Chapter 174: Side Story IF Route 18

With a resounding boom, Lin Feng felt the research vessel beneath her feet lurch violently. The gun in Xu Tang’s grip fired with another boom, the shot veering wildly far from Zhao Shuqing and Lin Feng, hurtling off toward some unknown spot.

The massive noise sent Xu Tang and her team into obvious panic. Even the usually composed and calm Xu Tang went pale. When she took in the scene surrounding the research vessel, her face grew even more grim.

It was a whale group.

Humpback whales of all sizes, orcas, and numerous massive whales had the entire ship encircled. They emitted ethereal calls that seemed to pierce through space itself, setting the whole sea surface boiling.

“Whales?” Xu Tang stared in disbelief at the whale group in the water, shocked as she said, “Why are there so many whales?”

No one answered her. The ship rocked and swayed so violently that no one could stand steadily. Lin Feng nearly fell but steadied herself with Zhao Shuqing’s help. Xu Tang and the others weren’t so fortunate. The tremendous impact left them no time to react. Xu Tang tumbled awkwardly and sprawled across the deck, while the other two members were flung right off the deck. In the water below, gaping-mouthed whales awaited to feed.

They swallowed their prey whole, leaving not even bones behind. Lin Feng watched in horror as her teammates were devoured by the whales, her legs going weak with terror.

The whales kept calling out as they crowded and rammed the ship. Lin Feng could even hear the ship’s metal hull buckling inward, accompanied by the terrified screams from inside the cabins—a truly horrifying sound.

In the face of nature and these ocean creatures, humans seemed utterly insignificant. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that everyone on board was nothing more than lambs to the slaughter, with no means to fight back.

Lin Feng clung tightly to Zhao Shuqing’s arm, practically hanging off her body. Zhao Shuqing had already shed her human form, revealing a shimmering silver tail. The enormous tail gleamed under the crashing waves, dazzling the eyes.

Xu Tang lay on the deck, tying a cable rope around her waist for security while gripping the nearby railing. As she lifted her head, she saw the mermaid not far away, cradling Lin Feng and glancing back at her with open contempt.

The mermaid’s gaze toward Xu Tang was like one appraising a corpse. The rocking deck didn’t affect her movements in the slightest. Xu Tang’s eyes fell on Lin Feng, whom the mermaid held so protectively, and suddenly everything made sense.

To claim Lin Feng, this mermaid was willing to doom the entire ship.

“What exactly do you want?” Xu Tang shouted at Zhao Shuqing. “What do I have to do for you to let everyone on this ship live?”

Zhao Shuqing gave her a faint glance, then lowered her head to look at the person in her arms. From Xu Tang’s angle, she didn’t see Zhao Shuqing’s lips move, but Lin Feng clearly heard something. She froze for a moment before turning to the woman sprawled on the ground and saying, “Senior Sister, she says there’s no way…”

There had to be a way.

Xu Tang knew this whale group had been drawn here by the mermaid. If she could summon them, she could surely make them leave. The lives of everyone on board now hung on this mermaid—she had to find a solution.

“If you have conditions, name them,” Xu Tang said to Zhao Shuqing. “I can speak for Country Z and promise you most anything. We can even vow never to enter these waters again. Would that work?”

Lin Feng acted as interpreter, explaining the unfamiliar terms to Zhao Shuqing. In truth, she didn’t want the research team to die either, so she pleaded, “Senior Sister’s words are sincere. No one will come harass you anymore. I can stay with you—just let them go.”

Zhao Shuqing repeated the same line: “Even if they all die, it would keep humans away from these waters. Nothing scares people off like a ship full of dead bodies.”

Lin Feng frowned. She could tell Zhao Shuqing simply wanted everyone on board to die.

Another massive impact struck. Xu Tang lost her grip on the railing and was flung out, only yanked back by the rope around her waist. She crashed heavily onto the deck, spitting up a mouthful of blood. It looked like her ribs had snapped.

“Senior Sister!” Lin Feng’s pupils contracted. She tried to wriggle free from Zhao Shuqing’s arms, but the mermaid’s strength was immense. She held Lin Feng’s waist in an iron grip, refusing to let go. Lin Feng shoved at her desperately, her eyes turning red.

“Zhao Shuqing, what the hell are you trying to do?” Tears welled up in Lin Feng’s eyes from frustration as she yelled, “If they all die, then I’ll jump overboard and feed myself to the whales too!”

Whether it was Lin Feng’s words that worked or Zhao Shuqing had a sudden change of heart, her expression shifted. She began to sing a melody none of them had ever heard before.

The tune was hauntingly beautiful and flowing—something even the finest human singer couldn’t match—yet it flowed effortlessly from the mermaid’s lips. The whales that had been battering the ship halted at the sound of Zhao Shuqing’s song. The research vessel steadied amid the rocking waves and held position without drifting.

Zhao Shuqing fell silent, cradling Lin Feng as she turned to regard Xu Tang, who was still coughing up blood. Mimicking human speech, she told her, “I can let you live, but I need you to do one thing for me.”

Xu Tang pushed herself up slowly. Her chest hurt excruciatingly with every breath, but she forced in a deep one and rasped, “What do you want me to do?”

“Not yet,” Zhao Shuqing said coolly. “You must honor what you just promised: From now on, no research vessels from your country come here. If you fail, there will be many mermaids on land coming for your life.”

Xu Tang looked dazed. “Mermaids… on land? How is that possible?”

“Nothing is impossible,” Zhao Shuqing replied. “Even without my direct involvement, there are a hundred ways to make you die on shore.”

Xu Tang fell silent, but she didn’t dare disbelieve.

“The Mermaid’s Curse has already been placed on everyone aboard this ship.” Zhao Shuqing gazed at Xu Tang—blood trickling from her mouth—with a mix of pity and mockery, enunciating each word: “You’ll only understand what it means to live worse than death once you’re back on land.”

The Mermaid’s Curse…

Xu Tang clutched her chest and nodded. Her gaze shifted to Lin Feng, and she opened her mouth. “Lin Feng, you…”

“She’s coming with me.” Zhao Shuqing wrapped an arm around Lin Feng’s waist and took her hand, pressing an elegant kiss to the back of it before glancing at Xu Tang. “Lin Feng is mine.”

Xu Tang’s face changed in an instant. “What? You…” She closed her mouth again, her eyes darkening as she looked at Lin Feng. Seeing her with downcast eyes and little resistance, Xu Tang guessed the two were mutually enamored.

“Fine.” Xu Tang agreed readily. To Zhao Shuqing, she said, “You can take Lin Feng, as long as you guarantee our whole crew gets back to port safely.”

Zhao Shuqing let out a soft laugh and agreed. She then encircled Lin Feng’s waist and vaulted gracefully over the deck railing, plunging into the sea.

Xu Tang clutched her chest and shuffled over laboriously. She could no longer see the mermaid or Lin Feng, but the mermaid’s song echoed once more. The whale group responded in kind, circling the ship several times before reluctantly departing.

The sun slowly rose above the horizon, its golden light spilling across the sea and glinting off the badly dented research vessel.

Only when the mermaid’s song faded entirely did Xu Tang look down at the cable rope around her waist. She pulled a small knife from her belt pouch, cut the rope, and limped back to the cabin, leaning on the railing.

The cabin was chaos. The earlier impacts had injured many: some with gashed heads, others with broken limbs. The two medical staff darted about bandaging wounds. Seeing Xu Tang’s severe injuries, they hurried to support her inside.

“Ribs are probably broken—we’ll have to see,” Xu Tang said. Her breaths carried the taste of blood, and every swallow made her tremble in agony. She knew the ship’s equipment couldn’t treat her. To survive, they needed to reach shore fast.

The ship captain approached, his head bloodied from the impact. “What happened out there?”

“A whale group,” Xu Tang said, eyes lowered. “Maybe ocean currents disoriented them, leading to the attack. They’re gone now. We need to head to the nearest port and treat the wounded.”

“Got it,” the ship captain replied. “We’ll set sail immediately.”

Someone noticed something off. “Where’s Lin Feng? Didn’t she go look for the mermaid?”

Xu Tang raised her eyes to the questioner, paused for a long moment, then closed them. “Lin Feng fell off the deck. She’s dead.”

“Dead…?”

“Should we search for her? What if she’s still alive?”

“I’ll check the lifeboats…”

Xu Tang cut them off. “No need. She’s gone. We can’t waste manpower and resources on her now—the living come first.”

Everyone’s faces fell. The voyage hadn’t even properly begun before several had died, and now the whale attack on the way back.

Lin Feng was dead too, along with the others flung overboard. Survival odds were slim. Heading straight back to port was the smartest choice.

No one argued with Xu Tang. They all sat silently in the room’s corners. The doctors gave her emergency bandaging and had her lie flat to avoid further injury.

Soon, the ship began to move slowly. Everyone looked out the windows. Though it was still just monotonous sky and sea, it somehow brought a glimmer of hope.

The sun continued its slow rise, making the battered research vessel gleam in the light.

Zhao Shuqing held the person in her arms, gently adjusting her position with a hand under her bottom. She murmured softly in Lin Feng’s ear, “I’ve let them go as agreed. Now it’s time for you to come home with me.”

Lin Feng’s heart felt heavy. She knew she’d likely never set foot on land again. She’d be trapped on that deserted island where she’d once washed up. If she fell ill, there’d be no doctor. No shelter from storms. When supplies ran out, raw meat would be her only food, parasites filling her gut at death.

In short, her life was probably over.

If things went smoothly, just a few more years.

But Lin Feng didn’t regret it. At least the whole crew had survived, leaving only her to accompany this fierce beast. It seemed the best outcome for now.

“I can’t hold my breath that long,” Lin Feng said dejectedly. “Can I stay on the island for a while first?”

“You can,” Zhao Shuqing replied. She tilted her head, brushing her lips against Lin Feng’s cheek with a smile. “You’ve eaten my flesh and blood. You already carry mermaid genes.”