Chapter 20

"Wow."

Lansi was jolted awake by the shock of cold water against his body.

He sat up abruptly, wiped himself off, and glared at the person standing nearby.

Carl gave a nervous cough. He tossed aside the coconut shell in his hands and muttered, "Well... fish need water, don't they?"

Lansi shot him a look of utter contempt, swept him aside with his tail, and then looked around.

Yes, he needed water. But that didn't mean anyone could just pour it on him.

He had been lying on a makeshift bed of large leaves. Not far off were the remnants of a campfire. A few meters away, Rose sat peeling a coconut, her expression unreadable as she watched him.

Wen Yu was nowhere to be seen. Lansi turned to Carl and narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, you're looking for the boss?" Carl perked up when he saw Lansi wasn't going to hit him. He edged closer and clicked his tongue. "The boss went spearfishing this morning. Last night, he carried you back and scared us half to death. So... do you like our boss? He's actually a good guy. Maybe you should consider—"

Lansi slapped him without hesitation.

Carl froze for a moment, then realized Lansi hadn't used his claws. That alone improved Carl's opinion of him.

"I heard the boss say your name is Lansi. Don't worry, he's not like the prince in Daughter of the Sea, the kind who just abandons you—"

"Carl."

Rose's voice cut in, quiet and sharp. "Colonel Wen Yu's been gone a while. You should check on him."

Carl finally shut up and looked at Lansi. Lansi glanced from Rose to the distant firepit and let out a low, expectant whine at Carl.

"Ai—ka—?"

Where's my breakfast?

Carl blinked. Somehow, he understood.

"Oh... we didn't catch much yesterday. But the boss is out there now, so breakfast's coming."

Better to let the boss handle it anyway, Carl thought.

Lansi looked back at the dead fire, then at Carl, his eyes full of disdain.

Carl: "..."

The red-haired young man stood, scratched his head, and said, "I'll go check on the boss. Don't run off."

With that, he picked up a harpoon and headed toward the beach.

Once Carl was gone, Lansi rose and followed him with his gaze. On the shore, two men were wading in the waves, trousers rolled up, trying to spear fish.

The fish weren't stupid. After all that splashing around, the two men managed to catch only one.

Lansi pitied them.

As a mermaid now, catching fish had become his instinct. If he didn't help out, these two would probably collapse from exhaustion.

He shifted his gaze back to Rose.

She was still bound in chains, her job now reduced to preparing food. At the moment, she was struggling with a coconut.

Coconuts weren't easy. You had to strip the tough outer husk and crack the hard shell. Clearly, this wasn't a task Rose enjoyed.

"Your name is Lansi, right?" she asked suddenly, lifting her eyes toward him.

Lansi paused, then nodded.

"You seem smart," Rose said coolly. "Is your mouth better?"

He blinked and stuck out his tongue. There was no blood, no pain. The wound must have healed.

After watching him for a moment, Rose reached behind a rock and took out a half coconut-shell bowl. She handed it over.

"It's just fruit. Coconut and some wild berries. Go ahead."

Lansi eyed her warily. Just yesterday, she'd tried to kill him. Now she was playing nice?

"It's not poisoned," she added, seeing his hesitation. She pushed the bowl a little closer and turned her back to him. "I used to think sea monsters were just beasts. But... you only understand the truth once you've lived it."

Her voice grew softer.

"You remind me of my brother. Even your name."

Lansi flicked his tail, glanced at the bowl again, and finally gave in. He was hungry.

Wen Yu and the others hadn't told him much, but Rose didn't stop there.

"For saving us, I'll give you a warning. Stay away from Wen Yu. Don't be curious about humans. Just leave."

"Ya—?"

Why?

"Wen Yu is the most valuable asset of the Apocalyptic Lab," Rose said bitterly. "There's a tracking chip in his body. Even if he dies, they'll come for his corpse. I've been repairing the distress signal. If nothing went wrong, a rescue team is already on the way."

Lansi fell silent.

Her words struck him like cold water. He had dreamed of living peacefully among humans. Now that dream cracked.

It was time to go.

He had helped them more than enough. Since rescue was coming, they didn't need him anymore.

But something still didn't make sense. Why were humans calling other humans "assets"? Had their morality collapsed that far?

Lansi's thoughts tumbled.

Sea monsters. Black storms. Mutation. The apocalypse. Experiments.

Was humanity on the edge of extinction?

Rose noticed his thoughtful expression and sighed. Nature had created such a species—so strange, so magnificent.

She couldn't tell if she feared Lansi or admired him. Either way, she didn't want to owe him.

Since Wen Yu wouldn't speak, she would be the one to deliver the hard truth.

Next time, she might not be so kind.

Lansi felt a deep frustration.

He gave up resisting, swam over, picked up the coconut bowl, and quickly devoured the fruit.

This detour had already cost him too much time.

By now, he should have reached Sunset Bay. If he could find his wrecked ship there, he'd know what to do next.

Only after that could he return to Winsor without regrets—to explore the ocean, and maybe even learn to walk on land.

After finishing the fruit, Lansi placed the bowl near Rose and moved toward the shore.

Wen Yu and Carl looked up when they saw him approaching. Their confusion deepened.

Lansi slid into the sea, letting the water wash over his scales and fins.

He sighed, then dove beneath the surface.

Moments later, a turbulent splash rose not far offshore. A school of fish shot toward the beach, fleeing for their lives.

Carl froze, stunned.

Wen Yu reacted first, grabbing his harpoon and taking aim.

But they couldn't keep up. The fish flew past them, flopping directly onto the sand.

The two men stared, speechless.

Rose, watching from the beach, couldn't help but laugh.

After driving nearly a dozen fish onto the shore, Lansi swam back slowly. His long, gauzy fins brushed Wen Yu's legs.

Wen Yu smiled. "Alright, alright, I get it. You did great."

He reached out, but Lansi dodged his hand and swam away.

He'd done enough.

Without another word, Lansi waved once, then disappeared into the sea.

No drawn-out farewell.

The more tangled the emotions, the harder it was to say goodbye.

Wen Yu reminded him of Winsor. But Wen Yu wasn't Winsor.

It was time to leave—before it got harder.

Wen Yu watched him go, stunned. He thought Lansi was just hunting.

After all they had shared the night before, why would he just leave?

Something felt wrong.

But Wen Yu didn't want to believe it. He forced himself to focus on the fish and began preparing them for dinner. It would be a gift for Lansi.

Evening.

The fire crackled. Fish grilled over a ring of branches.

Carl and Rose sat quietly, stealing glances at Wen Yu. He was silent, but his cold aura was stifling.

After a long time, he asked, "Why did he leave?"

No one had to ask who he meant.

Carl scratched his head, clueless. How would he know what a mermaid was thinking?

"I told him to go," Rose said suddenly. "The rescue team is coming. Do you want them to find him?"

Wen Yu said nothing.

The fire popped softly. No one spoke again.

Wen Yu rose, picked up a grilled fish, and walked toward the southeast side of the island.

"Boss?"

"Leave me alone."

He didn't look back.

He walked until he reached the shore, then placed the grilled fish on the sand.

He didn't believe Lansi had left. Emotionally, he couldn't.

So he waited.

But the tide rose. The sky lightened.

The fish was gone, dragged away by the sea.

Wen Yu stared at the empty spot, his face pale.

He would give anything to see that white mermaid again.

Anything.

The thought echoed endlessly in his mind.

He stayed there, unmoving.

Eventually, his body grew numb, and his senses dulled.

He looked toward the horizon, black and white sky merging.

Then, he heard it.

"Come here…"

A voice, faint and strange, whispered to him.

Wen Yu blinked.

"Who?"

No answer. Just the breeze.

Had he imagined it?

He rubbed his temples, feeling disoriented.

Again, the voice came:

"Go... here... go…"

Then came flashes. A vision.

A white mermaid. Blue flames. The mermaid swimming in the glowing light, graceful like a celestial being.

Wen Yu reached out—but it was just an illusion.

"Here... come... we... see him…"

The voice was clearer now, as if it came from within.

Wen Yu's body moved on its own, guided by the sound.

He entered the forest.

Deep within, he found a cave. Dark. Silent.

"Come in... quickly…"

The whisper lured him inside. Something slithered, unseen.

Wen Yu stepped into the darkness.

"You... are... I..."

"We…"

"He... is... we..."

The cave whispered.

Morning.

Rose and Carl finally saw Wen Yu return.

"Boss, are you okay?"

Carl stepped up nervously.

"I'm fine," Wen Yu said, smiling.

He looked better. Healthier.

"I'm very good."

Carl hesitated. Something felt... off.

Was it his imagination, or were Wen Yu's eyes darker than before?

Were they always that black?

Carl wasn't sure.