenly appeared and took us all down. He was so fast… we couldn't even keep up!" It was a chillingly flawless impersonation.
The lie made Marco frown, but before he could explode, Leo, the other sub-boss, interrupted. He slowly put down the document in his hand and spoke in a flat tone, deliberately needling his rival. "Was that Awakened really that fast? Or were you all just useless?"
Marco whipped his head around to glare at Leo, angry that he was insulting his subordinates. "What did you say, Leo!?"
"You heard me," Leo said, slowly adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses. "The boss gave you a simple job, and you still failed. If it were my men, that girl would be waiting in the basement by now."
But before the argument could escalate…
"That's enough!"
A deep, cold voice, filled with authority, sounded from the head of the table. His voice wasn't loud… but it made both Marco and Leo immediately shut up and lower their heads.
A gray-haired old man in an expensive, custom-tailored suit sat there silently, calmly wiping an antique pistol with a fine cloth. He was the "Boss" of the gang… the supreme leader everyone feared. He glanced at the three trembling bodies with a cold gaze. "Go get your wounds treated. Then wait for my judgment later."
The three bodies quickly bowed and walked to the infirmary, narrowly escaping the oppressive atmosphere.
…..
Meanwhile… at a vintage-style café about a kilometer away from "The Velvet Shadow," Iris (in Rosy's body) sat in the quietest corner. The sweet scent of fruit smoothies and pastries, mixed with the soft bossa nova music, created a warm and relaxing atmosphere.
She looked like any other university student, relaxing after class, casually stirring a mango smoothie with her straw. Her fingertips tapped a light rhythm on the table, her eyes closed… All of her consciousness was expanding in the form of an invisible psychic network.
The Parasite Queen's psychic network was indeed powerful, but it had its limits… Its most effective range was a 5-kilometer radius around her. Still, it was far more powerful than Owen's psychic network, which had a range of only 100 meters.
'How annoying…' Iris thought as she focused on her psychic network. 'If this were my original body, extending the network to 20 kilometers would be as easy as breathing. But Rosy's fragile human vessel can't handle that power yet. It seems I'll have to find a way to secretly 'upgrade' this body…'
So, if Iris wanted to receive detailed information from and control her "children," she needed to be relatively close to them. Choosing this café was a perfect strategic move… The closer she was, the clearer the signal, and the more energy she could conserve.
'You're such a cruel mother, Iris, making your own children beat each other up just to make the plan more convincing.' Rosy's voice chided in her consciousness.
Hearing this, Iris replied nonchalantly, still perceiving the images and sounds from the three bodies. 'This is the smallest investment for the greatest return, my love… Besides… their bodies can repair themselves.'
In her perception, the images sent from the eyes of the three bodies were being processed rapidly. She heard the insults from the other gang members, felt the faint pain from the wounds, and most importantly… she used their senses to silently "scan" and gather all critical information.
She quickly analyzed the gang's internal power structure: the cold, old "Boss," and two sub-bosses… Marco, the giant full of rage but lacking in thought, and Leo, the thin man who hid his ruthlessness behind gold-rimmed glasses. The two were constantly at odds, always looking for a chance to undermine each other.
'The first target is Leo,' Iris decided quickly after analyzing the data. 'Those who use their brains always have secrets… and secrets are excellent levers for control.'
That night… after the gang had relaxed and sunk into their cheap entertainment, Iris spent the entire night ordering one of her children to quietly slip away. The body's heart pounded with instinctual excitement, but the queen's mind was as calm as still water. It tiptoed into Leo's office while he was out inspecting the pub.
Leo's office was unnervingly clean and organized. Everything was arranged symmetrically. Iris ordered her puppet to turn on the computer and quickly began searching the files. With the knowledge of hundreds of scientists and engineers she had absorbed, breaking through Leo's simple security was as easy as flipping a switch.
And she found the perfect "weakness"…
A heavily encrypted secret accounting file. It was a record of the gang's income and expenses, managed by Leo himself, with several figures that didn't match the books he showed the boss… It was clear evidence that he was "embezzling" the gang's money, little by little.
Without delay, Iris ordered her child to silently download a copy of the encrypted file. It was one of the "cards" she could use to pressure Leo in the future. But for now… exposing him directly wasn't a subtle enough approach.
Iris slowly opened her eyes. The late-night café was now mostly empty. She took a final sip of her nearly-melted mango smoothie. A cruel and satisfied smile appeared at the corner of her lips… Now she had both the "cards" and the "pawns." It was time to weave them into the most perfect "lie."
A day passed…
After their initial reconnaissance at "The Velvet Shadow."
On Saturday evening, the atmosphere in Rosy's bedroom was relaxed. She sank into her favorite gaming chair, put on her headset, and started playing her favorite online game.
But in the world of consciousness that overlapped with reality, the atmosphere was completely different.
Rosy was looking at a complex "mind map" that Iris was drawing in mid-air with her psychic power. It was a web of information, with the profiles of the Boss, Marco, and Leo at the center, and lines connecting to their weaknesses and personal data she had gathered.
'Isn't this... a bit too complicated, Iris?' Rosy protested in her mind with a bored expression, her hands still controlling her game character to attack enemies. 'Since our body is this strong, why don't we just barge in, take out the boss, and take over everything? It's much easier.'
Iris, in her elegant psychic form, smiled fondly at Rosy. She calmly explained her philosophy. 'Using force to destroy is the instinct of a foolish beast… but using intelligence to control your enemies so they destroy each other… that is the true art of a queen, my love. A perfect takeover isn't about destruction, but about making your enemies submit to you willingly.'
An hour later… after the planning was complete, Iris said, 'Alright, Rosy, stop playing your game. Let's go to the same café. It's time for the show to begin.'
Rosy sighed but complied.
At the same café, this time Rosy was in control of her body, happily enjoying a chocolate lava cake, while Iris had taken full control of her psychic network.
'Number 1, do you receive my command?' She had named the parasites controlling the three men Number 1, 2, and 3 for convenience.
'Ready to receive orders, Your Majesty!' Number 1 replied, eager to receive her command again.
While the Boss was having a private meeting with Leo, Iris used this opportunity to order Number 1 to pretend to clean Leo's office. Leo's subordinates, who were loudly playing cards, didn't suspect a thing.
Once inside Leo's room, Number 1 quickly turned on his computer. Just as before, Iris ordered it to begin "modifying" the gang's accounting files, creating fake money transfer records linked to an overseas account under "Marco's" alias, making it look like he was embezzling a massive amount of money to prepare for a betrayal.
The most brilliant part of this plan was that she didn't modify it directly. She subtly embedded a "code" anomaly in the income and expense records, something that only a suspicious and intelligent accountant like "Leo" would notice. It would make him feel like he had "discovered" the fraud himself, not that it had been staged.
Then, Iris ordered Number 2 to take the flash drive with the evidence of Leo's embezzlement that she had downloaded yesterday and give it to Marco. With a convincing performance, she provoked him to report it to the boss. Marco, who was already looking for a way to take down his rival, didn't suspect a thing. When he had his people verify it and found it was real, he was overjoyed, preparing to take the evidence straight to the boss.
'Alright... the bait has been laid...' Iris said in her consciousness with a satisfied smile. 'Now all that's left is to wait for that cunning little rat... to walk into our trap.'
The more she thought about it, the more excited and amused she became. She wanted to know what would happen when both sub-bosses had "evidence" of the other's embezzlement… Who would the boss believe? How much would their trust be shaken? And how would this crack affect the entire mafia gang? She could barely wait to see it unfold.
While Iris's malicious plan was in motion, Rosy paid it no mind at all. She continued to happily eat her chocolate cake…
Another day passed, and the unfortunate mafia gang had no idea… that a spider queen was quietly weaving her web, waiting for them to fall into her trap…
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