While hiding in this abandoned building and writing her will, Shu Tang looked out at the pitch-black night where she couldn’t see her hand before her face, fearing she wouldn’t be able to see Little Rose. She didn’t show her nervousness, but a mere breath from the mermaid soothed her pain.
However, during such a tender moment, Shu Tang’s stomach began to growl. Perhaps because she had relaxed, she belatedly realized she was quite hungry.
The mermaid also heard her stomach singing the tune of an empty fortress.
Shu Tang had no healing abilities, and though her injuries weren’t bone-deep, they were serious due to the large wounds. When the mermaid had arrived, he had seen an armored vehicle in the convoy that was abandoned in the afternoon chaos. The vehicle was empty, but the compartment was stocked with ample food and water, and more importantly, a medical kit.
So, the mermaid decided to go back and bring the supplies, initially planning to take Shu Tang with him, but she wasn’t in a condition to move easily.
He whispered to Shu Tang, letting her know that his spirit would stay right beside her.
Shu Tang nodded, “Go ahead.”
However, once the mermaid left, the ruins became pitch-black again.
Shu Tang had agreed easily, but after turning on the flashlight of the communicator and sitting for a while, she leaned against the glass window and peered out, spotting the tall silhouette of the mermaid.
After hesitating for a moment, she simply limped downstairs, following behind the mermaid like a little tail.
Shu Tang thought, this habit of sticking close must have been contagious from the mermaid; she wasn’t like this before.
The mermaid moved very quickly. Shu Tang had to speed up as well.
However, as the mermaid climbed the window frame and leapt onto the fourth-floor rooftop, Shu Tang’s steps halted.
She had no choice but to wait here alone for the mermaid’s return.
She felt a bit desolate, surrounded by darkness, waiting alone felt quite lonely.
The mermaid, with his excellent hearing, had already sensed someone following him.
Like a little cat afraid of the dark, sneaking quietly behind the mermaid.
The mermaid paused in his steps.
The creature noticed her change. Just like a lost kitten that had suffered outside and, when picked up, wanted to stick close because it got scared whenever he went too far.
So, the mermaid returned to the little cat’s side.
Shu Tang was by the telegraph pole, looking out. As she turned around, she saw the mermaid. She hadn’t thought of an explanation yet, but the mermaid didn’t ask why. Just when she thought the mermaid would haul her back, he lifted her up and placed her on his shoulder instead.
Shu Tang sat on the mermaid’s shoulders for a while, then confessed honestly:
“Little Rose, don’t leave me behind to fetch things next time, okay? Take me with you.”
She felt her courage was small, somewhat embarrassing, but the mermaid agreed without hesitation, “Okay.”
Shu Tang was a bit worried about Old Wu and Little Chen, so she asked the mermaid if they had been seen on the road. The mermaid had passed by Old Wu but hadn’t seen Chen and the others, who had probably already left the polluted area to carry out a rescue.
Upon hearing that Old Wu was alright, Shu Tang breathed a sigh of relief.
The armored car, lying at the corner of the street, had its headlight smashed, but the supplies inside had not been retrieved. They found a box of canned beef and bread. The medical kit was also intact.
Shu Tang ate slowly and never smacked her lips, but when hungry, she could hardly maintain her usual eating decorum.
However, as she was eating, she noticed the mermaid watching her.
Shu Tang handed a packet of meat floss bread to the mermaid, who looked at it expressionlessly for a while before silently taking it and devouring it hungrily, just like her.
But the mermaid wasn’t hungry; he was suppressing his emotions. Expressionlessly, the monster watched his own little cat, dirty all over, eating the canned food and bread, and suddenly reached out to wipe the dirt off her cheek.
Shu Tang had a severe abrasion on her left leg, which the mermaid addressed by pulling out antiseptic and bandages, squatting in front of her.
While having dinner, Shu Tang watched the mermaid and hesitated for a while but eventually explained why she hadn’t shared a vehicle with him that afternoon.
Although it seemed the mermaid was distracted by her injury, he showed no intention of bringing up the matter.
When the mermaid heard she had been set up, the veins on his hands bulged, but he controlled his strength, not aggravating her injured leg.
This fierce creature held down her leg, clumsily wrapping Shu Tang’s left foot like a big zongzi (rice dumpling).
She said, “Little Rose, I don’t want other therapists to get close to you.”
Shu Tang thought that after clarifying this matter, the mermaid would reconcile with her.
But she was mistaken. Although the mermaid never got angry from beginning to end, he still decided to clarify his stance because he had observed all of Shu Tang’s behavior. He believed that the indecisive little cat might make such principled mistakes in the future.
Not only did Shu Tang want to resolve misunderstandings and avoid conflicts over such matters, but the mermaid was also unwilling.
As soon as Shu Tang finished speaking, she saw the mermaid looking at her fiercely and saying, “Change people, die.”
Shu Tang’s CPU overheated as she processed this sentence, which the mermaid meant:
If she dared to replace him, the other person would die.
Shu Tang: “…”
The mermaid told Shu Tang:
If she pushed other people towards him, he wouldn’t do anything to her nor would he be angry with her.
But he would throw all those people out.
Shu Tang never expected the mermaid’s reaction to be like this, leaving her somewhat unsettled. Initially, she thought the mermaid was joking, but the mermaid looked at her expressionlessly.
Today, the mermaid had already been dealing with too many pollutants and ambushes, his aura seething with fierceness, making him very persuasive.
She was truly frightened and asked somewhat urgently, “What about the assistant? Or other therapists?”
The mermaid answered bluntly: “Dead.”
The mermaid’s gaze was indifferent, like that of a ruthless psychopathic killer. This beast naturally lacked any sense of belonging to humanity and didn’t consider himself as part of it. Mutations had made his heart incredibly cold and hard, turning him into a non-human monster who had long lost much of his empathy and emotions.
The mermaid was warning Shu Tang: if she wasn’t by his side, he couldn’t guarantee what he might do.
This was the first time the mermaid had shown his ferocity in front of her.
Shu Tang was truly scared. Having spent so much time together, she had seen the mermaid’s ferocity and calmness when hunting sharks. She knew that the mermaid struggled to understand many human behaviors, but could quickly grasp them from an animalistic perspective.
Always harmless in her presence, she had never really seen the mermaid as a dangerous being. However, at this moment, her usual hesitation and reticence when facing authoritative figures completely disappeared.
After threatening her, the mermaid nonchalantly went to get some food.
But he kept watching her from the corner of his eye.
Seeing her genuinely anxious expression, he observed and realized that she occasionally looked over nervously, knowing she believed most of what he said.
If Shu Tang previously felt inexperienced and somewhat insignificant, now the mermaid had become cold and inhuman, and the weight of her responsibilities felt like a mountain pressing down on her.
She had only needed to worry about how the mermaid would integrate into human society, but now she also had to fear him becoming a heartless monster. Shu Tang suddenly shifted from feeling “I’m not important at all” to “my responsibilities are overwhelming,” making her anxious and tense.
However, when Shu Tang turned around, she found the mermaid laughing.
Shu Tang: “…”
She was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized the mermaid had been scaring her. But his acting was so convincing, she hadn’t seen through it.
Furious, Shu Tang, despite her injured leg still full of fighting spirit, lunged at the mermaid: “Little Rose, you’ve gone too far!”
The mermaid hugged her, laughing heartily on her shoulder.
Shu Tang was really angry.
Feeling the kitten’s annoyance, the mermaid immediately tried to appease her by kissing her cheek.
Shu Tang turned her head and glared at him, then stormed into the armored car, furious.
But once inside the armored car, Shu Tang suddenly felt: perhaps the mermaid hadn’t been entirely lying.
From the beginning, Little Rose did not like this world, nor did she like interacting with humans. Although now she appears capable of speaking and living among human society, this does not mean she is just like a normal person. Mutations may have permanently changed something.
She suddenly realized that she might really be a link, or rather, a key.
…
They spent the night sleeping in the armored car.
Before going to sleep, Shu Tang was somewhat worried about how Old Wu and the others would handle encountering pollutants if they came back to rescue them. The mermaid reassured her, promising to keep watch.
Shu Tang set aside her worries and glanced at the languid mermaid beside her, quickly falling asleep.
But what she did not know was that, after her breathing became steady, the lazy demeanor of the mermaid disappeared. He expressionlessly watched her disheveled, exhausted kitten, silently rising and using water to wipe her face clean.
His actions were very deliberate.
The mermaid did not lie to her.
He was a monstrously ferocious creature teetering on the edge of losing his humanity. One characteristic sign of being parasitized by pollutants is the gradual loss of human-like qualities. Zhu Yan had held on, but some things had permanently disappeared.
Even the mermaid himself was not sure how long he could maintain his sanity, as today, upon seeing the kitten lying there unresponsive, the beast in him was nearly out of control.
The mermaid knew Shu Tang was worried about Chen Sheng and the others.
So, after she fell asleep, he used his spirit to locate Chen Sheng’s team.
The mermaid killed most of the ambushers and pollutants. At that moment, Chen Sheng and his team were struggling to move deeper inside. The mermaid casually dealt with a batch of nearby pollutants.
But he neither contacted them nor approached them.
Instead, after ensuring their safety, he directly returned to Shu Tang’s side.
However, that night, Shu Tang did not have any nightmares.
The mermaid did.
He often had them, those dreams trekking through the barren darkness.
This was the first time in his dreams that other content appeared: he dreamt he had entered that abandoned shopping mall, but the kitten had not awakened. Her eyes were tightly shut, unresponsive no matter how he called.
In his dream, the mermaid let out a pained shriek. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Shu Tang leaning against him, her breathing steady.
This terrifying creature actually broke out in a cold sweat because of a nightmare.
The fierce beast leaned against the armored car, watching his kitten for a long while, then suddenly stood up and lifted the sleeping Shu Tang in his arms.
The beast wanted to take her home.
…
Shu Tang slept very deeply.
She did not wake until she was on the back of a mermaid, seeing the sky gradually brighten. Cooled by the morning breeze, Shu Tang completely woke up.
In the pollution zone, the dawn here was always somewhat gloomy, with dark clouds pressing over the entire abandoned city, looking as if it might rain.
Shu Tang thought they were next going to meet up with the main force.
But if the mermaid had wanted to find the main force, he would have contacted Little Chen and the others last night.
With her foot tied up like a zongzi, she lay on the mermaid’s back and muttered:
“I wonder where Old Wu and the others have gotten to.”
“Once we get in the car, it’ll only be a few hours to the neighboring city. I’ve heard the airline meals there are tasty; we can have a couple on the plane and then reach Yan City.”
The tall mermaid just hummed softly, carefully supporting Shu Tang’s left leg.
Shu Tang felt something was off, initially thinking it was her imagination, but as they walked, it became increasingly strange. She gradually realized that the direction the mermaid was taking her was towards South Island City.
From the moment the mermaid found her yesterday, she sensed something was wrong with him, like someone awakening from a nightmare when she called him. But later, he acted as if nothing was wrong, and Shu Tang let her guard down. Only at this moment did she feel that maybe the mermaid just wanted to comfort her last night.
She sighed inwardly, leaning on the mermaid’s shoulder and asked:
“Little Rose, aren’t we still going to meet up with them?”
“We still need to go to Yan City; you promised me.”
The mermaid remained silent.
The mermaid wanted to take her home, not wanting Little Cat to get hurt. If they wanted to go to Yan City, danger was always near. The armored vehicle was risky, and what about the plane?
But Shu Tang struggled to get off the mermaid’s back.
The mermaid had been protecting her injured left leg, but she insisted on getting down, so the mermaid reluctantly set her down in front of a mailbox at an abandoned building.
Shu Tang: “No, Little Rose, we still have to go to Yan City.”
The mermaid let out a hoarse sound, still silent.
Shu Tang: “Little Rose, you have to gradually get better. I want to spend a very long time with you.”
“You clearly promised me.”
The fierce creature looked at her, and suddenly blurted out a word:
“Reneging.”
The mermaid was saying: he was preparing to renege.
It was like the time Shu Tang and the mermaid were playing Go, where she taught the mermaid to play without regrets, yet she often regretted her own moves; the mermaid believed he could renege just this once.
Shu Tang: “…”
Shu Tang said, “Little Rose, you are being unreasonable. By being so fickle, do you still have any credibility?”
The mermaid looked down at her and said, “So what?”
Translation: He reneged, what could she do about him?
Shu Tang: “…”
She was bewildered: “When did you learn to talk so much?”
The mermaid stopped talking again, pretending to be mute.
—Actually, not long after learning to say “okay,” the mermaid had mastered the art of speaking. However, the mermaid realized that whenever he was at a loss for words or learning slowly, Shu Tang would show a look of pity, and then his learning would become slower and slower. Moreover, as soon as he progressed quickly, Shu Tang would not spend much time teaching him anymore, and his learning progress immediately started to regress.
Shu Tang remembered that every time they argued, the mermaid’s language skills would advance dramatically. She immediately thought of this and became even angrier.
The mermaid could have explained that he dreamt of her death. But after being influenced by Shu Tang’s superstitions, the mermaid also felt it inauspicious to speak about it, so he chose to remain silent.
After being angry for a while, Shu Tang sat on a mailbox and began to appeal to the mermaid emotionally and logically:
“Danger isn’t something we encounter every time, these are all things we can overcome.”
“As long as you don’t leave me, we’ll always be together, right?”
But the mermaid seemed determined, as if he had swallowed a weight, refusing to yield.
Shu Tang glared at the mermaid, then, leaning on the mailbox post, picked up a broken stick and limped toward the direction of the main troops.
Shu Tang didn’t believe it; with her resolute determination, expressed despite her physical disability, the mermaid would still be stubborn.
She took three steps, then four steps.
Rain began to fall from the sky, and she had no choice but to move under the eaves.
Just as she was limping towards the shelter of the eaves—
Finally, she heard the footsteps of the mermaid.
When the mermaid supported her, Shu Tang turned back to look at him.
Rain fell in the abandoned desolate city.
In fact, besides this nightmare, there was a deeper, more troubling disagreement that had been haunting them both for a long time.
But neither had told the other.
Love makes people insecure, like cowards.
Two cowards, at this moment, gazing into each other’s eyes.
—If you don’t get better, I’ll feel like a despicable thief, taking advantage of you to win your affection.
—But if I do get better, what will I use to keep you, a despicable thief who tried to steal your heart with your pity?
As the heavy rain fell, they looked into each other’s eyes and kissed uncontrollably.
Their long hair entwined, his cold lips covering hers.
She complained that he had bitten her lip, and he bowed his head, tenderly licking her lip.
She said, “Little Rose, let’s move forward.”
…
The forecaster said the weather might be rainy hard.
But I know the sun will shine for us.