章 7: Chapter 7: A New Threat
Author's Note:
Hello everyone! Just a quick note, I made some revisions to Chapter 6 to add a few details I have forgotten. That's all! :))
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Chapter 7: A New Threat
Tokyo was unsettlingly quiet tonight. Kaneki moved through the back alleys, every step cautious, his senses on high alert. Recently, people—humans and ghouls alike—had been vanishing without a trace, leaving an eerie tension over the city. Whatever was causing it felt close, lurking in the shadows.
"Kaneki," the System's voice cut through his thoughts. "There's a fight nearby. A ghoul and an investigator—the investigator's in bad shape."
Kaneki hesitated. Helping a CCG investigator wasn't something he'd normally consider, but letting someone die didn't sit right with him. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his mask and sliding it over his face. Its familiar weight steadied him, and he turned in the direction of the sounds, moving quickly but quietly.
Rounding a corner, he found the investigator, bloodied and struggling to lift his quinque as a ghoul loomed over him, ready to strike.
Kaneki stepped in, his kagune flashing to block the attack.
The investigator's face contorted with shock. "A ghoul… helping me?"
"Get out of here," Kaneki said, his voice muffled slightly by the mask but firm. He didn't take his eyes off the enemy. The ghoul sneered, but a few swift, calculated strikes sent it staggering back, and it stumbled off into the darkness.
As Kaneki took a breath, something felt off. A strange, static-like pressure lingered in the air—a faint energy that buzzed at the edge of his awareness. He scanned the area, but the alley was empty.
Then he saw her: a young woman stepping out from the shadows. She looked ordinary, but something about her was wrong—her movements were too controlled, too calm for someone who'd just stumbled upon a fight scene. She didn't flinch at the injured investigator or at Kaneki's masked face and kagune. She looked around blankly, almost as if she weren't truly seeing the scene.
"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice flat, as though reading from a script.
The investigator, still dazed and wary, gave her a bewildered look. "Uh… yeah. I'll… be fine."
The woman nodded, her gaze shifting to Kaneki. "Thank you for saving him," she said. Her words sounded polite but mechanical, almost too perfect, like something practiced. Her eyes seemed hollow, lifeless.
A chill ran through Kaneki. There was something deeply wrong with her. He could sense no ghoul energy, no obvious signs of mind control, but there was an eerie emptiness in her gaze, an unnatural stillness that made his skin crawl.
As she turned to leave, he caught a hint of that strange energy again—a faint, unsettling echo that faded as she walked away.
[Warning: Foreign Signal Detected. Type: Parasitic Connection. Status: Concealed.]
Kaneki's mind raced. A parasitic connection? He'd heard of strange ghoul abilities, but this felt different. Whatever energy was lurking around her seemed almost invisible, as if hiding somewhere deep within her mind. It wasn't forcing her actions, but it felt like something was pulling her strings, steering her just enough to keep her unnoticed.
The investigator struggled to his feet, still watching Kaneki with wary eyes. "I don't… understand why a ghoul would help someone like me. But… thanks," he muttered, stumbling out of the alley.
Kaneki barely heard him. His thoughts were fixed on the woman and her empty gaze. Her movements had been so calculated, so controlled—and that faint signal he'd felt around her, it hadn't been human, but it hadn't felt like a ghoul's energy either. It was something different, something hidden, something that had managed to *hijack* her mind without leaving a trace.
The System's Interface buzzed again.
[Potential Threat: Multi-Host Parasitic System Identified.]
A chill spread through him as the realization sank in. If this parasite could control people so subtly, hiding itself entirely, it could be anywhere, in anyone—human or ghoul. It wasn't a regular type of mind control; this was something that left its hosts seemingly untouched, acting perfectly normal. They didn't resist, didn't even know they were being controlled. It was hiding in plain sight.
Another message appeared.
[New Task Assigned: Investigate the Parasitic System's Influence.]
Objective: Identify and neutralize the parasitic System's hosts.
Reward: Advanced Detection Ability.
Penalty for Failure: System instability.
Kaneki clenched his fists. This wasn't just a threat—it was a silent predator, feeding off the people of Tokyo and expanding in numbers. If he didn't stop it, it would spread without anyone realizing until it was too late.
Taking a steadying breath, he decided to follow the direction the woman had taken. He trailed her through the dark, twisting backstreets, every nerve on edge. The weight of the new task pressed down on him. Yet, as he walked, the faint presence he'd been following was gone. The parasitic signal had either vanished or buried itself too deeply to be detected. Frustration mounted as he finally gave up the chase and returned to the empty alley.
"Whatever it is, it's good at hiding," he muttered to himself. This parasite could lie dormant, keeping its hosts oblivious to its influence while lurking in their minds. It was patient, calculating, and worst of all, undetectable to everyone but him. If it could target anyone, then anyone around him—even Hide—could fall prey.
The System offered another, almost ominous, update:
[Update: Parasitic System Capabilities]
Behavior: Hosts act as functional members of society to avoid suspicion.
Control Type: Concealed
Countermeasure: Unknown.
A cold determination set in. He had to find this thing before it spread. This wasn't just about survival anymore—it was about protecting everyone who didn't even know what lurked in the shadows.
As he stepped out into the main street, Kaneki scanned the faces of people passing by, looking for any hint of the hollowness he'd seen in the woman. This parasite could be anyone. But he'd seen the emptiness, the unnatural calm. Now he'd know it if he saw it again. Tokyo was vast, but he knew where he'd start.
He drifted along, watching the late-night crowd. Each face was unique, each person living their life, blissfully unaware of the hidden danger. And somewhere among them, he knew, the parasite was watching too—waiting quietly for its next host.
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