LSDWTWHA chapter 78

Chapter 77

After Yan Bai subdued Mo Lin, everything was settled.

In the hall on the first floor, over a hundred newly rescued mermaids were curled up here, distinctly divided into two groups. One group consisted of the homeless mermaids rescued from the sixth floor, while the other group comprised those who were forcibly sent to the Training Center by their husbands.

The former group, once rescued, felt both joy and fear. They couldn’t understand what had happened but felt that simply escaping that hell was a good thing. Most of them remained silent and curled up; the long-term violence they endured had made them cautious in the face of any uncertainty, even if their rescuers were fellow merfolk.

However, the situation with the latter group was much more complex. Some mermaids, like Yi Lan, were overjoyed when rescued, glad to finally escape that place.

But others harbored conflicting emotions. Some were angry at their husbands for sending them here, yet still felt an attachment, especially those who had given birth. They wanted to return to their families to care for their children.

Even more alarming, a few mermaids, due to long-term brainwashing, actually believed the propaganda from the Training Center, thinking they had been corrected and redeemed there, feeling that being rescued was meddling in their affairs. Their clamoring to stay was both infuriating and tragic.

“My fellow merfolk, I’m sorry but I did not intend to give you a choice,” Yan Bai interrupted their argument.

“You must leave with me for Freedom Island, whether you are willing or even resent me. I do not wish to explain what you will face if you stay, nor do I have the time to coax or persuade you slowly. I can only inform you that you must get into the vehicle and leave now.”

After saying this, Yan Bai maintained a stern expression, scanning the crowd. Noticing some who seemed ready to debate further, he added lightly, “If you truly want to stay, that’s fine. This building will be blown up in an hour. If you want to remain, then accompany it to its grave.”

At this point, no mermaid expressed dissent. They had witnessed how fiercely these desperate people dealt with their enemies and did not expect any sympathy from them. They all agreed to leave.

Before departing, Yan Bai granted the right of disposal to those mermaids who had faced persecution, allowing them to judge each human administrator present and decide whether they would survive or be buried along with the infamous building.

In the end, the mermaids voted to spare twenty-seven of the administrators, deeming them to be benevolent and having offered secret assistance at work. The others were deemed irredeemable under the influence of greed and had become accomplices of evil.

Yan Bai had 06 inject a sedative into everyone, sending the pardoned to the changing room, while leaving the others inside the building. Finally, he ordered Lin Dian to issue a delayed self-destruct command to the robots. After an hour of their departure, the place would be blown to ruins due to the collective self-destruction of the robots, burying all evils along with it.

As for Mo Lin, Yan Bai planned to take him back to Yan Shipping for a report. Since he had already completely offended the Mo family, he intended to keep a trump card for leverage.

In the meantime, taking advantage of the empty space, Su Su quietly activated his terminal to send a message to Qi Hanyi. Fearing the time might be short, he could only relay the crucial points: I was rescued by the Dark Tide and will head to Freedom Island from Haichuan Port. The Training Center is about to be demolished, and Mo Lin is in Yan Bai’s hands.

After sending the message, Su Su quickly received a response from Qi Hanyi: Need assistance?

Su Su replied: Not for now.

Qi Hanyi: Understood.

Su Su, fidgeting with his ring, saw no one approaching and couldn’t help but add: How’s everything on your end?

Qi Hanyi: The family head has learned of your identity and is looking for me to talk.

Although they had anticipated this step when devising their plan and Qi Hanyi had thought of counterarguments, Su Su still felt worried. After all, that was one of Qi Hanyi’s few remaining family members. Qi Hanyi’s views and attitudes couldn’t be entirely disregarded.

Su Su had never experienced the feeling of having family, yet he was gradually beginning to understand Qi Hanyi’s sentiment.

Just as Su Su was deleting and rewriting a message, hesitating over his words, he received another message from Qi Hanyi: Don’t worry, everything is going smoothly.

“Phew—” Su Su let out a breath of relief and tucked the ring away. Leaning back against the wheelchair, he closed his eyes to rest.

An hour later, at the dock, a cargo ship marked with the Yan Shipping logo was fully loaded and ready to depart.

At the boarding point, Yan Bai dismissed the others and called out to Su Su, who was in a wheelchair: “Su Su, I need to speak to you alone.”

“Hmm.” Su Su stopped the wheelchair, looking up as he awaited Yan Bai’s words.

This relaxed pose suddenly left Yan Bai unsure how to begin. After a long silence, he settled for the most awkward opener: “My people have been watching your movements and saw you retrieve your terminal in the changing room.”

“Oh, you mean this. It seems I didn’t keep it a secret after all.” Su Su opened his hands helplessly. “So, are you confiscating it?”

He didn’t mind too much; since the information had already been sent, they could take it if they wanted.

“That’s not what I mean.” Yan Bai bit his lip in frustration. “I didn’t give those mermaids a choice because I felt they didn’t understand their situation well enough to make the right judgment.”

“Now, I am giving you a choice because I think you should know better than I what you want to do.”

“I was supposed to take you back to Freedom Island, but if you want to leave now, I will not stop you. Just remember that if you stand on the opposing side in the future, I will have no mercy toward you, and you need not regard any feelings.”

The port wind carried a familiar salty smell that was not unpleasant but rather seemed endearing, almost like a call from home.

“Who says I want to leave?” Su Su shook the item hidden in his clothing. “I’d rather go to Freedom Island as a guest. I don’t have the money for a ticket, so I would have to trouble the young master to take me with him.”

Su Su had no intention of returning to the Qi family just yet. He suspected that Qi Hanyi and his grandfather might be arguing about him. And once the matter regarding the Training Center arose, his connections to the Dark Tide would seem as tangled as ever. It was likely that many would use his identity to attack Qi Hanyi, and he was already quite busy; if he returned, he would have to put more effort into protecting himself.

Instead, it made sense to follow Yan Bai onto the ship and explore Freedom Island further. Moreover, Su Su could already see the shift in Yan Bai’s attitude and thought that if he could use this time to his advantage, there was a good chance of persuading Yan Bai to his side. Conversely, if he left at this moment, once Yan Bai returned, he might be persuaded to revert to his original path.

Su Su’s response pleased Yan Bai; it was an unexpected answer for him. After all, Su Su should know that going to Freedom Island entailed significant risks, but he was still willing to accompany him, indicating trust.

Yan Bai then seriously assured Su Su: “If you come with me to Freedom Island, I will ensure your safety.”

As Su Su boarded the Yan Shipping cargo ship and set sail, Qi Hanyi sat across a square low table from Qi Xingli in the family head’s teahouse.

The sun was low in the sky, its slanting rays filtering through bare branches, casting a warm golden light on the snow, adding a touch of warmth to the cold, desolate winter day.

Qi Hanyi silently awaited Qi Xingli’s inquiry. In truth, he didn’t feel as relaxed as he did during his conversation with Su Su. He expected today’s discussion might not be pleasant. Qi Xingli might even have a stormy outburst due to feeling deceived.

Punishment, family rules—Qi Hanyi didn’t mind. He merely hoped that after this discussion, he could secure a promise for Su Su from Qi Xingli; a promise that, even in his death, the Qi family would protect Su Su, ensuring he would board the starship and become a pilot. The greatest card he held was the talent and ability that Su Su had displayed. He knew Qi Xingli valued family interests, but above that, his first concern would be the survival of their planet.

“Looking at this snow, it makes me think of your childhood. I remember when you were very young, you loved playing in the snow.” Qi Xingli’s tone was not as stern as Qi Hanyi had expected, and the content of the discussion was quite different from what he had anticipated.

He extended his frail, aged fingers toward a distant loft: “Back then, you had just started to walk, and a heavy snow had fallen in winter. You quietly climbed out of a window on the second floor and fell into the thick snow while everyone was distracted. Later, during lunch, when you couldn’t be found, we realized you were missing.”

“Your father, such a strong man, was so frightened that his eyes turned red. He frantically searched the courtyard for you.”

“They searched from lunch until sundown, completely upending the courtyard, but they never found you. When they went back inside, they discovered you had sneakily returned, sitting in the kitchen, covered head to toe in snow. The warmth from the heater melted it into water, soaking your clothes. You didn’t seem to care about the cold, your hands were red from the frost, and you were happily rolling snowballs from who knows where and putting them into the refrigerator one by one.”

When Qi Xingli spoke of this, there was a hint of a smile in his eyes, resembling an ordinary elder reminiscing with a younger relative.

But Qi Hanyi found this quite unusual. He picked up the teapot to refill Qi Xingli’s cup, then asked nonchalantly, “Why is the family head suddenly bringing this up?”

Qi Xingli raised the teacup and suddenly looked up, a sense of loneliness in his eyes: “It seems like it’s been a long time since I’ve heard you call me ‘grandfather.’”

“…Grandfather.” Qi Hanyi felt even more confused. He remembered that from the day he was chosen as the heir, Qi Xingli had strictly required him to call him the family head, stating that he needed to always remember that, despite their blood relation, he would not relax his demands on him.

Yet now, he was actively requesting to be called grandfather.

Qi Xingli took a sip of tea: “Sometimes, I wonder if my demands on you are too strict. If Wu Er knew about this, he would surely blame me.”

Qi Hanyi was momentarily at a loss for how to respond and, after a long thought, only said, “I understand that the family… grandfather’s strictness is because you hope for me to grow into someone capable, able to shoulder the burdens of the Qi family.”

“Not entirely.” Qi Xingli closed his eyes briefly. “You’re a smart child, you know when to do what. You can do it well; even if I’m a little gentler with you, you would still perform admirably.”

Qi Hanyi rarely displayed any signs of confusion or helplessness. He couldn’t understand Qi Xingli’s meaning.

“Han Yi, you resemble your parents too much. Every time I see you, I think of how your mother killed your father, and it pains and angers me. I know this is not your fault; you are the greatest victim here.”

“But I can’t let go of the resentment in my heart. Although I have trained you, I have also deliberately distanced myself from you. I knew your father’s siblings were bullying you, yet I feigned ignorance.”

Qi Hanyi opened his mouth in surprise, momentarily speechless. He had always thought that his grandfather’s coldness stemmed from an inherently cold character, not realizing that he could also show this emotional side.

He had never considered that Qi Xingli might hold resentment towards him. He felt neither anger nor grievance but instead a sense of emptiness in his heart.

What puzzled Qi Hanyi even further was that even if Qi Xingli genuinely thought this way and had kept it from him for over a decade, leading him to deeply believe otherwise, why was he suddenly speaking about it now?

“You must be wondering why I’m suddenly saying this. Actually, there’s nothing strange about it. When old, people like to ramble. Usually, I have to maintain a senior’s demeanor, so I speak less,” Qi Xingli sighed and set down his teacup. “But now I’m afraid. If I don’t say some things, they might be stuck in my heart for the rest of my life.”

Qi Hanyi lowered his gaze again and refilled Qi Xingli’s tea: “You have nothing to worry about. If you want to speak, as your grandson, I can listen to you at any time.”

Qi Xingli looked up: “Is that so? But I hear that you only have a month left to live. You’ve been hiding this from me, and you even refused treatment because you like that mermaid? You’re quite the romantic, just like your father.”

Upon hearing Su Su’s name, Qi Hanyi put down the teapot and said seriously: “Su Su is not like my mother. I didn’t refuse treatment for him; I’ve rejected this method from the start.”

Qi Xingli waved his hand dismissively: “Enough, I’m not blaming you. Yes, you did refuse from the beginning. The only reason you kept that mermaid is because I threatened you into it. So it seems I’m at fault here.”

“Tell me about that mermaid, what was her name… Su Su? Is that right? I’ve seen his combat videos; he really is a good candidate for piloting a starship. I used to disbelieve that a mermaid without formal training could pilot so well.”

“Su Su indeed has great talent,” Qi Hanyi agreed. “His true form is a shark, and perhaps the environment he grew up in gives him an almost instinctive sharpness in battle. Unlike my mother, the Dark Tide has attempted to reach out to him for a long time, yet he has consistently stood firm on the human side. Now he is even willing to involve himself actively for me to probe the depths of the Dark Tide.”

Qi Hanyi briefed Qi Xingli about his and Su Su’s plans, and added, “I cannot forget the hatred for my parents’ deaths; the Dark Tide must be dealt with sooner or later. But the true cause of the tragedy lies in the oppression of mermaids by humans, the unreasonable marriage system, and the inequality and distrust between humans and mermaids. If I were to marry another mermaid, that would be the greatest desecration to my father’s death.”

“Then if you die, does that mean you’ve honored your father?” Qi Xingli couldn’t help but slam his hand on the table. Realizing he had lost his composure, he took a deep breath and suggested, “How about a trade? You promise me you’ll find a mermaid to treat your illness, and I’ll agree to ensure Su Su becomes a starship pilot. I will fully support any mermaid policies you want to implement as well. Child, don’t be stubborn; you must first live in order to uphold what you believe is right and protect those you love.”

“And what about that mermaid who treated me? Does she deserve to have her life ruined?” Qi Hanyi did not hesitate for even a second at Qi Xingli’s proposal: “Grandfather, I know that even if I die, you will protect Su Su well. Because he will be the best starship pilot, it’s only he who can take the Bai Ze. For the future of our planet, you will protect him.”

Seeing Qi Xingli about to erupt again, Qi Hanyi took out a medical test result: “If I am indeed healed by the mermaid’s song, it must be by Su Su’s voice. Xiang Chen says the hope is slim, which is why I didn’t tell him. Perhaps when the day comes that I truly fall into an endless slumber, you can let him give it a try.”

Qi Xingli’s breath caught in his throat, and in a fit of anger, he smashed the cup and shouted furiously, “Do you think I don’t know what this means? Are you showing me a test result? Is this your death certificate? Because he is your only hope of waking up, do I have to treat him with kid gloves? You little brat, you’ve even calculated against your grandfather, haven’t you?!”