MASG chapter 3

 

Xia Yu wasn’t running very fast.

He was already frail and had recently undergone surgery. He hadn’t eaten when he woke up, and he was barefoot. The ground was so wet that he couldn’t tell if he was stepping in blood—and sometimes he couldn’t even tell where he was going.

The corridor felt like a gaping mouth, ready to devour him and reduce him to a bloody mess. And then there were the fish eggs behind him.

The fish egg was heavier than he’d imagined. It had slept for so long, yet it showed no sign of waking. The white coat was like a giant net, tightly enveloping and perfectly protecting it.

Huff, huff, huff… Amid the clamor of alarm, Xia Yu’s breathing was particularly noticeable. His mind was blank, oblivious to everything except running. Finally, he saw a door, but it didn’t open for him.

It was firmly shut, signaling a dead end—and Xia Yu’s death. The robots behind him had already caught up. They moved swiftly, their nightmarish red eyes following him everywhere.

“Open… open the door! Open the door!” Xia Yu knelt before the door and looked pleadingly at the surveillance camera above and to the left of him. The camera’s red light was on, indicating that it was working. He still couldn’t understand why Nuwa had suddenly become so brutal. Not only had she stopped protecting humans, she was killing them!

She had killed so many, so many people!

Just half an hour ago, she had been chatting with him and said she had added “Song of the Little Jellyfish” to her database. Xia Yu was exhausted from running; his legs were trembling. The sound of cold footsteps grew closer. He could only knock helplessly on the door, hoping it would open.

Suddenly, the camera’s light turned blue for a brief second before fading back to red.

But the door swung open, turning the dead end into a way out. Xia Yu had been pressing his upper body against the door. The sudden opening sent him careening to the ground as if he had fallen flat on his face. His chin hit the ground, but he didn’t feel any pain. He scrambled to his feet.

He saw the elevator just a dozen meters away—the one Professor Wang had mentioned! But as he ran, Xia Yu suddenly felt his shoulders lighten as if he had forgotten something important.

Fish eggs! He had forgotten the giant egg!

He was so panicked. How could someone so new to this possibly have thought of everything? The moment the door opened, his only thought was escape. Realizing he had lost the fish eggs, Xia Yu quickly turned around. But the red lights were already approaching the metal door.

A countdown appeared on the door: “60 seconds left before this floor enters its self-destruct sequence!”

Countless red dots surrounded him, and each robot was capable of shredding him to pieces. Although Xia Yu had undergone numerous surgeries and knew he could survive a broken leg or arm, he wasn’t sure he could recover from being minced.

The fear of imminent death washed over him once again as the horrific prospect of death seemed imminent. Xia Yu turned around and, in that split second, chose to run for the elevator. Once inside, he would be completely safe and could use his wristband to escape.

But after taking two steps, he stopped again.

That fish egg was his only friend in all these years.

In this research institute filled with unknowns, Xia Yu had no friends his own age. Besides Professor Wang, Nuwa was the only one he could talk to. The X-Series was useless. He had already accepted his fate of being summoned to the operating table by humans and watching them remove his hand, foot, liver, or kidney.

He had assumed that life would continue this way, day after day. The mermaid egg was sent to the X-Series laboratory. At first, the egg wasn’t large, but when Xia Yu approached the glass, it seemed to drift toward him as he gazed at it through the transparent glass.

They hadn’t spoken. More precisely, Xia Yu had been talking to the egg but had never heard a response. This egg had been with him for four years and had grown so large. Would it be frightened if it were abandoned?

Probably not, since the mermaid inside had no chance of hatching, as many had said. It was just a growing ball of flesh, devouring nutrients and steadily increasing in size. The embryo inside might already be a mindless mass of flesh.

But… but, it would die, if he didn’t save it, it would die.

“Ah! Don’t come over here!” Xia Yu spun around quickly, crying as he ran, as if to encourage his own timidity. By the time he grabbed the corner of his white coat, the robots were only a few meters away. Xia Yu resumed running, dragging the fish eggs forward. He ignored everything else and reached the elevator door in one breath.

Wristband, swipe! Xia Yu jumped and swiped the sensor. The small screen on his bracelet lit up.

[Welcome, Professor Wang Qin, good evening.]

A mechanical voice sounded and the elevator doors opened with a swish. Xia Yu dragged the egg inside. “Hurry, hurry, hurry! Close the door!” He repeatedly pressed the close button. When the door finally closed, he breathed a sigh of relief. But then, a robot outside sliced a half-meter-long hole in the door.

The hole widened, and in the light from the elevator, Xia Yu saw the red electronic eye again.

Not only was there a red light in his line of sight, but there were also red buttons on the elevator. However, these devices were designed for adults, not children. Xia Yu was short and, even with his arms stretched out, couldn’t reach the red “Emergency Up” button.

The crack’s curling edge became increasingly pronounced. The sturdy elevator door wouldn’t hold out much longer. The robot that had sliced through the door had already thrust its head inside, followed closely by its arms. Time was running out for Xia Yu. Without a second thought, he crouched slightly, then sprang up with all his might!

His fingertips finally pressed the red button!

A violent jolt shook Xia Yu’s feet, causing him to stumble and sway, unable to stand steadily. Wang Qin’s bracelet fell to the ground. The elevator began its rapid ascent, crushing the robot’s head, which had already entered the elevator, and Xia Yu fell to the ground.

The speed was unlike anything Xia Yu had ever experienced before. It felt like his body was floating. Soon, his ears began to ring, and he felt dizzy. He felt no excitement at having survived, only fear and confusion. The elevator finally took him away from the institute, but where else could he go?

The outside world was more dangerous and unfamiliar.

At that moment, Xia Yu’s strength was completely drained. In just ten minutes, he had experienced too much to process. Now, all he could do was hold on to the fish egg beside him—a fish whose survival was uncertain.

Without seawater, would it die soon? Amid the constant tremors, Xia Yu held it tightly and closed his eyes in exhaustion. From this day forward, he was the only one it could rely on. It was his little fish fry.

The unwarmed fish egg remained still. The white lab coat that wrapped it had turned dark red and was soaked in blood. It resembled a butterfly’s cocoon or a soft kernel. The pale blue outer membrane continued to expand as if it desperately needed water and nutrients.

Through the membrane’s weak spots, one could faintly see a male infant inside. In the liquid environment resembling amniotic fluid within the egg, he curled around his soft fishtail. His eyelashes trembled rapidly as though his eyes beneath his lids were developing quickly, anticipating the arrival of light.

After an unknown amount of time, the elevator finally stopped.

For a few seconds, Xia Yu desperately hoped the elevator wouldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop—just keep rising! At least he’d be safe on the way up, safe from the robots chasing him. But hope was only a fleeting bubble, easily shattered. The elevator had to reach its end, and now it had.

[We’ve reached the highest floor. Thank you for your use, Professor Wang. Goodbye.]

The voice echoed again, and the elevator doors opened.

Unlike the place Xia Yu had just escaped from, this place had bright lights, a spotless floor, no robots, and no dead bodies. It was so quiet that Xia Yu almost felt as if what he had just experienced was a nightmare.

The world remained the same, and everything was as it had been before.

But the bracelet that fell at his feet and the severed robotic head reminded him, “Wake up! This wasn’t a nightmare at all.” Xia Yu didn’t dare relax, much less waste time. First, he picked up the important wristband and put it on his thin arm. Then, he kicked aside the robot head with his small foot and dragged the fish egg again, carrying his little fish fry.

The white coat had turned red, but the important thing was that they were now safe.

Xia Yu dragged the fish egg out of the elevator. There was only one road ahead, he had no choice. He longed to ask if anyone else was still alive, but he held back for fear of attracting the robots. After walking for nearly a quarter of an hour—a quarter of an hour that felt like several hours—Xia Yu finally saw a door.

[Emergency Exit]

It said so, and there it was. His hands were already weak, and the fish eggs had clearly become a burden. To move faster, he made a bold move.

Instead of dragging them, he now carried the mermaid eggs on his back!

First, he wrapped the eggs in his red gown. Then, he fastened the gown’s buttons one by one. He folded the excess hem upward and fastened it with mismatched buttons. This effectively secured the eggs within the gown.

Only after completing this step did Xia Yu realize that both of his feet were injured and bleeding profusely.

“Thank goodness I didn’t feel the pain. That’s great,” he said. Xia Yu wiped the blood away, not wanting to lose a moment. He squatted down with his back against the mermaid egg to carry it whole. The sleeve of his shirt served as the perfect rope to secure the egg, which he tied across his chest.

The heavy egg lifted off the ground and became part of Xia Yu.

“It’s okay, it’s okay… I am there, in the depths of the ocean, I am a little jellyfish. Don’t be afraid. I am a little jellyfish…” Terrified, Xia Yu began to move toward the emergency exit, forcing himself to sing softly to boost his courage. Though it was called an “emergency exit,” it wasn’t safe for him at all. Unarmed, he left the shelter of the research institute.

He used Professor Wang Qin’s bracelet to open the final door. As the door swung open from top to bottom, a gust of fresh air blew in and ruffled his hair.

The damp breeze, coming from the outside world, welcomed him into the real and harsh world. Only after the wind passed did Xia Yu dare to open his eyes. He had imagined the outside world countless times, but none of his predictions had been correct. It was a world unlike anything he had ever seen or understood. The ground seemed covered with undulating buildings that constantly radiated blue, purple, and red light. A huge screen was projected onto the sky, and intertwined wires formed new floors.

Aircraft formed an endless river in the sky, constantly taking off and crashing. Whistles filled every corner, and people kept falling and fleeing.

As expected, the world outside the research institute was no different, with robots killing people everywhere.

Every building loomed like a man-eating monster. Xia Yu stood there, completely bewildered and unsure of where to go next. He couldn’t stay there long because a triangular-headed robot was looking in their direction and would soon spot them. He had to escape, no matter where he went.

First, he had to escape and find a safe place—a small safe house. Summoning his courage, Xia Yu hurried in the other direction, carrying his fish eggs and hoping to outrun the machines on the street. He couldn’t die, and neither could his only friend.

Courage begot more courage, and he shifted from a brisk walk to a slow jog. Amidst the gentle jolts, the fish eggs behind him began to glow with a pale blue light unlike anything they had seen before. Each blue blood vessel protruded from the egg membrane like a ridge, lighting up and then fading as the egg expanded and contracted.

In the midst of this turbulence, the boy inside the egg blinked faster and faster as if struggling against some kind of restraint, preparing to open his eyes. His ear fins unfolded in the amniotic fluid like two thin wings, fluttering slightly.

That day, Mo An heard the sounds of the real world.