Deep in the Living

Chapter 553 Fish

Hagiwara Beach*
*A beach featured in the movie "Ju-on (Manga Remake)".

Unlike the typical touristy, recreational beaches that are full of surfers and sunbathers, this place is mostly frequented by fishermen.

Because the number of marine fish has increased exponentially recently.
Often, a high tide leaves a large number of sea fish on the beach. Even standing on the shore, you can clearly see the activity of the fish. Some fish may even be pushed out of the water by their own kind and bitten to death.

Not only that,

Although these sea fish look strange, they taste quite delicious. Locals who have eaten them become addicted and gradually lose interest in other meats.

This has created a huge market for marine fish, attracting many inland tourists who come specifically to taste this unique seafood, bringing considerable economic benefits to the local area.

Residents also drive to the beach on their own initiative, and can return home fully loaded in just a few hours.

A strange biological balance was thus formed: with the residents' overeating, the number of sea fish reached a maximum value that would no longer increase.

It's the same today.

The beach is surrounded by all kinds of private cars, and people don't need to fight for space. They can just find an empty spot, cast their fishing nets into the sea, and reap their catch.

Shota's family of five all came here. The little Pikachu was almost full of fish; all that was left was to cast one last net.

The son, who had just turned sixteen, cast the last net, only to find it unexpectedly heavy when he tried to pull it up.

"Dad, this net is so heavy! It's heavier than the previous ones. I can't lift it by myself. There must be a big catch."

The middle-aged father, who was used to manual labor, had gained a lot of strength from eating fish and meat lately, so he rushed over to help, but unexpectedly, he couldn't pull it up very far.

Seeing this, Grandpa and Mom also came to help.
We finally managed to pull this net up.

The scene before them left the family puzzled, but quickly turned to shock: "A corpse!"

Deep in the fishing net,

There was a pale-faced man curled up inside.

He is nearly two meters tall.

Her white hair fell over her shoulders.

It also boasts an impressive organ structure.
His body proportions are perfect.

The moment they saw it, almost the entire family was captivated by its perfect proportions and were speechless for a moment.

The knowledgeable grandfather immediately noticed the problem.

"He doesn't look like a corpse at all. His body isn't swollen at all, and there are many omnivorous fish in the school, but none of them attacked him."

This net is similar to the previous ones, except for the addition of this one person. Why is it so much heavier...? Is it because of this person's weight?

"I'll go see if he's still alive."

The father stepped forward and untied the fishing net, ignoring the scattering fish, deciding to rescue the person first, since fish were something that was never in short supply.

When the father grabbed the other person's ankle and tried to drag them, it felt like he was dragging a huge block of iron, and he couldn't move them at all.

Moreover, the sensation from the palm was quite strange; it seemed that beneath the other person's skin was not flesh and blood, but rather a cold, hard lump.

"Dad, he's awake!"

The son's voice suddenly came from behind, and the father realized something was wrong and immediately backed away.

really,

After a tremor of her pure white fingers, she slowly stood up, supporting her body.

As they got up, they were entangled in the fishing net, and something seemed to grow out of their back, instantly tearing the net apart.

His tall body completely overwhelmed his father, almost blocking out the sunlight, making it difficult for his father to breathe.

Each step the other left deep footprints on the sand, and it soon came to the father, lowered its head to sniff, revealing sharp teeth that looked like metal.

The father could clearly hear some mechanical sounds operating, and he dared not move at all, as if any unnecessary movement would result in immediate death.

The pale-faced youth seemed to sense something, finally shut his mouth, and then asked softly in a hoarse voice, "Do you have any clothes?"

"Yes... yes!"

The father quickly got up and ran to the pickup truck, where he found a spare set of clothes.

"It might be a bit short, I don't know about you..."

Before he could finish speaking, the other party put it on right there.

He slipped on a pair of shorts and a slightly cropped short-sleeved shirt, his expression unchanged, and walked away from the beach, disappearing from everyone's sight.

The father sensed the danger and made a decisive decision: "We must leave the city immediately, today! This is not human; it is extremely dangerous."

however,
The family of four stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at him. The son spoke first: "Dad, if we leave, how will we eat fish... You won't get enough of it outside, will you?"

The father was also stunned for a moment. His will to survive and his rationality were suddenly overshadowed by another desire. His eyes became blurry, and he even felt that the structure of his pupils had undergone subtle changes.

"Yes, this is our hometown, we can't leave. So many people live here, even if there is danger, it won't be our turn so soon."

... [Community Welfare Center]

This time, Roddy, who was exploring the dungeon, was once again relegated to the role of a working-class person.

Strange things happened as soon as I woke up.

Roddy stared at the only dish in the lunchbox, certain that the fish had simply had its scales scraped off and been steamed briefly before being served. Its wide-open eyes were fixed on the person opening the lid.

Because of the eye contact with the fish, Roddy felt a strong urge to eat, and his salivary glands began to secrete vomit.

He quickly shook his head and slammed the box shut. He couldn't kill the fish without knowing the specifics, to avoid any unforeseen risks.

Immediately check your own condition.
The relevant ability system remains unchanged, the equipment is carried normally, and especially the most important [ring] is still stored in the body.

However, there is a problem.

Roddy could clearly feel that his connection with the Corner, and even with Hell, was being restricted. The scene of this cinematic event was being invaded, influenced, and assimilated by something that didn't belong to the Corner.

"So it really wasn't something from the corner after all?"
Since even the middle-level dungeons are being affected, the situation in the deeper, more remote areas is likely even worse. After this incident, Professor Guo will probably reveal more information.

Perfect, this is a good opportunity for me to experience this alienation that doesn't belong in the corner, so that I can face real danger with composure in the future.

Once this thing fully infiltrates, the threat to the human world won't be as simple as just pseudo-humans or psychological corners... No wonder Mr. Kraft signed a cooperation agreement with Hawke and the others.

Let's not think about those things now, let's deal with the present situation first.

Roddy quickly surveyed his surroundings. It was somewhat similar to the situation in "Goosebumps." He was an ordinary office worker, but he didn't seem to have as much freedom as a deliveryman.

The name on the name tag was still "Luo Di".

It was lunchtime, so he immediately got up and tried to find his partner in this incident – ​​Katayama.

But as soon as he left his workstation, hurried footsteps came from behind him, and a document was handed to him:
"Roddy, this family recently submitted a welfare application. You might need to make a trip there to confirm their specific situation."

Recently, several of our expatriate staff resigned to choose fishing, so we're a bit short-staffed. We'll make up for the shortfall in wages.

"Just leave it to me."

Roddy readily agreed; this opportunity to leave the company and act freely was perfect, and might even lead to the truth of the matter.

"Ok!"

The director patted Roddy on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Roddy quickly began searching for the address information on the file, but unfortunately the movie was set in the early 1990s, and smartphones didn't exist there yet.

After rummaging through the drawer, I found a city map. The destination for this assignment was about ten kilometers away from the company.

He also found a car key and obtained his home address through the information book.

"Let's first take a look at the specific situation of this city, and check out Katayama's information along the way. If we bring that guy's abilities with us, it should attract a lot of attention."

As Roddy was walking down the company stairs, he heard a commotion.

One of them just kept saying sorry.

Following the sound, I went over and sure enough... I could smell a foul odor even before I got close. The obese Katayama was wearing a cleaner's uniform, holding a mop, and being sternly reprimanded by someone.

A middle-aged man who came to the welfare center to handle some business may have been in a bad mood, so he pointed at Katayama and started cursing.

They mocked how such a slovenly person could work here, criticizing everything about him from his appearance and physique to how much he was sweating, and almost started to lay a hand on him.

Snapped!
Just as this person continued to curse,
His neck was grabbed and his thumb almost dug into his flesh.

"roll."

Roddy simply uttered a single word, and the man instantly fell silent, even nearly losing control of his bladder, his eyes filled with terror as he fled.

"Student Luo!"

Katayama was thrilled to see Roddy arrive, and his sweat increased even more. Even Roddy was a little uncomfortable and pinched his nose.

"Well, luckily we were assigned to the same area. If your plague had accidentally spread, the plot would have been very difficult to develop."

Could you please control your body odor and mucus secretion? Further investigation may require covert operations.

Katayama looked apologetic. "Could you take me to take a shower? It would be best if you had a hairdryer! Severe dehydration can stop the secretion."

"Okay... I'm not in a hurry anyway."

Just as the two were about to leave the welfare center, something strange happened.

The middle-aged man who had just been threatened by Roddy suddenly started vomiting violently, expelling a large amount of fish-like structures, mostly fish bones.

The amount of vomit was beyond imagination, almost ten kilograms.

After vomiting, he collapsed to the ground like a dried-up corpse, no longer breathing.

When it fell, its head was tilted towards the doorway, its dead fish-like eyes wide open, looking exactly like the fish in Roddy's lunchbox.

(End of this chapter)