The Legend of the Mermaid (Part Two)

Several days later.

"Mr. Shen, please."

Li Liguo himself did not appear. His "top disciple"—Liu Lin, the leading PhD and intern researcher in the gene editing team—acted on his behalf.

Before the words were finished, the superalloy door in front of them, which was as tall as a three-story building, slowly opened, and a strange smell mixed with experimental fluid and machine oil followed.

Upon entering, Yunhe discovered a hidden world within. This factory-like "giant laboratory" was filled with hundreds of petri dishes, each several meters tall.

...I think I probably shouldn't have come...

Yunhe subconsciously tugged at Shen Huai'an's sleeve, secretly complaining to him telepathically. Shen Huai'an's lips curved slightly, and he immediately responded silently:

You don't want to see Er Gou anymore?

Yunhe pouted angrily, barely managing to utter a sound: Bullshit! If it weren't for Er Gou, why would I have gotten involved in this mess?!

She cursed inwardly as she looked around. The petri dishes were filled with the alien species that had "disappeared" from the GI experimental building—at this moment, they looked like snakes or scorpions being used as raw materials for medicinal wine in medicine jars, or like corpses preserved in formalin, silently floating in the nutrient solution in the jars, their life or death unknown.

...Does Er Gou do the same?

Yun instinctively twisted her fingers tightly. She dared not think any further; she desperately needed to confirm its safety—and then, if possible, bring it back. This place was too terrifying!

"We're here, Mr. Shen." After walking for an unknown amount of time, Liu Lin finally stopped and pointed to a locked, secret-looking room not far ahead. Several heavily armed superhuman guards were patrolling outside, their cold, vertical pupils turning in their direction at the sound of the voice—

Then their gazes all fell on Shen Huai'an. Clearly, these superhumans had already detected the "inhuman" pheromones emanating from Shen Huai'an.

"Relax! Don't be nervous, don't be nervous, guys."

Seeing that these superhuman guards were about to attack, Liu Lin quickly stepped forward to smooth things over. While taking out a certificate with the council's official seal, he subtly pressed the "tranquilizer" button on his wristband to calm these "half-orcs" down physically: "This gentleman is... um, a distinguished guest of the council. Director Xiao has granted him special permission to visit our experimental base!"

...

After a pointless but useful struggle, the door finally opened slowly. However—

The first person Yunhe saw wasn't Er Gou, but Xiao Lin. Before she could even be surprised at why Xiao Lin was there, Shen Huai'an had already walked in, his steps unhurried, as if he already knew what was about to happen.

"Haha, Researcher Yun is here too." Seeing Yun He following behind Shen Huai'an, the old man showed no surprise, but still made a gesture of agreement. Afterward, he turned to Shen Huai'an and said in a serious yet enigmatic tone:

"Huai'an, come here."

It was as if he were still treating his old boss like a younger subordinate. It was as if he had no idea that the person in front of him was a mermaid who was hundreds of years old, even older than his great-great-grandfather.

After Yunhe was the only person left in the room.

"Ah!" Ignoring the hindrance of its two limp legs, Er Gou, in the isolation observation room, joyfully pounced forward using both arms, only to be stopped by the bulletproof glass in front of it. Yun He's eyes instantly welled up with tears, but she had to suppress the urge to smash that damned glass in front of her.

That's good. Er Gou is still alive.

very nice.

——————————

Shen Huai'an saw a corpse.

To be precise, it was a very well-preserved woman's corpse.

"This is my lover." Xiao Lin murmured to himself, his back to him and facing the woman in the crystal coffin. Shen Huai'an asked himself, having known this man for so long, this was probably the first time in his life he had ever seen him so sentimental.

"Please accept my condolences." He wasn't particularly moved, but he had to offer a polite word of comfort.

“She’s been dead for over fifty years.” Xiao Lin continued without turning his head, “Do you know why she still looks so lifelike after all these fifty years?”

Shen Huai'an lowered his eyes. Of course he knew the answer.

"She is a hybrid of a mermaid and a human."

Xiao Lin finally turned around.

"How did you figure it out at a glance?" Xiao Lin retorted. "Don't tell me you could smell her scent through the crystal coffin."

“No need for such trouble,” Shen Huai’an said with a slight smile. He stepped forward slowly, his gaze falling on the woman’s still beautiful face: “The fact that her body has been preserved until now is enough to explain everything.”

—Current human technology cannot prevent a corpse from showing any signs of decomposition even after fifty years. However, among the few mermaids, except for silver-scaled and gold-scaled ones, a large proportion can have their bodies preserved for hundreds of years after death.

Unless, of course, a "funeral" is held for it by its clansmen.

“She’s not dead.” Xiao Lin looked directly at him. “Her internal organs are not rotting at all. She just can’t breathe on her own anymore. That’s all.”

Shen Huai'an looked at him quietly without refuting him.

"She is a half-mermaid and half-human, so you must have a way to bring her back to life, right?"

Xiao Lin pressed on, his voice hoarse. Shen Huai'an hesitated for a long time, his tone seemingly helpless: "Director Xiao, I think you should be well aware that this judgment is not scientifically sound..."

"Don't talk to me about these things, Huai'an."

Xiao Lin calmly interrupted him: "I've waited for her for most of my life, do you understand?"

Shen Huai'an's smile faded, and he asked in return, "So, what exactly do you want me to do in order to 'revive' her?"

It's so refreshing to talk to straightforward people. Xiao Lin turned his gaze back to the corpse and said softly:

"I'd like you to find a way to completely transform her into a mermaid. I know that mermaid hybrids can 'live' in this way, don't they?"

Shen Huai'an did not immediately answer his tricky question.

He then turned to a seemingly unrelated question: "Is this considered an 'additional' request from you, Director?"

“No.” Xiao Lin narrowed his eyes slightly, saying each word clearly: “This is an extra price.”

——————————

When Shen Huai'an returned to the laboratory where Er Gou was, he saw Yun clinging to the bulletproof glass like an octopus, screaming ecstatically:

"Aaaaaaah!!! Er Gou, Er Gou can talk now!!!"

Shen Huai'an raised an eyebrow. As soon as Er Gou saw him approaching, he dragged his limp legs to the glass, calling out, "Aba aba... Daddy! Daddy!"

Shen Huai'an: "..."

Yunhe chuckled, then continued to gaze at Er Gou, who was wearing a hospital gown in the isolation observation room, with a doting smile: "He is Shen Huai'an, do you remember him? He's the really handsome mermaid brother who used to be next to you?"

"..."

Er Gou tilted his head, thinking carefully for a long time.

"Ah... Abba aba, brother!"

Shen Huai'an smiled with satisfaction, then asked Er Gou, "So, who is she? Do you know?"

Er Gou habitually wiggled his legs by wagging his tail, calling out, "Mommy!"

Shen Huai'an: "..."

Yunhe: "..."

Yunhe touched his nose, then tugged at Shen Huai'an's sleeve and pulled him aside, whispering, "Hey, Old Shen."

"Old Shen?"

Shen Huai'an raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit amused and exasperated, but he didn't show it on his face. Yun He chuckled heartily, not caring at all: "Aren't you old? You're three hundred years old! It wouldn't be an exaggeration for the director to call you his great-great-grandfather!"

"Alright, Old Shen it is, it makes us seem closer." Shen Huai'an thought nonchalantly, and teased, "Hmm? What does Xiaoyun want to ask? Please just say it."

"It's just that Er Gou..." She hesitated to speak, "Look at his legs... he still can't stand up. I'm afraid the research institute will think he's a failed experiment and... do that to him. So could you ask the director or the board of directors to plead with him so that Er Gou can return to my lab, or I can continue to take care of him?"

"..."

Shen Huai'an frowned slightly, seemingly troubled.

It wasn't that he didn't want to plead for Er Gou, but Er Gou was now considered an "experimental subject" of Li Liguo's research group. Neither Li Liguo, Xiao Lin, nor the council, nor even the federal high-ranking officials who had clearly become involved in this chaos, could allow Er Gou to return to his former peaceful life. Under these circumstances, even if he were still the former "Chief Shen," let alone whether he could protect himself, he would be powerless.

"I……"

Shen Huai'an was speechless for a moment, a rare occurrence. But under Yun He's expectant gaze, he actually forced a nod:

"I'll give it a try."

—It's not impossible.

He could have easily taken Er Gou away by force before leaving the research institute, but at this moment, what he needed more than saving Er Gou was the high-tech and advanced equipment resources of human society. Between two evils, he had to choose the lesser; he couldn't have both.

Would Ke Yunhe accept his excuse?

It doesn't matter. Whether she accepts it or not is none of his business.

As Shen Huai'an thought this, his brows furrowed even deeper. He shouldn't have been so conflicted.

————————————

However, in reality, promises are often meaningless most of the time.

After returning to his office at the research institute, Shen Huai'an's thoughts were immediately disrupted by the looming "second phase experiment"—the "resurrection of Amiya" plan. Just a week later, when he finally remembered to have a proper talk with Xiao Lin about Er Gou's next move, Yun He arrived at his door with red eyes.

And her very first words were a heart-wrenching question:

"Shen Huai'an! Didn't you say you were going to save Er Gou?!"

Shen Huai'an managed to distract himself from the mountain of experimental records, rubbing his forehead and saying wearily, "Yunhe, don't worry, what's wrong with Er Gou?"

"he……"

Yunhe choked on her words. She couldn't say anything more, but tears rolled down her cheeks first.

Seeing her like this, Shen Huai'an was unusually moved. He got up and walked to her side, leaning down slightly to pat her shoulder: "Xiao Yun, sit down first, and tell me slowly..."

"Smack!"

Without warning, a slap landed on his cheek, leaving a comical handprint. The first to react after the slap was the "perpetrator" himself, Yun He, somewhat dazed, looking down at his still slightly aching hand, then staring blankly at Shen Huai'an:

"..."

"It doesn't matter."

What surprised her even more was that Shen Huai'an's temper was so good that even at this moment, he still maintained his gentle and refined demeanor: "If this will make you feel better."