“They captured me and conducted experiments on me.”
“Perhaps because I had a unique physique or maybe due to prolonged exposure to a chemical environment, my resistance was enhanced, or… it protected me. I didn’t die, I survived.”
“They performed a series of experiments on my body.”
“No matter what kind of injury, I wouldn’t die.”
“They couldn’t kill me.”
“In the end, I became their most frequently used test subject. Every time they experimented on me, they would bring the mermaid next to me.”
“They didn’t allow us to talk, but they also told me a lot about merfolk.”
“Three months later, the mermaid gave birth to our child. A boy. He didn’t have a fish tail, and was indistinguishable from a human boy.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
The human-faced monster: “Merfolk children grow faster than normal human children. At one year old, he looked like a three-year-old human child. At that time, researchers wanted to take away our child from the mermaid.”
“The mermaid summoned the ocean, trying to flood this research institute and snatch the child back.”
“But she had just given birth, and her strength was weak.”
“However, in the chaos, the child disappeared. During the confusion, I hid him in my thick fur.”
“The mermaid didn’t know, she thought the child was gone and cursed this research institute.”
“All the researchers were cursed by the mermaid.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘The merfolk’s curse..’
Were those green-skinned monsters in the passage transformed by this mermaid’s curse? So because of hatred towards merfolk, they lived there, instinctively hunting merfolk.
“And my mermaid died in that curse.”
“Later, those above felt that this place was ominous. They found people to seal the research institute in the sewer.”
“When those people were cleaning the institute, they wanted to kill me out of resentment, but I couldn’t die. So, they sealed me here, leaving me to live forever, imprisoned here.”
The human-faced monster opened its arms, revealing the abdomen hidden under the fur.
On the white belly were crisscrossing wounds. “At the beginning, I initially used my own flesh to feed him and help him grow.”
“Later, he disappeared once. After about half a year, when I was worried about him, he came back with many scars. He could even transform into a merfolk.”
“I think that was his mother, protecting him in the dark, giving him blessings.”
“Although my lover died, the curse did not disappear.”
“It has always been here.”
“It is punishment for humans and protection for merfolk. Those who attempt to touch taboos will eventually be killed by taboos.”
After quietly listening to the human-faced monster’s story, Bai Lixin sighed silently.
For some beings, it’s uncertain whether the mortal world is more hellish or death is more blissful.
Bai Lixin looked at the human-faced monster: “So, even if I take him away, you won’t die here by yourself?”
The human-faced monster chuckled, but the smile was uglier than if it cried. Two lines of tears slowly fell from the wrinkled corners of its eyes, “For me, living is a punishment, death is release. I want to die.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
“Do you really want to die?” Bai Lixin asked.
The human-faced monster: “Yes, I want release. Can you help me?”
Bai Lixin shook his head, “I don’t know how to help you.”
The human-faced monster: “Your friend is under the curse.”
“My lover’s body disappeared. If you can find my lover’s body and return it home, perhaps the curse can be lifted.”
“As for me, it would be best if you could kill me.”
Bai Lixin: “!”
The mermaid’s body.
Bai Lixin suddenly thought of something, and quickly stood up from the ground, “I might know where your lover’s body is. I will come back tomorrow! Wait for me!”
After saying this, he quickly turned around and hurriedly left the underground space.
As he left through the sewer, Bai Lixin sent a private message to Xia Chi.
Bai Lixin: [Are you there?]
However, there was no response.
Bai Lixin gritted his teeth and quickened his pace. He walked swiftly and the originally ten-minute journey took him only two or three minutes to return to the basement.
After turning on his invisibility, he rushed out of the research institute and run towards the foot of the mountain.
He hoped that Tan Yue had not left, that he could still catch up.
But it seemed his luck was not good. When he reached the foot of the mountain, all he could see was a tranquil and dark sea, with nothing else in sight.
It had been an hour since he and Tan Yue separated. In an hour, Tan Yue could have dived deep into the sea.
If what the human-faced monster said was true, then within the maze of tunnels in that passage, one of them should hold the body of the mermaid.
Seeing Tan Yue’s aggressive demeanor earlier, there must be some commotion there.
How could he convey the news about the mermaid’s curse to Tan Yue?
Damn.
Tan Yue had the only submarine.
It would be great if he was still a merfolk in the Deep Sea Mermaid copy and could swim.
At this moment, the Escape System’s voice rang out in Bai Lixin’s mind, [Master Bai Lixin, you can indeed transform into a merfolk.]
Bai Lixin: [???]
Escape System: [If this copy shares the same worldview as the previous deep-sea copy, you can transform into a merfolk in this copy. Because your previous character setting was a deep-sea merfolk, theoretically, you have a merfolk buff in this copy. As long as you have a connection to the link between these two copies, you can activate the merfolk buff.]
Bai Lixin took out the Mermaid’s Heart hanging around his neck: [Can this work?]
Escape System: [Yes, Master Bai Lixin. Try to see if you can activate the merfolk buff.]
Although Bai Lixin felt it was a bit fantastical, since the system said so, he tried tightly holding the Mermaid’s Heart in his hand and silently activating the merfolk buff in his mind.
The next moment, he felt his legs starting to get warm, and the bones and joints of his body began to make cracking sounds.
He quickly jumped into the water and took off his pants.
He examined his legs curiously, and saw his originally slender legs quickly merging together, followed by visible scales growing and extending.
After about two minutes, he found that he didn’t need to hold his breath and could breathe underwater.
Bai Lixin tentatively touched the side of his ear. He found that his ears had turned into giant fan shapes, and gills had grown on both sides of his cheeks.
From the waist down, he had turned into a large blue fish tail.
Bai Lixin tried to shake the fish tail to find the long-lost feeling, and after a short period of unfamiliarity, he regained control over the fish tail.
After mastering the proficient use of the fish tail, Bai Lixin quickly flicked it, and swum towards the direction of the underwater passage.
With just a slight flick of the tail, his body shot out like an arrow.
The fish around him seemed to be still in his eyes, and everything seemed to be within his grasp.
On the way to find the passage, Bai Lixin once again spotted the trackers released by the research institute.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and his hand made a subtle gesture. A shimmering azure trident appeared in his hand.
With a flick of his tail fin, his body transformed into a meteor underwater, rushing straight towards those detectors!
————————————
Underground laboratory.
All screens simultaneously went black. In the second before the blackout, they only captured a ghostly azure phantom.
Dr. Camila suddenly stood up from his chair, “What’s going on?!”
The remote operator was also a bit bewildered, and replied cautiously, “The detectors are under attack.”
Dr. Camila: “I am well aware that they are under attack! Show me the last image!”
The operator quickly pointed and clicked on the big screen, displaying the final images of all detectors.
There were over a dozen screens, and all were filled with blue phantoms.
The speed was so fast that high-speed cameras could only capture a blurry blue block of color.
Dr. Camila was horrified, “Is this a marine creature?”
“How is that possible?!”
“The detectors have a range of over a thousand meters. How can it appear in different lenses at the same second? How fast is the speed of this monster? Since when are there such creatures in the sea?!”
Everyone remained silent.
They looked at Dr. Camila in shock, then at each other, and saw fear in each other’s eyes.
These detectors could support high-speed photography, capturing speeds within a range of 1000 meters per second.
However… they couldn’t get a clear image of this monster. How fast was the speed of this monster?
The images on the two farthest detectors looked indistinguishable, meaning this monster appeared in front of them within milliseconds or even microseconds.
Moreover, it destroyed all the detectors in an instant!
Because the last set of detectors was unexpectedly swallowed by a whale, Dr. Camila specially purchased a batch of faster and more robust detectors.
They tested that even a weight of ten tons would not damage the outer shell of the detectors.
But this underwater monster did it.
What combat power did this monster possess??
Dr. Camila, who was shocked several meters away, suddenly shouted, “It’s faith, it’s definitely the merfolk’s faith!”
“Besides it, I can’t think of any creature in the sea that is more terrifying than a merfolk!”
———————————-
In the live broadcast room.
[Is it possible that something scarier than a merfolk is… a merfolk?]
[Break your own records.]
[No, no, it should be the merman God Xin.]
[But how did God Xin suddenly become a merfolk? It’s illogical.]
[No, no, look carefully. What is the name of the prop God Xin is wearing around his neck? Mermaid’s Heart. Where did he get this prop? And there is the statue at the bottom of the sea that looks like God Xin, isn’t that a bit too coincidental? I’m guessing, is it possible that many, many, many years ago, God Xin had been to this world, only that he entered an earlier era.]
[Did you guys not notice? When God Xin was filling in the answer to Task 3, he wrote the two characters “Bai Lixin” the first time. God Xin is not a narcissistic person, nor would he risk using up his chances to answer. He must have a reason for filling it in like this. As for what reason, maybe he discovered something? For example, he had been to this world before, or he had really helped the ancestors of the merfolk, and the Mermaid’s Heart might be a replica from their ancestors.]
[Damn, there are still these kinds of details? I never noticed. Fuck, it seems am watching the live broadcast just to add to the numbers. You guys are all Sherlock Holmes.]
[Ah! I didn’t notice either. You’re right. But I’ve basically watched all of God Xin’s copies, and he didn’t enter any copies with merfolk before. Could it be when he went to the Eternal Diamond Mountain?]
[No, no, no, that’s not right. I’m God Xin’s die-hard fan. I remember that in the very beginning, God Xin entered a single player copy once. After coming out, his floor level increased significantly, maybe it was that time.]
[How long ago was that?]
[It should be during the first few copies because I recall he already had the Mermaid’s Heart when he went to the Undead copy to save Zhou Guang. He probably used this prop to save many players.]
[Yes, yes, I remember, they were hundreds of people. The system almost went crazy.]
[Help, God Xin actually secretly turned into a merfolk behind our backs. So thrilling! Why didn’t they show us God Xin’s broadcast? Do you guys think the big boss was in that copy at the time? If he was, what was the situation for the big boss? There aren’t many choices under the sea, right?]
[Uh, I suddenly had an unpleasant association in my mind. Aren’t there slippery tentacle monsters in the sea?]
[… Damn, my XP moved, there should be a painting here.]
[I’m drawing, I’m drawing, stop arguing!]
[God Xin’s merfolk appearance is so cool. I declare that I was blown away by God Xin, especially when he raised the harpoon to attack those detectors.]
[It’s called a trident, not a damn harpoon. Can you not be so uncultured?]
—————————–
After destroying all the detectors, Bai Lixin continued forward.
His swimming speed was incredibly fast. This ocean was like wings to him. With the water’s drive, he swiftly caught up with Tang Yue’s submarine.
He quietly approached and went to the outside of the submarine to speak to Tan Yue. Through the window, he saw Tang Yue looking at himself in a mirror.
“Xia Chi’s” upper body was already undressed, revealing the tight contours hidden inside.
Bai Lixin: “…≈”
‘Brother, it’s not that I’m thinking improperly, but can you be a bit more normal?’
Probably sensing someone, Tang Yue’s sharp eyes suddenly looked over. In the blink of an eye, his clothes were back on.
When he looked through the transparent glass and saw Bai Lixin’s face, he was first stunned, then his expression became awkward.
He tidied his clothes, then put the mirror away in his backpack.
After everything was in order, he slowly walked upto Bai Lixin. After thinking for two seconds, he explained, “I was checking the extent of the curse.”
“Don’t take me for a pervert.”
Bai Lixin pursed his lips, expressing disbelief.
Tang Yue was a bit flustered, “It’s true! The situation is already this precarious, how could I have the mind to do anything else? I’m not your man.”
Bai Lixin: “???”
How to easily offend two people in one sentence? Tang Yue achieved it.
The conversation that seemed to be serious took a wrong turn, and the words became more and more wrong. Tang Yue also realized this and decided to shut up.
After a long silence inside the submarine, Tang Yue finally raised his head again, suddenly realizing something was wrong.
“Strange, why are you outside? How did you become a merfolk?”
“They captured me and conducted experiments on me.”
“Perhaps because I had a unique physique or maybe due to prolonged exposure to a chemical environment, my resistance was enhanced, or… it protected me. I didn’t die, I survived.”
“They performed a series of experiments on my body.”
“No matter what kind of injury, I wouldn’t die.”
“They couldn’t kill me.”
“In the end, I became their most frequently used test subject. Every time they experimented on me, they would bring the mermaid next to me.”
“They didn’t allow us to talk, but they also told me a lot about merfolk.”
“Three months later, the mermaid gave birth to our child. A boy. He didn’t have a fish tail, and was indistinguishable from a human boy.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
The human-faced monster: “Merfolk children grow faster than normal human children. At one year old, he looked like a three-year-old human child. At that time, researchers wanted to take away our child from the mermaid.”
“The mermaid summoned the ocean, trying to flood this research institute and snatch the child back.”
“But she had just given birth, and her strength was weak.”
“However, in the chaos, the child disappeared. During the confusion, I hid him in my thick fur.”
“The mermaid didn’t know, she thought the child was gone and cursed this research institute.”
“All the researchers were cursed by the mermaid.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘The merfolk’s curse..’
Were those green-skinned monsters in the passage transformed by this mermaid’s curse? So because of hatred towards merfolk, they lived there, instinctively hunting merfolk.
“And my mermaid died in that curse.”
“Later, those above felt that this place was ominous. They found people to seal the research institute in the sewer.”
“When those people were cleaning the institute, they wanted to kill me out of resentment, but I couldn’t die. So, they sealed me here, leaving me to live forever, imprisoned here.”
The human-faced monster opened its arms, revealing the abdomen hidden under the fur.
On the white belly were crisscrossing wounds. “At the beginning, I initially used my own flesh to feed him and help him grow.”
“Later, he disappeared once. After about half a year, when I was worried about him, he came back with many scars. He could even transform into a merfolk.”
“I think that was his mother, protecting him in the dark, giving him blessings.”
“Although my lover died, the curse did not disappear.”
“It has always been here.”
“It is punishment for humans and protection for merfolk. Those who attempt to touch taboos will eventually be killed by taboos.”
After quietly listening to the human-faced monster’s story, Bai Lixin sighed silently.
For some beings, it’s uncertain whether the mortal world is more hellish or death is more blissful.
Bai Lixin looked at the human-faced monster: “So, even if I take him away, you won’t die here by yourself?”
The human-faced monster chuckled, but the smile was uglier than if it cried. Two lines of tears slowly fell from the wrinkled corners of its eyes, “For me, living is a punishment, death is release. I want to die.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
“Do you really want to die?” Bai Lixin asked.
The human-faced monster: “Yes, I want release. Can you help me?”
Bai Lixin shook his head, “I don’t know how to help you.”
The human-faced monster: “Your friend is under the curse.”
“My lover’s body disappeared. If you can find my lover’s body and return it home, perhaps the curse can be lifted.”
“As for me, it would be best if you could kill me.”
Bai Lixin: “!”
The mermaid’s body.
Bai Lixin suddenly thought of something, and quickly stood up from the ground, “I might know where your lover’s body is. I will come back tomorrow! Wait for me!”
After saying this, he quickly turned around and hurriedly left the underground space.
As he left through the sewer, Bai Lixin sent a private message to Xia Chi.
Bai Lixin: [Are you there?]
However, there was no response.
Bai Lixin gritted his teeth and quickened his pace. He walked swiftly and the originally ten-minute journey took him only two or three minutes to return to the basement.
After turning on his invisibility, he rushed out of the research institute and run towards the foot of the mountain.
He hoped that Tan Yue had not left, that he could still catch up.
But it seemed his luck was not good. When he reached the foot of the mountain, all he could see was a tranquil and dark sea, with nothing else in sight.
It had been an hour since he and Tan Yue separated. In an hour, Tan Yue could have dived deep into the sea.
If what the human-faced monster said was true, then within the maze of tunnels in that passage, one of them should hold the body of the mermaid.
Seeing Tan Yue’s aggressive demeanor earlier, there must be some commotion there.
How could he convey the news about the mermaid’s curse to Tan Yue?
Damn.
Tan Yue had the only submarine.
It would be great if he was still a merfolk in the Deep Sea Mermaid copy and could swim.
At this moment, the Escape System’s voice rang out in Bai Lixin’s mind, [Master Bai Lixin, you can indeed transform into a merfolk.]
Bai Lixin: [???]
Escape System: [If this copy shares the same worldview as the previous deep-sea copy, you can transform into a merfolk in this copy. Because your previous character setting was a deep-sea merfolk, theoretically, you have a merfolk buff in this copy. As long as you have a connection to the link between these two copies, you can activate the merfolk buff.]
Bai Lixin took out the Mermaid’s Heart hanging around his neck: [Can this work?]
Escape System: [Yes, Master Bai Lixin. Try to see if you can activate the merfolk buff.]
Although Bai Lixin felt it was a bit fantastical, since the system said so, he tried tightly holding the Mermaid’s Heart in his hand and silently activating the merfolk buff in his mind.
The next moment, he felt his legs starting to get warm, and the bones and joints of his body began to make cracking sounds.
He quickly jumped into the water and took off his pants.
He examined his legs curiously, and saw his originally slender legs quickly merging together, followed by visible scales growing and extending.
After about two minutes, he found that he didn’t need to hold his breath and could breathe underwater.
Bai Lixin tentatively touched the side of his ear. He found that his ears had turned into giant fan shapes, and gills had grown on both sides of his cheeks.
From the waist down, he had turned into a large blue fish tail.
Bai Lixin tried to shake the fish tail to find the long-lost feeling, and after a short period of unfamiliarity, he regained control over the fish tail.
After mastering the proficient use of the fish tail, Bai Lixin quickly flicked it, and swum towards the direction of the underwater passage.
With just a slight flick of the tail, his body shot out like an arrow.
The fish around him seemed to be still in his eyes, and everything seemed to be within his grasp.
On the way to find the passage, Bai Lixin once again spotted the trackers released by the research institute.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and his hand made a subtle gesture. A shimmering azure trident appeared in his hand.
With a flick of his tail fin, his body transformed into a meteor underwater, rushing straight towards those detectors!
————————————
Underground laboratory.
All screens simultaneously went black. In the second before the blackout, they only captured a ghostly azure phantom.
Dr. Camila suddenly stood up from his chair, “What’s going on?!”
The remote operator was also a bit bewildered, and replied cautiously, “The detectors are under attack.”
Dr. Camila: “I am well aware that they are under attack! Show me the last image!”
The operator quickly pointed and clicked on the big screen, displaying the final images of all detectors.
There were over a dozen screens, and all were filled with blue phantoms.
The speed was so fast that high-speed cameras could only capture a blurry blue block of color.
Dr. Camila was horrified, “Is this a marine creature?”
“How is that possible?!”
“The detectors have a range of over a thousand meters. How can it appear in different lenses at the same second? How fast is the speed of this monster? Since when are there such creatures in the sea?!”
Everyone remained silent.
They looked at Dr. Camila in shock, then at each other, and saw fear in each other’s eyes.
These detectors could support high-speed photography, capturing speeds within a range of 1000 meters per second.
However… they couldn’t get a clear image of this monster. How fast was the speed of this monster?
The images on the two farthest detectors looked indistinguishable, meaning this monster appeared in front of them within milliseconds or even microseconds.
Moreover, it destroyed all the detectors in an instant!
Because the last set of detectors was unexpectedly swallowed by a whale, Dr. Camila specially purchased a batch of faster and more robust detectors.
They tested that even a weight of ten tons would not damage the outer shell of the detectors.
But this underwater monster did it.
What combat power did this monster possess??
Dr. Camila, who was shocked several meters away, suddenly shouted, “It’s faith, it’s definitely the merfolk’s faith!”
“Besides it, I can’t think of any creature in the sea that is more terrifying than a merfolk!”
———————————-
In the live broadcast room.
[Is it possible that something scarier than a merfolk is… a merfolk?]
[Break your own records.]
[No, no, it should be the merman God Xin.]
[But how did God Xin suddenly become a merfolk? It’s illogical.]
[No, no, look carefully. What is the name of the prop God Xin is wearing around his neck? Mermaid’s Heart. Where did he get this prop? And there is the statue at the bottom of the sea that looks like God Xin, isn’t that a bit too coincidental? I’m guessing, is it possible that many, many, many years ago, God Xin had been to this world, only that he entered an earlier era.]
[Did you guys not notice? When God Xin was filling in the answer to Task 3, he wrote the two characters “Bai Lixin” the first time. God Xin is not a narcissistic person, nor would he risk using up his chances to answer. He must have a reason for filling it in like this. As for what reason, maybe he discovered something? For example, he had been to this world before, or he had really helped the ancestors of the merfolk, and the Mermaid’s Heart might be a replica from their ancestors.]
[Damn, there are still these kinds of details? I never noticed. Fuck, it seems am watching the live broadcast just to add to the numbers. You guys are all Sherlock Holmes.]
[Ah! I didn’t notice either. You’re right. But I’ve basically watched all of God Xin’s copies, and he didn’t enter any copies with merfolk before. Could it be when he went to the Eternal Diamond Mountain?]
[No, no, no, that’s not right. I’m God Xin’s die-hard fan. I remember that in the very beginning, God Xin entered a single player copy once. After coming out, his floor level increased significantly, maybe it was that time.]
[How long ago was that?]
[It should be during the first few copies because I recall he already had the Mermaid’s Heart when he went to the Undead copy to save Zhou Guang. He probably used this prop to save many players.]
[Yes, yes, I remember, they were hundreds of people. The system almost went crazy.]
[Help, God Xin actually secretly turned into a merfolk behind our backs. So thrilling! Why didn’t they show us God Xin’s broadcast? Do you guys think the big boss was in that copy at the time? If he was, what was the situation for the big boss? There aren’t many choices under the sea, right?]
[Uh, I suddenly had an unpleasant association in my mind. Aren’t there slippery tentacle monsters in the sea?]
[… Damn, my XP moved, there should be a painting here.]
[I’m drawing, I’m drawing, stop arguing!]
[God Xin’s merfolk appearance is so cool. I declare that I was blown away by God Xin, especially when he raised the harpoon to attack those detectors.]
[It’s called a trident, not a damn harpoon. Can you not be so uncultured?]
—————————–
After destroying all the detectors, Bai Lixin continued forward.
His swimming speed was incredibly fast. This ocean was like wings to him. With the water’s drive, he swiftly caught up with Tang Yue’s submarine.
He quietly approached and went to the outside of the submarine to speak to Tan Yue. Through the window, he saw Tang Yue looking at himself in a mirror.
“Xia Chi’s” upper body was already undressed, revealing the tight contours hidden inside.
Bai Lixin: “…≈”
‘Brother, it’s not that I’m thinking improperly, but can you be a bit more normal?’
Probably sensing someone, Tang Yue’s sharp eyes suddenly looked over. In the blink of an eye, his clothes were back on.
When he looked through the transparent glass and saw Bai Lixin’s face, he was first stunned, then his expression became awkward.
He tidied his clothes, then put the mirror away in his backpack.
After everything was in order, he slowly walked upto Bai Lixin. After thinking for two seconds, he explained, “I was checking the extent of the curse.”
“Don’t take me for a pervert.”
Bai Lixin pursed his lips, expressing disbelief.
Tang Yue was a bit flustered, “It’s true! The situation is already this precarious, how could I have the mind to do anything else? I’m not your man.”
Bai Lixin: “???”
How to easily offend two people in one sentence? Tang Yue achieved it.
The conversation that seemed to be serious took a wrong turn, and the words became more and more wrong. Tang Yue also realized this and decided to shut up.
After a long silence inside the submarine, Tang Yue finally raised his head again, suddenly realizing something was wrong.
“Strange, why are you outside? How did you become a merfolk?”
