Chapter 13: Mysterious Power and Laboratory Conspiracy
Gu Yunsheng didn’t dare breathe loudly. His eyes were glued to the crack in the door, terrified of missing a single detail inside the laboratory.
The nurse had a harmless face, yet her actions were ruthless. The blue liquid in the syringe flowed bit by bit into Sailuo’s veins.
The potency of this suppressor was too strong. Just a little of the liquid had been pushed in when Sailuo began to convulse all over. His golden fish tail slapped against the floor again and again, as if making a final struggle.
“This new drug is so easy to use. Half the dose, double the effect. It saves us a lot of trouble.” The nurse said with a beaming smile, not caring at all about Sailuo’s pained expression.
“Isn’t it? Mermen are just cheap. Wanting to come back and court during his susceptible period without looking at his own wretched state. Heh.” The doctor sneered, his eyes full of disdain for Sailuo.
Sailuo struggled to open his eyes. His originally clear, sea-blue eyes were now bloodshot. He stared dead at the doctor, emitting broken whimpers from his throat, as if accusing something, yet drowning in pain.
Hiding in the secret compartment, Gu Yunsheng’s heart seized violently, as if someone had stabbed him hard.
No, I have to save Sailuo! I must save him!
As if sensing Gu Yunsheng’s gaze, Sailuo turned his head with difficulty to look at the utility closet outside the door, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes.
It was the light of hope, but also a fleeting despair.
As the drug took effect deeper, Sailuo’s golden fish tail drooped powerlessly, and his beautiful scales lost their luster. He closed his eyes in pain, letting the darkness swallow him.
The doctors checked him again to ensure Sailuo was completely unconscious before they began packing up to leave.
The nurse was the last to leave. Before going, she cast a contemptuous glance at Sailuo, paralyzed on the floor. There was not a shred of pity in her eyes, let alone any love.
Gu Yunsheng’s heartbeat almost stopped as he stared dead at the doctors and nurse.
A second before the door closed, he jammed a small block of wood into the latch, stopping the lock from engaging.
Only when the footsteps completely disappeared did Gu Yunsheng push open the door with trembling hands.
His gaze fell straight onto the cold metal table. The merman named Sailuo was chained there just like that… his wrists were rubbed raw, leaving red marks.
Gu Yunsheng’s heart convulsed, and an indescribable wave of pity and anger welled up.
He carefully navigated around the water puddles and messy instruments on the floor, approaching the operating table step by step.
Closer, even closer.
Gu Yunsheng finally saw the merman’s full appearance and couldn’t help sucking in a breath of cold air.
This… this was clearly a replica of Ling Xi!
Although the hair and eye colors were different, these features, this silhouette, were exactly the same as Ling Xi’s!
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would have suspected he was hallucinating.
Gu Yunsheng subconsciously reached out, wanting to touch the merman’s cheek, but paused in mid-air.
Thinking of how Ling Xi had sucked his vitality to save him caused a pang of pain in his heart.
Although the Mermaid Pearl could help him recover, he still felt… Ling Xi had lied to him and left him… Forget it, compared to that nurse’s feelings for Sailuo just now, what is this little pain?
“Sailuo?” Gu Yunsheng called the merman’s name softly, his voice trembling with anticipation.
The only response was a few weak whimpers.
Gu Yunsheng’s heart tightened. Disregarding everything else, he hurriedly reached out to unlock the chains binding Sailuo.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I’ll get you out…” He whispered comfort while carefully avoiding those shocking wounds.
Sailuo’s skin was very cold, like freezing seawater.
The effect of the suppressor hadn’t completely faded. Sailuo’s consciousness was blurred; he could only feel someone touching him but was too weak to resist.
Sailuo tried hard to open his eyes to see who was in front of him, but his eyelids felt as heavy as lead.
“Who… are you?” He used all his strength to squeeze out these words, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.
“I am… here to save you.” Gu Yunsheng didn’t dare say his name, afraid of scaring the fragile merman before him.
“Save me?” Sailuo smiled bitterly. His golden fish tail beat feebly against the cold metal table. “Humans… bad…” He closed his eyes in resignation, letting despair swallow him.
“Don’t give up. I… I am a good person. I’m a veterinarian. I will get you out.” Gu Yunsheng fumbled to unlock the chains, feeling unsure. In his world plus this world’s setting, the largest animal he had ever treated was just a golden retriever—oh right, he had also helped Ling Xi.
“Veterinarian…?” Hearing this, Sailuo opened his eyes. His voice was very light, as if squeezed from the depths of his throat, carrying a heavy nasal tone. “What is that?”
“A veterinarian is a doctor who specializes in treating… treating small animals like you.” Gu Yunsheng almost blurted out “merman,” but corrected himself in time; he didn’t want to scare Sailuo.
Hearing the term “small animal,” a look of amusement appeared on Sailuo’s pale face. He, a majestic deep-sea merman…
Forget it, there’s no point arguing about this with this human now.
He smiled weakly, his golden fish tail tapping powerlessly against the cold metal table, as if giving up the struggle.
“It’s useless… useless…” Sailuo panted with difficulty, his golden tail slapping the cold metal surface feebly, seemingly abandoning resistance.
“Humans… injected me with a lot of drugs…” He tried hard to open his eyes wide, but his eyelids felt incredibly heavy.
“I feel so terrible…” Sailuo spoke intermittently, his voice getting lower and lower. “If not for the attraction of pheromones, I would never return… here… even if I died.”
“If you want to sleep, sleep for a while. I’ll take you out.”
As soon as Gu Yunsheng finished speaking, he wished he could slap himself. This merman before him weighed at least a few hundred pounds. Drag him out? How? His small frame wasn’t even enough for a snack.
Sailuo seemed to realize this problem too. He tried to prop himself up, but due to the drug and injuries, he slid powerlessly onto the metal table.
“Don’t move!” Gu Yunsheng quickly supported him. “You need to rest now. Leave the rest to me.”
“But…” Worry filled Sailuo’s golden eyes. “They will come back soon…”
“What are you afraid of? If one comes, I’ll beat one; if two come, I’ll beat a pair!” Gu Yunsheng spoke with heroic spirit, but inside he was panicking. I’m a weakling with combat power of five; what am I going to fight them with?
He looked around, trying to find a handy weapon, but aside from cold medical instruments, there was only…
Wait, medical instruments?
Gu Yunsheng had an idea. He picked up a scalpel from nearby and gestured with it in front of Sailuo.
“Don’t worry, I’m a professional. If anyone comes later, I’ll just…”
“Cough, cough…” Sailuo coughed weakly twice. “You are so naive. They won’t give you a chance to act; they’ll just directly…”
Before he could finish, he saw Gu Yunsheng looking excitedly at his fish tail, gesturing over it.
“Don’t move. Let me see the structure of your fish tail. How can it grow so big…”
Sailuo: “…”
He suddenly felt that instead of worrying about enemies who hadn’t appeared yet, he should worry about whether he would be dissected by this slightly weird human.
Creak— The laboratory door slowly opened. Blinding light shone in, causing Gu Yunsheng to squint subconsciously.
“Who is it?!” A cold voice rang out in the corridor. Immediately after, several guards in black uniforms appeared at the door, holding gleaming weapons.
“I…” Gu Yunsheng opened his mouth but didn’t know how to explain.
He couldn’t exactly say he was here to rescue a merman, right?
“Don’t move! Hands up!” The guards approached step by step, their guns aimed at Gu Yunsheng and Sailuo.
“Damn it, how could I forget about this!” Gu Yunsheng cursed inwardly. This hospital must be full of surveillance; his every move had long been discovered!
Beep— Just then, the corridor alarm suddenly blared, the ear-piercing sound echoing in the quiet hospital.
“What’s happening?!” The guards looked at each other. Before they could react, they heard the sound of machinery operating in the laboratory.
“Not good! He’s going to run! Grab him!” The guard’s angry roar exploded in his ears, but Gu Yunsheng’s heart beat uncontrollably fast. The opportunity is here!
“System, quick! Activate Instant Teleportation! Get us out of here!” Gu Yunsheng screamed in his heart, as if grasping the last straw.
The System’s cold mechanical voice hadn’t finished speaking when, the next second, he and Sailuo vanished from the laboratory, leaving only an empty room and a mess on the floor.
“Where are they?! Damn it! Where did they go?!” The guards’ panicked questions echoed in the air but received no answer.
…
Cold seawater wrapped around Sailuo’s body. Violent coughing woke him from his coma. He struggled, but collapsed powerlessly on the beach.
“Don’t move, you are badly hurt.” A warm embrace caught him—strange yet reassuring.
Sailuo struggled to open his eyes and saw a pair of clear, bright eyes holding a tenderness he had never seen before.
“Did you really… save me?” Sailuo’s voice was weak, as if it would scatter in the wind. He tried hard to open his eyes, wanting to see the person in front of him clearly. “How did we get here in an instant?”
“Of course, it’s because…” Gu Yunsheng paused, not knowing how to explain for a moment. “Anyway, you are safe now.”
He scratched his head uncomfortably, his gaze drifting. “How do you feel now? Can you still move?”
Sailuo shook his head. His huge fish tail slapped weakly against the sand, splashing fine spray. “I…” He wanted to open his mouth to explain, but was too weak to speak.
“Your body is very weak right now. Rest first.” Gu Yunsheng quickly stopped him. “Tell me when you’ve rested.”
He looked around, confirming that this hidden sea area was safe enough, before relaxing.
“Rest for a bit. The hospital people shouldn’t be able to find this place.”
After a while, as if suddenly remembering something, Gu Yunsheng asked curiously, “By the way, I accidentally saw your diary. With such strong abilities, why were you caught by that hospital?”
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