MASG chapter 95

 

That thing was so nimble that it didn’t seem like a creature from Earth. It seemed as if it had no weight at all! Mi Dou suddenly felt like throwing up because it looked too much like a human.

He had seen disgusting bugs like Ye Huai’s before. Filth and bloodshed were no longer surprising enough to shake his resolve. However, as the mutant species became more human-like, an instinctive sense of repulsion arose, making him want to roll as far away as possible.

Is this the terrifying nature of fake humans?

Mi Dou wrapped his left arm tightly around Yan Xia’s waist. As they slid down at a steady speed, he felt his gun.

“Hold on tight! I’m going to start accelerating!” Yan Xia also had a gun, but she didn’t dare act rashly at that moment. Mi Dou was right—they couldn’t fly. The metal cable was their lifeline. Even Silver Fang wouldn’t survive if he fell straight down.

She could only grip the cable tighter. “Mi Dou! Take my gun!”

The mutant species above their heads clearly understood human commands. Before, it had only been approaching at a steady speed, but after Yan Xia spoke, it actually started to accelerate. The closer it got, the more it felt like a fake human, closing in to within five meters. It was as if several naked people were chasing after them. Yet, their movements on the cable and agility were nothing like humans’.

Their expressions even carried faint smiles!

“Haha, haha, hee hee hee.” While chasing their prey, they even let out laughter!

Their mask-like facial features were hair-raising, and a sour stench rushed straight at their noses. Mi Dou was prepared. The research institute had been sealed for so long that it definitely wouldn’t smell good. But this sour stench could activate the fear buried in human genes. This was the smell of decay.

The stench of a corpse after death. Once you smell it, you’ll never forget it. It’s more pungent than any chemical odor. Mi Dou aimed his gun in that direction when a thought flashed through his mind: Could they all be dead people?

“Fire!” Lao Gui took the lead, pulling the trigger with forceful measures.

The gunfire shook the elevator shaft, sending dust flying and sparks bursting out. The research lab, silent for many years, was unveiled by this group of people in this way—they had arrived. Mi Dou wasn’t willing to fall behind. Keeping pace with Lao Gui, he launched a fierce assault. No one was going to stop them!

They had to find the samples, synthesize the blood, find their companions, and bring them all back.

Bang! The gun in Mi Dou’s hand jolted, hitting one mutant species that fell while grazing past his shoulder.

The polluted seawater prevented Nixida from moving forward as if it were a boundary. Even the most ferocious mermaid can’t cross it. The sea may be your territory, but we humans only need to move a finger to control you. You are merely low-level creatures living under what humans “allow.”

We can find ways to draw boundaries for your activities. You must obey, submit, and become well-behaved pets. Only then will you have a sliver of space left to survive in the ocean.

Although the red light didn’t say a word, Nixida heard everything. He flicked his tail, creating a vortex in the seawater. His lean waist trembled as he advanced unwillingly once more. The pressure on his gills increased. Even though the gill slits had sped up filtration, it was still insufficient—the oxygen in the seawater couldn’t smoothly enter the mermaid’s pale blue blood.

Crazy! Humans were really crazy!

Nixida put the aquamarine crystal in his mouth again. Truthfully, it didn’t help at all. But as long as it was by his side or in his mouth, his heart felt firm and calm. He was ready to face this unfathomable world again. Seawater continued to pour into his gills. The more seawater that poured in, however, the less oxygen he had.

What exactly was that red light? And what were the fragments?

Carrying one mystery after another, Nixida struggled to survive as he swam toward the red light. It was protected inside a silver metal box. Silver is beautiful because it reflects all kinds of light. It’s especially easy to spot on the seabed, but it shouldn’t be here.

Being here, it was nothing more than trash on the seabed!

Red blood seeped from Nixida’s gills. His sharp claws slid across the top of the silver box, tearing it apart lightly yet furiously. The box was fragile and not that hard to dismantle. As it was opened, the contents inside also surged out.

They were still emitting light, as if they would never go out. Nixida focused his gaze and saw, sure enough, a metal, sheet-like object that perfectly matched the inferred shape of the fragment. The piece spun a few circles in the seawater, about to fall back into the rough sand of the seabed. Nixida didn’t want to give it that chance. In his panic, he reached out and grabbed it!

His palm immediately felt a scorching heat.

The heat didn’t go out inside his fist. The red light shone through his fingers, illuminating the webbing of his hand and making it semi-transparent. Immediately after, however, the light went out as if all the electricity had been sucked away by another device, leaving no trace behind. The light between his fingers vanished as if it had never lit up. Nixida stared in shock at the change in his palm and felt a surge of heat flow into his body.

After it entered through his arm, he no longer knew where it was hiding. He opened his palm again. The fragment that had been glowing had turned into an ordinary gray, dull piece of metal with no special features. Suddenly, a wave of seawater rushed into his gill slits, providing sufficient oxygen and saving his overburdened heart at a critical moment.

Mermaid gill slits and ear fins are especially sensitive. Only after things were safe did Nixida spread his double-layered ear fins.

How this fragment came to be and how it lost its light were phenomena none of the mermaids present could explain. The key to all this was clearly the male siren. Kuni watched him carry back her two unconscious subordinates, and her mood gradually calmed.

“Are you injured? How are they?” Only at that moment did Aituoda dare swim into the polluted seawater. The metallic smell had mostly dissipated. Without hesitation, he took the wounded from Nixida’s hands and swam toward his older sister.

Aibaoyin immediately curled her black fishtail and smeared it over the unconscious ones, especially around their gills. Kuni swam up in front of Nixida. “Thank you, color-changing hybrid. Please tell me what exactly happened. If such an accident happens again, we need to learn how to defeat the fragments.”

“This is the fragment.” Nixida spread his palm. “After I touched it, it disappeared.”

“Why is that?” Kuni bravely touched the fragment. As a leader, she had to make sure that she could protect everyone.

“I don’t know either, but my instincts tell me it’s dangerous. You shouldn’t touch it lightly. The seawater pollution level isn’t too severe. It should return to normal after being diluted for a few days.” Nixida handed the fragment to Kuni. “You should keep this because it’s your territory.”

Kuni first went to check on her subordinates’ injuries. When she swam back, she looked determined, as if she had made a big decision. “Are you sure this thing was thrown down deliberately by humans?”

“I’m sure. Humans are testing our limits.” Nixida was even more anxious than she was; anxiety accompanied him every moment. “Maybe once I remember everything, I’ll be able to tell you all the answers.”

The dim fragment appeared in Kuni’s palm. Against her pale blue skin, it looked ordinary. Kuni couldn’t understand how such a small thing had almost cost everyone their lives.

“All right then. Since you’re the key to all these mysteries, I’m willing to accompany you to see the Snake Woman and Haisiruola. I also want to clearly understand what’s going on.” Although Kuni was nearly twenty years older than Aibaoyin, their sense of mission was no different. At critical moments, they had to stand up for their people. “I’ll go too.”

“What? You’re going too?” Aituoda leaned over. His fishtail was still wrapped around an injured one, rubbing back and forth to apply mucus.

“Yes.” Kuni swam upward a bit, her hands naturally hanging down at her sides. “Obviously, the era of peace between humans and mermaids has already ended. What comes next is an era of war. We can’t go ashore and bother them because their weapons are extremely powerful. We can only defend our homeland. But defending ourselves doesn’t mean waiting for death. I’m willing to fight for the clan until my blood runs dry.”

“Then great, let’s set off right away.” Nixida was overjoyed, wishing they could leave immediately.

“No, I need one day to make arrangements. I have to settle everything within the group before I can leave.” However, Kuni shook her head.

“Wait, wait.” Aibaoyin pointed out a crucial weakness. “You can’t keep up with a sea demon. Even Aituoda and I can barely keep up. If he swims at full speed, you won’t last a minute.”

“I can carry her.” Nixida said. He also wanted Kuni to go and clarify things.

“No, you don’t need to carry me. You’re all still too young.” Kuni shook her head. In her eyes, these three were all newly hatched little mermaids. The oldest, Aibaoyin, was still a young girl. “Because you saved my people, Nixida, I want to give you a generous reward. I want to repay you.”

“Reward?” Nixida showed some interest.

Kuni pointed in one direction. “I know how to find the Abyssal Beasts. When they turn into monsters, they swim more than ten times faster than sirens because they are more than ten times our size. Follow the abyss, and you’ll find them. I’ll ask the Abyssal Beasts to take us with them. Otherwise, at the rate you’re swimming, it’ll take at least a year to reach our destination.”

“Abyssal Beasts…that’s impossible. They won’t listen to you.” Aibaoyin shook her head.

“I will help you. Please believe me.” Kuni was full of confidence. “With the help of the Abyssal Beasts, a year-long journey can be shortened to one month.”

“One month? That’s great.” Nixida let out a breath as if he could see hope.

For the entire next day, Kuni was busy in her territory. The other Abyssals returned to a transparent state. Because she had doubts, she kept everyone visible. The two injured Abyssals were cared for by Aibaoyin and Aituoda. Unable to do anything else, Nixida could only patrol the Abyssal’s territory.

As he swam, he felt an unprecedented sense of loneliness and desolation. Lowering his head, he saw the sea-blue crystal again—only this time, it was beside him.

When would he fully remember? When would he find that person? Nixida had no answers. He even began to doubt. Had his former companions already abandoned him? Were they looking for him too?

Would there still be a chance to meet again?

Bang!

Along with a loud thud, Silver Fang and Yan Xia landed on the ground. More precisely, they landed on a pile of corpses from the mutant species. On the way down, Mi Dou and Lao Gui shot at least several hundred of those creatures. The pale white corpses piled up like a mountain. Mi Dou covered his nose while Lao Gui bent over and started vomiting.

“Don’t panic, everyone. Pass through that door, and you’ll be inside the research facility.” Yan Xia also felt like vomiting. Silver Fang was the only one who didn’t; he had temporarily shut down his sense of smell. “That’s the only passage!”

“Then let’s go. We’ll talk after we get inside.” Mi Dou staggered forward. His small body radiated enormous energy. Even if there was only a sliver of hope, he wouldn’t give up. Xia Yu and Mo’an, you must hold on!

Meanwhile, a group of exhausted sirens arrived in a 7,000-meter trench filled with green fluorite. They were pure-blood sirens—beautiful yet dangerous, strong and decisive. Their long black hair spread through the seawater like a layer of gauze. However, they had swum too urgently and couldn’t move after they arrived.

“What? Say that again? You really saw a male siren?” Meng Qingqing grabbed a Black Siren and urgently described, “He has silver hair, which is different from ours. He’s a sea demon with elbow fins. From the state of his dorsal fin, you can tell he’s a fish who has just come of age. His name is Mo’an!”

“He’s not called Mo’an. His name is Nixida. He’s just completely forgotten the past.” The Black Siren replied. “He should have come from human society. He doesn’t understand things about the sea.”

Meng Qingqing’s hands trembled with excitement. “Yes, his merman name is Nixida! How is he? He can’t remember? Why?”

“He was probably injured too badly. He’s a hybrid of a Siren and a Black Siren, isn’t he? He’s different from you.” The Black Siren didn’t understand why she was so excited.

“He…cough, cough…where is he?” Meng Qingqing choked on a mouthful of water. She had finally found him! Mo’an wasn’t dead. He just lost his memory, so he couldn’t come back.

“Huh? He’s already left.” The Black Siren shook her head. “He left with Aibaoyin and Aituoda to look for Haisiruola. They left over a month ago.”