The Mermaid Returns to Being a Corporate Slave
GI Institute, Gene Editing Group.
"What? Didn't I sign countless confidentiality agreements since the day I joined the research institute? Why are you signing another one??"
Wearing a cartoon bear T-shirt, Aiqiqi rubbed her eyes and yawned, holding a coffee cup in her left hand and a pen in her right, reluctantly signing her name while complaining.
The beautiful woman next to him, clearly of mixed race, scoffed and shrugged indifferently: "So what if they sign? The higher-ups must have gotten their hands on some 'new stuff'—"
"Maybe it really is."
"That matter...didn't you say the director just published an article in a core journal a while ago? Is it related to that?"
"That's true, what if it's a human who's transformed into a mermaid? Hahahaha..."
"I think so too, but will it pass the ethical review? Didn't the Federal Science and Technology Committee just hold a meeting recently and repeatedly emphasize that human beings must not be used for hybrid experiments?"
"Hey! You're overthinking it! What kind of background do we have? Would a mere science and technology committee dare to point fingers at us?"
...
The young researchers chattered excitedly. Then, the moment the newcomer appeared at the door, they all fell silent.
Mom! Which anime character has come to life?!
"Beauty……"
Ai Qiqi was the first to react. He stared blankly at the newcomer's snow-white, almost translucent face, instantly transforming into a complete idiot: "Wow, wow... such a tall, beautiful woman..."
"Idiot," Elsa muttered under her breath. "It's a man!"
—Clearly, with her keen eye, she noticed almost immediately the person's prominent Adam's apple and the black metal ring below it.
That's... a suppressor? What would be fitted with a suppressor?
—Of course it's a mutant. And not just any mutant, but a high-risk mutant that may possess unknown abilities!
But how did this alien species end up here? Shouldn't it be in the experimental cage? And apart from its strange long white hair, it looks completely human.
"He looks kind of familiar," a male researcher with thick-rimmed glasses whispered. "He looks a bit like Chief Scientist Shen..."
"Song Fei, don't talk nonsense!"
Another female researcher next to him, Zhang Can, whispered sharply, "That name is taboo now! Aren't you afraid the director will punish you if he hears it?"
As everyone was harboring their own secrets, Yunhe peeked out from behind the "strange man," wearing an expression of extreme embarrassment but unable to refuse: "Hi...hehe, good morning, everyone!"
——————————
Time and again, facts have proven that humans are indeed extremely receptive to change. For example...
Just half an hour later, this "strange man" known as "Mr. Shen" was accepted by the gene editing team.
The GI Institute has a history of producing several world-renowned scientists who dedicated themselves to scientific research. The most extreme example was a scientist who transplanted his own brain into a mutant, only to die within ten minutes…
It's not surprising that a "researcher" who looks human but is clearly not a normal human has appeared now, is it?
Yeah, right!
The research institute and Director Li have dropped all pretense; they couldn't even be bothered to change their surname! With such an obvious "hint," who wouldn't suspect that this is Chief Shen, who's been "abroad for months"?!
Shen Huai'an's new "office" was located at the very back of the large office of the gene editing team. He had just spread out his documents when the most gossipy Ai Qiqi and Elsa "followed" in one after the other—
"Head bowed...Teacher."
The more composed Elsa spoke first: "You—"
Are you really Chief Shen? Why did you "disappear" for so long, even becoming a de facto "taboo," only to suddenly reappear with such an extremely bizarre appearance at this moment?
She swore she really wanted to ask, but she couldn't.
If anyone violates or breaks the "rules" of the GI Institute, it's not just a matter of pursuing legal responsibility. She can't afford that.
"Hey, Teacher Shen." Ai Qiqi wasn't as hesitant as her. He scratched his calf under his shorts and chuckled as he leaned closer: "Welcome back!"
Upon hearing this, the entire office fell into a deathly silence.
"...What nonsense are you spouting, as if you've even seen him before." Yunhe chuckled without batting an eye, then waved his hand rudely at him: "Get lost! If you keep dawdling, you're definitely working overtime tonight!"
"Ah!" Aiqiqi cried out in agony, "What a vicious curse! Yunhe, you wicked woman!"
The crowd burst into laughter again.
The tense atmosphere was thus smoothly and inexplicably glossed over.
"Sinking..."
Finally, noon arrived, and everyone went to the cafeteria. Yunhe finally breathed a sigh of relief. She subconsciously grasped his hand, but at the same time said, "This is too strange."
"Um."
Shen Huai'an was slowly chewing on an energy bar, his expression looking somewhat pained—because this awful thing tasted absolutely disgusting.
"Aren't they afraid your identity will be exposed? Or..." Yunhe looked horrified, as if he had suddenly glimpsed something indescribable: "Everyone who knows your true identity will be silenced?"
She wasn't joking.
More than a decade ago, the GI Research Institute did indeed have an incident where someone escaped to the Federation with secret data; and the protagonist of that incident mysteriously "fell to his death" just two months later!
Shen Huai'an chuckled and shook his head.
They don't care. He said silently.
——————————
With its "tail gone," Shen Huai'an's security threat level to the research institute has decreased exponentially—this is the final result reached by the security department after multiple rounds of assessments.
"Silverscale Mermaids have never been known for their strength or special abilities. In their half-human form, their already not particularly outstanding physical strength is even less of a threat."
Two days ago, at a council meeting, Charleson, the director in charge of security, made these remarks. The federal government now promotes cultural diversity, with various agencies and businesses freely co-governed by both Easterners and Westerners; Westerners like Charleson are typical examples of this.
This is what the federation is like.
As long as you can bring tangible benefits to the Federation, you will be the Federation's most honored guest, or even its host.
"This is also the fundamental reason why we were able to capture him alive on the spot four months ago."
Charleson then made another inappropriate joke: "If this were a black-scaled or one of those other colorful male wild mermaids, they could easily smash our research institute to pieces and then leave without a care in the world!"
“That being said,” Director Xiao Lin pondered, “the Silver Scale has already been proven to be an extinct species. Whether the research on this species a hundred years ago was limited by the technological level of the time is still unknown. My opinion is that we must be extremely cautious and keep a close watch on it until we are finally certain that it does not have the ability to threaten our institute and human society.”
His mature and prudent remarks instantly won the approval of almost all the Eastern board members. The Eastern board members have always been reluctant to take risks, while the Western board members have always been radical in such matters. This is arguably the biggest difference in the way of thinking between the two groups.
“Hey, Director.” Charleson shrugged. “Relax! Think about it, if we want to be absolutely sure, why not just neutralize this silver scale?”
The Western board members burst into laughter. Amid the laughter, Charleson continued, "How about this? We'll use a bio-energy suppressor to limit its mental power, then implant a chip to prevent it from escaping while allowing it to continue serving us humans. Wouldn't that be a better solution?"
...
The results of the meeting discussions, in practical terms, are:
"Working five days a week as usual, access is limited to the intranet, and privileges will be revoked promptly at 6 PM. You are not allowed to leave the office during this time; any violation will result in the immediate cancellation of all privileges."
After the security team leader finished reading the instructions, the last shackle on Shen Huai'an's body, besides the neck restraint device, was removed. He stretched his arms, which had been stiff and numb for months, and looked at the extraordinary security guards who were on high alert. His tone was calm: "Good."
Back to the present.
"Teacher Shen?" Realizing that their long-term "heart-to-heart" conversation might arouse suspicion, Yunhe deliberately forced a greasy smile: "How does it feel to be a corporate slave again? Hmm?"
"Not bad." Shen Huai'an tilted his head slightly, his long silver hair simply tied up, revealing his breathtakingly beautiful, otherworldly face.
Then, he gestured toward the coffee machine with his lip: "New coffee beans? The quality is getting worse and worse."
Yunhe: "..."
Not the eldest brother?
Your attention shifts a little too quickly... isn't that a bit too much?
——————————
She was curled up in the small water tank, her long, golden fish tail weakly slapping the surface of the water. Her face, so beautiful it was almost otherworldly, made all the onlookers hold their breath for a few seconds.
"...I'll go."
It took Ai Qiqi a while to recover. He first instinctively turned to look at "Mr. Shen" at the innermost workstation—the latter was currently giving a stern, harsh scolding of the newcomer for making countless "fatal little mistakes," and the newcomer was almost brought to tears—then he quickly turned his head back to the water tank.
"...This is a true fairy...ah."
"Tch," Elsa snorted dismissively, "She's not even half as pretty as Teacher Shen."
"Is there any comparison?" Ai Qiqi said seriously, "No matter how handsome Teacher Shen is, he still has the heroic bearing of a god descended to earth..."
He'd barely gotten halfway through getting serious when he couldn't stay serious anymore. This anime-obsessed guy pounced on the tank, rubbing against the walls and crying, "Waaaaah, a real mermaid! And a female one at that!! Finally, not one of those cheap, man-made trash!!!"
Elsa gave him a look that said he was an idiot. Over there, the unfortunate newcomer was finally scolded until he ran away in tears. Yun He was having a headache and wanted to have a good talk with Shen Huai'an as the "responsible researcher," but unexpectedly, he got up and walked to the water tank amidst everyone's bewildered gazes.
Then, he bent down and observed carefully for a while.
It wasn't just a matter of perception; the mermaid in the tank seemed frightened. She whimpered, making a series of incomprehensible sounds, covering her chest with her hands and obscuring most of her face with her long blonde hair to avoid his scrutiny.
Shen Huai'an watched her "performance" with a smile for a long time.
“This is not female.” His voice was as gentle as ever, but what he said was earth-shattering: “It is an undifferentiated form.”
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