MASG chapter 45

 

Xia Yu’s slender ankles were easily caught in his younger brother’s grasp. “Why are you being so naughty? Didn’t we agree that you wouldn’t splash us with water anymore?”

“I didn’t mean to. I was just practicing the new movement I mastered.” Mo An still didn’t let go. His tail swayed back and forth—now almost as long as Meng Qingqing’s tail.

Years had carved muscle lines into his body. He was no longer the chubby little fish he used to be. His round belly had turned into abs, a thin layer of muscle protecting his vital organs. Near his mermaid line, a second pair of semi-transparent, black abdominal fins had grown in.

With two pairs of abdominal fins, maintaining balance in the water had become much easier.

The only flaw was that his tail fin still hadn’t recovered; mermaids don’t have regenerative abilities, so once a part is lost, it’s gone forever. His fan-shaped tail fin fanned open in the water, sending ripples through the sea; however, the left side was clearly shorter than the right.

The dorsal fin on his tail had begun to appear, and the elbow fins had grown to about five inches.

“Mo An, you’re so annoying! This outfit is new!” Mi Dou complained nonstop, the clothes were soaked. “Xia Yu, let’s go. Let’s not bother with him. I’ll show you my new experiment!”

“The one that exploded?” Xia Yu stumbled as Mi Dou pulled him along, his ankle slipping free from Mo An’s grasp. Mi Dou didn’t care at all, eager to drag his friend along. When Xia Yu turned to look back at the water’s surface, the spot where they had just been was empty.

Strange. Where did Mo An dive off to again?

In the blink of an eye, he was nowhere to be seen by the wooden ladder — Mo An had vanished completely. He appeared and disappeared like a ghost, as always. Xia Yu shook his head and smiled helplessly. Then, a gust of wind brushed past his ears. His feet left the ground—something had hit him and lifted him into the air.\

From the other side of the reef, Mo An burst out of the water and soared briefly through the air, leaping more than three meters across. As he passed by Xia Yu, his arms, strong as steel rods, wrapped tightly around the little jellyfish’s waist. He carried Xia Yu away effortlessly.

Just a second ago, Mi Dou had been holding Xia Yu’s hand. The next second, the space beside him was empty.

Splash! A huge splash rang out!

Mo An held Xia Yu as they plunged into the sea and sank, neither showing the slightest fear. Xia Yu thought that he had spoiled his younger brother too much by letting him do whatever he wanted. However, when he saw the permanent scar on his tail, he couldn’t bring himself to scold him.

If it weren’t for saving him, his tail would’ve been beautiful.

The water around them was full of sirens, their tails swaying as they welcomed a few new sisters. Even the newly mature ones were fiercer than Mo An. A single flick of their tails could whip up a wave strong enough to send the baby-faced Mo An flying ten meters away.

Still holding onto Xia Yu, Mo An hurriedly dove deeper. He couldn’t let the little jellyfish see him getting tossed around by his sisters—how embarrassing would that be?

But how could Xia Yu miss such little details? He accidentally let out a laugh, and a transparent bubble rose from his mouth. They kept descending—probably more than fifty meters now—but Xia Yu felt no discomfort. His body barely reacted to the pressure. Whether he rose or sank quickly didn’t harm his organs.

He was like a jellyfish being carried around by a merman. When he turned his head, he could see Mo An’s eyes glistening under the tear-like membrane.

Dark and beautiful. Xia Yu couldn’t resist reaching out to touch Mo An’s ear fin. Mo An shuddered and stopped moving quickly.

“What’s wrong?” Mo An mouthed.

Xia Yu pointed upward, indicating that it was time to go up. Mi Dou still had to clean up the mess. Mo An, though reluctant because he still wanted to give Xia Yu a tour of the deep sea, nodded obediently, flicked his tail, and turned around.

He had once been unable to swim straight, but now he could manage decently, though he still had to adjust his direction from time to time.

At that moment, Mi Dou was crouching on the reef path, waiting for them. Suddenly, Mo An leaped ashore and splashed Mi Dou. After helping Xia Yu up, Mo An floated in the water. Furious, Mi Dou grabbed a small rock and threw it, but Mo An easily dodged it.

“Great, my clothes are wet again! My mom is definitely going to yell at me.” Mi Dou wrung water from his sleeves. “Hey, hey! If my mom asks, Xia Yu, you’ve got to cover for me. Say A-Ni insisted on dragging me into the water.”

“When did I ever drag you into the water? You can’t even dive! Why would I bring you down?” Mo An deflected instantly. “Just say it was Talos.”

Talos, who was sweeping nearby, raised a hand and tossed the broom at Mo An, who dodged it.

“Stop throwing things at me! When it comes to speed in the water, no fish can beat me.” Mo An grinned innocently, folding his outer ear fins while his inner fins continued to twitch. Suddenly, his ear fins perked up like a puppy hearing a strange sound.

“Is that so? From what I see, your speed isn’t enough.” Meng Qingqing had appeared right behind him, her hands on his shoulders.

Mo An’s ear fins twitched again. He blinked rapidly, ready to flee to shore. A few seconds later, Meng Qingqing flicked her tail, whipping the young merman straight out of the water and slamming him onto the land.

“Ah! I’m flying!” Mo An saw stars before crashing onto the reef. Damn it—still not strong enough.

Half an hour later, chairs had been set up at the lighthouse entrance and about a dozen people had gathered there for a meal. Not far away, a billboard cast a red glow across the sky. The lighthouse at Port A seemed like a paradise, momentarily distant from the chaos of Qingyao City.

“Look at that face! So handsome! Come on, let big sister give you a kiss.”

“When you grow up, you’ll be a fine young man—lots of female fish will like you.”

“The most important thing for a male fish is beauty. Our Mo An will definitely be popular.”

Mo An was passed around among a group of older sisters and aunties, but he didn’t mind. After all, he grew up surrounded by females. Now, with everyone kissing him left and right, his head was spinning. “All right, all right. I brought you all gifts.”

The mermaids on shore looked toward his backpack. He unzipped it, revealing a bag full of plastic bracelets and rings.

“These are the most popular bracelets right now. This light blue one’s really pretty—perfect for gifting.” Mo An took out the trinkets. “This little ring looks clear, but it’s not a diamond; it’s polypropylene!”

“Nice!” The nearest young sea demon snatched it up immediately, slipping it onto her finger with excitement. “It really is something rare!”

“Of course, you hardly ever see these.” Mo An continued rummaging through his bag. The sisters weren’t interested in gemstones — merfolk could produce plenty of them at any time. They liked human-world trinkets, things they didn’t have in the sea. Buying a few could make them happy for a long time.

“This is lipstick. I saw lots of adults buying it.” Mo An pulled out a small metal tube. “I checked, and it’s ocean-safe, so I bought it for you.”

“What’s lipstick for?” An older siren hugged him and asked. Mo An twisted open the tube, smeared the bright red color onto her lips, and puckered his own. “Like this. It looks nice.”

“Oh my, oh my! Land-raised fish really do know more. You’re so young, yet already such a charmer. One day, you’ll have plenty of fish chasing after you, fighting over you. We won’t need to worry about your love life at all.” The siren with the red lipstick grew more and more excited. She smacked a big kiss on Mo An’s cheek, leaving a perfect lipstick mark.

“Hehe, hehe.” Mo An giggled dizzily from all the kisses.

At the table, Xia Yu listened to Mi Dou talk about making cold medicine. Talos was a pretty good cook. He took small sips and slowly finished a whole bowl of seafood porridge before long.

For some reason, he felt that Talos and Meng Qingqing kept glancing at him worriedly.

“Mi Dou, is there something on my face?” Xia Yu quickly asked.

Mi Dou, sucking on a maple lollipop, shook his head. “It’s clean. Why?”

“Nothing. It just feels weird.” Xia Yu tried to ignore the strange feeling, but he had an uneasy hunch. In the end, he asked, “Uncle Talos, is there something on my face?”

Talos, who had been whispering with Meng Qingqing, jumped like he’d been caught. The atmosphere was like that of two adults gossiping about a child behind their back and suddenly getting caught.

“Hahaha, no, no, we were just saying…you’re really good-looking.” Talos said half-truthfully. They definitely weren’t talking about that, but Xia Yu’s beauty was obvious—a plain fact that couldn’t be denied.

So beautiful that… at first, both he and Meng Qingqing suspected he might have some hereditary illness.

Mi Dou, carefree as always, nodded. “Of course! A lot of people want to get to know him now. Xia Yu is the little celebrity of our building.”

“Really?” Talos laughed loudly.

“Really, I’m not lying.” Mi Dou grabbed a buttered corn cob. “There are some not-so-good people, too. But it’s fine. My mom is one of the main officers in the security team, and Yan Xia is a mid-level officer in the missions department. They’ll punish those bad guys.”

“Tsk, tsk, Xia Yu, you better take good care of yourself,” Talos said worriedly. After all, Qingyao City hasn’t been peaceful lately. Many people with unusual appearances have gone missing. Not just the pretty ones—everyone who disappeared had distinctive facial features. The more unique they were, the more dangerous they were.

Xia Yu patted his chest. “I’ll take care of myself. Besides, there’s Mo An. He’ll protect me.”

Meng Qingqing snorted. “Him? His best skill is charming women. Now, all the sirens know there’s a male siren in Qingyao City. But seriously… Xia Yu, have you felt unwell lately?”

She asked indirectly. Dual-sex traits sounded easy enough to understand, but she and Talos knew very little about what exactly made them special.

Xia Yu stuffed a piece of grilled star eel into his mouth, frowned in thought, and then shook his head firmly. “No, it’s just that I eat a lot. I get hungry easily. Sometimes I eat more than Mi Dou. He’s the famous big eater in our area.”

“Ah, don’t bring that up!” Mi Dou protested, still chewing on the corn.

Meng Qingqing laughed, her long eyebrows relaxing. “That’s good. But if you ever feel unwell, you must see a doctor. Don’t push yourself.”

“I know. I’ll take care of myself. I also promised Mo An that once I can hold my breath for over ten minutes, I’ll go with him to see the deep sea.” Xia Yu rubbed his eyes, unaware that his eyes alone were enough to stir everyone’s curiosity and fascination.

“To the deep sea? You might as well take an oxygen tank.” Talos turned around mid-sentence, his tone suddenly changing. “Where are the glowing crabs I raised?! Those were the goods I promised Lao Gui! My glowing ghost-face crabs!”

A whole basin was gone—it had just been behind him! How did it disappear in the blink of an eye?

Faint crunching sounds came from nearby—from Mo An’s mouth. His face was covered in lipstick marks left by affectionate “aunties,” and he was chewing on something that looked like candy. At his feet was the wooden bucket that had held the crabs, now empty except for clear seawater.

“This thing…” Mo An chewed as he spoke. “This thing is great for grinding my teeth. Got any more?”

The pipe in Talos’s mouth trembled. A few seconds later, he roared and lunged at Mo An. “That was my most expensive batch! Spit it out! You little brat whose oral stage hasn’t fully developed!”

Two hours later, when they returned to the hallway on the second floor, Mo An’s head was covered in big bumps. “Talos is such a cheapskate. How much can a bucket of little crabs cost anyway?”

Xia Yu didn’t dare touch the bumps, he only gently patted him. “You’re too mischievous. We can buy whatever you want to eat, but those were Lao Gui’s orders.”

“I didn’t know,” Mo An said honestly. “Well, what’s done is done. I’ll go buy something else to apologize to Lao Gui.”

“How rare—you actually know what ‘apologize’ means now. Looks like Silver Fang’s literacy lessons are working.” Mi Dou, still as careless as ever, earned himself another smack and rubbed his head in silent protest.

“All right, stop fighting. Let’s go buy something for Lao Gui. He’s helped us a lot over the years. Without his training, we never would have touched adult weapons at our age.” Xia Yu was always grateful, and this time, Mo An was truly at fault. “A’ni, you always buy gifts for the ladies. Put some thought into what to get Lao Gui.”

Mi Dou suggested, “How about a gun? His air gun is old. Mom said the security team just got new ones. We can get him one!”

“Sure, we’ve earned a lot of points lately, so we can afford it.” Xia Yu led the two of them onto the elevator and pressed the button for the trading hall floor.

Ding. The trading hall arrived. It wasn’t just open to residents of the building; outsiders could come shop, too. The place was filled with goods of every kind. Mi Dou wanted to buy his mom a gift, but he couldn’t decide, so Xia Yu went with him.

As they split up, Xia Yu repeatedly reminded him, “A’ni, make sure you buy carefully.”

“I know.” Mo An turned and walked the other way, mentally calculating their money and points. Life had been good these past years. Mi Lian transferred points to them monthly, and both Mi Dou and Xia Yu had started working regularly under Yan Xia, making a living.

Once a reckless fighter, Yan Xia had risen to the decision-making level and become steadier. She sent teams to collect fragments in less dangerous, cleared-out zones.

Mo An absorbed a few fragments of eco-electricity when no one was watching. However, he couldn’t absorb too much, as it would draw suspicion. After all these years, he had only managed to light up five high-energy storage towers. The mysterious “Reclamation Project” had barely advanced.

Ah, whatever. Those big plans had nothing to do with him anyway. Mo An wasn’t as curious as Lao Gui, who was obsessed with uncovering the secrets inside Power Plant No. 3.

The real problem was what to buy Lao Gui.

A gun? Really? Last month, he said air guns were becoming obsolete.

Mo An wandered aimlessly, his long, silver hair tied into a bun by Meng Qingqing. It was tied a little too tightly, pulling at his scalp. As he walked, he stopped in front of a jewelry store he often visited.

“Authentic aquamarine, the hardest crystal from the deep sea—only one piece! Today’s price is just right: 80,000 points or 80,000 cash. Only one available!”

So expensive! Mo An stuck out his tongue, but he couldn’t move, feeling drawn in by the shining blue gem. It would look amazing around Xia Yu’s neck, so beautiful against his skin. And it came from the deep sea, his own home.

Mo An had never hesitated like this before. Unconsciously, he took two steps toward the shop.

Meanwhile, with Xia Yu’s help, Mi Dou had already chosen a gift. “Is this belt okay?”

“It’s fine. I saw your mom last time, and the belt on her work pants was torn. This is exactly what she needs.” Xia Yu always thought practically. “It’s only 900 points, and it’ll last a long time. You buy the belt, and I’ll get two little pearl hairpins to braid A’ni’s hair later.”

“You’re right, as always.” Mi Dou shook his bear ears happily and stepped onto the facial scan pad to pay.

Just then, a man with sparse eyebrows walked behind them and quickly scanned the back of Mi Dou’s neck with a small device.

[Bear-type gene hybrid, male, subspecies.]

Lines of text flashed inside the man’s goggles.

He immediately scanned the boy next to him. The screen flashed again, and what appeared made his heart pound:

[Blue Jellyfish gene hybrid, male or female. Other information unknown. Not recorded in the gene bank.]

Suppressing his excitement, the man moved into a quieter corner. He took another look at the beautiful boy in the distance and pulled out his communicator. “Tell the higher-ups—I’ve found a special one. Have them ready to collect the goods by early tomorrow.”

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