Worm

The Worm (, Mushi) are a mysterious Chinese organization that lurks in the darkness of the underworld.

About
The Worm are an ancient Chinese secret society that pulled the strings in wars and politics for thousands of years; they have infiltrated almost every institution.

Worm have been researching brain-related technology for at least over 30 years, sponsoring and collecting information from scientists; in the case of the latter two, mind uploading and the cyberbrain were topics of interest respectively.

While little else is known about the Worm, it is known that all who are connected to them have their centipede insignia tattooed on their body. While most of the members possess a black tattoo the ones closer to the head have a white one.

To prevent information leaks, the Worm doesn't let infiltrators know who else is infiltrating.

Hierarchy
The head of the Worm, also known as the Connector (がる, Tsunagaru-mono; lit. connecting person), is the one who controls the entire organization.

Below the head there are two kinds of subordinates: the Direct Subordinates, who are recognized by their white centipede tattoo and report directly to the head, the Officers, who are in charge of the organization's various branches.

Below the officers are the Senior Combatants, who indoctrinate the Medium and the Junior Combatants to the cause and train them. The Junior Combatants have various subordinates themselves. Lower-ranking members of the Worm can either be combatants or saboteurs and are the only ones who engage in "impersonation". They are also known to use reconstructive surgery on their members to aid in infiltration and replacement impersonation. On the other hand, senior combatants don't fake their identity; for this reason they are harder to expose than other members.

It's possible for someone like a Junior Combatant to be promoted to become a Direct Subordinate.

Individuals the Wu Clan are seen as allies to the Worm and not de facto members.