Chapter 57: Rescue Station

Chapter 57: The Shelter

Deng Xi was building blocks with Bunny.

After dropping Bunny off, Dr. Li returned to her duties at the treatment center, even sharing Bunny's special snacks with Deng Xi.

Nibbling a cream-filled cookie, Deng Xi placed a roof block onto the assembled foundation. "When do we start class?"

Bunny, engrossed in building his castle, replied, "Mom said I got all my homework right last night, so as a reward, I don't have to attend lessons today."

Deng Xi hummed vaguely, a touch bored.

This block-building game was their daily ritual after Bunny's lessons. Bunny was always brimming with enthusiasm, but perhaps accustomed to playing alone, he sometimes overlooked Deng Xi, who quietly assembled his own blocks.

The usual outcome was Deng Xi marveling at Bunny's magnificent castle, then casting a downcast glance at his own crooked, human-style house, feeling a pang of shame at being outdone by a mere child.

Deng Xi's understanding of human houses was rudimentary: just a roof and four walls. He pursed his lips, took the last bite of his biscuit, and carefully tucked the remaining unopened one into his flying chair.

He wanted Little Mute to enjoy the delicious cookie too.

Deng Xi dismantled his lopsided house and, following the instructions, meticulously constructed a seashell.

Bunny edged closer. "Big Brother is amazing!"

Deng Xi's eyes curved into a smile. "Bunny, have you been taking your medicine lately?"

Bunny shook his head. "I told Mom, and she didn't ask anything—just took all the medicine away."

Deng Xi nodded, half-understanding, half-puzzled.

Bunny looked at Deng Xi, whose white hair now framed ears that had returned to their normal form. Aside from his unusually pale skin, he looked just like any other child. Bunny's lips parted, a hesitant, unspoken thought lingering.

Sensing Bunny's unspoken words, Deng Xi set down his blocks and asked curiously, "What is it, Bunny?"

Bunny seemed to realize he might have done something wrong and asked timidly, "Can I share the songs I recorded of you with others?"

Deng Xi seemed surprised. "Why not?"

Songs were meant to be heard. When Deng Xi was alone in the vast ocean, he rarely hummed melodies in the dark solitude of his cave.

He preferred days of blue skies and white clouds, swimming to the surface or resting on a great whale's back, humming as the sea breeze carried his mermaid song far and wide, letting the entire ocean hear.

Bunny's eyes lit up. "Really?!" He sprang to his feet, now standing at the same height as Deng Xi, who sat cross-legged on the carpet.

Before Deng Xi could react, Bunny suddenly embraced him, a faint milky scent emanating from the child. "Thank you, Big Brother!"

Bunny was usually so reserved; this was the first time Deng Xi had seen him so excited.

Bunny beamed. "I've made lots of friends from other species. They can't afford medicine, so they can't hide their ears, tails, and claws. They need your songs more than I do." Fearing Deng Xi might misunderstand, he quickly added, "But they're not bad like people say! They're really good—they barely leave home and never hurt anyone."

It took Deng Xi a moment to process this. Seeing Bunny bounce anxiously, he felt a little flustered himself. "Mm! I know. Bunny is good, and they're good too."

This seemed to calm Bunny somewhat.

Deng Xi asked, "Are they all children like you?"

Bunny nodded. "They're all at Mom's shelter."

"Shelter?" Deng Xi knew human children were unlike the dwindling merfolk; they had parents and many blood relatives.

If the merfolk community still existed, no merfolk egg would ever be left to hatch alone in the deep sea. They would find a suitable shell, line it with soft seaweed, and carry it with them always.

Once a merfolk child was born, not just their parents, but the entire merfolk community would meticulously protect the newborn.

Deng Xi bit his lip. "Where are their parents?"

Bunny seemed to pause, then scratched his head in confusion. "I don't know. Mom said they don't have parents anymore."

For some reason, Deng Xi felt an unexpected tightness in his chest, his heart thumping heavily. Softly, he said, "Then play my songs for them."

He hoped his voice could help.

Bunny was so happy he almost danced with the blocks. "I'll tell Mom!" He opened his wrist-com and sent a voice message: "Mom, I'm going to play with Xiao Ye and the others!"

Dr. Li replied immediately, "Be careful. If Big Brother is going too, take good care of him, okay?"

Bunny paused, looking at Deng Xi. "Big Brother, are you coming?" He thought for a moment. "They have blocks, snacks, and candy there too!"

Deng Xi hesitated, looking at the completed blocks and empty snack wrappers. Little Mute had told him he could go play outside.

He nodded. "Then I'll go with Bunny."

If the recordings didn't work, he could always sing for them in person.

Deng Xi also opened his wrist device, following Little Mute's instructions to check the locator icon. Seeing the two close red dots made him feel slightly better. He sent a message: "Bunny says he's taking me to play with Xiao Ye."

"I'll be back soon. Can the red dots stay where they are?"

That way, if he got lost, he could follow the dots back.

Little Mute was probably still busy.

Deng Xi waited, but the device remained silent. He lowered his eyes in disappointment before Bunny tugging his hand distracted him.

"Big Brother, be careful," Bunny said.

He knew Deng Xi's newly formed legs were fragile.

Deng Xi pushed off the table to stand, letting Bunny guide him slowly. Bunny, as cheerful as ever, seemed to enjoy using his natural abilities, bouncing lightly.

Curious, Deng Xi asked, "What's your racial ability?"

Bunny whispered, "Mom says not to tell others, but I can tell you. I can hear lots of sounds, run really fast, and jump super high."

"Wow, Bunny's amazing!"

The shelter sat at the far edge of the treatment center—a small building, but neat and clean.

Since all buildings in the treatment center were connected by special passages, Deng Xi didn't have to walk far, but even this short distance exhausted him.

From a distance, Dr. Li noticed Deng Xi's increasingly sluggish steps but didn't intervene. She watched quietly, exhaling only when he finally reached the shelter's medical entrance.

The Marshal's training progress was frustratingly slow. As a therapist, she'd seen many patients rehabilitating with prosthetics. Without pushing them safely, progress was nearly invisible.

After murmuring instructions to a colleague, a mechanical wheelchair was brought over just as Deng Xi arrived.

Bunny released Deng Xi's hand and dashed to Dr. Li. "Mom, why are you here?"

Dr. Li simply smiled gently, remembering the message she'd just received on her communicator, and said nothing.

The Marshal was watching him too closely.

With the doctor's help, Deng Xi sat down in the wheelchair, and said politely with a smile, "Thank you."

Bunny eagerly offered to push Deng Xi's wheelchair.

Dr. Li walked beside them, staying half a step ahead. "Sorry, Bunny gets a little hyperactive when he has nothing to do."

Like a little rabbit, he's curious and excited about many things, following his whims.

Deng Xi shook his head slightly. "That's okay. I like playing with Bunny and the others too."

Bunny didn't push for long before hearing the laughter from the hall and dashing off toward the sound.

Watching Bunny run off, Deng Xi finally sensed a bit of youthful energy in him.

Dr. Li took the wheelchair handles and said, "These alien children were all found by the rescue station staff."

Just as some shelters actively search for stray cats and dogs, the treatment center's rescue station also seeks out wandering alien children, bringing them in for treatment and giving them a safe place to stay.

Dr. Li continued, "Bunny loves spending time with them, but since it's too far from the treatment center, I rarely bring him here—I worry I can't look after him properly."

Deng Xi tilted his head, puzzled. "Why? Do they pick on Bunny too?"

Dr. Li shook her head gently, but her words said otherwise. "They do, but not willingly."

Deng Xi didn't fully understand.

Dr. Li left it at that.

The wheelchair stopped at the corner of the hall, and Deng Xi peeked around the corner to see the children sitting in rows, watching lessons on a blue projection screen. "Are they in a class?"

Dr. Li nodded.

In the human world, technology has advanced to where children don't need to attend actual schools—they can learn through communicators.

Only knowledge can change the plight of these stray children, and Dr. Li made sure nothing was overlooked.

Deng Xi noticed some of the children stood out—some had patches of brown fur on their skin like little animals.

A few, like Bunny, had two ears on their heads.

Deng Xi spotted one child and asked quietly, "Why is he missing an ear?"

The child's remaining ear resembled a small, floppy Teddy bear's ear, and his eyes were clearly puppy-like—round and adorable. But the scar on the other side, though healed, still showed traces of the gruesome wound it once was.

Dr. Li explained, "Some people who hate aliens deliberately target defenseless alien children and remove their distinctive features."

She left it there.

Reality was even crueler.

When they found these aliens—abandoned by their families for being different—each bore their own scars.

Deng Xi stood there stunned for a while before whispering, "But he looks so well-behaved and cute."

Dr. Li smiled but didn't respond. "Go play with them."

Just then, Bunny ran over. "Big Bro, I introduced you to them! Come play with us!"

Deng Xi let Bunny wheel him in.

The alien children looked nervous at first, none daring to approach. Bunny was getting antsy.

Deng Xi thought for a moment, then tucked his golden hair behind his ear, revealing the faint shimmer behind his ears as his delicate gills gradually appeared in the air.

He smiled softly. "Can we play together?"

The alien children exchanged glances.

The puppy-eyed boy, missing an ear, finally worked up the courage to come closer. Teddy bears were typically playful and affectionate, fond of humans.

A slightly warm candy, its wrapper damp with sweat, was pressed into Deng Xi's hand. The candy had been held so long it had nearly melted, syrup seeping out.

The little candy seemed like a treasured possession, saved for a special day—until now, when it was generously given away.

Deng Xi could almost picture a little dog wagging its tail and grinning foolishly at him.

He heard the puppy-eyed boy say, "Mom says when you make friends, you share your favorite treats and toys."

The other alien children hesitated, watching timidly.

Only when Deng Xi clutched the well-loved candy and smiled warmly did they finally gather around.

The children were instinctively drawn to the mermaid's presence—they all liked Deng Xi.

They all wanted to be his friends.