T/N: Starting from this chapter, the author has switched Sirenâs pronouns from âitâ to âhe/himâ; the translation will reflect this change.
Light silver scales neatly covered his cold fish tailâ as if the burning pain of changing just now was nothing but a mere illusion. Siren sat on the deck of the sunken cruiser and looked at Xia Yi, who was sound asleep, with a complicated expression.
Once merfolk realised the implications behind the visions, they would stop at nothing and immediately go and search for the human in their dreams.
It didnât matter what methods they had to resort to â whether it be flipping over a ship or using everything in their power â in order to lure their human. During this period of their lives, merfolk would have the strongest control over the manipulation in their voices; the longer it took for them to have their human, the more frightening that level of control was. In some cases, it had become powerful enough to cause the eruption of active volcanoes, thus bringing deadly disasters to the land.
But such events had occurred a long, long time ago, when humans still blindly believed in gods and were afraid of nature. While there were many lasting legends, those whoâd really encountered merfolk would end up dead, including their fated humans. Regardless of how enchanting or charismatic merfolk were, any normal person would be terrified after witnessing them ripping apart and consuming their bloodied prey after a hunt. Nobody would be able to take the offered portion of food and stomach it raw, no matter how hungry they were. Another problem was also the language barrier between merfolk and humans. And as for past faithful believers of religion, these humans knew no âgentle and kind mermaidsââ only sirens, the dangerous monsters that they were.
And then⊠there was the ocean that would always be stained red with blood.
Merfolk would rather kill the human they loved instead of letting them go. Theyâd rather âhave hadâ in the past and spend the rest of their lives wandering under the moonlight all alone, singing a grieving song, than accept any form of betrayal.
Of course, the bigger problem was that they never asked for the opinions of their humans. Instead, theyâd always mistaken the âlustâ that humans had for their appearances as âloveâ.
Itâs just that⊠Siren didnât know what he was supposed to do now.
He no longer needed to try and find Xia Yi because Xia Yi was already by his side.
Since he is a human, I must keep him far away from other humans. I cannot let Shayi leave me and return to land. Siren narrowed his eyes, those amethyst irises glistening with a dangerous light.
ăWake up! Stop sleeping!ă
The sea monsters dizzily turned, startled by the echoing infrasonic waves.
The large, half-buried cruiser rolled along with Abyssâ movement, flinging the oarfish off the mast and squishing half of the squidâs tentacles.
In pain, Eurybia went in with a spur of strength, lifting half of the sunken cruiser and quickly pulling out its suffering tentacles.
The giant crab shuffled over and carefully poked at the squidâs tentacles with its pincers. It then began angrily knocking on the cruiserâs hull.
ăAbyss, get out!!ă
After resting in the shipâs hold, the octopus pushed itself out of the tiny space with much difficulty, holding something between its tentacles all the while. Xia Yi, who was always woken up by Abyssâ movements, ducked away from the deck and looked up. His expression immediately turned into a mixture of strange emotions.
Thatâs not a bottle⊠Three legs and able to fit two or three peopleâ thatâs a bronze ding!
The âdingâ was a ritual object from Ancient China; theoretically, it was rarely moved. Seeing how big this one was, however, must mean that the ding definitely came from a long time ago. In fact, it mightâve even been that a tsunami had swallowed up a temple, causing the ding to sink into the sand. The people of the time couldnât take it out, therefore allowing the octopus to eventually discover and drag it thousands of metres back to its lair in the deep sea.
Under the pressure and corrosion of the seawater, the ding was covered in green rust, forbidding anyone from distinguishing any details it mightâve had. However, placing an Ancient Chinese ding on a WWII cruiserâŠ
ăLet go, this is my favourite bottle.ă
Obviously, sea monsters didnât know the difference between a bottle and a ding. For the octopus, it was big enough and couldnât be brokenâ no wonder it became Abyssâ most precious treasure.
Dodging the crabâs angry attacks, Abyss was forced to throw the bronze ding back into the cruiserâs hold. The octopus then floated upwards; unable to reach it from the seafloor, the crab waved its pincers and roared,ăYou bullied Eurybia!ă
Abyss ignored the crabâs accusation, stretched out one of its tentacles into the trench, and caught a flatfish. Bringing it back, the octopus happily snacked.
Life, you knowâ itâs all about sleeping, then eating, then sleeping again.
ăSiren, I havenât slept enough yetâŠăThe oarfish also started to look for food.
ăContinue moving! We are still far from Challenger Deep!ă
The sea monsters were a little flabbergasted. Very rarely were they impatient about doing something⊠What was the difference between travelling one day and one month? Other than serenity, there wasnât much in Challenger Deep. Not even food. So why was Siren rushing to go back?
Something suddenly dawned on Xia Yi. Heâd thought that they were in the deep sea already (yes, this is technically the deep sea)⊠but âstill farâ? Where exactly was this Challenger Deep?
Despite having spent so many days in the ocean, Xia Yi still wasnât very familiar with the surrounding geography. He only had enough common sense to know that the lowest point on Earth was the Mariana Trench, which was located in the Pacific Ocean.
A premonition rose in his heart.
ăWhere is Challenger Deep?ă
ăDown, of course.ăConfused, Siren motioned towards the trench in front of the sunken cruiser.
After some hesitation, Xia Yi still asked,ăHow far?ă
ăAs you swim slowly, three daysâŠăSiren calculated.
Xia Yi gasped and then promptly choked on water.
Though there were dense layers of water around him, they were only there to alleviate the pressure. There was still seawater between the water layers on his body; this was a mimicry of fish in the deep sea. These creatures often had water beneath the surface of their bodies in order to withstand the terrifying pressure.
ăSha⊠Xiayin?ăSiren was trying very hard to correct his pronunciation.
ăSiren, that place⊠I canât go!ă
Xia Yi cut straight to the point. He couldnât remember exactly how deep the deepest part of the Mariana Trench was, but it would definitely extend further than Mount Everest. Since most of its regions were around 6000 or 7000 metres in depth, just imagine how horrifying that would be. Xia Yiâs condition meant that he had limited talent in sports. Heâd once watched people run three thousand metres, a whole five laps around the tartan track, and to this day, he could still remember the pale faces of those students; double that and turn it into metres below sea level⊠The mere thought of it was a big enough attack on Xia Yiâs nerves. (Youâre wrong, sweetheart, itâs not just double. Itâs more like 6000 multiplied another six timesâŠ)
Sirenâs expression immediately changed.
Due to their appearances, it was very difficult for Xia Yi to distinguish the expressions of the sea monsters. Although he usually deciphered their emotions from the infrasonic waves, Siren was different. Having lived in the ocean, the merman had never learnt nor needed to hide the changes in his mood. Thus, even for Xia Yi could clearly feel the sudden anger that washed over the other.
His gaze fixed on Xia Yi.
ăYou are leaving me?ă
The hertz of the infrasonic waves dipped, causing the sea monsters who were minding their own business and searching for food to look over.
A mild throb of pain pulsed in Xia Yiâs head, and he subconsciously rubbed his palm against his forehead. He was never good at catching underlying tones, which was why he didnât realise the dangerous aura creeping around Siren. Another reason was due to the growing confusion that lately bothered him.
It was quite bizarre⊠Him following around the group of sea monsters like this.
Amongst these sea monsters, Siren always had this sense of idiosyncrasy⊠Hmm⊠maybe due to size? Or due to the fact that the sea monsters would fight and bicker amongst themselves, but never pestered the merman (though that could be the difference in IQ)? Thaumas had once said that there were almost no merfolk left anymore; Xia Yi didnât believe in the âlikeâ that Siren had spoken of, but he was all too familiar with living in loneliness.
While it was very nice to be by himself, he couldnât help but wonder about the lives of others.
Sometimes, he would subconsciously overlook the negative aspects and focus only on the good sides of their lives.
For example, there would never be the need to worry about every meal as he could go home to a table of hot and fresh food. The family would sit together, and even if not much dialogue was exchanged, they would pass around the plates in harmony. Memories like this ceased to exist after Xia Yiâs parents passed away.
Nowadays, he stood on the balcony, looking at the proud cat of the tenant below. Even it had a warm and comfy nest waiting somewhereâ a place like that was called home. Where Xia Yi lived was only a house, never a home.
Xia Yi secretly hoped for something like that, but he didnât want to break the current serenity. Heâd used to wonder if thereâd be another person who, like him, didnât like bustling about or speaking. They could both mind their own business without disturbing the other, but once mealtime came, they could help each other with the chores. They could purchase the things they needed together, but rest in separate rooms. Most days, itâd be as if they didnât exist, but during the moments of confusion and unsettlement, they would be there with him. They didnât have to offer any words of consolationâ their mere presence would be enough to reassure Xia Yi that he wasnât abnormal in this world.
Like every other person, he too could build the friendships and relationships he wished for.
But alas, that person⊠never existed. They were nothing but a small and insignificant dream.
ăNoâŠă
A little dazed, Xia Yi looked at Siren and answered subconsciously. ăBut you will eventually meet another of your kind. When the time comes, I will leave.ă
An odd expression could be seen on Sirenâs face, but the merman said nothing further.
Another of his kind? The only result of merfolk meeting would be a battle to the death. With their proud natures, their own kin were the possibilities that could threaten their survival or steal away their beloved.
It was bewildering to even think that they wouldnât fight to the death.
Xia Yi stared at the dark trench and blurted out, ăThe Challenger Deep that youâre talking about is too deep. I canât go.ă
ăThen we will go to a depth that you can,ăSiren immediately said, following with another explanation,ăWe are too close to the surface here.ă
Both Xia Yi and the sea monsters were puzzled.
Here? Close to the surface? Seriously?
Siren didnât answer. Instead, he took hold of Xia Yiâs hand and began swimming towards the trench. The sea monsters slowly followed suit, still dispirited because they were all hungry after waking up.
Abyss scratched its head with its tentacles. Looking back at the cruiser, the octopus reluctantly said goodbye to its dear treasures.
It wasnât that it didnât want to bring the bronze ding wherever it went, but Abyss knew that the pressure in Challenger Deep would be harmful to its collections. Consequently, Abyssâ bottles were scattered around the oceans; if anyone dared to climb in and occupy them, theyâd get eaten by the octopus when it came back.
But as it looked back, Abyss realised that the Lionâs Mane Jellyfish was still rolling around in the water.
ăNereus?ă
ăâŠmy tentacles are tangled in the algae,ăthe jellyfish muttered gloomily.
Abyss swam over with curiosity.ăWhy didnât you call me?ă
ăYou will only gnaw and break my tentacles!ăNereus accused, then called desperately, ăSiren, I need your treasure!ă
Siren didnât even turn around.
ăThe stingers on your tentacles are poisonous. He canât touch them.ăAbyss roughly pulled the jellyfish up, breaking several of its tentacles. ăYou have so many tentacles, it doesnât matter if a few break.ă
ăBut they donât grow as fast as you eat them!ăNereus said in fury.
ăâŠă
This conversation⊠was really becoming too strange.
800 metres above them, on a lone island.
Li Shaoâs eyes sparkled as he listened to the captainâs words.
ââŠAmerica has a lot of bases in the Pacific regions. Those on the islands near Hawaii and Guam are the largest, but the one on Saipan of the Mariana Islands isnât small either. After the apocalypse, all airplanes, cruisers, and even missiles are nothing but useless piles of metal. Most importantly, the American military is treated very well. They have huge dykes in case of tsunamis, and thereâs plenty of clothing, blankets, and other daily necessities. They should also have an abundance of military-related materials; things like canned food and fresh water are definitely stocked by the warehouse. Even if we donât snatch anything, itâd be good if we could get one of the lifeboats from their ships. We need more than just food, vitamin supplements, and medicine. If we do nothing but stay on this island, weâll still die for sure.â
An Li wasnât moved by his speech. Rather, she pointed out, âAbility users! So many ability users appeared on a single luxury cruise ship, let alone an American military base!â
Li Shao, who was eager about the plan, was stumped by the obvious.
âThat would be a problem. So, my plan is that we get close to Saipan and have a feel around. Na Lin and Ms An wouldnât be able to go. This is the apocalypseâ once we meet an ability user thatâs beyond our imagination, things will become dangerous. Li ShaoâŠâ
The captain hesitated. After so many days, he clearly knew that An Li was the only reliable one here. Li Shao couldnât do anything important, and if he was the one who went and scouted the area, none of the information he brought back would be reliable.
âLi Shaoâs ability isnât suited. Itâs better for me to go.â
The wind-ability user still had an absent-minded look on his face when he suddenly interrupted them.
An Li and the captain thought it over for some time, and no better solution was offered.
They had to understand where their abilities stood in this post-apocalyptic society. What kind of future would they have if they stayed crouching on this island?