Escape System: [Master Bai Lixin, the curse on Xia Chi has now decreased to 45%. You can rest assured.]
On the way back to the dormitory, the Escape System’s voice echoed in Bai Lixin’s mind.
Bai Lixin maintained his pace, [What about the other players?]
Escape System: [That Song Yun’s curse level is almost similar to Xia Chi’s, it’s at 50%. As for the others, their curse levels are generally around 20%.]
Bai Lixin: “…”
Xia Chi and Glasses had the highest curse levels. If they’ve done something different from other players, it’s entering that passage in the deep sea with Dr. Camila.
Bai Lixin: [Today is the tenth day of the task. Judging by the progress of their curse, can Xia Chi hold on until the last day?]
Escape System: [Theoretically, he will reach 90% or above on the last day, but whether he can endure until the last second depends on luck. Xia Chi’s luck has always been good.]
Bai Lixin: [Alright, I understand. Thank you. But this is no longer a situation solely dependent on luck.]
Xia Chi passed through the underwater passage twice. The first time, he and Dr. Camila left the submarine and stepped on that hollow area.
The second time, he only traveled through with him and didn’t leave the submarine.
Although Xia Chi went through there one more time than Song Yun, the cursed area on Xia Chi was lower than Song Yun’s in the end.
It seems that the acceleration of the curse is related to direct contact with that hollow area.
It seemed that the passage occupied by the green-skinned monsters had secrets that he had not discovered.
Xia Chi’s crisis has not been resolved.
At night, the research institute returned to a deathly silence as usual.
Just as Bai Lixin was about to go out, there was a knock on the door.
On opening the door, he found Xia Chi standing there.
More precisely, it should be… Tan Yue.
Tan Yue and Xia Chi are quite easy to distinguish. Xia Chi’s expression and eyes are more innocent. Despite spending three years in this horror game, his essential purity hasn’t changed.
In contrast, Tan Yue was very calm.
The moment he opened the door, Tan Yue spoke, “Do you need help?”
Bai Lixin looked at the boy’s face, which had a completely different expression than usual, and asked: “Are you so bold now?
‘ Are you really not afraid of Xia Chi finding out when you use his body time and time again?’
Tan Yue: “Fish have a memory of seven seconds, and a dog’s IQ is like a child’s.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘You categorize Xia Chi like this, does Xia Chi know?’
——————————–
In the live broadcast room.
[What are they talking about? Did I miss some important plot?]
[I find it strange too, I don’t understand at all, especially Xia Chi, what’s with the ‘fish’ and ‘dog,’ what does it mean?]
[I don’t know, maybe it’s some kind of code? Whatever, let me see what they’re going to do!]
——————————
Tan Yue: “Are we planning to go to the underground laboratory now?”
“No,” Bai Lixin shook his head, “I plan to go to the sewer first. My task is to rescue all 51 merfolk, that includes the little merman in the sewer.”
Tan Yue: “Have you found a way to rescue the merfolk?”
Bai Lixin raised his eyebrows suddenly, “Oh yes, I have a plug-in.”
‘Envy me.’
Tan Yue only responded with a soft “oh,” then added, “Actually, all my tasks will be completed after tomorrow, including the hidden task.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Go, leave now, disappear from my sight immediately.’
“But I have to thank you, it’s because of you that ’I’ can complete them. My mind was a bit hazy today. If it weren’t for you, my situation might have been dangerous. I wouldn’t have the chance to stand here and talk to you like this,” Tan Yue shifted the topic, his expression gradually becoming serious, “I’ve always wanted to sincerely thank you face to face.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
He understood that when Tan Yue said ‘I’, he referred to Xia Chi. And when he mentioned his mind being hazy, combined with Xia Chi asking him yesterday if the system could nap, Tan Yue likely fell into a brief sleep after hearing the merfolk’s song last night, so he didn’t appear in time.
“In fact, the curse on you is not completely lifted yet,” since the other party is Tan Yue, there’s no need to hide it, and he believed that even if he didn’t say it, Tan Yue should be aware of Xia Chi’s situation, “The remaining five days could likely bring your curse to 100%.”
Tan Yue: “I know this. You’ve already helped me a lot, I don’t need your help with this matter. I’ll handle it.”
Bai Lixin: “How will you handle it?”
Tan Yue: “I’ll go to the underwater passage and find out the secret of the curse.”
Bai Lixin: “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
Tan Yue chuckled, and raised his eyebrows, “It’s just a bunch of lackeys, they’re not my opponents.”
The moment he smiled, his originally plain expression suddenly became lively.
Through this face, Bai Lixin seemed to see a lively and unrestrained young man.
Tan Yue and Xia Chi are of the same age. If they hadn’t entered the horror game, they would currently be in the best years of their lives, the most confident time.
Bai Lixin: “Take the submarine.”
Tan Yue: “Okay, thanks.”
Bai Lixin: “You’re welcome.”
He looked at Tan Yue, who rarely appeared, and wanted to ask about something from their era. But knowing that he was on live broadcast now, he finally suppressed this thought.
Although he didn’t speak, Tan Yue understood what he was thinking.
As Tan Yue put the submarine prop he handed over into Xia Chi’s backpack, he said something profound, “Now is not the time. We’ll have the opportunity to meet again in the future. I’ll leave now, good luck to you.”
Tan Yue had just walked two meters when he seemed to remember something and he turned back.
“Oh right, you can’t leave empty-handed. I’ll give you a luck value boost.”
He smiled at Bai Lixin, “By the way, let me tell you a secret. There used to be a very strong person, and his luck value was as miserable as yours.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Did you think I wouldn’t know who you’re talking about when you don’t mention the name?
I knew about this a long time ago.’
A card was quietly placed in Bai Lixin’s hand.
The voice of the Escape System rang out in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations player Bai Lixin, you’ve obtained an S-rank rare prop card [Polarity Reversal]. This prop card is a consumable one-time use card. After use, you can specify the reversal of a specific attribute of yourself. The duration of the prop is 10 minutes.]
Bai Lixin: “…”
If his luck value was reversed, wouldn’t he be able to overturn the entire game lobby upside down?
Escape System: [Master Bai Lixin, this card is super useful for you. Please use it when you need it.]
It wasn’t until Tan Yue walked away that Bai Lixin silently placed the card into his backpack.
——————————
After activating an invisibility card, Bai Lixin entered the sewer through the basement dormitory.
He quickly found the tunnel where he had last seen the little merman and located the oval space.
The space was empty, with dark shadows spread in the corners.
Shortly after Bai Lixin appeared at the entrance, two figures emerged from the dark shadows.
The human-faced monster and the little merman.
The human-faced monster spoke intermittently, “W-what are you… doing here again?”
Seeing the two clinging to each other, Bai Lixin was momentarily at a loss for words.
He had seen this space before, and even he couldn’t open a passage to release the human-faced monster.
There was no food here, the human-faced monster survived mainly because the little merman constantly brought it food from outside.
If he took the little merman away, it’s indirectly sentencing the human-faced monster to death.
In this semi-confined place, it would die from dehydration.
When there was no answer, the little merman blinked his big innocent eyes and tilted his head, “Yiya?”
Bai Lixin spat out, “When I was above, I accidentally heard that he used to be human and later became a merman. But everyone who came into contact with the merfolk experiment was cursed, except him. I want to know why.”
“How much do you know about this?”
The human-faced monster looked at the obedient little merman beside it, then glanced at Bai Lixin on the opposite side. After a few seconds, it continued in its not-so-proficient language, “I can… tell you, but you, must promise me, one thing.”
Bai Lixin: “What thing?”
The human-faced monster put two fluffy hands on the little merman’s shoulders. “Take him, away, he doesn’t belong, here, he belongs to the sea. Save him.”
Bai Lixin was stunned and looked at the human-faced monster with complicated eyes, “If I take him away, you’ll…”
The human-faced monster suddenly covered the little merman’s eyes and ears, amd shook its head at Bai Lixin in a place where the bewildered little merman couldn’t see, “I, know.”
It was just two words but it seemed to have used all its strength.
Bai Lixin suddenly felt moved and nodded earnestly, “Okay, I promise you.”
When it heard this, a smile appeared on the somewhat eerie face of the human-faced monster. When the corners of its mouth twitched, unnatural wrinkles appeared where the face connected with the animal body, and for a moment, it looked like the face might fall off its body. It pointed a finger at Bai Lixin, “You better keep your word, or I won’t spare you even if I become a ghost.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Although, you might not believe me, but even ghosts fear me.’
The little merman whose eyes and ears were covered started struggling and twisting his body uncontrollably, and also pulled at the human-faced monster’s arm for awhile.
However, his strength was not as great as the human-faced monster’s, and after struggling for a while and not pulling it off, the little merman simply gave up, lying limp in the arms of the human-faced monster.
When the human-faced monster saw the little merman calm down, he waved to Bai Lixin, asking him to come closer.
Bai Lixin walked to the human-faced monster. The human-faced monster stuck out its tongue and licked its dry lips, “I am, a researcher.”
“I once, participated in the research, of special species.”
Bai Lixin’s eyes flashed with surprise but quickly returned to calm, “…”
He initially thought the human-faced monster was just a subject of experimentation, but he didn’t expect it to have been involved in the experiment. Why did it end up in this situation?
“At that time, before I came here, I didn’t know that this place was such a, place.”
“Later, I discovered that this research institute is conducting, unnatural experiments. I, planned to expose them, get them banned.”
“But I underestimated their, lower limit.”
“They closed the research institute, and I had no way to leave. I could only stay in the laboratory, forced to engage in research activities.”
“Later, this research institute captured a merfolk.”
Bai Lixin interrupted the human-faced monster: “How long ago was this?”
The human-faced monster thought for a long time, then pointed to the “十” character covering the wall, “Earlier than this, about two years earlier.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
He remembered when he first entered this copy; the system mentioned that the blue-tailed merfolk was captured not long ago, just these past two years.
However, the “十” character on the wall represented a timeline of almost ten years. If it happened two years earlier, it would be an event from twelve years ago.
In other words, this research institute captured a merfolk for the first time twelve years ago!
The current merfolk were not their first captures!
Bai Lixin looked at the human-faced monster: “Please continue.”
The human-faced monster nodded. The little merman in its arms began to struggle again. The human-faced monster gently patted the little merman’s back, and with the human-faced monster’s tender patting, the little merman’s movements slowed down again.
Until finally, the little merman’s arms quietly dropped to the side of the human-faced monster, and his breathing became steady and rhythmic, indicating that he had fallen asleep.
Seeing that the little merman was asleep, the human-faced monster continued speaking: “It was a mermaid.”
“She was my lover and the mother of this child.”
The expression on Bai Lixin’s face finally cracked. He looked at the human-faced monster with astonishment, then glanced at the little merman sleeping in its arms.
Child?
A child between a mermaid and a human?
The human-faced monster: “But when that mermaid came, I didn’t know that we would have such a development.”
“She was a beautiful mermaid. However, she was really fierce at that time. She was powerful and could easily use water currents to kill people. Many researchers died because of her.”
“I was inconspicuous at that time and not helpful to the research progress, so I was given the task of taking care of the mermaid.”
“At first, I was afraid.”
“But later, I found that the mermaid was pitiful. Although she was ferocious, her ferocity was just to protect herself, using an offensive as a defense.”
“She was scared and afraid, so she kept attacking people.”
“I sang to her, chatted with her… Gradually, she smiled at me.”
“Later, we fell in love.”
“We broke through the barriers of species and walked together.”
“Mermaids are not animals, they are intelligent beings. My love even learned the human language. However, she only spoke to me.”
“I wanted to take her away. She couldn’t stay here, her home is in the ocean.”
“I planned the escape.”
“However, just two days before the planned escape, she was found to be pregnant.”
“The institute did not suspect that it was my child. They thought it was the child of another merfolk before being captured.”
“But, because her pregnancy was discovered, the institute increased surveillance on her. I couldn’t find an opportunity to escape.”
“Finally, one night, I found an opportunity. I carried her and rushed out of the lab, escaping according to the planned route.”
“However, it was just a trap.”
“We were caught.”
“We were exposed.”
“They were reluctant to harm the mermaid, but didn’t mind harming me.”
Escape System: [Master Bai Lixin, the curse on Xia Chi has now decreased to 45%. You can rest assured.]
On the way back to the dormitory, the Escape System’s voice echoed in Bai Lixin’s mind.
Bai Lixin maintained his pace, [What about the other players?]
Escape System: [That Song Yun’s curse level is almost similar to Xia Chi’s, it’s at 50%. As for the others, their curse levels are generally around 20%.]
Bai Lixin: “…”
Xia Chi and Glasses had the highest curse levels. If they’ve done something different from other players, it’s entering that passage in the deep sea with Dr. Camila.
Bai Lixin: [Today is the tenth day of the task. Judging by the progress of their curse, can Xia Chi hold on until the last day?]
Escape System: [Theoretically, he will reach 90% or above on the last day, but whether he can endure until the last second depends on luck. Xia Chi’s luck has always been good.]
Bai Lixin: [Alright, I understand. Thank you. But this is no longer a situation solely dependent on luck.]
Xia Chi passed through the underwater passage twice. The first time, he and Dr. Camila left the submarine and stepped on that hollow area.
The second time, he only traveled through with him and didn’t leave the submarine.
Although Xia Chi went through there one more time than Song Yun, the cursed area on Xia Chi was lower than Song Yun’s in the end.
It seems that the acceleration of the curse is related to direct contact with that hollow area.
It seemed that the passage occupied by the green-skinned monsters had secrets that he had not discovered.
Xia Chi’s crisis has not been resolved.
At night, the research institute returned to a deathly silence as usual.
Just as Bai Lixin was about to go out, there was a knock on the door.
On opening the door, he found Xia Chi standing there.
More precisely, it should be… Tan Yue.
Tan Yue and Xia Chi are quite easy to distinguish. Xia Chi’s expression and eyes are more innocent. Despite spending three years in this horror game, his essential purity hasn’t changed.
In contrast, Tan Yue was very calm.
The moment he opened the door, Tan Yue spoke, “Do you need help?”
Bai Lixin looked at the boy’s face, which had a completely different expression than usual, and asked: “Are you so bold now?
‘ Are you really not afraid of Xia Chi finding out when you use his body time and time again?’
Tan Yue: “Fish have a memory of seven seconds, and a dog’s IQ is like a child’s.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘You categorize Xia Chi like this, does Xia Chi know?’
——————————–
In the live broadcast room.
[What are they talking about? Did I miss some important plot?]
[I find it strange too, I don’t understand at all, especially Xia Chi, what’s with the ‘fish’ and ‘dog,’ what does it mean?]
[I don’t know, maybe it’s some kind of code? Whatever, let me see what they’re going to do!]
——————————
Tan Yue: “Are we planning to go to the underground laboratory now?”
“No,” Bai Lixin shook his head, “I plan to go to the sewer first. My task is to rescue all 51 merfolk, that includes the little merman in the sewer.”
Tan Yue: “Have you found a way to rescue the merfolk?”
Bai Lixin raised his eyebrows suddenly, “Oh yes, I have a plug-in.”
‘Envy me.’
Tan Yue only responded with a soft “oh,” then added, “Actually, all my tasks will be completed after tomorrow, including the hidden task.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Go, leave now, disappear from my sight immediately.’
“But I have to thank you, it’s because of you that ’I’ can complete them. My mind was a bit hazy today. If it weren’t for you, my situation might have been dangerous. I wouldn’t have the chance to stand here and talk to you like this,” Tan Yue shifted the topic, his expression gradually becoming serious, “I’ve always wanted to sincerely thank you face to face.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
He understood that when Tan Yue said ‘I’, he referred to Xia Chi. And when he mentioned his mind being hazy, combined with Xia Chi asking him yesterday if the system could nap, Tan Yue likely fell into a brief sleep after hearing the merfolk’s song last night, so he didn’t appear in time.
“In fact, the curse on you is not completely lifted yet,” since the other party is Tan Yue, there’s no need to hide it, and he believed that even if he didn’t say it, Tan Yue should be aware of Xia Chi’s situation, “The remaining five days could likely bring your curse to 100%.”
Tan Yue: “I know this. You’ve already helped me a lot, I don’t need your help with this matter. I’ll handle it.”
Bai Lixin: “How will you handle it?”
Tan Yue: “I’ll go to the underwater passage and find out the secret of the curse.”
Bai Lixin: “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
Tan Yue chuckled, and raised his eyebrows, “It’s just a bunch of lackeys, they’re not my opponents.”
The moment he smiled, his originally plain expression suddenly became lively.
Through this face, Bai Lixin seemed to see a lively and unrestrained young man.
Tan Yue and Xia Chi are of the same age. If they hadn’t entered the horror game, they would currently be in the best years of their lives, the most confident time.
Bai Lixin: “Take the submarine.”
Tan Yue: “Okay, thanks.”
Bai Lixin: “You’re welcome.”
He looked at Tan Yue, who rarely appeared, and wanted to ask about something from their era. But knowing that he was on live broadcast now, he finally suppressed this thought.
Although he didn’t speak, Tan Yue understood what he was thinking.
As Tan Yue put the submarine prop he handed over into Xia Chi’s backpack, he said something profound, “Now is not the time. We’ll have the opportunity to meet again in the future. I’ll leave now, good luck to you.”
Tan Yue had just walked two meters when he seemed to remember something and he turned back.
“Oh right, you can’t leave empty-handed. I’ll give you a luck value boost.”
He smiled at Bai Lixin, “By the way, let me tell you a secret. There used to be a very strong person, and his luck value was as miserable as yours.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Did you think I wouldn’t know who you’re talking about when you don’t mention the name?
I knew about this a long time ago.’
A card was quietly placed in Bai Lixin’s hand.
The voice of the Escape System rang out in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations player Bai Lixin, you’ve obtained an S-rank rare prop card [Polarity Reversal]. This prop card is a consumable one-time use card. After use, you can specify the reversal of a specific attribute of yourself. The duration of the prop is 10 minutes.]
Bai Lixin: “…”
If his luck value was reversed, wouldn’t he be able to overturn the entire game lobby upside down?
Escape System: [Master Bai Lixin, this card is super useful for you. Please use it when you need it.]
It wasn’t until Tan Yue walked away that Bai Lixin silently placed the card into his backpack.
——————————
After activating an invisibility card, Bai Lixin entered the sewer through the basement dormitory.
He quickly found the tunnel where he had last seen the little merman and located the oval space.
The space was empty, with dark shadows spread in the corners.
Shortly after Bai Lixin appeared at the entrance, two figures emerged from the dark shadows.
The human-faced monster and the little merman.
The human-faced monster spoke intermittently, “W-what are you… doing here again?”
Seeing the two clinging to each other, Bai Lixin was momentarily at a loss for words.
He had seen this space before, and even he couldn’t open a passage to release the human-faced monster.
There was no food here, the human-faced monster survived mainly because the little merman constantly brought it food from outside.
If he took the little merman away, it’s indirectly sentencing the human-faced monster to death.
In this semi-confined place, it would die from dehydration.
When there was no answer, the little merman blinked his big innocent eyes and tilted his head, “Yiya?”
Bai Lixin spat out, “When I was above, I accidentally heard that he used to be human and later became a merman. But everyone who came into contact with the merfolk experiment was cursed, except him. I want to know why.”
“How much do you know about this?”
The human-faced monster looked at the obedient little merman beside it, then glanced at Bai Lixin on the opposite side. After a few seconds, it continued in its not-so-proficient language, “I can… tell you, but you, must promise me, one thing.”
Bai Lixin: “What thing?”
The human-faced monster put two fluffy hands on the little merman’s shoulders. “Take him, away, he doesn’t belong, here, he belongs to the sea. Save him.”
Bai Lixin was stunned and looked at the human-faced monster with complicated eyes, “If I take him away, you’ll…”
The human-faced monster suddenly covered the little merman’s eyes and ears, amd shook its head at Bai Lixin in a place where the bewildered little merman couldn’t see, “I, know.”
It was just two words but it seemed to have used all its strength.
Bai Lixin suddenly felt moved and nodded earnestly, “Okay, I promise you.”
When it heard this, a smile appeared on the somewhat eerie face of the human-faced monster. When the corners of its mouth twitched, unnatural wrinkles appeared where the face connected with the animal body, and for a moment, it looked like the face might fall off its body. It pointed a finger at Bai Lixin, “You better keep your word, or I won’t spare you even if I become a ghost.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Although, you might not believe me, but even ghosts fear me.’
The little merman whose eyes and ears were covered started struggling and twisting his body uncontrollably, and also pulled at the human-faced monster’s arm for awhile.
However, his strength was not as great as the human-faced monster’s, and after struggling for a while and not pulling it off, the little merman simply gave up, lying limp in the arms of the human-faced monster.
When the human-faced monster saw the little merman calm down, he waved to Bai Lixin, asking him to come closer.
Bai Lixin walked to the human-faced monster. The human-faced monster stuck out its tongue and licked its dry lips, “I am, a researcher.”
“I once, participated in the research, of special species.”
Bai Lixin’s eyes flashed with surprise but quickly returned to calm, “…”
He initially thought the human-faced monster was just a subject of experimentation, but he didn’t expect it to have been involved in the experiment. Why did it end up in this situation?
“At that time, before I came here, I didn’t know that this place was such a, place.”
“Later, I discovered that this research institute is conducting, unnatural experiments. I, planned to expose them, get them banned.”
“But I underestimated their, lower limit.”
“They closed the research institute, and I had no way to leave. I could only stay in the laboratory, forced to engage in research activities.”
“Later, this research institute captured a merfolk.”
Bai Lixin interrupted the human-faced monster: “How long ago was this?”
The human-faced monster thought for a long time, then pointed to the “十” character covering the wall, “Earlier than this, about two years earlier.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
He remembered when he first entered this copy; the system mentioned that the blue-tailed merfolk was captured not long ago, just these past two years.
However, the “十” character on the wall represented a timeline of almost ten years. If it happened two years earlier, it would be an event from twelve years ago.
In other words, this research institute captured a merfolk for the first time twelve years ago!
The current merfolk were not their first captures!
Bai Lixin looked at the human-faced monster: “Please continue.”
The human-faced monster nodded. The little merman in its arms began to struggle again. The human-faced monster gently patted the little merman’s back, and with the human-faced monster’s tender patting, the little merman’s movements slowed down again.
Until finally, the little merman’s arms quietly dropped to the side of the human-faced monster, and his breathing became steady and rhythmic, indicating that he had fallen asleep.
Seeing that the little merman was asleep, the human-faced monster continued speaking: “It was a mermaid.”
“She was my lover and the mother of this child.”
The expression on Bai Lixin’s face finally cracked. He looked at the human-faced monster with astonishment, then glanced at the little merman sleeping in its arms.
Child?
A child between a mermaid and a human?
The human-faced monster: “But when that mermaid came, I didn’t know that we would have such a development.”
“She was a beautiful mermaid. However, she was really fierce at that time. She was powerful and could easily use water currents to kill people. Many researchers died because of her.”
“I was inconspicuous at that time and not helpful to the research progress, so I was given the task of taking care of the mermaid.”
“At first, I was afraid.”
“But later, I found that the mermaid was pitiful. Although she was ferocious, her ferocity was just to protect herself, using an offensive as a defense.”
“She was scared and afraid, so she kept attacking people.”
“I sang to her, chatted with her… Gradually, she smiled at me.”
“Later, we fell in love.”
“We broke through the barriers of species and walked together.”
“Mermaids are not animals, they are intelligent beings. My love even learned the human language. However, she only spoke to me.”
“I wanted to take her away. She couldn’t stay here, her home is in the ocean.”
“I planned the escape.”
“However, just two days before the planned escape, she was found to be pregnant.”
“The institute did not suspect that it was my child. They thought it was the child of another merfolk before being captured.”
“But, because her pregnancy was discovered, the institute increased surveillance on her. I couldn’t find an opportunity to escape.”
“Finally, one night, I found an opportunity. I carried her and rushed out of the lab, escaping according to the planned route.”
“However, it was just a trap.”
“We were caught.”
“We were exposed.”
“They were reluctant to harm the mermaid, but didn’t mind harming me.”
