Parasite from Beyond

Parasite from Beyond is a science fiction novel by the web author Lost Fish, serialized on Qidian, with updates beginning in 2014 and concluding in June 2015. The complete work runs to about 1,455,800 characters and falls under the platform category "Science Fiction · Super Technology"; it has accumulated over 100,000 recommendations and more than 100,000 reader bookmarks. The protagonist, Chen Yang, is an ordinary young man in Donghai City. After an encounter with an extraterrestrial organism in an old residential district, his right hand mutates: a parasitic entity forms in the center of his palm, one with a will of its own that will even bare its fangs. This parasitic life form is no gentle, harmless companion; it controls its host's behavior by violent means while bringing Chen Yang "black technology" knowledge far beyond humanity's present level. Chen Yang is thus caught in a double bind: on one hand, he must uncover the parasite's origins, purpose, and weaknesses, learn to coexist with this "alien," and prevent any plan it may have to harm human civilization; on the other, he holds technology capable of propelling society forward yet also of destroying civilization, and must repeatedly weigh technological ethics against personal survival. The novel is built on a framework of technological extrapolation, discussing the double-edged nature of black technology and the question of coexistence between humans and extraterrestrial life. In the afterword, the author explains that, owing to release pace and the audience for the subject matter, the Earth arc was wrapped up at an accelerated pace and the planned cosmic arc could not be developed further.