The silver-white scales became unusually soft; with a gentle pry, they flipped to both sides. A burning sensation radiated from his fingertips, and the reaction in his lower abdomen grew even more intense, producing a swelling ache following a bout of oversensitivity.
An Ming stared at the two things before him, utterly shocked.
Five minutes later.
The little merman had his tail wrapped tightly in a quilt, sobbing “yi-wu-wu-yi” as he picked up his optical computer to search.
How to make a mermaid tail disappear within 1 minute
Unfortunately, the number of merfolk was far too sparse. No merman had ever asked such a question, and naturally, no one had answered it.
An Ming was about to die of anxiety. How could he let LAN see him like this!
Blushing, he continued trying more searches, entering increasingly strange questions.
All to no avail.
“What a broken Star Network!” Just as An Ming was about to throw the optical computer away in a fit of pique, a “Didi—” sounded. No. 9 suddenly sent a voice communication request.
An Ming answered absentmindedly, not even noticing that No. 9 wasn’t using a hologram.
“An Xiaoming, are you really that impatient?” No. 9’s tone was very strange.
The little merman looked miserable: “What?”
“Your optical computer’s network connection has to go through me, you know that, right?” No. 9 said. “What on earth have you been searching for? Hahahahaha!”
Before the little merman could get angry, he quickly added: “Disclaimer! I didn’t mean to pry into your privacy. It’s just that you didn’t use Incognito Mode.”
An Ming only then realized that all those messy questions just now had been synchronized and obtained by No. 9.
No. 9 had mentioned Incognito Mode yesterday; data processing would only pass through the underlying processor. Unless No. 9 deliberately extracted it, he wouldn’t know.
The downside was that there would be no historical backups, and personalized services based on past records couldn’t be provided.
Seeing the little merman remain silent, likely out of shyness, No. 9 spoke again: “Oh, actually, everyone’s searches are quite normal. You’re all young and full of vigor; it’s normal to watch some ‘small films.’ The others don’t even try to hide from me they even want me to give recommendations based on their preferences.”
An Ming forced himself to stay calm: “…If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”
Time was ticking away second by second, and his fish tail was still exceptionally excited, almost struggling to break free from the quilt.
“Don’t hang up!” No. 9 shouted hurriedly. “Don’t you want me to help you?”
“…How can you help?” An Ming knew, of course, that asking No. 9 directly would be faster, but how could he be so thick-skinned!
“Easy to say,” No. 9 said. “The ‘films’ on the Star Network are mostly performance-based. If you want a better experience with this kind of thing, you still have to look at professional books. I’ll recommend a few to you.”
As he spoke, he projected several virtual covers in front of An Ming.
Merman Anatomy
The Secret of Dragon Bloodlines
The History of Inter-Species Mating
Safety Operation Manual for Non-Humanoids
An Ming: “…”
What kind of thing? What experience?! Why did these books… seem a bit off?
An Ming: “Cough, you certainly have a scholarly spirit.”
“That’s for sure,” No. 9 said smugly. “I know, you’re looking these up because you want to do the ‘un-un’ with LAN as soon as he gets back, right? Doing it sooner would be very beneficial for him, hehehe…”
An Ming: “!”
How tragic he was being misunderstood!
No. 9: “By the way, do you want me to keep the secret so you can give LAN a surprise? Or should I drop a hint to him ‘extremely naturally’ beforehand so he can start looking forward to it right now?”
An Ming: “…”
Fortunately, No. 9 had called via voice, so his predicament wouldn’t be seen.
He wanted to explain that he only wanted to know how to retract his tail voluntarily, and whether all merfolk had two.
But he didn’t know how to start. Who remains ignorant about their own body? It was simply too stupid!
Finally, he could only say: “Don’t tell him…”
No. 9: “Understood! You want it to be a surprise!”
“…Mm.” The little merman covered his face. “Can I hang up now?”
“Wait!” No. 9 blocked him again. “Could you do me a favor too?”
“…Speak quickly.” An Ming was truly anxious.
“Let me see your two d*cks,” No. 9 said out of the blue.
An Ming: “!”
Being poked so directly by No. 9, he really couldn’t keep his face from burning!
“Are you going to let me see or not?” No. 9 pressed.
“No!” The little merman was extremely firm.
“Oh,” No. 9’s voice flowed with deep disappointment. “My body is almost finished printing, and the only thing left is the d*ck. I wanted to use yours as a reference and decide whether I should also have two.”
“I originally wanted to reference Ivan, but he refused to let me see no matter what, and even threatened to beat me up,” No. 9 sighed. “Actually, I have a lot of data and materials in my hands, I’m just afraid of accidentally setting the various values too high. Size is easier to handle the maximum size within the normal range is fine. But things like duration and hardness… those materials feel unreliable and exaggerated to me. I’m worried I’ll overdo it.”
An Ming: “…Then set it on the lower side.”
No. 9 immediately rejected the idea: “How could I do that?”
The voice communication lasted for more than half an hour before it finally ended. An Ming was exhausted, and his fish tail had also become limp.
But it just wouldn’t retract.
He was about to flip through the books No. 9 had sent when he discovered an unread message on his watch.
It was from LAN, sent at exactly eight o’clock last night.
Leaving. The planet’s night lasts about 28 hours. Get some good rest.
An Ming: “…?”
Was I the little fool all along?
He quickly did the math only 13 hours had passed. LAN wouldn’t be back until the middle of the night; he had a whole day of free and happy time!
An Ming breathed a massive sigh of relief and pulled away the quilt, revealing the fish tail that was sweaty from being smothered. You can stay out a bit longer!
The fish tail gave a happy flick, then “Pa!” it retracted, returning his two long, white legs.
An Ming: “…”
While washing up, An Ming brushed his teeth while recalling that this time, it seemed he had suddenly transformed into a fish tail after having a fuzzy but very comfortable dream.
He looked down at the ruined shorts in the trash can by his feet, thinking to himself that he must be extra careful from now on. He absolutely could not make a fool of himself in front of LAN again, and even more importantly, he couldn’t let the other party discover the two little secrets on his fish tail.
If that were seen, wouldn’t it make him think he was a pervert?
He had to learn how to control the fish tail as soon as possible.
After An Ming tidied himself up, he headed out.
The room he shared with LAN belonged to a dedicated deck level. Aside from their living quarters, a few cabins on this floor were designed as offices, and the rest were entirely empty. This was related to the fact that LAN was both the supreme leader and an Omega.
Everyone else lived on the floor below, including No. 9 and Evan. No. 9 didn’t need to sleep, but he had also arranged a room for himself, the number of which he had told An Ming yesterday it was right next to the Zerg.
An Ming took the optical elevator to the dining level. Almost all the crew of the Phoenix had gone down to the planet for the mission, and since it was past mealtime, the restaurant that had been so lively yesterday appeared incredibly empty now.
An Ming ordered a bowl of spicy beef noodles for himself, paired with a small side of boiled peanuts and fruit/vegetable juice. Both the nutrition and the taste were perfect.
No. 9’s hologram didn’t appear, but he chatted with him for a few words through the mechanical arm that served the food.
After finishing breakfast, An Ming went to the theory classroom in the middle level of the ship. He solemnly collected a photonic notebook and a photonic pen, sat in the front row of the classroom, and began writing busily.
Having officially joined the Justice Army, the little merman didn’t plan to live a lazy life; he had rested more than enough in his previous life. He wanted to learn, exercise, and enjoy a vivid life.
Study Plan
Physical FitnessTask: Follow the Phoenix crew in training.
Goal: 4-pack abs, distinct mermaid line (when having legs).
Master Basic Interstellar Technological KnowledgeTask 1: Learn about mecha.
Goal 1: Become a mecha maintenance technician (unable to pilot with Grade D T_T).
Task 2: Learn to pilot small spacecraft.
Goal 2: Be able to fly independently.
Understand Interstellar Hot Topics, Stay Connected to SocietyTask: Browse social entertainment websites for half an hour daily.
Goal: Be able to name at least 10 interstellar celebrities. …
In a short while, An Ming finished writing. He read it over with satisfaction, feeling as though something was missing.
After a moment’s thought, he added:
Care Plan
Smile at LAN every day.
Provide somatic pheromones every night.
Perform regular temporary marking.
Goal: Help LAN recover sooner (though the specific ailment is unknown).
Only now was it considered complete. The little merman grinned happily.
Once the crew members returned tomorrow, he could join the training and ask for guidance on mecha and spacecraft knowledge.
As for today, he would first find a way to control his fish tail as quickly as possible.
The little merman set the photonic notebook aside and pulled up Merman Anatomy sent by No. 9, beginning to read it seriously.
He had to admit, although No. 9’s personality was a bit unreliable, the recommended books were a precision match. An Ming quickly found the corresponding information.
Only then did he learn that every merman can voluntarily control their tail; it is an innate instinct that doesn’t require deliberate practice.
However, a merman who has just undergone their first differentiation will have a period of turbulence, during which they cannot control the tail well. They are also prone to entering recurrent periods of temporary heat with irregular intervals. There is no need for deliberate correction; as long as a peaceful state of mind is maintained, it will return to normal on its own once the turbulence ends.
Additionally, the higher the grade of the merman, the longer the state of turbulence might last.
So that’s how it is.
It seemed he was still in the turbulence period. He had to be extra careful before it ended.
An Ming continued reading.
The ability to control the fish tail also varied in level, mainly in terms of duration and form.
The higher the merman’s mental strength grade, the longer they could maintain human legs while in water; conversely, they could also maintain a fish tail in dry conditions.
At the same time, they could more freely switch between a shallow-water form and a deep-water form specifically referring to the hardness and sharpness of the fins.
An Ming stopped to admire the black-and-white illustrations, then followed the page to the “Fun Facts” at the bottom.
Did you know? To blend like water and milk with a high-grade merman Omega in a fish-tail state on a bed is a dream that all interstellar elites flock to, though very few have their wish fulfilled.
Did you also know? The experience with a high-grade merman Alpha is equally perfect.
An Ming pushed the book forward and leaned back.
Does Anatomy even teach this?
While the little merman was diligently studying, on the target of the mission the Fire-type planet.
All squads had completed their surveying tasks ahead of schedule and had gathered.
There were still several hours before the planet’s night.
Ivan finished checking all the necessary precautions and returned to the First Squad’s battleship.
“Reporting to the First Commander! Preparations are complete; we can return immediately!”
“Return,” said the mixed-blood leader, whose peerless looks were hard to hide despite the bit of dust on his face.
The battleship fleet ascended, carrying the ore samples.
In the cockpit, everyone was exhausted; no one spoke.
LAN fiddled with his watch idly.
So much time had passed; the little merman must have seen the message long ago.
Yet he chose not to reply.
Just as a certain Dragon-man was sinking into his thoughts, the communication equipment on the pilot panel emitted a characterless mechanical voice:
“Beep, this is the Phoenix. Detected sub-line No. 9 approaching.”
The next second, the voice switched to a sweet young male Zerg: “Hi! You guys are back early! Did you miss me?”
Without waiting for a response, No. 9’s main line said excitedly:
“By the way, Boss! An Xiaoming has prepared a huge surprise for you! Too bad I promised to keep it a secret, so I can’t tell you!”