Chapter 10

The interior of the vehicle fell into an unusually heavy silence after Zhao Shuqing’s words.

The driver said nothing. He merely fixed her with a pair of deep, pitch-black eyes through the rearview mirror, his hands gripping the steering wheel with steady precision. The bumpy rural road jolted Zhao Shuqing so much that she could barely stay seated, her palms slick with cold sweat.

When they had left the port, their vehicle had been accompanied by several sedans escorting the other researchers back to the city—about seven or eight cars in total. But now, when Zhao Shuqing glanced out the window from the corner of her eye, she saw no other vehicles on the twisting country road. Their transport truck was utterly alone.

Zhao Shuqing realized she was in serious trouble.

“Who are you? Who sent you? Where are you taking us?” she demanded, bracing herself against the water tank and using her body to shield Lin Feng as best she could. Lin Feng, meanwhile, seemed completely oblivious to the danger. She stared at Zhao Shuqing with wide-eyed curiosity, still idly playing with her long hair.

The driver let out a soft chuckle, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. “Don’t be nervous, Dr. Zhao. We know how close you are to this Mermaid Miss. As long as you don’t resist, we have no intention of harming you.”

Zhao Shuqing frowned. “You know me?”

“Of course we do. PhD Sun made a point of telling us. You’re the keeper for this beautiful mermaid.”

“PhD Sun? Sun Chengzhou?”

“That’s right. Didn’t he tell you? He sold the news of your return to the country to Country X. I’m just taking you to the airport for now. Once you’re on the plane with this lovely Mermaid Miss, you won’t have to worry about a thing after that.”

Zhao Shuqing’s frown deepened. “You’re planning to smuggle us out of the country?”

The driver nodded. “My job is to get you to the airport. There are others waiting for you there.”

At that, Zhao Shuqing actually laughed. She leaned forward and asked, “Did you know that Sun Chengzhou—the one who tipped you off—is already dead?”

The driver arched an eyebrow. “That’s a surprise, but what does it have to do with me?”

Zhao Shuqing understood now. These were desperate criminals. Sun Chengzhou must have been feeding them information for some time, and their organization was clearly powerful enough to snatch her and Lin Feng right from the port.

She needed to find a way to save herself.

The man was built like a tank—clearly someone who trained religiously. His short-sleeved arms bulged with veins and slabs of muscle. Zhao Shuqing, a researcher immersed in her academic world, stood no chance against him in a fight.

But she couldn’t just sit there and wait for whatever fate they had planned.

Before they disembarked the ship, Xu Tang had repeatedly urged her to protect Lin Feng at all costs. She must have anticipated that someone would target the mermaid, though she probably hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

Lin Feng sat up in the water tank, glancing curiously between Zhao Shuqing and the driver. The man’s eyes were fierce, radiating a palpable killing intent. When his gaze flicked to Lin Feng in the rearview mirror, it shifted to one of intrigued fascination.

What a shame that such a beautiful mermaid could only be used for research.

If all beautiful mermaids were this stunning, they could easily work in the service industry, offering humans pleasures beyond the ordinary.

Distracted by Lin Feng’s exquisite features and brilliant blue eyes, the driver fantasized about a night of passion with her. He failed to notice the sharp bend ahead until it was nearly too late. Snapping back to reality, he yanked the wheel hard to avoid plunging into the river.

Now!

Zhao Shuqing sprang into action. She yanked a black ballpoint pen from her shirt pocket, vaulted toward the driver’s seat, clamped one hand over his face, and aimed the pen at his neck with the other.

But the man was lightning-fast. He wrenched the steering wheel in the opposite direction, the sudden inertia flinging Zhao Shuqing away. The pen struck the headrest with a dull thud.

She lunged again. This time, he kept one hand on the wheel while fending her off with the other, the two of them grappling fiercely.

The truck swerved wildly along the rural road. Lin Feng sat stunned in the back, water sloshing in her tank. She didn’t understand what was happening, but she saw Zhao Shuqing viciously stabbing the man’s arm with the short pen.

Blood sprayed out, accompanied by the man’s agonized scream.

Blinded by pain and rage, he roared and seized Zhao Shuqing by the throat, slamming her against the windshield with brutal force.

The shattering glass sliced into her skin. Her eyes blazed red as she glared at him, then drove her foot into his gut.

Lin Feng’s eyes widened as she watched the two battle it out in the cramped front seat. She didn’t comprehend the violence, but one thing was clear: Zhao Shuqing was going to lose.

“Ah!”

A cold chill pierced Zhao Shuqing’s abdomen, followed by searing pain. She looked down to see a long, bloody gash across her belly. If she hadn’t dodged in time, her intestines would have spilled out.

The man clutched a dagger in his hand. His forearm was still impaled by the pen, his eye bruised from a punch, his stomach aching from the kick.

But he was in far better shape than she was.

Enraged, his eyes bloodshot, he snarled at her, “Don’t think I won’t kill you.”

With the mermaid secured, they could always find another keeper. If they couldn’t take this woman along, they’d just dispose of her.

Zhao Shuqing clutched her bleeding abdomen, too pained to stand straight. She could feel his murderous intent. She might really die here.

Just as he raised his arm to strike, a blue shadow whipped across his face.

There was a sharp crack. The man’s neck snapped.

A gurgling rattle escaped his throat. Zhao Shuqing’s eyes flew wide as she whipped her head around. Lin Feng perched atop the water tank, elegantly retracting her long tail.

When she noticed Zhao Shuqing looking at her, Lin Feng tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

【Did I do something wrong?】

That was the meaning Zhao Shuqing read in her eyes.

A single tail swipe had broken the man’s neck. Apparently, the first time Lin Feng had swatted her—swelling her cheek—was her holding back.

No, holding back with her tail.

Zhao Shuqing felt a chill run down her own neck. She opened her mouth to speak, but the truck lurched violently. Weightlessness hit her next. She glanced back to see the driverless vehicle crashing through the guardrail, the verdant river rushing up to meet them.

Splash—

When Zhao Shuqing came to, night had already fallen.

She lay on the riverbank, soaked to the bone.

The sky overhead was a dark, bruised yellow—the sun had been down for hours. She had no idea what time it was or if anyone had realized she and Lin Feng had been abducted.

Lin Feng!

Zhao Shuqing tried to push herself up, but agony in her abdomen drew a low groan from her lips. Her hand came away sticky with blood.

Right—the man had slashed her. Lin Feng had snapped his neck with her tail, the truck had careened off the road into the river, and she’d blacked out. How had she ended up on the shore?

Pain wracked her body, but she forced herself to her feet, scanning the bank desperately for Lin Feng.

The shore was choked with tangled branches and dense forest—no sign of a human path. Even avid fishermen wouldn’t venture here. With the thick woods and the river, Zhao Shuqing felt chilled to her core, her wounds throbbing.

Had Lin Feng… run away?

In that moment, Zhao Shuqing mentally planned her own grave.

Losing a key national research specimen would ruin her academic career forever. With a blunder this grave, she might not even keep her researcher position.

Splash.

As visions of her life flashed before her eyes, a ripple sounded from the water behind her.

Lin Feng poked her head out of the river, a fish clamped in her teeth. Her eyes lit up when she saw Zhao Shuqing awake. With a flick of her tail, she swam to shore.

As she reached the bank, Zhao Shuqing watched her rise up. Only slightly shorter than herself, Lin Feng seemed almost human for a moment—her massive blue tail undulating like a serpent, gliding smoothly onto the land as she tossed the fish aside.

“You…”

Zhao Shuqing stared at Lin Feng, seized by the illusion that she was looking at a person.

Lin Feng glanced at her curiously, her gaze dropping to the hand Zhao Shuqing clutched over her abdomen. Spotting the blood seeping through her fingers, she widened her eyes in alarm and hurried over, swimming right up to her.

Zhao Shuqing instinctively stepped back as she approached, but Lin Feng pressed her down onto the bank and lifted her shirt without hesitation.

“Ah? W-wait—”

Before Zhao Shuqing could protest further, Lin Feng lowered her head to the wound and extended her soft, pink tongue.

Lin Feng’s tongue felt cool against the gash. The licking was soothing and tingling, her long hair brushing Zhao Shuqing’s waist and abdomen with each motion. It sent her plummeting into bliss.

Her heart pounded wildly. In the dim light, Zhao Shuqing watched Lin Feng bent over her lap. She knew this was just treatment for her injury, but her pulse raced anyway, her ears burning hot.

Blood stained Lin Feng’s lips, making her pale skin gleam even brighter. The wound healed swiftly, but Lin Feng continued licking meticulously for a good while longer before finally raising her head.

Their eyes met, and Zhao Shuqing felt herself drawn into a swirling blue vortex.

How could there be such a beautiful mermaid?

“Lin Feng…”

Zhao Shuqing examined her now-healed wound, then closed her eyes in helpless exasperation. “In the future, don’t heal people like this.”

Lin Feng tilted her head, propping herself up and leaning closer.

Her cool hand touched Zhao Shuqing’s face, registering the feverish heat there. Her eyes widened slightly.

Zhao Shuqing grabbed her hand, her cheeks flushing. “I’m fine. Let’s… let’s eat something first.”