MASG chapter 54

 

As a result, Mo An did not let go; he hugged even tighter.

Talos’s ship had not yet arrived, as his swimming speed was too fast. The stronger the smell of blood became, the more he swam. Even before getting close, he knew Xia Yu must be injured.

In the water, he saw not only Xia Yu’s body but also the blood, which was constantly being diluted. His gills filtered the blood-laden seawater. Mo An swam uncontrollably towards him and pleaded not to leave. They had been separated for almost a whole day since their argument began.

So, when Xia Yu immediately pushed him away, Mo An felt nothing but endless resentment.

He had no idea what was happening, but all of his sisters sensed it.

Talos’s ship was approaching at full speed. He hadn’t seen any other vessels, but he noticed something was amiss on the sea. The water within his sight seemed to boil, exploding like a pot. Countless sirens lurked beneath the black water, charging toward Talos’s ship and leaping onto the deck one after another.

One, two, three… A spray of water—too many to count. If Talos’s ship hadn’t been large enough, all of those mermaids jumping aboard would have caused it to sink to the bottom. The splashing of their tails echoed in Xi Ban and Midou’s ears. What was happening?

Upon entering the Black Sea, they encountered Leviathan. The sirens, who weren’t afraid of Leviathan, were now fleeing desperately as if a few seconds later would mean certain death.

“Mate! I’ve never seen you so miserable.” Talos took off his coat and covered Meng Qingqing’s head. “Is there something in the Black Sea that could scare you to death? Could it be all three Leviathans gathered together?”

“What do you know… this is far more terrifying than three Leviathans!” Meng Qingqing’s face turned pale with fright. Leviathans had been defeated by mermaids before, so if they encountered one, they wouldn’t necessarily be without a chance of victory. But this one…there was absolutely no chance of winning.

“What happened? Where are Xia Yu and Mo An?” Mi Dou slipped and landed on a siren’s tail.

“Xia Yu’s poison exploded!” Meng Qingqing touched the siren’s gills. Who could have predicted that it would suddenly become poisonous?

Meanwhile, Mo An still hadn’t let go of Xia Yu. He brought him up to the surface from time to time to breathe, then dove back down to check his wounds. The injuries were in unexpected places—large chunks were missing from the insides of both thighs. These wounds didn’t look like cuts; it was as if slices of flesh had been carved away.

Several pieces were missing here, and several pieces were missing there. Mo An racked his brains, but he still couldn’t understand how this could have happened. He should have known better than to kill them all at once.

Allowing them to die so easily was like giving them a reward.

“Get away from me… quickly!” Xia Yu kicked his legs frantically. He wasn’t afraid of being drugged on the ship or having his flesh cut off. But now, he was so terrified that he kept choking on water. This was no joke. Once left in the sea, mermaids have open gill slits, meaning they can’t choose which seawater to filter. They absorb all the water indiscriminately.

Having witnessed the entire poisoning process, what would happen to Mo An? Would he bite off his own fishtail, skin and all?

“I’m poisonous! Poisonous!” When Mo An tried to hug him again, Xia Yu kicked him away. He couldn’t exert any strength in the water, and his kick wouldn’t go far. Fortunately, his savior finally arrived, and he spotted Talos’s ship.

It was the largest wooden ship he had ever seen.

“Xia Yu! Xia Yu! We’re here!” Mi Dou stood at the bow and waved frantically.

The previously valiant Xia Yu froze instantly, his breath settling back into his stomach. He wasn’t wrong; his friend would definitely come.

The sea had its own currents. The kidnappers’ ship was gone, but Talos’s ship had anchored. Mi Dou descended the rope ladder, lifted Xia Yu from the sea, and carried him aboard. When Mi Dou came to pick up Mo An, he realized something was wrong.

Mo An had fainted in the sea!

Could a merman have drowned?

The other sirens had enough strength to jump onto the ship, but the male siren had to be pulled in. Talos set a net meant for catching sea monsters and used it to scoop up Mo An. Mo An immediately became unconscious upon reaching the ship. Xia Yu, who had almost recovered, rushed to his brother’s side.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I…” Xia Yu hesitated to touch him. “What should we do now?”

Meng Qingqing, wrapped in a bath towel, asked. “Is there fresh water on the ship? Soak him in it, his poisoning shouldn’t be too severe. Besides, you just unleashed your poison. It shouldn’t kill him instantly.”

Upon hearing “kill,” Xia Yu truly didn’t know how to accept his talent. Talos picked up Mo An and rushed to the bathroom. He threw Mo An into the bathtub and turned on the tap.

“There’s only so much fresh water on the ship. We usually prepare it for drinking. I didn’t expect to use it for your bath. Kid, you’d better thank me properly when you wake up.” Talos turned the water up to full blast. Clear, clean water gradually filled the tub, and the unconscious Mo An unconsciously opened his mouth and began breathing in the water. At that moment, Meng Qingqing pulled the plug, refreshing the water constantly.

“Tsk, tsk.” Talos felt a pang of heartache at this wasteful use of water.

Xi Ban examined Xia Yu’s wounds. “How did you get injured like this? We’re too late.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s what I had to do. I didn’t want them to live.” Xia Yu shook his head. His companions had arrived just in time. They must have done their best. He recounted everything that had happened on the ship, including how he had communicated with Jingwei and the other Xiang Xing.

As he spoke, fresh water continuously washed over Mo An’s gills, flushing out the Blue Jellyfish’s toxins. Mo An seemed to be falling into a deep sleep, his lips and fingertips turning pale blue.

Xia Yu intentionally kept his distance from Xi Ban and Meng Qingqing, no longer approaching them. He knew very little about the changes in his body, let alone what constituted a safe distance. Mi Dou gasped in astonishment, as if listening to a myth: “Really, it’s exactly the same?”

“I suspect we’re clones or split off from the same embryo.” Xia Yu was so anxious that he could barely stand. “Can I make a request?”

“Do you want to go back and save him?” Meng Qingqing guessed.

She and Xia Yu now maintained a distance of about three meters — safe as a bet — but in the water, it wasn’t so safe. Even hundreds of meters away, they could sense the blue jellyfish toxin.

“With current technology, creating a clone is incredibly easy. I’m inclined to believe he’s your clone,” Talos stated. “His physical functions are inferior to yours. You might not even be from the same generation.”

“Is it possible…they’re all clones?” Meng Qingqing’s speculations grew increasingly broad. “Genetically modified beings are notorious for cloning. Maybe there are hundreds of clones in the world.”

“Professor Wang Qin didn’t mention it, and I believe her.” Xia Yu couldn’t imagine how he would feel if the theory were true, but Meng Qingqing’s suggestion made sense. The research institute loved doing these kinds of things. If this was true and he was a clone too, where were their original bodies?

“I think we’re missing the point. Regardless of whether he’s a clone, the current discussion should be about whether to save him.” Maintaining a distance of about three meters from Xia Yu, Xi Ban continued, “Xiang Xing is an independent person now. If we’re going to rescue him, we need to plan carefully. How many people are on that ship?”

“Many, many, many.” Just as he finished speaking, Lao Gui pushed open the door and rushed in. Anxiously, he asked, “How’s Mo An?”

“He’s unconscious, but not dead.” Meng Qingqing pointed to the bathtub.

“That’s good.” Lao Gui’s muscles instantly relaxed, and he let out a heavy breath. “I thought he was poisoned to death… Can we head back now?”

The bathroom became so quiet that Xia Yu didn’t know what to say. Asking everyone to take another risk to save Xiang Xing would be selfish, but if they didn’t, he would be abandoned by his friends once again. He wouldn’t survive. The people on the ship wouldn’t spare him. Maybe he was already being tortured.

“Let’s go back,” said Meng Qingqing, who saw through Xia Yu’s dilemma. “As long as you don’t go into the water, keep your distance from us until we figure out your toxicity.”

Xia Yu nodded and took a big step back.

“I knew we’d have to go…” Talos grumbled as he walked out. “Anchor!”

No one knew how Talos commanded the ship. The rusty anchor made a loud noise, and the ship started moving again.

When Mo An opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a bed with legs instead of a fishtail. He immediately searched for Xia Yu, fearing that the beautiful moments before he fainted were an illusion. He was afraid that he hadn’t had time to save him.

Only after seeing Xia Yu did he stop moving.

The two sat about five or six meters apart. Mo An had a lot to say, but now that they were face-to-face, not a word came out. Xia Yu was the same. His concern was genuine, but they were both too stubborn to make up after an argument. Neither of them knew how to back down or give each other a way out. They stared at each other, overflowing with concern, yet their mouths stubbornly refused to budge.

Lao Gui, watching from the side, was getting a headache. Adolescence is so annoying!

“All right, I’m relieved now that Mo An is awake. Talos said we’ll catch up with that ship in about fifteen minutes, so I need to get the brothers ready.” Lao Gui tapped Mo An on the head. “Stop pretending, you little ugly fish. Talk to him already. You were crying and vomiting because you thought he was dead, but now you’re surprisingly calm.”

Mo An’s eyes were fixed on Xia Yu as he looked him over carefully and noticed his unharmed arms and legs. Lao Gui’s words made him jump up. “Why chase after them? It’s fine if we do. I’ll kill them.”

“You little brat,” Lao Gui said, pointing at Xia Yu. “We’re going to rescue his good friend, a guy named Xiang Xing. You should rest. You almost got poisoned to death.”

“But I didn’t die.” Mo An didn’t want to admit it, but he couldn’t remember how he’d fainted. Lao Gui left immediately, clearly not wanting to take Mo An with him. The two of them were left alone in the room again. After a while, Xia Yu awkwardly asked, “How are you feeling?”

Is he really asking me this so coldly? Mo An was clearly in agony, but he pretended to be indifferent. “I’m all right,” he said.

“Oh…” Seeing that he didn’t want to say more, Xia Yu guessed that he was probably still angry. “Then you should rest well.”

That’s it? Is that all he’s going to say to me? Mo An nodded ambiguously. Little Jellyfish has changed after having poison. He didn’t want it to be this way. Ideally, he wanted the two of them to be as close as one person. Not just polite and formal.

He wanted Xia Yu to rush over and hug him right now, checking him over.

But Mo An suppressed these thoughts completely. He didn’t speak again nor did he lie down to rest. Instead, he walked straight to the door. Lao Gui was going to the ship to rescue people, and Mo An was going too. He wanted to see what those people had done to xla and make them suffer a terrible death.

Xia Yu was still standing in the corner at the foot of the bed, sighing softly. His younger brother was still angry with him and refused to speak.

Lao Gui was fully armed, and the team members behind him were equally ready. The ship came into view when suddenly his clothes were tugged. “Why are you out again?”

“I want to go.” Mo An looked at the ship, his eyes filled with hatred. “I’m going.”

“What will you do there?” Lao Gui was annoyed with him.

“You taught me how to use a gun. I can protect you.” Mo An touched his holster.

Lao Gui was speechless, then regretted it. He had taught Mo An and Xia Yu to use guns so they could protect themselves on missions, not charge into battle.

“I’m small and agile. I can stay in the back and provide support,” Mo An insisted, wanting to get on the ship. Staying here would only lead to wild thoughts.

“No way.” Lao Gui refused; the large ship was getting closer.

Instead of being discouraged, Mo An became even more determined. “You’ve already taught me how to use a dagger and a gun. My marksmanship is excellent, and you praised my strength. Besides, if you take me with you, I can notify everyone immediately if I see any dangerous premonitions. You’ll be safe with me on the team.”

“You…” Lao Gui tapped him with the butt of his gun. “You really are worthy of being raised by Xia Yu. You speak exactly like him: logical and reasoned.”

“No, I—” Mo An rubbed his forehead. Xia Yu didn’t want to talk to him anymore. Even if he spoke like him, it wouldn’t make a difference.

When the ship was parallel to Talos’s ship, Lao Gui handed Mo An his usual dagger and gun, the weapons he used for training. Lao Gui used the standard-issue pistol of the guards himself and, at everyone’s insistence, led the team onto the adjacent ship using soft ropes. Once inside, Xia Yu, who had just been restrained and examined by Xi Ban, rushed out and grabbed Talos. “Where’s my brother?”.

“He’s on board,” Talos said, gesturing with his chin.

“How could you let him on board?” Xia Yu hadn’t seen his brother for more than a second before he disappeared. “He…”

“He’s thirteen. It’s time for him to grow up and accomplish great things. When I was his age, I was already at sea. You need to learn to let go,” Talos said, patting Xia Yu on the shoulder. However, these words stung Xia Yu’s heart. His brother had grown up hiding things from him. It was time to let go.

On the other ship, Lao Gui had prepared for an immediate ambush upon boarding. However, to his surprise, there was no one there.

However, they couldn’t let their guard down. According to Xia Yu’s description, there were at least a hundred people on board. Not only were there kidnappers, but also bodyguards brought on board by the VIPs. If they attacked en masse, their dozen or so men wouldn’t stand a chance.

But there was no one.

There was only blood—blood everywhere—making it slippery with every step. Mo An felt nauseous at the sight of the sticky liquid. However, the thought that Xia Yu’s blood was mixed in filled him with hatred. The team split up in the corridor and formed a flanking formation. Mo An followed Lao Gui skillfully behind him—a formation they had practiced countless times over the years.

Cough, cough, cough, thud, thud, thud.

Cough, cough, cough, thud, thud, thud.

The sounds passed through a door and reached Mo An’s ears. A team member stepped forward and used his gun to pry open the door. What lay before him resembled the hell described in the Bible. The floor was crawling with people—or, rather, mostly skeletons that weren’t dead yet—whose flesh had been torn apart.

They lay in layers, writhing on the ground and gnawing on their own bones or the bones of others. Some had completely gnawed away their skulls. The sounds of gnawing filled the air. Lao Gui just wanted to slam the door shut and say, “You can eat whatever you want. Go die on your own.”

“Eat whatever you want? What are they eating?” Mo An asked warily.

“Never mind that. Our mission is to rescue Xiang Xing.” Lao Gui, not wanting to cause any trouble, continued leading the team forward. However, when he turned back to look for Mo An, he saw that Mo An had silently entered the hall and broken a skull in half, still crackling.

After snapping it, he picked it up, glanced at it, and then threw it away.

“Let’s go!” Lao Gui grabbed him.

Mo An was furious. He drew his knife and sliced through every skeleton he could reach. He knew what had happened—these people had eaten Xla flesh.

“Let’s go!” Lao Gui yanked him out hard. He knew he shouldn’t have brought Mo An.

“Hmph.” Mo An snorted through his nose and followed reluctantly. His movements were sharp and steady, and his strength was nearly that of an adult. When he worked, he was completely focused, his hand never leaving the gun.

“Stay alert. Something’s wrong with this ship.” Truth be told, no ship that entered the Black Sea was ever normal, including Talos’s. They followed the corridor upward. The top floor was the empty VIP suite.

“Strange…where is everyone?” Mo An couldn’t help but ask.

“I’m wondering the same thing. Where’d they all go?” Lao Gui had barely finished speaking when his bad luck struck again. A man appeared at the end of the hallway. He looked ordinary, but he had a terrifying face and almost invisible eyebrows—like he didn’t have any.

“Don’t move!” Lao Gui and the team aimed their guns. “Hands on your head!”

Before he could finish, a bullet hit the man right between the eyes. Bang! The shot shook the deck beneath their feet.

Mo An stood behind Lao Gui with a perfect stance, steady gaze, and finger on the trigger.

The man’s head was blown apart, yet he didn’t fall. Moments later, a thin white mycelium sprouted from his bleeding neck stump and quickly grew into a red, umbrella-shaped mushroom.

The mushroom became his new head. He staggered forward as if nothing had happened.

Lao Gui’s face changed. No wonder the ship is empty. The mushroom monsters from the building had followed the kidnappers aboard.

Now, the entire ship was under the mushrooms’ control.

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