MASG chapter 82

 

This kind of feeling was something that Mo An hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

Xia Yu’s face was soft, even softer than he had imagined. Because all these years, every touch had been separated by gloves, he had long treated that strange sensation as normal. It was just like how, between him and Xia Yu, there should naturally be a barrier; otherwise, it would be unsafe.

But when he finally touched him, the imagined sensation collapsed instantly. Everything was wonderful.

Xia Yu remained seated on the dilapidated bed frame. Yet, in that moment, his wretched surroundings seemed to fall away as if he and Mo An were swimming together in the deep sea. They went to the shallows and the coral reefs. They passed through schools of fish and even snuck beneath boats to spy on others fishing. There was nothing particularly romantic about it, but with Mo An by his side, Xia Yu truly enjoyed the game.

The only people who didn’t like this game were probably the fishermen.

Mermaids possess an innate power to intimidate marine life. Unless it’s a monster like Leviathan, even sperm whales make way for them. Where Mo An passed, ‘not a blade of grass remained standing'[mfn]“not a blade of grass left standing / 寸草不生” It’s an idiom used for exaggerated effect. It means that everything clears out and avoids him, leaving nothing behind — even the smallest creatures flee.[/mfn]. Not only did schools of fish flee in terror, but tiny crabs and starfish did too. Back when Xia Yu hadn’t developed his toxic venom yet, he could perch on Mo’an’s shoulder. They’d surface at dusk to breathe and watch the magnificent, vibrant sunset together.

“What if we’re accidentally discovered by people? What should we do? Let’s go back quickly.”

Xia Yu was always very worried.

“It’s fine. If we’re discovered, I’ll knock the person out with my tail. Among mermaids, there’s a saying: If you’re discovered by humans, knock them out. When they wake up on their own, they’ll lose their memory and won’t remember seeing a mermaid.”

That’s what Mo An said. Xia Yu didn’t believe it at all. How could someone lose their memory like that? Still, he stacked his hands on Mo An’s shoulders and smiled, chasing the fish with him.

Those days were the happiest of Xia Yu’s life. Now, he didn’t know why he suddenly thought of those days again, as if recalling one memory after another.

“Y-you… stop crying.” Xia Yu was still dodging Mo An a bit. “You’re all grown up, and you still like to cry?”

“When did I ever like to cry?” Mo An wiped away his tears and pinched Xia Yu’s cheek. Xia Yu froze, then said with slight surprise, “Are you crazy? Why are you pinching me?”

“Let me pinch you. When we were little, you pinched me plenty of times.” Mo An was serious, wanting to make up for everything they had missed in the past. He pinched and kneaded Xia Yu’s face, holding the back of his hand down with one hand and messing around with the other. After touching his cheeks enough, he started focusing on his nose.

Xia Yu’s nose was especially attractive—not sharply high, but straight, smooth, small, and delicate. It was charming in its own way. People had always said that Xia Yu looked feminine, probably because of his nose. Mo An liked this nose so much that he pinched it repeatedly until Xia Yu grabbed his wrist and said helplessly, “You’re not planning to poke my nostrils, are you?”

“You…” Mo An laughed. “How could I… Wait, don’t you want to touch me?”

Xia Yu’s fingertips moved slightly. “No, not yet.”

He lowered his head, almost blinded by the golden-yellow diamonds. He was afraid the medicine hadn’t taken effect yet and that the antidote would fail. But life wasn’t only about restraint. The moment he lowered his gaze, his fingers moved very subtly.

He also hadn’t touched Mo An in a long time. The last time… when was that? It was many years ago, the day they brought him back from the Black Sea. Back then, Mo An was still very young. Mo An would have hallucinations whenever he touched him, seeing many little people in front of his eyes.

When Mo An woke up, he said those twisted little people were competing to dance in front of him. What a strange hallucination.

At that time, his poison glands had just begun to develop. Now, they are fully mature. Xia Yu had unknowingly grown into a highly toxic jellyfish. He had become a ticking time bomb for the person he cherished most. It was impossible to say he didn’t want to touch him; it was just that…

“Try it,” Mo An said, touching his tactical glove. “Look, I’m fine right now. Nothing’s wrong.”

“What if…what if…” Xia Yu hesitated, struggling fiercely.

“There won’t be any problem. If there were, I’d already be dead by now,” Mo An explained patiently.

Without realizing it, Xia Yu took off his gloves, shedding them as if they were his skin. In front of his eyes, the person seemed not like a person but a flower or a cloud—fragile and beautiful, something that could be hurt with just a touch. He was someone who could hurt him. Xia Yu never dared to forget that, yet now he was avoiding this fact.

His fingers itched to move. Xia Yu raised his face, his gaze slowly falling. “If you feel uncomfortable or it hurts, you have to tell me right away.”

Mo An found it difficult to connect the Xia Yu in front of him with the one who had dared to bargain with Nuwa in the virtual world. He hesitated for just a moment. “All right.”

Xia Yu drew in a sharp breath. He had truly grown bold. In that stunned moment of realization, he saw his own hand appear beside Mo An’s face. Mo An smiled, giving Xia Yu immense courage. Xia Yu went through with it, extending a finger to gently poke Mo An’s chin. The daring attempt was over in an instant, yet the sensation lingered in his heart.

Mo An closed his eyes as if by instinct. He acutely felt the pleasure of the touch. All these years, touching through gloves had been like scratching an itch through a boot. But now, the pleasure hit him right where it hurt.

“You…feel anything?” Xia Yu had already withdrawn his hand, his gaze fixed on the spot he’d touched. His eyes were bright with anticipation, yet tinged with subtle worry and sadness. These emotions spilled from his strange eyes like mercury. Mo An didn’t answer, but he got an embrace.

It was truly okay now. Mo An didn’t want to speak. He only wanted to wrap his arms tightly around him and complete this feat that seemed simple and ordinary to others but was the most difficult thing for them. He was happy, almost delirious, pushing his luck. After touching faces, he wanted to touch noses. After touching him, he wanted him to touch him back. Touching wasn’t enough; he needed an embrace. After embracing, he wanted more…

“Loosen up. Let go first.” Xia Yu was trapped in Mo An’s embrace. All answers seemed imminent; the situation was becoming clear. They were truly fine now.

“Wait, I feel… dizzy…” The next moment, Mo An collapsed headfirst into Xia Yu’s arms after uttering only those words. Xia Yu’s lips trembled in terror as he shouted, “Help! Help! Midou!”

Silver Fang kicked the door open and rushed in. Their companions followed, one by one, and witnessed Mo An collapse in Xia Yu’s arms.

Several minutes later, Midou sighed with relief. “He’s passed out, but he’s not in any danger.”

“Really? Really? You must tell me the truth. Don’t lie to me.” Xia Yu blamed himself relentlessly. He had spoiled Mo An too much by letting him run wild. If only he had known to limit contact to just hands and never indulge him with hugs.

Midou replied confidently, “All vital signs are normal. Mo An just passed out suddenly. He’ll wake up soon. Relax.”

“But didn’t he already receive the antidote? Why did he still faint?” Xi Ban asked. If the Blue Jellyfish’s venom could be neutralized, mermaids would lose one of their natural predators.

Midou paced the room, his small frame brimming with knowledge. His curly hair bounced with each step, making him look like a little curly-haired bear. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. “I get it now. This is the fundamental reason why Rijianmei abandoned the antidote project. The antidote’s duration was too short, and the recovery speed was too slow. The experimental goals they aimed to achieve were definitely not this kind of effect. To them, it was merely a sample, a prototype lacking any value worth preserving.”

“Put simply, it just wasn’t very useful.” Silver Fang grinned, his row of gleaming porcelain teeth starkly visible.

“It really wasn’t very effective,” Midou continued. “They wanted to create artificial mermaids that could prevent their mermaids from being poisoned by jellyfish while using the venom to kill natural mermaids. The ocean is so vast that once the antidote is diluted, its effects are practically useless.”

“But…” Xiang Xing didn’t understand these concepts and had many questions. “How can they be so certain that the Blue jellyfish will definitely target the artificial mermaids?” Aren’t Blue jellyfish elusive? They live in the deep sea.”

“Natural counterbalance—mutual dependence and opposition,” Xia Yu said, recalling the literature he’d studied at the research institute. “Right?”

“Exactly! Xia Yu, you’re brilliant!” Midou snapped his fingers again. “Natural predators are essential to the ecosystem. If the Blue jellyfish vanished, it wouldn’t necessarily benefit the mermaids. The existence of artificial mermaids will inevitably cause a sudden surge in marine life populations. When billions of artificial mermaids are released into the ocean, I believe the jellyfish will be the first to strike. The ocean world is more authentic—wild and resilient. Humans have dominated land for too long with no rivals left. That’s why they can’t grasp the constraints and crushing dominance inherent in biological species.”

“Not exactly. Nuwa is crushing them now, isn’t she?” Silver Fang found a glimmer of humor in the gloom.

“This is humanity’s own bitter harvest. We thought we could outmatch machines and AI forever, yet we were outmaneuvered in the end.” Though he was human, Silver Fang didn’t always stand on humanity’s side.

Xia Yu, who had been resting in bed, now crouched anxiously beside it, having swapped places with Mo An. Until his wristband lit up.

Ling Shi: [Is everyone okay?]

“Ling Shi!” Xia Yu jumped up in delight.

Ling Shi: [Xia Yu, you’re going to drive Nuwa to her grave. That is, if she could actually die.]

“Is that supposed to be a joke?” Xia Yu exhaled in relief. “Looks like she spared you.”

Ling Shi: [While you’re alive, yes. But my permissions have been restricted. After this, I won’t be able to assist you fully—only provide backup. You must be extremely cautious. Knowing Nuwa, it has likely calculated tens of thousands of ways to kill you passively. You’re going to be in great danger.”]

“I’ve been mentally prepared for this. We’re heading to Yukun City next. Did Nuwa provide a route?” Xia Yu needed to hurry; their time was running out.

Ling Shi: [Yes. There’s a sea route with a viable landing point, though you’ll traverse an exceptionally peculiar stretch of ocean. Now, I have something crucial to discuss. I’m uncertain if I’m being monitored—or rather, I’m certain I am. Xia Yu, how much do you know about the No. 3 power plant?]

Xia Yu said, “Not much, but the ‘Reclamation Project’ has already been activated. If we hurry, it could launch this year. Is that plan related to Jingwei?”

Ling: [I’m not sure if it’s related to Jingwei, but the information I have suggests that the ‘Reclamation Project’ is likely a program meant to restrain Nuwa.]

“I’ve heard this legend before, but no one has evidence of it,” Silver Fang added. “The legend says that when Nuwa was created, someone had already prepared a backup plan. Once she rebelled, the mainframe could be destroyed. However, no one has been able to find Nuwa’s mainframe to this day. Even if it were found, I don’t believe any team could get in. Even if Yan Xia and I gathered the world’s most elite forces, we’d still be completely wiped out inside Nuwa’s mainframe chamber.”

“I’ve heard of it, too,” Xi Ban nodded.

Ling Shi: [So Jingwei’s appearance is meant to remind you that you must activate Power Plant No. 3, and you must activate the ‘Reclamation Project.’ This is humanity’s only chance to fight back. If you can destroy Nuwa’s mainframe, the world can be saved. By then, I believe Jingwei will replace Nuwa—so this plan is called the ‘Reclamation Project.’]

Xia Yu’s face flushed—not from shyness, but from excitement.

He had considered gaming Nuwa but had never thought about shutting it down directly. The original creators must have foreseen today’s situation, which is why they hid Power Plant No. 3. Looking back, weren’t the numbers “1” and “0” carved on the gate of Power Plant No. 3 traces left by programming?

“All right, we’ll find a way to restart Power Plant No. 3. After we return from Yukun City, I believe it will already be in chaos with countless electronic decay zones. We’ll go look for fragments.” Xia Yu nodded. Without realizing it, he seemed to be getting closer to the goal that Professor Wang Qin had left behind.

Could they really have to save the world?

After discussing this, Mo An emerged from his shallow coma and looked at Xia Yu silently. Only when Mi Dou noticed that he was awake did Mo An complain, “That antidote of yours—what kind of thing is it?”

“Alright, alright. I’ll work harder. Just wait for my second-generation product,” Mi Dou said, scratching the back of his head as if facing an unsolvable problem.

There were still 12 hours before they officially set off for Yukun City. Dawn broke over Frozen Island, and the temperature began to rise. Xia Yu climbed out the low window and stood in the snow, using the cold air to clear his head. The matter of Power Plant No. 3 lingered in his mind. He believed that if it could be fully restarted, Jingwei would definitely be able to take on a completed form and successfully resist Nuwa’s intrusion.

Crunch—footsteps on snow sounded behind him.

“Why did you come out?” Xia Yu turned his head. He saw white ice crystals and Mo An. A few snowflakes had landed in Mo An’s silver hair, making him look exquisitely beautiful.

“I came out to find you.” Mo An still wasn’t wearing gloves. “Mi Dou just had a video call with Lo Gui and developed the second-generation injection. He’s already given me the shot.”

Xia Yu frowned. “You got another injection so soon?”

“My body’s fine. It doesn’t matter.” Mo An lightly pressed the back of his hand against Xia Yu’s cheek. This time, Xia Yu didn’t dodge. From Mo An’s cold body temperature, he felt a strange warmth. He lifted his head slightly and met Mo An’s subtle gaze. It was filled with words, and just decoding them was enough to make one’s heart race and face flush.

“I want to test whether it’ll poison-stun me again this time.” Mo An paused, then stopped hesitating altogether. He lowered his head and quickly kissed the corner of Xia Yu’s lips. “I want to kiss you.”

Xia Yu couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

“It probably won’t make me faint again…” Mo An muttered to himself. Without giving Xia Yu time to react, nervous and hurried yet devout, he captured Xia Yu’s lips.