The Little Merman in the Apocalypse 4
The supermarket was mostly filled with young girls, with the occasional middle-aged man who had also paid for protection.
After exchanging a glance, they silently moved to a blind spot behind the shelves.
“Did you get it?”
Qi Yu glanced back to ensure Sang Biao was still entangled with the people outside before relaxing.
Sister Zhao nodded.
Her delicate face was tense as she carefully pulled out several test tubes of different colors.
“We don’t know which one is the right one.”
The players discussed strategies for a few minutes.
“Let’s wait until nightfall to try it out.”
A masked boy counted idly.
His brows furrowed, suspicion creeping into his gaze.
“Weren’t there supposed to be 20 players in this apocalypse instance? Why are there only 19? We’re missing someone.”
After confirming, they realized one player was indeed missing.
“Ah, probably got bitten by a zombie right after entering. There’s always some unlucky soul who doesn’t last five minutes in these instances.”
With that, no one dwelled on the topic further.
However, Sister Zhao gazed thoughtfully in the direction of the Base.
Her eyes narrowed, but she remained silent.
Negotiations concluded.
Sang Biao kicked aside an empty bottle blocking his path.
He wrapped his arms around two pretty girls barely in their twenties, his hands restlessly wandering at their waists.
They were beautiful, with delicate features, fair skin, and youthful curves exuding a unique charm.
They were several years younger than Xiao Mei.
Sang Biao spat his chewed-up gum onto a decaying corpse at his feet.
His tone was suggestive.
“Tonight, it’s just you two. Clean up and come find me on the second floor, hahaha.”
Xiao Mei shot him a sharp glare, holding back the urge to curse.
Qiao Han exited the private elevator with a serious expression.
A stretcher covered with a white sheet wobbled past him.
A blood-stained arm dangled, the clothing indicating it was a researcher.
But he was dead, a fatal wound had torn him in half…
“Dr. Qiao.”
Hu Lei approached nervously to report.
“Just now, A307’s vital signs suddenly stabilized. We think it might have passed the most dangerous phase of its mating cycle.”
Qiao Han took the report, casually flipping through a few pages before handing it back.
His eyes, hidden behind glasses, showed no relaxation, deep and dark.
He stood before a transparent wall.
The seawater was as dark as ink, obscuring any view of A307, also known as Jing Chen.
Male mermen were inherently cruel and bloodthirsty, especially before their mating cycle. No one could explain the changes in the readings.
“Doctor, since it’s back to normal, can we lower the voltage?”
Qiao Han didn’t respond to Hu Lei, remaining silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
“Don’t treat it like a mindless beast. Perhaps… it’s pretending.”
He couldn’t understand what had calmed the once-agitated merman.
Qiao Han stayed for a while without any incident.
“Doctor, Ms. An Lan wants to see you.”
He frowned, suppressing his impatience.
“Understood, I’ll be there soon.”
In his absence, Hu Lei and another colleague discussed.
“Dr. Qiao is too cautious. We add excessive sedatives to A307’s food daily, and he’s still not satisfied. This voltage would be unbearable for a merman, let alone an elephant. If the specimen’s body gets damaged, it won’t just be a scolding.”
An Lan, as the Base’s leader, was cold and ruthless.
The more they talked, the more fearful they became.
They vaguely saw Jing Chen’s black tail turning pale, clearly unable to withstand the constant voltage.
“Dr. Qiao saw it himself. A307 is stable now, no need for high-voltage control.”
They took it upon themselves to lower the current from 200kv to 150kv.
Neither spoke, carefully observing Jing Chen, who remained curled up and motionless.
Everything seemed fine.
“I heard you’re dating recently, leaving me as the only single one.”
They chatted idly in the control room.
Suddenly, everything went pitch black, the darkness so thick it was impossible to see. The power had gone out.
The older Hu Lei whispered.
“You stay here. I’ll go see what’s going on.”
The familiar workplace felt alien in the darkness.
Only his footsteps echoed.
The weak flashlight barely illuminated a small area. It had been ages since the last power outage.
Such incidents were rare.
The eerie environment felt like winter had set in.
The temperature dropped, making Hu Lei shiver.
“Must be a circuit trip.”
He muttered to himself, his shoe touching water on the floor.
He crouched, using his finger to check it under the light.
He sniffed, detecting a salty sea scent.
“Did the cleaners miss a spot today?”
Just as he was about to stand, a piercing “zzzz” sound drilled into his ears, the pain making it impossible for Hu Lei to get up.
Sensing extreme danger, he wanted to run.
In an instant.
A red line appeared on Hu Lei’s neck, thin and deep, severing his throat.
His lifeless body collapsed, the flashlight shattering.
The endless darkness engulfed the entire underground, spreading…
Rustling footsteps echoed down the corridor, making Su Luo nervously flick his tail in the water.
He clutched something tightly.
Fortunately, the person outside only paused briefly before leaving.
The little merman opened the note, which read:
“Stay here, it’s more dangerous outside than you think.”
What did that mean?
Sister Zhao recognized her own handwriting and realized she was a player.
Was she warning him not to go out?
As for the other strange object in his hand, a description appeared in his mind after identifying it.
[Allows you to transform your tail into human legs three times]
Su Luo pressed his pink lips together, joy evident on his delicate face.
He used the item as instructed.
His light blue, scaly tail transformed into long legs, a faint pink at the joints.
A small dolphin tilted its head, letting out a curious “ooh”, its round eyes full of confusion.
The boy pressed a finger to his lips, signaling “shh”.
The little creature obediently nodded, staying silent.
Luckily, Su Luo found a white coat in the lounge.
It was too large, the hem reaching his knees, leaving only a glimpse of his smooth, fair legs.
Su Luo’s hair was still damp.
He quickly dried it with a towel, then tiptoed out.
The corridor stretched endlessly, but the elevator happened to be on this floor.
The boy thought it was his lucky day.
As he entered the cabin, before he could press a button, a weightless sensation hit him.
Su Luo’s slender frame was wrapped in thin white fabric, his toes curling in tension.
He was barefoot, the floor cold.
Thankfully, the elevator opened without incident.
A blast of cold air greeted him, the vast space empty and desolate.
Su Luo could only judge by the red numbers that he was on the “—3” level.
He crept around like a thief, cautiously exploring.
A five-meter-tall male merman skeleton in a display case caught his attention.
Su Luo had to tilt his head to see the entire skeleton.
The sturdy skull and sharp claws, the aggressive dorsal fin sharper than spikes, contained deadly venom.
He instinctively looked at his own soft, delicate palms, feeling inadequate.
Annoying, no wonder they locked him up with harmless jellyfish.
Su Luo passed through an open lab, past cold instruments, finally reaching a locked door.
“Hidden so securely, the potion needed for the quest might be inside.”
He entered four zeros.
The display read “Password incorrect, alarm countdown 10, 9, 8…
Just as he panicked and was about to run, the door clicked open.
Su Luo furrowed his brows, puzzled.
But eager to complete the quest, he went inside.
The sparse lights flickered, silence reigned, no one was there.
The boy’s face turned pale with fear.
He clutched the edge of his sleeve, dark veins visible on his porcelain ankle, his toes tense.
The metal walls, unlike outside, seemed designed to prevent a monster from escaping, a cage.
The dim light barely illuminated anything, and he encountered no one for a long time.
In the darkness, it felt like something terrifying lay in wait, ready to pounce.
Su Luo felt as if someone was following him.
Like a shadow, but when he turned, there was nothing.
Suddenly, a strange sound broke the silence.
The boy froze.
He clenched his fingers tightly, trying to maintain composure, but his pupils contracted in fear.
An arm appeared out of nowhere, wrapping around Su Luo, lifting him into the air.
“Who’s there?”
He couldn’t see behind him.
But the cold emanating from behind wasn’t human, numbing his limbs.
Terrifying.
As he struggled, his ankle kicked against something, a slippery, scale-like texture, too sharp, instantly cutting his skin.
A faint sweet scent wafted from the blood, tantalizing.
Su Luo tilted his chin up in fear, trying to see the creature behind him.
All he could see was lifeless pale skin and a slowly moving Adam’s apple.
The figure was too tall, his feet couldn’t touch the ground, relying on the arm around his waist to stay aloft.
A307 leaned in, sniffing Su Luo’s soft hair and sweaty neck.
The man’s dark eyes were filled with a singular desire, obsessive and terrifyingly intense…
Su Luo’s heart pounded like a drum.
His eyes were slightly red, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his delicate face almost devoid of color.
The boy’s voice, not yet matured, sounded pure and soft.
“Please don’t kill me, please…”