Chapter 46
Outside the villa, a large airship’s cargo bay doors were wide open.
Guards lined the sides, watching the villa’s entrance with high alert.
Their mission was a Class S emergency.
The species they were escorting was incredibly destructive, capable of demolishing a mermaid room in seconds.
One guard said gravely: “A Class S species… the last time we had one of those was that cloaked Zerg.”
“I heard this one is humanoid, not as terrifying in appearance,” the guard beside him offered comfort.
“But a Class S mission just for its destructive power… easy on the eyes, deadly to life!”
They exchanged glances, seeing the same resolve in each other’s eyes: prepared to die.
Guard A: “We have to survive this!”
Guard B: “You too!”
A bond of camaraderie formed between them. One gripped the net launcher, the other a shield, forming a small attack and defense unit.
Ready to fight to the death against the “destructive species”!
“Beep!”
The villa door slowly opened.
“Gulp.” The guards swallowed hard, staring intently at the opening—
“Awoo!” That startled me, so many people!
“Gasp!” The guards jumped back in alarm.
Their hearts pounding, they finally calmed down and observed the mysterious species:
It looked like an ordinary mermaid, except exceptionally beautiful.
Its hair was styled impeccably, a diamond ear stud adorned one ear, a seashell necklace graced its neck, and a small, embroidered blanket was draped over its shoulders…
If one ignored the tail, the guards would have mistaken it for an interstellar celebrity.
The “special species,” however, didn’t have a celebrity’s demeanor. It looked around with wide, curious eyes, like it was seeing everything for the first time.
Guard A: “Where’s our Class S target?”
Guard B: “It’s definitely not that adorable little mermaid.”
The little mermaid, a waterproof bag slung across its shoulder, clutched the bag tightly and drove its scooter towards the airship.
Guard A: “It looks like a little kid going on a field trip.”
Guard B: “So cute and smart, it can even drive its own mermaid cage!”
The scooter stopped at their feet.
The little mermaid tilted its head, examining the shield in the guard’s hand from all angles:
“Awoo?” What’s that?
Guard A eagerly answered: “It’s a protective shield!”
Guard B, not to be outdone: “A defensive weapon!”
The little mermaid’s eyes lit up, and it raised a claw tentatively:
“Woo?” Can I touch it?
Guard A & B: So polite!
“You can try, but the refined starsteel is quite cold, be careful.”
MuMu touched the shield, examining it carefully:
Stronger than Little Butler’s mechanical arms, my claws can’t scratch through this in one swipe.
At least two swipes.
“MuMu?”
The Marshal stepped out of the airship, surprised: “So many things?”
Aren’t Jiao Ren supposed to be creatures of nature?
“Awoo.” Master said they’re essential, I’ve already minimized it to just this small bag.
MuMu looked anxious: “Woo?” Can’t I even bring this little bit?
The guards immediately straightened up, gripping their shields as if ready to defend the little mermaid from any criticism.
“?” The Marshal looked at the guards, puzzled.
… Why are they pointing their shields at me?
“As long as you haven’t brought anything that could pollute the natural environment.”
“Awoo!” I won’t pollute the ocean!
The Marshal scanned its small bag: “Okay, you’re good to go.”
MuMu pumped its fist in celebration, sharing its joy with the guards: “Awoo!” I passed security!
Guard A: “That’s great!”
Guard B: “I knew you could do it!”
Marshal: ???
What exactly is their mission?
“Get on the airship.” The Marshal stepped aside and extended a hand to MuMu. “There’s a pool inside, shall I carry you?”
MuMu clung to the scooter: “Woo.” But I want to stay in my little car…
It was its first time traveling, and being in a different pool made it feel uneasy.
The Marshal, unable to refuse, rolled up her sleeves: “Then we’ll bring the scooter too…”
Before she could finish, the net launchers and shields clattered to the floor as several guards surrounded the scooter, their voices full of enthusiasm:
“Marshal, there’s no need for you to do it yourself, we’ll handle it!”
The Marshal’s lips twitched: “You just want to be closer to it, don’t you?”
The well-trained guards lifted the scooter with practiced ease, carrying it onto the airship without spilling a single drop of water.
“Awoo!” Thank you!
“You’re welcome!”
The Marshal pressed the button to close the cargo bay doors and nodded to the guards:
“Phase one complete, good work. Next, escort it to Ocean Star.”
Guards: …When did the mission even start?
…
As the doors slowly closed, MuMu looked back, watching the outside world shrink through the gap.
Is this how Master feels every day when he leaves for work?
The airship leaving home, and the little mermaid waiting inside.
Now their roles were reversed, MuMu on the airship, Wen Ming staying behind to wait.
‘MuMu, I could go with you, wait for you on Ocean Star.’
MuMu clutched the seashell pendant against its chest, shaking its head at the closing doors, just as it had done to Wen Ming earlier:
“Whoo.” If you wait on the shore, I won’t be able to explore the deep ocean with peace of mind.
“Thud!”
The doors closed, and MuMu was taken to a separate compartment with a pool, the surroundings quiet and spacious…
“That little mermaid is the special species?”
“Really? Why is it a Class S mission? It’s completely harmless and adorable!”
The guards chatted amongst themselves, puzzled, as they entered the monitoring room.
The airship took off, and the virtual screens before them lit up, displaying the enclosed compartment.
“Gasp!”
A large face, filling the screen, startled them.
“It knows we’re watching?” Guard A tensed. “Do special species have innate anti-surveillance abilities?”
The little mermaid examined the camera from all angles, poking at the lens with its finger.
Guard B: “It seems to just be curious about the camera.”
“Why isn’t it in the pool? That little car it’s in is so small, like a modified mermaid cage.”
“So cute, my nephew has a similar toy car, with a slow speed limit, like a little bus.”
As they spoke, the little mermaid lost interest in the camera and turned to look at another one.
Just as its claws gripped the scooter’s joystick, the “little bus” zoomed off.
Only a blur remained on the screen, and another camera feed quickly showed a close-up of its face…
The guards leaned back: “So fast!”
The compartment, designed for transporting special species, was like a flying prison cell, with only a pool, surveillance cameras, and ventilation.
The initially excited little mermaid quickly became bored, slumping against the scooter and patting its belly, seemingly hungry.
“That’s outrageous! How can they design such a spartan compartment!?” The guards were indignant. “Not even providing food for the little guy, terrible conditions!”
They searched the airship, trying to find some fish food.
Then they saw the little mermaid pulling snacks from its bag.
“Holy crap, mermaids eat food as soon as they see it, and it actually stores food? And can open packages? It even brought a trash bag!?”
The guards, stunned, didn’t know what to be more surprised about.
The little bag the mermaid was carrying seemed small but had an incredible capacity, a veritable treasure chest.
It pulled out several pouches of fish, nutritional supplements, cleaning treats, chew sticks… Finally satisfied, it took out a tangram puzzle to pass the time.
The guards’ expressions gradually shifted from surprise to numbness:
“A tangram… I can’t even solve that puzzle.”
“Don’t remind me, not only are we inferior to our superiors and juniors, now we’re even inferior to a mermaid.”
“I don’t think we need to worry about it, it has everything it needs, living the good life, just a little lonely.”
“Can’t do anything about the loneliness, should we send someone to keep it company? Haha…”
“Awoo?” Why won’t this piece fit?
MuMu tried to force the last tangram piece into the frame.
“MuMu, don’t worry.”
The diamond on its ear stud glinted, and Wen Ming’s voice echoed through the bone conduction: “Look at the bottom left corner, try rearranging the pieces to create more space.”
“!”
MuMu’s eyes lit up, rearranged the pieces, and successfully fit the last one.
“Awoo, awoo.” Master is the smartest human in the interstellar world!
“MuMu is smart, quick to learn,” Wen Ming said gently.
MuMu twitched its ears: “Hmph.”
You’re the smartest, no arguing! Only you could think of attaching Little Butler’s chip to a diamond.
“Beep beep!” The home butler’s electronic voice echoed in MuMu’s ear. “Warp jump detected, communication signal will be unstable, disconnect?”
MuMu packed its things, whimpering reluctantly.
As the airship jolted, Wen Ming’s voice became slightly distorted: “Go to sleep if you’re tired, MuMu.”
MuMu clung to the scooter: “Woo?”
“Yes, I won’t disconnect, I’ll stay with you.”
MuMu relaxed, soothed by Wen Ming’s presence despite the turbulence.
It wrapped itself in the small blanket, clutched the seashell pendant, listened to Wen Ming’s breathing in its ear, and drifted off to sleep…
In its dream, it saw its mother.
Its mother embraced it, expressing her longing, urging it to return to their clan, promising never to be separated again.
MuMu shook its head: ‘There’s a very important human waiting for me to come back.’
‘But the ocean is a Jiao Ren’s home.’
The Jiao Ren mother pleaded: ‘You’ve just been living with humans for too long, you’ve gotten used to it, stay in the ocean for a while, and you won’t want to go back!’
MuMu hugged its mother: ‘I’m sorry, my home isn’t the ocean anymore.’
…
It was awakened by the smell of the ocean.
Ocean Star was mostly covered by water, and the moment the airship finished its warp jump, the strong scent of the sea filled the compartment.
A sense of familiarity surged through MuMu, its instincts triggered, its mind buzzing with excitement.
Jiao Ren could adapt to various water environments, seawater, freshwater, even human-filtered tap water, but only the ocean of Ocean Star could invigorate every cell in its body.
“Awoo—” We’re here!
A small door opened at the bottom of the compartment.
A gust of sea breeze rushed in, and MuMu instinctively transformed into its hunting form, the membrane protecting its eyes.
“Roar!” This is my home, isn’t it beautiful!
MuMu jumped out of the scooter and proudly showed the view to Wen Ming.
After waiting for a long time without a response, MuMu patted its ear:
“Whoo.” Little Butler, I want to talk to Master!
“Beep beep, signal error! Jamming signal detected, unable to connect to StarNet, unable to make calls.”
“?”
The airship descended, nearing the ocean’s surface, and jolted violently, throwing MuMu out of the small door.
As it fell towards the ocean, MuMu roared angrily:
“Roar—” Who’s sending that jamming signal!?
“Splash!” The impact with the water’s surface brought the blue Jiao Ren back to its senses.
“Woo.” I’m such an idiot!
MuMu floated on the surface, playing dead: I forgot that Jiao Ren constantly emit a jamming signal on Ocean Star.
How am I supposed to contact Master now!?
Love how the guards got won over so easily 🤭 Thank you for the chapter!