Hi Master, Little Mermaid Will Support You! 44

Chapter 44

Sprayed in the face with nutrient solution, MuMu forgot all about the ambiguous atmosphere and shook its head frantically.

“Awoo!” It stings!

“Beep beep!” The home butler extended a nozzle and rinsed its face.

MuMu wiped its face, opened its eyes, and looked around:

“Growl!” Master, there was a hidden weapon!

“It was nutrient solution.” Wen Ming tossed the crushed tube aside. “Sorry.”

MuMu looked worried: Such dangerous food…

It reached out and carefully wiped the nutrient solution from Wen Ming’s face.

“The live fish delivery will be here soon, I’ll go get it,” Wen Ming murmured, stepping back to avoid its touch.

“Awoo.”

MuMu watched him leave, then noticed something by the pool and said in surprise:

“Boo!” Your slipper fell off!

Why is Master so messy today? Spilling nutrient solution and losing his slippers.

MuMu sat by the edge of the pool, its tail dangling above the slipper: “Woo?” Can a mermaid wear slippers?

It hooked the slipper with its tail fin and tried to put it on.

Its tail fin, wet and slippery, slid into the slipper.

“!” Now I can walk!

MuMu, supporting itself against the padded wall, stood up shakily, shuffling forward.

Successfully moving at a speed of one centimeter per hour.

“…” Forget it.

It sat back down, lifted its tail, and tugged at the slipper with its hands.

MuMu’s face turned red with effort, but the slipper was stuck fast.

“Splash!”

Its hand slipped, and both the mermaid and the slipper tumbled back into the pool.

Its tail fin, restricted by the slipper, was difficult to control, and MuMu thrashed about, finally grabbing the pool wall and surfacing.

“Awoo!” Master, help!

Wen Ming didn’t respond. Voices came from the entrance.

Was the live fish delivery here?

MuMu licked its lips: “Awoo—” Hurry up, or I’ll dismantle your slipper with my claws!

It rhythmically slapped the padded wall: Fish time, fish time…?

The home butler rushed into the mermaid room, and MuMu somehow sensed “panic” from the robot.

“Beep beep, transferring mermaid—”

A mechanical arm reached towards MuMu, but even faster than the arm was a strange smell that filled the air.

MuMu wrinkled its nose, wanting to ask Why does today’s fish smell weird?, but its throat was too constricted to make any sound.

It weakly sank into the water, feeling the slipper on its tail rip off like a stretched rubber band just before losing consciousness.

“?!” I’m controlling my transformations, why is my tail growing longer and bigger?

Strange…

A few minutes earlier.

Wen Ming had practically fled the mermaid room, bracing himself against the sink and examining his reflection in the mirror.

His expression was calm, but his eyes were like boiling water, burning hot.

He splashed cold water on his face, a futile attempt to cool the fire, his mind filled with images of MuMu.

“Beep, package delivered.” The door announced.

Wen Ming went to the entrance. The screen displayed the delivery, and beside the package, a pair of military boots.

To avoid suspicion, the live fish deliveries had different descriptions every day. Today’s was—

“Strength training equipment?” A crisp female voice read the label.

Wen Ming opened the door, composing his expression: “Marshal.”

The woman in military uniform with a high ponytail nodded: “Are you keeping up with your training? When are you going to instruct those students at the military academy? Their combat skills are appalling.”

Wen Ming lowered his voice: “About the lab?”

The Marshal’s expression turned serious: “The search didn’t turn up anything, they must have relocated.”

She activated her optical brain’s recording function:

“Wen Ming, I’ve received a report that you might be harboring an illegal species. Please cooperate with the investigation.”

Wen Ming’s eyes narrowed: “A report?”

The Marshal raised her hands, showing she was unarmed: “Don’t worry, everything is being recorded, and we won’t harm you or the species in question.”

“The person who filed the report, was it him?” Professor Yin?

The Marshal nodded, then shook her head, pointing at a group of approaching figures.

Professor Yin’s subordinate, accompanied by several people from the Mermaid Center, nervously faced Wen Ming: “We filed the report.”

“You’re aware of the interstellar law regarding rare species, right?”

Wen Ming’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and Professor Yin’s subordinate stammered, unable to speak.

The Marshal interjected: “If it truly is a rare species, it will be placed under military protection.”

“I know.” The subordinate pulled out a glass vial. “But the species we’re reporting is dangerous!”

“Pop!”

The subordinate uncorked the vial and quickly scattered some powder inside, releasing a strange smell.

Wen Ming immediately activated the house’s air circulation system, but it was too late, the smell permeated the air within seconds.

In that moment, Wen Ming understood why Professor Yin hadn’t come himself—

He had sent pawns, which meant this was life-threatening.

Wen Ming blocked the door and turned to the home butler: “Transfer the mermaid to the underground mech bay, quickly.”

The robot’s wheels practically sparked as it sped away, disappearing around the corner.

The Marshal, confused, asked the subordinate: “What dangerous species…?”

“Roar—”

Before he could finish, a furious roar echoed from deep within the house, almost shaking the roof.

The sound was similar to a mermaid’s cry, but it carried the power of an apex predator.

The subordinate put away the vial and hefted a net launcher: “Did you hear that? A Jiao Ren’s roar alone is this intimidating, it’s a threat to our lives!”

He tried to rush inside, but Wen Ming blocked the door, immovable.

Wen Ming, unfazed, looked at the Marshal’s recording optical brain: “Will this footage be released?”

“No, any footage related to rare species is classified military information.” The Marshal glanced at the people from the Mermaid Center. “And they all signed confidentiality agreements before coming here.”

Another crash came from the mermaid room, as if some machine had been thrown.

The Marshal, her brow furrowed, glanced inside and urged:

“Wen Ming, this is a residential area, if it escapes and hurts someone, it will…”

It would be classified as a dangerous species, just like the Zerg, and taken to a lab for containment.

The group followed Wen Ming to the mermaid room.

The room was a mess, water everywhere.

The home butler lay upside down, its wheels spinning uselessly, its two mechanical arms severed, lying on the wet floor.

The “mystery species” was lying by the pool, its tail flicking, each swipe tearing a gash in the padded wall with its sharp fin.

“There’s no doubt, it’s a Jiao Ren.”

The subordinate aimed the net launcher at it: “It’s a wild beast driven by instinct, extremely dangerous, we have to capture it with the fiber net!”

The powder Professor Yin had given him had been discovered along with the ancient text about Jiao Ren.

They had made progress deciphering the text and learned that the powder’s scent could trigger a Jiao Ren’s primal instincts, stripping away its disguise.

The Marshal, observing the chaotic mermaid room, was on high alert: “Such destructive power…”

Wen Ming blocked most of the doorway:

“Are you certain it’s dangerous?”

The Jiao Ren stared at the humans at the doorway for a moment, then turned away, disinterested.

It was first attracted by the home butler’s spinning wheels, batting at them with its claws.

Then it noticed the swaying seaweed in the mermaid pool, aimed its tail, and lunged, tearing at the plants.

“Ptoo! Ptoo, ptoo!”

It spat out the fake seaweed decorations and rolled around in the water angrily.

“Roar!” How can seaweed taste this bad! It has no flavor at all!

Marshal: …

Isn’t this just a playful overgrown cat?

“Don’t let your guard down!” the subordinate shouted urgently.

If the Marshal didn’t classify the Jiao Ren as dangerous, they couldn’t take it back to the lab!

If only the Jiao Ren would kill a few people, it would make things so much easier…

The subordinate covered his mouth and whispered to the others: “Open that package by the door.”

“Huh? You said we didn’t have to do anything, just being here would earn us a bonus.”

“Just go, there’s a bonus for following my instructions.”

The subordinate smirked as they left.

He had accidentally kicked the package earlier and heard the sound of liquid sloshing inside—

“Huh? Live fish?”

They opened the package, and fish flopped onto the floor at their feet.

“Roar!”

The Jiao Ren, smelling the fish, its dark blue eyes darkening further, flicked its powerful tail and lunged towards the scent.

The subordinate pulled the Marshal away from the doorway.

The Jiao Ren’s target wasn’t the humans, but the fish at their feet.

However, a Jiao Ren’s tail fin could easily tear through the pool wall, and if it reached them, its claws and tail could inflict serious injuries.

“Not good!” The Marshal snatched the net launcher from her subordinate and aimed it at the Jiao Ren.

The subordinate’s eyes lit up: Perfect!

The Marshal, implicitly acknowledging the Jiao Ren’s dangerous nature, was about to activate the net.

A figure suddenly blocked the launcher.

“!” The Marshal’s pupils constricted. “Move! It’s just a fiber net to restrain it, it won’t be harmed!”

Wen Ming, seemingly oblivious to the danger, remained between the Jiao Ren and them.

The subordinate couldn’t believe it: “You don’t think it recognizes you, do you?”

The powder triggered a Jiao Ren’s primal instincts, overriding any sense of “owner” or “past affection.”

The vial in his hand was the ultimate “magic” against a Jiao Ren!

As the Jiao Ren approached Wen Ming, its claws extended menacingly…

“Wen Ming!”

“Psst—”

Wen Ming took out the perfume bottle and sprayed it at the charging Jiao Ren.

Marshal: ?

Subordinate: ?

Fighting magic with magic.

The scent of ocean perfume mixed with the powder, and the Jiao Ren froze mid-pounce, its claws extended towards Wen Ming.

“MuMu, it’s okay.”

“Roar… awoo?”

…

MuMu was trapped in a nightmare.

It dreamt of its childhood, living in the ocean as a small Jiao Ren.

“Mama, look, a glowing fish!” The little Jiao Ren chased after the fish playfully.

“Don’t swim too far! There’s lightning today, it’s disrupting our clan’s jamming signal, other species might detect us!”

The Jiao Ren mother sighed, unable to call her child back: “This child is so mischievous, curious about everything…”

“Awoo—”

Hearing the little Jiao Ren’s cry, the mother rushed towards it.

She was too late. The little Jiao Ren was trapped in a large fishing net, struggling frantically.

“!” The mother bit and clawed at the net, trying to tear it open.

Her claws, usually capable of tearing through rock, couldn’t leave a single scratch on the net.

A fiber optic net, impervious to physical attacks.

“Humans with advanced technology!” The Jiao Ren mother’s face was filled with despair.

The little Jiao Ren was gnawing at the net with its newly formed teeth, its words slurred:

“Mama, save me!”

The net started to rise, pulling the little Jiao Ren upwards, dragging the mother along, closer and closer to the surface.

At this rate, they would both be captured…

A desperate look flashed in the mother’s eyes: “Child, never reveal your abilities, disguise yourself as a mermaid and survive!”

The little Jiao Ren clung to the net, confused: “Mermaid? But Jiao Ren…”

“You’re no longer a Jiao Ren!” The mother roared fiercely. “Retract your hunting form!”

The little Jiao Ren, terrified, transformed into a mermaid, its fingers reaching through the net, tears streaming down its face as it reached for its mother.

The mother held its hand, swimming upwards after the net, tears rolling down her cheeks:

“Remember my words, the Jiao Ren have abandoned you, I’ve abandoned you, live as a mermaid from now on…”

The little mermaid’s hand slipped from its mother’s grasp as it watched her disappear, its cries echoing in the water.

The net was finally pulled from the ocean, and it was grabbed and thrown roughly onto the deck of a ship.

“Oh my god, a blue mermaid, caught in the ocean? How did it survive out here?”

“It’s a Jiao Ren, the radar detected a Jiao Ren’s sonar signal earlier.”

“Doesn’t look like it, it’s clearly a mermaid!”

The little mermaid couldn’t understand the humans’ chattering.

Suppressed by several mental seascapes, it bared its teeth at the strange creatures, wanting to claw at them.

‘You’re no longer a Jiao Ren!’

“Boom!”

Thunder cracked in the sky, and the little mermaid was tossed about by the waves, scratching at the deck.

It had no home…

“Psst—”

“MuMu, it’s okay.”

No, it did have a home!

MuMu, smelling the familiar ocean perfume, opened its eyes.

Its Jiao Ren form shrunk, and it shook its head, its vision clearing.

It looked up and saw unfamiliar faces behind Wen Ming.

“Awoo?” So many guests at home?

MuMu looked around—

The seaweed in the mermaid pool was scattered, the seashell pattern on the padded walls was torn, and the home butler lay upside down on the wet floor…

MuMu’s fins flared, its eyes wide with anger: “Awoo!” Who did this!?