LSDWTWHA chapter 74

Chapter 73

The taste of the potion at the entrance is very similar to fruit juice, perhaps the other party mixed the potion into the juice and gave it to him to drink.

The medicinal effect in his body has not completely faded, and Su Su didn’t know what effect taking other potions would have on his body.

But Su Su still chose to take the risk of consuming the medication. It wasn’t because he trusted the person in front of him, 06, but because he was convinced that he wouldn’t fall here.

Mo Lin didn’t dare, and neither did the people in the Dark Tide. Since they planned to frame him, they would at least let themselves live until they left. There might even be a cunning plan to see if they could get him to rebel, or use him as a bargaining chip to continue threatening Qi Hanyi.

Moreover, if he died here, Yan Bai, as a senior member of the Dark Tide, would definitely distance himself from the people behind him, which Su Su believed was something the other party would not want to see.

In short, killing him now would be truly counterproductive.

As for refusing to take the medicine, Su Su had never considered that option from the beginning. If he was afraid of risks, he wouldn’t have come here in the first place.

Refusing to take the medicine would mean completely giving up on accepting Yan Bai’s covert rescue, refusing to step into the Dark Tide’s trap that he had set up using Yan Bai’s rescue. Then his whole operation would be in vain.

Besides, could he genuinely refuse? Su Su didn’t believe that if he refused this time, Mo Lin would simply give up. If he didn’t drink this cup of juice now, there would still be a possibility that the food and water he consumed in the future would be mixed with drugs.

So even though he knew there was some potential risk in drinking the potion, he no longer had a way back.

The potion took effect quickly; Su Su felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. This sensation was somewhat familiar, similar to each time he had taken mermaid potions before. When he awakened, he was not in the studio but in a pure white room. He found himself in a bathtub-like space, with his lower body transformed into the shape of a fish tail.

Su Su propped himself up to sit. He was still covered in the black robe, but underneath, all that was left was a smooth fish tail. He didn’t feel any discomfort in his body, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

Su Su was most unfamiliar with his mermaid form. The bathtub was too small, making some movements difficult, and he awkwardly flicked his tail.

“How long did I sleep?”

“Two hours.” The one guarding him was 06. She was sitting at the edge of the table, operating some instruments. Noticing Su Su’s movements, she reassured him, “No need to worry, the medicinal effect is functioning normally. Yan Bai told me that the mermaid potion you took is special; I specially prepared this potion for you to ensure that you can maintain your mermaid form without any conflict with the previous medication you took.”

Su Su nonchalantly nodded and directly asked, “How do you plan to get me out of here?”

06 pressed a button beside her, and the walls at the edge began to rise, revealing a simple operating room next door. At this moment, a mermaid was lying on the operating table, her complexion pale and breathless.

Su Su took a glance at the mermaid, who wasn’t anyone he had seen the day before, and asked, “Who is she?”

“This is the mermaid who lives on the sixth floor.” 06 looked at the mermaid on the bed with a sympathetic gaze. “Last night, she received a particularly crazy guest, and this morning it was clear that she wouldn’t make it. I tried resuscitating her, but it was to no avail; a carriage will come to take her away shortly.”

The sixth floor? Su Su had been to the first-floor lobby, the third-floor classrooms, the fourth-floor dormitories, the fifth-floor training rooms, and the seventh-floor studio, but didn’t know that there were mermaids living on the sixth floor.

“Are those mermaids without partners?”

“Yes, we’re currently on the sixth floor.” 06 stood up and began removing the girl’s clothes, signaling to Su Su, “Get ready; we don’t have much time.”

“You arranged for the mermaid who died this morning last night?” Su Su looked at 06 suspiciously.

“Yes, I knew last night that this mermaid was in very poor health, and that guest was notorious for torturing others. Once she entered that room, it was basically equivalent to stepping into the gates of hell. Even if she were still alive, I had no plans to save her. Why bother? It’s better to set her free than let her continue to suffer here.” 06 quickly stripped the girl of her white robe and tossed it to Su Su. “This robe isn’t dirty; it was changed for her only after her death was confirmed.”

Su Su took the white robe, changed out of his black robe, and handed it to 06. “No need to explain. We’re trying to save our lives; who cares about clean clothes?”

Perhaps Su Su’s words had made 06 feel favorable toward him; her expression softened a bit. “It’s good that you think this way.”

“We still have some time. Tell me more about the mermaids on the sixth floor, and you—how did a human like you end up joining the Dark Tide organization?” Su Su adopted a casual tone.

Perhaps feeling that the situation was stable, 06 opened up: “Actually, I became a doctor here first before joining the Dark Tide.”

“My medical grades weren’t bad. After graduating, I was recommended by my teacher to come here.”

“The salary and benefits here are very high, and the job entry requirements are simple. As long as you know how to perform simple surgeries and first aid, I thought I had struck gold. After I arrived, I realized this place is hell.”

“The mermaids downstairs think they are pitiful, but the real tragedy lies with those living on the sixth floor. They are either abandoned by their partners and sold here, or unable to differentiate in time, or unable to produce satisfactory heirs, or their partners died and they were discarded, or some even fled from their marriages.”

“But without the protection of a partner with noble status, they would utterly lose all their rights and be trapped here, unable to return to the sea. They are trained into various types and turned into slaves to satisfy the special preferences of certain guests. Injury, illness, and death are all commonplace.”

“I’ve seen them brought in with various kinds of abuse-inflicted scars. Some have begged me for help and asked me to save them, to help them escape.”

“But I did not dare; the powers behind these people could easily destroy me and my family. I couldn’t take that risk. Those humans who tried to speak out about the situation here have all died silently.”

“I was trapped in deep guilt, haunted by nightmares every night, which led me to suffer from mental illness and severe hallucinations until the Dark Tide contacted me, telling us they were an organization belonging to mermaids, that they would save mermaids and change everything here, and that I only needed to listen to them to gain redemption.”

“I agreed without hesitation. At that moment, I was like a drowning man, desperately clinging to something to avoid losing my mind.”

“For the past three years, I have been secretly passing information to them and cooperating with them to disguise several seriously injured mermaids as deceased, helping them out of this place. I know there is not much I can do now, but it’s better than doing nothing and enduring the pangs of conscience.”

06 pointed to her left eye. “Here, I installed a camera in my eye. Every day I spend here and everything I see gets recorded and saved. I believe that one day, these truths will be published online; that would be the true salvation for the mermaids here.”

As 06 spoke passionately, Su Su felt somewhat uninterested. He didn’t deny that 06’s intentions were good, but he believed that it would not change the outcome of the matter.

The people coming to pick him up had arrived. Su Su was placed in a body bag and laid onto a stretcher. They took an elevator to the first floor, then pushed him onto a hover vehicle designed for transporting corpses. 06 followed.

As before, no one suspected anything unusual. 06 was already a veteran here, and no one doubted that she would betray the place.

The hover vehicle quickly landed at a port, and Su Su was sent into a warehouse of Yan’s Marine Transport. Climbing out of the body bag, he met a low-key dressed Yan Bai. Although it had only been half a year, he appeared significantly more mature and haggard.

Yan Bai looked at Su Su, who hadn’t changed much, with delicate features and a fearless expression. It was as if he didn’t care about anything, showing no signs of distress, but rather displayed a sense of vibrancy.

Yan Bai hurriedly arranged for everyone to prepare to board the ship: “It’s good that you’re here. Just now, the Dark Tide’s informant at the training center sent word that Mo Lin has discovered that Su Su was swapped. He is now mobilizing the Mo family’s forces to search the area; they haven’t noticed the dock yet, so we should set off to Freedom Island immediately.”

Noticing 06’s worried expression, Yan Bai patted her shoulder. “You did very well this time. Don’t worry; I had someone retrieve your family this morning. They are now on a ship from Yan’s Marine Transport, and I will give them a new identity and settle them in a company under Yan’s Marine Transport. You don’t need to worry.”

“Are we leaving just like this?” Su Su propped himself up from the stretcher to look at Yan Bai.

“Yeah, Su Su, I know you might have a lot of questions right now, but can we discuss them after we board the ship? The Mo family will find this place soon.”

But Su Su pushed Yan Bai’s hand away, which was preparing to carry him to a wheelchair. “Yan Bai, you know that I could have skipped this banquet. If I stayed in Qi Hanyi’s residence, even if Mo Lin got the council’s approval, he wouldn’t be able to take me from Qi Hanyi’s house to their mermaid training center.”

Yan Bai’s movement slightly halted.

“I attended the banquet,” Su Su looked at him, speaking deliberately, “because you told me that there is a place called the Mermaid Training Center and hoped I would go take a look.”

Yan Bai’s eyelashes fluttered, and panic suddenly showed on his face. “Cousin…”

“I’m not blaming you,” Su Su replied. “I already know that you are a member of the Dark Tide organization. You intended to get close to Qi Hanyi in place of Yi Qing but didn’t expect your plan to be disrupted by me, and then you came to approach me.”

“It’s fine; I know you didn’t mean to harm me. You even wanted to save me, risking the upper management’s orders, hoping I could exit this situation unscathed.”

“I just have one question that I must clarify. I want you to tell me what kind of organization the Dark Tide really is, and what kind of things you are doing?”

Su Su didn’t blame him, which made Yan Bai breathe a little easier. After contemplating for a moment, Yan Bai answered, “I can’t be too specific, but I can tell you with certainty that everything the Dark Tide does is for mermaids to have a better future.”

Su Su nodded, raising his brows. “So we don’t need to worry about today’s events?”

“What?” Yan Bai was momentarily caught off guard by Su Su’s question. Worry about what? The present of the mermaids?

“You had me go see the Mermaid Training Center, to see how the mermaids live there. I observed some things and heard about others. They are indeed a group of very miserable mermaids. Even one empathetic human among them couldn’t help but feel pity and guilt for their powerlessness.” Su Su said, glancing toward 06.

The young female doctor no longer had the cold and guarded demeanor from the training center; instead, she appeared somewhat embarrassed, perhaps feeling she had revealed too much to Su Su.

Yan Bai didn’t quite understand Su Su’s meaning, but in his view, it was a good thing that Su Su could empathize with the mermaids and feel sorrow or anger for their suffering. It indicated that he had moved closer to his side and perhaps before long, he would be willing to join the Dark Tide, and he could persuade Yan San to accept him as well.

Yan Bai: “Yes, they live very hard lives, so we need to accelerate our pace. Once our plan succeeds, there won’t be such places anymore.”

Su Su shook his head: “But I don’t quite understand. Since the Dark Tide has grasped the situation here for more than three years, and even earlier, why not rescue them with your power? Why not directly destroy this training center and save the mermaids inside? Why wait? For how long? What if those mermaids die in the meantime and don’t make it out?”

“Yan Bai, you said that the Dark Tide is an organization for mermaids, but you allow your kind to remain in suffering, clearly having the ability to take action, yet you do not.”

“Why?”

Yan Bai argued, “We are not allowing this to happen. We have been working hard to rescue them. That video is ready; once I buy a ship and leave, it will quickly spread across all websites, and everyone will know about the mermaids’ plight here.”

“And then what?” Su Su mocked, curling his lips. He had wanted to retort when he heard 06 speak earlier: “Is exposure truly effective? Didn’t anyone try to expose this situation before?”

“Let me tell you what will happen next. It will be nothing more than people shouting for a few months, in a noisy uproar to rescue the mermaids inside. Their partners will feign ignorance and apologize, claiming they had no idea about what was happening. They will have nowhere to go and will end up being sent back to their partners. And the mermaids without partners will be sent to similar rescue organizations. This is what you call a rescue.”

“The Mo family’s power is deep-rooted; they won’t be affected, even able to manipulate public opinion to wash their hands of this matter, casually pushing a few scapegoats out as shields. The noble families involved will shield one another. After a period, once calm returns, no one will pay for these crimes except for the dead mermaids.”

“After that, the Mo family can easily relocate the Mermaid Training Center, change its name, and reopen it without any changes. They will continue to exist as long as sufficient interests support them; they will never disappear.”

After saying this, Yan Bai did not respond too much, but 06 appeared somewhat on the verge of collapse: “Are you saying that what we are doing right now is completely meaningless?”

Yan Bai let out a light sigh. He was still trying to convince Su Su, and he didn’t want 06 to disrupt things at this moment.

“You all go out.” Yan Bai gestured for the others in the room to leave. “I need to have a private conversation with Su Su.”

The people in the room exited one by one, while the subordinate beside Yan Bai whispered, “Young Master, we need to hurry. If we take too long, we’ll be discovered.”

“I know; I’m aware.” Yan Bai waved his hand.

He believed that Su Su was thinking about the mermaids. He just thought that facing the harsh reality had caused a shock, and he was still too naive and radical, just like his former self. “I know this may not be effective enough. I know you hate the training center and want nothing more than to storm in and destroy the place. I feel the same way. But for the greater good, we cannot act rashly. The mermaids suffering in this world far exceed those in the training center. If we expose the Dark Tide organization for the sake of rescuing them, it will jeopardize our ultimate plan, losing everything we’ve worked for.”

Su Su stared into Yan Bai’s eyes: “When you refer to the ultimate plan, are you talking about hijacking the Bai Ze ship and turning its firepower towards our planet? Are you planning to threaten the Empire, or do you intend to directly annihilate the continent and destroy humanity?”

Yan Bai’s pupils constricted immediately, and Su Su knew his guess was correct.

“You really say everything out loud.” Yan Bai seemed somewhat at a loss.

“I was right.” Su Su stated confidently, “You are aiming at the Bai Ze ship, and these are the only options you have.”

Yan Bai sat down next to Su Su. “Yes, I don’t deny it. You’ve seen the situation of the mermaids. Without absolute power, we cannot force humans to change. If they do not experience the same suffering, they will not realize their mistakes. I don’t now ask you to help the mermaids; all I need is your understanding and for you to quietly withdraw.”

“As long as you pull back, whether you want to live on Freedom Island or at sea, I can ensure you won’t have to worry about basic necessities. If you want to go online and play games, that’s fine. I can help you obtain a new identity and new accounts. Just as long as you withdraw and don’t get tangled up with Qi Hanyi anymore. Qi Hanyi’s mental force collapse hasn’t been cured, and he won’t last long. If you stay, you really might die.”

Su Su remained unmoved: “There are many ways to improve the lives of mermaids, like destroying these institutions that harm them, or uniting forces willing to help mermaids to advocate for their rights among humans, just like Qi Hanyi is doing now, fighting for mermaids to have equal access to the internet, allowing them to pilot starships, enhancing the value and status of mermaids, and providing them with more autonomous rights. He’s also researching a substitute for mermaids to treat human mental force collapse.”

“Even earlier, Qi Hanyi’s father, Qi Wu, wanted to abolish the forced marriages between mermaids and humans and change the unequal status of mermaids in marriage, establishing specialized protective and supervisory organizations.”

“The Dark Tide killed him, and you are now targeting Qi Hanyi—you are destroying the possibility of making the mermaids’ lives better.”

Yan Bai was a little flustered by what Su Su said. For a while, he didn’t know how to argue back, so he could only bring up what his foster father usually used to persuade him: “These are originally ours; why should we let humans fight for us? We don’t need them to put on a false front as benevolent benefactors. We don’t need the condescending assistance of humans. We can reclaim what we have lost on our own!”

Su Su’s lips curved in sarcasm and disdain: “So is the Dark Tide fighting to defend your ridiculous dignity, refusing to allow your kin to receive the possibility of being rescued?”

Yan Bai choked a bit: “Of course not, but what about the mermaids that suffered before? Who will redress the debts of their deaths and their suffering?”

“Revenge, that reasoning is somewhat justifiable.” Su Su nodded. “So, using the banner of avenging the suffering of past mermaids, you are preparing to commit acts of revenge against humanity while turning a blind eye to the suffering of your own kind? You’re not unable to save your kin; you just think dignity and revenge are more important than their lives?”

Without waiting for Yan Bai to speak, Su Su pointed in the direction they had come from: “This mountain is called Lanshan, and within it, a tower shaped like a ‘return’ character is located. At this very moment, the mermaids inside are being electrocuted, drugged, beaten, and subjected to all kinds of violations. You say you know, that you are angry, that you feel sympathy, but you want to take revenge first, so let them wait?”

“Then what do you want me to go in and see? To see the suffering of the mermaids, to see these circumstances that would give your Dark Tide a plausible reason? To let you use their hatred and suffering to consolidate your own power. What you truly want to do, I’m afraid, is simply to pull humanity down from its position of power and take their place.”

Su Su no longer disguised his anger: “Do you think I care about those mermaids? Do you think I am speaking up for their plight? Yan Bai. The place I grew up in is much more barbaric than this. To be honest, I didn’t feel anger in that tower, but now hearing you speak—under the guise of avenging them, looking for excuses for your actions—I feel a sense of disappointment. Because I once considered you a friend, and I thought at least you would dare to take responsibility.”

“I don’t know.” Yan Bai was somewhat shaken by Su Su’s words. “I’m sorry, but we have to do this. At the very least, when mermaids rule this world, the survivors will get the fairness they desire.”

“Mermaids ruling the world?” Su Su laughed. “Do you really believe you can do that? How many of your kind know how to manage and maintain starships and mechs? Do mermaids know how to fight against the insect race? Yes, you can learn, but will the insect race wait?”

“When the insect race invades, what will you use to fight them? When those monsters use the entire planet’s energy as sustenance for their queen, the extinction will not only affect humans but also mermaids, along with all life on the planet. Destroying everything—is that your concept of revenge?”