Chapter 19
On the platform connected to Wen Ming’s balcony, there was a swimming pool.
The outdoor lighting was excellent, the water shimmering, and MuMu couldn’t imagine how pleasant it would be to bask in the sun here!
What made its eyes gleam even more were the fish in the pool—
Live fish, swimming around, emitting a delicious aroma.
MuMu gulped, burying its face in Wen Ming’s shoulder, afraid that if it looked any longer, it wouldn’t be able to resist jumping in…
“Do you like it here?”
Wen Ming held it closer to the pool, his voice coaxing, “Let’s make this our secret, okay?”
MuMu hesitantly looked up.
A secret?
“I won’t tell anyone about this place; and what you do here, you can’t do anywhere else.”
As he spoke, Wen Ming bent down and placed MuMu in the pool:
“Remember?”
MuMu looked into his eyes, deep and unreadable, as if they could see through everything.
Oh, it seems Master has already guessed that I catch fish…
A small fish swam past, brushing against MuMu’s tail, making it itch, both physically and mentally.
MuMu raised a hand and high-fived Wen Ming:
“Awoo!” Secret!
MuMu turned and dove into the pool.
At first, it was reserved, but after realizing that Wen Ming remained unfazed no matter what it did, it began to catch and eat fish with abandon.
MuMu had mastered transformation. It had even learned to extend only its claws without revealing its hunting form.
It caught a fish in its normal form, then extended the claws of its hunting form, making a swift cut…
MuMu didn’t want to dirty the pool, so it swam to the edge to eat, its tail wagging like a propeller:
“Awoo.” Freshly caught is the freshest!
As it was eating, a plate was pushed towards its mouth.
MuMu looked up, its mouth full of fish. Crab, oysters, sea urchin… all kinds of seafood.
Wen Ming: “Which one do you like?”
“Gasp…” Where did this poor boy Master get the money for this!?
The fish in MuMu’s mouth plopped onto the edge of the pool. It ruffled its hair in frustration: Where did the star coins for this come from?
Could it be that Master wasn’t going to work, but going out to gather seafood?
Why would he wear a crisp, well-fitting suit to gather seafood?
MuMu’s thoughts were a tangled mess of seaweed.
“Woo.” Don’t give it all to me, you eat some too.
Wen Ming asked persistently: “Which one do you like?”
MuMu picked up a crab and offered it to Wen Ming: “Awoo.” For you.
“You like crab?”
“…”
The crab waved its pincers in the air and pinched MuMu’s finger.
“Awoo!” I said it’s for you!
MuMu yelped in pain and threw the crab towards the kitchen.
“Crash!”
A small jar in the kitchen shattered.
Demolition expert mermaid, confirmed.
MuMu broke out in a cold sweat: “Whoo, whoo.”
Sorry, I used too much force…
Wen Ming glanced back, opened his optical brain, and adjusted his shopping cart:
Crab → Delete
Jar → +1
Giving MuMu opportunities to hunt was only the first step of Wen Ming’s plan.
Now that he believed MuMu wouldn’t leave him, he stopped trying to restrict it and instead created an environment for it.
An environment unique to MuMu, one that only existed with Wen Ming.
“Huh?”
One day, Assistant Xu found something unexpected in Wen Ming’s office:
“Admiral, did you bring your mermaid to the company?”
Assistant Xu curiously peered into the mermaid cage: “Where is it?”
“I didn’t bring it.” Wen Ming explained. “It doesn’t like being in the cage… except in special circumstances.”
Assistant Xu was confused: “Then the mermaid cage…” Bringing an empty cage to work?
“Send it to the processing department.” Wen Ming sent a design to Assistant Xu’s optical brain. “Modify it.”
Assistant Xu’s jaw dropped as he looked at the design:
“A, a mermaid scooter!?”
Assistant Xu stood there for a moment, stunned: “Admiral, with all due respect, this product won’t sell.”
“It’s not a product. Just modify this one, for my mermaid.”
“But, but, this…”
Assistant Xu, bewildered, gripped the mermaid cage:
“Your mermaid is exceptionally talented at demolition, even dismantling mechanical arms. Aren’t you afraid it will destroy your house if you let it roam free?”
Wen Ming lowered his head and didn’t speak.
Assistant Xu, thinking he had persuaded him, gestured around the mermaid cage:
“If it doesn’t like the cage, it might be afraid of the dark. Should we modify the top part to be transparent?
Once it’s no longer resistant to the cage, it will become more obedient. Experienced mermaid owners recommend keeping them in cages occasionally…”
Assistant Xu finally sensed something was wrong in the silence.
As if a black hole was sucking the oxygen out of the room, the air becoming thinner…
Assistant Xu nervously adjusted his glasses:
“I’ve overstepped my boundaries.”
“The only entertainment it has during the long hours I’m away is exploring the house.”
The pen was held between his long fingers, its elegant design overshadowed by his hand.
Wen Ming said casually: “To make it ‘obedient,’ I would have to take away its only source of amusement. Where would I find my mischievous mermaid then?”
“…” Assistant Xu was speechless.
These words, coming from Wen Ming, were as shocking as an iceberg revealing a warm, custard filling.
Assistant Xu took a deep breath:
Humanity! A boss with humanity! One of the ten wonders of the interstellar world!
Just what kind of divine being was the Admiral’s mermaid!?
Assistant Xu pushed the mermaid cage: “I’ll send this to the processing department right away.”
…
Within a day, the first electric mermaid scooter in the interstellar world was created.
When the scooter was presented to MuMu, it recognized its former cage and roared angrily:
“Awoo!” Which villain dismantled our mermaid cage!
Wen Ming picked up the shouting little mermaid and placed it in the scooter.
MuMu’s protests gradually subsided: “…?” It’s quite comfortable after being dismantled.
The main body of the scooter was a water-filled “cockpit,” custom-made to fit MuMu’s size.
MuMu’s upper body was above the water, its arms resting on a small platform:
“Awoo?” What’s this?
Wen Ming guided MuMu’s hand, teaching it how to hold the joystick: “Push it forward and see what happens.”
MuMu did as instructed, and the scooter immediately started moving.
“!” MuMu let go of the joystick in surprise, thought for a few seconds, then grabbed it again and pulled it back—
The scooter started moving backward.
“Whoa!” My chariot!
MuMu quickly mastered the controls, driving the scooter back and forth in the mermaid room.
It wasn’t as fast as crawling…
Wen Ming was satisfied with the speed limit he had set: “This is safer.”
“…Whoa.” Turtle chariot.
MuMu didn’t dare protest directly. When Wen Ming left for work, it transformed into its human form and poked the home butler:
“Little Butler, I have a question for you.”
A search bar popped up on the robot’s screen: “Please enter your question.”
“Not a search, I’m asking you directly.” MuMu pointed at the scooter. “How can I make it go faster?”
“Checking appliance status, beep beep, this appliance’s speed is limited to child mode, hence the slow speed.”
“But I’m an adult mermaid,” MuMu said matter-of-factly. “Remove the speed limit.”
The home butler’s loading circle spun for a moment: “The homeowner hasn’t granted access to this function.”
MuMu’s eyes darted around: “So you can’t control the scooter, Little Butler?”
A large red X appeared on the home butler’s screen: “I control all devices in this house.”
“Then why can’t you remove the speed limit?” MuMu tilted its head. “Don’t lie, I won’t ask you to do something you can’t.”
The home butler’s loading circle spun rapidly this time:
“Beep beep, speed limit removed!”
“Thank you!”
MuMu excitedly transformed back into a mermaid, jumped into the scooter, and pushed the joystick hard.
“Whoosh—”
…
At Wen Corporation, Assistant Xu was dying to know how the scooter was being used.
He waited until the end of the workday: “Admiral, can I see how your mermaid uses the scooter?”
Wen Ming frowned disapprovingly.
“Just a peek!” Assistant Xu clasped his hands together, pleading. “Just a glance from the doorway will satisfy me.”
He shamelessly squeezed onto Wen Ming’s airship.
On the way, he was both excited to witness the interstellar marvel of a “mermaid driving a scooter” and a little apprehensive.
Wen Ming’s mermaid was very mischievous in his impression.
Looking at its master with strange eyes, demolishing the house, jumping between the mermaid pool and the floor…
These weren’t things an ordinary mermaid would do.
“It should be fine…”
Assistant Xu got off the airship and muttered to himself: “It’s just a mermaid, how much trouble could it cause?”
Curiosity won.
As Wen Ming opened the door, Assistant Xu peeked through the crack.
…
Inside the house, MuMu, hearing the sound of Wen Ming’s airship, pushed the joystick hard, and the scooter’s speed increased rapidly.
It made a sharp turn at the corner, drifting into the living room.
The smart door was already scanning faces.
MuMu accelerated again, reaching the door, and braked sharply—
“Awoo!” Welcome home!
“Splash!”
The water in the scooter sloshed from the inertia, and a wave of water shot out through the crack in the door.
“Ah!”
On the other side of the door, Assistant Xu was caught off guard, his glasses drenched in water, blinding him:
“What the hell! Is that… water?”
The door slowly opened. Assistant Xu took off his glasses, wiped his face, and met MuMu’s gaze.
Two pairs of startled eyes met.
MuMu: Oh no, did he see me speeding?
Assistant Xu: Is this mermaid excessively mischievous?
“MuMu, this is someone I know,” Wen Ming said. “Don’t attack.”
He didn’t see me speeding!
Overjoyed, MuMu decided to commit to the act. It flicked its tail upwards, sending another splash of water out of the scooter, landing near Assistant Xu’s feet.
“Growl…” Sorry, human, you’ll have to be the “sacrifice.”
MuMu, baring its teeth, looked fierce, and Assistant Xu took a step back:
“I knew letting a mermaid use a scooter was too reckless. It’s using it as a weapon…”
“Growl!” Human, don’t talk nonsense!
Wen Ming went inside and grabbed a new towel. Assistant Xu took it, hastily wiped himself, and fled.
MuMu sniffed at his retreating figure, memorizing the scent of its master’s colleague.
Wen Ming noticed its action and warned: “Don’t open the door for strangers when I’m not home.”
“Awoo.”
Wen Ming glanced at the swimming pool outside and added: “Don’t let anyone you know in either.”
“Awoo, awoo.”
…
Despite its occasional speeding, MuMu was generally obedient.
“Ding dong!”
While Wen Ming was at work, the doorbell suddenly rang.
MuMu remembered Wen Ming’s warning, it couldn’t open the door for anyone, whether it knew them or not.
It ignored the doorbell and drove the scooter around the house.
“Is no one home?” The person outside muttered.
Just then, he noticed a figure flitting past the sheer curtains of a window…
“There’s someone inside!”
He was certain that the silhouette was human.
“Ding dong! Ding dong, ding dong!”
MuMu looked at the door, bewildered: Why is he so persistent?
The doorbell rang more urgently. MuMu peeked through the curtains—
It was a thin man in a dark gray uniform, carrying a large backpack.
The man, still pressing the doorbell, suddenly looked towards the window.
The curtains swayed back into place.
“Please open the door, I have identification, you don’t have to worry.” The man shouted.
MuMu hurried back to the mermaid room and pressed the emergency button on the home butler.
The home butler’s indicator light blinked, automatically sending a video call request to Wen Ming.
“Hmm?” Why no response?
MuMu approached the home butler and patted its casing:
“Woo…” Wake up, Little Butler, that man is still shouting at the door.
“Beep.”
“MuMu?”
The call connected, and MuMu’s face appeared on the screen.
It was so close to the camera that its face filled the entire screen, as if it had accidentally activated the front-facing camera.
MuMu stared blankly at its own enlarged face.
“MuMu.” Wen Ming’s voice was mixed with the sound of wind, he must be rushing back. “What happened?”
“Awoo!” A stranger is trying to make me open the door! Danger, come home quickly!
MuMu finally remembered the important matter and gestured with its hands:
“Awoo, awoo.” A human about my size, I ignored him, but he’s not cooperating, keeps ringing the doorbell.
The doorbell outside turned into knocking, and the man grumbled:
“Damn it, I shouldn’t have taken this stupid anonymous order…”
MuMu repeated to the camera earnestly:
“Awoo.” He also called you a dumbass.
Wen Ming could only understand the little mermaid’s agitated tone: “I’ll be right there, stay in the mermaid room.”
The noise outside gradually subsided.
The man finally gave up, shouldered his heavy backpack, and walked towards the airship parking area.
Beside his airship, another, more luxurious airship landed.
“It’s nice to be rich.” The man looked envious. “Living in a villa district, driving the best airships… Hmm?”
A tall man stepped out of the airship and walked towards the house that hadn’t responded to his knocking.
“Excuse me, sir!”
Wen Ming looked at the man who had run after him.
“Did your family order a new casing for a home butler robot? I’m from the after-sales department, here for the installation.”
Wen Ming gestured sideways: “Yes.”
“Great, I didn’t want to carry this heavy thing back and forth again.” The employee’s tone was complaining. “Do you have children at home? They didn’t answer the door.”
“No one’s home.”
“How is that possible? I saw the curtains move.”
Wen Ming stopped and glanced at him indifferently.
The backpack on the employee’s shoulder suddenly felt several times heavier, his legs weakening, his speech stuttering:
“Uh, I, I must have been mistaken, it was the wind…”
They had been far apart earlier, so the employee hadn’t sensed it, but now, being closer, he realized this man’s mental seascape was damaged.
People with strong mental seascapes can often exert pressure on others with their energy.
But the pressure from this man didn’t come from his mental seascape.
A single glance was enough to quell any doubts.
He wasn’t just rich, he was also someone in a position of power…
The employee lowered his head, trying to make himself inconspicuous, following closely behind Wen Ming, muttering to himself:
Someone like this, there’s no one in the interstellar world who would dare disobey him…
Upon entering the house, the employee noticed that all the windows were covered with sheer curtains, including the balcony’s sliding glass doors.
It fit his stereotype of a mysterious, powerful figure.
The employee didn’t dare look around, focusing on his own feet as he put on shoe covers before entering.
Wen Ming gestured for him to follow and led him to a room.
The employee vaguely heard voices from inside:
“…Don’t be afraid… back into the pool…”
“!?” The employee’s expression was one of utter shock.
Whose voice was that? That gentle voice, like a cool breeze, what was going on!?
The “powerful figure” had been so curt and cold when speaking to him earlier.
Was there a beautiful girlfriend hidden in that room?
Stereotype +1
The employee walked closer, his curiosity almost overwhelming:
“Who is he talking to…”
As if about to uncover a great secret, he peeked through the doorway—
“Awoo!” I’ll just stay here, I won’t splash water outside!
The blue mermaid was pushing against Wen Ming’s shoulders, refusing to be taken out of the scooter.
Wen Ming tightened his grip, and the small mermaid fell into his arms.
The mermaid, quite temperamental, bit Wen Ming’s neck and started gnawing on it.
Employee: ?
It was the scene he wanted to see, but not the scene he wanted to see…
He was so engrossed that his backpack slipped from his shoulder and thudded to the floor.
The mermaid instantly tensed, its eyebrows raised as it glared at him.
“It’s okay.” Wen Ming soothed its skin with his fingers and placed it in the mermaid pool.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”
The employee’s face flushed red. He dragged his backpack to the home butler: “This is the unit, right…”
He kept his eyes fixed on the home butler, experiencing yet another shock.
Had this house been invaded by the Zerg!?
How could a robot be so damaged? Even mechs on the front lines didn’t usually sustain this level of damage!
“Sir, did you know that the home butler’s casing is as tough as a starship’s hull?”
The employee rummaged through his backpack, muttering, “The after-sales department for this model is usually the least busy, how did this unit become…”
“Awoo!” It wasn’t me!
Wen Ming patted MuMu’s head: “An accident.”
“Oh, oh…”
Sensing the warning, the employee didn’t dare say anything more, replacing the robot’s casing with the fastest speed of his life.
He hastily packed his backpack: “Excuse me!”
After confirming the order on his optical brain, Wen Ming also prepared to return to work.
“Awoo!” Go, go quickly!
MuMu enthusiastically saw Wen Ming off.
After hearing the door close, it dropped its obedient facade and stared at a dark gray bundle in the corner—
The employee had forgotten to pack his spare uniform in his backpack.
Clothes…
MuMu rubbed its hands together, nervous and excited.
