Mermaids (7)

The relationship between mermaids and humans can be described in one sentence:

Mind your own business.

Because the mermaids have very high requirements for their living environment, Tianchen Star still retains a relatively primitive appearance, and there are fewer areas that have been developed by technology.

Apart from necessary infrastructure, Tianchen Star prohibits excessive human development, especially in the sea area, and prohibits overfishing.

Due to various environmental protection restrictions, the pace of life here is relatively slow. Most of the residents are retirees or people who like a quiet and peaceful atmosphere. The permanent population is far less than that of prosperous commercial stars.

There is even a sea ban in the waters near Yugui Town. Because of this ban, many people believe that Tianchen Star must be inhabited by mermaids, and the ban is to protect them from harm by humans.

Although reality differs from rumors, the sea ban was indeed issued because of the mermaids.

Shi Jianxia and others are now at a seaport set up by the Zerg Investigation Office near Yugui Town, which is specifically used for communication with the mermaids.

Although it is called a seaport, its actual area is not spacious at all. It is more appropriate to describe it as a small pier. It is T-shaped, with the long end extending into the sea.

The mermaids do not like to have contact with humans, and are very averse to humans entering their territory without permission, so Shi Jianxia needs to wait here for the mermaids appointed by the mermaids to come and pick them up, so as to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and conflicts.

Especially during this sensitive period when worm vortexes suddenly appeared in the deep sea, the mermaids must not be allowed to think that the federal officials intend to take advantage of the situation.

After finding a place sheltered from the wind and sitting down, Shi Jianxia thanked the investigator for the hot drink he handed her and took a sip.

It was early autumn on Tianchen Star. In addition, Yugui Town was located at a high latitude and was close to the ocean, so the sea breeze was strong and the temperature was much lower than that on Nanteng Star.

A cross-dressing man sat opposite her, looking at something on the virtual screen of her smart brain. He looked very serious and occasionally tapped on the virtual keyboard. However, her smart brain was in private mode, so others could not see the content displayed on it.

The doctor remained silent throughout, acting like an insignificant follower from beginning to end. If you weren't careful, you would ignore him as if he were air.

This ability to reduce his presence doesn't seem like he's using his mimicry talent, but more like he's been trained in breath-concealing.

Breath-concealing training is a course that every combat-department cadet must learn, and some people engaged in special professions such as killers will also take it specifically.

Before this, the doctor left the impression on Shi Jianxia that he was a perverted and crazy researcher who wanted to transform the parasite from a semi-parasite into a person with special abilities through awakening mimicry.

One has to admit that his vision was beautiful, but in the process of realizing this beautiful wish, the means he used were too cruel and reckless.

Rather than wanting to free humans from the predicament of being parasiticized by the Zerg and becoming semi-parasitic, he rather viewed this predicament as a research goal that he wanted to overcome.

In order to make his research successful, he would do anything, not even caring how many planets would be destroyed or how many people would die.

But now, Jiang Jiuhan, who was completely parasitized by the Ice Sea Angel, has woken up in his experiment and even awakened his mimicry.

His research goal should have been achieved, so why did he continue to search for the core? He even came here in person, risking his life.

Could it be that he's got another research project? One related to star cores? Or perhaps the method of artificially awakening mimicry requires a vast amount of star core energy, and the star cores he already has aren't enough?

And the fact that he dared to come here in person and go deep into the territory of the mermaids means that he is not only not a helpless researcher, but also may possess extremely powerful combat capabilities.

Looking back now, Shi Jianxia found that he only knew that the doctor also had the ability of mimicry, but he didn't know what kind of mimicry he had awakened or what kind of mimicry talent he possessed.

However, she once suspected that Higanbana's identity jade token was the Doctor's mimicry, otherwise how could he have killed the jade token holders who were captured by the Zerg Investigation Department from thousands of miles away.

If that's the case, his mimicry talent is more towards control, so he shouldn't take the risk here.

Just as he was thinking, the sound of waves hitting the shore suddenly became much louder. The investigator responsible for connecting with the mermaids immediately stood up from the rattan chair in the rest area and walked quickly forward.

The cross-dressing man also put away his smart brain and looked at the surging sea.

Shi Jianxia was quite curious about what the mermaids were like. Were they like in the movies and TV shows she had watched before, beautiful and fierce?

As a large group of seagulls landed on the open space in front of the harbor, a number of translucent and gorgeous fish tails flipped out of the sea, with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish, exactly the same as Shi Jianxia had imagined.

Near the dock, four heads with long, curly hair as smooth as seaweed popped out from under the sea.

pretty!

It is stunningly beautiful at first sight!

The proportions and lines of the facial features are perfect. The part near the ear fins is covered with a thin layer of scales. The ear fins of the four mermaids are different colors, corresponding to their long fish tails. The outer part is transparent, like two beautiful little wings.

The water slid down their faces, flowed over their warm, thick skin, and slid into the firm lines of their abdomens until they sank into the sea.

There are four male mermaids.

They float on the sea, their waists and abdomens perfectly overlap with their tails, and their gorgeous layered scales reflect a lot of sunlight, making people want to look more but dare not look closely.

The investigator in charge of the contact half-knelt at the exit port, talked to them in a low voice for a few words, then turned around and waved to Shi Jianxia and the other two.

The cross-dressing man walked in front, followed closely by Shi Jianxia and Dr.

The leading mermaid looked similar to a human in his youth. He had long, light blue curly hair that hung down naturally, and was fixed on his forehead with a headband made of a silver, slightly shiny plant.

Those sapphire blue eyes held a steadiness and tranquility that only time could bring. It was obvious that his actual age did not match his appearance, or rather, his age could not be inferred using the human method of judging age.

He looked at the three people who were approaching him, and when he saw Xia, his brows frowned slightly, as if he had discovered something. People who were familiar with micro-expressions could see the subtlety hidden in his expression.

The senior investigators of the Zerg Investigation Department were all trained talents. They noticed the subtle changes in his expression and couldn't help feeling a little nervous, fearing that there might be problems in their contact with these eccentric mermaids.

Shi Jianxia was also a little nervous because of the look on her face. She didn't understand how she had attracted the attention of this older mermaid and at the same time, she was staring at the other three mermaids.

Just as the investigator was nervously preparing to ask if there were any questions, the older mermaid withdrew his gaze and asked, "Who is the core of this mission?"

His voice was deep and powerful, with a faint sound of tides, which was very special.

The investigator immediately looked at Shi Jianxia and the other two.

Shi Jianxia took the initiative to step forward and said calmly, "It's me."

The older mermaid looked at her again, and the corners of his lips seemed to rise slightly, but because it was too fast, no one could see it clearly.

He held out a round, translucent white pearl and said, "This is for you. Put it on your body and inject your strength into it. Then you can breathe underwater without diving gear."

Shi Jianxia sensed his kindness and, feeling strange, quickly took the pearl and said, "Thank you."

Didn't Zhuang Mingyue say that mermaids have strange personalities and are very hostile to humans? Why did she offer her such a good thing as the 'Water Repellent Beads'?

Not only was she puzzled, the cross-dressing man and the investigator who had been in charge of contacting the mermaids were also full of doubts.

The fact that mermaids have strange personalities is not just a rumor, but a 'truth' that investigators have concluded after interacting with them.

They are straightforward and don't like things that are roundabout. If they hear something they don't like, they may get angry on the spot. So when communicating with them, listen more and talk less to avoid making both parties unhappy.

They have never shown any favor to any human being. If they look at any investigator for even a second, they will start to suspect that the investigator is too weird and ugly to their eyes. Not to mention receiving a gift from a mermaid, that is something that only happens in dreams.

While they were puzzled, no one noticed that the doctor, who had always had no expression on his face, lowered his head and smiled.

-

Since only Shi Jianxia received the "water-repellent beads" given by the mermaid, the cross-dressing man, the doctor, and a senior investigator who accompanied them could only wear diving suits.

The water pressure under the deep sea is very high. Even if the physique of the ability user will continue to strengthen after awakening the mimicry, it is difficult to stay active in the deep sea for a long time.

The older mermaid obviously knew this, and assigned each person except Shi Jianxia a plant that was somewhat similar to baby's breath - star algae.

Star algae can withstand the sea pressure of deep water. Each plant of star algae is only effective for thirty hours. If the problem of the worm vortex has not been resolved by then, the mermaids will give them new star algae.

The different treatment from the older mermaid made Shi Jianxia feel more and more strange.

She didn't even know that mermaids existed in the interstellar age. After recovering her memory, she realized that she had never come into contact with this race before awakening her mimicry. How did she win his favor?

The elder mermaid's act of giving her the 'Water-Repellent Pearl' was a tacit admission that she could move freely in the deep sea.

Because she could help them get rid of the wormhole? So she showed her goodwill in advance? But she hadn't done anything yet. Could a mermaid so wary be so easy to talk to?

Shi Jianxia, ​​full of doubts, followed the four mermaids into the seabed.

In fact, even without the Green Water Pearl, she can also fight by fusing with Gonggong, using her passive [Melt Water] to swim freely in the deep sea.

However, since the other party took the initiative to show goodwill, she would not be so tactless as to show off her mimicry ability.

The older mermaid's action also made Shi Jianxia very conflicted, and he planned to secretly take away the star core and then put the blame on the doctor.

Does this count as inviting a wolf into the house?

never mind!

Take one step at a time and see how it goes.

As the dive goes deeper, a completely different world appears before everyone.

Groups of deep-sea fish passed by them. Some of the fish were colorful and very eye-catching, while some were gray and easy to ignore if you didn't pay special attention. However, they did not dare to approach the group of people who were diving quickly downwards, and would even actively avoid them.

Shi Jianxia felt that it was mostly because of the mermaids. They were the overlords of this deep sea, and for the small fish and shrimps, they were existences that they dared not provoke.

Seeing the beautiful and gorgeous long fish tails of several mermaids, she had some unrealistic thoughts -

It's said that deep-sea fish don't look very good, but these mermaids seem to be an exception. They have perfectly proportioned facial features, a body that's hard for humans to have, and that beautiful long tail...

Shi Jianxia admitted that she kind of wanted to reach out and touch it.

But this is undoubtedly a very offensive act for mermaids. Even for humans, if they rashly touch someone else's legs when the relationship is not close enough, they will be regarded as perverts and beaten up.

As his thoughts raced, the older mermaid swimming in front slowly stopped.

When Shi Jianxia came to his senses, he was caught off guard by the sight of the huge palace complex located under the deep sea, and his eyes widened.

The architectural style of the palace complex is classical Chinese. The "tiles" used to cover the roof are pure white shells, each the size of an adult man's palm. They emit a faint light, reflecting each other and illuminating the entire dark deep sea.

Mermaids love gorgeous, shiny things. Strings of pearls are dotted under the eaves. Occasionally, when an undercurrent passes by, the strings of pearls of various colors will sway gently, looking like eye-catching lanterns.

The palace complex is covered with glowing seaweed inside and outside, and mermaids swim out of it. The scales covering their fish tails reflect the clear light, making them look less like real people.

The older mermaid turned around and said to Shi Jianxia, ​​"Please follow me."

After that, he said to the mermaid with a crimson fish tail, "Ze, take the other three guests back to Xinghai City first."

Xinghai City is the palace complex in front.

Ze nodded and made a gesture of invitation to the three cross-dressing men.

The cross-dressing man frowned slightly. He didn't expect the mermaid to make such arrangements. He didn't want to act separately from Shi Jianxia, ​​but when he was on someone else's territory, it was best to follow instructions.

Especially this group of mermaids are not easy to talk to. They are friendly to Shi Jianxia, ​​mostly because she can deal with the insect vortex. The three people who are traveling with her are not within their scope of courtesy.

When the investigator in charge of the contact saw Shi Jianxia nod, he also responded with a yes and followed the mermaid's arrangements.

The doctor didn't say anything from beginning to end, and always maintained the image of a little follower with no sense of existence, as if he didn't care at all whether Shi Jianxia would do anything after leaving his sight.

So, the group separated.

The older mermaid swam in front of Shi Jianxia's left and took the initiative to say, "My name is Sheng. According to your human generation system, I am about the same age as your grandfather. You can call me Grandpa Sheng. The younger generations in the tribe all call me that."

Shi Jianxia still couldn't figure out why he was so kind to her, but as someone who received kindness, she obediently called out, "Grandpa Sheng."

Sheng was quite satisfied. He increased the speed of swimming with her and talked about the current situation in the deep sea.

"The first insect vortex was discovered a day ago. According to your human classification method, it was determined to be an SS-level insect vortex. At that time, a bug with extraordinary third-level combat power emerged, but it has already been killed by the clan leader."

"Killed him?" Shi Jianxia frowned slightly.

The butterfly-faced man she and Gongye Jiwang encountered on Xiaohan Star only possessed the combat power of the second level of extraordinary power, but because of his terrifying regenerative ability, he could not be killed at all.

If 朏朏 had not swallowed the insect vortex it came out of in time, the three of them would have already gone to the underworld.

And this time the Zerg with extraordinary third-level combat power that appeared in the deep sea was killed. Could it be that not all Zerg that came out of high-level vortexes have the ability to regenerate?

Yes, the Zerg have invaded this universe for more than six hundred years, and countless S-level and SS-level Zerg vortices have appeared during this period.

If the high-level Zerg coming out of there all have the ability to regenerate, there is no reason why the high-ranking officials in the Federal Parliament would make a fuss over the appearance of the Butterfly-Faced Man and repeatedly question her about the battle with Gongye Jiwang.

The Butterfly-Faced Man should be a relatively special existence among the Zerg. The Cattail Fly trapped in King's Landing has the same ability as it, but no one knows who sealed it there with a star core. Until No. 5 wanted to take away the star core, he deliberately fed it to restore its strength.

Sheng didn't know she had thought so much in a flash. He nodded and said, "But the insect vortex hasn't disappeared. Zergs continue to emerge from it. The energy barrier set up by the clan leader is only a temporary blockade of the exit. It's not a long-term solution."

He paused here and said, "Can you really destroy the insect vortex?"

Sheng obviously knew that the Federation was currently helpless against the Zerg Vortex, but because the Mermen really had no way to deal with the Zerg Vortex, they could only seek help from the Zerg Investigation Office, which dealt with the Zerg every day.

At this point, there is nothing to hide.

Shi Jianxia nodded honestly, "My mimicry can devour insect vortexes."

After receiving a positive answer, Sheng was obviously relieved, and his frown relaxed a little.

Shi Jianxia asked, "How many insect vortexes have appeared now?"

"Before I went to pick you up, I had already found more than twenty of them. Except for the first one who was SS-level, the rest were all S-level. They are very troublesome."

"Almost all of our people have been sent out on patrol. If a vortex appears in the sea farther away and is not discovered in time, the mermaids will face a huge disaster."

Shi Jianxia frowned slightly when he heard this, and also felt that the current situation was very tricky.

On land, wherever humans live, surveillance systems are basically installed. The appearance of insect vortexes will be detected quickly and the speed of their expansion will be limited.

The ocean is different. Not only is there no surveillance, but the ocean currents are interconnected. As long as one Zerg parasitizes a sea fish, it will quickly spread to the entire sea area. If a queen Zerg is born, the expansion speed will be even more terrifying.

Although the mermaids are powerful, their numbers are far insufficient compared to the fish schools in the entire ocean, and they have no way to effectively control the areas where the Zerg appear like humans.

Whether it was because of his natural fondness for beautiful things or because of Sheng's active kindness, Shi Jianxia didn't want the mermaids to be exterminated or forced to migrate under the pressure of the Zerg.

She raised her hand and summoned the "Classic of Mountains and Seas". The ancient black and gold book quietly emerged, surrounded by a layer of light golden light. The water could not penetrate the golden light and it touched the rustling pages of the book.

Sensing Shi Jianxia's call, all the kids in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" stood up and rushed out.

Sheng looked at this scene in surprise, "This is..."

"My mimicry, they are very good at searching for insect vortices, maybe they can help you. Can they move freely in the deep sea?" Shi Jianxia asked politely.

Birds with gorgeous colorful feathers, furry cubs of exotic beasts, hills of different shapes, and numerous divine puppets that were either burly, otherworldly, handsome, or shy, all appeared in front of the three mermaids.

However, in just two or three minutes, the originally empty sea area where they were located became crowded.

Since they had received instructions from Shi Jianxia in advance, the kids lined up in rows obediently and did not play around.

The two mermaids behind Sheng were completely stunned, like bumpkins who had never seen the world, and their two beautiful sliding fish tails became straight.

Sheng took a steadying breath, "So many? If I remember correctly, you humans seem to only have one or two mimics."

Shi Jianxia touched his nose and said, "My situation is rather special."

After she finished speaking, she found that Sheng's eyes when he looked at her had changed again. In his original kindness, there was an obvious satisfaction, which made Shi Jianxia feel like the freshest and most beautiful piece of pork on the butcher's chopping board in the vegetable market.

...This description is damn terrible.

Before she could come up with a better description, faint crow's feet appeared at the corners of Sheng's eyes as he smiled.

"There's no place in the deep sea where they can go. They can move freely. With your help, we can search a wider area of ​​the sea. Thank you very much!"

After getting his permission, Shi Jianxia no longer restrained the cubs. With a wave of his hand, he let them go look for insect vortexes and swallow them directly after finding them.

However, it is necessary to record the specific coordinates of the insect vortexes, and it is best to find out how these insect vortexes appear.

The mimics scattered, and Shi Jianxia said to Sheng, "Please take me to where the SS-level vortex appeared. We'd better get rid of it quickly."

Although the weaker the old patriarch of the mermaid tribe is, the greater her chance of taking the star core, but she ultimately cannot improve the level of "Classic of Mountains and Seas" by stepping on the corpses of the mermaids.

Sheng agreed and immediately took her to swim in the direction of the SS-level insect vortex.

It was a dark and gloomy abyss. Even though the mermaids placed a lot of luminous seaweed here, they still couldn't resist the pervasive darkness around them.

The SS-level insect vortex is inside.

From a distance away, Shi Jianxia heard faint sounds of conversation.

"Young Master, the clan leader has already contacted the human race. They said they have a way to deal with this evil thing, and they have sent people over. We are here to help, so please return to Xinghai City!"

It was a gentle female voice, with the kindness and patience of an elder.

Soon, another slightly cold voice came over, "The star power I control is the purest. I am the most suitable person to help Grandma maintain the barrier with the least consumption."

This sound...

So familiar.

Shi Jianxia's heart skipped a beat and he couldn't help but swim faster.

The female mermaid seemed to want to say something, but when she noticed someone approaching from behind, she immediately turned around.

Another slender and elegant figure turned back with her.

He has a gorgeous long fish tail with a golden and blue gradient, and the scales on it are neat and beautiful. Above it are solid and hard abdominal muscles and pectoral muscles, which are arranged neatly one after another, and there are thin transparent scales on both sides of the ribs.

The long golden hair draped over his shoulders was like the most perfect piece of silk, gently sticking to his waist and drifting slowly in the slightly cold ocean current.

The moment their eyes met, they were both stunned.

Shi Jianxia even held his breath, his eyes sweeping across the overly familiar handsome face inch by inch, finally stopping on the other's ear fins that were turning red at a speed visible to the naked eye.