Isn't it good to be alive?

At the sound of gunfire, Fang Zheng twitched the corner of his eye. He looked at the smoking bullet crater not far beside him, then helplessly turned around. Behind him, six or seven young men were pointing pistols at him, and leading them was the Gang Leader he had beaten black and blue earlier—his face still bore the injuries.

"Hey, you bastard!"

The Gang Leader raised his gun, glaring viciously at Fang Zheng. The other thugs around him also swaggered, looking immensely proud. It seemed that having a gun in hand truly steadied the nerves; just moments ago, these three had been on the verge of kneeling to Fang Zheng, but now they clearly intended to make him kneel instead.

"You had a real good time hitting me, didn't you? Think you're tough? Come on, come here, let's see which is stronger—your fists or my gun!"

"Sigh..."

Looking at the dark muzzle before him, Fang Zheng felt no stir in his heart, and even felt a bit amused. He really hadn't expected that after casually robbing two thugs, they would tail him out here to settle the score. What a mess this was!

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Simple."

Seeing Fang Zheng's expression, the Gang Leader flashed a smug grin. He first shot a glance at his companions, then turned back to Fang Zheng, raising his gun.

"Give Laozi his money back! Then kneel down and let Laozi give you a proper beating! Oh, and strip you naked, take your picture, and post it online! That's the price you pay for messing with us 'Kaft Brothers'! You lot, get up there and grab him, and you!"

As he spoke, the Gang Leader nodded toward a woman beside him, caked in makeup so thick it was impossible to tell her age, her face painted like a ghost.

"Get a good shot—this is tonight's trending headline!"

Hearing the Gang Leader's words, the woman giggled and raised her phone toward Fang Zheng.

"Sigh..."

Watching this scene, Fang Zheng helplessly shook his head. He looked at the Gang Leader and spread his hands.

"Sorry, I've got important things to do and no time to play with you. How about this—I'll give you back the rest of the money, and you leave here... alright? I don't want conflict, but you wouldn't actually kill anyone, would you?"

"What's there to be afraid of?"

Hearing Fang Zheng's reply, the Gang Leader's face twisted into a ferocious grin.

"In times like these, who knows when those damn aliens might attack? And it's not like there haven't been idiots who disappeared in the forest and got killed by aliens... I doubt the cops would mind adding one more name to the list. Alright, kid, hands up! I won't say it twice! You lot, get a hold of him and make him taste our power!"

At the Gang Leader's command, two of his thugs grinned savagely, rolled up their sleeves, and stepped forward. They reached out to grab Fang Zheng. But what no one expected was that just as they were about to seize him, the Parasite suddenly leaped out from beside Fang Zheng's feet, letting out a series of "cheep cheep" cries.

"What the hell is that?!"

Seeing the Parasite suddenly appear before them, the two thugs were startled and hastily retreated. But the Parasite clearly had no intention of letting them go. It leaped in one bound, pouncing onto one of them. Then, tendrils emerged from the Parasite's body, plunging deep into the man's flesh!

"Aaaaaah!!"

The man screamed, then turned his head, red-eyed, staring at his companion beside him. He gripped the steel pipe in his hand and swung it at him!

"Hey, stop it!"

Seeing this, the Gang Leader was shocked. He quickly raised his gun to aim at his frenzied subordinate, but before he could pull the trigger, he watched in horror as that same subordinate's body burst apart with a "pop," turning into a mess of blood and flesh. Immediately after, the man who had been attacked began to scream too, clutching his head and rolling on the ground in agony. At the sight, the Gang Leader's face went pale.

"You, what did you do to them!"

Roaring, the Gang Leader raised his pistol and aimed at Fang Zheng, then without hesitation tried to pull the trigger. But before he could make another move, his expression suddenly changed drastically. His face flushed red, his mouth opened but no words came out, because just as he was about to pull the trigger on Fang Zheng, a mysterious and powerful force seized him and the others around him, lifting them up and holding them fast.

"Sigh... isn't it better to just stay alive?"

Looking at the red-faced, struggling men, Fang Zheng let out a helpless sigh. He wasn't an evil person, nor did he enjoy killing. But these people only got bolder the more polite you were, and on top of that, they'd seen the Parasite... there was no choice. They had to stay.

Thinking this, Fang Zheng couldn't say much more. But just as he was about to end their lives, the Parasite hopped over again, letting out "cheep cheep" cries at him. Though Fang Zheng couldn't understand its words, he grasped its meaning.

"You want to absorb their bio-energy?"

Hearing the Parasite's request, Fang Zheng paused. He glanced at the thugs struggling in midair, locked by Psionic energy, thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright... remember, make it quick."

"Cheep!!"

Hearing Fang Zheng's answer, the Parasite let out a joyful cry, then turned and hopped toward the distant thugs. At the same time, Fang Zheng waved his right hand, canceling the Psionic lock, and the thugs crashed heavily to the ground.

"Hah... hah..."

The leading Gang Leader gasped for breath, his whole body aching unbearably. He had no idea what had just happened, only feeling an invisible giant hand gripping his throat, lifting him up, and no matter how he struggled, it was useless. He even felt that if it had gone on a moment longer, he would have suffocated to death!

"Cheep!"

Just then, a strange cry reached the Gang Leader's ears. He instinctively turned his head to see what was making the sound, and as he did, he saw a black shadow leap up from beside him and land on his body.

"Waaahaaaaaah!!"

A continuous string of screams rang out through the forest, then faded. After a moment, everything fell silent again.

"Sigh..."

Looking at the bloody, mangled remains on the ground, Fang Zheng shook his head. These people were textbook examples of asking for trouble. He hadn't expected them to sneakily follow him to get revenge, but now they wouldn't have to worry about that anymore.

Fang Zheng didn't dwell on it. The men were dead—a bit awkward, but killed they were, since they had struck first. So he quickly shifted his gaze to a nearby Egg, as tall as a person. It was the Egg that the Parasite had transformed into after absorbing the thugs' life energy. After that, the Parasite had become an Egg, gradually growing until it reached this state. Fang Zheng had no idea how long it would take to hatch, since reality and games were different, weren't they?

Time ticked by, and before Fang Zheng's eyes, the Egg began to change rapidly. At first, it looked like an opaque, oval balloon. Then, as time passed, the balloon grew larger, and its interior began to brighten, revealing the clear silhouette of a creature swimming inside. Soon after, that creature's body slowly began to transform, growing bigger and bigger. The color inside the Egg gradually darkened, turning murky.

The massive Egg began to tremble slightly. Then its sides started to deform, and with a "pop," the entire Egg burst like an overinflated balloon. From within, a tall figure emerged, appearing before Fang Zheng.

It was a Zerg Queen.

But unlike the Zerg Queens Fang Zheng was familiar with, this one looked more "refined and otherworldly." Her upper body resembled a Human-like female form, but from the waist down, she wasn't the spider type commonly seen in games. Instead—perhaps because Fang Zheng had first placed the Parasite on a deer—her lower half was that of a deer.

"Master..."

The Zerg Queen came before Fang Zheng and bowed her head respectfully. Fang Zheng noticed that her hair was also in strands, much like Kerrigan's, but he had to admit she wasn't bad-looking. Though slightly different from humans, she had a unique charm.

Hmm... according to Zerg customs, it was time to give her a name...

Recalling the data on Kerrigan in his mind, Fang Zheng thought for a moment, then smiled slightly, looking at the Zerg Queen before him.

"Alright, from today on, your name will be Milune."