Zhao Xuan sprinted as fast as he could, dashing out of the underground parking lot through another exit.
Of course, his appearance had also returned to that of an ordinary passerby.
Through this hunt, Zhao Xuan had discovered several important things.
First of all, every parasite seemed to have its own unique aura! Just like humans have different faces that allow them to distinguish one another, parasites—though able to change their appearance—can identify each other by sensing these unique auras.
That was why, at the very end of the battle, Zhao Xuan equipped Shimada Hideo's A-rank component and activated the auto-attack mode, finishing off the enemy parasite in one strike. Then, just as quickly, he unequipped Shimada's A-rank component.
The reason was simple — he had sensed Migi's aura and recognized it.
Conversely, Migi had probably recognized Shimada Hideo's aura as well. After all, when Zhao Xuan had equipped Shimada's component back at his apartment, he had noticed Migi's presence nearby.
So right after killing his opponent, Zhao Xuan immediately removed Shimada's component to avoid being recognized by Migi and causing unnecessary trouble.
The second important discovery was that his idea of equipping Shimada's component mid-battle had worked perfectly in practice.
Parasites identify and locate each other through aura.
Just like the one he had just fought — it had only detected the C-rank component on Zhao Xuan's head and never imagined that his left hand was also "hosting" a stronger parasite. That misjudgment allowed Zhao Xuan to take it completely by surprise and kill it instantly.
This tactic was inspired by the strongest parasite, Gotou.
Gotou wasn't just powerful because of his strength — he had five parasites inhabiting his body: one in his head, both hands, and both legs.
That made him monstrously strong — his entire body was a weapon.
So Zhao Xuan had thought of imitating that concept: normally using a low-level C-rank component to mislead enemies, but suddenly switching to an A-rank Shimada component as a trump card to strike unexpectedly.
And now, it had proven very effective.
Of course, that might have been partly due to his overwhelming advantage in power. When Zhao Xuan ran out of the parking lot, the system notified him that he had obtained another [Parasite Component] (Grade: C+).
That meant the enemy parasite's strength was a bit higher than his own head component, but still far weaker compared to the A-rank Shimada one. With the surprise attack, it was an easy victory.
Another discovery Zhao Xuan made was that equipping parasite components greatly enhanced his physical abilities.
After sprinting several hundred meters out of the parking lot, he wasn't even slightly out of breath — no panting, no racing heartbeat, no dizziness. His running speed was also noticeably faster than usual.
All in all, these findings gave Zhao Xuan much more confidence in hunting down other parasites.
And since both of his hunts had yielded loot drops, he couldn't help but feel like this was a game — and it was becoming more and more fun.
There was also one subtle but reassuring discovery.
Zhao Xuan had initially worried that equipping a parasite component on his head might make him crave human flesh like the actual parasites.
But after witnessing the bloody remains of a human corpse, he only felt normal human disgust and nausea — no hunger or desire to eat.
He had been concerned earlier because Shimada Hideo's component description mentioned a very small chance of side effects. He feared it might make him develop a parasite's hunger for humans.
But now, that concern was gone. There were no negative side effects at all!
This proved that the [Parasite Components] were nothing more than "game equipment" for him — they didn't affect his consciousness or personality in any way.
Knowing that, Zhao Xuan's mind felt much lighter. No matter how he looked, it was just like wearing a "game skin."
He was still human — and that was all that mattered.
Next, Zhao Xuan decided to keep wearing the C-rank head component to maintain his "ordinary passerby" look while searching the city for more parasites to hunt — and earn more loot to strengthen himself.
To prevent anyone from suddenly grabbing his hair, he wore a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a face mask.
The cap protected his head; the sunglasses and mask were a disguise. If anyone grew suspicious and insisted on tugging his hair to confirm his humanity, Zhao Xuan could simply unequip the component, instantly restoring his normal face.
With the glasses and mask on, even a sudden change of face wouldn't scare anyone.
After all, while individual parasites were strong, they were still weak compared to the vast numbers of humans armed with modern weapons.
So Zhao Xuan had no intention of revealing his ability to "transform" into a parasite. Not even Shinichi Izumi, the main protagonist, was allowed to know his secret.
For now, his goal was simple — stay hidden, hunt lone parasites, and gather loot to grow stronger.
Like Reiko Tamura, Zhao Xuan also contacted a private detective agency to track Shinichi Izumi.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he didn't let the detective see anything suspicious. Instead, he simply hired him to secretly plant a tracking program on Shinichi's phone. With that, Zhao Xuan could monitor Shinichi's location — and even eavesdrop on his conversations.
As for the payment, that was easy.
Japan had plenty of yakuza — criminal gangs. After killing his second parasite, Zhao Xuan already had three [Parasite Components]. Equipping all of them had greatly boosted his physical abilities.
Even without using tendrils or blades, his sheer speed, power, and agility were enough to crush those gangsters.
And thanks to the parasites' incredible regeneration and shapeshifting, Zhao Xuan could change into any random person, storm a yakuza hideout alone, and even if his arm was cut, it would heal almost instantly — costing him only a bit of stamina.
Only an attack to his human torso could seriously injure him.
So the result was simple: Zhao Xuan singlehandedly knocked out dozens of gangsters at a hideout and robbed their safe, taking a large sum of money. With that cash, he could easily hire a skilled hacker-type detective.
That detective then used a clever trick to separate Shinichi from his phone briefly — long enough to install the tracking program undetected.
And thus, Zhao Xuan could now track Shinichi Izumi's movements and listen in on his conversations at will.
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