The fully armed military personnel put Lin Feng on high alert in an instant. She spotted the guns in their hands and instinctively wanted to charge out and take them all down, but Zhao Shuqing was quick to hold her back.
Zhao Shuqing shook her head before turning to Yue Jiuchu. “How did you know we were here?”
Yue Jiuchu grinned mysteriously. “Don’t worry about that. We have our ways.”
Her gaze shifted to Lin Feng, scanning her up and down appraisingly. “That hair color suits you well, but I still prefer your mermaid form.”
Lin Feng glared at her, cheeks puffed out in annoyance. As if she cared what this woman liked.
Though they were surrounded, Zhao Shuqing saw no killing intent in Yue Jiuchu’s eyes. She suspected the officer had followed them to the hospital for some ulterior motive. Yue Jiuchu wasted no time on chit-chat. She sent someone upstairs to fetch some files before saying to Zhao Shuqing and Lin Feng, “Come on, let’s talk.”
Lin Feng was deeply worried. She distrusted all humans except Zhao Shuqing now, and it was clear these people had come prepared. She feared Zhao Shuqing might get hurt. But Zhao Shuqing just smiled at Lin Feng’s wary gaze, gently grasped her wrist, and pulled her out of the elevator.
Yue Jiuchu led the two onto a military vehicle. She didn’t speak at first, just kept her head down, fiddling with her phone. Zhao Shuqing glanced around the interior. This armored transport van was little more than a mobile cage, with even the windows sealed shut. Escaping would be all but impossible.
Once the files were delivered, Yue Jiuchu glanced at them and exclaimed in surprise, “Twins? That’s wonderful. You’ll be so happy with two little girls in the future.”
Zhao Shuqing had no patience for small talk. Squeezing Lin Feng’s hand, she demanded, “What exactly do you want?”
“I heard you’d found Lin Feng and came to see for myself,” Yue Jiuchu replied. She fanned herself casually with the files before continuing, “I did warn you before, didn’t I? Mermaids who come ashore need to report to the military.”
“…I wasn’t sure of your stance on her, so I couldn’t tell you.”
“We don’t have a stance. Lin Feng isn’t a bad sort—she hasn’t hurt anyone, and she even cooperated with your video recording. That’s a meritorious service in my book.”
Yue Jiuchu fixed her gaze on Lin Feng. “We just want to take her for a full checkup.”
Lin Feng’s hackles rose under that stare. If she still had her tail, her scales would probably be standing on end.
Zhao Shuqing shifted to block Yue Jiuchu’s line of sight to Lin Feng, prompting the woman in front of her to raise an eyebrow slightly.
“Hey now,” Yue Jiuchu said with a laugh, by way of explanation. “We’re not out to harm you. Tensions between humans and mermaids are high right now, sure, but Lin Feng’s different.”
Neither of them bought it.
“That said, there is something I need to ask of you both,” Yue Jiuchu continued, her smile fading as she addressed them seriously. “It’s about the committee member.”
The car pulled up in front of a private villa. Through the window, Zhao Shuqing could see soldiers patrolling outside. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what this place was.
Once the vehicle had come to a steady stop, Yue Jiuchu opened the door. “Get out. The committee member has been waiting for you.”
Zhao Shuqing helped Lin Feng down from the car. Lin Feng eyed the crowd warily and tugged her scarf higher. As Zhao Shuqing adjusted it for her, she murmured reassuringly, “Don’t be scared. Stay close to me.”
Lin Feng glanced up at her.
This human wasn’t particularly strong, but Zhao Shuqing’s words filled Lin Feng with an inexplicable sense of security.
Yue Jiuchu ushered them inside the villa. The interior decor wasn’t lavish—in fact, it was quite modest. Zhao Shuqing’s eyes swept the space and landed on several uniformed officers seated on the living room sofa. They all rose and saluted as Yue Jiuchu entered.
“At ease, sit,” Yue Jiuchu greeted them casually before asking, “Where’s the committee member?”
One of the short-haired officers replied, “In the basement.”
The basement?
Zhao Shuqing frowned. This villa had a basement?
Yue Jiuchu’s expression soured at the words. She motioned for Zhao Shuqing and Lin Feng to follow, then led them downstairs.
It wasn’t as foreboding as Zhao Shuqing had imagined—just a dimly lit room at the top of the stairs leading to a long corridor. Doors lined both sides, all tightly shut, resembling storage rooms and file archives.
Lin Feng froze the moment they entered the basement. She tugged lightly at Zhao Shuqing’s clothes and whispered, “I smell mermaid.”
Zhao Shuqing thought she’d misheard, but Yue Jiuchu confirmed it. “You’re right. There’s a mermaid locked up inside.”
“Why would the committee member keep a mermaid in her house?” Zhao Shuqing asked. “Who is it?”
Yue Jiuchu turned back, her eyes complicated as she regarded Zhao Shuqing. Then, slowly, she said, “That mermaid is the committee member’s wife.”
Chen Huijun was a prominent figure often seen on television. Not yet forty, she didn’t hold the highest office, but it was still impressive—and she was the youngest officer in the Military District.
Her life had been remarkably smooth sailing.
An academic star in her youth, she joined the military system right after studying abroad. Her beloved wife was her childhood sweetheart; they married once her career stabilized, and Chen Huijun’s star only rose higher after that. She ascended to committee member with barely any setbacks.
They’d chosen not to have children—her wife struggled with fertility, and Chen Huijun was consumed by work. They planned to spend their lives together, to be buried side by side, and reunite in the next one. But fate had other plans. The day after mermaid test papers became widespread, Chen Huijun learned that the woman who’d shared her bed for over forty years was a mermaid.
Forty whole years, and a mermaid had slept by her side without her ever noticing.
When Zhao Shuqing saw the woman again, all traces of her former vigor were gone. Their first meeting, Chen Huijun’s presence alone had been intimidating, even just sitting there. Now, she looked markedly older, her face ashen.
She didn’t turn at the sound of footsteps behind her, just stared calmly at the cage in front of her.
It was a large dog kennel, and inside sat a middle-aged woman. Her tail was a pale red, her scales flaking from dehydration, and she looked utterly drained.
The mermaid in the cage looked over first.
“Jiuchu, you’re here,” she said softly to Yue Jiuchu with a gentle smile. “Are these your friends?”
Chen Huijun turned then, spotting Zhao Shuqing—and Lin Feng peeking from behind her.
“It’s you?” Chen Huijun recognized Zhao Shuqing but couldn’t immediately place Lin Feng, though the girl with long brown hair seemed familiar.
“Committee Member,” Yue Jiuchu stepped forward and whispered something in Chen Huijun’s ear. Her eyes widened as she looked at Lin Feng.
More precisely, at her belly.
“You mean humans and mermaids can really have children?” Chen Huijun asked in disbelief.
Zhao Shuqing immediately pulled Lin Feng behind her at those words, frowning. “What do you want?”
Chen Huijun regarded them steadily for a moment before turning back to the woman in the cage. “Ye Gui, look at them. Then look at us. Why put yourself through this?”
The mermaid named Ye Gui smiled faintly and lifted her gaze to Lin Feng.
“You’re Lin Feng, aren’t you?” Ye Gui said. “What a beautiful child. Could you come closer so I can see you? I promise I won’t hurt you.”
Zhao Shuqing refused flatly. “No.”
But Lin Feng tugged at her clothes and looked toward the mermaid. “I want to talk to her.”
Zhao Shuqing turned to her. “But…”
“It’s fine,” Lin Feng insisted. “I feel like she has something to tell me.”
In the end, Chen Huijun stepped aside. She gave Ye Gui a deep look before leaving the room with Yue Jiuchu, leaving Zhao Shuqing and Lin Feng alone with her.
Lin Feng crouched in front of the cage. Iron chains bound Ye Gui’s tail and waist, and a thick scent of blood clung to her—she must have been badly injured.
“You’re hurt,” Lin Feng said worriedly. “Are you very old? Is that why your healing is so slow?”
Mermaids had strong regenerative abilities; they could regrow chunks of flesh. But this one seemed gravely wounded, her injuries refusing to heal. Lin Feng asked, “Do you want me to help?”
“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?” Ye Gui replied, ignoring the question as she eyed Lin Feng’s abdomen. “Don’t squat if you’re pregnant. Sit somewhere. I have a lot to tell you.”
Zhao Shuqing fetched the chair Chen Huijun had just vacated and placed it in front of the cage for Lin Feng.
Ye Gui shifted slightly, gesturing for Lin Feng to reach her hand inside.
Zhao Shuqing tensed at first, fearing harm might come to Lin Feng. But when they simply clasped hands, she relaxed a fraction.
As Ye Gui held her hand, she seemed to sense something. Slowly, she told Lin Feng, “You can’t shift back to mermaid form anymore, can you?”
Lin Feng nodded faintly. “I could before, but not since coming ashore.” Lowering her eyes, she asked, “Will it always be like this?”
“No,” Ye Gui assured her, speaking like a kind elder mermaid. “Little fish adapt to their mother’s form. When you’re a mermaid, so is it; when you’re human, it is too. You can still shift early on, but not once it’s grown bigger.”
Ye Gui continued, “It’s no problem, though. Once the little fish is born, it’ll be fine. Born in human form, it’ll be human; born as a mermaid, it’ll be a mermaid. They’ll adapt to their environment on their own—that’s an innate ability we mermaids have.”
Lin Feng found it fascinating. She’d never met a kind mermaid before—ones who hadn’t either shredded her tail or tossed her ashore. Ye Gui was the first to share such knowledge.
“You know so much,” Lin Feng said sincerely. “Thank you for telling me. I used to think I was dying because my tail wouldn’t change back and forth. I cried about it for ages.”
Ye Gui chuckled, the chains clinking as she ruffled Lin Feng’s hair. “You’re still young. You won’t cry when you grow up.”
The metallic jangling echoed through the room. Lin Feng stared at the chains around Ye Gui’s waist and tail, pausing for several seconds before asking, “Why did the humans chain you up? Do they… want to kill you?”
