MASG chapter 168: Extra 8

◎ “Ah?” Mo An completely let go of his hand. “Why are you copying the way I talk, too? Is something wrong with you?” ◎

 

The mood Xia Yu had just relaxed tightened once again: “Dou Dou… this is someone specially invited by our Qingyao City… come here first.”

“Hmph.” Mi Dou was still unsatisfied after that punch. Seeing Boden’s mocking expression, he knew he wasn’t hurt, so he lowered his head and charged again.

With a bang and a muffled sound, Mi Dou’s eyes were full of stars; he was almost knocked dizzy. Meanwhile, Boden did not move at all. The two impacts had not even scraped his skin.

Xia Yu did not understand Dou Dou’s useless attack, so he tried to stabilize the situation first. “Sorry, Dou Dou originally meant… to welcome you. This is our special welcoming ritual. We’ve always been like this since childhood. It’s a habit.”

“That truly is special. I’m very surprised and satisfied. I hope there will be more opportunities for deeper exchanges afterward. I’m very much looking forward to it.” Boden said with a smile, his golden eyes like honey. Mi Dou rubbed his head, cursing Boden in his heart. Clearly, he was not a bad person, yet he insisted on pretending to be a villain to scare him.

Next came the part of showing Boden around the laboratory. As the head of security, Xiang Xing controlled every detail, leading everyone through several advanced laboratories. When there were fewer people, Mo An walked behind Xia Yu. Before speaking, he turned back to look at Lao Gui.

Lao Gui made a V-sign with his fingers: Bro, go for it!

Fine then, male sirens never admit defeat. Mo An took advantage of others not noticing and grabbed Xia Yu’s left hand. The moment their hands touched, Xia Yu turned around.

“Still angry?” Mo An asked, his tone carrying a hint of coquetry as he lightly scratched his palm.

Xia Yu was still a bit jealous, probably the first time in his life he had felt jealousy, so he was processing it rather slowly. “Don’t cause trouble here. We’ll talk when we get back.”

“Okay, we’ll talk when we get back. I’ll listen to everything you say.” Mo An’s throat was filled with sweet words, but he could only follow Xia Yu to take care of business first.

At night, Xia Xiaoxiao and Yan Xia returned from the airfield. Professor Wang Qin hosted a rich dinner for Boden, paid for by the laboratory. The restaurant was located on the top floor of a mid-rise building, and the weather was perfect tonight, with a bright moon hanging high in the sky.

Standing beside the dining table, Xia Yu only had to raise his head to see the lighthouse of A Port. Although the lighthouse’s radial beams could not fully shine here, their highly penetrating glow still signaled that their companion had not yet awakened.

Boden swirled a wine glass, though it contained honey water. “Mo An, can you tell me about that heroic friend of yours?”

Mo An glanced at him sideways and did not answer immediately.

“I heard a mermaid’s field of vision is wider than a human’s. You should be able to see my whole body right now, shouldn’t you?” Boden took a step back, as if conducting an experiment.

Mo An remained silent. A mermaid’s eyes were far more useful than human eyes. Even near the edge of his peripheral vision there was no blur, and Boden’s whole outline remained clear.

“Are you angry with me? Because I frightened your little friend?” Boden drank a mouthful of honey water. “Haha, you are all really too interesting. It’s hard to imagine that the world was actually saved by a group of kids like you. If you had met me earlier, I could have provided a lot of help.”

“At that time… there wasn’t enough time.” Mo An was still angry with him and sighed once. “Everything was rushed. We were pulled into it in an instant. I did think about seeking outside help, but communication with the outside world just wasn’t smooth then. Talos and his mother, Jennifer, are both gargoyles. Their energy comes from the Earth’s core. Do you understand?”

Boden gestured for him to continue.

“As long as they are on land, their energy can resonate with the Earth’s core and link with the mantle. Nuwa said that, scientifically speaking, this is also a kind of bioelectric current. But once their energy is exhausted, they turn to stone, but they are not dead.” Mo An pointed toward A Port. “Talos is still there. Jennifer is still beneath Power Plant No. 3.”

“Sounds very challenging, I’m willing to try. If we can provide enough core energy and convert it into a bioelectric current using special equipment, they may be able to awaken.” Boden proposed his own idea and then asked, “What about the one called Dou Dou…”

“Only we can call him Doudou, you have to use his full name.” Mo An felt like he was about to explode with anger.

But in Boden’s eyes, this vigilance was merely childish rebellion. “Was he sick before?”

Mo An turned back to look—Mi Dou was sprinkling chili powder into Boden’s other wine glass.

“Yes, it was caused by Ling Shi. Dou Dou is someone who died once before. After he recovered, he developed symptoms of slow growth and development. He’s about the same height as a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old Bear Clan, but he’s stronger. Don’t get any ideas about him.” Mo An warned him again.

Boden smiled and drank the honey water in one go, shifting the topic to Mo An. “You and Xiaoxiao’s younger brother, are you…”

“Why are you calling him so familiarly? Is ‘Xiaoxiao’ something you can call her? ” Mo An thought this person was overly familiar, but he softened again when Xia Yu was mentioned. “You noticed?”

“Your eyeballs are practically stuck on him. But it looks like… there’s a bit of conflict between you two.” Boden enjoyed watching the excitement.

“Come on, that’s just your opinion. Xia Yu and I are a match made by nature; we would never have conflict.” Mo An smiled at Boden, eager for him to drink the red wine with chili powder in it.

Two hours later, Mo An stood outside the door of his and Xia Yu’s room, holding his pillow and knocking innocently. He was like a little homeless tailedfish. “Are you really making me sleep with Dou Dou? What if I can’t sleep?”

“If you can’t sleep, watch the electronic dancers. They’ll help you sleep. They even call you Master.” Xia Yu’s voice came through the crack in the door, carrying a subtle smile. Stinky little fish, daring to look at others behind my back—this must be used as a chance to press the issue.

Mo An could only find Mi Dou and press the communication device on the cabin door helplessly.

They slept through the night without incident. The next day, after breakfast, everyone began moving, taking Boden to the harbor at Port A. Xia Xiaoxiao was responsible for piloting the aircraft. She had just gotten her license, but the man sitting beside her, Silver Fang, still unconsciously fastened his seatbelt.

“Little girl, listen to me.” Silver Fang said seriously. “When you take off, don’t go too fast. This isn’t a competitive sport. Let’s rise steadily first, then…”

Vroom—

The sound of ignition roared past his ears. Silver Fang’s feet briefly left the floor; his body was already moving forward, but his soul was still lagging behind.

“…then start accelerating.” Silver Fang finished his sentence while flying at high speed.

Xia Xiaoxiao switched into manual mode and said proudly: “I’m an outstanding graduate of this class. Yan Xia said my driving skill is flawless. My talent for controlling speed and my spatial sense are innate.”

“All I know is that this is the first time in my life that I’ve felt airsick…” Gripping the handles tightly with both hands, Silver Fang shouted toward his companions behind him, “Is everyone all right? Why isn’t anyone talking?”

Xia Yu, Mo An, Mi Dou, Xi Ban, and Boden were deathly pale as they sat in their seats, having accepted their fate and enduring Xia Xiaoxiao’s wild yet precise piloting skills.

They arrived fifteen minutes earlier than expected. When the aircraft landed smoothly, Xia Yu’s tense heart finally relaxed. “Xiaoxiao, you’re way too crazy…”

Outside the window was the harbor. Under Ling Shi’s rule, the area was always covered with dark clouds, with pale gray dominating everything. The bright light made Xia Yu feel uneasy, and the cries of seagulls reminded him of his virtual experience, as if he were returning to Penghu City. The strange giant ship swayed while docked outside the pier, its waterline clearly showing that something was abnormal about the ship.

Upon hearing of their arrival, dozens of white kittens rushed out in a swarm and stood at the bow, looking down below.

“Are these strange species too?” Boden was greatly shocked.

“Yes, and mechanical ones at that. This ship is too. Inorganic ecological systems are one of the difficulties we are tackling now. There is a living building in Qingyao City, too; however, that building’s danger level is very low.” Xia Yu led him toward the lighthouse. “First, I’ll take you to see Talos. We have a mermaid companion named Meng Qingqing who is now the lighthouse guardian.”

The familiar reef path was covered in a thick layer of moss, clearly unused for a long time. Xia Yu and Xia Xiaoxiao helped Boden and Xi Ban up first while Mo An looked at the endless sea. His thoughts were as restless as the rolling waves.

“What are you thinking about?” Mi Dou pried open Boden’s cup and added salt to the honey water.

“Why add salt? Salt mixed with honey water just becomes a replenishing drink. If you’re going to add something, add something spicy; otherwise, mix in some alcohol.” Mo An joined in on the mischief. “Dou Dou, you’re just too easy to bully.”

“Alcohol? Am I supposed to get Boden drunk? Even if he’s drunk, I still can’t do anything to him. He’s so tall.” Mi Dou was still thinking about getting revenge for yesterday. The two each had their own worries. “How is Xia Yu’s attitude toward you today? Has he already forgiven you?”

“Almost. He loves me so much that he definitely won’t stay angry for long.” As he said this, Mo An took off his shirt.

“What are you doing?” Mi Dou caught his coat.

Then, Mo An took off his long pants. “I’m going into the sea to pick up some small crystals. Tonight, I’ll build a nest and apologize to Xia Yu. Then, I’ll show off my reproductive ability…”

“Ahhh—why are you telling me this? That’s too much!” Mi Dou chased after him and punched him twice. Mo An, who was not wearing pants, ran quite fast and dove fiercely into the sea at the end of the reef path.

The ocean was his world. He took a deep breath of seawater and opened his gills. The tear membrane covered his eyes again. He could not wait to experience a mermaid’s coming-of-age ceremony, but it required some cleverness. For example, he had to coax Xia Yu first.

Talos’s bedroom was unoccupied and perfect for their nest! Mo An swished his tail forward toward the treasure, his ear fins caught every movement in the water.

As a skilled swimmer, he immediately sensed something strange—one of his own kind was following him!

Who? Mo An was not nervous. In the seawater, no fish could catch him—well, except for snake women and Abyssal beasts. He casually swung his tail and swam past a bright coral patch. Suddenly, he turned around, catching the other party off guard.

His pitch-black tail fin stabbed into that mermaid’s abdomen, drawing a drop of blue blood.

“Who are you?” Mo An gripped the fragile throat, revealing his cruel side. Blue blood continued to seep out, but he did not care. He pressed harder and asked threateningly, “Why are you following me? Answer.”

The mermaid he held had not fully grown, but he looked close to adulthood. His bright red eyes glared at Mo An, and sharp horns had just grown from the top of his head.

“I came to kill you!” said the underage black siren.

“Kill me? Are you looking for death?” Mo An never showed mercy to those who wanted to kill him. “I’ll give you one chance to explain, then I’ll kill you.”

The black siren paused. His fishtail paled in comparison to a siren’s, not to mention its elbow fin. But he still refused to yield. “If I kill you, that person can return to the hatching ground. I want him back!”

“Ah?” Mo An loosened his grip slightly. “Who?”

“Xi Ban!” the black siren said hatefully. “Because of you, he wants to go back ashore. You stole my xla!

“Ah?” Mo An completely let go of his hand. “Why are you copying the way I talk, too? Is something wrong with you?”

[Author’s Note]

Mo An: I want to reproduce! Reproduce!

Xi Ban: “This is bad. The little wolf-dog fish has caught up!”