Fear was like a maggot on the bone, no matter how much he resisted, it was futile. Under the gaze of those crimson eyes, his consciousness gradually faded away. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to resist, but under true overwhelming power, resistance was far from as simple as he had imagined.
As time ticked away, it was as if this space had been completely isolated. He didn’t know if he was still alive or already dead. The purpose of coming here was completely forgotten. He could only keep his eyes wide open, staring into the distance.
His gaze was unfocused, and in that moment, he thought of many things—memories from childhood, the first crisis during his voyage in his adolescence, joyful moments, and moments of despair and sorrow.
Like a faded film reel, they played out one by one in his mind.
He had heard that when a person dies, they see their most vivid memories. Was he about to die, leaving this beautiful world with reluctance, dying with unfulfilled wishes?
He closed his eyes and fell into darkness. In fact, he wasn’t sure if he had closed his eyes, or if it was just that his consciousness was gradually slipping away, giving him that illusion. But what did it matter? It didn’t. Everything had left him, including the fear.
Li Shu was still restrained in the merman’s arms. The merman shifted slightly, allowing him to see what was happening near the cabin.
He had a good memory and easily recognized the man slumped against the wall as the captain of the ship. They had briefly interacted before setting sail—he was a humorous man, but also cautious enough. Why did he come to the deck instead of staying in the captain’s room?
There was no time for Li Shu to think now. If he didn’t act, this person would die.
It was no exaggeration. Li Shu didn’t sense any killing intent from Lu Xi, but he knew that Lu Xi wanted this man, who had intruded and disrupted his mealtime, dead.
Killing a human was a very easy thing for the merman. Such fragile beings didn’t even require physical effort; just a slight suggestion could easily lead them to death.
Even Li Shu, with his naturally strong mental strength, had almost fallen for it, let alone the captain, who had no defense against such things.
The captain’s sudden intrusion had snapped Li Shu back to some level of consciousness. He was currently in the merman’s arms, like a puppet on a string, unable to move of his own accord. Only now did he feel the pain in his neck. There was only him and Lu Xi here, and in this position, there was no need to guess who the culprit was.
He had been careless. He had trusted Lu Xi too much, believing that this person wouldn’t harm him. But he hadn’t expected this; he had almost completely lost himself.
Seeing the captain on the verge of collapse, Li Shu knew that if he didn’t intervene, there would be no saving him. He couldn’t let anything happen to this person here. More importantly, he couldn’t let anything happen to this person at Lu Xi’s hands.
This voyage wasn’t just for leisure. Understanding the seas where Lu Xi lived was one thing, but he also had to be a pioneer and explore these waters first.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between humans and merfolk was imminent, but humans knew too little about merfolk. Although the higher-ups had decided to use a gentle approach, they couldn’t afford to be unprepared. Compared to the merfolk’s overwhelming strength, humans were too weak. Letting a wolf into the house was absolutely not an option.
So, for now, they were mostly in an observational phase. No one wanted to become the sinner in human history. After a brief period of confusion, they all clearly understood the weight of their responsibility. This was no small matter, and if mishandled, the consequences would be something no one wanted to see.
As the first named merman, Lu Xi was under their close scrutiny. Normally, Lu Xi behaved well, which had reassured them enough to approve this voyage. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have agreed to such a risky request.
Li Shu was well aware of this. Although those people hadn’t said it outright, it wasn’t hard to draw these conclusions when considering the context. Li Shu wasn’t one to dwell on melancholy. He was rational because he knew the ending of the original plot and always cautious around merfolk.
But…he chuckled bitterly. He had been wary of other merfolk but had forgotten that the most dangerous one was right beside him.
He didn’t know what was going on with Lu Xi now, nor could he figure it out in such a short time. He decided to push those questions aside for now; the most pressing issue was resolving the current crisis.
He moved his fingers, slowly regaining control over his body.
The merman had always kept part of his attention on Li Shu, and almost the moment Li Shu began to break free of his control, he noticed.
He casually withdrew his gaze. To him, Li Shu was the truly important one. The person who had suddenly appeared and broke into his territory was insignificant. If not for the repulsive aura that person carried, he would have thrown him into the sea long ago.
Now that Li Shu had regained consciousness, he felt displeasure—a kind of irritation from having something of his taken away. His muddled mind couldn’t comprehend where this emotion came from or why it had emerged. He only knew that he was furious. It was an indescribable feeling, unlike any he had ever experienced before. He wanted to destroy everything around him, except for the person in his arms.
Li Shu was still thinking of countermeasures when he suddenly sensed that Lu Xi’s aura had changed again.
The once calm sea began to churn, with waves rising higher and higher, layer upon layer. The sunlight that had once been warm no longer felt the same. Li Shu looked up and noticed clusters of dark clouds drifting in from who knows where, gathering from all directions. The sunlight gradually became obscured, and without the sun, the sky darkened instantly.
The sea breeze began to pick up, and it was as if the waves had received some kind of boost, becoming increasingly wild.
A large wave crashed against the ship, and the vessel could no longer bear it, beginning to sway. The ship had been prepared by the Li family, designed to withstand even hurricanes, with various safety measures onboard. But now, none of them were of any use.
The ship rose and fell with the waves. If Li Shu had looked into Lu Xi’s eyes at that moment, he would have noticed that the red in those eyes was deepening, gradually darkening into an inky hue.
Any color, when saturated to the extreme, turns black.
Another big wave struck, causing the ship to shake violently. The captain, who had been sitting on the ground, slid to the other side and hit the railing. The pain from the impact snapped him out of Lu Xi’s control.
Immediately, his face turned pale. His extensive sailing experience told him exactly what kind of crisis they were now facing. He scrambled to his feet, not having time to think about how he had ended up sitting on the deck. He steadied himself and attempted to head toward the captain’s room.
Another wave hit, and the ship shook violently once more. He quickly grabbed onto the railing to avoid falling again. After steadying himself, he noticed the two figures on the deck.
A string in his mind snapped.
“Sea… sea siren…”
He opened his mouth, trembling as he uttered those two words, his eyes filled with fear.
The sky was roiling with dark clouds, and the sea was roaring fiercely beneath them—everything was shaking, except for that one person, who stood firmly at the bow of the ship, overlooking everything from above. He was like a king, reigning supreme and controlling this world.
The man had a perfect face, and his strong and powerful tail supported him to stand on the deck like a human. His tail was very long, his tail fin was very large, and the lines were smooth. One could imagine what he looked like in the deep sea.
Though he had a human-like appearance, the captain would never mistake him for a human. He belonged to the ocean; he was the overlord of the sea, the true master of the waters, a being they could not resist.
The captain’s heart sank. The existence of merfolk was no longer a secret, but the ones that had appeared before humans so far had seemed harmless. This was the first time he had encountered a merfolk fully revealing its powerful presence.
Amidst his fear, there was also an extreme excitement, and his mind quickly began to race. In this situation, did he still have a chance to escape?
He carefully observed his surroundings, and suddenly noticed something unusual. He saw a person who, unlike his own disheveled state, was being well protected, not even a hair out of place.
It was Mr. Li.
When he saw the posture of Mr. Li and the merman, the captain’s heart nearly jumped into his throat. What was going on?
He opened his mouth to ask, but his voice was swallowed by the howling wind. The sky grew darker, as though it was entering dusk, even though it was supposed to be a bright noon.
The wind was fierce, but Li Shu couldn’t feel it. Something was blocking the wind and rain from the outside. In Lu Xi’s embrace, he was shielded from any disturbances; the raging storm had nothing to do with him. The man not far away had to cling to the railing to avoid being swept away by the furious wind, but he was protected in Lu Xi’s arms, and the dangers of the outside world seemed to be far away from him.
The waves roared towards them, and the waves were already higher than the bow of the ship. Seawater spilled onto the deck, turning the once dry surface slick and wet. In the vast expanse of the sea, Li Shu felt like he had stepped onto the set of a horror movie.
Was he scared?
Not really, but his confusion only deepened. What was happening? The sudden change in weather was obviously related to Lu Xi, and there was also the apocalyptic ending from the original plot. Was that related to Lu Xi as well?
He knew too little. Up until now, he didn’t even know where the male protagonist was. Li Shu grasped the hand that was resting on his lower abdomen and called out, “Lu Xi.”
His voice wasn’t loud, and it was quickly drowned out by the surrounding wind, but the merman seemed to sense it and lowered his gaze.
The usual warmth in his eyes was gone, replaced by a cold, emotionless stare. Fortunately, Li Shu had been mentally prepared and wasn’t caught off guard.
He met the merman’s gaze directly and called out again, “Lu Xi.”
He called Lu Xi’s name to confirm his current state, and the result was as he had expected—Lu Xi had little reaction to the name.
In the vast ocean, there wasn’t even anyone to call for help. The captain was still on the deck, so who was in control in the captain’s room? Where would this ship take them? Everything was unknown.
Sensing Li Shu’s distraction, Lu Xi pinched his chin in dissatisfaction and turned his head to face him. He opened his mouth, and inaudible sound waves flooded into Li Shu’s mind.
“What are you thinking about?”
After his anger from being interrupted subsided, Lu Xi was no longer in a hurry to eat. He thought about it and felt reluctant to devour him immediately, deciding instead to take him back to his lair.
“Don’t think about anyone else. Don’t be afraid; I won’t eat you anymore. Just be good and come back with me.” His hand caressed Li Shu’s face, and he sighed contentedly at the warm touch.
“Where are you planning to take me?” Li Shu lowered his eyes and asked softly.
Lu Xi just held him tighter without answering.
Of course he planned to take him back to his lair and hide him away.
