Li Shu’s mind momentarily became foggy, and he unconsciously walked towards the petri dish in the center of the lab.
The merman floated in the water, arms outstretched to welcome his prey.
The door closed behind Li Shu. The metal space that was originally designed to imprison the merman now trapped its creator.
The singing echoed in the enclosed space, like the finest wine, enticing the chosen prey into the trap.
In this standoff, Li Shu was the prey.
The curve of the merman’s lips widened, revealing sharp teeth. Unlike human teeth, the merman’s were sharper and more lethal, designed for a predator capable of tearing any prey apart.
Legend has it that deep-sea merfolk would use their singing to lure sailors to jump off the ship and sacrifice themselves under the temptation of the singing.
As Li Shu approached step by step, the excitement in the merman’s eyes intensified.
Finally, Li Shu stopped outside the petri dish.
The merman swished his powerful tail, moving closer to the man separated by glass. He reached out, touching the man’s face through the glass. Thinking of the upcoming feast, the smile in his eyes deepened.
No one could resist the deliberate temptation from a merfolk.
The handsome man seemed like a marionette, following the instructions of his master. He walked along the petri dish and stopped at the control panel. This experimental facility used the most advanced technology; to open this petri dish, Li Shu had to unlock it himself.
The merman was the original owner’s most valued experiment. Except for him, no one else could open the lock of this special petri dish. Even this laboratory could only be entered with his consent.
Slim fingers reached out, pausing just before touching the unlocking mechanism.
In the silence, someone sighed softly.
The merman’s eyes widened suddenly, his smile vanishing as he quickly retreated. When he looked up again, he was stunned.
The man still stood in front of the petri dosh, his eyes now clear and unclouded.
‘Not controlled?’ Doubt flashed through the merman’s mind, his smile fading as his crimson eyes stared straight at Li Shu.
Li Shu met the merman’s gaze without flinching. The merman didn’t conceal his emotions; his crimson eyes were filled with indifference and… malice.
Clear malice came straight towards Li Shu. Li Shu silently stepped back and in the corner, he saw Gu Li lying unconscious, holding a phone with an active call interface.
The man and merman stared at each other through the glass, neither breaking the silence.
“Aren’t you afraid of me?” Just like when he first entered the room, a deep voice echoed in Li Shu’s mind. “I can’t sense your fear anymore, though I could before…”
‘Of course I’m not afraid of you. It’s the original owner who was afraid of you,’ Li Shu muttered to himself. Although he was meeting a merman for the first time, Li Shu was more curious than afraid.
He had heard various legends about merfolk in his original world, but this was his first actual encounter. Clearly, this merman was not the harmless and delicate merfolk of stories; he seemed more like the king of the sea—a siren.
He had already sensed the danger mentioned in the original owner’s logs. Merfolk possessed powerful psychic abilities, capable of easily controlling people’s actions. No wonder this laboratory was the largest, but had the fewest researchers. He had no doubt that the protection level of this laboratory was the highest.
Ignoring the voice in his mind, Li Shu circled the lab, hoping to find useful information. Unfortunately, all he found were numerical records; there were no clues to what he sought.
In addition to the culture dish, there was also a secret door in the laboratory. When he walked in, he found that it was a large display cabinet. Inside were samples the original owner collected from the merman. Li Shu inspected them one by one, his brows furrowing deeper.
These samples were carefully preserved in sealed containers, with specific records detailing each sample’s origin, composition, uses, and even the sampling process.
From this, it was clear the original owner had experimented extensively on the merman. The treatment mentioned in the logs was likely experimental, aimed at prolonging the merman’s life rather than any benevolent intent.
Then the mermaid’s malice towards him is understandable. No one would feel goodwill towards those who experimented on them, especially under less-than-gentle methods.
Being confined to this experimental base severely limited the information Li Shu could gather. Although he could use computers and phones here, the signal was not connected to the outside world. Here, he couldn’t get any information from the outside world.
He knew nothing and was too passive.
The merman flicked his tail, causing splashes. He looked in the direction of the secret door, wondering what the man was going to do next.
Li Shu walked around the display case and examined its contents thoroughly. His heart grew increasingly heavy. The merman had been captured for three months; judging from the lab’s records, if it weren’t for the merman’s remarkable resilience, he would have died long ago from the experiments.
If the male protagonist in this world was the merman…
[The host guessed right. Indeed, the male protagonist in this world is the merman the original owner captured for experiments.]
1314’s voice suddenly rang out, and Li Shu accidentally gripped the paper too tightly and crumpled it.
[Why did you only appear now?] This is the second time and now Li Shu was seriously doubting what 1314 said the first time.
1314’s voice sounded unstable, as if it had just undergone some intense activity: [Host, I was just receiving information from this world. Punishment worlds operate differently from normal mission worlds. How much information you get depends on your abilities, and you must judge the truth of what you learn.]
Li Shu: [Are you saying the information you get might not be true?]
1314: [The relationships between characters are accurate. What the host needs to judge is the plot. Does the host wish to receive the memories of the original owner and the plot?]
Li Shu: [Yes.]
No matter the truth of the plot, it was better than his current state of confusion.
Li Shu’s earlier speculation was correct. The original owner held a high position in this experimental base because he was the youngest son of the builder. The establishment of this base was a birthday gift to the original owner at eighteen, designed solely to please him.
This world was in a transitional period between modern and interstellar eras. Technology was advancing rapidly, but humans still lived on Earth, yet to truly enter the interstellar age. With technological advancements, humans explored many previously unknown and undiscovered places and encountered many miraculous new species.
The original owner had been interested in these since childhood. This experimental base was a gift to him on his eighteenth birthday, and everything was designed to serve him.
The merman was discovered by the exploration team that served the Li family. The incident was kept secret and the merman was transported to the experimental base for the original owner’s research.
The original owner was never lenient in his treatment of experimental subjects, especially with the mysterious merman. For a time, he focused almost entirely on the merman.
Initially, the merman was seriously injured, so the original owner was cautious not to accidentally harm the precious creature. However, when it became evident that the merman possessed remarkable regenerative abilities, the owner showed no mercy. The water in the petri dish remained tinged with blood for a while.
Li Shu came at a very bad time. The damage done to the merman by the original owner had already been done, and soon the merman would fully recover his strength. Apart from the female protagonist, no one in this experimental base would escape a deadly fate.
And “soon” meant just under a month.
Li Shu rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache. It was indeed a punishment world, and the beginning was already in “hell mode.” He didn’t know what else to say.
In the punishment world, the area displaying the happiness value on the mission panel was grayed out and no information could be seen.
When Li Shu came out, the merman was swimming in the water. The petri dish was large enough to allow the merman to move freely inside. Li Shu had to admit, the merman was very beautiful. Fins adorned his ears and arms, while the fins on his tail were elegant and extravagant, shimmering like a splendid veil as he swam in the water.
Sensing Li Shu’s gaze, the merman stopped and met his eyes from a distance.
“When will Gu Li wake up?” Li Shu asked.
He didn’t hear a reply but saw the girl lying in the corner move and slowly open her eyes.
“Are you alright?” Li Shu strode over and helped the unsteady girl.
“Professor?” Gu Li blinked in confusion. “What… happened to me?”
She remembered that after the professor left, she was organizing the experimental equipment. How did she end up sitting in the corner? She was holding something in her hand. She raised her right hand to her eyes and saw the dialed number phone.
“I…” She wanted to ask when she had made the call, but suddenly, her eyes widened in fear, “Professor…”
“Don’t be afraid,” Li Shu said as he turned off Gu Li’s phone, “You should go rest for a while.”
He wanted to ask something, but seeing Gu Li’s current state, he doubted he would get any useful information.
“Professor, are you alright?” Although Gu Li was scared, she couldn’t just ignore Li Shu.
“I’m fine.”
Li Shu’s voice returned to its usual cold tone, which didn’t surprise Gu Li. Except for his enthusiasm for the experiments, Li Shu was always cold and indifferent. They were all used to it. Not daring to disobey Li Shu, Gu Li left the lab.
[Host, what do you plan to do?] 1314 asked anxiously. They were basically at odds with the male protagonist, and the original owner’s actions against him were unforgivable. How could they complete the mission?
Li Shu didn’t know what to do either. Even through the heavily protected petri dish, he could feel the danger the merman posed. This would only hold a merman whose strength hadn’t fully recovered. Once he regained his strength, Li Shu would be his first target for revenge.
“You seem…even more delicious.”
The merman swam up to Li Shu. His lips slightly parted, and his voice echoed in Li Shu’s mind.
Frowning uncomfortably, Li Shu didn’t like this form of communication. Unlike with 1314, the merman’s sense of invasion was too strong.
“Did something happen?” The merman’s voice continued, carrying a bewitching tone.
His tail lightly swayed, creating ripples. His crimson eyes looked at the man outside the petri dish, with a hint of greed in them.
Instinct told him this person should be his.
A tangible gaze clung to Li Shu, and a damp sensation spread from his legs. Before he could find the cause, he felt a breath on his neck.
Something lightly licked his neck.
It was cold and sticky.
The author has something to say:
The gong of this world acts on instinct. The beastly nature is more dominant compared to the human nature.
