Chapter 22

Zhouling Township was neither large nor small, home to only around two hundred permanent residents.

A few hundred years ago, a solar storm had triggered a viral outbreak that decimated humanity’s numbers, dropping from a peak of seven billion to a scant seven or eight hundred million today. Vast swaths of land had reverted to primal forests, and once-thriving cities had fallen into decay from lack of people. Even a settlement as substantial as this village now housed only a handful of households.

Zhao Shuqing had just caught up on some sleep and felt brimming with energy. At that moment, she lay prone on a hillside, peering at the distant road junction where a vehicle stood guard. She could make out at least four people inside.

Four burly men, armed to the teeth.

Zhao Shuqing committed the detail to memory, then tugged Lin Feng along to scout other areas.

As she had suspected, that group had sealed off every key access point—even the narrowest stretch along the riverbank was under watch.

This wasn’t looking good…

From afar, Zhao Shuqing eyed the vehicle and decided against rash action. It would be wiser to stay put quietly and wait for Xu Tang and the others to come to their rescue.

Glancing back at Lin Feng behind her, Zhao Shuqing saw that Lin Feng was gazing right at her. In the darkness, her eyes glowed like a deep blue wisp of light. Mermaids often plunged into the lightless abyss of the deep sea, a realm where darkness posed no obstacle to them.

“Let’s head back,” Zhao Shuqing whispered, carefully crawling down the slope.

Lin Feng nodded, and the two retraced their steps along the original path.

They hadn’t gone far when Lin Feng suddenly halted, her gaze snapping back to a small red dot flickering in the sky nearby.

“What’s wrong?” Zhao Shuqing asked, turning her head.

Lin Feng glanced at her, then pointed at the red dot in the air, urging Zhao Shuqing to look.

Zhao Shuqing glanced up and froze. The red dot hovered silently, blinking steadily as it glided without a sound. It was one of the latest-model drones.

They’d been spotted.

“Run!” Zhao Shuqing grabbed Lin Feng’s hand and bolted without looking back. Lin Feng hadn’t yet grasped what the thing was; she glanced over her shoulder at the relentlessly pursuing red dot and finally realized it spelled trouble.

The drone was eerily quiet, and who knew how long it had been lurking up there? In a panic, Zhao Shuqing dragged Lin Feng into an alleyway. Moments later, the roar of car engines erupted from all directions—she figured they were made.

“Tch.” Zhao Shuqing’s head throbbed. She should have just hunkered down with Lin Feng instead of acting so recklessly.

The drone pursued them anew. Zhao Shuqing shot Lin Feng a frown and asked, “Can you take care of that thing?”

Lin Feng looked up at the drone and nodded slightly.

“Go for it,” Zhao Shuqing urged. “We can’t let it keep tailing us.”

Lin Feng understood. She scooped up a palm-sized stone from the ground and whipped her massive tail fin skyward. With a resounding boom, the drone shattered in midair, plummeting in a trail of fire.

“Impressive,” Zhao Shuqing praised. “If I had even half your skills, I wouldn’t have been running around so pathetically.”

Lin Feng beamed at the compliment, flashing a goofy grin.

Just then, footsteps echoed from the alley mouth. In the shadows, four or five figures blocked the exit, weapons in hand, their gazes fixed menacingly on Lin Feng’s long tail.

“Capture the mermaid alive.”

Zhao Shuqing heard one of them bark the order.

In a flash, Lin Feng’s tail lashed out as she charged. Her razor-sharp claws gleamed coldly in the moonlight, shredding one man’s throat. Another flick of her tail sent the man at the edge flying into the adjacent wall, which collapsed with a thunderous crash, burying him under bricks and debris.

Two down in an instant. The rest panicked; one even fired at Lin Feng.

Bang! The shot made Zhao Shuqing’s scalp crawl, but Lin Feng dodged nimbly, twisting her waist to surge forward. Like a specter, she landed behind the shooter and snapped his neck with a vicious wrench.

The last man sprayed bullets wildly in a desperate bid to flee, only to take a fist-sized rock to the back of the head. His skull caved in—he was stone dead.

Lin Feng stood amid the pile of corpses and turned to gaze calmly at Zhao Shuqing.

Zhao Shuqing swallowed hard. Ignoring whether the bodies were truly lifeless, she seized Lin Feng’s hand and ran.

Her heart hammered like it might burst. Try as she might, Zhao Shuqing couldn’t shake the image of Lin Feng in killing mode. She knew Lin Feng had done it to protect her, but at heart, Zhao Shuqing was just an academic who had never witnessed such brutality.

They ran for what felt like an eternity, Zhao Shuqing gripping Lin Feng’s wrist tightly the whole way.

They ran into a few more groups after that. Without a word, Lin Feng would charge them, while Zhao Shuqing found a quiet spot to hide. When Lin Feng returned after finishing them off, she was drenched head to tail in blood.

Her azure eyes locked intently on Zhao Shuqing. Blood from splatters streaked her cheeks, her hands were vivid crimson, and even the rags wrapped around her tail reeked of thick gore.

She resembled a wrathful deity of midnight.

Zhao Shuqing raised her hand slightly and used her thumb to wipe away the warm bloodstain on Lin Feng’s face. Lin Feng tilted her head to look, then docilely closed her eyes.

“Zhao Shuqing…” Lin Feng murmured, nuzzling her palm. “Let’s go.”

Zhao Shuqing’s heart clenched. She knew they couldn’t linger here—they had to keep moving.

By now, the commotion was massive. Zhao Shuqing realized blindly darting about would spell disaster. Composing herself, she hatched a plan.

She returned to the car and retrieved the phone that had been powering down to charge, then switched it on.

Lin Feng panicked at the sight and snatched the phone away. But she had no idea how to operate it and flailed to turn it off, sweat beading on her brow.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Zhao Shuqing soothed, stroking Lin Feng’s head. She explained, “They’re hunting us everywhere right now. We need to draw them away so we can link up with Senior Sister and the others. Got it?”

Lin Feng clutched the phone, staring fixedly at Zhao Shuqing as she slowly processed the words.

One by one, Zhao Shuqing pried Lin Feng’s fingers loose. The phone’s screen was cracked at one corner, but it still worked.

“We might have to split up,” Zhao Shuqing told her. “But first, I need to call Senior Sister.”

Though it was the dead of night, Xu Tang answered almost immediately.

“Shuqing?” Xu Tang sounded startled that Zhao Shuqing would call at this hour. Tension laced her voice. “How are you holding up? Still safe?”

“Safe enough for now, Senior Sister,” Zhao Shuqing replied. She kept quiet about Lin Feng’s killing spree, giving only a brief rundown. “They’re tracking my phone signal. Lin Feng and I are planning to split up—where are you?”

“We’re at the highway toll station thirty kilometers out,” Xu Tang said gravely. “We’re heading your way right now.”

“Good.”

No more words needed, Zhao Shuqing hung up and turned to Lin Feng. “Time’s short—they’ll be on us soon. I’ll drive south with the phone. You follow this road straight to Senior Sister. Understand?”

Lin Feng got it but shook her head stubbornly, her delicate brows knitting together. “Together…”

Zhao Shuqing’s heart twinged, but she gave a wry shake of her head. “You’re more important than me. You have to survive.”

Lin Feng shook her head and clutched at Zhao Shuqing’s clothes. “Together.”

“But one of us needs to take the phone.”

“Together.”

“Listen to me,” Zhao Shuqing said sternly. “You can’t get caught. Go find Senior Sister.”

Lin Feng bit her thin lip and shook her head. Her eyes fell on the phone in Zhao Shuqing’s hand; in a sudden move, she yanked it away, flung open the door, and leaped out.

“Lin Feng!” Zhao Shuqing’s heart lurched as she cried out.

But Lin Feng turned back and said, “Soon… wait for me…”

With that, she bolted. Zhao Shuqing saw how swiftly she vanished and knew pursuit on foot was futile. She gunned the engine to give chase.

“Lin Feng, let’s talk this out—give me the phone back!”

Zhao Shuqing rolled down the window, shouting at the fleeing mermaid as she drove. “Don’t do anything stupid!”

Lin Feng shot her a glance without slowing, her tail carrying her to the riverbank in just a few strokes. There, she halted.

Zhao Shuqing slammed on the brakes. Bathed in the headlights, Lin Feng faced the river, reared up, and began to sing.

Her voice was ethereal and light, like a nightingale rousing in the breeze or an elf dancing on the wind. Zhao Shuqing suddenly recalled the dream from the boat: a chorus of mermaids singing alluring songs, drawing her inexorably toward them…

What was she up to?

What was she summoning?

Before Zhao Shuqing could puzzle it out, the serene river surface erupted in turmoil. Countless waves churned violently in time with Lin Feng’s song, boiling like a pot left too long on the fire.

Under the car’s beams, Zhao Shuqing spotted finless porpoises leaping from the water, along with all manner of massive fish. They had all been lured by Lin Feng’s voice and now clustered in the river just before her.

Lin Feng ceased her song. She regarded the gathered creatures calmly, then glanced back at Zhao Shuqing and gave a subtle nod toward them, signaling their role.

Zhao Shuqing caught on at once. She grabbed the waterproof backpack, shook it out, hopped from the car, and hurried to Lin Feng’s side. She stuffed the phone inside and tied it shut with a rock-solid knot.

Lin Feng hefted the backpack and approached the water’s edge. The fish surged forward, pressing their heads reverently against the bank and thrashing their tails in excitement, as if awaiting commands from their empress.

Finally, Lin Feng selected the burliest finless porpoise. It reared up eagerly, clamped its jaws around the backpack, flicked its tail, and vanished into the depths.

Zhao Shuqing stared, dumbfounded.

She pointed at the spot where the porpoise had submerged and asked tentatively, “And… that’s it?”

Lin Feng nodded obediently at her.