Chapter 140

“Laboratory?” Xu Tang’s eyes widened as she asked urgently, “Which one?”

The mermaid’s neck was constricted by the shirt collar. She barely managed to point in a direction and told Xu Tang, “It’s… the laboratory with the embryo freezer.”

Xu Tang released her grip the moment she heard this. Her face darkened, and she hurried downstairs.

The experimental building was filled with piercing alarm sounds everywhere. Some mermaids were already clutching their ears and running about chaotically. Because of the noise, they couldn’t discern directions clearly, and some even jumped straight out of the windows.

Even Xu Tang felt a moment of disorientation, her thinking ability gradually weakening. She sensed something was off—why would a perfectly fine laboratory catch fire? There were hardly any ignition sources over there.

The shrill alarms continued blaring. Some mermaids ran upstairs, while others fled downstairs. Xu Tang grabbed one wearing a white lab coat, recognizing her as one of the three mermaids under Gu Yao.

“Where’s Gu Yao?” Xu Tang asked her.

“I-I don’t know.” The mermaid clutched her ears, her mind a blank slate. She broke free from Xu Tang’s grasp and tried to run upstairs, only for Xu Tang to yank her back down.

“Don’t go upstairs! Everyone head downstairs. Do you want to die going up there?” Xu Tang herded the other mermaids who were trying to head upstairs back down, then raced to the floor with the laboratory herself.

The alarms on this floor flashed red, buzzing and wailing chaotically. She covered her mouth and nose as she eyed the misty corridor and made her way to the laboratory.

She kicked open the door to Gu Yao’s lab first and found it empty. She breathed a sigh of relief, then turned and dashed to the other lab down the hall, snatching a fire extinguisher from the wall on her way.

But when she kicked open that door again, billowing white smoke was all that greeted her—no trace of fire anywhere.

The embryo freezers lay scattered haphazardly across the floor, their embryo sacs exposed to the air. Even without being an expert in the field, Xu Tang understood immediately: these embryos were ruined.

Gu Yao…

Xu Tang took a deep breath and shouted into the room, “Gu Yao!”

At that moment, Gu Yao had already climbed to the rooftop. She locked the rooftop door with a U-shaped lock she’d found, the fire alarms from downstairs still ringing in her ears. Things must be in total chaos down there now.

Gu Yao stood on the open rooftop and tilted her head back. She didn’t know from which direction the people Zhao Shuqing had sent would fly in to rescue her, but she was willing to wait.

Time ticked by slowly. Gu Yao kept glancing at the door not far away. She knew her ruse wouldn’t fool Xu Tang for long, so she’d only bought herself five extra minutes. If the helicopter didn’t arrive by ten o’clock, she’d face Xu Tang’s storm of fury.

The thought made Gu Yao shudder.

Please, Zhao the hero, you have to come right on time!

As Gu Yao prayed, she spotted a black dot in the distance. It grew larger and larger until it was clearly visible as a helicopter.

“She really came!”

Gu Yao jumped up and waved frantically toward it. The wind on the rooftop whipped her white lab coat wildly. Just as excitement surged through her, the alarms downstairs suddenly cut off.

Oh no, she’d been found out.

Gu Yao yelled toward the helicopter, “Over here! Here! Hurry, save me!”

The helicopter seemed to hear her. It descended quickly, the cabin door opened, and a ladder dropped down. Gu Yao clambered up it clumsily. She’d just steadied herself when a loud bang echoed behind her—the rooftop door had been kicked and deformed.

Gu Yao’s pupils dilated. She shouted upward, “Fly! Fly now!”

Without a word, the helicopter began ascending. Gu Yao glanced back to see another bang as the thick iron doors nearly buckled. The third kick was coming.

The shaky iron door flew off with a whoosh, crashing onto the rooftop with a clang.

Xu Tang burst out with others in tow. She looked up and spotted Gu Yao dangling from the helicopter below.

Xu Tang’s pupils contracted. They were just about to lock eyes when Gu Yao pulled a pair of sunglasses from her lab coat pocket and slipped them on right in front of her.

Xu Tang: “…”

Gu Yao let out an arrogant laugh. With those pitch-black lenses, she looked utterly brazen.

One of the mermaids spotted Gu Yao hanging there and urgently told Xu Tang, “Group Leader Xu, this human knows too many of our secrets. We can’t let her leave alive!”

Xu Tang knew that full well.

Gu Yao understood their internal anatomy, their living habits, even weaknesses like sensitivity to shrill sounds and the need for sunglasses. If she got away, the mermaids would face even greater threats.

But…

Xu Tang had a gun holstered at her waist. With a mermaid’s eyesight and accuracy, one shot would end Gu Yao. Yet Xu Tang stood there, watching the helicopter recede until it was far beyond shooting range.

“Group Leader Xu?”

The mermaid beside her was frantic, but powerless against Gu Yao’s getaway. She stared at the vanished helicopter, feeling like the sky was falling.

Today’s mess was enormous. Soon everyone would learn that the human Xu Tang had brought in had escaped by helicopter, plunging the mermaids into fresh panic.

“It’s fine.” Xu Tang steadied her emotions and said to those behind her, “We have other ways.”

The helicopter didn’t fly far, not with someone dangling below. If Gu Yao lost her strength and fell, she’d be done for.

Once it hovered to a stop, Gu Yao jumped down, landing steadily on the ground.

The moment Zhao Shuqing poked her head out, Gu Yao spotted her and waved excitedly. “You came to pick me up yourself? Are we sworn sisters in adversity now?”

Zhao Shuqing couldn’t help laughing at Gu Yao’s lively energy. She waved her over. “Don’t just stand there like an idiot. Let’s get out of here before those mermaids catch up.”

“Right, right.” Gu Yao hopped back onto the helicopter. Once Zhao Shuqing had reeled in the ladder, it sped away.

Zhao Shuqing looked Gu Yao up and down, confirming she was missing no limbs, then relaxed. She pointed at the sunglasses and asked, “Why are you wearing shades in broad daylight? I didn’t see them on the rooftop earlier.”

“These?” Gu Yao took them off. “I borrowed someone else’s glasses and painted the lenses black. Not real sunglasses.”

Under those conditions, where was she supposed to find actual shades? In the end, she’d tricked a mermaid out of some unwanted prescription glasses. They made her a bit dizzy, but they worked.

Zhao Shuqing gave her a puzzled look. After Gu Yao explained what happened, everyone on the helicopter was stunned.

Yue Jiuchu turned back to Gu Yao with an enigmatic expression and sighed, “For you to get out alive, those mermaids must have gone easy on you.”

Gu Yao: “?”

“Enough chit-chat,” Zhao Shuqing said. “Let’s go home first.”

After more than an hour in the air, the helicopter landed. Gu Yao’s heart raced with excitement, her hands trembling. After months of captivity, she was free at last. The air she breathed upon jumping down carried the sweet scent of liberty.

Yue Jiuchu then drove Zhao Shuqing and Gu Yao away from the military base. On the road, Zhao Shuqing filled her in on recent events, mentioning that Lin Feng was now safe by her side and they’d see her soon.

Once the thrill faded, Gu Yao’s enthusiasm dimmed. She gazed at the familiar yet strange streetscapes outside the window, her mind lingering on the final look Xu Tang had given her.

Yue Jiuchu said she’d survived thanks to the mermaids’ mercy, but Gu Yao knew better. It wasn’t the mermaids’ kindness—it was Xu Tang’s.

After all that time together, Gu Yao wasn’t blind. She could see it. But… it just wasn’t right.

When the car stopped, Zhao Shuqing led Gu Yao out. Before them stood a villa in the military district, sentries in uniform posted every few steps. The sight filled Gu Yao with unusual comfort.

The door flew open, and an orange blur shot out first. Gu Yao’s eyes lit up. She crouched down and scooped up Pumpkin as it pounced into her arms, smothering it with kisses.

“My cute little fatty, Auntie finally gets to see you while she’s still alive!” Gu Yao was so moved she nearly cried, refusing to put down the little fatty despite her aching arms.

Then she spotted Lin Feng, belly round and bulging, standing at the threshold. Her eyes brightened at the sight of Gu Yao, but with the cat there, she didn’t dare approach.

Gu Yao set the cat down and hugged Lin Feng, sobbing as she did. She even patted the little fish in her belly, which only made her cry harder.

Fresh out of the mermaid den, Gu Yao’s emotions were bound to swing wildly. Yue Jiuchu had someone give her a full checkup, then told Zhao Shuqing, “Gu Yao knows too many mermaid secrets. We need to question her for now—it might take three days.”

Zhao Shuqing understood. Gu Yao’s situation was special, so interrogation was inevitable, but with Yue Jiuchu being one of their own, she wouldn’t go too hard on her.

“Be gentle with her,” Zhao Shuqing said. “I’m worried she might develop post-traumatic stress.”

From Gu Yao’s outburst of tears and laughter upon arrival, there were already signs. Anyone locked up that long would have issues.

Yue Jiuchu gave a thumbs-up of understanding and left.

For now, Zhao Shuqing and Lin Feng were staying at Chen Huijun’s home. Chen Huijun’s work wasn’t demanding; sometimes she went out, other times she stayed to keep Ye Gui company. With Lin Feng there to keep Ye Gui company now, she felt more at ease.

The housekeeper prepared dinner and came to call them. Zhao Shuqing carried a tray of food to the basement first.

“This character reads ‘Lin’—it’s your surname, double woods for Lin,” Ye Gui’s voice drifted up from the basement. As Zhao Shuqing entered, she saw Ye Gui sitting on a small bed, holding an illustrated primer and teaching Lin Feng to read.

Lin Feng had heard Zhao Shuqing’s footsteps long ago. She looked up with a smile and said, “Zhao Shuqing, I can write my name now!”

With that, she showed off the characters she’d learned that morning.

Ye Gui no longer needed to stay in a cage, but they still didn’t fully trust her outside the basement, so she remained there for the time being.

The walls were padded with foam, all sharp objects stowed away. Even the pens were special ones from the detention center—like oversized scissors with a large looped end to prevent swallowing.

Zhao Shuqing set the food down on the table. She glanced at Lin Feng’s crooked handwriting, which barely resembled “Lin Feng.”

“Very good,” Zhao Shuqing said with a straight face. “Your handwriting’s way better than mine.”