Hi Master, Little Mermaid Will Support You! 37

Chapter 37

Are its feelings for Master… love?

MuMu rarely encountered such philosophical questions, and it pondered them day and night.

Sometimes, it would be sleeping soundly, then suddenly jolt awake, its mind filled with keywords like “love,” “Master,” “possessiveness,” staying up until dawn;

Sometimes, it would be eating fish, then feel Wen Ming’s gaze, slowly swallow the fish in its mouth, and stare blankly into the distance.

Its absentmindedness didn’t escape Wen Ming’s notice.

“MuMu,” Wen Ming said to the little mermaid staring into space in the swimming pool. “Do you want to go outside?”

Outside?

MuMu’s expression became even more confused.

Wen Ming looked at the fish in its hand: “Do you want to go to the ocean?”

MuMu’s tail fin shot upwards, and if its ears could move, they would be spinning like propellers.

“Awoo?” Can we really go to the ocean!?

Wen Ming’s expression was one of “as I suspected,” and he lowered his gaze, conceding: “Then let’s go.”

Wen Ming registered for the Soothing Competition.

The event, organized by the Mermaid Center, was held by the sea, possibly a trap set by Professor Yin.

Wen Ming prepared a special soothing agent that would allow him to use his mental seascape once.

And he made three rules with MuMu:

First, it could only stay within the designated area of the ocean;

Second, it couldn’t eat anything from the ocean, including its usual fish and seaweed;

Third, if it sensed any danger, it should immediately swim back to shore and find him.

“If you break any of these rules, I’ll take you home immediately, and we’ll never go out again, understand?” Wen Ming reiterated on the day of the event.

MuMu nodded vigorously.

Wen Ming’s expression didn’t soften: “Repeat them.”

MuMu put its hands behind its back and recited the rules obediently, “awooing” like a student reciting a text.

After finishing, it cautiously glanced at the ocean, its gaze full of longing and melancholy:

“Awoo, awoo…” But the announcement said this is a soothing competition, if I come in last, will you still take me out again?

“Wen Ming!”

Xiao Jun clapped him on the shoulder from behind: “What are you muttering about? The competition is about to start.”

Inside Xiao Jun’s mermaid cage, Hua Hua, smelling the familiar scent of its companion, cried out:

“Woo—” Big Brother, is that you!?

MuMu gripped the edge of its tank: “Awoo!”

“Oh my god, you brought MuMu here like this? Where’s the mermaid cage?” Xiao Jun pointed at the transparent tank, his voice trembling.

In Wen Ming’s airship, behind the pilot’s seat, there was a large water tank containing MuMu.

This was a very dangerous way to transport a mermaid.

Not because of the risk of spilling water, but because mermaids, when not confined to cages, tended to jump around.

If a mermaid jumped out of the tank and landed on the airship’s control panel, it could cause a crash…

“Even if you trust MuMu, you can’t take such risks, right?”

Xiao Jun then looked at the little mermaid with an expression of disbelief:

“And MuMu, be more sensible, other mermaids are willing to go in cages, why are you…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

The look in Wen Ming’s eyes was like a flashback to the interstellar battlefield—

Admiral Wen Ming issuing a warning: Shut up, or die.

Wen Ming’s actions were always clear-cut. He had once infiltrated enemy territory to rescue captured comrades and had also crushed a traitor’s mental seascape without hesitation.

The reason Xiao Jun was his only friend was because he respected the “rules” of their relationship—

Never cross the line.

But Xiao Jun hadn’t expected MuMu to also become one of those “lines.”

“…”

Xiao Jun hesitated, then conceded: “MuMu is so well-behaved, it didn’t cause any trouble on the way here.”

MuMu, having never heard such an abrupt change in tone, scratched its head:

“Awoo?” Did Hua Hua infect you with its poor memory?

Wen Ming stepped forward and clipped a stray strand of hair behind MuMu’s ear.

Xiao Jun’s eyes widened as he examined the hair clip: “Could this be?”

Wen Ming activated the hair clip’s tracking system, and a red dot, indicating MuMu’s location, appeared on his optical brain.

“Isn’t this a high-precision tracker used by the interstellar military?” Xiao Jun lowered his voice. “How did you integrate it into a hair clip?”

“As long as the material is durable enough, a chip can be attached.” Wen Ming’s finger traced the small diamonds on the hair clip.

Xiao Jun’s eyelids twitched: What was so dangerous about the Soothing Competition that Wen Ming was this cautious?

“Uh, this area has hosted several mermaid events before, it’s a designated safe zone, nothing to worry about.”

Xiao Jun touched the mermaid cage: “If MuMu isn’t used to the ocean, find Hua Hua, let Hua Hua play with you.”

MuMu smiled faintly.

The announcer started urging them, and mermaid owners began releasing their mermaids into the ocean.

As soon as Hua Hua entered the water, it choked:

“Ptoo, ptoo!” What kind of water is this? It actually has a smell!

MuMu stretched its body, every scale reveling in the salty ocean water.

Although its soothing ability wouldn’t win any prizes, and it was just here for a dip in the ocean, MuMu was incredibly content.

It swam away from the shore, noticing that this shallow area was enclosed by a metal net, preventing mermaids from swimming out and larger creatures from swimming in.

MuMu stopped at the net, sniffing towards the open ocean:

“This isn’t the ocean I grew up in…”

It and its clan might not be on the same planet.

“Ah! What should I do?”

A human cried out in distress: “I accidentally dropped my mermaid’s toy!”

A net on the shore extended a long mechanical arm, trying to retrieve the toy, but it couldn’t reach.

“Sigh, it’s drifting further away, I can’t get it back.” The person sighed. “It was a newly bought floating water ball, such a waste…”

Floating water ball?

MuMu’s ears perked up, and it swam upwards.

The floating water ball was a new product from Master’s company, and the human who had dropped it was a customer of Master’s company.

I have to help this valued customer!

The human on the shore watched the floating water ball drift away, about to leave the designated area…

“Splash!”

A mermaid’s tail suddenly appeared beneath the floating water ball, flicking upwards.

The water ball, surrounded by a splash of water, flew into the air, and people gasped in admiration, as if watching a water show.

The blue mermaid followed the floating water ball, leaping high and butting it with its head.

“Such a beautiful mermaid! Its aerial form is the most graceful I’ve ever seen.”

“It knocked the water ball into the net?”

“I thought the floating water ball was lost, so lucky, good thing the mermaid likes playing with it!”

Many mermaid owners were captivated by the scene, adding the floating water ball to their wish lists.

“Such adorable braids! The owner of this mermaid must be very skilled!”

“Shh—it’s Admiral Wen’s mermaid.”

“Uh, then, which salon did he take it to for the hairstyle?”

“He braids it himself, I heard from a Wen Corporation employee, the Admiral posts pictures of his adorable mermaid on his StarNet Circle every day.”

“…Huh?”

Has Admiral Wen been possessed?

The mermaid owner who had dropped the floating water ball approached Wen Ming: “Admiral Wen, thank you so much for your mermaid…”

Wen Ming raised a hand, interrupting him: “You can thank it directly.”

The person, confused, adjusted his sun hat: “To, to the mermaid?”

Wen Ming looked towards the ocean: “MuMu.”

The little blue mermaid surfaced and responded with an “awoo.”

The mermaid owner, not daring to question Wen Ming, shouted towards the ocean:

“Are you MuMu? Thank you for retrieving the ball!”

“Boo!” You’re welcome, valued floating water ball customer!

“It actually responded!” The humans exclaimed in amazement.

The person with the sun hat brought over a pile of snack bags: “Admiral Wen, which one does MuMu like? I want to feed it.”

“No need, it’s not hungry.”

MuMu, as if sensing the human’s intention, started whining and pacing anxiously.

The crowd, charmed by the little mermaid, murmured disapprovingly:

“Sigh, Admiral Wen is still so cold and heartless.”

“Yeah, the mermaid wants food!”

Wen Ming’s expression remained unchanged. Only he knew what the little mermaid was truly craving—

A fish swam past MuMu, and it lifted its head, looking at Wen Ming pitifully.

‘Can I catch one fish? Just one!’

Wen Ming lowered his gaze, avoiding MuMu’s pleading eyes, his resolve firm.

He couldn’t let his guard down at an event organized by Professor Yin.

“Just give it what it wants…”

The person with the sun hat, completely swayed by the little mermaid’s eyes, spoke up for it: “Look, it’s about to cry.”

“Yeah, it just wants to eat, it’s not asking for a Zerg planet.”

“Give it to it, give it to it!”

Name: MuMu

Passive Skill: Popularity LV100

Active Skill: Cuteness LV100

Skill Effect: Swaying gullible humans, turning the shore into its home turf.

This tactic was very effective, turning Wen Ming into the sole “villain.”

He glanced at MuMu’s happily wagging tail and chuckled softly:

“It’s just pretending, it’s actually very happy.”

Others: ?

MuMu, its act exposed, blinked rapidly, its ears twitching nervously.

Wen Ming continued his analysis: “Now it’s feeling guilty.”

Others: ???

MuMu slapped the water angrily, snorted, and dove into the ocean.

Silence fell on the shore.

“Admiral Wen, how did you know what it was thinking?”

The person with the sun hat asked, dumbfounded: “Do you also understand mermaid language, like that popular masked streamer?”

“No, I only understand my mermaid.”

“…”

As if your mermaid isn’t a mermaid.

“Professor, the soothing test equipment is ready.”

In the monitoring room, Professor Yin’s subordinate reported: “Are there any mermaids with unusually strong soothing abilities among the participants? Why did we borrow the most advanced testing equipment?”

“Look.” Professor Yin replied, avoiding the question.

His subordinate stepped forward, following his gaze to the monitor screen.

There were more surveillance cameras than usual for this Soothing Competition, most of them focused on a single mermaid.

Professor Yin pointed at MuMu in the ocean: “What are your thoughts on this blue mermaid?”

The subordinate replied honestly: “Its aerial form is breathtaking, the Mermaid Center should hold a mermaid beauty pageant.”

“Not that aspect.” Professor Yin’s smile faltered slightly. “Do you think it has any special abilities?”

“Yes!”

The subordinate said firmly: “I’ve heard of a sea creature that lures sailors to the depths with its enchanting singing.

Now, almost everyone on the shore is captivated by this mermaid, just like that creature’s magical ability.”

Professor Yin’s eyes darkened: “A Jiao Ren?”

The subordinate nodded repeatedly.

Professor Yin: “How did you obtain this information?”

Was there an informant? Or had someone deciphered the ancient text before him?

The subordinate said nostalgically: “My grandmother told me this bedtime story when I was young.”

“…” Professor Yin’s smile vanished completely. “Don’t speak without evidence in front of me.”

The subordinate wiped away cold sweat, trying to redeem himself: “Look at the mermaid’s mouth, it really looks like it’s singing!”

In the surveillance footage, MuMu seemed to be in a good mood, its mouth opening and closing, its fins swaying rhythmically.

Professor Yin opened his optical brain and made a note:

A Jiao Ren’s singing might have a mesmerizing effect.

“I’ll activate the monitor’s audio next.” Professor Yin instructed his subordinate. “If you feel your mind becoming sluggish after hearing the singing, alert each other immediately.”

The subordinate, bracing himself, pinched his palm: “Understood, we’ll try our best to stay alert!”

They prepared themselves mentally and solemnly activated the audio—

“Awoo~ ah, gurgle~”

Only after the singing reached their ears did they realize their preparation had been insufficient.

It was incredibly off-key!

Every note was like a bubble, popping at the wrong time.

It was an assault on the ears.

“Is… is this really singing?” The subordinate shook his head, as if trying to shake the sound out of his ears. “This can’t possibly mesmerize anyone, I’m becoming more and more awake.”

Professor Yin listened patiently: “This melody…”

“You can actually discern a melody?” The subordinate was shocked. “It’s completely off-key, not a legendary Jiao Ren, just an ordinary mermaid.”

“The fact that it’s impossible to discern a melody is what makes it mysterious, don’t let your guard down,” Professor Yin warned.

“Huh? This song—”

A passerby, hearing the sound, looked over curiously:

“Isn’t that the theme song from that super melodramatic series? Who’s singing so terribly off-key!?”

Professor Yin: …

Subordinate: Just an ordinary, socialized mermaid.