Chapter 1 Mermaid 1

The phone vibrates twice.

This is the news from [Qingcheng City Stray Animal Rescue Group 1].

Group leader: A Labrador was found near the Tiansheng Seafood Processing Factory in Suhan District. It has a disabled left hind leg and must have been abandoned by its owner. It's clean. I'm taking our dogs to the veterinary hospital for neutering and can't make it in time. Anyone in the group has time?

Suhan District is located in the westernmost part of Qingcheng City. Nearby, besides factories, there's a countryside nestled among winding lanes. Most of the group members are young people who work in the city center and use their downtime to rescue pets. Suhan District is clearly a bit far for them. Besides, it's not even time to get off work yet.

Zhang Jingshu replied in the group, "I'll go," then picked up her car keys and left.

She had a lot of freedom at work, and she basically had the final say on her work schedule. There were only four people in the office. In reality, everyone in their office was a relative of theirs. They were ostensibly clerks, but rarely were they assigned to handle company matters. They were just there to get by.

Zhang Jingshu's father arranged a job for her before she even graduated, as a clerk at a jewelry design company. It was a comfortable job, and she couldn't say whether she liked it or not. He bought her a 100-square-meter house near the company. Her mother, not to be outdone, bought her an expensive car to prove her relationship with her daughter was better than her ex-husband's. Zhang Jingshu eventually persuaded her to trade it for a mid-priced compact SUV.

Zhang Jingshu is very satisfied with this car. The group's rescue efforts largely rely on this car.

Arrived quickly at the location sent by the discoverer.

Although this was a seafood processing plant, it didn't look very profitable. Several cars were parked haphazardly outside the entrance, and the walls were mottled and cracked. Half-meter-high weeds grew all around, with glimpses of green fields peeking through.

Zhang Jingshu confirmed the location and drove the car into the small road next to it.

The path was winding and only wide enough for one car, so she didn't drive any further and got out of the car with the sausages.

Because the rescue target this time was a Labrador, a very docile dog, and the person who found it often fed it nearby and said it had a good personality and didn't attack people, but was a little timid. The weather was getting cold quickly, and in the wilderness, the person who found it was worried that it might freeze to death.

The phone beeped twice.

It's a message from the person who discovered it.

"I saw a car, white, with the license plate number xxxx, right? I've been feeding it for two days, but it still seems afraid of me. To be honest, although I like small animals very much, they don't seem to like me. Even the Labrador with the best personality avoids me. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother the group owner..."

Zhang Jingshu patiently read the long string of messages he sent her, and only after scrolling down the screen did she see the key points in the last few sentences.

"...I'm sorry, I have something urgent to do at home and can't come with you. After a few days of observation, I found that this dog often appears in the abandoned pipe in the grass ahead. You can see it just two steps ahead."

She found a man on an electric bike stopped in front of her, pointed the way, and left in a hurry.

Zhang Jingshu found a white pipe. She had a pair of sneakers in her car, and they made navigating this winding, muddy road much easier. Her feet were covered in mud, but she didn't mind. She crouched over the weeds and reached the pipe's mouth, peering inside. As she approached, a faint humming sounded.

A white Labrador curled up its body, its big black grape-like eyes looking at her in panic. To be more precise, it was the peeled sausage in her hand. The sausage had a strong smell and easily attracted this Labrador, which was famous for its gluttony.

Zhang Jingshu lifted the sausage and shook it a few times: "Do you want to eat it?"

The Labrador whined.

Zhang Jingshu put the sausage next to the Labrador's mouth.

Zhang Jingshu's childhood was filled with the company of cats and dogs. Perhaps it was her naturally gentle voice and face, or perhaps it was her unique affinity for the scent of small animals? She was incredibly endearing to animals, and many of the hostile cats and dogs rescued by the group would subside in her presence. This Labrador was no exception.

Zhang Jingshu thought she had bribed the Labrador with a sausage, and was about to lead it to her car when she suddenly heard a loud crash in front of her. She was distracted for a moment, and the Labrador was obviously frightened. It looked at her hand stretched out in front of it and ran away.

Zhang Jingshu hurried to follow.

The Labrador's hind legs were lame, so it couldn't run very fast. However, the problem was that there was no road ahead of the trail, which was covered with dense weeds. She had a hard time walking, and she was only thinking about keeping up with the Labrador and not letting it run away. For a moment, she forgot to observe the surrounding environment. When she came to her senses, she found an abandoned warehouse in front of her.

Zhang Jingshu stopped.

The warehouse door was open, and a black van was parked beside it. Its windows were covered with film, making it difficult to see if anyone was inside. Next to it was a large puddle filled with muddy water.

Zhang Jingshu thought to herself that something was wrong and squatted down under the cover of weeds.

Her vision was blurry, and the vibrations in her chest seemed to threaten to burst her eardrums. The soil in front of the warehouse was drenched in water, and the still-bright twilight clearly reflected the dark red water in the pits.

...This is clearly blood.

Zhang Jingshu covered her mouth tightly.

Two tall and strong men came out of the warehouse, and their words could be heard intermittently.

"Be gentle, don't kill it..."

"Don't worry, I got here earlier than you. The thing in there won't die that easily. Just wait and see. Its wounds will be healed by tomorrow!"

"That's what I said, but... there are regulations. We have to make sure its life is not endangered. You've really been a bit too much these past few days. I saw it lying on the ground, not moving!"

"It's nothing! You kid, why are you so timid? Come on, let's go find a restaurant nearby and have a couple of drinks..."

The van leaves.

Zhang Jingshu covered her mouth and waited there for a while, then slowly retreated the way she came.

He glanced at the warehouse casually with a hint of curiosity.

Zhang Jingshu froze in place instantly.

Perhaps because it was a remote place with no one passing by, or perhaps because the two guards were careless, the door of the warehouse was not closed. Orange light shone into the warehouse, and in the slightly dark corner, a man was curled up.

To call him a man is not accurate.

His lower body was a thick, glossy black fishtail, its scales gleaming brilliantly in the twilight. He hunched over, his massive tail flexing like a baby in its mother's womb, embracing him. Unlike the life-giving amniotic fluid, he was enveloped in filthy, stinking blood.

His upper body was the chest and back of an adult male, his pale skin stained with dried blood and hideous scars. His fishtail looked massive and powerful, but his upper body was so frail that protruding bones were visible, especially around his waist and abdomen, as if only a thin layer of skin was left covering his bones and internal organs.

Zhang Jingshu swallowed her exclamation.

How is that possible?

How could someone's lower body be a fish tail...

Zhang Jingshu stared at the mermaid intently, trying to prove that what she saw was an illusion, but unfortunately, she was very sure that the thing in the warehouse was real and not a human performance, because his fish tail looked smooth and natural, and there were a few scattered black scales on his waist and back.

Just as Zhang Jingshu was staring intently, the mermaid in the corner of the warehouse slowly stood up and looked in her direction.

Thick, curly hair like seaweed.

An exquisite and beautiful face, with dark pupils that looked like whirlpools.

Zhang Jingshu blinked, not knowing if it was her illusion, but she seemed to see in his cold eyes the desperate and pleading eyes of an abused animal looking at humans before being rescued.

…

Zhang Jingshu found the runaway Labrador next to the car. She carried it into the car. It was already very late, so she put the Labrador in the group leader's yard.

The group owner takes care of animals in the hospital.

Zhang Jingshu placed the Labrador and drove home.

I explained the situation of the Labrador. It happened that a girl in the group had a day off the next day, so she volunteered to take her new friend to the pet hospital for a check-up.

Zhang Jingshu absentmindedly replied to a few questions in the group chat. She then opened the work group chat and checked the messages. Her colleagues were discussing what drama to watch tomorrow to pass the time. Zhang Jingshu glanced at them briefly and turned off her phone.

It's hard to describe how she feels now. Human power is limited, and everyone can only do things within their limited energy and ability. But there are always some people who, when they see bad things happening anywhere, feel guilty and uneasy because of their own powerlessness.

This is difficult to change.

Zhang Jingshu’s solution is to reduce the intake of information.

She was once deeply depressed over an incident she read online. A child left behind in a mountain village, whose parents were away working, depended on her seriously ill grandmother for support. Eventually, overwhelmed by the burden, she committed suicide along with her grandmother. The feelings of self-blame and guilt severely impacted her daily life.

Even if it is a message from the rescue group, Zhang Jingshu sets it to do not disturb, and only checks it during a certain period of time or when the group owner tags all members.

Zhang Jingshu looked at herself in the mirror and ruffled her hair.

She lay in bed, and in order to ensure the quality of sleep at night, she watched an escape-related variety show to divert her attention, and the effect was very significant.

She had nightmares all night.

The dream was of a dark and gloomy warehouse. The moment she entered the warehouse, she heard the rattling sound of iron chains, and then her foot was grabbed by a hand.

nutation.

The man's delicate, beautiful face revealed an expression on the verge of tears. It wasn't the horrific scene she'd imagined, but rather an unexpectedly beautiful one. Covered in blood, he stared at her in panic.

The tone was a soft sob, filled with pleading.

“…Save me.”

“…Save me.”