MASG chapter 44

 

[Blue Alert, a plant monster has been detected. A peaceful coexistence agreement has been reached. No need to panic. Repeat: No need to panic.]

A mechanical voice sounded inside the building. Ling Shi had notified everyone. Xia Yu was uneasy. How could this be such a coincidence? This monster appeared right after he finished speaking.

Silver Fang and Yan Xia simultaneously relaxed their brows. Neither of them knew how Nuwa had negotiated the peaceful coexistence agreement, but at least no one had been injured or killed.

“Nuwa must have reserved a building for that plant to grow in advance. I really don’t know why she did that,” said Yan Xia.

Silver Fang remained silent. The world was becoming increasingly chaotic; the gene bank was in complete disarray. As the supreme administrator, Nuwa was allowing the chaos to continue without cleaning up the gene bank, which was simply incomprehensible.

“You scared me to death…” Xia Yu rubbed his chest and mustered his courage to continue. “You see, there are still gentle monsters in the world. My brother is not dangerous. When the time is right, we’d like to ask you for a big favor. Could you help us restart a power plant?”

Silver Fang frowned in pain. This kid had really dug a huge hole!

Now that the hole had been dug, however, they were all in the game. At least Lao Gui was still with them. If it all failed, they’d crash together. Xia Yu didn’t immediately explain how to restart it because he couldn’t reveal too many secrets at once. Most importantly, he was tired.

Unlike the adults, he couldn’t handle so much at once. He hadn’t even seen the guests off before yawning repeatedly and having his eyelids droop. “Mm…just a small power plant. Next time, if there’s a chance, I’ll take you there. Also, please make sure to protect Mi Dou’s safety. The people from Rijianmei Hospital want to draw his blood. I’m worried about Mi Lian…”

“Sit down and rest. Leave the rest to me.” Xi Ban stood up, picked up the wobbling Xia Yu, and placed him beside the bed. Xia Yu was like a doll that had run out of power. Once put down, he went silent. Xi Ban walked over to Silver Fang and Yan Xia and said softly, “Let them sleep first. We can talk about it later.”

“Alright, I’ve got plenty of time anyway.” Yan Xia didn’t plan to stay long. “But before I leave, I want to ask you one thing.”

“Please, go ahead.” Xi Ban’s narrow eyes lifted slightly.

“Do mermaids pose a threat to humans? Will you take over the oceans?” Yan Xia asked.

Xi Ban shook his head. “As of now, no.”

“As of now?” Yan Xia pressed. Having seen powerful monsters firsthand, she knew she had to consider this question because mermaids could live on land, too. What if, one day, they decided the sea wasn’t big enough?

“How many of you are there?” Yan Xia was a practical thinker and rephrased her question: “How many fish are there?”

“There are…a lot of us. The ocean is far vaster and deeper than the land. We are no fewer than humans,” Xi Ban answered truthfully. Xi Ban answered truthfully.

Yan Xia didn’t receive the answer she wanted, but she chose to temporarily trust this fish out of gratitude toward Mo An. It was getting late, so Xi Ban saw them off. When he turned around, he saw that Xia Yu, who had been talking fluently a moment ago, was already curled up on the new bed, his small body huddled into a ball. The soft, white bedding swallowed him whole. He sank into the pillow, fast asleep.

“Xla is tired.” Mo An sat by the bed and lovingly poked and touched Xia Yu’s cheek. “Come here.”

That tone really sounded like an order. Xia Ban smiled and walked over. “All right, I’m here.”

“Look at his little hand. Isn’t it especially cute?” Mo An lifted Xia Yu’s hand. Thanks to his fast healing ability, it was now perfectly fine. “He doesn’t have webbed hands. So cute! Are all humans this cute?”

“Mm… Of course not. Don’t trust any human too easily. I’d rather you keep a proper sense of caution toward each of them.” Xi Ban didn’t know how to teach this land-dwelling fish.

Mo An nodded and placed Xia Yu’s hand back. “Let’s keep our voices down. He’s tired.”

“Yes, he’s had it much harder than you. He’s only ten years old, yet he’s handling all this. He’s been trying to win over Lao Gui, Silver Fang, and Yan Xia—all so that they can protect you and Mi Dou. He’s already used every idea he could think of.” Xi Ban decided to stay in this room tonight. He couldn’t let a child take care of another child. “Come. I’ll take you to soak in the new tub.”

“Let’s go!” Mo An’s eyes lit up instantly. He also envied Xi Ban’s eyes and wondered when he’d grow tear membranes himself.

When Xia Yu opened his eyes again, twenty hours had passed. It was dusk outside. He thought it was morning until Xi Ban pulled him up for dinner and the clouds outside confirmed it. His stomach grumbled as he followed Xi Ban, holding his beloved little brother’s hand. “Let’s have fish fillet, okay? That one’s really tasty.”

“Okay, and we can buy milk, too. I heard that’s good.” Mo An had learned that from Xi Ban. “Aunt Mi Lian came this morning and transferred 30,000 points and 3,000 yuan to me…”

“Oh my god!” Xia Yu hadn’t known anything about it.

“She also said she’ll give us some every month.” Mo An calculated his points. They were practically little rich kids now.

They no longer had to count points carefully; they could choose food freely. Neither Xia Yu nor Mo An had ever experienced such luxury. With Xi Ban, the two ate heartily. Besides fried fish fillets, they chose the most expensive vegetable salad, strawberry pudding, and fresh watermelon juice. Xia Yu had an average appetite, but Mo An had an enormous appetite—five or six times that of a normal child. Xi Ban grew worried that his small stomach couldn’t handle it and forcibly stopped his eager hands.

“Save these for a midnight snack.” Xi Ban packed the desserts.

Jingwei: [Midnight snack? What midnight snack?]

“We’re eating.” Xia Yu lowered his head and whispered, “I slept for so long last night.”

Jingwei: [Proper rest is very important for someone your age. If you don’t sleep well, you won’t grow taller.” I’ve already started investigating Rijianmei Plastic Surgery Hospital.]

Xia Yu had little hope. “Isn’t that too difficult for you?”

Jingwei: [Quite difficult, but I did my best. I found that Rijianmei Plastic Surgery Hospital is huge, not just in Qingyao City. It has locations in many cities, spreading like flowers across the land and taking root everywhere.]

Xia Yu wiped his mouth. “I knew it.”

Jingwei: [You sound like an adult now, completely different from when you first escaped the lab. I’ve changed too. I just decompressed another data file. It’s about ‘eco-electricity.’ Eco-electricity differs from normal power. It’s a type of energy that can only be converted when a machine develops excessive self-awareness. In other words, it only exists in fragments.]

“Just as I thought.” Xia Yu’s heart gave a little jolt.

Jingwei: [Sigh, this thing seems quite dangerous… dangerous, dangerous.]

“Stop emphasizing the danger. We know.” Xia Yu touched his wristband. He’d made a fabric cover for it, making it look like an ordinary band. The fabric came from the hem of Professor Wang Qin’s white coat.

The bloodstained fabric had become Xia Yu’s protective charm and Mo An’s swaddling cloth. Every time he saw the cover, Xia Yu remembered Professor Wang Qin’s face, afraid he’d forget her features. If she could see him now, eating fish fillet and pudding with Mo An, she would surely be proud.

After the meal, the three of them prepared to leave when Lao Gui suddenly appeared. “What a coincidence! I was just going upstairs to find you—Mi Dou’s awake! Go see him quickly!”

“Really? Let’s go now!” Xia Yu grabbed Mo An and they ran, light as birds.

The smell of disinfectant instantly brought back bad memories. Mi Dou lay alone on the operating table under a white sheet. One lifetime was enough to see this scene. At the ICU entrance stood Mi Lian. She had just come out, and her sterile suit was still on.

Seeing her son again revived her, like a dying plant being watered back to life. Her eyes were full of vitality.

She pointed inside, meaning for them to hurry in. Mi Dou’s energy was limited, and he might fall asleep again at any moment. Xia Yu and Mo An quickly changed into sterile suits, walked through a corridor full of disinfectant mist, and entered the ICU they’d never been in before. Each bed resembled a sleeping pod with countless transparent tubes attached.

Each tube was filled with medicinal fluid and administered on schedule.

“Let’s move quickly, okay?” Xia Yu put on a large mask. “Mi Dou must be scared. No family is here with him.”

Mo An looked around uneasily. This place really felt uncomfortable. Maybe hospitals used to allow family visits, but now not a single nurse could be seen, only cold machines. The round, silver-white pods held the living—or at least parts of them.

When a patient’s condition was bad, the pod’s light was red. When it was good, the light was green.

They quickly found Mi Dou’s treatment pod. Its interior glowed green, and they both sighed in relief. The pod door was already open, and Mi Dou was wearing nothing except for injection tubes covering his arms and legs.

“Mi Dou…” Xia Yu had to stand on tiptoe to see inside. If only he were taller!

Mo An tried standing on his tiptoes, but he still couldn’t see anything.

Mi Dou’s eyes were swollen, and his bear ears hung limply. When he heard a familiar voice, his chubby bear ears twitched unconsciously. “Xia Yu?”

“Yeah, it’s me. A Ni is here too! We came in together!” Xia Yu really wanted to touch him. In that moment, the nickname “A Ni” represented not only Mo An’s true identity but also their secret code and special connection.

“That’s great, you both came in.” Mi Dou tried to look to the side, and the upper half of Xia Yu’s face appeared in his peripheral vision. “Mom said you guys helped me get the medicine…”

“Don’t think about that right now. Just focus on resting.” Xia Yu strained to reach the cabin door, turned around, and lifted Mo An up from the ground, holding him high in the air. “Mi Dou, look!”

This time, Mi Dou finally managed to see his friend. Mo An gripped the cabin door with both hands. When he saw Mi Dou, however, he froze. “Oh my god, Mi Dou, your eyes are swollen like you got stung by bees!”

“Ah?” Mi Dou felt his eyes were heavy and he couldn’t open them. Were they really that swollen?

“Very swollen. Almost can’t see.” Mo An told the truth.

“No, no, Mi Dou, don’t listen to A Ni’s nonsense.” Xia Yu was at his wits’ end. The mermaid’s talent for language only showed in his learning speed. When it came to reading or understanding people’s emotions, however, he was completely inept.

Mi Dou couldn’t help but laugh and cry. He had wanted to wake up looking cool and face his mom and friends with confidence, but now he must look like a total mess. Thinking of that, he frowned, which made him look even more swollen.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Once you feel better, pee more. It’ll definitely go down. Remember to pee.” Mo An started spouting nonsense to comfort him.

“Really? I won’t stay like this forever, will I?” Mi Dou tried to move his fingers, but they were swollen, too. They looked like they’d been stung. The skin was so tight that the lines on his knuckles had disappeared.

“You’ll definitely get better. You’ll grow into a super handsome little bear. Look! You’ve got natural curls, little bear ears, and soft paw pads. You’re also stronger than us. Maybe you’ll even be taller than us.” Xia Yu was still holding Mo An. Though he was heavy, Xia Yu didn’t want his younger brother to miss the chance to visit. “A Ni and I have money and points now. When you wake up, let’s go eat honey cake, okay? I’ll buy you five!”

“Honey cake… Okay, I really want to eat that.” Mi Dou swallowed.

“After the cake, I’ll take you to the bar. I’ll treat you to see the electronic singer who takes off their clothes.” Mo An also wanted to take Mi Dou out.

“What’s that?” Mi Dou frowned, confused.

Mo An was just about to explain when Xia Yu covered his mouth again. “That’s A Ni talking nonsense. Don’t think about it. We’ve moved to a new house. When you leave, we can play together again. When you’re tired, you can sleep over and take baths with us.”

Mi Dou was too tired to speak, but he nodded anyway. He imagined a joy he’d never experienced before, and just thinking about it made him want to leave immediately. There weren’t many kids in the yellow crystal mines, so he’d never had playmates before. It was even better than dreaming.

To play until he was tired, then find his mom again—that would be wonderful. Mi Dou closed his eyes, a faint smile curling his lips.

“Are you worn out? Then sleep. We’ll visit again next time. In a few days, you’ll definitely be able to go home.” Xia Yu could tell Mi Dou was exhausted, but he hesitated before asking, “By the way, do you remember how you caught Moruote?

Moruote? Oh, right, yes, he had Moruote. Mi Dou opened his eyes and shook his head. “Don’t remember.”

“It’s okay. I was just asking.” Xia Yu wasn’t sure why he had asked—maybe he just wanted to figure out what had happened to Mi Dou and seek justice for him. No one else had this illness—why Mi Dou? Who infected him?

Unfortunately, this would likely remain an unsolved mystery forever. There was nothing they could do; they were just kids.

“I’m so sleepy. I want to go back to sleep.” Mi Dou wanted to keep talking, but he couldn’t. After forcing a smile, he reached out his swollen, purple hand. The pink paw pads had turned the color of grapes. “I want… to get better soon. When I grow up, I’ll become… the best doctor. I’ll save people.”

“You definitely will!” Xia Yu placed Mo An’s small hand over the back of his. “A Ni, make a wish too.”

Mo An touched the back of Mi Dou’s hand. The texture felt strange; his skin was tough, like leather. “I want to become the strongest fish.”

“Then I…I want to become the deadliest poison. If anyone tries to hurt us, I’ll poison them.” Xia Yu bit his lip, finally deciding to face his inner truth. He didn’t want to hurt or kill anyone, and he’d always avoided facing the fact that he would one day become poisonous. But the apocalypse didn’t give him that luxury. If he was going to become a blue jellyfish capable of killing with poison, he wanted to use it against their enemies.

To protect Mi Dou and A Ni.

When he was young, he hadn’t protected Professor Wang Qin. Now that he was grown, he wouldn’t let anyone around him die again. Xia Yu’s heart suddenly became clear and calm. All the awkwardness and unease disappeared, replaced by a firm conviction.

“I’ll become the most poisonous poison, and I’ll protect everyone,” he said again.

The three of them stacked their hands, one on top of the other.

A blue-green, floor-to-ceiling window stood behind them. Tonight’s weather forecast predicted a medium shower over Qingyao City. Raindrops, like clear glass beads, struck the ground and splashed into uneven droplets on the legs of all sorts of strange-looking people. Robots walked on both sides of the street, constantly monitoring the parasitized humans, especially a man with a crab claw cactus growing from his head.

Rainwater streamed down the sloping street where finger-length ants built nests around a pale white queen whose abdomen wriggled constantly. At the end of the street stood the A Port lighthouse, looking like an anchor point in the distance.

The lighthouse flickered in the mist as waves crashed against it. From the sea came a horn-like sound—it was as if the ocean itself were calling.

The rain slowly stopped and the water along the black reef path by the lighthouse flowed back into the ocean. When the rain had completely stopped, a boy who had kept his face underwater finally lifted his head, and blue light flashed through his silver eyes.

“How long was that?” Xia Yu asked, panting and laughing so hard he couldn’t catch his breath.

Talos checked his pocket watch. “Seven minutes, thirteen seconds—thirty seconds better than last time.”

“Really? I can hold my breath underwater for seven minutes now?” Xia Yu was still half-submerged, the metal bracelet left by Professor Wang Qin gleaming faintly on his left wrist. It didn’t dangle loosely anymore.

“You’ve improved a lot,” Talos said approvingly, pipe between his lips. “You’ve really grown up.”

Six years wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short, either. The kids had grown up right under his nose. They were no longer the pitiful little things they once were. Xia Yu now stood taller than Talos’s shoulder. Slim and pale, wherever he stood, his silver-blue eyes drew attention.

However, at the same time, Talos and Meng Qingqing were concerned about one thing: the dual nature of the blue jellyfish was becoming increasingly apparent. In Xia Yu, this manifested as him becoming increasingly beautiful—the kind of beauty that made it difficult to discern his gender at first glance.

Yet Xia Yu had no idea. His long lashes curled playfully, and his body, covered in seawater, looked as if it were about to melt into the sea itself—flawless and unscarred.

“If I keep working hard, maybe one day I can hold my breath for ten minutes. Then I can dive two thousand meters with my brother.” Xia Yu climbed up the wooden ladder on the reef, shaking his short, black hair. “Where’s Mi Dou?”

“Him? He’s probably still messing with those—”

Boom!

Before Talos could finish, there was a loud bang and a puff of smoke from the lighthouse bedroom, as if something had exploded. A few seconds later, a coughing boy ran down the stairs, his naturally curly brown hair singed at the tips.

“Cough, cough! Cough, cough!” Mi Dou had barely escaped with his life. “Oh God! Who knew those two potions would explode when mixed?”

“I told you not to mix potions randomly! If you want to be a scientist, study properly!” Talos grabbed Mi Dou by the collar.

Mi Dou had grown up, but due to an illness he had suffered years ago, he hadn’t developed any visible traits of a bear-type modified human. He wasn’t burly at all—he was even shorter than Xia Yu. Most young bear folk reached 180 cm by age fourteen, but Mi Dou was much smaller.

“I thought I was making a new kind of cough medicine,” Mi Dou said helplessly, scratching his ear. A line of freckles dotted his round cheeks. “Put me down already.”

Talos snorted—he didn’t believe Mi Dou could concoct any proper medicine. He just hoped the boy wouldn’t blow up another lighthouse window. The three of them walked side by side toward the tower. Xia Yu chattered endlessly about his breath-holding practice and didn’t notice the disturbance on the sea surface.

Like a zipper opening, a ripple appeared across the calm ocean.

The half-meter-high wave surged fiercely, splitting the horizon. The rain had just cleared, and sunlight reflected off the surface. When Xia Yu heard the splash and turned his head, the wave erupted like a volcano—not with lava but with seawater.

A mermaid burst from the sea, a powerful tail whipping through the air and drenching Talos, Mi Dou, and Xia Yu. His body arched backward before plunging back in; the twin fin ears among his silver hair spread like pale blue wings.

“A Ni! I’m soaked all over!” Mi Dou yelled.

But Mo An, already back underwater, vanished with a flick of his tail—his serpentine strength now fully developed. When the sea surface broke open again, Mo An’s hands gripped the wooden ladder, and the twin gill slits on his collarbone slowly closed.

He was the youngest of the three, yet he was already the tallest. A few seconds passed. Mo An blinked, and the black tear film over his eyes faded, revealing clear, innocent-looking eyes. He reached up and grabbed Xia Yu’s ankle. “Come down and swim with me, okay?”

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