Yi Bai's Thoughts on His New Skill:
Aside from humans, it seemed Yi Bai had no other viable targets to experiment with. Although the skill description didn't specifically mention any restrictions against non-human organisms, in the current sweltering heat, Yi Bai rarely saw any living creatures besides humans. Forget stray cats and dogs—there weren't even any birds flying in the sky. Occasionally, he would spot some mosquitoes buzzing around, but Yi Bai wasn't about to use his parasitic skill on them. What could he possibly replicate from a swarm of mosquitoes?
"Fine, I might as well try it anyway," Yi Bai muttered, feeling bored out of his mind. Finding a suitable test subject was becoming increasingly difficult. Could he have the residents try it? He hadn't gone completely mad enough to kill his own people just for a test. They were still valuable to him, after all. The girls worked diligently, so there was no reason to harm them.
After some thought, Yi Bai finally opened a window and let in an unidentified mosquito. The streets were crawling with flying insects now, with the lack of sanitation workers turning the city into a breeding ground for pests.
"Parasite!" Yi Bai muttered under his breath, focusing on the insect.
In the next instant, a wave of dizziness hit him, and his body collapsed uncontrollably onto the sofa. As Yi Bai struggled to regain his senses, he was horrified to realize his perception was completely disoriented. It was as though he had two viewpoints—one from his usual human perspective, and the other from the insect's compound eyes, staring up at him in panic.
"This... this is the insect's perspective?" Yi Bai gasped. "Holy hell, it really worked! I actually have the bug's perspective!"
He felt his head spinning with nausea as he tried to steady himself. The insect struggled wildly, and Yi Bai could sense the world flipping upside down. He couldn't stand it anymore—fighting the urge to throw up, he grabbed a nearby book and swatted the insect.
"Smack!"
As soon as the insect died, the parasitic effect dissipated, and Yi Bai felt immediate relief.
"Goddamn, that was insane!" Yi Bai exhaled deeply, trying to calm himself. "This thing… it even lets me experience the perspective of the parasite."
Yi Bai's mind raced. "I need to be more careful when choosing my targets... I wonder what secrets I could uncover from someone else's perspective."
He muttered to himself, considering the possibilities. Although the dual-perspective sensation was nauseating, the potential applications of the skill were enormous. "Based on my tests, it seems like it would be best to parasitize a survivor—preferably one of the stronger ones in the shelter."
He thought about it for a moment. "That way, I can manage the discomfort of the dual perspectives better, and also increase my chances of duplicating something valuable. If I just pick random people, the copies might be completely useless, and then this skill really would be nothing but an entertainment tool."
Yi Bai furrowed his brow as a name suddenly came to mind: Xiao Bai Xiong Shelter.
"From what I know, the strongest survivor right now is probably him," Yi Bai mused.
He quickly checked the leaderboard. Xiao Bai Xiong's ranking was still sky-high, with the highest number of destroyed shelters by far. It was unbelievable—this guy was practically the PK (player kill) champion. He'd been killing people left and right.
"First, I can assume this guy's abilities are pretty powerful. His talents must be strong. If he hadn't been unable to recruit talent units or lacked the materials for upgrades, with all the survival points he's gathered, he could have upgraded his shelter several times by now."
Yi Bai thought about it. "If I manage to parasitize him, the odds of getting something valuable from him are much higher... But how the hell am I going to find him?"
He pondered. It wasn't like he could just shout out in the chat: "Hey, Xiao Bai Xiong, where are you? Let's have a little chat!" That would be absurd. After all, parasitism wasn't mind control. Even after parasitizing someone, the target would still have their own consciousness and could resist.
Yi Bai quickly formed a plan in his mind. He would need to find a way to parasitize Xiao Bai Xiong without the other knowing, keeping himself in the dark and Xiao Bai Xiong in the light.
"I didn't want to run into him too soon, but now... I kind of hope I do."
Yi Bai stood up from the sofa after a moment of thought and went downstairs to find Jiang Xiaoci. At the moment, she was in a command room on the second floor, assigning today's tasks to the soldiers.
When Yi Bai walked in, he saw Lin Yue and the others fully geared and preparing to leave.
"Sir, is there anything else you need?" Jiang Xiaoci asked, her expression as sharp as ever. She was incredibly intelligent, and she knew that every time Yi Bai came downstairs, it was always for something important.
"Yes," Yi Bai said, signaling for everyone to gather around again.
"Xiaoci, did I ever mention Xiao Bai Xiong Shelter to you?" he asked, his voice low.
"I've mentioned it," Jiang Xiaoci replied, nodding. "I've always emphasized avoiding direct conflict with Xiao Bai Xiong Shelter during operations, instead focusing on gathering intelligence on them."
Yi Bai knew Jiang Xiaoci understood his unique abilities—time was crucial for him, and the longer things went on, the stronger he became. To maximize his talent, Jiang Xiaoci had been developing a defensive strategy for the shelter, focusing on expanding their defensive zones slowly and steadily, pushing outward in a controlled manner.
"Right," Yi Bai said, then continued, "But now, I need to find the leader of Xiao Bai Xiong Shelter. I have a way to deal with him long-term."
Jiang Xiaoci raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What method?"
"Parasite," Yi Bai replied simply.
He wasn't going to hide it from her. The people in this room were loyal to him, and they were his most trusted personnel. "I've gained a parasitic ability. As long as I see the leader of Xiao Bai Xiong Shelter, I can parasitize them and gain all their secrets."
He paused, then smiled. "Of course, it's not guaranteed. It's a chance."
Jiang Xiaoci's eyes lit up. She understood how powerful this skill could be. If Yi Bai could really parasitize the leader of Xiao Bai Xiong Shelter, his shelter would be virtually unstoppable.
"You just need to see the leader?" she asked, already thinking about the logistics of this plan.
"That's about it. I'm still testing the full range of my parasitism, but the basic requirement is simply seeing the target," Yi Bai explained.
Jiang Xiaoci frowned for a moment before looking up at Yi Bai with a thoughtful expression. "I can make this work," she said, her tone firm. "But it'll take some time. You'll need to be patient."
"Okay," Yi Bai said with a satisfied nod. He trusted her completely. Having a brilliant strategist like her around made everything so much easier. When faced with a problem, he could simply ask her to handle it while he sat back and relaxed.
As Yi Bai watched Jiang Xiaoci direct her team, he couldn't help but reflect on the nature of safety and power in the post-apocalyptic world.
"It turns out that simply staying home and playing games while the world falls apart isn't the most invincible strategy," he thought. "As long as the disaster hasn't ended, there's no such thing as absolute safety. Building a powerful force and surrounding myself with people who can protect me—that's the only way to truly survive."