Chapter 27: Hello

Chapter 27 Hello

The little mermaid, who had fallen into a deep slumber, received excellent care. A full day passed before the tranquilizer completely metabolized from Deng Xi’s system.

He had slept for a very, very long time.

Upon waking, he vaguely recalled a beautiful dream, a full belly, and a fleeting glimpse of Little Mute.

Deng Xi gazed out from his tank. He had been moved to a larger, transparent enclosure, and the surroundings were once again unfamiliar. Silver-white walls stretched around him, vast, pristine, and empty, with only himself inside.

The collar around Deng Xi’s neck was gone. His strength had returned, his hunger sated. Having slept for so long, he now felt exceptionally energetic.

He surveyed the quiet space.

Now that he was alone and nothing restrained him, could he perhaps sneak away?

Deng Xi swam to the surface, clinging to the tank’s edge to peer out. He then looked down at the height between the tank and the ground, steeling himself.

It’s fine!

A fall from this height would hurt, but the pain would quickly fade!

Deng Xi closed his eyes, preparing to use his tail fin to propel himself bravely out of the water, when a sudden "ding—" echoed through the silent room. His blue eyes snapped open, instantly alert, as he looked toward the sound.

The room’s door unlocked and slid open automatically.

A brown-haired woman in a white trench coat stood at the entrance. She tapped lightly on the door and smiled faintly. "Hello, may I come in?"

Another unfamiliar species.

Deng Xi remembered the ugly, terrible villain he had seen in the ocean. These creatures, called "humans," who had captured Little Mute, were all villains.

Taking a deep breath, Deng Xi slowly withdrew his hands, feigning obedience as he submerged back into the water. He didn’t want her to discover his escape attempt, cautiously backing away.

The brown-haired woman keenly sensed the blue-tailed mermaid’s emotions in the tank. He was highly wary of her. She remained by the door, not stepping further inside, maintaining a safe distance as she spoke kindly, "Don’t be afraid. No one will hurt you now."

She introduced herself, "I am a psychologist assigned to you by the Imperial Research Institute, and also your future guide."

"You can call me Ai Er."

"Every alien like you who was captured will now be under the Empire’s protection and will no longer suffer any harm. Please don’t worry."

The strange, obscure language automatically translated in his mind. While many specialized terms remained beyond Deng Xi’s comprehension, the mermaid could keenly perceive the emotions she projected: peace and friendliness.

Safety.

Deng Xi hesitated for a moment before slowly swimming closer, silently meeting Ai Er’s gaze through the tank’s barrier.

Only then did Ai Er step into the cabin. "No need to be nervous. This is a post-war psychological assessment that everyone undergoes. You just need to answer a few simple questions."

Deng Xi blinked his blue eyes, pressing his lips together without speaking.

Ai Er smiled helplessly. "Alright, I’ll begin asking questions now."

Ai Er: "Have you been harmed in any way?"

Deng Xi hesitated, then shook his head.

He wasn’t injured, nor was he bleeding.

Ai Er: "How many days have you been held captive?"

Deng Xi shook his head again.

He hadn’t been fully conscious. He couldn’t remember.

Ai Er: "You’ve forgotten? Then, do you remember which star system your family is from? Do you have their contact information?"

Family?

Deng Xi remained silent for a long time, then slowly shook his head.

His only kin was Little Mute, but he didn’t know where Little Mute was now.

Ai Er sighed. "Alright, I understand. I have one last question." She asked, "Can you still speak normally?"

Deng Xi nodded.

Ai Er also smiled slightly, indicating understanding. "My questions are finished. Rest well."

She turned and walked toward the door.

"W-Wait."

Deng Xi suddenly spoke, the words clumsy in his mouth. Having heard them only once, his reproduction was somewhat garbled, his pronunciation slow.

But Deng Xi still tried his best, utilizing the mermaid’s unique talent, babbling, "The aliens... who were captured like me..." He strung together the remembered sounds into a complete sentence, "Can I... see them?"

Ai Er smiled. "Once you arrive at the Research Institute, you’ll have the opportunity."

Research Institute? What was that?

Deng Xi secretly committed the three words to memory. Could Little Mute, who had been captured, be there?

Ai Er closed the cabin door. Only after the sounds and sights from inside were cut off did she press her earlobe, reporting softly into her earpiece, "His condition is very poor."

"He is very resistant to me and very reluctant to converse with me. He shows great vigilance and wariness towards unfamiliar environments and people. This state is abnormal."

Ai Er continued, "He can be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, though unlike yours, his symptoms are very mild. Just ensure he doesn’t come into contact with anything related to that auction in the future."

"I’ve also reviewed his medical records. Although he stayed in your advanced treatment pod for a long time, he suffered from prolonged starvation." Ai Er frowned slightly. "He has mild gastritis, so it’s best not to let him eat irritating foods. Other than that, there are no external injuries."

"The immediate concern now is his psychological well-being."

Only then did a cold male voice respond through the earpiece, "How should he be treated?"

Ai Er asked, "He doesn’t remember where his family is. Perhaps letting him stay with his companions would be better, slowly coaxing him to open up." She speculated, "He just asked about other aliens. Perhaps this aversion is only directed at normal humans; it might be different with other aliens."

"Once he arrives at the Research Institute and spends more time with the aliens there, his condition might improve."

Silence filled the earpiece.

Remembering the director’s instructions, Ai Er pressed on despite the pressure, "Let him stay at the Research Institute, Marshal. I guarantee that what happened back then will not recur."

"The director personally purged many people back then, preventing the recurrence of human experiments. Now, the Research Institute treats these aliens no differently from normal people. The situations you imagine will not arise."

Ai Er was one of the personnel dispatched by the Research Institute for this assignment. She had not been involved in the events of that year; all her knowledge came from the court hearing three years prior.

After a long pause.

Si Jisheng finally spoke, "Was this your director’s suggestion?"

Ai Er faltered for a moment but still tried to argue, "After all, he is very precious. The director definitely wants to bring him back to the institute." She pleaded, almost begging, "We promise he won’t suffer any abuse, and we won’t repeat the scenes from back then."

In the suffocating silence, Ai Er’s breathing grew heavy, her heart pounding faster as she awaited judgment. Just as she was about to surrender, a cold reply came, "The military won’t clean up the Research Institute’s messes again."

If this merman were to fall into the hands of other star systems… Si Jisheng closed his eyes, refusing to dwell further, and ended the communication.

A sharp "ding—" sounded in her earpiece, and Ai Er finally let out a sigh of relief, her back drenched in cold sweat. Although she didn’t understand what the Marshal meant by "cleaning up the Research Institute’s messes," the matter was finally handled perfectly.

She glanced at the tightly closed cabin door behind her, her gaze softening. She would be a good guide and cure the blue-tailed merman’s condition.

The military’s starship successfully returned to the Imperial Capital Star. Small shuttles picked up the aliens rescued from the space pirates in batches, flying them to the Research Institute.

Deng Xi was in the last batch.

His tank was wheeled out of the cabin alone, pushed forward along the way. The golden-haired, blue-tailed little mermaid pressed against the tank wall, curiously looking around.

From time to time, he glanced at the two unfamiliar humans pushing the tank and Ai Er, who walked alongside.

Deng Xi couldn’t remember the route.

All he knew was that the tank moved along silver-white walls for a very long time, passing through one blue light door after another—it was utterly monotonous.

But he was elated.

He was about to see Little Mute.

Deng Xi waited expectantly, his beautiful blue eyes slightly curved, exhaling joyful bubbles. After passing through the next blue light door, a four-way intersection opened up.

Deng Xi looked around curiously.

In the distance down the left passage, a group of people happened to walk by. The one leading was clad in crisp black, his silver hair partly draped down his back, some strands resting on the golden insignia on his shoulder.

Deng Xi’s first glance was drawn to the dazzling gold, then the familiar silver hair. His eyes widened slightly, but before he could get a clear look, the figure had already passed through the corridor.

The blue tail suddenly slapped against the tank wall, startling Ai Er, who hurriedly asked, "What’s wrong?"

Deng Xi anxiously tapped the tank wall, his voice, muffled by the water, becoming even more indistinct, "Who was that?"

Ai Er replied, "That’s the one who rescued all of you. He is the military’s supreme leader, the Empire’s Marshal."

He seemed very powerful.

And he had no tail; he walked like a human.

Probably not Little Mute.

Deng Xi’s eyes fell, and he muttered sullenly.

The tank was pushed through another light door, entering the interior of a shuttle docked with the starship.

The shuttle carrying Deng Xi landed on the top floor of the Research Institute.

When the tank was wheeled out of the shuttle, it was the first time Deng Xi realized that under the sun, there were vast expanses of land not covered by the sea.

The warmth of sunlight shone on the water’s surface. Deng Xi broke through the water, breathing in fresh air, feeling the warmth of the light on his skin as he gazed blankly skyward.

For a fleeting moment, he truly felt the reality of having arrived in a new world.

He was completely different from those who could walk on land.

A fish out of water. Utterly alone.

Deng Xi suddenly felt a fear of the unknown.

He thought, once he found Little Mute, the next step would be to take him back to their ocean home.

Deng Xi didn’t know that as he emerged from the water, bathed in light, he was being watched by many.

His azure tail shimmered, his curly golden hair dazzling even more under the light, his blue eyes as ethereal as the sea.

So beautiful, one couldn’t bear to blink.

Hearing that a national treasure-level alien would be delivered to the institute today, all the Research Institute staff who had rushed to witness couldn’t help but hold their collective breath. After being struck by his beauty, someone murmured in awe, "Are we really allowed to keep this?"

The spell broken, everyone snapped back to reality.

"What species of alien is he? Is this his racial talent?"

"I heard he’s a merman, like the Marshal."

"I’ve seen the Marshal in person—all mermen must look like this."

"His beauty is truly out of this world."

"He seems to have heard us talking about him."

Deng Xi turned toward the sound behind the transparent door, lifting his gaze to a sea of colorful humans, all staring intently at him.

So many people.

Deng Xi twitched his fingers, slowly, slowly sinking back beneath the water’s surface, only his blue eyes remaining to cautiously observe the outside world.

Why were they all looking at him?

Strange humans.

The researchers, balding from years of tedious experiments, instantly melted. "I’m applying to be his caretaker!"

"Can we get a ten-person team approved? I’ll submit an application too."

"They’re bringing him in!"

The glass door slid open automatically, and the tank was wheeled inside. A cacophony of voices immediately swarmed around him. Deng Xi faced a wall of grinning human faces, and a barrage of friendly greetings assaulted his ears.

"Hello, I’m Andis, a researcher specializing in alien species."

"Hey there, I’m Yarman."

"Bode, I hope I’ll be your dedicated caretaker!"

"Hello, I—"

"Hello…"

Deng Xi was completely overwhelmed, fumbling awkwardly as he tried to mimic their language, softly greeting, "Hello everyone."

The fear of the unknown gradually dissipated.

Deng Xi’s clear blue eyes crinkled slightly as he said earnestly, "I’m Deng Xi."

Humans, and a new world.

Hello to you all.

Author's Note:

First update, a second update will be out late tonight—don’t wait up!

Happy New Year! Sending out 20 small red envelopes to celebrate~