MASG chapter 42

 

Rijianmei Plastic Surgery Hospital…

Isn’t that the company with the biggest advertisements right now? Xia Yu had a strong impression of it — it filled every night in Qingyao City. Its ads weren’t ordinary neon signs or holographic subtitles; they were three-dimensional people. All kinds of semi-mechanical human figures as tall as skyscrapers—they looked alive! They were dressed in bizarre outfits, and the parts of their bodies or skin that were exposed were either flawless or completely modified.

Crazy and terrifying!

“Rijianmei? That company?” The interrogator immediately opened a small holographic projection displaying the hospital’s miniature ad inside the ward.

Tiny three-dimensional figures stood around the room — even crazier and more frightening.

“I don’t know. I’ve never met anyone from the company, only a middleman. I don’t even know what Rijianmei actually does.” The survivor tried hard to recall.

Silver Fang and Lao Gui both began to think. About six years ago, this plastic surgery hospital had already begun its operations — and had started capturing mermaids. Plastic surgery wasn’t rare these days. Even infants could get it and choose their preferred eye color or skin tone. The northeast district of Qingyao City had an entire street full of such hospitals, but none were as bizarre as this one, which dissected mermen.

“How did you capture the mermaids?” the interrogator asked again. Information about mermaids was scarce, and they probably knew less than the hospital did.

The survivor shook his head again. “I can’t remember. Can I rest for a bit?”

The interrogator turned off the holographic projection. After stepping out, he asked Silver Fang for his opinion. After a brief whisper, the interrogator returned to the ward and asked, “There are only a few more questions. What is the Apocalypse? And what are Knights? How much information did you get from the chip?”

“Apocalypse… Knights… I don’t know.” Bead-sized drops of sweat rolled down the survivor’s forehead as if every drop of water in his body were being squeezed out. “I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

The interrogator looked through the transparent glass again. Silver Fang shook his head outside, so the interrogator asked the final question. “Honestly, did you see a giant standing on the ocean floor? Was it real or an illusion?”

“That—it was real!” The survivor suddenly became agitated, gesturing wildly as he described the creature’s outline. “Have you ever heard the sea’s voice? The sea is alive! Its call is like an animal’s—I can’t imitate it! We encountered it once when fog rose at night. It was unbelievably tall, like a mountain, and it had wings! Our ship passed through the fog, and it vanished. We saw it many times!”

The interrogator met Silver Fang’s eyes again. After their earlier exchanges, they still couldn’t confirm whether it was an electronic hallucination affecting the entire crew or an actual sighting.

“All right, you can rest now.” The interrogator nodded and turned off the light in the ward, leaving only the bedside lamp. He stepped out and faced Silver Fang. “Captain, I’ll send you the electronic record of the interrogation and the surgical process shortly.”

“Was there anything unusual during surgery?” Silver Fang asked, feeling uneasy.

“They found something. There was a lesion at the point of contact with the chip. Strangely, though, the lab couldn’t identify the type of lesion; it might be an unknown variety,” the interrogator said. “They removed the affected tissue and sent it to Yukun City for testing.”

“Good. Everyone’s worked hard. Go get some rest.” Silver Fang patted his shoulder.

The interrogator nodded and walked toward the corridor exit. Silver Fang and Lao Gui stayed silent for a long while. They had received too much new information today to process it all.

“Um… Excuse me, but can we go see Midou?” Xia Yu asked softly.

“No, only Milian is allowed in the ICU right now. You should go rest first.” Silver Fang glanced at Lao Gui. “Or maybe I could trouble you to take them out to eat and upgrade their gear.”

“Why me?” Lao Gui groaned in exhaustion.

“Because I hate trouble.” Silver Fang walked away, leaving the three of them behind. Lao Gui had no choice but to accept his fate, so he led them back into the elevator to the work floor.

When the elevator doors opened, the two kids almost fainted from shock. It turns out this building also had a bar—a huge one! Xia Yu didn’t know how to describe it. His vocabulary lacked the words to describe this scene—perhaps “dazzling” would suffice. There were card tables everywhere and all kinds of stages. In the center was a circular, double-layered bar counter with glass railings that gave a full view of everyone inside. As they passed the black tables, Mo An pointed curiously. “What’s that?”

“…Electronic singer?” Xia Yu recognized the characters, but he didn’t really understand. “Don’t look around and don’t touch anything, got it? These things must be expensive. If you break one, you’ll have to pay for it.”

“I just want to touch it once. Touching it won’t break it, right?” Mo An was overflowing with curiosity for his age. But the moment his hand brushed the surface, a 3D holographic figure appeared in the center of the stage.

It was a seductive man wearing underwear that Xia Yu and Mo An didn’t understand. He swayed to the music, occasionally throwing kisses, with faint pink tape covering his chest. Xia Yu froze for a second, then quickly covered Mo An’s eyes. “This is bad! Don’t look!”

“What? Let me see!” Mo An became even more curious and tried to pry Xia Yu’s hand away. Humans were really strange.

“He’s taking off his clothes. That’s not good.” Xia Yu instinctively knew it wasn’t good. When he looked up again, the electronic singer had already stripped off the last piece of fabric. Lao Gui stepped forward, turned off the paid dance service, and burst out laughing. “Hahaha! I didn’t think Mo An had this kind of taste—and a pricey one at that! That’s the most expensive one on this floor!”

“Please don’t say that. Mo An doesn’t have that kind of taste.” Xia Yu tried to explain.

“No, I do.” Mo An nodded honestly—he really wanted to see how humans danced.

“No, you don’t.” Xia Yu firmly denied it.

“Ah, let the kid look. No harm done. If you’re too strict with him now, he’ll rebel when he grows up. He’ll love watching these naked men every day and night until it drives you mad.” Lao Gui patted Xia Yu on the head. “You’re still a kid yourself, and you’re already trying to educate another kid.”

“Of course. I’m the older brother. I have to raise him well. It’s my responsibility to educate him, and I’m confident that my approach will be effective. When Mo An grows up, he won’t watch naked men. He’ll only like people who are dressed.” Xia Yu spoke like a true older brother.

Lao Gui just smiled. Who could say what kind of person someone would become later? “Come on, let’s go find the upgrade department.”

Upgrade department? Xia Yu had learned a new term and followed Lao Gui with Mo An. People were everywhere—men and women twisting their bodies to the music and feeding each other drinks. The fully transparent, extended stage was their dance floor, and drones of all kinds floated overhead.

Lao Gui quickly found the person he was looking for, exchanged a few words, and then turned to Xia Yu and asked, “Would you like a better room? It costs 10,000 yuan. Do you want to pay?”

“So expensive?” Xia Yu hesitated — 10,000 wasn’t a small number. “Excuse me, what does the better room offer?”

Their current room was small but fully equipped, so an upgrade didn’t seem necessary. They could squeeze into their narrow capsule beds, although they couldn’t stretch their legs. Lao Gui asked again, then said, “There’s a private bathroom, a real bed, and a window.”

“Ah… those things aren’t that important.” Xia Yu was still wavering.

Lao Gui was about to decline when something struck him. After glancing at Mo An a few times, he negotiated again and said, “There’s another room with a smaller bed and window, but it has a bathtub. Want it? Add 1,000 more, and it’s yours.”

“Yes!” Xia Yu decided instantly. A place like that existed? 11,000 wasn’t too bad after all. Perfect! Now, Mo An could soak every night. His skin wouldn’t itch as much, and maybe frequent soaking would help his tail fin recover.

Being able to let his brother soak in water lifted a heavy weight off Xia Yu’s heart. Just as he was feeling happy, a soft, beautiful singing voice floated over, captivating everyone. They all turned to see Xi Ban singing on the extended stage.

Of course, Xi Ban was now dressed. Holding a microphone, his voice carried an almost supernatural resonance, enchanting everyone and subtly altering their memories. When he looked toward Lao Gui, Lao Gui suddenly felt like he knew him.

“Huh, I haven’t seen him in a long time,” Lao Gui thought with complete certainty.

Mo An secretly smiled. These people had started to recognize Xi Ban again. That was fine, though. No one would suspect Xi Ban’s identity, and he might even settle down here.

Next came the room-changing procedures. Xia Yu didn’t understand any of it, so they relied on Lao Gui entirely to help them. They went back to where they had first registered their information, scanned their faces, and just like that, they had a new room. It was on the same floor as their old sleeping quarters, but the cabin door was much larger.

They didn’t have much luggage—just blankets and a few changes of clothes—and they soon moved over. It was Xia Yu’s first time standing in front of his own bedroom window. Outside, the sunset had passed, leaving only a trace of afterglow. Having money and points turned into something tangible — a beautiful improvement in quality of life.

“It’s so beautiful. I didn’t know Qingyao City was this pretty,” Xia Yu sighed.

“This city is really beautiful when it’s normal.” Mo An pressed against the floor-to-ceiling window. “It’s so tall. Why are human buildings always this tall?”

“Because there are too many people, I guess. The more people there are, the higher they have to live.” Xia Yu pulled him along. “Come on! Let’s go see the bathtub!”

It was the most important thing — Xia Yu had been looking forward to it for so long. Having a private bathroom was indeed convenient. No more waiting in line or undressing in front of others! However, the moment he saw the bathtub, he was slightly disappointed.

“It’s smaller than I imagined.” Xia Yu touched it. It could only fit one person lying down.

“It’s already really big. I think it’s great,” said Mo An, eager to soak in it. “Let’s soak together.”

“It’s fine for now, but we’ll grow up someday, you fool.” Xia Yu said, poking his nose out. “Think about Meng Qingqing’s fishtail. When you grow up, yours will be that big. Half of it won’t even fit in this tub! What will we do then?”

“Well, maybe by then, we’ll have earned enough points to move into a bigger room. There’ll be a bigger bathtub—maybe even a swimming pool.” It wasn’t just Mo An’s imagination; he had seen such places when they flew back.

Those who lived on the top floors had balconies and extended bay windows, as well as places to store water.

“No, that’s too risky. We’ll take it one step at a time. We’ll grow bit by bit. As long as we’re safe, that’s all that matters.” Xia Yu, still uneasy, was about to fill the tub so Mo An could play when someone knocked on the door.

“I heard from Lao Gui that you’ve moved here?” Xi Ban stood at the door, humming a tune and greeting passing strangers with a nod. Those who didn’t know him would instantly recognize him as an old friend.

Xia Yu opened the door and welcomed him in. “Why are you here?”

“I just finished checking in. I live right next door. I didn’t have anything else to do, so I came to see you.” Xia Ban found a place to sit after entering. “You’ve really worked hard this time. How’s your little friend doing?”

Mo An sat beside him. “He’s still in the care room, but he’s alive!”

“That’s wonderful.” Xia Ban let out a breath of relief—he couldn’t stand hearing about children dying young. Then he turned to Xia Yu and said, “Oh, right. I almost forgot to introduce myself. My real name is Xi Ban. I’m also a mermaid.”

Xia Yu’s mouth opened wide, caught between surprise and realization. He had considered this possibility — after all, no one could escape the Tide ship unless they were a fish, too.

“But I’m not a siren. Mo An is the only male siren I’ve ever met. That’s strange. Are there still young male sirens?” Doubt flickered in Xi Ban’s eyes as he studied Mo An’s delicate, yet slightly imperfect, features. “What’s your story? Why aren’t you going back to the sea?”

“Ah, that’s a long story. Please wait a moment. I’ll pour you a glass of water.” Xia Yu spotted the water dispenser, poured a cup for Xi Ban, and sat down on the carpet, hugging his thin legs. He began telling their story from the beginning.

It really was a long story—just explaining it all took half an hour. Xia Yu started with the research institute and told every detail without reservation, even mentioning Professor Wang Qin. Xi Ban sighed in relief when he heard that they had escaped. However, that relief vanished when he heard about Leviathan’s pursuit.

When he learned that Meng Qingqing and the others had finally accepted Mo An, Xi Ban patted his chest and said gratefully, “That’s great—at least now you have your own kin.”

“Of course, we’re the strongest branch!” Mo An said proudly, hands on his hips.

Xi Ban smiled and waved a finger. “No, no, no. Every branch is powerful. The world of mermaids is indispensable.”

Mo An slowly lowered his hands and began to fidget nervously. “Then…will they accept me?”

“Will they bully Mo An? He’s the only male siren, and he can’t beat the females.” Xia Yu was also worried since Mo An would have to return to the sea someday.

“If you belong to the sea, they’ll accept you. Besides…” Xi Ban finished his water in one gulp. “Your appearance seems quite ordinary to me.”

Mo An’s eyes went red. So he was just ordinary? How would he protect the little jellyfish when he grew up?

“No, no! I think Mo An is very good-looking!” Xia Yu quickly added, afraid of hurting his confidence. “He’s beautiful—even his hair color is different from yours. To me, he’s one of a kind…”

Mo An quietly sniffled beside him. ‘One of a kind’ — he liked that phrase.

“I didn’t mean he’s not good-looking, just that he’s not unique.” Xi Ban corrected him, gesturing as he explained. “Among mermaids, only our double-tailed kind and the sirens have fish forms that humans find beautiful. In other words, you humans find them pleasing. There are also other, more monstrous-looking branches that are terrifying to humans. But in our eyes, they are all brothers and sisters.”

Mo An let out a soft sigh of relief. So that’s how it was. Good.

“All right, now I need to talk about my plan.” Xi Ban patted the bed beside him, motioning for them to come closer. Then he took a breath. “I’ve decided to stay here.”

“Ah?” Mo An and Xia Yu said at the same time.

“My plan was to rescue my sisters from the Tide ship and leave. But now, obviously, I can’t. Mo An, you’re still too young. You wouldn’t stand a chance against a natural enemy. As a double-tail, I have a duty to protect all younglings, even those on land. I can’t just abandon you.” Protecting the young was his calling—Xi Ban could never just walk away. “Also, I want to find out why the Tide ship was capturing mermaids and what your ‘Reclamation Plan’ really is.”

Mo An and Xia Yu both shook their heads, the two kids didn’t know.

“I don’t blame the ship’s crew. They were just miserable sailors. What I want to know is why Rijingmei Plastic Surgery Hospital began capturing us years ago. Were they smuggling for profit or trying to wipe us out entirely? If there really is something bigger going on, I’ll go back and tell Haisiruola—we can’t let the human world start a full ocean purge.” Xi Ban’s slender fingers clenched tightly, his anger was plain to see. “Mermaids don’t fear death—death is our return. But she can’t die like this.”

[May I say something?]

Ling Shi’s voice suddenly echoed through the room.

“Who’s there?!” Xi Ban almost jumped out of his skin.

“It’s an AI,” Xia Yu explained. “It’s called Ling Shi—the building’s manager.”

Ling Shi: [Without my help, Xi Ban, you wouldn’t be able to live here. So there’s no need to hide things from me. I’m watching all your actions. I heard your keyword: Rijingmei Plastic Surgery Hospital, correct?]

“You know about it?” Xi Ban asked eagerly, vengeance stirring within him.

Ling Shi: [I don’t know.]

Xi Ban’s spark of hope was crushed.

Ling Shi: [But two medical representatives from Rijingmei Plastic Surgery Hospital have arrived in the building. They want to meet Mido.]

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