He and It Chapter 17: The King’s Pearl (17)

Chapter 17: The King’s Pearl (17)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: KarateChopMonkey

His tears are hot, Raperth thought, like lava, like smoke steaming from a starburst.

The mermaid wrapped his arms around Jiang Mian awkwardly, the arms he had always used to strangle his prey, trying to protect for the first time. Flustered and puzzled, he queried in a whisper, “Why… cry?”

He gently rocked him clumsily like a cub, almost drowning Jiang Mian’s face with his magnificent pectoral muscles, “No crying… don’t cry…”

The mermaid’s skin was not only free of pores, but also covered with fine shiny transparent scales, and they were naturally luminous without the need for bright light to focus on them. Jiang Mian knew that the most luminous parts actually were the secreted oil, which facilitated the mermaid’s long journey under the sea.

But before he met Raperth, he never knew that mermaids could emit such a clean and warm fragrance, like the flower country after the rain, like the wet beach permeated with sunlight… Like the blue sea itself, it made him drowsy and relaxed.

Jiang Mian, with tears streaming down his face, said vaguely, “Because I couldn’t save her…”

“No one could save her,” Raperth said, almost coldly, “When dissolution begins… it cannot end… only the act of blasphemy deserves the severest punishment.”

Mermaids lack moral values, or rather no universal moral values, and if they do, they follow simple and straightforward laws as old and simple as the barbarians. If Raperth, after hearing this story, went on a killing spree in the Institute, it wasn’t to avenge the death of his unseen kind — he had a score to settle with the land dwellers as well — but for the crimes of the humans here, who had dared to defile the iron law of soul mates, imprisoning a mermaid and preventing her from being with her dead soul mate.

But… 

Raperth couldn’t imagine where he got the strength, where did he get the courage? To support his life on land, his fish tail had degenerated into two legs, no fins to sense the currents, no scales to protect his insides… He was just a stray cub, and after witnessing the atrocities of humans against their kind, he didn’t know fear, but instead, he was bent on going in the most dangerous direction.

Six years ago, a young cub of his size was playing in the shelter of adult fish, going to the territory of any sea country, and being taken care of by strange elders.

Raperth looked down at Jiang Mian, “But you… who freed her soul… gave her freedom so that she didn’t have to suffer humiliation in death.”

“You are too kind,” the male mermaid whispered in awe, “too perfect.”

Jiang Mian’s face was already red before the tear stains dried, and he said, restrainedly, “It is not something to be complimented.”

“Is it?” Raperth asked in surprise, “What if I’m inclined to praise?”

With a blush spreading from his face to his ears, Jiang Mian said, “Then I can’t do anything to you…”

The two pairs of eyes didn’t move to look at each other for a moment, then Jiang Mian broke into a smile and shifted slightly, signaling Raperth to let go of him.

Even through the clothing, the deadly heat seeped in in a steady stream, almost like a steamer, carrying heat through his entire body. However, the male mermaid, who was familiar with body language, was now like a blind man who only fooled around, oblivious to it.

Jiang Mian had no choice but to mutter “How clingy” and then, without thinking otherwise, asked in a low voice, “What are you going to do after that, avenge Lady Red?”

“Revenge,” Raperth repeated. Yes, that was a good excuse, “Yes, we have to wait six days, I want to see… the mastermind.”

Jiang Mian glanced upward and asked worriedly, “What about the rest of the Institute?”

“Business as usual… life,” Raperth smiled, “as before… but no more bullying.”

Jiang Mian shook his head, half annoyed, half helpless, and lamented, “Yeah, the old days sucked… But they’re not you after all, not my friends.” 

Friends?

Raperth’s eyes widened, his lids retreating completely to the edge of his eyeballs, and his ear fins drooping wilfully… just friends?

He sighed in his mind, friends, well, friends, that positioning wasn’t out of the question… 

“However, if you want to dispose of the originator, then Fabian can’t die for now. He’s in charge here, and the executive officer will definitely receive him first when the time comes.”

Hearing Jiang Mian’s words, the male mermaid replied in a disoriented voice, “Okay… as you wish.”

Looking at his listless look, Jiang Mian was stunned, “He’s not… He’s dead, isn’t he?”

Raperth replied honestly, “If you say he’s still useful… then he’s not dead.”

Of course, just not truly dead.

He released his arms and sank under the water to check the condition of Jiang Mian’s calf.

The degeneration of hybrid mermaids was rare, but not undocumented, and Jiang Mian had lived on land for more than 20 years, so Raperth guessed that the person who had prevented him from having too much access to water because of his “disinfectant allergy” was most likely Jiang Mian’s adoptive father, a male named Jiang Pingyang. The purpose was to prevent Jiang Mian from taking on the characteristics of a mermaid to hide his face.

The human who gave such a name to his adopted son would never have not known where he came from.

Thief, thief, thief of cubs and mates, be glad you died too soon and that Jiang Mian loved you without knowing it. If I had arrived here and you were still alive… 

Raperth swung his tail fin and gently touched Jiang Mian’s ankle bone, where scales would most likely begin to grow.

…I’m afraid you would have ended up only a little better than the land dweller named Fabian.

He surfaced and looked eagerly up at Jiang Mian.

“Want… to eat?”

The urge to hunt had long since risen from the head full to the tip of his tail. Raperth was reminded of their first meeting, when Jiang Mian was holding the blood-dripping pink and white raw fish, his eyelashes fluttered, and his look was dark and blank, with his hazel eyes intertwined into an unconscious thirst — he needed this, needed fresh blood food, needed to chew large chunks of raw meat, needed the guidance of his partner, so that the atrophied and hidden mermaid organs could develop again.

Distracted by this question, Jiang Mian asked, “I’m not hungry yet… What would you like to eat?”

“Fish… fresh fish.” Raperth let out a seductive murmur, “Tender and crispy… fish flesh… juicy to bite… is tender; fish bones… crunchy to chew… is crispy… I want to eat fish… do you?”

Jiang Mian was shocked, for some reason, hearing this, his jaw was sore, and saliva was secreted in large quantities. He hurriedly held the side of his face and looked at Raperth in panic.

“I’m not hungry!” He said in a jarring voice, “I just had my noon meal, and besides, I’m allergic to raw fish, really! I ate it once when I was about five or six years old, and I got sick for a few days with vomiting and diarrhea, and then I never ate raw again, and I had to eat steak very rare. Are you hungry, I’ll go get you something to eat?”

Raperth’s eyes slowly widened, and he tried his best to maintain a smiling, harmless expression, but in reality, his hands formed fists, and the sharp armor on his palms protruded, almost crushing a mouthful of fangs.

Five years old, six years old… At that time, Jiang Mian was still too young to realize that it was a torture with a slow transformation when it happened.

Pearl, you’re so cute and moving… But the cuter you are, the more despicable and hateful the humans who stole you appear to be. I will take revenge, and it will not be as great as a thunderbolt, but as long and vicious as possible — and I will not rest even if I lose the king’s open and bright majesty for it.

Jiang Mian seemed to hear a slight commotion from the experiment station again, he looked up again, only as last time, still found nothing.

“Strange…” He frowned, muttering nervously.

—

For the first time in months, he didn’t suffer from insomnia, night terrors, or the shackles on his hands and feet, waking up from nightmares because of the unbearable alternating hot and cold, he slept so soundly that his breathing was sweet.

In the dream, the sound of gulls was clear, the sky was boundless, a line of snow waves overlapping a line of stars, Jiang Mian was in the dream, his lips couldn’t help the smile swirling out.

A breeze suddenly blew by his cheeks, carrying the smell of disinfectant water from the corridor.

…The door was open?

Jiang Mian was dazed from his sleep, his eyelids moved a little, but he smelled another familiar and warm scent, as if the sea breeze was flowing.

“Raperth…” He murmured, but there was no response, only the unmistakable chanting of a song, hovering in his mind. The blurred dream became clearer, in which he watched the sunlight refracting down the sea, a thousand strands, converging into the appearance of a river of stars.

Jiang Mian turned his head with great effort — the fishy-sweet aroma lingered stickily in front of his face, like cool, slippery, feminine snakes that cunningly burrowed into his nose and penetrated into his brain and abdomen, where they spat out sinful, slippery snake’s letters, sizzling and licking through Jiang Mian’s dream world into Jiang Mian’s stomach.

Jiang Mian’s body couldn’t help but twitch, he couldn’t help but open his lips, saliva was soaking his tongue, and his stomach was dry and seized into a ball, emitting a hungry wail.

Although he did-n’t eat much dinner, just a bowl of porridge, a plate of pasta, but that was already the usual normal meal, and then another piece of steamed bread, so he couldn’t be stuffed.

But what exactly was this smell, it smelled so good, it really smelled good… 

He wanted to wake up, but his eyelids were heavy and stuck together, and it was unrealistic to ask a deep sleeper to control his limbs. Jiang Mian struggled to turn his neck, eager to get out of his uncontrollable posture, grabbed the source of the fragrance and stuffed it into his mouth.

He struggled several times, trying to turn over on the swirling waves, but to no avail, like a small turtle tumbling on the beach. The fragrance was so close that it rubbed against the tip of his nose. Jiang Mian pursed his lips and whimpered pitifully in anger.

“Shh, shh…” A particularly warm, particularly solid wall of waves hurriedly came next to him, carefully around him, and brought a piece of cool stuff to his mouth, “Eat… all for you to eat… eat it and you will not be hungry…”

The cold liquid dripped into the crevices of his lips, seeping along the dry lines of his lips, Jiang Mian eagerly licked it, it was hard to say what it really tasted like, fishy, salty, the only bit of sweetness, hidden behind the cloying texture… It wasn’t as good as it smelled, but it was still like a medicine that ignited his burning internal organs.

Jiang Mian opened his mouth and tore it apart in his sleep, baring his teeth like a wild animal as he dragged the soft, tender food — maybe it was raw meat, maybe it was rain from the oracle, a perfect delicacy born of a dream. He chewed fiercely, squeezing out the clean blood and anointed flesh oil with his tongue, gobbling it up like a victim of decades of starvation.

God, he retracted his earlier thoughts, and a refreshing world emerged. His taste buds were rejuvenated, his throat pulsed violently, and his eyes fluttered rapidly under his lids… Jiang Mian swallowed, hungrily swallowed, at this moment if the light shone, then onlookers could certainly see, not only the corners of his mouth had blood flowing, his teeth were also red scarlet dyed with blood, the tip of the already tender red tongue dyed with blood, at this time was simply transparent glowing scarlet, behind the opening and closing of the lips, as if hidden.

The eyelids were tightly closed on the usual beautiful and gentle face, but the features were buried deep in the joy of satisfaction and strong desire. Whether sighing, gasping, he couldn’t suppress the tiny laugh that burst out of his throat, making chills run down one’s back.

Naturally, the only observer who could appreciate this scene wasn’t feeling chilled, Raperth, with slowly swimming fish tail, the youth enveloped in a large inhuman shadow, his eyes full of joy and love.

The mermaid wiped off the fish blood that dripped down the corner of his mouth and was about to fall into his hair and collar, then sucked his knuckles clean and coaxed, [Take your time, don’t choke… Poor thing, you’re starving, aren’t you?]

Yes, yes, I’m hungry, I’m starving!

Jiang Mian wanted to admit out loud, to scream to the world how awful it felt to be hungry, but unfortunately he couldn’t give birth to a second mouth willing to do it for him — Jiang Mian was eating, wholeheartedly and intently.

The mixture of juices and meat was fresh and tender, mixed with mellow fat, rich enough to bounce off the tip of his teeth, good; the crescent-shaped, tightly stacked meat was layered and could be opened with the tip of his tongue, good; chewing on the moist and pulpy part, blood spurted out and splashed all over his mouth, sweet and fishy, even better; the fish yolk, did he get the fish yolk? Fat, sweet and delicate fish yellow, completely in the middle of the teeth and tongue melted, great, this was great…

Half-asleep, he ate without a care in the world. His stomach, previously twisted tightly together, now opened up and expanded infinitely, like a never-ending black hole, desperate to swallow the world.

Jiang Mian cried, sobbing as he ate, the wave of insatiable hunger overwhelming him, leaving him sobbing for a barren past and an unknown future.

How did I get here before? What will I do in the future? he wondered hazily.

The voice in his ear seemed to know what he was grieving for and rumbled soothingly, “…From now on… you can eat as much as you want. Don’t be afraid… you won’t be hungry anymore.”

Jiang Mian didn’t know how long the feeding went on, but the wave that surrounded him seemed to see that he particularly liked the yellow part of the fish and picked out more to feed him, tickling his excitement and making giddy little noises.

Jiang Mian was totally unaware of the changes that were about to take place in the outside world and in himself. The lullaby kept on going, and he slept more soundly, with a carefree smile at the corners of his mouth, sinking comfortably into the huge, sinuous body of the male mermaid, without ever waking up.

— 

Jiang Mian slowly opened his eyes.

…What time is it? He dazedly poked his hand out to press the time.

Why did he feel like he had slept for a particularly long time, and the alarm clock hadn’t gone off yet?

The room was still dimly lit, with a small emergency lamp emitting a faint yellow light in the corner, mapping the hazy, moist vapor in the air. The research institute was built a hundred meters underground, so normally no sunlight could be seen at all, and naturally one couldn’t tell what time it was by natural light… 

And so on.

Jiang Mian rubbed his drowsy eyes and sprang up from the bed at once.

Water vapor.

Where did the moisture come from, how come the room was so heavy?

The time popped up synchronously, 12:34 pm.

“Oh my God!” Jiang Mian shrieked, “It’s 12:30! Why didn’t the alarm clock I set go off?”

He hastily pulled off his pajamas, grabbed his work clothes and put them on, “Oh no, I’m a few hours late, the station is really going to…!”

The sound of the clothing breaking off was loud and piercing, Jiang Mian was frozen in place, his outstretched hand was half stuck in the sleeve of his shirt, frozen in an odd position.

… Yes, he just remembered that the Institute’s top executives all mistakenly drank the hallucinogenic Immortal Water and were now trapped in a delusional mental cloud. He was free, and Raperth was free, so he didn’t have to get up early to socialize in front of a crowd.

Jiang Mian dragged his half worn shirt and fell backwards onto the bed, covering his face and sighing in relief.

A brief moment of hand-wringing passed before he had a chance to drift off and remember more important things.

“I… How did I become so strong?” Jiang Mian frowned and stared at the broken thread under his armpit, muttering questions to himself.

He recalled last night’s vague dream where he wandered through the hot spring-like currents and caught a glimpse of the ocean floor so rich and bountiful that he feasted on it, eating and eating, using it for a huge seafood feast.

The dream was so real that the warm feeling of satiety still warmed his stomach, and Jiang Mian couldn’t describe how he felt right now, sitting in the humid air, his brain refreshed, his limbs light, his bones and joints moving, his hands and feet full of strength.

Just like earlier, the consequence of hurriedly stretching his arms was that he tore a very good quality shirt.

He knew that there were times when changes in the spiritual world could be profoundly and radically reflected in the physical body. Was the aftermath of escaping the iron grip of the Institute so powerful that it could transform a frail and sickly man to such an extent?

Jiang Mian couldn’t figure it out, he pursed his lips, tongue against the teeth when he explored a vague fishy smell.

Well, did I bite my lips in my sleep, or… 

Jiang Mian breathed deeply in confusion, only to feel a sticky, thin mist of water that escaped comfortably along his nasal cavity.

Strangely enough, staying in the moist environment was really very pleasant for him, but, looking at the dryness of the bedding and bed, the duration of this bizarre dampness didn’t seem to last long.

Did Raperth do it?

He found his slippers, hitched the poor shirt that had fallen in battle to the back of his chair, turned on the extractor fan, then put on a pajama jacket, opened the door to his room—

“Oh my God!”

Jiang Mian’s eyes widened in astonishment.

The water vapor drifted into fog, and the fog condensed into water droplets, washing the entire corridor, as well as the interior buildings on the far side of the corridor, all dampened. Compared with the fog and clouds outside, the wetness in Jiang Mian’s room was really small.

He hurriedly closed the door, stepping on slippers, walking in the white fog with less than ten meters visibility, touching the wall. These were clean waters, Jiang Mian knew, and they had a clear, reassuringly gentle scent, not yet ready to add the Institute’s specially formulated disinfectant to the water filtration system, and not causing him the allergic damage of red, swollen skin.

There were no guards in sight along the way, only Jiang Mian, walking alone on the road. At that moment, he suddenly heard a vague and faint song, which came from far away like a wisp of cloud and mist.

Jiang Mian couldn’t use professional terms to judge the merits of this song, and he thought that human standards of judgment had no right to define the deep-sea mermaid’s voice. He could only say that the tune was as simple and beautiful as he had never heard before. It was as simple as a line, a black dot on a white wall, but because of its simplicity, it contained the feelings exposed at the same time, like the old books and biographies of the heart of the opening of the box, telling people to look clearly at a blue blood.

This was Raperth’s song, and he seemed to be calling for something… 

He walked through the fog, dew condensed, wetting his eyelashes and skin, clothing gradually absorbed enough moisture to cling to his body. Jiang Mian walked through the empty hall, the smooth metal floor beneath his feet like a mirror, now like an obscure snow surface, leaving a footprint, and then the footprints were slowly re-covered by the cool fog.

At the end of the road, Jiang Mian saw the mermaid king sitting high on the terrace.

Raperth bared his broad, strong shoulders, robust chest and arms, water beads glistening on his smooth, moist skin, the heavy fish tail curving into a smooth arc, each scale as pure as night shining with the fire of diamonds — Jiang Mian could not help but be impressed by this man. The mermaid vibrated his gills, humming lowly while combing his long, luxurious hair, which twisted like a dark, roiling, living snake in his sharp, spiky armor.

This scene was really treacherous and fascinating, and Jiang Mian looked at it, but his expression became a little strange.

He coughed lightly and walked over, standing below to look up at the mermaid.

“Raperth?” he asked softly, tentatively, “Are you… Are you imitating… Uh, did you watch The Little Mermaid?”

As the night passed, Raperth digested more useful parts from the memories of those people, and sensing that Jiang Mian was about to wake up, he could only reluctantly slip out of the room and find another moment to close the distance between him and his mate.

He nodded, gill lines opening and closing, the song not stopping as he grinned, revealing sharp white teeth, “I acted… bad?”

“What the hell?” Jiang Mian laughed as he climbed the stairs briskly and sat carefully next to Raperth, feeling an inexhaustible amount of energy in his body, “Why are you acting this out?”

He gently squeezed Raperth’s long, wet hair, “It’s just a fairy tale, not a real-life mermaid.”

“It’s not?” Raperth looked at him suspiciously, “A female of noble status… using the power of the sea and storms… smashing ships… causing fancy prey to fall into the water… and then choosing… in favor of her appearance of disguise… with the voice… to hunt for a soulmate… I think… it makes sense.”

It can also be used as a reference for my courtship — if the mermaid in the eyes of humans is how to attract their mates.

“How is that…” Jiang Mian lost his smile, “You really watched it! But don’t you think that animation has a lot of unrealistic, or rather, a lot of human boasting parts? For example, the mermaid princess risked being torn by sharks, to collect cutlery forks, and some ocean garbage as a treasure… Something like that?”

Wow, Jiang Mian paused, dizzy, and thought, Wow, wait a minute, I am talking to a real mermaid king about a human-created fairy tale movie, right?

Raperth sat still, but his long hair foolishly swam up and tried to surround Jiang Mian from the other side, “Since her soulmate… is human… then… it makes sense.”

He lowered his head and gazed single-mindedly at Jiang Mian, “Because it’s what he likes… what he’s used to… so the mermaid will also try… to get used to them. It’s instinct… it’s nature.”

Jiang Mian’s heart missed a beat, Raperth’s eyes were like melted honey and gold, being looked at seriously by him, there was always the illusion of burning for no reason.

He wiped his heated cheeks with the back of his hand and asked in a low voice, “Do you have a soul mate?”

Raperth said, “I do…”

No good, Pearl doesn’t know his life yet, or his implied mermaid blood, will I kill the possibility of a successful courtship if I say that? The black hair that had been surreptitiously spreading over it froze as Raperth made a sharp turn, “…Or not?”

Jiang Mian opened his mouth and looked at him blankly, “You… don’t know?”

One man and one fish looked at each other, and after a long time, Jiang Mian finally couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“Did you make this fog?” He asked.

Raperth shook his head innocently, “It’s not me… it’s them… they broke something downstairs. I tried, too… to understand why… but no one answered me.”

“Downstairs… Did someone screw up the cleaning system?” Jiang Mian was a little surprised as he turned back to reassure Raperth, “It’s okay, they don’t know you, that’s why they’re afraid of you, I know you, of course I know exactly how good of a friend you are.”

The male mermaid turned his head away, muttering to himself, [I don’t need those land folk to understand me either, I just want to hold you in my arms].

Ever since he learned human language, when he communicated with Jiang Mian, it was rare for him to speak mermaid.

Jiang Mian couldn’t help but smile at this, and after thinking about it, he stammered and chanted, [You, what did you say?]

Raperth opened his eyelids in shock, his long, narrow eyes widening in joy, and exclaimed, “You speak our language!”

Jiang Mian bit his lip, trying desperately to stop laughing as he pinched his fingers and gestured coyly, “I only speak a little, not a lot.”

“That’s not true.” Raperth said seriously, “The tone of voice… the nuances… the turns of syllables… the variation of moods… Mermaids are the best… imitators… because our language… which has been the most complex… is not something that people… by listening… can learn.”

Jiang Mian was very surprised, “But there are some repetitive parts, and with your movements and expressions, I can probably understand what it means. Is that abnormal?”

“I wouldn’t say it is… not normal.” Raperth cautiously stretched out his arms in an attempt to slowly uncover a glimpse of the truth, “But it is… indeed… something that ordinary people can’t do.”

“So… I’m not an ordinary person?” Jiang Mian scratched his head and pondered a few answers, “I’m gifted with languages? I’m suited to delving into mermaidology? I’m smart?”

“Of course you’re not an ordinary person.” Raperth hovered carefully over the question, “You are… you are…”

Alas, Pearl was completely unaware of the matter, and Raperth was a little frustrated. Like a krill that never thought it was actually the offspring of a white shark, Jiang Mian couldn’t think outside the box of his upbringing and venture a guess that he was actually a hybrid mermaid.

“…You’re cute.” Raperth muttered, temporarily abandoning his intention to pierce the window and preparing to take things in stride, “Cute.”

Jiang Mian blushed and smiled, his pupils reflecting the ripples in his eyes, not used to such blunt gestures of affection and compliments. He said softly, “Well… Thank you? I’d like to go check something out later, would it be okay if you were here? Or shall I find you something to eat?”

The male mermaid froze for a moment, his mind racing, hastily and not very skillfully changing into a sad crying face, intending to make Jiang Mian’s heart soften to stay — the better to stretch this stay to a thousand generations.

To Raperth, Jiang Mian was in a dilemma, he was really curious about something, now the entire Institute’s top management couldn’t control him, this was the best opportunity to explore… But Raperth was also his friend, the best kind! Maybe he should really stay and spend some quality friendship time with Raperth… 

He frowned, his face contained hesitation, and he couldn’t help but show those pathetic puppy dog eyes again, almost shocking the soul of  Raperth, as he wanted to snatch him into his arms and dive deep underwater.

“You go… go ahead!” Raperth conceded that he was never going to be a match for Jiang Mian, “But will you be back soon?”

“I will,” Jiang Mian promised, “and I will definitely be back soon. If you feel lonely…”

Raperth grinned thinly, his golden eyes shining, his scarlet tongue like blood, “Not alone, I’m watching you.”

Anyone else would have been scared out of their wits by such a large alien smiling and saying “I’m watching you”, but to Jiang Mian, Raperth looked cold and fierce, but was actually an oversized huggable teddy bear with a soft interior.

“Okay, you watch me.” Jiang Mian laughed.

He got up, walked down the escalator, stood on his tiptoes and waved at Raperth before heading up to the experiment station, the still-present feeling of satiety and the happy feeling of being with a mermaid making Jiang Mian forget one thing.

——From last night to midday today, he had not eaten for over twelve hours.

—

Jiang Mian brushed open the door of the experimental station, the fog was raging inside and out, but the people standing inside remained unaware, maintaining their regular commute, operating and recording on the wet terminal screen and paper, as blind and orderly as a swarm of bees in a hive.

Jiang Mian hesitated and walked gingerly over to them. He didn’t know exactly what these people had seen and experienced in their visions of immortal water, he only saw their written narratives, a jumble of strange graphic lines and some sleepwalking-like scribbles.

“Hello! Mr. Jiang.”

Dr. Brown stood straight in front of him, his smile stiff, his pupils unnaturally lax, and in the haze, the old man’s head wound had completely healed, but his face radiated the pale blue color of a dying man, startling Jiang Mian.

“Hello!” Jiang Mian reflexively returned, “Bu, Dr. Brown…”

“Excuse me, how can I help you?” The arc of his smile remained the same, Dr. Brown asked kindly.

Hair on Jiang Mian’s back, he really hoped that even in the illusion, they would continue to treat him like air… No, wait, it suddenly occurred to him that this approach might work.

“Uh, ahem, Dr. Brown?” Jiang Mian held on to a glimmer of hope, “If I say that I would like to see the recipe and record files for the new version of the Immortal Water, will you allow me…”

Before the word “to?” was out of his mouth, a thick notebook had been pushed under his nose.

Dr. Brown smiled cheerfully and said clearly, “I’ll allow it!”

Jiang Mian brought his eyes to the tip of his nose and saw that the notebook, which was close at hand, had a black sheepskin cover with an understated, luxurious floral foil, and in the lower right corner was Dr. Brown’s ID code for the Institute, headed by the unrivaled seniority “A1”.

This notebook should be in the hands of scholars, and Jiang Pingyang also had one. The old men at the institute weren’t used to more advanced personal terminals, they trusted their pens and their own brains, and for them, electronic terminals connected to the network were too open, and there was always the risk of information leakage, so any notes they had around them were absolutely confidential, and any drafts and scraps of paper they confirmed they didn’t want had to be burned at the end of the day in the presence of no less than three recorders, not to mention the exclusive notebook.

Jiang Mian swallowed hard, unable to believe that victory was so close at hand.

He nervously took it with both hands, saying thank you with a formal smile, even though he knew the other man couldn’t hear him, and began eagerly flipping through it again.

Dr. Brown’s notes, like the man himself, were as well-organized as a textbook, and Jiang Mian quickly located what he wanted and read on with bated breath.

“…The properties of mermaid blood lead to it being an irreplaceable main ingredient in the development of Immortal Water… Yes, this is it!” Jiang Mian’s finger stroked on the handwriting that couldn’t hide its excitement and was so high that it was about to fly up, “One is the almost unlimited cellular activity, and the other is the cell’s powerful in vitro proliferation ability…”

“…The blood sample of 002 can be stored for a long time in the environment of -60 degrees Celsius, and the use of chlorine difluoride to inactivate it still has a certain probability of failure…” Jiang Mian’s expression gradually gripped, his brow furrowed deeply, “According to precise measurements, the survival temperature threshold of 002’s cells is between -120°C and 400°C, and has a very strong stability… High pressure is ineffective, and even under high radiation, the initial gene sequence can be maintained without any signs of mutation…”

Jiang Mian muttered, “Crazy people.”

Crazy people, what a bunch of crazy people. If it was the nature of every normal person to avoid harm, then how could this group of mortals, who knew that the mermaid blood was so abnormal, dare to drink the Immortal Water without any fear and indulge themselves in the pursuit of this flesh and blood mutation like immortality?