“Professor, is he watching us?” Although she had been working alongside Li Shu for some time, this was the first time Gu Li had observed the merman at such close range without any purpose. Gu Li looked at the merman through the glass, her heart pounding.
Qin Le’an was even more obvious. She had been longing to see the merman for so long, and now that she finally did, her face flushed with excitement.
Li Shu: “He’s very dangerous. Don’t get too close to him normally.”
The two girls nodded eagerly. “We know, Professor.”
The danger of the merman was confirmed by human lives. At the beginning, the people in the base did not expect the merman’s power to exceed their understanding. They even wanted to conduct experiments on the merman while the original owner was away, which caused the merman to go berserk on the operating table. Fortunately, the original owner rushed back in time to prevent a disaster.
Those research institutes that ignored the rules naturally received the punishments they deserved. The original owner was decisive, and everyone involved in the plan was held accountable without exception.
It was this huge lesson that made the researchers in the base realize how dangerous the merman could be. It was also because of the original owner’s iron-fisted methods that no one dared to act arbitrarily again.
Gu Li was transferred to Li Shu’s side after this incident. At that time, the original owner was not at the base, and it was she who promptly relayed information to the original owner, enabling him to return before the disaster occurred. At that time, the merman was very weak, far from his peak strength. But if the merman were truly provoked, everyone in the base would suffer.
The merman was an S-level experimental subject, which not only indicated his rarity but also his level of danger.
Both girls were completely captivated by the merman, which was not surprising. Merfolk had such charm that made everyone focus on them immediately and then unable to look away.
Li Shu’s gaze shifted from Qin Le’an to the merman, who was still looking at him. The original plot clearly said that the two were attracted to each other when they first met. And as expected, it was indeed an unreliable plot.
According to the original plot provided by 1314, this was a sci-fi romance story. The female protagonist was Qin Le’an, a commoner, and the male protagonist was a merman dwelling in the deep sea. They met at the villain’s research base, starting a beautiful love story.
It was obvious that Li Shu was the biggest villain who created various obstacles for the male and female protagonists.
In the original plot, the original owner was a model of success in life, born into a wealthy family with outstanding abilities. Even before graduating, he had won many major awards domestically and internationally. During a speech at his alma mater, he met a girl who captivated him at first sight. When he returned to his alma mater to give a speech, he met a girl he fell in love with at first sight. The girl was of ordinary background but tenacious, and her unyielding spirit attracted the original owner.
Later, the female protagonist joined his research base. If the original owner were the male protagonist, the story would have progressed with the male and female protagonists joining hands and reaching the pinnacle of success together. However, the original owner was not the male protagonist but the main villain.
The original owner kept the female protagonist close, devotedly helping her grow and hoping to win her heart through daily companionship. However, he did not anticipate that the girl and his favorite experimental subject would develop feelings for each other.
The girl and the merman quickly fell in love. With the convenience of her work, the girl could often be with the merman. When they planned their first escape, the original owner discovered their relationship and was furious. After capturing the merman, he subjected him to various cruel methods and forced the girl to watch from the sidelines.
Currently, the male and female protagonists did not look like they were attracted to each other at all.
Li Shu brought the female protagonist to his side early to check the accuracy of the plot. The system’s statement that the plot cannot be fully trusted was also a reminder to him that in this world, he should not rely too much on the original plot.
The mission target was the male protagonist, so he couldn’t keep the merman in the tank indefinitely or release him back into the sea recklessly. After being studied for so long, the male protagonist must hate the people in the base. In this scenario, the original owner, now him, nust be the primary target.
Qin Le’an had great talent and quickly grasped many things. She was meticulous and careful in her work. After she came to assist Li Shu, Li Shu’s workload was significantly reduced.
Since arriving in this world, Li Shu had not experimented on the merman, but he took over the daily feeding duties. Feeding the merman was an easy task as there were dedicated personnel preparing the food. He just needed to press a button and drop the food into the water.
In his spare time, Li Shu wandered around other laboratories, participating in several experiments unrelated to the merman. Fortunately, his extensive knowledge from the previous world and the memories of the original owner supported him, preventing any slip-ups.
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
In the original plot, the female protagonist softened Gu Li’s heart, and managed to persuade her into secretly bringing her to see the merman once. After that, she couldn’t couldn’t eat or drink and her mind was obsessed with the fleeting glimpse of the merman that day. Finally, she summoned up the courage one day and volunteered herself to the original owner. The original owner had long wanted to bring her closer and readily agreed.
During this period, Li Shu observed that the female protagonist indeed had a deep obsession with the merman, but it was far from the level described in the original plot. The merman’s attitude was even more confusing; he completely ignored the extra little girls in the laboratory.
If there’s any interest, Li Shu felt that perhaps the merman might be more interested in him.
Originally, he hadn’t noticed this, but one day, 1314 mentioned it, and he observed and found it to be true. Several times, he caught the merman’s eyes before he could retract them.
When he was alone in the laboratory, that gaze always followed him like a shadow. Sometimes it was purely observational, sometimes it seemed to contain something else. Before Li Shu could fully feel it, those inexplicable emotions were suppressed by the owner.
At night, Li Shu sent the two girls to rest, and he stayed behind to pack up. During this time, he had improved the unfinished research left by the original owner and reorganized many files.
Like the original owner, Li Shu spent most of his time in this laboratory, almost moving his office here, but it was almost the same. After finishing his work for the day, he stood up and stretched, preparing to go back to rest.
As he walked to the door, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The humidity in the room had increased.
Dense water vapor condensed into white mist, making all the modern equipment in the laboratory disappear and the bright white light was obscured. It felt like being surrounded by clouds and the way out couldn’t be seen.
The red light of the alarm on the wall flickered, but it was not clear in the mist. Li Shu blinked, and the red light stubbornly flickered a few times before going out.
Everything was hidden in the thick mist, with only faint light coming through. Li Shu took a small step back and looked forward cautiously.
That was where the petri dish was located, just a few meters away from him. Unfortunately, all he could see now was dense mist; he couldn’t see the petri dish, the experimental equipment, or even the outline of the laboratory.
Silence spread.
Apart from his own breathing, Li Shu could no longer hear any other sounds. Initially, there was still a faint alarm sound, but at some point, even the alarm sound faded away. Li Shu called out to 1314 in his mind a few times but received no response.
‘Was this done by the merman?’ It seemed that was the only conclusion.
Li Shu took out his phone from his pocket; the screen lit up, showing zero signal. Normally, this phenomenon shouldn’t occur; the base had dedicated signal coverage, so it shouldn’t be in a state where signals couldn’t be received.
The light from the screen illuminated a small area, and Li Shu looked around. He found that the door, which should not have been far away, had disappeared, along with the entire wall. It was as if he was standing in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by emptiness. He reached out to touch where the wall should be but felt nothing.
Pulling back his hand, Li Shu sighed softly, “What are you trying to do this time?”
His voice carried a faint helplessness, as if he were facing a mischievous child rather than a ferocious merman.
“You’re bolder now,” a deep voice echoed from deep within the dense mist.
This time, the voice didn’t appear directly in his mind. Li Shu’s ears twitched as he identified the direction of the sound.
To the front-right.
Li Shu looked in that direction.
“You’re more sensitive than before,” the merman’s voice rang out again. This time, Li Shu could clearly feel that the voice was closer to him. He looked at the place which was still foggy, and slowly clenched his hands hanging by his side.
A bright light as blue as the deep sea appeared. Li Shu was dazed for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he found himself facing a flawless face, and there was a noticeable sense of restraint on his legs.
His pupils contracted sharply. In the moment he was distracted, the merman appeared beside him and even circled his legs with his fishtail.
The temperature in the laboratory was originally most suitable for human activity, but now he felt a chill. Through the thin fabric, he could feel the coldness of the fishtail against his legs.
The fishtail pressed tightly against his legs, and the chill kept coming. Li Shu to shiver involuntarily.
It was not out of fear, but from the cold.
However, the merman was quite satisfied with his reaction. He tightened his tail and narrowed his eyes slightly, emitting a satisfied purr from his throat.
His hands were not idle either. One hand held Li Shu’s waist, restraining him from escaping, while the other hand caressed the cheek of the human in his arms.
The merman’s hand was also cold, and Li Shu turned his head away uncomfortably.
“You’re not afraid of me,” the merman stated a fact. He couldn’t feel any fear from this human, which was quite incredible. Just a while ago, this person was afraid of him just like everyone else.
“Let go of me.” Li Shu didn’t feel surprised that the merman could speak human language, although when they first brought the merman back, he couldn’t speak human language. However, the merman’s learning ability was indeed strong. It wasn’t surprising that he could learn after so many researchers spoke to him every day.
“I won’t let go. Now that I’ve caught you, I’m going to drag you back to my lair…” And then eat you alive.
Having captured his desired prey, the whole merman exuded joy. Merfolk were natural hunters. In order to capture satisfactory prey, they would disguise themselves, get closer step by step, and when the prey is not paying attention, they will drag the prey back to their lair and enjoy it slowly.
They were the top hunters and also the most adept at enjoying the hunt.
Li Shu realized that the merman wasn’t joking; he really saw him as prey. With this body, he couldn’t break free from the merman’s restraint, let alone move now.
The water vapor came rushing forward, and the merman was moving. Li Shu asked incredulously, “Where are you taking me?”
The merman replied cheerfully, “Go to where you should be.”
‘My…lair…’
