Shu Tang was unaware of what the mermaid was up to, but going to the sea seemed like going home for him; he appeared to have recovered and was past the danger period. Relieved, Shu Tang wasn’t worried about him catching a fever anymore.
Clearly, Shu Tang was the one who should be worried about herself since her current situation was quite perilous. Surrounded by sea on all sides of the rocks, she was utterly helpless if the mermaid didn’t return to rescue her.
Looking around, Shu Tang could actually swim, but she was reluctant to get wet; it’s common for cats not to like water.
Perhaps it was the aftermath of a storm, the clouds had cleared, and the sun had emerged by the seaside. The warm spring breeze was soothing, and Shu Tang, basking in the sun, became lazy and simply lay on the rocks waiting for the mermaid to return.
However, while sunbathing, Shu Tang suddenly remembered a serious issue:
Director Zhou was very particular, and as an intern, acting independently without following instructions endangered her internship evaluation. Jobs were hard to come by in the federation; despite her low salary, her job was seen as a stable “iron rice bowl” in others’ eyes.
Shu Tang did not regret searching for the mermaid. After all, the mermaid’s unguided psychic outburst could have led to accidents.
Despite this, clearly, Shu Tang was facing a major crisis in her career.
How would she apologize to Director Zhou upon returning, and how could she cleverly keep her internship?
Shu Tang was already anxious, but she had a life motto:
When faced with difficulties, sleep it off.
So, she anxiously turned over to bask in the sun and anxiously closed her eyes: Ah, I’m so sleepy; I didn’t sleep at all while watching over the mermaid yesterday.
Seeing that the mermaid could jump into the sea, Shu Tang peacefully fell asleep.
…
When Shu Tang woke up again, she felt seawater splash on her.
Shu Tang: Who lacks the decency to splash her!
Waking up as if sleepwalking, Shu Tang just sat up and saw a silver fish flying towards her and then smacking dead beside her.
In that instant, Shu Tang thought she was still not fully awake.
But then, more silver fish came flying towards Shu Tang like a drizzle.
Shu Tang shuddered and agilely retreated.
Oh my, flying fish attacking!
She retreated swiftly, and silver fish slapped dead in front of Shu Tang.
After a while, the bizarre flying fish attack ceased.
Shu Tang poked at the fish on the ground, and suddenly, she heard a loud water sound.
By the rocks, the mermaid emerged from the water, soaking wet as he came ashore.
The mermaid lifted Shu Tang up and hissed at her twice.
This time, their brainwaves finally matched.
Fish: Don’t eat garbage.
Cat: Got it, this is today’s surprise catch!
Shu Tang wrapped the fish in her jacket, and the mermaid lifted her up and returned to the seaside.
By the beach, their belated lunch began.
These small silver fish were hard to find, but they tasted very sweet and juicy, needing no cooking or seasoning to be delicious.
The mermaid had finished hunting and was ready to resume the earlier threats and intimidation.
However, Shu Tang was busy eating, and every time the mermaid came close, she thought it wanted to eat and would push the food towards its mouth.
After several attempts, the mermaid no longer tried to threaten her but instead coiled its tail around her and quietly watched her eat.
Once Shu Tang was full and energized, she remembered her mission.
She planned to go back and retrieve her bag to take out various medications and a portable tester to conduct a thorough examination of the mermaid.
However, Shu Tang had barely taken a step when the mermaid immediately lifted her back.
Shu Tang recalled her last visit here; the mermaid wouldn’t let her move more than two meters away, but this time it seemed it had reduced the distance even further to within its tail’s range. Whenever Shu Tang tried to leave, the mermaid would pull her back.
At this moment, Shu Tang realized something was wrong.
The mermaid stared at her, tilted its head, moved closer, and resumed its threats.
Cannon fodder Shu Tang finally realized she was in big trouble; the mermaid wouldn’t let her leave. Logically, a torturous love story was about to unfold. The mermaid couldn’t understand her now and was particularly obsessive—a dangerous predicament like being entangled by a ghost story protagonist with no escape.
But their communication issue was still unresolved.
Shu Tang couldn’t understand what the mermaid was saying.
She guessed it probably wanted her to stay and keep it company sunbathing on the beach.
Thinking it over, she said, “But I need to go back and get my stuff!”
The mermaid, not understanding her either, hissed at her and irritably flicked its tail.
It was on the brink of falling through.
Shu Tang sighed to herself: Ah, just like a grade-schooler, always needing to follow along wherever you go.
Cross-channel communication made it difficult to reason with “him.”
So Shu Tang thought for a moment, grabbed the mermaid’s hand, and placed it on the back of her collar, even lifting her own collar to gesture to him.
Mermaid: ?
The mermaid stopped.
Hesitated for a while—
Then hoisted her up.
Shu Tang approvingly patted the mermaid, pointing at the building: “Let’s go!”
The mermaid was silent, looking at Shu Tang several times.
Though the communication process was tortuous and almost led to an argument, eventually, the mermaid set off as she intended.
Riding the mermaid-brand scooter hand, Shu Tang thought:
How come she hadn’t met “him” sooner; God knows how exhausting it is to walk so far to work every day!
The mermaid seemed to slowly adjust to his current state after awakening, moving without the initial awkward stiffness he had when they first met. However, because his movements had normalized significantly, those pitch-black, pupil-less eyes appeared even more eerie.
Throughout the journey, the mermaid was very quiet, and after hoisting Shu Tang down to the basement, he silently watched her pack up.
This quiet observation would have been unnerving, and “his” silent presence in the corner was somewhat frightening.
—Until Shu Tang took the chance while the mermaid was distracted to start sneakily packing instant noodles.
The silent, towering shadow immediately turned around, hoisted her up, and hissed at her.
The terrifying scene quickly returned to normal.
With a grunt, Shu Tang let go, only taking the reusable self-heating pot—she was planning to have a seafood hotpot that night.
Actually, Shu Tang’s thought process was quite clear.
Today’s most important task was to perform a checkup on the mermaid. Although he seemed to have returned to normal, the damage in his psychic domain couldn’t be seen with the naked eye, and Shu Tang hadn’t managed to conduct a formal examination yet.
Next, they were waiting for the signal to restore contact with the main forces to come pick them up.
In the afternoon, Shu Tang sat on the beach and took out the medicine box she had brought to examine the mermaid.
Actually, Shu Tang did not understand a single threat the mermaid made; she even felt that the mermaid was quite cooperative, at least during the examinations when the mermaid remained silent, letting her do as needed.
Shu Tang thought to herself: How obedient.
It took Shu Tang two hours to perform all the basic mental domain examinations.
She diligently drew the map of mental power fluctuations she detected in the medical record book, planning to consult her senior later—she had never seen such a fluctuation map in textbooks.
Moreover, the mermaid’s mental power values were so high that Shu Tang thought the portable detector was broken.
But, even so, the results could be easily determined: a high-risk mental power outbreak.
Although she had anticipated this, Shu Tang’s mood instantly plummeted to rock bottom.
Because this was the type with the highest mortality rate.
However, Shu Tang had heard from her teacher about many high-risk recovery cases, which slightly improved her mood.
She glanced at the mermaid’s profile and swiftly wrote a long diagnostic report in the medical record book.
What Shu Tang did not know was that the mermaid’s condition was much more complex than she imagined. The charts and data in her hands could be worth much more than she imagined.
The mermaid’s mental body was countless times larger than a normal human’s. If it weren’t for “his” body already having mutated, he might have died silently from a mental power outbreak ten years ago.
The researchers sent by the Federation were no pushovers. Director Qiu could even predict when the next mental power outbreak would occur just by monitoring from the periphery.
But frustratingly, they had too little data.
Director Qiu and his team tried every means to test the mermaid, but just approaching was too difficult, let alone collecting data. Without data, they couldn’t devise a treatment plan, much less save him.
So before Shu Tang arrived, whether it was Chen Sheng or Director Qiu, they both thought it was a dead end.
But no matter who, none chose to give up.
First, the mermaid’s identity was special, with great contributions and high prestige within the Federation;
Secondly, ten years ago, the mermaid’s powerful mental power had already broken through the known human limits, posing a strong deterrence against high-level pollutants in the pollution zone and other human alliances.
In this era where mental power reigns supreme and pollutants run rampant, it was akin to a form of nuclear deterrence.
That’s why anyone wholeheartedly dedicated to the Federation would spare no expense to try and save the mermaid.
But, it was only Shu Tang who saved him, merely because of one reason:
She just wanted to preserve the beautiful but soon-to-wither blue rose by her side.
Shu Tang glanced at the mermaid who was lazily basking in the sun beside her, scribbled down the name “Shu Tang.”
Such a signature obviously couldn’t be given casually because it signified that Shu Tang was to become the therapist for the mermaid, responsible for their life safety.
Interns at the sanatorium could only assist the director with miscellaneous tasks and had to observe for at least two years before they could handle patients themselves. Shu Tang was not a reckless person; she understood the implications of her signature.
However, she thought of the recent mass retreat where the mermaid was left without a designated therapist and had to stay behind alone.
At least in the future, if something happened, seeing the therapist’s signature in the medical record would lead them to Shu Tang.
—This was also the first time Shu Tang, as a therapist, had a patient of her own.
—Even though it was self-appointed.
But Shu Tang’s mindset changed immediately.
However, many problems followed, such as consulting seniors about data she couldn’t understand herself, or how to trick the mermaid into taking medication… and one very heavy issue that weighed on Shu Tang’s heart: socialization.
Thinking of this, Shu Tang decided to conduct one final test for the mermaid: an intelligence test.
The amnesia caused by a mental power surge could potentially lead to mental regression, making this a necessary examination.
As a newly appointed therapist, Shu Tang professionally took out a Tangram and a puzzle from her bag, placing them in front of the mermaid.
She pointed to the Tangram, patiently explaining how to use it.
The mermaid watched her quietly.
When Shu Tang was dry-mouthed from explaining, the mermaid finally reached out.
Shu Tang’s eyes lit up.
Then, the mermaid grabbed the hem of her clothes, pulling her a bit closer.
Shu Tang: “…”
Shu Tang thought he probably wasn’t interested in the Tangram, so she switched to the puzzle.
She assembled the colorful puzzle in front of him, demonstrating as she spoke, then scrambled it and gestured to the mermaid, “Just reassemble it like I did.”
She turned her head and found the mermaid had closed his eyes, feigning sleep.
Shu Tang: “…”
It’s not like he wasn’t smart just a moment ago!
The mermaid wasn’t actually asleep. He had been cautiously observing Shu Tang’s behavior until he realized that she was fiddling around, touching things here and there. Although he didn’t know exactly what she was up to, she kept fussing over him, like an energetic kitten chasing its own tail.
The mermaid felt relieved: She wouldn’t think of leaving for now.
So, he indulged Shu Tang’s antics by his side.
Today’s weather was indeed quite nice. The beach was warm from the sun, and the waves continuously rolled onto the shore. Nearby, blue rose petals, knocked down by last night’s rain, covered the ground.
Shu Tang thought the mermaid must be tired, so she lazily lounged about, waiting for him to wake up.
With nothing else to do, she picked up a Rubik’s cube to play with. It was an advanced intellectual challenge toy, which Shu Tang had planned to bring out only after the mermaid had completed Tangram and puzzles—it wasn’t usually needed.
Confidently scrambling it, she also confidently tried to solve it.
But she found it quite challenging to restore the little thing once it was messed up.
After ten minutes of trying, the puzzle only became more jumbled.
The more she tried, the bigger her headache grew. Just as she was about to give up in frustration, suddenly, a fishtail tapped her.
And then patted her encouragingly.
Shu Tang turned her head and met the mermaid’s gaze.
—It was the kind of look you’d give a not-so-smart little fish that had just bumped into a rock.
Shu Tang: Wait, why is this fish looking at her like that?
The next second, the mermaid gave her a look that made Shu Tang suspect she saw resignation, but she had no evidence.
His slender fingers took the Rubik’s cube.
Ten seconds later, with a click, the Rubik’s cube was solved.
Although it accidentally cracked a bit, the colors were indeed all correct.
Shu Tang finally understood what that look from the mermaid meant.
The look of tender indulgence toward a fool.
Shu Tang silently wrote in the medical record: IQ, normal.
Then she lay down on the beach, motionless.
The mermaid leaned in to look at her, slowly tilted his head, and even pushed the Rubik’s cube towards her.
As if asking:
Didn’t I solve it for you, why aren’t you playing anymore?
Shu Tang: “……”
Unable to help herself, Shu Tang began to wonder what kind of image she presented in the mermaid’s mind, but since the mermaid couldn’t speak, Shu Tang just lay back down again.
The two of them spent the afternoon lying on the beach. During this time, Shu Tang occasionally glanced at her communicator, but there was no signal.
Shu Tang started to get anxious: Could it be that the main troop isn’t coming back? The rain has stopped; by all accounts, the signal should be back.
She stood up and searched for a signal everywhere, but still, there was no response, so Shu Tang simply put down the communicator. Being forgotten by the main troop was a terrifying prospect, especially if she ended up with a survival manual for the wilderness.
But as Shu Tang turned her head and saw the god of tuna, she immediately lay back down.
Why bother? She didn’t really want to go back to work anyway!
Since arriving in this world, Shu Tang had worked night shifts and morning shifts, was constantly exhausted, and was often called back even on her days off. She didn’t even have time to go shopping, let alone go on a vacation.
Now she finally had the opportunity to waste time, so she decided to seize it and waste some more.
She didn’t notice that while she stood up to look for the signal, the mermaid’s gaze had remained fixed on her communicator; not until she lay back down did the mermaid casually turn away and flick its tail.
If Shu Tang had been a graduate student instead of a junior intern, and had read the Director Qiu’s papers on the mental force magnetic field, she might have uncovered some truths hidden beneath the calm surface. But clearly, Shu Tang hadn’t quite grasped her university lessons; she thought someone must have knocked the signal tower askew with their car.
However, the mermaid, whose gaze had now shifted away, didn’t know that although Shu Tang appeared anxious as she lay down, in reality, listening to the sound of the waves and basking in the warm sunshine, her thoughts were as follows:
Is this being forgotten by the main troop? This is like being in the Maldives.
Is there no signal? This is the trumpet call that allows you to sleep until you naturally wake up.
As evening approached again.
Having wasted a day, Shu Tang felt blissfully happy. She found some scallops on the beach, and she had bought some grains at the supermarket earlier, planning to make scallop porridge at night.
Shu Tang, sitting cross-legged next to the mermaid, began to open scallops, but it was troublesome without any tools.
As Shu Tang fretted, she suddenly saw the mermaid flicking its tail.
Quietly, she placed a scallop under the mermaid’s tail.
With a flick from the mermaid’s tail, “snap”, the scallop broke.
Shu Tang immediately stuffed another one.
Finally, the mermaid noticed the sound was off and lowered its head to look at Shu Tang.
Mermaid: “……”
Shu Tang: “……”
Shu Tang stuffed all the scallops she had by her side under the mermaid’s tail.
Tail: Snap.
Thus, Shu Tang happily enjoyed her scallop porridge.