Chapter 18

It hurt her wallet, but Zhao Shuqing swiped her card and paid anyway. She glared resentfully at Liang Yue. Three thousand seven hundred sixty, and that wasn’t even including the 19% service fee—this woman was going too far!

This was a rip-off joint, a total black shop.

But Zhao Shuqing could only seethe in silence. For now, she and Lin Feng still had to rely on this “kindhearted” shop owner to get them through their predicament. If she was getting scammed, so be it. She could just think of it as the price of a Golden Week vacation.

Zhao Shuqing ground her molars in frustration.

Lin Feng watched her in confusion. Seeing the anger in Zhao Shuqing’s eyes and brows, she grew worried and clasped her hand. Then she fixed a fierce glare on Liang Yue.

The message was clear: just give the word, and she would charge over and kill the woman.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Zhao Shuqing quickly reined in her emotions. She was afraid that Lin Feng, who had no sense of the law, might actually snap and do Liang Yue in. Sure, the woman was a bit shady, but money was just material wealth. A life was worth more.

Zhao Shuqing soothed Lin Feng and whispered gently to her, “Senior Sister will be here soon to pick us up. Then we’ll be safe.”

Lin Feng turned back, blinking. “Senior Sister?”

“You’ve met her—the one who caught you. She’s our leader.” Zhao Shuqing patiently explained. Lin Feng clearly understood. Her whole body stiffened, and she looked away, her delicate brows knitting tightly. She clearly didn’t want to think about that person.

After all, Xu Tang was the one who had captured Lin Feng. And this mermaid held a grudge.

Zhao Shuqing smiled and pulled out a jelly cup to coax her. Lin Feng eyed the orange-flavored treat and was successfully mollified. She leaned stickily against Zhao Shuqing, nibbling at the snack in tiny bites.

A little over half an hour later, Xu Tang called to say they were on the highway. Zhao Shuqing followed Liang Yue’s instructions and told her the location wasn’t precise. She asked them to park at the village entrance once they arrived, and she would bring Lin Feng there to meet them.

Xu Tang hesitated for a moment, still worried, but Zhao Shuqing insisted it was no problem. In the end, Xu Tang agreed.

After hanging up, Zhao Shuqing said to Lin Feng, “Let’s pack our things and head to the village entrance. Senior Sister is coming to pick us up.”

Lin Feng tilted her head.

Zhao Shuqing smiled without saying more. She began showing Lin Feng how to stuff the snacks and food into the bookbag. Then she went over to thank Liang Yue.

“Thank you so much for today,” Zhao Shuqing said to her. “We’ll be off now.”

Liang Yue lifted her eyelids and waved lazily.

Following Liang Yue’s directions, it took the two of them over ten minutes to find the road at the village entrance.

It barely qualified as a road—long neglected and crumbling, a sign of the area’s poor economy. The concrete was pocked with potholes from heavy traffic, and no one had bothered to repair it. The guardrails along the sides were long gone, and the few that remained were weathered like crumbling stone.

The blazing sun beat down on them mercilessly. Zhao Shuqing cupped her hand over her eyes like a makeshift visor. She glanced at Lin Feng, who looked woozy from dehydration and heat. The mermaid clutched an empty bottle of mineral water, but she was still wilting.

“Hang in there just a bit longer, Lin Feng.” Zhao Shuqing pulled another bottle from the bag, wet a tissue, and wiped Lin Feng’s face. Worry creased her brow as she added, “It’ll be better once we’re in the car.”

Zhao Shuqing looked around. There wasn’t a scrap of shade—no trees, not even a wall to huddle against. She had no choice but to drape her jacket over Lin Feng’s head to shield her from the sun.

As the two endured the scorching wait, several black sedans appeared on the horizon in the distance.

“They’re here!” Zhao Shuqing said excitedly to Lin Feng, pointing at the four or five cars approaching. “Senior Sister’s cars!”

Lin Feng looked up at the black sedans in the distance. Her nose twitched slightly, and her brows suddenly furrowed. She turned back to see Zhao Shuqing happily waving at the vehicles, her face lit up with joy.

Lin Feng reached out and tugged Zhao Shuqing’s clothes. She pointed at the cars, her expression grave.

Zhao Shuqing looked down at Lin Feng’s face and froze. She crouched halfway and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Lin Feng pointed at the approaching sedans and agitatedly tried to stand.

At first, Zhao Shuqing thought Lin Feng was just reluctant to see Xu Tang and wondered how to comfort her. But as she lifted her head to watch the cars draw near, she spotted something off.

The vehicles all bore the Research Institute’s logo, but something still felt wrong to Zhao Shuqing.

And the closer they got, the heavier the unease gnawing at her gut.

“…Run.”

Lin Feng clutched Zhao Shuqing’s clothes tightly, her brows furrowed as she urged, “Run.”

Zhao Shuqing understood instantly. She grabbed the wheelchair handles and shoved it back the way they came.

Now she knew what was wrong. They were too fast. By her calculations, the 120-plus kilometers should take at least an hour at top speed. Besides, Xu Tang and the others should still be in the city—it was impossible for them to arrive this quickly.

These weren’t people from the Research Institute. They were probably just like that driver—here to steal Lin Feng.

The people in the black sedans saw Zhao Shuqing fleeing and accelerated toward her. She could even hear the screech of tires on the rough ground behind them. Zhao Shuqing veered sharply, pushing the wheelchair into a narrow gap between two buildings. Glancing back, she saw the black sedan skid to a halt at the alley mouth. The dark window rolled down slowly, revealing the face of a stranger inside.

Zhao Shuqing didn’t dare waste time. While the car couldn’t fit into the alley, she darted around chaotically. But she was on foot, and Zhouling Township was too open. Inevitably, a vehicle squeezed into one of the lanes and herded her this way and that.

Soon, a black sedan cornered Zhao Shuqing at another alley mouth.

A man climbed out through the sunroof. He leveled a pistol at her and called out coldly, “Stop running, Dr. Zhao. Come quietly with us, and we promise not to harm a hair on your head.”

Cold sweat broke out on Zhao Shuqing’s skin. She gripped the wheelchair handles tightly and demanded, wrinkling her brow, “Who the hell are you people?”

“You can think of us as a foreign organization.” The man glanced at Lin Feng in the wheelchair and tilted his head. “The world’s only mermaid belongs to the nation best equipped to study her—not whoever catches her first.”

“Bullshit,” Zhao Shuqing snapped. “You’re nothing but bandits and thieves.”

The man laughed, then grew sinister again. “Call it what you like. If you’re not cooperating, Dr. Zhao, I don’t mind swapping out the mermaid miss’s keeper.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he pulled the trigger. A sharp crack split the air. Zhao Shuqing didn’t even have time to react before something blurred in front of her. A blanket flew off, and a shadow loomed over her.

Lin Feng had flung off the blanket and planted herself in front of Zhao Shuqing. Her fish tail stood upright, vibrant fins flaring from her sides. At two meters tall, she formed an impenetrable wall.

Zhao Shuqing stared in shock at Lin Feng, her gaze dropping to the mermaid’s arm.

Red blood trickled down the arm like a winding serpent.

“Lin Feng, you’re… hurt?”

Before Zhao Shuqing could process it, Lin Feng glanced back at her once, then seized her collar and bolted into a side alley. Hauled along like a chick by the scruff, Zhao Shuqing heard the man’s curses echoing behind them, followed by buildings whipping past in her vision.

Holy crap, was Lin Feng carrying her at super speed?

Mermaids could enter the sea, come ashore… and fly too?

Zhao Shuqing was still marveling at how amazing Lin Feng was, how amazing mermaids were, how amazing the lords of the ocean were, when the black sedans burst out of the alleys and gave chase.

The lead man bellowed, “That woman can die—the mermaid must be taken alive!” Zhao Shuqing’s brows furrowed.

These lawless scum.

How could they try to kill in broad daylight?

The thought flashed through her mind for only an instant before a sensation of weightlessness hit. With a splash, Zhao Shuqing and Lin Feng plunged into the river together.

In her daze before blacking out, Zhao Shuqing couldn’t help but feel grateful—she’d bought the right waterproof bookbag.

When Lin Feng dragged Zhao Shuqing onto the shore, the human was already unconscious.

She laid Zhao Shuqing on a clean stretch of riverbank, then crouched and pressed her ear to the woman’s chest. The faint heartbeat and shallow breaths made her heart clench. She patted Zhao Shuqing’s cheek and called softly, “Zhao Shuqing.”

But the human didn’t respond. Even her breathing was feeble.

Humans were so fragile.

How had such a weak, helpless race come to rule the world?

Lin Feng gazed down at Zhao Shuqing’s face. Soaked and limp, she looked like a dying fish. If she wasn’t saved soon, she really might not make it.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Lin Feng decided to save this kind human. She placed her hand gently on Zhao Shuqing’s chest and mimicked the human method of CPR.

Soon, Zhao Shuqing coughed up a gush of water with a wretched “wah,” then slipped back into unconsciousness.

Lin Feng patted her face again and listened repeatedly to her chest. Only when the heartbeat steadied did she exhale in relief.

The beautiful mermaid sat on the riverbank, guarding the person beside her. She glanced around, deeming the spot unsafe—those pursuers had been relentless. Lin Feng looked at Zhao Shuqing and resolved to take her into the woods to hide.

When Zhao Shuqing woke, night had fully fallen.

Her head and lungs throbbed with pain, and her whole body ached. She clutched her head and tried to sit up, but her body lurched into empty air. Just as she thought she would plummet, a beautiful blue tail wrapped around her waist and gently lifted her back up.

Zhao Shuqing blinked in bewilderment.

She had passed out in the water—how had she woken up in a tree?

Had she time-traveled?

But when she saw Lin Feng perched in the tree, realization dawned. Lin Feng hoisted her up and propped her against the trunk. A pair of blue eyes gazed at her reproachfully.

Zhao Shuqing took in her surroundings. She was high in a towering tree, at least ten meters off the ground.

If Lin Feng hadn’t caught her just now, she would have tumbled down and splattered like a meat pie.