Bai Lixin looked towards the dark shadows- the little merman was fast asleep.
The human-faced monster sat on the hospital bed, its somewhat murky eyes turning to Bai Lixin and Xia Chi. It pointed to itself, then to the bed underneath, slowly saying, “I, experiment, failed.”
Xia Chi: “Are you saying this place used to be an underground research laboratory, and you were a failed experiment in that research?”
The human-faced monster nodded.
Xia Chi: “Where did it go wrong?”
Yeah, where did it go wrong? He rarely saw monsters with such high intelligence. He had encountered various monsters in copies, and most are driven by instinct and lack intelligence.
This monster not only could think but also communicate. It seemed perfectly fine.
The human-faced monster touched its face, then suddenly stood up with a roar of pain. Its claws began to scratch the bed frantically, abandoning its earlier docility for violent movements. The already dilapidated bed became even more chaotic, with sponges and black leather flying everywhere.
As it went berserk, fragmented words came out of its mouth.
“Don’t.”
“Let me go.”
“It hurts, change head.”
“Monster… I’m not… I’m human!”
“I am human!”
The last two sentences made Xia Chi break into a cold sweat.
‘I am human?
What does “I am human” mean?’
As the human-faced monster moved violently, its thick fur scattered with its actions.
Amidst the movement, Xia Chi saw the neck hidden under the long fur.
Rows of neatly arranged scars encircled the neck.
The scars twisted around the neck, making the already strange combination of a human face and animal body even more bizarre.
As if…
This head was stitched onto this body.
Xia Chi’s pupils contracted, and his eyes subconsciously looked at Bai Lixin beside him.
Bai Lixin had obviously noticed the scars on the neck. He silently took two steps back, waiting for the human-faced monster’s rampage to end.
The sleeping merman in the distance was awakened by the noise. Quickly rushing out from the darkness, he came to the human-faced monster’s side. He opened his mouth, and a long, melodious song echoed in the space.
The moment the song started, the human-faced monster’s movements froze.
As the merman sang, the human-faced monster gradually quieted down. It breathed heavily, sitting on the ground with its chest heaving.
As the song concluded, the human-faced monster finally returned to normal.
It lifted its head again, staring at the two. “Monster, failed, success, inferior, destroy, death. Secret, Special Species Research Institute, secret. Escape, quickly escape. Save me, get out. Be careful, water, water, water, water…”
It spoke these words in a daze, whether due to the memory still in a confused state or its intelligence experiencing some degeneration, it replied on these few isolated terms to convey some information.
…
‘What does it mean?
Is it a warning about water?
Which water?’
Xia Chi felt anxious, and asked urgently, “What does ‘be careful of water’ mean? Which water? Where?”
However, his questions received no response. The monster seemed to be trapped in some kind of memory, repeatedly uttering the word “water.”
The merman, who had initially become friendly, now stood in front of the monster and bared his sharp fangs again.
His sharp claws pointed towards them, indicating clear hostile intentions.
Xia Chi wanted to continue asking, but Bai Lixin grabbed his arm.
He turned around in confusion and saw Bai Lixin gently shaking his head, “Let’s go.”
Xia Chi paused, he looked at the frenzied human-faced monster and the menacing merman, then nodded reluctantly, “Okay, let’s go, Brother.”
The two slowly retreated, heading back into the sewer.
The merman didn’t chase them. Even after walking a considerable distance, they could still hear the voice of the human-faced monster behind them.
It kept repeating the term “water.” Just as the sound was about to fade away, Bai Lixin heard a new phrase.
“Monster, faith.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
By the time they returned the same way, an hour had passed.
Lin Xiao still stood in the spot they had left, frozen in place. It was unclear whether he had been standing there since they left.
Seeing the two emerge, Lin Xiao finally moved.
As he turned, Bai Lixin could even hear faint cracking sounds from Lin Xiao’s joints.
Lin Xiao: “You’re back.”
Xia Chi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. “Sorry for making you wait, Lin Xiao.”
Lin Xiao: “It’s not long for me. So, did you find anything after going in?”
Xia Chi immediately told Lin Xiao about what they saw at the end of the sewer, including the mentioned words.
After listening, Lin Xiao remained silent for a few seconds. His gaze seemed distant, as if lost in thought.
After a moment, he spoke again, “Be cautious, water, monsters, faith.”
“The ‘faith’ in the monster’s words, could it be the faith we’re looking for?”
“If so, this human-faced monster must know something. Are we just going to abandon this lead? Why didn’t you continue questioning and chose to leave?”
Xia Chi looked at Bai Lixin.
Bai Lixin remained indifferent, “I’m not giving up, just taking it slowly.”
Lin Xiao: “Since it’s remembering now, it’s better to pursue it further. Otherwise, repeated attempts might plunge it into painful memories each time. It’s better to cut through the chaos directly, stimulating it thoroughly.”
Xia Chi: “??? What are you talking about? The human-faced monster used to be a human, what’s with cutting through chaos directly?”
Lin Xiao remained silent for two seconds. When he opened his mouth, a wisp of cold white air came out of his mouth, “Not anymore. If it really was a human before, do you think it can accept turning into this monstrous form? Death might be a relief for it.”
Xia Chi opened his mouth, hesitated, and slowly closed it again. In the end, all words were swallowed into his stomach, turning into two words: “Let’s go.”
Bai Lixin checked the time; there were only four hours until dawn.
They needed to make the most of their time.
Bai Lixin: “I’ve marked this place for future reference. We need to head back, this location deviates from our target direction.”
They hadn’t walked far when Bai Lixin stopped and looked behind him.
In the distance, not too far away, a slender figure was following them. It tucked itself into hidden corners, timidly peeking out, cautiously showing its head. It had been following them steadily for awhile now.
Bai Lixin had been observing it for quite some time.
“Come here.” He beckoned towards the place the little merman was hiding at. Shortly after, he saw the little merman cautiously coming out from behind a rock. He hesitated for a moment, then approached timidly.
The little merman walked up to Bai Lixin, and babbled something.
“…” Bai Lixin listened for a while, “Did your… companion send you over?”
The little merman nodded.
Bai Lixin was stunned, but quickly regained composure, “Could it be it wants you to lead us, take us somewhere?”
The little merman nodded rapidly, pointing to a specific direction.
Bai Lixin and the others exchanged glances. Bai Lixin: “Fine, lead the way.”
As they followed the little merman, Bai Lixin noticed that the path he took aligned with their original plan—it was towards the lower part of the sewer. Even without the merman’s guidance, they would have walked in that direction.
Along the way, Bai Lixin walked beside the little merman, chatting casually.
“Have you always been with your companion?”
The little merman nodded.
“Does it usually go berserk like it did just now?”
The little merman shook its head.
“Did we scare you earlier?”
Initially, the little merman nodded, then shook his head.
“Did your companion mention anything about today’s events before?”
After a two-second pause, the little merman nodded.
Bai Lixin silently observed the little merman’s expression, slowly continuing toward their destination.
The journey proceeded without further incidents. Bai Lixin noticed that fish would occasionally emerge from the water along the way, but each time, they quickly retreated.
As they continued, the fish emerging from the water became larger and more monstrous. In the latter part, fish measuring two to three meters occasionally appeared.
Giant, tumor-covered fish with protruding eyes swam around in the garbage-filled sewage pool. It was a slightly disturbing sight.
In comparison to these huge fish’s timidity, the little merman seemed more carefree. Every time a fish emerged, the merman would grin at the underwater fish.
As they approached their destination, Bai Lixin’s shoulders tensed. After the next turn, he would discover the reason for the locator’s disappearance.
About a hundred meters before the corner, Bai Lixin heard the roaring sound of wind. As they got closer, the howling grew louder.
Ripples began to appear in the wastewater channel flowing in that direction.
Xia Chi: “Brother, it seems like there’s some movement up ahead.”
“Is it the sound of the wind? Could it be a ventilation opening?”
“Could it be the exit?”
Just as he was about to move forward, Bai Lixin raised his hand to stop him and said in a deep voice, “Wait a moment, Xia Chi.”
Bai Lixin looked towards the dark shadows- the little merman was fast asleep.
The human-faced monster sat on the hospital bed, its somewhat murky eyes turning to Bai Lixin and Xia Chi. It pointed to itself, then to the bed underneath, slowly saying, “I, experiment, failed.”
Xia Chi: “Are you saying this place used to be an underground research laboratory, and you were a failed experiment in that research?”
The human-faced monster nodded.
Xia Chi: “Where did it go wrong?”
Yeah, where did it go wrong? He rarely saw monsters with such high intelligence. He had encountered various monsters in copies, and most are driven by instinct and lack intelligence.
This monster not only could think but also communicate. It seemed perfectly fine.
The human-faced monster touched its face, then suddenly stood up with a roar of pain. Its claws began to scratch the bed frantically, abandoning its earlier docility for violent movements. The already dilapidated bed became even more chaotic, with sponges and black leather flying everywhere.
As it went berserk, fragmented words came out of its mouth.
“Don’t.”
“Let me go.”
“It hurts, change head.”
“Monster… I’m not… I’m human!”
“I am human!”
The last two sentences made Xia Chi break into a cold sweat.
‘I am human?
What does “I am human” mean?’
As the human-faced monster moved violently, its thick fur scattered with its actions.
Amidst the movement, Xia Chi saw the neck hidden under the long fur.
Rows of neatly arranged scars encircled the neck.
The scars twisted around the neck, making the already strange combination of a human face and animal body even more bizarre.
As if…
This head was stitched onto this body.
Xia Chi’s pupils contracted, and his eyes subconsciously looked at Bai Lixin beside him.
Bai Lixin had obviously noticed the scars on the neck. He silently took two steps back, waiting for the human-faced monster’s rampage to end.
The sleeping merman in the distance was awakened by the noise. Quickly rushing out from the darkness, he came to the human-faced monster’s side. He opened his mouth, and a long, melodious song echoed in the space.
The moment the song started, the human-faced monster’s movements froze.
As the merman sang, the human-faced monster gradually quieted down. It breathed heavily, sitting on the ground with its chest heaving.
As the song concluded, the human-faced monster finally returned to normal.
It lifted its head again, staring at the two. “Monster, failed, success, inferior, destroy, death. Secret, Special Species Research Institute, secret. Escape, quickly escape. Save me, get out. Be careful, water, water, water, water…”
It spoke these words in a daze, whether due to the memory still in a confused state or its intelligence experiencing some degeneration, it replied on these few isolated terms to convey some information.
…
‘What does it mean?
Is it a warning about water?
Which water?’
Xia Chi felt anxious, and asked urgently, “What does ‘be careful of water’ mean? Which water? Where?”
However, his questions received no response. The monster seemed to be trapped in some kind of memory, repeatedly uttering the word “water.”
The merman, who had initially become friendly, now stood in front of the monster and bared his sharp fangs again.
His sharp claws pointed towards them, indicating clear hostile intentions.
Xia Chi wanted to continue asking, but Bai Lixin grabbed his arm.
He turned around in confusion and saw Bai Lixin gently shaking his head, “Let’s go.”
Xia Chi paused, he looked at the frenzied human-faced monster and the menacing merman, then nodded reluctantly, “Okay, let’s go, Brother.”
The two slowly retreated, heading back into the sewer.
The merman didn’t chase them. Even after walking a considerable distance, they could still hear the voice of the human-faced monster behind them.
It kept repeating the term “water.” Just as the sound was about to fade away, Bai Lixin heard a new phrase.
“Monster, faith.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
By the time they returned the same way, an hour had passed.
Lin Xiao still stood in the spot they had left, frozen in place. It was unclear whether he had been standing there since they left.
Seeing the two emerge, Lin Xiao finally moved.
As he turned, Bai Lixin could even hear faint cracking sounds from Lin Xiao’s joints.
Lin Xiao: “You’re back.”
Xia Chi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. “Sorry for making you wait, Lin Xiao.”
Lin Xiao: “It’s not long for me. So, did you find anything after going in?”
Xia Chi immediately told Lin Xiao about what they saw at the end of the sewer, including the mentioned words.
After listening, Lin Xiao remained silent for a few seconds. His gaze seemed distant, as if lost in thought.
After a moment, he spoke again, “Be cautious, water, monsters, faith.”
“The ‘faith’ in the monster’s words, could it be the faith we’re looking for?”
“If so, this human-faced monster must know something. Are we just going to abandon this lead? Why didn’t you continue questioning and chose to leave?”
Xia Chi looked at Bai Lixin.
Bai Lixin remained indifferent, “I’m not giving up, just taking it slowly.”
Lin Xiao: “Since it’s remembering now, it’s better to pursue it further. Otherwise, repeated attempts might plunge it into painful memories each time. It’s better to cut through the chaos directly, stimulating it thoroughly.”
Xia Chi: “??? What are you talking about? The human-faced monster used to be a human, what’s with cutting through chaos directly?”
Lin Xiao remained silent for two seconds. When he opened his mouth, a wisp of cold white air came out of his mouth, “Not anymore. If it really was a human before, do you think it can accept turning into this monstrous form? Death might be a relief for it.”
Xia Chi opened his mouth, hesitated, and slowly closed it again. In the end, all words were swallowed into his stomach, turning into two words: “Let’s go.”
Bai Lixin checked the time; there were only four hours until dawn.
They needed to make the most of their time.
Bai Lixin: “I’ve marked this place for future reference. We need to head back, this location deviates from our target direction.”
They hadn’t walked far when Bai Lixin stopped and looked behind him.
In the distance, not too far away, a slender figure was following them. It tucked itself into hidden corners, timidly peeking out, cautiously showing its head. It had been following them steadily for awhile now.
Bai Lixin had been observing it for quite some time.
“Come here.” He beckoned towards the place the little merman was hiding at. Shortly after, he saw the little merman cautiously coming out from behind a rock. He hesitated for a moment, then approached timidly.
The little merman walked up to Bai Lixin, and babbled something.
“…” Bai Lixin listened for a while, “Did your… companion send you over?”
The little merman nodded.
Bai Lixin was stunned, but quickly regained composure, “Could it be it wants you to lead us, take us somewhere?”
The little merman nodded rapidly, pointing to a specific direction.
Bai Lixin and the others exchanged glances. Bai Lixin: “Fine, lead the way.”
As they followed the little merman, Bai Lixin noticed that the path he took aligned with their original plan—it was towards the lower part of the sewer. Even without the merman’s guidance, they would have walked in that direction.
Along the way, Bai Lixin walked beside the little merman, chatting casually.
“Have you always been with your companion?”
The little merman nodded.
“Does it usually go berserk like it did just now?”
The little merman shook its head.
“Did we scare you earlier?”
Initially, the little merman nodded, then shook his head.
“Did your companion mention anything about today’s events before?”
After a two-second pause, the little merman nodded.
Bai Lixin silently observed the little merman’s expression, slowly continuing toward their destination.
The journey proceeded without further incidents. Bai Lixin noticed that fish would occasionally emerge from the water along the way, but each time, they quickly retreated.
As they continued, the fish emerging from the water became larger and more monstrous. In the latter part, fish measuring two to three meters occasionally appeared.
Giant, tumor-covered fish with protruding eyes swam around in the garbage-filled sewage pool. It was a slightly disturbing sight.
In comparison to these huge fish’s timidity, the little merman seemed more carefree. Every time a fish emerged, the merman would grin at the underwater fish.
As they approached their destination, Bai Lixin’s shoulders tensed. After the next turn, he would discover the reason for the locator’s disappearance.
About a hundred meters before the corner, Bai Lixin heard the roaring sound of wind. As they got closer, the howling grew louder.
Ripples began to appear in the wastewater channel flowing in that direction.
Xia Chi: “Brother, it seems like there’s some movement up ahead.”
“Is it the sound of the wind? Could it be a ventilation opening?”
“Could it be the exit?”
Just as he was about to move forward, Bai Lixin raised his hand to stop him and said in a deep voice, “Wait a moment, Xia Chi.”
