Chapter 20: The Pierced Heart

In the taxi, Shinichi Kudo sent a message every five minutes, feeling slightly more at ease only when he received a reply from his mother.

“Driver, please hurry, I have an urgent matter.”

“I’m sorry, but there are a lot of traffic lights on this route. This is already the fastest I can go,” the driver replied as he drove leisurely while listening to the radio.

Frustrated by the driver’s attitude, Shinichi was about to argue when Cyrus placed a hand on his shoulder. “Get us there within an hour, and I’ll give you 50,000 yen. For every ten minutes you save, I’ll add 10,000 yen.”

The middle-aged driver, wearing glasses, squinted and turned off the radio. He then looked at Cyrus and said, “Are you sure?”

Cyrus opened his wallet to reveal a thick wad of cash. “I prefer to pay in cash.”

“Alright then, buckle up! I was once known as the Akina Speed King!” The driver tossed aside his black-rimmed glasses, straightened up, and slammed the gas pedal, sending a powerful jolt through Cyrus and Shinichi.

At that moment, the blue and white taxi transformed into a streak of blue lightning, weaving aggressively through the traffic.

Outside the window, the scenery flew by in a blur.

“Such sudden acceleration—could that driver be a special kind of human?” Migi now a small eyeball, wondered aloud, hovering near Shinichi’s ear.

“No, he’s just in it for the money,” Shinichi replied, still reeling from the speed.

Indeed, the driver demonstrated impressive skills, cutting through the heavy Tokyo traffic with a fearless drive, truly earning his title as the Akina Speed King.

“Urgent notice: A taxi is severely exceeding the speed limit ahead. Please intercept immediately. Taxi license plate number…”

“Police are catching up!”

Shinichi noticed, to his alarm, that three police motorcycles with flashing red and blue lights had appeared behind them.

“No need to panic; the mountain road is just ahead. Can they really catch up with me?” The driver, now resembling a race car driver, even had time to light a cigarette. “Sorry, if it bothers you, I’ll stop smoking.”

“It’s fine, go ahead,” Cyrus said.

Watching the police motorcycles multiplying in the rearview mirror, Cyrus couldn’t help but worry if the money he offered would be enough to cover the fines.

Seemingly aware of Cyrus’s concern, the driver squinted and pulled out a bundle of wires. “I’ll just cut these wires and say the brakes failed. They won’t fine us much.”

Hearing this, Cyrus felt a surge of admiration for the driver’s audacity.

Minutes later, the driver gradually eased off the gas, executed a perfect drift, and calmly parked the car. Checking his watch, he said, “A total of twenty-three minutes.”

“This is the fare,” Cyrus said, though he was feeling nauseous from the ride.

Shinichi fared worse, struggling to keep his balance.

“Can you still walk?” Cyrus asked.

Shinichi rested for a few minutes, then steadied himself. “Let’s go.”

Meanwhile, the driver was surrounded by four police motorcycles. He stood beside the officers, bowing and apologizing profusely. “I’m so sorry, so sorry! The car had a malfunction; I didn’t mean to speed.”

“Truly dedicated. I’d recommend making him the Taxi God of Japan,” Cyrus remarked.

As Cyrus watched in contemplation, Migi, now in his small eyeball form on Shinichi right hand, seemed to sense something.

“Shinichi, there are similar brainwaves nearby, about 400 meters away. They’re filled with murderous intent and are about to strike,” Migi suddenly said.

“What! There really is a parasite nearby.”

Shinichi barely had time to thank Cyrus before he dashed in the direction Migi pointed out. He repeatedly told himself he had to stop the creature.

“Shinichi, the enemy has sensed your approach and is speeding up,” Migi warned.

Cyrus followed behind, but his lack of enhancement from a parasite meant he couldn’t match Shinichi's pace.

Meanwhile, facing the sea, Shinichi’s parents were standing by the cliff, enjoying the blood-red sunset, seemingly oblivious to the approaching threat.

“This sunset is truly beautiful,” Shinichi's mother, Fuyuko, remarked.

Shinichi’s father nodded in agreement. “Yes, it was worth taking a cab to get here.”

“It’s strange that Shinichi suddenly asked us for our location.”

“Maybe he wanted to come over and surprise us,” Fuyuko said with a smile.

Her husband added with a smile, “It seems like while you’re thinking of Shinichi, he’s also thinking of you.”

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind swept through.

Shinichi roared, “Mother, move away!”

Hearing Shinichi's voice, Fuyuko instinctively turned her head, only to find a tentacle suddenly in front of her. In a split second, Shinichi’s father pulled his wife out of the way.

However, the blade that was originally aimed at Fuyuko’s neck struck her left arm instead.

With a sickening slashing sound, the sharp blade cut through Fuyuko’s slender arm, severing it and causing a gush of blood to spill out.

The parasite, seeing its attack miss, begrudgingly manipulated the tentacle to stab at Fuyuko’s neck.

In that instant, both Shinichi’s father and Fuyuko were unable to react.

Shinichi leaped forward, positioning himself in front of his parents. With his arms outstretched towards his mother, he took the blow to his own heart. As the blade pierced his chest, Shinichi looked gently at his mother and whispered, “It’s okay… I’m glad I got here in time.”

“Shinichi!” At that moment, a breathless Cyrus arrived, witnessing the scene unfold.

Seeing the parasite noticing his transformed hands, Cyrus realized the creature had no intention of fighting him. The parasite’s current host body was too damaged to continue the assault. Without hesitation, it leaped off the cliff.

By the time Cyrus reached the edge and looked down, the parasite’s figure had already disappeared.

“Quite decisive. It seems its intelligence is not inferior to that of an ordinary person.”

Cyrus turned his attention back to Shinichi, who was now slumped over Fuyuko. His vital signs were fading.

“Get Shinichi to the hospital,” Fuyuko said, her injury forgotten as she endured the pain to pull out her phone. Tears streamed down her face, causing her to repeatedly misdial the emergency number.

Her eyes red with desperation, Fuyuko continued to plead, “Shinichi, hold on, just hold on a little longer.”