MASG chapter 162: Extra 2

◎ After all, I have a mermaid who can go crazy anytime, anywhere. You’re done for. ◎

 

The boy at the front was someone Xi Ban happened to know, the son of a female engineer. “Hello, Little Nut. Where is your mother?”

The boy called Little Nut answered rather proudly: “Mom is going to the seaside today. She said she wants to design a big bridge.”

“Not a big bridge, it’s just a bridge.” Mo An seized the chance to attack. “You haven’t learned to speak properly yet. Can you stop running around the lab? This place is dangerous; it’s not a place for children.”

Xi Ban softened a little. As a double-tail, he naturally liked taking care of children. “It’s all right. I’ll watch them so they don’t run around. Children are naturally curious about what adults do. You were like this when you were little, too.”

“When I was little… my speech was first-rate. I never used words wrongly,” Mo An could not help saying.

“Yes, yes, yes, because of mermaid language talent. If you made mistakes, I would have to check your IQ carefully, and Meng Qingqing would laugh at you for being the dumbest fish.” Xi Ban picked up Little Nut. “Don’t be discouraged. Your brother Mo An couldn’t speak well either before. When you grow up, you’ll speak well, too.”

Little Nut looked a little depressed. “But Uncle Mo An…”

“Brother.” Mo An corrected him again. “I’m not much older than you. I’m still young—a mermaid in his prime.”

Little Nut pouted and leaned close to Xi Ban’s ear. “Why is Uncle Mo An so fierce?”

Xi Ban didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “He’s not fierce, just serious. Mm… adults are more serious when working. it’s fine.”

“Then is Uncle Mo An really a mermaid?” Little Nut immediately asked again.

“Sorry, I heard that!” Mo An’s face turned sharply as he pressed Little Nut’s head with one hand. “Not only am I a mermaid, but I’m also an adult male siren with sharp teeth and a strong fishtail. My scales can cut through metal and waves with ease, and my tail fin can knock out more than ten children like you in one strike.”

Since he had already revealed so much, Mo An lowered his tear membrane. At that moment, his eyeballs turned black, and he bared his canine teeth. “And I like eating disobedient children, hehe.”

He thought this would scare the little brat, but Little Nut did not shrink his neck. Instead, he stretched out his palm.

Mo An lowered his head to inspect it and asked in surprise, “Are you a mutant species?”

There were very faint spikes on the palm that could retract, turning into smooth, tender skin in the blink of an eye. Little Nut shook his head vaguely. “Mom said I’m not a mutant species.”

“Then what’s going on with you?” Mo An took out his professional equipment and pointed the gene detector at the back of Little Nut’s neck. The detector quickly collected and analyzed epidermal cells. Ten seconds later, it gave an answer.

“Your father is…a parasite human?” Mo An’s inner alarm bells rang louder. Was Xia Yu actually playing with a parasite human’s child?

“I don’t know. Dad looks very nice.” Just as Little Nut finished speaking, Mo An heard a crisp, childish voice behind him. It sounded like crystals rolling noisily across ice.

“Oh, you know each other, too?” Xia Yu had just finished the examination. He raised his little face and held the still-warm medical report in his hand. “Little Nut, why did you come?”

The moment the children saw Xia Yu, they rushed over again. They had just been scared off by Mo An, but now they were chirping noisily around Xia Yu without stopping. Xia Yu could only say patiently: “Alright, alright. Today, I’ll take you out to broaden your horizons. Everyone, quiet down.”

The group of little boys clearly already treated Xia Yu as their child king. The moment he spoke, they stood up straight, waiting to hold hands and play. Mo An seized the opportunity and picked Xia Yu up. Although he knew his jealousy was excessive, he couldn’t help saying, “When did you get to know them? Why didn’t I know?”

“During the days you went to work, idiot.” Xia Yu tugged Mo An’s ear with his little hand. “They’re all very cute.”

“They!” Mo An became emotional but feared hurting their self-esteem. He carried Xia Yu aside to speak. “Are they… not human?”

Xia Yu swung his legs subconsciously, kicking Mo An’s uniform with his little shoes again and again. “Yes, two are descendants of a mutant species. The rest are descendants of humans and parasite humans.”

“You’ve gone crazy. They’re unstable.” Mo An had many doubts about this. “And parasite humans? How could they possibly…”

“Shh! Lower your voice. They’re pitiful enough already. Don’t reject them.” Xia Yu made a shushing sound. “Some parasite humans look completely normal, and their parasite hosts are gentle. They don’t cause any trouble. As for some mutant species… it’s probably similar to mermaids, leaving mixed-blood children behind. They can’t blend in with purely natural human children, so in the base, they’re considered a strange species. When I’m a little older, I’ll talk to Nuwa and Jingwei about setting up a school and a supervisory institution for mixed-blood children.”

“This is dangerous. Most mutant species tend toward stability, but we know too little about parasite humans.” Mo An pointed at his chest. “Do you see it?”

Xia Yu looked confused. “See what?”

“My heart.” Mo An deliberately emphasized the location of his heart. “It’s already full of holes. You cannot be in danger anymore; otherwise, my heart will shatter for you and become the grandest bubble annihilation in the ocean!”

“Stop, it’s too cheesy.” Xia Yu covered Mo An’s mouth. He still needed time to accept the idea of a mermaid romance. At that moment, Little Nut hurried over to find Mo An and walked beside him, carefully tugging at Xia Yu’s leg. “Brother Xia Yu, let’s join the activity!”

Mo An quickly took the chance to complain. “I don’t like him. He calls you ‘brother,’ but calls me ‘uncle.’ I suspect he’s doing it on purpose. Hmph! Just wait until he grows up—he’ll definitely cling to you!”

“You… what exactly are you thinking about in your head? Not every child in the world is like you.” Xia Yu twisted and struggled in Mo An’s arms until he finally jumped out of his younger brother’s embrace. He patted his knees and looked at Little Nut as if he were looking at the young Mo An. His heart could not help but soften. Someone in this world had to take care of them.

“Let’s go play in the activity area outside.” As soon as Xia Yu called out, everyone responded. The little boys followed him immediately.

Mo An and Xi Ban followed behind them. Neither spoke for a while until Xi Ban suddenly laughed. “Xia Yu really has an affinity with children.”

“Affinity with children? All I see is ten years later, a group of bratty boys surrounding him.” Mo An had already foreseen that day arriving.

The activity area was not in the middle-layer building. The building they currently lived in had completely become a workplace, so entertainment equipment was rare. Therefore, Mo An and Xi Ban took responsibility for driving a full aircraft of children to a building near B Port. The building had not yet installed neon lights, so at first glance, it looked plain.

However, there were many people, especially in the square.

“What is happening here?” Mo An asked, bending down.

“I heard there’s a spicy-eating competition here. Do you know what that is?” Xia Yu didn’t know either. “Little Nut and the others saw it on the big screen and insisted on coming.”

“Eating spicy food? Does that need a competition?” Xi Ban was equally confused. “Oh, I know. A very long time ago, humans had an activity called ‘Big Eater King,’ probably to see who could eat the most.”

“I think…probably not.” Mo An relied on his height advantage and looked toward the activity area. “It should be to see who can handle the highest spice level. Why would humans hold such a dangerous activity? Eating spicy food is dangerous. We mermaids cannot digest chili peppers.”

Dangerous? Xia Yu could not really understand; he only felt that it was fresh and interesting. Things in the new century changed endlessly. If you stopped trying to understand them, you would be left behind and become outdated. “This is a good thing. That day, Nuwa told me that humans only think about other things after their survival needs are met, and entertainment is one of those ‘other things.’”

“Xia Yu, Xia Yu! Let’s join the competition!” Little Nut appeared again, this time circling directly in front of Mo An. “Uncle Mo An, can you put Xia Yu down? We agreed to play together…”

“What if I say no?” For the first time, Mo An felt like the world’s greatest villain, but he still put Xia Yu down. “Where are you planning to go?”

“There!” Little Nut pointed to the front. “I’ve never been afraid of spicy food since I was little. The spicier, the better. I’ll definitely win the special prize!”

“Actually, I can handle it because I don’t feel much pain. Spiciness isn’t a taste; it’s a kind of pain, and this kind of pain is nothing to me.” Xia Yu was eager to try as well; after all, he had never experienced a colorful childhood.

According to Mo An’s thinking, an activity like this should be avoided if possible—there were too many people from all directions, and there was no guarantee about what went into the mouth. However, when Xia Yu looked at him with clear, expectant eyes, his willpower was put to the test.

He simply could not resist Xia Yu’s pleading gaze!

“Alright, I’ll take you to register, but only one round.” Mo An couldn’t help but soften his tone. It was time for Xia Yu to experience some childhood fun. Yet, things always went against wishes. A thick fog appeared before Mo An’s eyes, and white smoke mixed with screams, activating his red right eye.

The Black Siren’s prophetic ability awakened as well, allowing him to clearly see the next crisis.

“What’s wrong? Mo An? Mo An?” Xi Ban patted him on the back. “What did you see?”

“Explosion…fire! Quickly, Nuwa, notify the nearby security personnel!” Mo An covered his brow bone in pain. “Around here, there is—”

Boom! Before he could finish, the upper floors of the entire building burst into flames. Peace turned into a sea of fire and terror—exactly the scene Mo An had just witnessed! People all around screamed and fled. In an instant, they were scattered by the crowd. Mo An saw firefighting drones flying in from the sky for support. Just as he prepared to look for Xia Yu, a round object flew out of the spicy-eating competition venue and stopped directly above them.

Red and yellow smoke spread over the entire area. Mo An’s pupils widened suddenly—this was a tear gas bomb made from chili powder! It was extremely lethal to mermaids!

“Where is Xia Yu? Xia Yu!” Xi Ban lowered his head, enduring the severe pain from the chili powder, and started searching for the children. However, Xia Yu and Little Nut were missing. “Little Nut! Where are you?”

Xia Yu and Little Nut were not far away, but they didn’t have a chance to respond. Before losing consciousness, Xia Yu saw an adult man pick him up and quickly flee outside. He gave a bitter smile. He didn’t know what these people were doing, but he knew that no matter who took him away, the ending would be miserable.

After all, he had a mermaid who could go crazy anytime, anywhere. You’re done for.

Right after that thought, Xia Yu completely fainted.

 

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[Author’s Note]

Xia Yu smiled without speaking.

Mo An: Going crazy! Completely crazy!