Fearing that the Parasytes in the municipal building would change their appearance and blend back into human society, the highest levels of authority demonstrated astonishing efficiency, acting very quickly.
No one dared to obstruct them at this time. Being suspected of being a Parasyte would cause huge trouble. Unlike conflicts over ethnicity, interests, or territory,
This was a war of the species!
Just the very next day, dozens of buses carrying large numbers of fully armed special police (SWAT) arrived.
Roy was also invited to the briefing.
Hearing Roy's suggestion, Special Police Captain Yamagishi (Lieutenant Colonel) said,
"Flamethrowers? Perhaps they have some use, but they only have one heart and one brain."
After speaking, Lieutenant Colonel Yamagishi left the operations meeting room. He had full confidence in the firearms he had prepared.
Roy shook his head and chuckled. You can't advise a dead man. The flamethrower suggestion actually came from Migi, who was with Shinichi Izumi. Knowing your enemy and knowing yourself, you'll never be defeated. Who could understand Parasytes better than a Parasyte?
As long as a creature is carbon-based, it fears fire. Sudden exposure to high heat would shock them.
Especially Goto, who was made up of five fused Parasytes—a sudden scare would cause his unified consciousness to collapse, temporarily paralyzing him!
"Mr. Hirama, please prepare a flamethrower for me,"
Roy looked at Hirama.
"I understand."
Hirama agreed. Roy had provided them with so much information; it would be excessive not to meet this simple request. If Roy had asked for a firearm, he wouldn't have dared to agree, as the lethality of a flamethrower was still somewhat different from a firearm.
An hour later, the operation officially began.
More than a dozen buses drove into the open space in front of the municipal building. Fully armed SWAT officers, carrying shotguns, stormed into the building, locking down the entire area.
"An armed perpetrator has entered the building. It is extremely dangerous. We are responsible for the search. Everyone must follow instructions, or you will face the consequences!"
Mayor Takeshi Hirokawa was suppressed along with the others.
Everyone was taken out in different batches, and their identity was checked using a sensing system. The system's imaging was capable of excluding non-human DNA material. In the resulting image, the skulls of those who were Parasites would disappear.
Whenever such a person appeared, a SWAT team member would step into the queue and separate them from the normal people.
Ryuu darted forward. Her wooden sword pierced the Parasyte's heart, and she quickly pulled it out. With a swift swing, she decapitated the opponent. The action was swift and sharp.
The Parasyte didn't even have time to react.
Her figure was like a swift gale, difficult to see with the naked eye, leaving the surrounding SWAT team members stunned.
Gunfire would alert the Parasytes inside the building, which is why Roy suggested they handle the Parasytes—though the real reason was that he didn't want to share the experience points.
For this reason, Roy deliberately concealed the information that Parasytes possessed telepathy. They needed to kill as many Parasytes as possible before they were fully discovered.
Lieutenant Colonel Yamagishi watched Ryuu's combat ability, which far surpassed that of the Parasytes, through the monitoring feed. He exclaimed, "Incredible. Those movements don't look human."
"The sensing system has confirmed that the two of them are not Parasytes," Hirama stated.
Lieutenant Colonel Yamagishi understood the implied meaning.
Hirama only said Roy and Ryuu were not Parasytes, but he didn't say they were human!
In reality, both men had received subtle hints from the authorities: if they could successfully suppress the Parasytes, they could then "invite" Roy and Ryuu over for a "visit."
In the blink of an eye, Ryuu had already killed seven Parasytes. She had no psychological burden against these creatures that preyed on humans. Ordinary Parasytes were usually killed in a single strike. Even if an opponent was on guard and managed to dodge the first cut, she could finish them off within three moves.
[Parasyte Kill Count: 12!]
Roy saw the notification panel and smiled in satisfaction. If everything went as expected, they would clear the Dungeon today.
"What are you doing? Put that person down!"
Just then, a terrified voice echoed inside the building, instantly putting everyone on high alert.
Roy glanced over. As expected, it had happened. The Parasytes wouldn't just wait to be suppressed one by one.
Bang!
Inside the building, a large man went berserk, lifting an elderly man and brutally smashing him into the glass wall, shattering the enormous pane.
Receiving the order, the SWAT team members opened fire immediately.
Bang! Bang!
Two shots rang out. The powerful impact of the shotgun blasted the muscular man away. The pellets shattered his heart, and blood spilled from his chest as he fell into a pool of his own blood.
After a brief struggle, he rapidly lost all vital signs.
He was a Parasyte!
Just as everyone's attention was drawn to the scene, Roy commanded, "Ryuu, kill the old man at your feet!"
Ryuu responded instantly. Her wooden sword plunged into the elderly man thrown by the muscular Parasyte, piercing his heart.
Whoosh!
The elderly man's head transformed into a blade and flew toward Roy but was intercepted by Ryuu. The Parasyte died from exhaustion, staring fixedly at Roy. "How did you find me?"
"Have you ever seen an ordinary person smash their head through a glass window without bleeding?" Roy looked speechless. These Parasytes had brains, but not much.
Their original plan to individually eliminate the Parasytes outside the building was ruined by the sudden incident. Chaos erupted inside the building, and unrest began.
Takeshi Hirokawa led a large group of Parasytes toward the upper floors, attempting a forced breakthrough. Ordinary SWAT members hesitated, restrained by his status as Mayor, and dared not stop him immediately.
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
Just then, Lieutenant Colonel Yamagishi walked in, raising a submachine gun and spraying a burst of bullets across the ceiling, terrifying everyone into hitting the floor, screaming continuously.
Lieutenant Colonel Yamagishi commanded grimly, "Everyone get down on the ground and do not stand up!"
The normal staff members quickly flattened themselves on the ground, leaving only Takeshi Hirokawa and the group of Parasytes standing still.
Lieutenant Colonel Yamagishi stared coldly at Hirokawa. "Takeshi Hirokawa, we suspect you are colluding with the Parasytes. Please come with us for questioning!"
Hirokawa replied, "I am the Mayor, the representative of the citizens. Under what law are you arresting me?"
"This is not an arrest. It is the removal of pests, an order personally issued by the Prime Minister!" Lieutenant Colonel Yamagishi replied, raising his gun slightly higher.
However, based on Roy's information, they knew Takeshi Hirokawa was not a Parasyte but human!
As a human, he sided with the Parasyte faction, having been elected mayor through campaigning about environmental protection.
"You are the pests!"
Hirokawa's face was awful. "Humans are the toxins of the Earth. If this continues, the Earth will be destroyed. It needs a neutralizing agent to detoxify it. Don't you understand? Parasytes are the best antidote! Littering is a more serious crime than murder!"
His voice was powerful and resonant. Who didn't know this fact? But people with a broad view were ultimately few, and humans were unwilling to sacrifice their own interests. Hirokawa was like a scholar encountering soldiers—it was useless to argue with reason.
"Fire! Everyone around him is a Parasyte!"
Dozens of shotguns were simultaneously aimed at Takeshi Hirokawa and the seven or eight Parasytes behind him.