[AFTER 1 MONTH]
Saahi, Vishu, and Om were sitting in Saahi's rented apartment. Saahi and Vishu were playing Ludo on the floor, laughing and arguing over every move. Om sat at the table, quietly working on his laptop.
Suddenly, Om called both of them over. "Come here. Look at this."
Saahi and Vishu stood up curiously and leaned over the screen to read the news.
[NEWS]
Police have found and killed most of the parasites which attacked our zone school, but many are still free. If you see one, please call the police or guards immediately and help protect our zone. Thank you.
After reading it, Saahi's eyes lit up with excitement. "So you want us to capture those parasites and help the police? We could get a reward! This would help us pay the rent and our school fees."
Vishu nodded eagerly. "Yeah! If we hand them over, we'll get money."
Om shook his head, his expression serious. "No. We will catch that parasite… and investigate where these parasites came from."
Vishu frowned in confusion. "Why? If we give the parasite to the police, we'll get money."
Om replied firmly, "You are not understanding."
He stood up, opened a drawer, and pulled out a thick file. He placed it on the table and opened it. Inside were dozens of disturbing photos — parasites attacking humans, parasitic humans brutally eating other people — along with many written documents.
Om spoke in a grave tone, "You both know that when a parasite infects a human, that person starts attacking others. But when their captain got infected… he didn't attack anyone. He ran away into the forest. That's why it's important to find out where that parasite came from — which side of the earth."
Saahi and Vishu nodded slowly, agreeing. Then Saahi asked, "So what exactly are you trying to say? How are we going to know where these parasites came from? They're not going to tell us and from where the hell these file came in my room."
Om looked at them and sighed. "You both are idiots."
Vishu immediately protested, "Why am I an idiot?"
Om took a deep breath and began explaining patiently, "You know that different animals are found in different regions of the earth. In the same way, parasites have also adapted to those regions. Those parasites only attack animals from that specific region. For example, if you place an Atlantic parasite between a polar bear and a camel, it will choose the polar bear to infect."
Vishu's eyes widened with excitement. "So it means if we go to Antarctica and start living there, the parasites won't attack us because we are not local animals for them!"
Om shook his head. "No. That doesn't work for humans. They will attack any human."
Saahi interrupted, "So how will we know where these parasites came from?"
Om continued explaining, "We will run some tests on them. From those tests, we'll be able to find out their origin. Ritika Mam will help us with the tests. And this much explanation is enough for both of you."
Saahi and Vishu looked at each other, both clearly confused. The same question echoed in their minds — What test? — but neither of them dared to ask Om. They knew he would get angry.
Saahi finally asked, "Okay, we understood… but now where should we go to find those parasites?"
Om replied, "There is an abandoned factory near our school. We should go and check there."
Saahi and Vishu agreed. They decided to go the next day.
The next day, the three of them reached the abandoned factory. It stood in the middle of a vast rice field. Not a single animal could be seen nearby. The factory was small, with broken doors and shattered windows. A heavy, eerie silence hung in the air.
Vishu looked around nervously. "Om, are you 100% sure the parasite is here?"
Om replied, "yes, I'm 100% sure. But We need to check carefully."
They entered the factory and searched every corner — every possible hiding spot. After an entire hour of thorough searching, they found nothing.
Tired and disappointed, all three sat down in one place. Vishu looked at Om angrily and He then repeated Om's words in a mocking tone, "Yes, I am 100% sure the parasite is here!" He glared at him sharply.
Om sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "I don't know. Even our Shin is useless here. It won't help us find it."
Vishu frowned. "Why would it be useless? We should try to attract the parasite by using our Shin."
Om looked at him, irritation clear on his face. "Asshole, you should learn about Shin properly someday. Our Shin cannot pass through walls. Also, we cannot activate our Shin for a long time just to attract parasites. We need a huge amount of Shin for that and we can only use it if we know the exact place where the parasite is hiding."
"Saahi's eyes suddenly lit up. "We can ask Ridhima! She might be able to help us. She can detect things using her power."
Both Om and Vishu turned toward him angrily at the same time.
"Then why the hell didn't you tell us that before, you idiot?!" Om snapped.
Saahi scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Sorry… I forgot."
He quickly stood up, took out his mobile, and called Ridhima, asking her to come to the factory. After ending the call, he looked at Vishu and Om with a proud smile. "See? Now we'll find that parasite easily."
Om glared at him. "Why didn't you call her earlier? You wasted two whole hours of our time."
"I'm sorry…" Saahi muttered, lowering his head.
After some time, Ridhima arrived at the factory, slightly out of breath.
"What happened? Why did you call me here so suddenly?" she asked, looking around curiously.
Saahi walked closer to her with a small smile. "We're here to find a parasite connected to Vana's Captain."
Ridhima looked confused. "Why?"
Om sighed and explained the entire situation to her. After listening carefully, Ridhima finally understood and nodded.
"Okay… I'll help you."
Vishu stepped forward eagerly. "Ridhima, how exactly are you going to help us?"
Ridhima replied calmly, "I can detect things by touching them… but I still can't use my power properly yet."
Vishu smiled. "You've only been training for three months and you're already this talented."
Ridhima looked at him with a dull expression. "I'm using Squirrel Shin. It's easier to use, idiot."
"Uhh… uhm… I'm sorry," Vishu stammered, suddenly flustered, his cheeks turning slightly red.
Ignoring him, Ridhima walked to the center of the factory and knelt down. She placed her palm flat on the cold floor and closed her eyes, focusing deeply. For a few moments, everything was silent.
Then, her eyes snapped open.
Something was wrong.
Sweat beads formed on her forehead. Her face turned pale as she slowly stood up and stepped back, her voice trembling with tension.
"Guys… I think there's a parasitic colony in our zone."
The end
CH-9 continue