Chapter 51
Wen Ming’s mental seascape had once been on the verge of collapse. Since then, his mech had remained dormant beneath his villa.
Today, however, a faint energy glow emanated from its metallic body.
“Warning! Your mental seascape is severely damaged, unable to support mech operation.”
Wen Ming forced his mental seascape energy to surge, flooding the mech’s systems.
“Even if it drains my mental seascape completely, it will operate.” Wen Ming’s consciousness merged with the mech.
“Beep!”
A dull rumble echoed from beneath the high-security residential area.
A streamlined, metallic figure shot into the sky, tearing through space.
“Beep, warping to Ocean Star.”
The surrounding space seemed to tear apart, a dizzying sensation of weightlessness.
Wen Ming felt like he was being torn apart too.
One half of him, the gentle gentleman, worried about MuMu, desperately asking if its heart belonged to the ocean or to him;
The other half, consumed by a dark possessiveness, just wanted to lock MuMu away where he could always see it.
“Beep! Warp jump complete.”
As the endless expanse of the ocean stretched before him, his conflicting desires merged into one—
He just wanted to see MuMu.
His optical brain repeatedly tried to contact the home butler, but each attempt resulted in “Connection failed.”
He could only fly towards the last known coordinates.
A red alert flashed on his optical brain: “Warning! Mental seascape abnormality detected, cease all energy-intensive activities!”
His overworked mental seascape screamed in protest, but Wen Ming was numb to the pain, his vision blurring, a hazy image of MuMu at the center of swirling lights.
The center…
Wen Ming abruptly stopped the mech, looking down at the ocean.
A ship, surrounded by countless fish swimming in a strangely organized pattern, was at the center of it all.
Wen Ming’s pupils constricted, his vision finally focusing.
The mech dove downwards…
“Streamer, how much longer do we have to endure this?”
Scarface’s face was contorted: “If it keeps yelling, my ears will explode!”
MuMu glanced up and signaled its mother to stop:
“That’s enough.”
“Thank goodness!” Scarface rubbed his ears, then noticed something and looked up, puzzled. “?”
“Splash!”
MuMu, seeing the light rapidly approaching, jumped into the water tank.
It instantly transformed into its mermaid form, its pants ripping from the force of its tail. It tore off its shirt and the seaweed from its face.
Its mother, seeing its face, thrashed in the net, her voice choked with emotion: “My child!”
“Mama, wait a moment!” MuMu’s claws tore at the net where it was tied, damaging the tank and freeing its mother.
“Alert! Hull breach!”
Scarface, hearing the alarm, rushed to the tank furiously: “What are you doing!?”
“Oh no, that human is going to use his mental seascape.”
MuMu’s mother shielded it with her body: “Escape! I’ll hold them off!”
“It’s okay,” MuMu reassured her. “I called someone to handle them.”
“Crash!”
Like a meteor strike, something slammed onto the deck, shaking the entire ship violently.
The fish, startled by the impact, scattered.
Even more shocking than the sound was the surge of energy emanating from the impact site.
The energy particles devoured other particles, claiming the territory, leaving no room for resistance.
Everyone on board clutched their heads in pain, overwhelmed by the pressure.
The two mermaids, underwater, were unaffected.
MuMu’s mother peeked above the surface: “Whoo?” Is this the help you called?
“Awoo!” Yes, he said he’d come get me in an airship!
MuMu also surfaced, looking towards the center of the impact—
A sleek, powerful mech, its metallic exoskeleton gleaming coldly.
“Whoa!” What is that!? MuMu looked around, bewildered: Where’s the airship? Where’s Master?
The energy in the air surged, crushing the poachers’ mental seascapes, their cries echoing across the deck.
But those same ruthless energy particles, upon reaching the water tank, became gentle, brushing harmlessly past MuMu like loyal dogs recognizing their master.
“Thump, thump!”
MuMu excitedly slapped the deck with its claws: That thing is Master!
Scarface, sensing the weaker energy pressure near the tank, crawled towards it, gritting his teeth.
MuMu bared its teeth at him: “Growl!” Don’t come any closer!
The mermaid’s low growl was picked up by the person inside the mech.
Jets of gas erupted from the mech’s legs, propelling it forward—
“Stay away from me!”
Scarface’s terrified cry was cut short as the mech swept past, sending him flying into the ocean…
The mech landed, and Wen Ming’s voice echoed from within:
“MuMu?”
“Awoo?” MuMu looked up, its neck aching from the effort. ? What is that?
I can transform, and so can you?
Seeing the little mermaid safe and sound, Wen Ming’s worries eased.
MuMu, seeing a mech for the first time, activated curiosity mode, jumping out of the tank and examining it:
“Woo?” Master, where’s your body heat? Did you turn into a cold-blooded creature after transforming?
MuMu’s mother grabbed its tail: “Growl!” Child, be careful, that’s human technology, it looks dangerous!
The mech’s camera turned towards her, its gaze cold and wary.
MuMu patted the mech, quickly explaining who Wen Ming was to its mother, then jumped back into the tank, their tails side by side:
“Awoo~” Master, look, Mama and I have the same color, right?
The mech’s eyes suddenly softened, and it knelt before the tank:
“Hello, MuMu’s mother, my name is Wen Ming, I currently live with your son.”
MuMu’s mother looked at MuMu questioningly: “?”
MuMu expertly translated: “Boo.” It’s just meaningless human pleasantries.
Seeing MuMu interacting so naturally with another Jiao Ren, Wen Ming relaxed: “MuMu, are you injured? I received an alert from the home butler.”
“Woo.” You’re a little late, my wound has healed.
MuMu pointed at the scab on its arm, reassuring him: “Awoo.” But it’s okay, I’m sure you came as fast as you could!
The mech’s metal hand gently cupped the little mermaid’s arm, examining the wound with almost clumsy care.
MuMu shivered, uncomfortable with the cold metal:
“Growl!” You’re cold, stop touching me!
Wen Ming’s voice, filtered through the mech, sounded metallic: “Who did this?”
“Woo.” I accidentally bumped into a rock.
They conversed in their respective languages, their easy interaction baffling MuMu’s mother.
She nudged MuMu with her tail: “Awoo?” Child, you understand human language, and this human understands Jiao Ren language?
“Awoo!” He doesn’t understand, but he’s very good at guessing! I’ll demonstrate!
MuMu dove into the water, grabbed the fiber net, waved it around, and pointed at the unconscious poachers on the deck:
“Growl, roar!” These people are illegally capturing creatures, our clan is terrified!
Wen Ming understood: “They captured you and hurt you.”
“…”
MuMu gave its mother an awkward smile: “Hee.” He sometimes misunderstands, he’s a bit silly.
“MuMu, you and your mother should catch up.”
The mech turned and surveyed the poachers writhing in pain, its gaze like a predator eyeing its prey:
“Stay away from this ship.”
The menacing tone triggered both Jiao Ren’s hunting forms.
“Roar!”
MuMu echoed the roar and pulled its mother back into the ocean.
Its mother kept looking back at the poaching ship: “Wait, I have to destroy that ship, otherwise they’ll capture more of our kind.”
“Leave it to him, Mama.” MuMu pulled her hand and swam away. “Humans are better at destroying human things.”
“He’ll destroy it? Why?”
“Because he thinks they hurt me.” MuMu said matter-of-factly. “If I saw someone hurt him, I’d tear them apart with my claws!”
Its mother stared at it: “What’s your relationship with him?”
“He works to support me, I secretly livestream to support him, I think it’s called… mutual ‘taking care of each other’!” MuMu struggled to find the right words.
Its mother stopped swimming, her tail curling: “Is that all? Does he see you as a mermaid?”
MuMu looked at her, puzzled: “Yes, he doesn’t know about my livestreams.”
A complex emotion MuMu couldn’t decipher flickered in her eyes: “But don’t you like him?”
“Boom!!!”
A massive explosion rocked the ocean, and MuMu felt like fireworks were going off in its head.
“I…” MuMu steadied itself in the turbulent water. “I heard humans call this kind of liking ‘love,’ how did you know?”
“It’s obvious from the way you look at him.”
They had been separated for so long, but the Jiao Ren mother remembered MuMu’s love for seashells and the joyful look in its eyes when collecting them.
But when MuMu looked at the descending mech, its eyes weren’t just joyful, they were filled with love and anticipation.
MuMu fidgeted with its claws, glancing at its mother:
“Is it okay for me to feel this way? Jiao Ren and humans are different species, and we’re supposed to hate them…”
“Don’t worry, child, you don’t have to carry the burden of our two species’ hatred, live your own life.”
Its mother embraced MuMu, patting its back gently like when it was young:
“I only have one request, wait until you’re equals before revealing your feelings.”
MuMu asked, confused: “Equals?”
“To humans, mermaids are pets, you can’t be in love when the relationship is so unequal.” The Jiao Ren mother touched the strap of MuMu’s bag. “You can transform into a human, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then go to human society, gain equal standing with him, and meet him again, as a human.”
Master and MuMu.
Wen Ming and the masked streamer.
MuMu thought for a long time, then asked, confused: “What’s the difference?”
Its mother didn’t explain, nuzzling against MuMu affectionately:
“My child is so capable, you can do it.”
Tears welled up in MuMu’s eyes, a sudden wave of sadness:
“Mama, human society is so complicated, I don’t know how to use anything, I’m always scared when I leave the house, and I miss you so much…”
Its mother listened patiently, responding to every word.
The water above them parted as the mech’s jets pushed it aside.
Wen Ming’s energy particles, just like during his previous episodes, were scattered and chaotic.
MuMu looked up worriedly.
“Go,” its mother said, gently pushing it upwards. “He’s here for you.”
MuMu swam a short distance, then turned back, seeing its mother still there.
“Mama, I’ll come back to Ocean Star and visit you again.”
“Okay.”
“We’ll have that fish-calling competition then!”
“…Okay!”
The little blue Jiao Ren leaped from the ocean and was caught by the mech.
“MuMu, shall we go home?”
MuMu hugged Wen Ming and nodded, no longer the lost little Jiao Ren it had been when taken from the ocean.
“Whoo.” I want to go home with you.
MuMu hummed softly: Not just as a mermaid…
What a wise and supportive mama… <3 I hope we get to see her again soon! Thank you for the update~