His long, pale hands were large, one palm enough to steadily support her waist, as solid as a rock.
Although she was sitting quite steadily, the kitten was still startled for a while before she began to hang the curtains.
Suddenly, she felt a bit reluctant to look at him.
The night was very quiet, so the mermaid’s heavy breathing was clearly audible to her; she could even clearly feel the rise and fall of his chest.
When she reached for the curtain rod, she felt the support of the mermaid’s large hand, the palm was cool but reassuring.
The mermaid’s shoulders were also broad, providing her with a stable and very secure seating.
She occasionally lowered her head and could see the mermaid lifting its head, gazing at her.
The conversation on Sea of Tears did not continue.
Robinson Crusoe and his good friend Friday’s analogy no longer seemed quite so fitting.
The moonlight tonight was beautiful.
After the curtains were installed, a simple pull to the side made sleep comfortable and deep.
…
Survival in the wilderness, day five.
Perhaps because she wasn’t woken by the sun, Shu Tang got up a bit late.
But when she opened her eyes, she did not see the mermaid that usually encircled her as in past days.
She put on her shoes and went downstairs to see where the mermaid had gone.
However, after circling around, she found no trace of the mermaid inside the entire fortress. After washing up, wearing oversized slippers she found in the storeroom, she walked towards the beach.
The mermaid had risen very early.
In fact, aside from occasionally waking during the day to make sure she was still there, the mermaid’s sleep was very sound. Shu Tang’s pheromones smelled nice, and her breathing while sleeping was long and soft, like a curled-up sleeping kitten. Watching and smelling her, one could easily fall asleep, with the noise fading away and the sleep becoming very deep.
She said she wanted to have porridge and barbecue. Although the mermaid did not know what barbecue meant, it understood that a self-heating pot cooked food with heat.
Deep-sea monsters naturally do not require complex cooking or delicate handling. For such large predators, “he” only needed to kill his prey to eat.
Moreover, Shu Tang told him that eating too much raw food could lead to parasitic infections.
The mermaid still couldn’t understand such complex words, but it understood:
Eating too much raw food could be fatal.
Shu Tang was a very delicate species to maintain.
Thus, this morning, the mermaid woke up very early.
Although on the beach near the Bastille, aside from the blue roses air-shipped and planted there ten years ago, there was nothing flammable, a little further away, there were some trees—although somewhat damp.
Starting a fire became even simpler. The mermaid had heard from Shu Tang that rubbing two stones together could easily ignite a fire.
When Shu Tang, wearing oversized slippers, arrived at the beach, she saw a fire with her self-heating pot on it, boiling porridge bubbling away.
Suddenly, Shu Tang remembered that just yesterday she had complained in front of the mermaid that her self-heating pot was no longer working.
She ran over, squatted in front of the porridge, sniffed, and when she looked up, she saw the tall mermaid carrying a tree trunk snapped in the middle, walking over. Then, the mermaid put down the trunk and moved Shu Tang a bit away from the fire.
Shu Tang exclaimed in surprise, “Little Rose, you are so kind.”
The mermaid didn’t understand, but knew it was a compliment.
“He” couldn’t fix the self-heating pot, but he could always find an alternative.
However, when he turned his head, the mermaid heard her say:
“Little Rose, let’s go check out that camera.”
The mermaid’s pale lips pursed slightly.
…
Shu Tang always thought that Chen Sheng had forgotten about her.
But, of course, that was impossible.
Because the mermaid’s mental power was too strong, no one could estimate the extent of the impact when “his” psychic power erupted, so the entire Cape Sanitarium and surrounding areas were evacuated, including the removal of the South Island base.
For the first three days, they couldn’t receive any signals from the area.
Until not long ago, the institute’s technicians arrived and managed to weakly activate a camera using an underground signal pipe, giving them a chance to peek into the forbidden area.
Shu Tang didn’t know that during the four days she was missing, everyone assumed she was gone for good. After all, at that time, the forbidden area wasn’t much different from hell.
Originally, Colonel Chen was buying time; if she didn’t show up within half an hour, everyone had already braced for the worst.
—They guessed she didn’t make it out.
Oh, what a great alpha, who still chose to enter the forbidden area at such a time, truly embodying the spirit of “If I don’t go to hell, who will?”
During these four days, Shu Tang, an ordinary passerby unaware of the truth, was repeatedly mentioned, almost becoming a symbol of heroic sacrifice.
But who knew, on the first day the camera was turned on, the technician exclaimed excitedly:
“Colonel Chen, there are cries for help, there are cries for help!”
The crowd rushed to check.
The camera’s image kept zooming in, zooming in.
Then, everyone saw a pair of pitch-black eyes.
The mermaid looked up and stared intently at the camera; although at a considerable distance, the oppressive feeling of being watched by some enormous creature was still very intense.
A chill instantly ran up everyone’s spine.
However, just at that moment.
Suddenly, a furry head popped up below the mermaid.
Shu Tang, dirty and tense, shouted in a panic: “Help! Help!”
Honestly, Shu Tang’s acting wasn’t bad.
At least, the panic on her face made everyone think that she was being held by the mermaid behind her and crying for help.
But what Shu Tang was actually crying for help about was: “We’ve run out of food, we haven’t eaten for three days! Is there anyone to save us?”
Everyone: “?”
Everyone: “No, why add ‘we’? Who are you ‘we’ with?”
The absurdity of this situation is akin to—
Shu Tang, this cannon fodder, was dragged into hell by evil spirits for three days. Everyone thought she couldn’t be deader, but three days later, not only was she fine, she even dragged the evil spirit to ask for help together:
Does anyone outside have a conscience? Why doesn’t anyone deliver food to hell? We are going to starve to death!
After the panic subsided, the two people in front of the camera disappeared.
The technicians and the military staff led by Chen Sheng looked at each other.
“Is she under house arrest?”
“She’s alive and well, just without food?”
Uncertain, let’s wait and see.
Sure enough, the next day, the two appeared again.
Shu Tang first moved her limbs, wanting to put on a good performance.
But just as Shu Tang stretched out her hand, the next second, she was hoisted up.
This was the same position she was in when she was hanging curtains yesterday.
The mermaid then assumed this position meant “lift up high.”
So, during the stretching, Shu Tang mysteriously ended up on the mermaid’s shoulders.
Shu Tang: “?”
Everyone thinking Shu Tang might have been kidnapped and not fed: “?”
Originally, the camera could only see distant shadows, but as they approached, more things became visible.
In front of the camera, the mermaid’s expressionless yet eerily pale face appeared first.
Then, a head with a gray-streaked nose leaned forward and screamed:
“Help! Help!”
“We haven’t eaten for four days! Is there anyone coming to save us?”
Everyone: “…”
Today’s call for help task is completed.
*
At noon, Shu Tang planned to eat grilled fish.
Since the morning’s firewood was damp and not plentiful enough, they decided to first stock up on some firewood.
But along the way, the mermaid always walked ahead.
Although the mermaid always remained expressionless, Shu Tang had already learned to discern his mood from certain reactions.
For example, right now, the mermaid was not carrying Shu Tang or following behind her but walking silently ahead.
Shu Tang could clearly sense that he was angry.
Was it because she had taken his blanket yesterday? Or because she accidentally stepped on his tail this morning?
However, as Shu Tang walked, she suddenly realized—
It seemed to start when she began asking for help in front of the camera.
For her, they had been forgotten by the main group in the sanatorium, facing a shortage of supplies and likely isolation; she had to call for help no matter what.
But for the mermaid, this place had been his “home” for a long time.
Shu Tang looked at the mermaid’s silent figure and suddenly felt a bit at a loss.
She carefully walked over to him, but the mermaid did not look at her and continued walking forward.
His already expressionless face seemed even colder.
Shu Tang followed behind him and suddenly said, “Little Rose, shall I teach you some adjectives?”
She taught the mermaid what “good” meant.
Shu Tang gave an example: “Little Rose is the best fish in the world.”
The mermaid’s eyes flickered.
When it came to “beautiful,” Shu Tang pointed to the splendidly blooming blue roses nearby and said:
“Little Rose is as beautiful as a rose.”
The mermaid kept silent but walked on, listening all the while.
Shu Tang explained “smart,” “brave,” and “diligent.”
She gave examples: “Just like me.”
The mermaid, quick to understand, got it:
The meanings of these words were actually somewhat silly, very cowardly, and particularly lazy.
Shu Tang continued to praise him: “Little Rose, you are especially smart, brave, and diligent.”
The mermaid paused in his steps.
Suddenly, the mermaid stopped, grabbed her, and hissed at her.
Shu Tang: ?
Although she didn’t know what had happened, the mermaid seemed even angrier.
…
During the tree-cutting, Shu Tang was originally sitting off to the side with her hands tucked in.
But looking at the mermaid’s tall figure, she suddenly felt she might have gone too far.
After all, she had been lying still, her hunting skills were nonexistent, and she would have starved without that fish.
Now, she had delegated all the physical tasks to him.
Shu Tang felt a pang of guilt.
Unable to sit still any longer, she decided to run over and help the mermaid.
Shu Tang’s parents often criticized her, saying she was good for nothing and always in the way.
The most annoying time at home was during major clean-ups. When mopping, she was a moving obstacle; when washing dishes, she was a human shredder.
Originally, the mermaid only needed to break the tree into a few pieces and drag them away, a task that should have taken just five minutes. After all, the tree trunk was like a small stick in the hands of a deep-sea monster.
But thanks to Shu Tang’s eager assistance, five minutes turned into fifteen.
The mermaid picked her up by the hand, deciding to find a place to settle her down—
Placing her on the beach was risky, as crabs might pinch her;
Placing her on a distant reef was too far away to see, and she could drown in the blink of an eye;
Finally, the mermaid casually hung her on a forked branch of a tree.
Shu Tang: “…”
“Little Rose, how could you treat me like this!”
“Help, I’m going to fall!”
The mermaid was calm. Indeed, without Shu Tang’s interference, it took only five minutes to finish the job.
“He” raised his hand and picked Shu Tang off the tree where she was perched.
Holding a bundle of firewood in one hand and her in the other, he carried them both back.
Shu Tang kept blaming the fish on the way back.
The mermaid glanced at her indifferently.
Shu Tang immediately fell silent, as the mermaid turned to look at a nearby large tree, seemingly assessing whether it was suitable to hang her from it.
He even stopped.
Shu Tang began to struggle wildly:
“It’s too high, find a shorter one to hang me from!”
Help, a fish is about to eat a cat!
The mermaid casually walked past that tree.
Shu Tang: “…”
She heard a hoarse, muffled laugh.
*
Shu Tang realized that she still did not understand the mermaid well enough.
Whenever Shu Tang thought the mermaid was pitiable, he would immediately demonstrate his terrifying strength.
Whenever Shu Tang felt that the mermaid was simple-minded, he would reveal his surprising intelligence, often looking at her with a patronizing gaze, as if she were a less intelligent creature.
Each time Shu Tang thought she was dealing with a good-tempered fish, she would discover that the mermaid occasionally showed a temperamental side. For instance, if Shu Tang swam too slowly, the mermaid would soon run out of patience and simply drag her into the sea to swim.
Another example occurred today on the way to the Sea of Tears, where Shu Tang, barely managing to keep her eyes open underwater, saw an unknown large fish being smacked away by the mermaid’s tail.
Shu Tang thought to herself: Truly, this is a complex fish.
An even more complex situation unfolded—
On the way back from the Sea of Tears, Shu Tang could no longer find the mermaid.
…
At that moment, they were walking on the beach.
The horizon was tinged with a trace of orange-yellow from the dusk, casting a dim yellow halo over the beach.
The mermaid’s psychic field covered a vast area, so before Shu Tang even noticed, the mermaid had already heard a faint signal and electric buzzing from a helicopter far away.
The mermaid’s dark eyes lifted to gaze at the orange-yellow sky in the distance.
In fact, within the range of the mermaid’s powerful psychic field, just by “his” will, an airplane’s positioning system would malfunction, making it impossible to land.
However, the mermaid only looked for a while before shifting his gaze away.
“He” lowered his head to look at Shu Tang.
Just as the mermaid couldn’t fix the tiny self-heating pot or know what Shu Tang’s favorite “barbecue” was.
“His” world was barren and desolate, with nothing left but the Sea of Tears—seemingly only loneliness and silence remained.
She had grown tired of playing with the sand.
And she would eventually tire of the Sea of Tears as well.
Like the sea and the land.
The mermaid and Shu Tang belonged to two entirely different worlds.
Shu Tang was talking about continuing to sort through the storeroom tomorrow, but heard no response.
Even the constant footsteps that followed her seemed to have vanished.
“Little Rose?”
She turned around, only to find no one behind her.
In the dark corner, the mermaid watched her from behind.
At first, Shu Tang thought the mermaid had gone hunting and was not worried. She just looked around for a while and then returned to the beach to wait for “him” to come back.
However, Shu Tang waited a long time, and there was no movement from the sea.
Shu Tang began to worry if the mermaid had encountered something in the sea: although the mermaid’s tail was powerful, the sea area was vast and uncharted for many years, marking it a dangerous and unknown territory.
Unable to sit still, Shu Tang scanned the sea from one end of the coast to the other, even running onto the rocks to meticulously search every crevice.
—What if it got stuck and stranded?
Her search became more frantic as she started calling out loudly, “Little Rose!”
In the distance, in the darkness, the mermaid’s pale lips were tightly pressed, almost ready to appear.
But in the end, the mermaid did not show up.
Because from the distant sky, the clear sound of an airplane was heard.
The mermaid lifted its dark eyes to see the black silhouette against the sky.
monsters have their own dignity.
“He” couldn’t bear to watch Shu Tang walk towards another world.
Thus, the mermaid halted.
Its sharply pointed dorsal fin erected, it retreated back into the darkness.
Shu Tang on the rocks also heard the buzzing sound from the sky, and when she looked up, she saw the silhouette of a helicopter.
However, Shu Tang merely glanced at the helicopter and did not immediately turn to run towards it; instead, she continued forward on the rocky beach.
She shouted, “Little Rose!”
“Little Rose, where are you?”
In the darkness, the mermaid watched her back.
The mermaid slowly tilted its head, its eyes filled with confusion.
The mermaid knew that “Little Rose” was calling for him.
The first time Shu Tang called out “Little Rose,” the mermaid didn’t realize it was addressing him, but after repeated calls, the mermaid understood that this was her name for him. The mermaid didn’t remember its own name, and naturally had no new name, so when she called him Little Rose, that became the mermaid’s new name.
The next time she called out “Little Rose,” the pale lips twitched.
Shu Tang didn’t find him, her first reaction was:
Go back and ask for help, arrange for a boat to come over for rescue, there might still be hope.
But as Shu Tang turned and ran towards the building—
The next second, a fish “slapped” right next to Shu Tang’s feet.
Followed by the second, and the third…
Many fish leapt to her feet, floundering and bouncing in the shallow waters.
Shu Tang was stunned.
She suddenly realized something.
She turned around and saw a tall figure in the waves.
The tide silently pushed the moonlight forward.
In the distance, the towering mermaid silently watched her, making no sound.
The world was left with only the sound of the tide, wave after wave lapping at her feet.
Shu Tang looked down at the lively fish jumping around her feet.
She suddenly understood what “he” meant.
— I have, lots and lots of fish.
— Don’t leave me.