MASG chapter 6

 

“Where are you going?” Mi Dou was so dizzy from his fever that he could barely hear the question.

“I’m going outside to get nutritional supplements for Mo An and medicine for you and myself.” Xia Yu’s stomach growled. “Something to fill my stomach.”

“Outside?” Mi Dou closed his eyes in a daze. He had already experienced the dangers of the outside world. It had become hell, and death was easy. I wondered how Mom was doing. I wanted to go home.

Just as he was falling asleep, someone pulled him.

Mi Dou opened his eyes again. “What are you doing?”

“Take off your shoes. I need them before I can go out.” Xia Yu sat down next to Mi Dou and pulled off his shoes with all his might. “We’re about the same size. I should be able to wear them.”

He couldn’t run out barefoot again. The roads would only be more dangerous now. After the sweep, the road would be littered with broken glass and debris. If he got hurt again, Mo An and Mi Dou would be left with no one to save them. With this thought in mind, Xia Yu put on slightly smaller shoes.

His cold toes squeezed together and felt a little warmer.

“I’m leaving now. Can you promise me one thing?” Xia Yu was deeply worried as he left.

Mi Dou’s life hung by a thread, but he nodded his head with all his might, his little bear ears tilting back. “Okay.”

“No matter what, you must take good care of Mo An,” Xia Yu said, trembling. “That fish egg over there. He’s called Mo An. He’s a strange creature—a mermaid. You must take good care of him.”

“Okay.” Mi Dou closed his eyes and nodded again.

“If…if I don’t come back, you must wait for someone to come rescue you. Take Mo An to a safe place and… find a chance to release him back into the sea.” Xia Yu’s tongue froze because he was truly terrified.

He wasn’t sure if he would return safely from this trip. If he couldn’t survive, at least he had entrusted Mo An to someone else. Like himself, Midou was a genetically modified human. He wouldn’t discriminate against those born different. Perhaps Midou could survive and keep this small hope alive.

If not, Xia Yu hoped someone else could. If Mo An could successfully hatch one day, Xia Yu hoped he would remember him.

A useless little jellyfish who could sing.

After saying this, he quickly turned around. It took great determination for a child to force himself to leave the safest place he knew. His teeth chattered with every step, he couldn’t predict what fate would follow. The sewer corridor was long, and the sound of dripping water lingered in the distance. It was a chaotic mess, rusted and stained everywhere.

Xia Yu was unfamiliar with the surroundings here. The research institute was always pristine and maintained by robots. A clear image of the real world formed in his mind: some areas were high-tech, while others were backward, the contrast was stark.

But no matter what, the safest place was the best place. Xia Yu couldn’t help but quicken his pace, his heart pounding. Could this world be saved? Why would Professor Wang let him try?

Jingwei: [We’ve arrived.]

The AI’s warning sounded, and Xia Yu paused and glanced around. There were walls on both sides and an overhead round manhole cover with a curved ladder leading to it.

This must be it! Xia Yu didn’t want to waste time, so he stepped onto the lowest rung of the ladder. It was his first time climbing a ladder, and with his poor balance, he nearly fell several times.

Jingwei: [Be careful.]

“I know I should be careful, but it’s hard,” Xia Yu muttered softly. Several minutes later, he finally reached the top. He pushed open the manhole cover with his right hand, but instead of seeing the road, he saw another ladder climbing upwards.

Jingwei: [Keep climbing. Be careful, it’s high.]

Jingwei’s emotionless voice sounded especially cold, and Xia Yu yearned for Professor Wang’s gentle manner. This was his only remaining option, so he steadied his grip on the railing. He didn’t dare look down, even a glance would send him falling. Singing continuously to cheer himself up, he finally reached the top. He pushed open the circular manhole cover, and this time, he saw the sky outside.

The sky was grayish-blue.

Why that color? If he were older, he would have realized it was the dust from the explosion. The ground was covered in rubble and broken glass. Fortunately, he was wearing shoes—otherwise, his soles would have been pierced.

It felt like an eternity before he stepped onto the ground again. Xia Yu didn’t dare stand up but instead huddled forward. “Jingwei, are you still there? Don’t lie to me.”

Jingwei: [Look to the left now.]

Perhaps worried that Xia Yu couldn’t tell east from west or north from south, Jingwei used the relatively vague terms “left” and “right” to describe directions, which are difficult for artificial intelligence to understand. After hearing this, Xia Yu looked to his left. There, a row of tall vending machines gleamed.

But their glass covers were covered in a thick layer of dust.

Medicine! Xia Yu trotted over. The glass cover was shattered. He wiped away the dust with his hand and made out the words inside: “VC, VB, OMEGA3… What are these?”

Jingwei: [Nutrients. I suggest you take some. Your immunity isn’t great.]

“Who said I’m not great? I’m strong,” Xia Yu muttered, reaching for the broken glass. He had to be extremely careful to avoid cutting himself, grabbing a small can of VC before quickly pulling his hand back and putting it in his pocket.

His clothes were still the lab’s scrubs. I wonder if the lab still exists after the self-destruction procedure.

But now wasn’t the time to think about that. Xia Yu wouldn’t allow himself to wander off, so he looked behind the vending machine. According to Jingwei, there was an energy pharmacy behind it. Crouched forward, Xia Yu tried to make his body as small as possible, fearing the aircraft would notice him.

He could still hear those things, they hadn’t completely left.

The door to the energy pharmacy had been blown open, and Xia Yu slipped inside effortlessly. It was his first time in such a place.

“How do I find medicine? Jingwei, tell me.” He had already begun learning to ask Jingwei for help.

Just above and to his left, a semicircular camera scanned him.

Jingwei: [Go to the fourth row. The medicine you need is on the shelf.]

Xia Yu walked, searching and watching the numbers on the shelves change as he went. Although the pharmacy’s doors had been blown open, no one had come to loot it yet. Xia Yu guessed that most people were hiding, just like him.

Many people were surely injured, and everyone needed these supplies. Xia Yu walked slowly, stopping frequently to make sure it was safe before moving again. It took a long time. By the time he found number 4, he felt dizzy from the shelves filled with medicine.

Mi Dou had a fever, and Mo An needed nutritional supplements. He muttered to himself, then tiptoed inside to search. Fortunately, Xia Yu had read a lot over the years, so he found what he needed without any difficulty. There were plenty of fever-reducing and anti-inflammatory drugs, but only one tube of nutritional supplements.

Xia Yu picked up a bag from the floor and quickly filled it. “Jingwei, there’s only one tube of nutritional supplements left. What should I do?”

Jingwei: [Take one first. This thing is very valuable.]

“Okay, I’ll take it back first. Don’t let Mo An starve.” Xia Yu wanted to cry at the thought of Mo An starving to death. As he turned to leave, he paused.

The camera on the ceiling turned to face him, watching closely.

Xia Yu ran to another shelf and grabbed some bandages. Then, contentedly, he ran out of the pharmacy. Only after finishing all his tasks did he remember the food vending machine outside. He had been so anxious that he forgot to grab some.

Food is crucial during this critical period!

Jingwei: [Xia Yu, you better hurry.]

“I know. I’ll just grab a few more bread rolls and go back.” Xia Yu quickly loaded up on food. The vending machine had a variety of bread rolls, but he only took the ones closest to him. But halfway through, he paused as if waking from a deep sleep.

“Okay, I’m going back now.” He squatted down again, preparing to run back to the manhole cover.

Jingwei: [It’s safe now. Take all the food.] Jingwei’s tone was filled with doubt. Xia Yu had already reached the manhole cover. Without answering, he flipped it open and slid in. Only when the circular manhole cover above him was securely closed did he finally relax and begin his descent.

Jingwei: [Why didn’t you take all the food?]

Xia Yu replied, “I was thinking, what if someone else found the vending machine? The buns were so delicious. I couldn’t eat them all by myself…”

Jingwei: [It’s well-meaning, but you must learn to be selfish, especially now. Sometimes selfishness is a protective mechanism, and you must learn that.]

Jingwei’s voice softened for a moment, but only briefly. Its coldness reminded Xia Yu of the people at the research institute. He’d sometimes see them smile, but the expression would quickly vanish. They were accustomed to being serious.

Besides Wang Qin, Nuwa was the most gentle to him.

She was also an AI, but she possessed a richer range of emotions than Jingwei and never mentioned the concept of “selfishness.”

“Jingwei, do you know Nuwa?” Nearing the bottom of the ladder, Xia Yu couldn’t help himself. He wanted to know where Nuwa had gone and why she had disappeared. If she were still around, the world wouldn’t be like this. She wouldn’t allow machines to rebel, she would protect everyone.

Jingwei: [Sorry, I don’t understand Nuwa.]

However, Jingwei’s response left Xia Yu disappointed again. Nuwa had indeed disappeared.

Xia Yu quickly returned to the sewers. He put on his shoes and ran as fast as he could, muttering under his breath, “Please wait for me! You guys, don’t let anything happen to you. Don’t let anyone die. I have medicine and bread. I can save everyone.”

Xia Yu truly believed this. In his mind, food and medicine were omnipotent. By the time he reached the dilapidated room, Mi Dou was unconscious. His little bear ears were freezing, and his paws clutched the unremarkable weapon.

Jingwei: [Give him the medicine quickly.]

“I know.” Without a second thought, Xia Yu pulled a pill from the bag and stuffed it into Mi Dou’s mouth. Without water, he forced it in, using his finger to push the pill down Mi Dou’s throat.

Then, he took out the potion and briefly treated the wound on Mi Dou’s shoulder. Blood and dirt mixed together. Xia Yu washed it away, rebandaged the wound, and wrapped it with a clean bandage.

Since there was no bed in the room, Xia Yu laid Mi Dou flat on the floor and let him sleep soundly. His survival depended on his willpower alone.

“Next, next…feed Mo An!” Xia Yu encouraged himself as he pulled out the expensive tube of nutrient solution. Although he had never used a syringe before, he had seen others use them at the research institute. He imitated the process by tearing open the package and injecting the liquid to eliminate the air bubble.

Jingwei: [Be careful.]

“Okay, I’ll be careful.” Xia Yu knelt in front of the fish egg and touched the scratch mark with his hand.

The moment the syringe needle entered, Xia Yu held his breath.

He had personally pierced the outer membrane of the fish egg. He wondered if Mo An would feel much pain. To shorten the process, Xia Yu injected the solution as quickly as possible and then quickly withdrew the needle. As the nutrient solution entered the fish egg’s amniotic fluid, Xia Yu breathed a final sigh of relief.

“Great! Now you won’t starve to death. This needle prick…it doesn’t hurt. I’ll blow on you.”

He lay down beside the fish egg and blew continuously on the spot where he had just been pierced. He had used up his last bit of strength and could no longer even lift a small piece of bread. He could only lean his head against the fish egg, pouting and blowing as he gathered his strength.

Through the membrane, he could see Mo An sleeping inside like a little boy.

Strange—were Mo An’s ear fins always this long? Xia Yu’s attention was drawn to it unconsciously. He had always seen Mo An through the glass and seawater, never up close, so his vision hadn’t been very clear. Now, up close, he could see that Mo An’s ears were different from those of humans and genetically modified humans.

“Mo An, Mo An, can you hear me? I’m Xia Yu… I helped you escape.” Xia Yu tapped the fish egg with his little finger.

He didn’t expect the mermaid inside to respond. After all, the egg had never responded to the research institute. But as he finished speaking, the mermaid turned to him.

The rapid trembling of his eyelids finally stopped, and then the light appeared.

Mo An opened his eyes and saw the outside world and the little jellyfish that spoke to him constantly for the first time.

His eyes opened prematurely, years before those of a normal mermaid hatchling, and his tear membranes hadn’t fully developed yet.