Chapter 72
The investor rubbed his ears, the masked streamer’s demonic singing finally fading. He quickly changed the subject, raising his glass: “Streamer, I’m sure you’ve heard of me, won’t you join me for a drink?”
MuMu leaned back, avoiding the smell of alcohol: “I don’t drink.”
“It’s not me offering you a drink, it’s you… never mind.” The investor forced the glass into MuMu’s hand. “Just take it as a toast from me, give me some face?”
MuMu frowned. Observing how humans flirt is less effective than watching dramas.
“Fine.” As their glasses clinked, MuMu’s nails glinted.
The investor’s glass cleanly broke in two, spilling wine all over him.
“Damn it!” He jumped up, throwing the broken glass aside.
MuMu suppressed a smirk: “Oops, you’re so unlucky, you got a faulty glass.”
The investor wiped his clothes, cursing under his breath.
MuMu waved its hand dismissively: “Go change, I’m not saving your seat.”
“Are you suggesting something?” The investor raised an eyebrow suggestively. “How about… you come with me and help me change?”
“You can’t even dress yourself?” I’m better than you, and I’m a mermaid.
The investor, thinking he had a chance, reached for MuMu’s thigh.
“?” MuMu instinctively extended its claws, scratching at him.
The investor’s belt snapped cleanly in two, and his pants slid down.
Laughter erupted around them.
“You!” The investor clutched his pants. “You did that on purpose! Do you even know who I am!?”
In the private box, Wen Ming swirled the liquor in his glass, ice clinking against the crystal. A sharp burst of energy shattered the box’s window, radiating outwards.
【—】
The music in the venue turned into a screech of static. Everyone covered their ears, a wave of terror washing over them. When it subsided, every glass at MuMu’s table, except for MuMu’s, was shattered.
They cautiously sensed the direction of the energy—
The particles swirled around the masked streamer, playful and affectionate, then turned hostile, like a wild beast marking its territory, at any hint of an outside gaze. Such precise control and raw power were unique.
It’s Admiral Wen’s mental seascape!
The investor’s face paled, and he stumbled back: “You… that shipping thread, was it actually true?” Is the masked streamer really under Wen Ming’s protection?
MuMu carefully placed its glass on the table, its voice trembling slightly:
“These glasses are poorly made…”
“Apologies for the disturbance, please move to another table!” Assistant Xu rushed over and escorted MuMu and the others away. He stopped the investor: “Your name has been removed from the guest list.”
“…What?” The investor gestured at his stained clothes and broken belt. “There are cameras at the entrance, how can I leave like this?”
Assistant Xu was unmoved: “Please leave immediately.”
The investor wanted to argue, but the lingering energy in the air, like a tiger’s fangs at his throat, silenced him. He clutched his pants and fled.
MuMu, seeing Assistant Xu, greeted him enthusiastically.
“Hello.” Assistant Xu nodded respectfully. “Let me know if you need anything.”
MuMu’s eyes lit up: “Do you know where Wen Ming is? I sensed his mental seascape!”
“He’s…”
“Ladies and gentlemen, the reception has concluded, the livestream will now begin, I hereby declare the Charity Gala officially open!”
The cameras focused on the stage, and the Wen Corp staff received instructions through their earpieces.
“Apologies, streamer, I’ll take you to him later.” Assistant Xu said. “You’re up next, please prepare for the stage.”
“I’m first?” MuMu’s palms were sweaty, and it wiped them on its pants. “What do I have to do?”
Assistant Xu reassured it: “Don’t worry, it’s something you’re good at.”
The music changed to a somber melody.
The host announced: “Recently, the news of the Mermaid Center’s captive mermaids has caused much speculation. Today, we’ll reveal the truth.”
[A heavy topic, waiting for the exposé.]
[Wen Corp is taking action, building a shelter and revealing the truth.]
[That’s why I only buy Wen Corp products, they prioritize mermaid welfare.]
[The Admiral takes such good care of MuMu, he wouldn’t mistreat other mermaids!]
Professor Yin, in star cuffs, was escorted onto the stage by the Marshal. His face was gaunt, dark circles under his eyes, his mental state clearly unstable, yet he still wore his white lab coat.
The audience gasped and murmured.
[What’s going on?]
[Those here can sense it, his mental seascape is damaged.]
[So tragic, a damaged mental seascape is constant torture, no wonder he looks so awful.]
The Marshal took the microphone: “This is Professor Yin, former head of the Mermaid Center. The Center held nearly a hundred mermaids captive, what did you do to them?”
“Captive?” Professor Yin chuckled. “Incorrect wording, I rescued those mermaids, each one has an adoption record.”
The Marshal had heard this excuse countless times:
“I checked the records, you fabricated identities, repeatedly adopting mermaids, and they were all found injured.”
“They were already injured when I rescued them,” Professor Yin insisted.
The Marshal rolled her eyes inwardly.
She had tried to find witnesses, but Professor Yin’s control was tight, most of the lab staff were unaware of the “Jiao Ren” situation, and those who knew were tight-lipped.
So she and Wen Ming had organized this charity gala.
If they couldn’t find human witnesses, they would use mermaid witnesses!
The Marshal gestured, and the host brought out a mermaid cage.
“This is one of the rescued mermaids. After treatment at the temporary shelter, it has recovered and is in a stable mental state.”
The Marshal held up a finger: “Please be quiet, don’t scare it.”
[Shh—]
[I heard they’re extremely timid, even checking their surroundings before eating, any sudden movement can trigger them.]
[That severe? I don’t believe Professor Yin was just “rescuing” them!]
[I work at the Mermaid Center’s medical department, Professor Yin is always gentle and polite, remembers everyone’s names, always thanking us for our hard work, very kind to the mermaids too.]
[No evidence, difficult to judge…]
The Marshal lifted the cage’s cover. The mermaid inside peeked out, its eyes wary.
The Marshal stepped back, showing her empty hands. The mermaid relaxed slightly, observing its surroundings—
“Awoo!!!”
Upon seeing Professor Yin’s white coat, it shrieked, its face contorted in terror.
The Marshal offered it a snack: “Don’t be afraid, no one will hurt you…”
“Awoo!” The mermaid thrashed its tail frantically, leaping out of the cage in the opposite direction of Professor Yin.
[Its reaction says it all. /Smile/]
[Mermaids aren’t good at acting, it’s genuinely terrified of Professor Yin.]
[Could be reacting to the lights or something else.]
Before the Marshal could catch it, a figure rushed forward, cushioning its fall.
The Marshal gasped: “Streamer, are you alright?”
MuMu, holding the mermaid, stood up, its microphone picking up its voice: “I’m fine, I practice diving catches regularly.”
[Diving catches? He’s not just an athlete, he’s a stuntman too.]
[Managed to catch the mermaid without his mask falling off… I’m not disappointed at all!]
[That outfit is worth a fortune, and he’s sliding on the floor with it, doesn’t he care?]
[He’s so kind to mermaids, and the masked streamer doesn’t care about money anyway.]
MuMu, oblivious to the value of its outfit, placed the mermaid back in the water and brushed off the dirt. The mermaid sniffed at MuMu and clung to its arm, whimpering.
“It’s okay, I’m here.” MuMu hugged it reassuringly.
The tag on the mermaid’s ear brushed against MuMu’s ear stud – a silent acknowledgment between Number 51 and Number 55.
[Such a heartwarming scene. /Tearing up/]
[The mermaid that was so agitated just now is now clinging to the masked streamer.]
[My mermaid always looks up when it hears the little streamer’s voice.]
[He has an innate affinity with mermaids!]
[Even the best translators can’t perfectly convey every nuance, but the masked streamer perfectly captures their emotions!]
The Marshal stood between the mermaid and Professor Yin, her mental seascape focused on him.
“Streamer, your next words will be recorded as testimony, please translate truthfully.”
“I swear to tell the truth!”
MuMu glared at Professor Yin with the same hatred as Number 51.
“The mermaid says the person in the white coat abused it and the other mermaids, didn’t give them enough food, and often electrocuted their tails…”
MuMu, omitting the lab experiments, recounted their suffering.
[I’m furious! Mermaids are essential to us, treating them with kindness is common sense!]
[So Professor Yin’s gentle demeanor was all an act, he abused mermaids, unforgivable!]
[If he doesn’t get what he deserves, StarNet will riot. @Interstellar Court]
“Clang!”
Professor Yin’s star cuffs rattled as he shouted at the camera: “Don’t be misled, everything I did was for humanity! Only…”
The Marshal suppressed him with her mental seascape, whispering, just loud enough for him to hear:
“‘Lab,’ ‘Jiao Ren,’ those are classified military secrets, reveal anything, and I’ll execute you on the spot.”
Professor Yin, his damaged mental seascape screaming in pain, his face contorted, muttered:
“It was all for humanity, for humanity…”
“Shut up,” the Marshal interrupted coldly. “You were researching Jiao Ren because you coveted their power, don’t make excuses, it was pure greed.”
Professor Yin glared at her, speechless.
The Marshal pushed him: “Move!” She didn’t take him backstage, but forced him to walk through the crowd.
“Splash!”
Someone threw wine at him, then others started throwing food, their anger palpable. In just a few steps, Professor Yin’s white coat was stained with food scraps and sauce, a disgusting mess.
Professor Yin’s eyes glazed over. He had clung to life when his mental seascape was crushed, he had wanted to live when exposed for his abuse, but now, covered in garbage, surrounded by accusing fingers, his pristine white coat and reputation ruined,
“Just kill me now,” he whispered, defeated.
The Marshal pushed him again: “Keep moving, I’ll drag your corpse if I have to.”
The mermaids traumatized by your lab, the Jiao Ren living in fear, they’re all waiting for your confession.
“Awoo?”
Number 51, clutching MuMu’s clothes in the cage, listened to the commotion, bewildered.
“It’s okay.” MuMu removed its microphone, its gaze reassuring. “Our species will finally have peace and freedom.”
“Awoo!”
“Yes, finally!”
A gentle rain began to fall, as if celebrating with them.
The staff quickly cleaned the venue, and the fundraising began. Guests wrote messages of support on envelopes containing their donations.
“Eat well, get better, I’ll come visit…”
MuMu paused, tapping its ear stud: “Little Butler, how do you write ‘play’? And ‘game’? Tell me both.”
It had a substantial balance in its account. Most of it went into the donation envelope, the rest…
“Can I have another envelope?”
MuMu placed the remaining star coins in the second envelope and wrote, using its limited vocabulary:
“Have a good meal today.”
Wen Ming opened his optical brain, checking a new message.
Dai Rong: The medicine only alleviates mating season symptoms, it doesn’t completely suppress them. Monitor MuMu closely. Prolonged time out of water, followed by sudden submersion, can negate the effects, although this is rare.
Wen Ming’s brow twitched. He looked outside—
A gentle rain was falling.
