Chapter 39
“What happened!?”
The Mermaid Center staff were in a frenzy, the manager frantic:
“How could the soothing test equipment suddenly malfunction?”
A technician, drenched in sweat, reported: “A surge of soothing energy exceeded the testable threshold, overloading the machines.”
“All of them?” The manager looked at a unique machine, his voice stiff. “Even the advanced testing equipment Professor Yin specifically requested…”
The technician mourned: “That one too.”
The manager clutched his head in despair: “It’s over, that testing equipment cost the Mermaid Center a fortune! And even worse, it’s ruined Professor Yin’s plans…”
“What plans?”
A figure in a white lab coat entered their field of vision, and the manager’s hair stood on end: “Nothing, nothing at all, I don’t know anything!”
Professor Yin smiled gently, steadying the trembling manager:
“Have you been overworked lately? It’s understandable if your body can’t handle it, take some time off to rest.”
The other employees looked at him with gratitude.
Only the manager heard Professor Yin’s icy whisper:
“You’re fired.”
Professor Yin ignored the collapsed manager and left.
His subordinate hurried after him, his voice trembling:
“Professor, we can’t confirm the blue mermaid’s soothing ability without the testing equipment, what should we do?”
Professor Yin corrected him: “It’s Number 55.”
“So it’s Number 55…” His subordinate thought for a moment, then gasped, “It’s Number 55!?”
That incredibly dull Number 55, always scoring low in tests, barely even lifting its head in the lab, its true personality was actually so lively?
“I didn’t even recognize it.” The subordinate was stunned. “We confirmed it had no research value, do we still need to test it?”
“Activate the backup plan.”
“Back…” The subordinate’s voice rose. “But that would endanger all the mermaids in the ocean.”
Professor Yin smiled indifferently: “A few deaths, the StarNet will just report it as an accident, what does it have to do with the Mermaid Center?”
“What if Number 55 dies too?”
“Then it’s not a Jiao Ren, and it has no value.”
The subordinate felt a chill: “But it’s Admiral Wen’s mermaid, I heard he’s ruthless, if we anger him…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything to him afterwards, he’ll understand.”
Professor Yin’s voice was low and menacing: “He went to the battlefield for all of humanity, and everything I do is also for all of humanity.
Of course he’ll understand.”
“We regret to inform you that due to irreversible damage to the equipment, the Soothing Competition has been canceled.
This event will now be a Mermaid Playtime, still held within the designated shallow water area.”
“Awoo?” The equipment is that fragile? What a joke!
MuMu pointed towards the ocean: Let’s go see what “Playtime” is!
Wen Ming carried it to the shore, joining the crowd watching the ocean.
Various toys and thousands of colorful small fish had been released into the clear, blue water, creating a vibrant scene.
“Ding dong~” The announcer urged, “The event will begin shortly, please release your mermaids into the ocean.”
Everyone glanced at Wen Ming.
He was the only one still holding his mermaid; the announcement was clearly directed at him.
Wen Ming’s brow twitched, and he tightened his grip: Too obvious…
MuMu, ready to enter the water, was held even closer and looked up, confused:
“Awoo?” Shouldn’t we go in?
“Such a beautiful scene!” A gasp of admiration interrupted MuMu’s confusion.
A mermaid in the ocean was playing with the small fish, swimming among them like an ethereal underwater spirit.
So many fish!
MuMu, seeing the other mermaids playing, fidgeted and whined: “Hmph!” I want to play too!
Wen Ming adjusted the tracking device on MuMu’s hair and said in a low voice:
“What do you do if there’s danger?”
“Awoo!” Find you!
MuMu flicked its tail, slid out of Wen Ming’s arms, and jumped into the ocean.
It swam among the small fish, emitting a high-pitched sound.
MuMu’s call echoed in the minds of the shallow-water fish—
‘Come here!’
MuMu curled its body into an arc and started spinning.
Just as people wondered why the little mermaid was suddenly making such a loud noise, hundreds, then thousands of small fish swam towards it, surrounding it.
With MuMu as the center, the school of fish churned the water into a cone-shaped vortex…
Everyone stared, dumbfounded: “Even though the Soothing Competition was canceled, this trip was worth it!”
“How did it do that? Do mermaids have such a strong influence on marine life?”
“I think the fish are just following the water current, otherwise it doesn’t make sense.”
Wen Ming listened to the speculations around him, his voice darkening:
“MuMu!”
“?”
MuMu heard the warning in his voice and quickly stopped spinning.
But the small fish around it were still circling, and MuMu was involuntarily swept along by the swirling water.
‘Stop! Stop!’
MuMu cried out, but the small fish couldn’t understand the command and continued swimming along their trajectory.
“Bang—”
A loud explosion suddenly came from the direction of the open ocean.
The small fish, as if sensing something terrifying, scattered frantically…
MuMu steadied itself, its nose twitching, its brow furrowing: Such a pungent smell!
Above the surface, the energy particles vibrated strangely.
Wen Ming, all too familiar with this phenomenon, his expression turned cold:
Zerg?
Chaos erupted in the shallow water area.
The mermaids screamed and swam frantically, the dangerous aura from the deep ocean driving them towards the shore.
Most of the humans on the shore were confused:
“Huh? Why did MuMu stop spinning?”
“Forget about spinning, didn’t you hear that explosion? Something’s wrong, quickly get the mermaid cages and retrieve your mermaids!”
The highest level alarm blared from the speakers, and the nets were activated, scooping up the mermaids one by one.
MuMu was curious about what had happened, but it had promised Wen Ming to return to him if there was danger.
Unable to jump onto the shore on its own, it swam to the edge and waited to be caught.
MuMu, motionless, was a stationary target, while the other panicked mermaids were moving targets.
But strangely, the nets caught all the mermaids around MuMu, leaving it alone.
MuMu jumped into a net, but it flipped violently, throwing it back out…
“Awoo!” Is this net broken!?
MuMu swam towards Wen Ming, waving its arms:
Master, catch me!
“Hey? Isn’t that MuMu? It’s swimming back on its own!”
Xiao Jun alerted Wen Ming, anxiously scanning the ocean: “Strange, where’s Hua Hua?”
Wen Ming bent down and reached out to MuMu.
The little mermaid suddenly stopped.
It turned its head, looking back at Wen Ming, its tail stiff with hesitation.
Wen Ming’s voice was tinged with urgency: “MuMu, come here.”
MuMu’s mouth opened and closed a few times, then it firmly set its jaw and dove into the water.
Xiao Jun shouted: “MuMu, where are you going!? There are Zerg energy fluctuations nearby!”
Wen Ming checked the tracker on his optical brain. The red dot representing MuMu was rapidly moving away from him, towards the area with the strongest Zerg presence.
【。】
Xiao Jun beside him was pushed back a few steps by the sudden surge of energy, hastily activating his mental seascape for defense:
“Wen Ming! Calm down, you can’t use your mental seascape in your condition!”
Wen Ming’s white shirt billowed with energy, his eyes blazing:
“Quick and decisive.”
“Without a mech, you’re going to confront it directly with your mental seascape? You could do it when your mental seascape was at its peak, but it’s too risky now!”
Xiao Jun, unable to withstand Wen Ming’s mental seascape energy, retreated behind a rock:
“Damn it! This planet has been peaceful for centuries, why are there Zerg here?”
He scanned the ocean surface: “Where is it? I can only sense the energy fluctuations, but I can’t pinpoint its location… Wen Ming, this Zerg might be cloaked, be careful!”
Wen Ming extended his mental seascape, probing the air, but found nothing.
His gaze lowered, focusing on the ocean.
Xiao Jun also considered this possibility, shaking his head: “Impossible! There’s never been an aquatic Zerg!”
The highly adaptable and resilient Zerg had few weaknesses, one of them being water.
Wen Ming intensified his mental probe.
The mysterious soothing energy from earlier had stabilized his mental seascape, allowing him to pinpoint the location—
“It’s underwater.”
“Holy crap, they’ve actually evolved an aquatic Zerg…” Xiao Jun took a deep breath. “How are we supposed to fight that?”
Although human mechs could submerge, underwater combat greatly reduced their maneuverability.
And attacking from above the water would weaken the mental seascape’s effectiveness.
If this type of Zerg were to breach a human-inhabited planet from underwater, the consequences would be dire.
This new Zerg was bad news for the mermaids in the ocean, and even worse news for humanity.
Unless, there was a natural predator of aquatic Zerg…
“Awoo—”
MuMu swam against the current of fleeing fish, towards the source of the pungent smell.
“Awoo!” Help!
Hua Hua’s cries for help grew closer, and MuMu finally saw the cause of the commotion—
A body covered in hard carapace, with flexible tentacles that could extend and retract underwater.
MuMu was dumbfounded: What is that!?
The Zerg raised its powerful forelimbs and slammed them against the metal net enclosing the shallow water area.
“Bang!”
MuMu was tossed about by the resulting current. When it looked again, there was a large hole in the net, and the Zerg was swimming inside.
The massive Zerg moved towards Hua Hua, its mouthparts dripping viscous fluid.
Hua Hua’s voice cracked: “Big Brother, help!”
Its tail was tangled in the net, probably caught when the Zerg had first breached it.
The Zerg raised its forelimbs, ready to strike…
Hua Hua thrashed its tail, but it couldn’t free itself from the net and gave up in despair.
“Hua Hua, close your eyes.”
Hua Hua obeyed, and the water in front of it seemed to ripple strangely, the current against its face disjointed.
It cautiously opened its eyes a crack.
The massive Zerg was falling vertically, and with a dull thud, it landed on the seabed, sending up a cloud of sand and obscuring its vision.
Hua Hua could only vaguely make out the figure of a mermaid.
Was that Big Brother?
No, Big Brother’s tail wasn’t that long, and its claws didn’t gleam like that.
So where did Big Brother go?
Hua Hua closed its eyes, trying to figure it out, but couldn’t.
When the sand settled, its tail was free, released from the net.
“Are you okay?”
“Big Brother!” Hua Hua clung to MuMu, crying. “Was the protection money I gave you enough? If not, ask my little brother for more!”
“Yes, yes, it’s good that you’re okay.”
MuMu dragged it away from the “crime scene.”
Hua Hua glanced back. Dark liquid was oozing from a single wound on the Zerg’s corpse, a fatal blow.
Hua Hua shivered, hugging MuMu’s arm tightly, its voice trembling:
“Big Brother, thank goodness that kind mermaid saved us, it was so powerful…”
“Yes.”
…
On the shore, two mental seascape energies clashed.
A wave of energy emanated from the point of impact, causing a ringing in the ears of those nearby, temporarily deafening them.
This was a far more terrifying threat than the unknown explosion from the ocean, and the crowd scattered.
The rock Xiao Jun was hiding behind was partially shattered by the energy blast.
He cautiously peeked out: “Who is it?”
“My apologies for disturbing you.” Professor Yin approached slowly.
He gave his subordinate a look, and the subordinate immediately went to Xiao Jun, gesturing for him to follow.
Xiao Jun’s expression was hostile, but seeing Wen Ming nod at him, he followed.
When they were alone, Professor Yin spoke: “What an unpleasant reunion.”
Wen Ming’s gaze was cold and sharp.
Wen Ming had gathered all the available energy from his mental seascape to attack the underwater Zerg, but it had been intercepted.
His mental seascape had reverted to its damaged state before the mysterious soothing and was difficult to access again.
Professor Yin had also expended a lot of energy in the clash, beads of sweat dotting his forehead:
“Admiral Wen, why so impulsive? Shouldn’t underwater dangers be handled by underwater creatures?”
“You arranged for the Zerg to be there,” Wen Ming said with certainty.
“Who could have predicted such an accident?”
Professor Yin also spoke with certainty: “Admiral Wen, your mental seascape has recovered to its current state through some special method.”
Wen Ming pulled out an injector and injected himself skillfully: “As you can see.”
“Medication can only suppress, it can’t repair the damage, it must be an extremely powerful soothing ability…”
Professor Yin’s words abruptly stopped, and he and Wen Ming looked towards the ocean simultaneously.
It was gone.
The Zerg’s energy had vanished without a trace.
“Admiral Wen, the mermaid you adopted isn’t an ordinary mermaid, you’re aware of this, aren’t you?”
Professor Yin laughed, covering his face: “I’ve finally found ‘that species’!”
The special soothing agent started taking effect, and energy gathered around Wen Ming.
“Don’t be so resistant, I have my reasons for doing this.”
Professor Yin’s tone was earnest: “You saw it yourself, there’s an aquatic Zerg now, no one understands better than you how difficult it is to deal with them!”
The energy around Wen Ming intensified.
Professor Yin, unafraid, his face full of fanaticism:
“But the mermaid you adopted is the key to solving this predicament! It’s proven that it has the combat ability to kill aquatic Zerg!”
He placed a hand over his chest, as if offering his heart as proof of his sincerity:
“Humanity needs the power to fight underwater. You’re the Admiral everyone trusts and relies on, you should offer it to humanity!
It should also repay humanity for raising it! Ugh…”
Wen Ming launched a mental seascape attack.
Professor Yin used his remaining strength to defend, his mental seascape creaking under the strain.
He fell back, coughing up a mouthful of blood, staining his white lab coat…
Wen Ming looked down at Professor Yin: “Are you delusional?”
Professor Yin swallowed the blood in his throat and said with a sneer: “No matter how much you pretend, you can’t hide its secret any longer.”
His subordinate rushed over and helped him up: “Professor, are you alright?”
Professor Yin’s mental seascape was damaged, and he closed his eyes, trying to recover.
His subordinate, his hand covered in blood, glared at Wen Ming: “Did he attack you?”
“Think before you speak!” Xiao Jun stood beside Wen Ming. “In a confrontation between someone with a normal mental seascape and someone with a damaged one, who do you think would be at a disadvantage?”
“If there was no attack, why would the Professor be coughing up blood?”
“A sudden illness.”
“You!”
The subordinate almost coughed up blood himself from anger.
He suppressed his rage and asked in a low voice: “Professor, did you reach an agreement? Number 55…”
“Awoo—growl!”
They followed the sound and saw the blue mermaid, its fins flared, baring its teeth at Professor Yin.
Professor Yin called out gently: “Fifty-Five, don’t you remember me?”
“Boo!” You bastard, don’t bully my Master!
Hua Hua also chimed in: “Boo!” Anyone who bullies my Big Brother’s Master will have to step over my dead body!
Hua Hua’s bravado gradually faded.
It glanced at Wen Ming, unharmed, then at Professor Yin’s blood-stained lab coat.
“Woo.” Big Brother, wait.
Hua Hua tugged at MuMu’s arm: “Woo, woo.” Look again, who’s bullying who?
“Awoo!” My Master is being bullied, of course!
MuMu didn’t hesitate: “Awoo, awoo!”
My Master is gentle and kind, so fragile that he could die at any moment, he’s the human who needs the most protection in the interstellar world!
He would never bully anyone!
Hua Hua: ?
Xiao Jun, Professor Yin, and his subordinate, not understanding but sensing something was wrong: ???
Wen Ming quickly scanned MuMu, making sure it wasn’t injured, and asked with his eyes:
‘How did it go?’
MuMu winked at him: ‘Don’t worry, I got it!’
