Xingchen unfolded the map with both hands, looked up at what was in front of him, then looked back at the map again, determined the direction, rolled up the map, and took a confident step.

After taking only two steps, steps suddenly appeared in front of me.

How do I get there?

He kicked out with one foot, and suddenly a person dressed in black appeared above and shouted at him, "The tide is coming in, hurry up and get on!"

Aside from that human woman, this was the first time Xingchen had ever seen a human.

He swallowed hard, lifted his foot—and fell flat on the steps with a "thud."

The people above quickly came down, their legs moving rapidly up and down the steps. Xingchen, lying on the ground, was dazzled by what she saw.

The other person helped him up: "Your leg is injured, right? I'll carry you up."

Xingchen had undergone language training, but had never formally greeted a human before. He opened and closed his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

The man in black assumed he was just being shy, so he generously took out his medals: "Look, I'm a coastal patrol guard. Don't worry, I'm a really good guy. Come with me and I definitely won't sell you out."

Before Xingchen could make a move, the enthusiastic guard pressed her onto his back and forcibly carried her up the steps.

"Phew—how come you're so light? Are you an adult?"

Xingchen shook her head, then mustered her courage and unfolded the map to show him: "How do I get here?"

The guard studied the situation for a moment and pointed him in a direction: "We're in this position, but you still need to go north."

Xingchen was about to leave when a guard stopped him: "Are you just going to leave like this?"

Xingchen immediately became alert, his body stiffening.

"It's too far from the station. You could walk until dawn and still not see a soul, believe it or not?"

...Thank goodness, we almost smashed his head to pieces.

Six hours later, Xingchen boarded the earliest train to Anshi. He remembered the guard's words: never trust strangers easily.

So at the slightest sound or movement nearby, he would sit up as if receiving a signal, and look in that direction.

"Young man, calm down for a bit. You're making such a fuss and we can't sleep peacefully," an old man next to him couldn't help but say. He had been woken up by the noise more than once, after only a short nap.

Xingchen's eyes were clear, and the old man knew he didn't mean it, which comforted him a little: "Close your eyes and take a nap like us. When we get to the station, there will be an announcement. When you hear it, get off the train with the people who are standing."

Xingchen understood and nodded.

The old man looked at him as if he were seeing a rare and protected animal: "Is this your first time taking a train or your first time traveling alone?"

Xingchen pursed her lips: "Yes, all of them."

The old man shared a lot of his experience of taking a bus and traveling alone with him. However, the old man's energy was short-lived, and in less than half an hour, he was so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open.

She waved her hand and said to him, "Go to sleep. There are police officers on the train, don't worry."

Xingchen talked to him for a long time and let down her guard, listening to him, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes.

......

"Anshi Railway Station has arrived. Passengers who wish to disembark, please take your belongings and disembark promptly. Please note the following when disembarking..."

Xingchen was fast asleep when the old man woke her up. Before she could react, she pouted with a dazed look in her eyes.

Sensing the unfamiliar environment, sharp claws grew on its hands and pierced into the cushion.

The old man nudged him, saying, "We've arrived at our destination. I'm also getting off in Anshi. Get up and let me out. Don't forget to take your things."

Xingchen boarded the train empty-handed. Remembering the old man's warning, he grabbed something and took it off the train, only to be caught by the conductor: "Why are you stealing?"

Xingchen was puzzled: "It's taking, not stealing."

Alvin had told him that stealing would get him arrested.

The flight attendant noticed that he seemed a bit mentally unstable and didn't dare to provoke him.

Since the trash can wasn't anything valuable and taking it back from the scene didn't cause any financial loss, we didn't make a big deal out of it.

Xingchen was the last passenger to exit the station on this train, using the manual passageway.

When Xingchen encountered a driver who was trying to solicit her business, she looked down and glanced at him expressionlessly. After being stared at like that for a few seconds, the driver's smile quickly disappeared, and he muttered something before walking away.

But after walking only a few steps, someone else approached him: "Hey handsome, need a ride? Where are you going?"

Xingchen continued to stare at him, thinking he didn't look like a good person, then turned away and walked in the other direction.

Business is tough these days. Seeing that the young man was quiet, the driver figured he was shy and easy to fool, so he followed behind Xing Chen and tried to persuade him: "Tell me where you're going, and I'll take you there. If you're not comfortable with that, we can use the meter."

Xingchen continued walking forward on her own, while the driver gritted his teeth, realizing he had misjudged the situation and encountered a tough nut to crack: "Don't go, don't go, name your price, let's discuss it."

"Handsome, do you need a car?" A female voice called out, and Xingchen finally stopped walking.

The woman speaking has high cheekbones, and because her face is fleshy, she appears gentle and approachable. High cheekbones are favored in the aesthetics of merfolk.

Xing Chen nodded to the woman: "I want to go to Garden Community."

The woman opened her phone's navigation app and asked, "Is this the Garden Community in the Economic Development Zone? Lianhe Street?"

Xingchen didn't understand these things and hesitated: "I should, I'll go find someone."

The woman met his gaze and realized she might be overthinking things: "Then let's use the meter. The starting price is 3 task points, and we'll charge 1 task point for every 2 kilometers beyond that."

"good."

Xingchen sat in the back seat and looked at the scenery outside the window. There was almost no water in this city built of steel and concrete. Xingchen swallowed his dry throat. He had been out of water for a while and his body was severely dehydrated.

Now, if he sees a stinky ditch, he'll jump into it without hesitation.

The train station isn't too far from the Garden Community, a distance of 10 kilometers, and it took half an hour for the taxi to stop at the entrance of the community.

The woman turned her head: "This community has a security gate, we can't get in, so can we just drop you off here? I'll charge you 7 mission points as a small fee."