Talos really wanted to throw him down.
“What is that? Tell me,” Mo An asked.
His arms and legs hang down naturally, and he looks no different from a normal child, but Talos has a deep understanding of mermaid habits. He is smarter and crueler than ordinary children, and as long as he is given the opportunity to learn to hunt, he can hunt an adult shark right after hatching.
A shark a few meters long would only be a plaything in his hands. It’s terrifying to think about. Talos didn’t sympathize with him and carried him to the window again so he could clearly see the great changes outside.
“Don’t touch me! You’d better let me go,” Mo An said, turning his face toward Talos with blood still hanging from the corners of his mouth.
“Oh, I’m so scared. I’m afraid you’ll eat me.” Talos got closer instead. “You can already talk well, little boy. What are you pretending to be in front of me?”
“Who’s pretending?” Mo An didn’t take him seriously. He pointed to the mist ahead and asked, “What is that? Leviathan?”
“How many leviathans do you think there are in the world? There are only three in total. If they all came ashore, would you still be alive?” Talos now believed that he truly knew nothing, and that he was a fool for not growing up in a group of mermaids. “The things that come to kill you are hidden in the thick fog. If we don’t deal with them, they could kill all the sailors in the harbor.”
“Really?” Mo An also wanted to figure it out. When he looked at the thick fog again, it seemed heavier.
In the fog, the radar scans and direction gauges of all the ships lost their signals. The lighthouse had just been seen, but in the blink of an eye, nothing could be seen. The coast close at hand also lost its outline, and they seemed to be thrown into the middle of the sea.
“Nuwa, Nuwa?” the captain subconsciously called out to the artificial intelligence. “Abnormality detected! Requesting help!” Help! Mayday, mayday, mayday.”
He had already given the first aid signal, but a strange situation occurred in front of him. They lost their way on the eve of landing. The crew looked for light on the deck, but only fog was within reach. The sea turned black, and they seemed to have entered another world.
“What’s going on? Where’s Nuwa?”
“Didn’t Nuwa say that as long as she believes in the Mechanical Almighty, she will continue to serve? Where did she go?”
“It’s over. We’re dead. This must be Nuwa’s plan. We’re dead!”
“Calm down! Calm down!”
Shouts spread one after another on the deck. The mechanical rebellion had already caused panic, and now an inexplicable phenomenon had occurred. I heard that there is still a situation of “Electronic Corruption,” and the whole world is going to be turned upside down. The sailors are thinking about the worst possibility. They have been at sea for months and haven’t reached land yet. They’ve already heard bad news from the shore. All the rich people arranged for surgery and had to undergo transformation when they got off the ship. Those who had no money were thinking of other ways.
Despair spread across the deck, and no one noticed a huge black shadow passing under the ship without causing a wave.
The sea was as flat as a mirror.
On the lighthouse, Mo An stared at the fog but couldn’t see anything.
“What’s in it?” He turned to Talos and asked.
“Let Meng Qingqing tell you, but she will get rid of that thing first,” Talos snorted. Although they haven’t admitted that this little boy is of the same kind, they are not hesitant to protect him.
All the ships were still at sea, and the men aboard were crying and howling. No one noticed the countless black-scaled tail ridges breaking through the water and forming continuous whirlpools. They only knew to kneel on the deck and pray to the Mechanical Almighty for help. Those “maydays” were finally answered after a few minutes.
The mist dissipated and the winding coastline was exposed again. The light of the lighthouse shone on their faces as if the sun were warming them and leading them home.
Half an hour later, Meng Qingqing went ashore, her clothes wet from the sea. She walked up the steps of the lighthouse one by one. When she reached the top, the two little guys were already asleep. Only Talos and Mo An were awake.
“Is he gone?” Mo An was still being carried, dangling and dangling.
“Gone.” Meng Qingqing opened the cabinet door and chose a robe.
Mo An nodded. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, because we may not be able to accept you.”Meng Qingqing turned around, “You can ask me some questions now, but don’t ask too many, I’m very tired.”
“Alright.” Mo An thought for two seconds. “Why do I heat up? Even when I was in the egg, I could generate heat.”
“Mermaid children can all generate heat. I used to be able to, too. The sea’s temperature is very low. When it gets too cold, the eggs begin to heat up and provide warmth to each other. That ability lasts until two or three years before adulthood,” answered Meng Qingqing.
“It turned out to be like this…” Mo An nodded, “Then why do I generate electricity?”
“Mermaids can generate electricity. It’s our unique ability. We can absorb energy from seawater and convert it into electricity. We can also absorb electrical energy from other machinery. Do you understand?”
Meng Qingqing replied as simply as possible: “As long as you have been in the sea, there will be electricity in your body. As long as you come into contact with machinery, you can absorb and release it.”
“Got it.” Mo An is very smart and understands it easily. “Then… will I always be like this in the future? I can’t paddle well. I can’t swim in a straight line. I always turn my belly. Tell me the truth. Don’t deceive me because I am weak.”
“I don’t know because I haven’t seen an injured mermaid after hatching.” Meng Qingqing really hasn’t seen it before. “Mermaid eggs usually have two outcomes. Either they hatch safely under the protection of the double tails. When the juvenile grows its tear membrane, abdominal fin, and dorsal fin, the tail fin and umbilical cord naturally detach from the egg membrane. Or, the double tails are killed by predators. The parents are slaughtered, and every hatchling dies with no burial. I’ve never seen a wounded one hatch. You’re the first.”
Mo An suddenly stopped speaking. He couldn’t remember what happened to the hatchery on the day he went ashore, but his sisters were probably gone.
The double tails and the parents guarding that area should have also turned into light blue bubbles. He had no family left in the world.
“Okay… then, how old am I now?” He suddenly felt disgusted with humans. He wondered how happy he would be if it weren’t for them. “I just remember… I lived in the institute for several years. Four years? Six years?”
“I don’t know…”
“The hearing of mermaids develops first, probably when the mermaid eggs are one or two years old. If you could hear before coming ashore, then you should be seven or eight years old now? I don’t know either.” Meng Qingqing covered her mouth and yawned gracefully. “Okay, I’m going to bed. You should go to bed early. Early tomorrow morning, we’ll give you another chance.”
“Then what?” Mo An was uneasy for some reason.
“If you are accepted by us, the sisters will take you back to the ocean and take care of you until you become an adult.” After Meng Qingqing finished speaking, she had tears in her eyes and was ready to sleep.
Mo An didn’t say another word. Talos put him back on the ground, and he ran to Xia Yu’s side in two or three steps. The little jellyfish was already asleep. All the wounds he had gnawed out had healed, leaving only blood on the surface. Mo An took his hand again and began to compare it to Xia Yu’s.
Xia Yu’s hands were white, while his own were blue.
Xia Yu’s hands were soft, but his own were hard.
Xia Yu’s hands are not webbed, his own……
He was a genetically modified being, half-human. Mo An was a mermaid. They belonged to different worlds—one on land and one in the deep sea. Mo An burrowed back into Xia Yu’s arms. This time, he didn’t need to provide warmth. The boy’s body was soft and warm—even more comfortable than his egg had been.
No one told him that he would face a dilemma as soon as he hatched — to grow up with the little jellyfish or return to the sea.
Mo An didn’t know, his fish brain couldn’t handle it. If only he could take Xia Yu with him!
The wind blew all night, and Mo An could hardly fall asleep; he was so excited. He left the fish eggs and saw the real world, knowing only that he was happy. He didn’t sense any danger of being hunted. The horizon brightened, the lighthouse light went out, and Mo An dozed off. When he opened his eyes again, only Xia Yu was beside him.
“What about them?” Mo An rubbed his eyes and sat up, his legs had turned into fishtails again.
“They’re already gone,” Xia Yu said, turning around and grabbing his wrist. “Will you leave?”
“Me? Why should I leave?” Mo An didn’t understand what Xia Yu meant. Why did he ask that?
“Oh, then I’ll go first. You have to take care of yourself,” Xia Yu said, waving his hand at him, “Take good care of yourself.”
“Wait! Where are you going? Didn’t you promise Professor Wang Qin that you would take care of me? Don’t you want me anymore? I won’t let you leave!” Mo An tried to grab his hand. In his desperation, his fingertips pierced Xia Yu’s palm. His palms were soft and transparent like a real jellyfish.
“You must take good care of yourself. I’m leaving first. I’m going to save the world,” Xia Yu said with a smile.
“No, don’t! Wait! You have nothing to do with the world. You have to stay with me!” Mo An stretched out his hand, trying to keep Xia Yu by his side forever. But Xia Yu’s smile suddenly turned into a broken bubble, and his body turned into a transparent bubble in front of Mo An. The light came in from the window, and shiny dust covered everything like broken glass.
“Wait!” Mo An exclaimed.
He woke up suddenly, sitting on the ground. He was not only scared, but he had also scared the two people sleeping next to him.
“Ah! Please don’t do this!” Xia Yu thought someone was coming to kill them again, so he closed his eyes and started yelling. After opening his eyes, he realized there were no outsiders around. Midou was even unluckier. Not only was he scared awake, but Mo An also kicked him firmly on the butt and almost kicked him down the stairs.
Still in shock, Mo An took a deep breath and grabbed Xia Yu’s hand.
“What are you doing… I’m so sleepy,” Xia Yu said, squinting at him. “What’s wrong?”
“I… I…” Mo An hesitated for a long time, unable to explain what was happening. “Dreaming.”
“It must be a nightmare. Don’t be afraid. Nightmares are fake. Nuwa told me that before.” Xia Yu pulled Mo An into his arms. His soft, silver strands were smooth to the touch. “I’m not afraid. It’s just a nightmare.”
“It’s just a nightmare.” Mo An pinched his leg hard. Only after feeling the pain did he laugh with relief. Yeah, it’s just a nightmare. I can actually dream! I’m becoming more like a human being!
“The nightmare is terrible. Xla, hug me,” Mo An said solemnly. He wasn’t embarrassed by his short arms and legs. Even if he was naked, mermaids didn’t wear clothes in the water. Xia Yu hugged him, bent over, and patted him on the back with a smile. He blew on Mo An’s eyelashes when he raised his face.
Xia Yu thought, “He really is like my little brother.”
“Mo An, why are you kicking me so hard… Don’t tell me you’re growing a brain now?” Mi Dou grumbled, rolling back with his blanket, trying to sleep again. Still in Xia Yu’s arms, Mo An took advantage of his distraction to kick Mi Dou further away.
A few minutes later, Talos stepped onto the stairs and walked up to them, holding a hot breakfast. “Are you all awake? When we woke up, we started working.”
“Please tell me. I’ll do anything.”
Xia Yu raised his head, wanting to be valuable.
“You and that little bear can help me clean up the reef road. There is a lot of moss on it. Clean up all the barnacles, too.” Talos summoned them. “As for you…” He squatted down, looked at Moan, and pointed to the window. “They’re waiting for you down there.”
“What are they going to do?” Xia Yu asked, nervous. “Are you going to train Moan again?”
“Where would I know?” Talos took out his pipe again.
Mo An stood up calmly and said, “Man, don’t smoke in front of my Xla.”
“Hmm.”Talos stuffed the pipe into his mouth and sucked it redly.
Mo An stumbled over his words, circled in place, and jumped as he walked angrily, saying, “Very good, you irritated me again…”
“They…can you give Mo An more time? He’s just a little fish that hatched yesterday. He needs time, and he will grow up.” Xia Yu wanted to plead, “It takes more than ten years for a human baby to become independent. Mo An doesn’t need that long. A few years is enough for him. I will raise him until he’s ten years old. When he’s ten, he must…”
“It’s useless to tell me this. It’s not that I accept him,” Talos said, pointing to the window again. “It’s them. But whether to go down or not is up to Mo An.”
Xia Yu had no choice but to nod. He was right. He didn’t have the power to make decisions for Mo An. “Mo An, do you want to go down and talk to them? Just say you need a few more years…”
Before he could finish speaking, Mo An passed him like a flash of lightning. He was wearing a long skirt, and he jumped down from the window!
“Mo An!” Xia Yu and Midou rushed to the window. Jumping from such a high altitude would surely result in death. Mo An’s small body had already fallen into the sea, splashing white water more than a meter high. But he disappeared in the blink of an eye.
“Mo An! Mo An!” Xia Yu turned around and ran downstairs, afraid that he would be one step too late to save him. It was only when he and Midou ran to the reef road that they saw no trace of the mermaid on the calm sea.
Only half of the black skirt was floating on the sea.
“Mo’an! Where are you?” Xia Yu was so worried that he squatted down and hugged his legs. If only he could breathe underwater, he could go down and help Mo An.
Under the sea, Mo An watched his legs close with his own eyes. Countless fine, red bloodshot lines appeared between his skin, and the red bloodshot lines had their own sense of life. They entangled around his knees, and his legs gradually stuck together. Layers of scales emerged from under his skin, like a pattern that appears when it touches water.
Without his clothes to cover him, his pelvic fins clung to his sides and slowly unfurled, stirring up tiny whirlpools that belonged only to Mo An.
No matter how small, a whirlpool is still a whirlpool. When viewed from the sea, it’s clear that there are fish below.
In the blink of an eye, his legs turned into a fishtail. The dorsal fin opened, but it was still asymmetrical. Mo An’s hair fluttered in the water. While he swallowed his last breath, his gills cracked open. Not far above his head was the sea, and the light shone obliquely, which was a bit dazzling.
In front of him, hundreds of black sirens hovered.
Seeing Meng Qingqing again, Mo An almost didn’t recognize her; the black scales reflected natural light like obsidian powder sprinkled into the water, attracting others to look closer. It was only then that Mo An clearly saw that they had more gills than he did.
He touched his neck and counted them. He has three on each side, while they have six. The ones he lacks are on his collarbone.
“Laite chu, latie yer,” Meng Qingqing said. Her voice spread through the sea as if it could reach Mo An’s heart all at once. In less than half a second, Mo An recalled the language. Before he hatched, in the hatching place, those double tails kept singing and whispering.
Prove yourself, prove strength.
Like an arrow from a bowstring, Mo An swam toward the schools of fish in the deep sea. His tail fins helped him maintain his balance, making him look like a real Siren.
Above the reef, Xia Yu and Midou leaned tightly together, waiting for Mo An to come ashore again, but Xia Yu felt uneasy. He seemed to understand the truth: once Mo An merged with the siren, he wouldn’t return.
‘I am still so young, but I have already begun to learn how to accept parting: farewell to the research room, farewell to the former Nuwa, farewell to Professor Wang Qin, and farewell to Mo An in the sea…right? The sea brought him here, and it will take him back.
“Uncle Talos, what happened to that ship?” Midou asked, worried, as he saw the transport ship in the distance again. “Why isn’t that ship moving? Isn’t it supposed to dock? Are the people on the ship not going home?”
“It hasn’t moved since last night. Something terrible must have happened.”
Talos smoked a pipe. Even a sea monster hunter like him had to adapt to the new situation.
“It seems to be called… Electronic Corruption. Have you heard of it? Hey, do you want to go up and have a look?”
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