Xu Tang froze for a moment upon hearing this.
She cast a complicated glance at Gu Yao and fell silent for a long time before resuming her packing. Only after a while did she speak. “No,” she said. “You’re part of the Mermaid Plan. We won’t hold you hostage unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
That still left the possibility open.
Gu Yao let out a sigh, convinced her end was near…
Perhaps influenced by human society, the mermaids had started forming their own ideas—especially now, at this pivotal moment, when defections happened almost daily. With their numbers dwindling and the location growing ever more inconvenient, Xu Tang and the others had discussed it and decided to relocate to the next spot.
From casual chats with the mermaids, Gu Yao had learned that they initially disguised themselves as ordinary folk. But once they tasted power and status, they began scheming to devour those in high places.
It made conducting business far easier and faster. Gu Yao knew of several bigwigs who were mermaids, though she couldn’t say whether they’d climbed the ranks as such or simply eaten their way to the top.
Politicians weren’t the only ones. Some tycoons were mermaids too.
The Mermaid Plan guzzled money, so affluent types were plentiful among them. Pampered by wealth until their skin gleamed, they couldn’t stand the place for long. They tolerated it upon arrival but soon started plotting an escape.
“This time, we’re heading to an industrial park,” Xu Tang told Gu Yao.
The spot promised modern equipment and accommodations, complete with running water, electricity, and heat. “You won’t have to freeze here anymore.”
As Xu Tang sketched out their “future,” Gu Yao gazed at the rising sun outside the window and asked her, “How much longer do you intend to live like this?”
Xu Tang looked up at her.
Gu Yao met her eyes. “Why not just surrender? The human leaders might not harm you. Wouldn’t peaceful coexistence be ideal?”
Xu Tang laughed abruptly, though Gu Yao couldn’t fathom why.
She fixed her gaze on Gu Yao and enunciated each word: “We haven’t lost yet.”
Xu Tang continued, “We still have our ace in the hole.”
Gu Yao couldn’t grasp the source of Xu Tang’s confidence, but she had bigger concerns. After evacuating the tube building, they drove circuitously before pulling into an industrial park.
Humanity’s scarcity had left most such parks abandoned, with only scattered urban pockets still active for office work. This one was unmistakably derelict.
It suited the mermaids’ need for a hideout perfectly.
Their numbers had halved since the tube building days. Gu Yao studied the holdouts closely; she couldn’t identify them, but resolve etched every face.
Water, electricity, and heat at last—Gu Yao felt reborn.
She and Xu Tang got a spacious suite with its own bathroom, bedroom, and modest balcony. The living room boasted a fully stocked fridge and TV, outshining even her old Research Institute digs.
Gu Yao found it satisfactory enough.
Local news droned on the television. A month had slipped by, and mermaid sightings had tapered off sharply. The daily catch reports persisted, but little else surfaced.
Whether from suppression or sheer scarcity, Gu Yao couldn’t tell.
Soon enough, the mermaids handed Gu Yao her new team.
“These are your assigned subordinates,” Xu Tang said, gesturing to three women of varying heights standing in the living room. To Gu Yao, she added, “You’ll have your own laboratory. The Double Cisgender Plan continues—we need more offspring.”
Gu Yao lounged on the sofa, clutching a throw pillow as she sized up the trio. “They’re all mermaids?” she asked Xu Tang.
Xu Tang nodded. “All of them.”
Gu Yao slumped back. “Once I teach you the ropes, why not handle it yourselves? Why drag me into it? Teaming up with mermaids stresses me out. What if I rub one the wrong way and end up as lunch?”
The three mermaids glanced at one another.
Xu Tang assured her, “It won’t happen. They’re under your command. Any misconduct, and I’ll handle it myself—first.”
The mermaids stared at Xu Tang, eyes widening in disbelief. One blurted, “Xu Tang, why take orders from this human?”
“Quiet,” Xu Tang snapped over her shoulder, irritation flaring. To them, she said, “Labs get assigned soon, and you’ll report to her. Don’t bully her just because she’s human. If word reaches me, you’re gone—all of you.”
Gu Yao arched a brow and seized the moment. “You heard her. My word is law from here on. East means east—no detours west.”
Grimacing, the three mermaids nodded grudgingly.
Once they filed out, Gu Yao reflected that Xu Tang’s presence held perks, especially for bluster.
An idea sparked unbidden.
“Does everyone in the lab answer to me?” Gu Yao probed Xu Tang.
Xu Tang settled beside her and nodded. “Staff’s thin for now, but gear’s ample. They’ve all got medical backgrounds; teaching them should be straightforward.”
Gu Yao nodded sagely. “Experience helps. I just worry the mermaids might not listen.”
Xu Tang shot her a look, snatched a greenish mandarin from the table, and peeled it deftly. She presented the pristine segments to Gu Yao before advising, “Mermaids boast sharp senses of smell and hearing, plus potent brainwaves compared to baseline lifeforms. If they hassle you, a piercing shriek might repel them.”
She grew grave. “But mind their eyes. Lock gazes once, and your will crumbles.”
A chill gripped Gu Yao. “Sunglasses?”
Xu Tang pondered briefly. “They’d work.”
“I’ve got duties elsewhere,” Xu Tang said, cradling Gu Yao’s face for a forehead kiss. “I can’t stick around constantly. Get rest—no all-nighters.”
Gu Yao touched the spot as Xu Tang departed, locking the door with a decisive click.
Still treating her like a flight risk, that wretched woman.
Gu Yao reclined anew, savoring the peeled fruit while muttering, “Piercing shrieks and shades…”
She had a scheme brewing.
Pumpkin plummeted from on high, flung Gu Yao’s ID badge at Lin Feng’s feet, and strutted away. Zhao Shuqing scooped it up, verifying the Research Institute’s custom design. Interns wore theirs on lanyards; group leaders pinned them.
Zhao Shuqing remembered Gu Yao’s final role as Genome Group’s deputy group leader—no shock there.
The real puzzle was its presence here.
Lin Feng remained rattled. Little Fatty had done nothing aggressive, yet her heart hammered. Proximity to Zhao Shuqing eventually steadied her.
Zhao Shuqing dialed her phone while Lin Feng eavesdropped. “Yes, it’s peculiar,” Zhao Shuqing said. “Didn’t you check on Xu Tang and Gu Yao back then? You said the room was searched. Right address?”
Yue Jiuchu dug up the dispatch log on her end. They’d raided a different villa.
“Looks like we chased the wrong lead,” Yue Jiuchu replied. “Four properties under her name, scattered across the city—half-hour drives minimum between any pair. Deliberate misdirection.”
A fox with multiple dens.
Zhao Shuqing clutched the badge. “Dig into the prior owner’s background. The realtor’s shady too—check them out.”
“Got it,” Yue Jiuchu said, hesitating. “Want us over?”
Zhao Shuqing eyed Lin Feng. “Yes. I’ll hold here.”
She hung up and drew Lin Feng to the sofa. Pity stirred at the girl’s pallor, but questions loomed.
Zhao Shuqing unfurled her palm, displaying the badge. Knowing Lin Feng’s illiteracy, she clarified, “Gu Yao’s.”
Lin Feng blinked. “?”
“Gu Yao?” Lin Feng leaned close, baffled. “How’d her stuff wind up here?”
Zhao Shuqing suspected she knew. Their video call with Xu Tang—the backdrop had seemed vast, nothing like institute dorms.
“Lin Feng,” Zhao Shuqing coaxed, “mind asking Pumpkin where it snagged this? Gu Yao might’ve stashed more.”
Lin Feng jabbed her nose. “Me?”
She balked at first, but memories flooded in: Gu Yao’s bounty of hotpot snacks, milk teas, grilled sausages, even the beach quest to reunite her with Zhao Shuqing. Gritting her teeth, Lin Feng fixed watery eyes on the cat cradled in Zhao Shuqing’s arms.
“Y-you back up farther.” Voice quavering, Lin Feng urged a retreat. Zhao Shuqing complied with cat in tow. “This far enough?”
Terror lingered, but Gu Yao’s memory fueled resolve. Lin Feng confronted Little Fatty. “Wh-where d-did you get th-that b-b-b-badge?”
Zhao Shuqing: “…”
Pumpkin flicked its tail from Zhao Shuqing’s embrace, emerald eyes boring into the mermaid. Lin Feng faltered, eyes bulging, then brimmed with tears.
Spotting Little Fish in tears, Zhao Shuqing abandoned the cat and enveloped her. “What happened? What’d it say?”
Lin Feng clung to Zhao Shuqing’s waist, face mashed into her chest, sobbing out her woes. “It s-said it wants to l-lick me… wuwu…”
Pumpkin perked at the words, vaulted to the sofa’s backrest, and prowled forward with glowing green eyes. It licked its lips and pink nose theatrically.
Lin Feng clamped silent in fright, gooseflesh erupting across her skin.
Yet for Gu Yao, she thrust out an arm amid twin tear tracks, steeling for doom. “Lick away, but afterward… keep your word… wuwu…”
