Chapter 1

A commotion erupted aboard the Pacific Expedition Ship.

Zhao Shuqing was seated at her desk, scribbling away at a log report. She had just signed her name at the very end when the cabin door burst open from the outside. A researcher dressed in standard lab attire stood in the doorway, shouting excitedly into the room. “We’ve caught a mermaid!”

Zhao Shuqing’s heart skipped a beat. The final stroke of her name stretched out comically long across the page. She whipped her head around, her voice brimming with surprise. “Really? A real mermaid?”

“Yes, a real one!” The researcher beamed with excitement. “And it’s a female mermaid—a genuine beautiful mermaid.”

About five years earlier, a blurry photo had circulated widely online. It showed a shadowy figure along a distant coastline: a humanoid creature with a long tail. In the years that followed, various other photos of mermaids surfaced. The most recent one, captured just two months ago, came from a far-ocean vessel passing through Point Nemo in the Pacific Ocean—a close-up video of a mermaid.

In that remote stretch of ocean, virtually untouched by passing ships, the mermaid had floated at a distance on the surface, watching the vessel intently.

At first, the crew thought it was someone who had fallen overboard. But upon closer inspection, they realized the figure showed no panic of a drowning person. As the ship pulled away, the mermaid even flicked its long tail in farewell. Domestic authorities quickly assembled a scientific expedition team to investigate the area near Point Nemo.

After two months of arduous travel, the expedition had finally succeeded in capturing one of these legendary creatures—a mermaid straight out of myth.

Zhao Shuqing fumbled into her researcher uniform in a frenzy and hurried down the corridor alongside her colleagues. She joined the stream of personnel emerging from other cabins, all heading toward the large holding tank specially prepared for the mermaid aboard the ship.

As the hatch swung open, Zhao Shuqing faced a dense crowd of people and the makeshift yet enormous tank before them.

Nearly everyone on board had gathered there, turning the spacious laboratory into a cramped chaos. Zhao Shuqing squeezed her way to the front, where she spotted Senior Sister Xu Tang standing atop the tank. Xu Tang was directing someone to pour something into the water below.

Xu Tang noticed Zhao Shuqing and arched an eyebrow slightly. “Shuqing, you’ve arrived?”

“Senior Sister,” Zhao Shuqing replied curtly. She clambered up to join her on the platform beside the tank and peered inside. There, in the water, a humanoid figure trailed a long tail, curled up in the tank’s deepest corner.

The tank was a crude iron contraption, equipped only with basic oxygenation. Dimly lit by just a couple of lamps within its murky depths, it made it hard for Zhao Shuqing to see clearly. She asked, “Is that the mermaid?”

“Yes.” Xu Tang signed off on her log and turned back to her. “She’s frightened and needs time to calm down. Have everyone else clear out for now—the crowd is making her uneasy.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded and took charge, ushering out all non-research personnel from the laboratory.

“Shuqing.”

Just as Zhao Shuqing saw the last unrelated staff member out, Xu Tang approached from behind and stopped a couple of paces away. She arched her eyebrow again. “No outsiders left now. Want to take a closer look at our female mermaid?”

Zhao Shuqing’s eyes lit up. “Of course!”

The two women stepped onto the platform overlooking the tank. It measured about a dozen square meters but plunged over two meters deep. Due to the rudimentary setup, the platform itself was a haphazard assembly of iron sheets, meant for practical use by the lab staff.

“Group Leader Xu.” A blond, blue-eyed foreign student spotted Xu Tang and Zhao Shuqing approaching and quickly made room. In accented English laced with excitement, she said, “The mermaid just moved a moment ago. We figured we should offer her some food—maybe she’ll sense our goodwill.”

Xu Tang nodded at the suggestion and glanced at Zhao Shuqing. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s a great idea.” Zhao Shuqing barely registered what exactly they planned to feed the mermaid. She rolled up her sleeves and leaned over the platform’s edge, squinting into the dim waters below. Vaguely, she made out a shadowy figure.

The figure huddled in the corner, its long tail limp to one side as if drained of energy. Atop its head, what might have been hair or seaweed drifted gently with the oxygen bubbles.

What did a mermaid really look like?

Zhao Shuqing had been holed up in her cabin writing reports since the previous day, missing all the photos and data from the capture. Now her eyes gleamed as she stared at the indistinct shape, yearning to catch a glimpse of its eyes through the water’s surface.

In the murk, Zhao Shuqing sensed the figure slowly lifting its head, seemingly gazing up at her.

Startled yet thrilled, she reached out to touch the water’s surface. The chill sent goosebumps racing across her skin. The mermaid appeared to notice the motion, her body inching slightly upward.

“I’d advise against that.” Xu Tang stood beside her, her black rubber boots planted firmly on the platform’s raised anti-slip mat. From her vantage, she warned, “You probably haven’t seen her kind before. Mermaids aren’t the pretty damsels from movies—they pack a serious bite. An adult’s jaw strength rivals a lion or tiger. If you value that hand, keep it out of the water.”

Xu Tang’s words gave Zhao Shuqing a start. She yanked her arm back and straightened up, astonished. “Senior Sister, you’re not just scaring me, are you?”

Xu Tang chuckled, her black ponytail swaying gently. Zhao Shuqing couldn’t help stealing another glance at her.

Xu Tang was two academic years ahead of her and already leading this expedition. Once at sea, she oversaw everything, while Zhao Shuqing preferred diving into experiments and reports over managerial hassles and social intricacies.

Eyeing the dark circles under Xu Tang’s eyes, Zhao Shuqing guessed her senior hadn’t rested properly in days.

“We’ve got our prize from this expedition already. Senior Sister, no need to pull all-nighters anymore, right?” Zhao Shuqing stood close by, persuading her. “Let me handle the mermaid from here. You go rest.”

Xu Tang studied Zhao Shuqing for a moment and nodded faintly. “Alright. You’re in charge now. I’ll catch some sleep—wake me in three hours.”

“No problem, Senior Sister,” Zhao Shuqing promised.

Once Xu Tang had left, the researchers arrived with the prepared fish: a full bucket of small blue-and-white fish, each about the size of a finger—perfect bites for a mermaid.

“The mermaid doesn’t seem to like dead fish.” Zhao Shuqing slipped on rubber gloves and scooped up a wriggling small green fish. She frowned. “Why does this look so familiar? Don’t tell me it’s from the kitchen.”

“Yes, Dr. Zhao.” The female researcher grinned. “It’s the same small fish we fry up and eat all the time.”

Zhao Shuqing raised an eyebrow. She leaned over the edge again and dangled the small green fish above the water, calling to the shadow. “Mermaid Miss, look what we’ve got for you. Care to come up and try one?”

The shadow stirred faintly. She seemed to spot the fish in Zhao Shuqing’s hand but hesitated.

As soon as the small green fish touched the water, it thrashed wildly. The rubber glove dulled the sensation, and in a slippery instant, it darted from Zhao Shuqing’s grasp.

The little fish zipped toward the shadow. Before Zhao Shuqing could react, the mermaid extended a hand and snatched it in a blink, devouring it on the spot.

Zhao Shuqing watched the motion clearly, even if it lasted only a fraction of a second.

Clearly, Mermaid Miss was starving.

Zhao Shuqing’s eyes sparkled. She grabbed another small green fish from the bucket and tempted the mermaid with it. After a brief hesitation, the mermaid straightened and swam slowly from the tank bottom to Zhao Shuqing’s side.

With a splash, a head broke the surface.

Zhao Shuqing took one look and was utterly captivated by the beautiful mermaid.

The mermaid had long, pale purple hair that hung wetly on either side. Her skin was strikingly pale, as if rarely exposed to sunlight, so fair that faint blue veins showed beneath.

What stunned Zhao Shuqing most were her eyes, like the deep blue of the ocean—wet and shimmering now as they fixed on her, resembling sapphires lost at sea.

“My God, she’s gorgeous.”

A gasp of admiration rose from the researcher behind Zhao Shuqing. She too was entranced by Mermaid Miss’s exquisite features.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, more refined than any celebrity idol, almost otherworldly in her loveliness…

Mermaid Miss stared at Zhao Shuqing—or more precisely, at the small green fish in her hand. She glided closer and reached out a pale arm from the water, snatching the fish before darting away.

Amid the churning ripples in the tank, Zhao Shuqing laughed softly. She fetched another from the bucket. This time, Mermaid Miss was less timid; spotting the fish, she approached steadily, took it, and popped it into her mouth.

The mermaid was ravenous. She wolfed down two more before slowing, her sea-blue eyes warily studying Zhao Shuqing. Thick, damp lashes fluttered, brimming with curiosity.

Truth be told, Zhao Shuqing was equally fascinated by her.

“Hey, Mermaid Miss.” Zhao Shuqing crouched halfway at the platform’s edge, one hand on her knee. “We mean you no harm. We just want to study your habits. My team and I promise your safety—no forcing you into anything you don’t want.”

The mermaid couldn’t understand Zhao Shuqing’s words and gazed blankly, though her wariness had eased somewhat.

Zhao Shuqing’s eyes drifted to her pale chest. Fortunately, the mermaid’s thick hair draped over her full, rounded breasts, but Zhao Shuqing still found herself glancing longer than necessary.

Below her slender waist, a blue tail gleamed. It looked exceptionally long, suggesting Mermaid Miss stood well over two meters tall. Without that tail, Zhao Shuqing might have mistaken her for human.

Zhao Shuqing appraised Mermaid Miss thoroughly, curiosity blooming.

If her upper body was so human-like, what about the lower half?