Mermaids (1)
Gongye Jiwang left, taking with him the 朏朏 doll he won in the shooting game.
Shi Jianxia said nothing.
Some things don't need to be said too clearly, as long as both parties know it.
The sky gradually darkened. Some games in the school anniversary activities could be played at night. For the energetic interstellar people, staying up all night once or twice was nothing, so the number of tourists did not decrease, and was even more than during the day.
The closing time of Nan Teng Military Academy is midnight, and there are still several hours left.
There happened to be a few children playing and laughing by, and there was laughter all around, but Shi Jianxia had no interest in playing at all, and even felt very tired.
She thought, maybe he was tired.
I attended the military parade in the morning, and the meeting with Ji Yang consumed a lot of my energy. In the afternoon, I went out with Gongye Jiwang. Taking care of that energetic fat kid, Xixi, must have consumed a lot of energy, so it was normal to feel tired.
She took off the activity card that was not yet fully stamped, looked at it for a long time, then took out a palm-sized storage box from her space bracelet and put the card in it.
There probably won't be a chance to collect all the activity stamps on this card, so just keep it as a commemoration of this school anniversary.
The nine-tailed fox doll was also put away.
When the storage box was sent back to the space bracelet, Shi Jianxia felt as if something unknown had settled in his heart.
She pinched her brows and did not return to the school dormitory. Instead, she left Nan Teng Military Academy and took a hovercraft back to the Nixie dormitory.
Along the way, Xixi lay in her arms with a depressed look, like a poor little kid who suddenly learned that his parents were divorced, which made people feel very distressed.
However, seeing that Xia Tieshi was kind-hearted, she did not kiss, hug or lift it up high. She just stroked its soft fur from time to time, as if what happened today was just a trivial episode to her.
But 朏朏 didn't dare to provoke her and didn't even meow.
When I got home, the living room was empty. Shi Jianxia turned on the light and sat on the sofa in a daze.
His thoughts wandered aimlessly, and the cool breeze blew through the open floor-to-ceiling windows and gently brushed against Shi Jianxia's hair, accompanied by a sarcastic voice.
"Why? Can't bear to leave?"
Number Nine leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window with his arms folded across his chest. He didn't know how long he had been there. He was still wearing the uniform of the Nandou Military Academy. He looked respectable, but he exuded a sour vibe from his hair to his toes.
Shi Jianxia was brought back to his senses by his voice. He gently stroked the girl who was hiding in his arms and said without raising his head, "I really don't want to leave you. Why did you come just now?"
Number Nine: “…”
He immediately yelled, like a cat whose tail was stepped on and its fur stood up, "I haven't seen you for half a month, and you've become even more shameless!"
Although his words were threatening, they didn't sound very powerful, especially since his ears were slightly red, which made him look even more timid.
Shi Jianxia is now able to control him accurately, and he doesn't have to worry like before, fearing that if he reveals any flaws, he will report him to the doctor and threaten his safety.
"It's okay, it's a little thicker than yours." Shi Jianxia didn't care about his sarcasm.
After leaving Xiaohan Star, the two had neither met nor contacted each other, and Number Nine was still able to act aggressively, so he should have nothing to worry about.
Number Nine snorted coldly, took off his shoes and walked to the entrance wearing only socks, then took out the slippers he had worn before from the shoe cabinet with ease, sat down in front of Shi Jianxia like a gentleman, and crossed his legs leisurely.
Seeing that he was obedient and didn't leave footprints everywhere in her house, Shi Jianxia gave up the idea of kicking him out and asked first, "Why are you here? Didn't Jiang Yingdu keep an eye on you?"
She only found out today that Jiang Yingdu had captured her brother.
According to Baili Xuanyao, after Jiang Yingdu brought his brother who had been away from home, he watched him more closely than his own eyes.
However, during the years that Jiang Jiuhan was adopted, he developed a naughty and undisciplined character. He often went against his family and ran away from home at any time.
He is full of tricks and very slippery. Even Jiang Yingdu cannot keep an eye on him sometimes, and he is afraid that he will get lost again. He is usually either trying to catch his brother or on the way to catch him. It is funny but also quite sad.
However, the person involved was very willful. No matter how many times Jiang Yingdu looked for him, he would find a way to run away.
Most people who have a good relationship with Jiang Yingdu think that Jiang Jiuhan is ungrateful.
When he got lost, it was an accident rather than a man-made disaster. Over the years, the Jiang family has never given up looking for him, especially Jiang Yingdu, who almost turned the entire Jiangyuan Star upside down.
He can be naughty, but he cannot be ungrateful.
When Number Nine heard her words, his brows and eyes quickly turned cold, and he said coldly, "It has nothing to do with you."
Shi Jianxia keenly noticed his change of mood and did not continue the topic. Instead, she talked about something else, "Doctor, do you know that I was taken to Xiaohan Star by that imposter?"
She didn't want to deal with the Doctor, so she had to see if she could get some useful information from Number Nine.
Number Nine snorted coldly, "The Federal Parliament has made such a big fuss. Even if they didn't know before, they should know now."
Putting aside the mysterious and terrifying butterfly-faced man, this is the first case of a mimic that can devour insect vortexes since the emergence of people with special abilities. It is not difficult to imagine how much of a shock this will cause throughout the federation.
Higanbana's minions are spread throughout the federation, and with so many participants in the parliament, maybe one of them is Higanbana's undercover agent.
They will try every possible means to investigate Rushu, and naturally they will also know Gongye Jiwang and Shi Jianxia who had a life-and-death battle with the Butterfly-faced Man.
Coincidentally, Rushou’s apparent identity is a survivor from Xiaohan Star.
"You're too hasty in doing this." Number Nine frowned.
The lack of evidence does not mean there is no connection. Others may not necessarily associate it with her, but the doctor is not an ordinary person.
He knew that "Classic of Mountains and Seas" was a 3S-level mimicry and had done a lot of research on it. He might know that Rushu was one of the mimics of "Classic of Mountains and Seas".
And in his hand he was holding the jade token that could decide Shi Jianxia's life or death.
If he discovered her betrayal, he might not kill her outright, but she would never be able to escape freedom.
Shi Jianxia had naturally considered the risks involved, and when Number Nine pointed it out, he wasn't anxious or panicked. Instead, he said calmly, "Are you worried about me?"
Number Nine was instantly furious. "Who's worried about you? Stop being so sentimental!"
Shi Jianxia cooperated by spreading his hands and said, "Well, I was just being sentimental."
This dead pig-like appearance that was not afraid of boiling water made No. 9 feel like he was going to clench his fists to smash her head until it bleeds, but in the end, he landed on cotton and almost fell flat on his face.
He chuckled, stood up from the sofa and was about to leave, "You can do whatever you want! Who wants to care about you?"
Shi Jianxia was really angry and quickly patted Xixi's little butt.
Boss Xixi climbed up from her legs unwillingly, closed his eyes and rushed to No. 9, squatting on the instep of his feet like a naughty boy, and hugged his calf tightly with his fleshy front paws, just like a sticky candy.
But it was now quite heavy, pressing on the instep of Number Nine's feet like two heavy weights, making it impossible for him to move his feet.
Number Nine tapped its little butt with the instep of his foot and said angrily, "Get out of here, you little traitor!"
How can he be called a traitor?
He was still thinking about the afternoon when Xixi flew out of his arms and ran towards Gongye Jiwang.
朏朏 closed her eyes and pretended to be dead.
If it had a human appearance, it would be shaking its head rapidly and repeating "I don't want to listen, I don't want to listen, you bastard" over and over again like chanting a sutra.
Shi Jianxia was amused by his own imagination, but was afraid that No. 9 would hear him, so he quickly suppressed the laughter that was about to overflow into his throat and said in a serious tone, "Okay, it doesn't want you to leave. If you say anything more about it, it will feel wronged."
It's really 朏朏's usual style.
But after hearing her words, the little guy tilted his head from No. 9's legs and looked at her with his little eyes. There was obvious accusation in his eyes, as if he felt that her bad owner was deliberately using him to take the blame.
Shi Jianxia Ding didn't feel guilty at all, and even gave it a thumbs up from an angle where No. 9 couldn't see.
朏朏 was completely unable to resist her sweet talk, and she held Number Nine's calf even tighter, as if to say, "As long as I don't let go, you can't leave."
Number Nine was strangled by it and couldn't move his legs at all. He cursed "little fatty" under his breath, then bent down to pick up Xiaoxiao, pinched its front legs lightly and walked back.
He sat down on the sofa, ruffled the gradient golden hair on Xixi's forehead, and listened to its meowing before reluctantly letting it go.
The fat kid rolled his eyes fiercely at an angle where he couldn't see.
The relaxed atmosphere didn't last long.
Shi Jianxia sensed some unusual movement in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" in the spiritual power spring, and hurriedly said to Number Nine, "You and Xixi play for a while," and returned to the room.
The door closed, and "Classic of Mountains and Seas" flew out from her spiritual power spring, and the pages turned quickly.
After a while, a jade plate gleaming with light emerged from it.
Thinking of the task that the doctor had given her when she left the headquarters of Higanbana, Shi Jianxia gritted her teeth and probed her mental power into the jade card.
The image of the doctor appeared. He was still wearing the silver mask whose material could not be identified, but he was not wearing a white coat. Instead, he was sitting in a rather dim corner in formal attire.
The scene around him was covered with a layer of hazy light and shadow, and it was also blurry on the virtual screen. Shi Jianxia had no way of judging what kind of situation he was in at the moment.
"Number seven." The calm tone was almost the same as every time the doctor called Jianxia before.
Shi Jianxia called out "Doctor" in the same light tone.
After a brief silence, the doctor spoke first, "I know what No. 77 did. Don't worry, she has received the punishment she deserved."
Can we rest assured that the victim will be punished if the perpetrator is punished?
Shi Jianxia sneered inwardly and was not ready to let the matter go. "What punishment did she receive?"
"Number Nine threw her into the Sky Star, and it's up to you to decide when to let her out." The Doctor seemed to have anticipated her question and answered her directly.
Tianqiong Star is a fallen star, and its fall time is much longer than that of Xiaohan Star, about half a century ago.
When Number Nine went to Xiaohan Star to find her, he barely mentioned the counterfeit, let alone saying that he had thrown her to Tianqiong Star, which was also a fallen star. Perhaps with his temper, it would not be as simple as just throwing the counterfeit to a fallen star.
When Shi Jianxia heard the doctor talk about what No. 9 had done, he was surprised and inevitably felt a little moved.
It was worth it that she made a deal with the doctor to save that boy.
At this moment, the doctor said something ambiguous: "Number Nine is so sincere to you, it's worth your insistence on keeping him."
Shi Jianxia lowered her eyes and didn't respond. Instead, she asked, "Why would Number 77 dare to disobey you? She clearly knew that I still needed to carry out your mission."
She had only been in contact with the imposter for a short time, but from her words, one could tell that she was loyal to the Doctor.
There were thirteen Jade Card holders, from number one to number thirteen. Shi Jianxia had never heard of number seventy-seven. Those fragmented memories did not have any feelings about this number, nor did they bring up any relevant information.
She probably had never come into contact with No. 77 before.
But when No. 77 showed up at the Xia family on Canglong Star, he said to her, "Long time no see."
Was her intuition wrong, or was 'long time no see' just wishful thinking on the part of Number 77?
She lives in the Shuiyuanxing Xia family as her substitute, knowing her identity and past. When a person stays in the shadows for a long time, it is indeed possible that he or she will want to replace her and become the one and only Shi Jianxia.
But a dog that is loyal enough will never disobey its master's orders for its own selfish desires, even if it is extremely jealous of the person favored by its master.
Is it that the doctor is not skilled enough in dog training, or is it that the doctor condones No. 77's unreasonable behavior?
The doctor knew that she would not die on Xiaohan Star...
She was thinking, and the doctor was also pondering.
The silver mask exuded a chilling coldness under the dim light. He gently turned the emerald green diamond crystal on his index finger, as if he was thinking about something.
The already depressing atmosphere became gloomy, and time passed by minute by minute.
Shi Jianxia lowered her head and said nothing. She looked like a seasoned veteran who allowed her boss to scold her, without any fear or anxiety at all.
Finally, the Doctor spoke, "She deserves death, but she's still of some use."
So now is not the time to die.
Although they were talking about impostors, Shi Jianxia felt that the doctor was using the impostors to warn her.
Does she also deserve to die in the Doctor's eyes?
But for him, she still had reasons not to die, so even though he knew that she was not loyal enough to Higanbana, he still allowed her to do some things outside of Higanbana and secretly do things that were against her will?
"You are right."
Shi Jianxia answered honestly, as if she accepted the explanation he gave, and was not going to pursue the imposter's conspiracy against her any further.
The doctor looked at her, trying to see any reluctance on her face, but she remained calm and there was nothing wrong with her.
There was another silence.
The doctor slowly retracted his gaze, the corners of his lips curling upwards, revealing a frightening arc. "After you get the fifth star core from Cinnamon Town, bring back your little friend who coexists with the Zerg."
"As for Number Nine, he doesn't need to participate in this mission. Let him return to the capital planet and stay there. If he acts on his own again, I don't mind sending him back to the factory for repairs."
The doctor said these frightening words in a calm tone.
He did not contact Number Nine himself, but told Shi Jianxia to pass on the message. It was obvious that he was warning her that he was very dissatisfied with Number Nine's private punishment of Number Seventy-Seven, and was also warning her not to try to "form cliques."
"Okay." Shi Jianxia kept his head slightly lowered and responded obediently.
Faced with this obvious threat, she didn't even blink, as if she didn't care about Number Nine's life or death at all.
The doctor chuckled, "Looking forward to your return, Seven."
As soon as the words were spoken, the virtual image disappeared.
The glimmer on the surface of the jadeite card slowly faded, turning back into a beautiful jade without any special features.
Shi Jianxia's expression changed in an instant. He clenched and unclenched the hands hanging by his side, repeating this several times before he could barely stabilize his changing emotions.
The coming storm cannot be avoided.
It has been delayed until now, and she can only take Jun Xiaoyi back to Bianhua.
To her surprise, the doctor didn't mention anything about what happened to Xiaohanxing and seemed completely uninterested in it.
Shi Jianxia knew that this was impossible even with just a thought.
The doctor studies the Zerg and has even achieved results in artificially transforming and awakening mimicry. How could he not be interested in the Butterfly-Faced People, who are advanced Zerg?
Especially the infinite regeneration ability possessed by the Butterfly-Faced Man.
Once a person with mimicry ability possesses this ability...
Shi Jianxia couldn't figure out what the doctor was thinking, but she knew she couldn't let him manipulate her like this anymore.
She took the jade plate that was lying flat on the open pages of "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and gently traced the texture on its surface. The comfortable and warm touch could easily make people ignore its potential dangers, but the stretched red spider lily was as deadly as a poppy.
Shi Jianxia slowly tightened her five fingers and increased the strength in her palms. She could feel that the texture on the surface of the jade token had been embedded in her skin. As long as she continued to use force, the jade token would be shattered by her.
So.
Will her life end here too?
Just at this moment, there was a knocking sound at the door, followed by Xixi's continuous meowing.
Shi Jianxia came to his senses and loosened his hand. The jade token was freed from its restraint and fell to the ground with a snap, making a crisp sound.
It fell vertically to the ground, without any damage on its surface. Instead, it reflected a soft light from the light above.
Shi Jianxia collected his thoughts, picked up the jade plate and threw it into the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", then walked quickly to open the door.
Outside the door, Xixi was leaning in Number Nine's arms, her chubby little legs occasionally raised up, her posture very comfortable, none of the hopelessness she had felt when she was forced to work.
Did this man and his child reach a consensus on peaceful coexistence without her knowing?
"What's wrong?" Shi Jianxia asked naturally.
Number Nine glanced behind her, saw nothing, and calmly looked away, without the slightest awareness of intruding on someone else's privacy.
"The family robot has prepared dinner, come and eat it quickly."
After saying that, he turned around holding the fat cub. Only then did Shi Jianxia notice that there was a small bag containing insect crystals hanging around Xixi's neck again.
Today, in order to make it easier to play with it, she folded the pocket for it.
Shi Jianxia had never seen this style of pocket before. There was a cute pattern of "朏朏" printed on the front, so it was obviously specially customized.
She curved her lower lip slightly.
No wonder the fat guy was able to reconcile with Number Nine. It turned out that this guy bribed it.
Spoiled.
All spoiled.
Sooner or later it will become lawless.
-
Although the cooking skills of the household robot are not as good as those of a professional chef, they are definitely better than Shi Jianxia. The stewed bone soup is mellow and rich, the stir-fried meat slices are cooked to just the right temperature, and the dry pot cabbage tastes even better.
Shi Jianxia and No. 9 finished the whole pot of rice, but they still felt a little unsatisfied.
It was a rare opportunity to have such a good meal, so Shi Jianxia temporarily forgot about all the messy things and leaned back on the sofa after dinner to watch the news.
It seemed that Number Nine came here just for this dinner. Not long after the meal, he said "I'm leaving" and walked straight to the entrance without caring whether Shi Jianxia heard it or not.
Shi Jianxia looked at his tall figure and suddenly said, "Xiaojiu, thank you."
She was actually in a bad mood when she came back, but after being interrupted by Number Nine, she was not so upset even though she received the communication from the Doctor that was like a death warrant.
Number Nine's steps froze, like a robot whose programming had suddenly gone awry. Without turning around, he stammered, "Did you take the wrong medicine?"
Shi Jianxia automatically ignored his dry tone and smiled, "I'll go to Tianqiong Star later."
Number Nine immediately turned around, his brows twisted like two caterpillars, "What are you doing there?"
Shi Jianxia raised her hand, looked at her fair palm, and said lightly, "I don't like there being another person in this world with a face exactly like mine."
Number Nine opened his eyes slightly and saw her gradually closing her five fingers, as if grasping someone's fate.
He didn't say much, but whispered "OK" and turned to leave.
The sound of doors opening and closing was heard. 朏朏, who was lying on the sofa chewing insect crystals, raised his head and meowed lightly.
Shi Jianxia loosened his clenched fist, stroked its little head with his fingertips, and hooked his ring finger into the small tuft of soft fur that gradually turned golden, making an insignificant little twirl.
-
Number Nine walked out of the elevator. The cool breeze of the summer night blew, lifting his long, dark hair. It was like seaweed carried by undercurrents in the deep sea, mysterious and cold.
When he reached the exit of the building, he stopped and looked accurately at the shadow next to the vending machine.
There was a person standing against the wall, with short hair hanging down and an indifferent expression. He was playing with a 朏朏 doll.
The slender hand was holding the front paw pad of the 朏朏 doll and playing the hello game with it. It was not discouraged when it didn't get a response, just like a childish three-and-a-half-year-old.
Number Nine scoffed, "You can wait."
I waited from dusk until the moon was at its highest point in the sky, spending several hours like this with a dumb stuffed doll.
Gongye Jiwang heard his words and put the doll into his pocket. "How is she?"
"I'm fine! I can eat, drink, run and jump. Is there any need for you to worry about me?" Number Nine said arrogantly with his arms folded across his chest.
"That's good." Gongye Jiwang responded, as if he couldn't hear the sarcasm in his words.
Number Nine couldn't stand his attitude of 'I despise everything' and 'You're no different from dust in my eyes'. He snorted coldly, "Get out of here! She doesn't need a burden."
Gongye Jiwang didn't refute it, but responded with his usual elegant and gentle manner, "I'm leaving now. Thank you for coming."
After he finished speaking, he put his hands in his pockets and strode out.
Number Nine was taken aback by the word "thank you." It took him several seconds to process the meaning behind his words. He was instantly furious: "What do you mean? I can go to her house whenever I want, and I can eat her food whenever I want. Do I need you to thank me?"
Gongye Jiwang did not stop.
Number Nine was unhappy and quickly chased after him, nagging like a sparrow spirit, "Don't think I'll thank you for tipping me off today. Even if you hadn't informed me in advance, I wouldn't have been caught!"
"I'm telling you! That little fat kid, 朏朏, likes me the most right now. Don't think you can tarnish my image in his eyes by saying bad things about me in front of him!"
The moonlight gradually grew darker, reflected on the stone pavement of the community. Number Nine followed Gongye Jiwang, and their noisy voices could be heard from far away.
-
Shi Jianxia turned down the volume of the news, looked toward the French window with a bit of surprise, and said to Xixi, who was happily eating insect crystals, "Why did I seem to hear Bai Xiaojiu's voice just now?"
朏朏 raised its little head and meowed, not knowing whether it was a response or a rebuttal.
Shi Jianxia thought about it and felt that No. 9 should not be chattering in the dormitory area of Nianxie, so he turned the volume of the news back up.
She was watching the planet channel of Tianchen Star. The female anchor on the news was elegant and intellectual. She was reporting on the upcoming Cinnamon Festival of Tianchen Star.
Legend has it that an ancient and mysterious race lives in Yugui Town——
Mermaids.
They are beautiful and powerful, and are born with the ability to resonate with the stars. Whenever the moon is full, some mermaids will jump out of the sea and sing to the moon.
Their singing contains extremely mysterious power. It is rumored that someone accidentally heard the singing of the mermaids and thus awakened their mimicry.
Since then, the Cinnamon Festival on Tianchen Star has become popular throughout the Federation, and every time the festival comes, tourists flock to it.
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