LSDWTWHA chapter 80

Chapter 79

The public opinion warfare regarding the training center gained overwhelming advantages under Yan Bai’s plan.

At this time, Su Su was troubled by another matter.

It had already been two days since 06 had given Su Su the enhanced juice to drink that morning. The effect of the drug had long worn off, and the blood test conducted by 06 also showed no signs of drug residue in his body. However, he was still unable to revert back to being human.

Su Su recalled that Xiang Chen had previously mentioned that after taking the mermaid drug, he would be able to maintain his human form steadily. 06 had also reconfirmed that there was no conflict between the components of the potion she had made and the mermaid drug.

06 used a portable device to examine Su Su, hoping to find the root of the problem.

But despite multiple checks, all of Su Su’s physical data matched that of a healthy mermaid; he could even freely switch between a mermaid and a shark form, yet he was still unable to transform into a human.

This issue caused Su Su to feel noticeably down. He had worked so hard for so long to become human, and just as he was about to succeed, he certainly didn’t want to fail at this crucial moment.

While he was worried about the efficacy of the drug, an unexpected visitor arrived on the ship, the High Priest of the Mermaid Kingdom.

This was indeed a timely arrival. The mermaid drug had been given by the High Priest, and if there was anyone who understood the mermaid’s situation best, it had to be this High Priest who had lived for three hundred years.

“Perhaps I can ask her about the situation,” Su Su thought, although he didn’t know what the High Priest had come for, this was undoubtedly good news for him.

Yan Bai originally didn’t want to meet the High Priest, but upon hearing Su Su say this, he changed his tone: “Then let her come in.”

After all, it was Yan Bai who had insisted Su Su take the drug. If Su Su missed this opportunity for treatment and had to keep his mermaid appearance for the rest of his life, Yan Bai would probably never forgive himself.

Upon receiving permission, the High Priest boarded the ship.

This was the first time Su Su saw the High Priest take on a human form. She was tall, with her hair tied back in a ponytail, wearing a refreshing sports outfit and a sun hat, looking no different from an ordinary human woman. If one had to point out something special, it was probably just that she was exceptionally beautiful.

Naturally, the High Priest wasn’t here solely for Su Su. Upon meeting Yan Bai, she straightforwardly stated her terms: “I hope the Mermaid Kingdom will take back the mermaids rescued this time.”

Yan Bai smiled noncommittally: “The High Priest has quick news; our ship hasn’t even docked yet, and you already know our movements.”

“However, if you came to me with that purpose, you will regret having made this trip in vain.”

The High Priest was not angered: “Is that so? I think we can still discuss this further.”

Su Su’s gaze shifted between the two, always feeling that their attitudes toward each other were somewhat peculiar, neither like enemies nor like friends.

Noticing Su Su sitting in a wheelchair, the High Priest gave him a friendly smile: “Long time no see, little shark. Hmm, you seem to be adapting well to the mermaid drug; there are no traces of side effects anymore.”

“But I don’t think it’s good,” Su Su wanted to ask the High Priest about this, but a look of distress came over him: “I’ve taken the mermaid drug four times, and the fourth time had no side effects, which should mean it’s a success. But then I took another type of potion to turn into a mermaid, and now… it seems I can’t turn back into a human.”

“That is indeed quite unusual; let me take a look,” the High Priest said, coming closer to Su Su and squatting down in front of him, examining his eyes closely.

Looking into the High Priest’s eyes, Su Su suddenly felt a vast power, like the ocean, surge toward his body. But instead of fear, it made him want to embrace this power, like a fish returning to the sea, filling him with a sense of peaceful exhaustion.

This feeling came and went quickly, as if he had merely zoned out for a brief moment, and everything returned to normal. By the time Su Su regained his senses, the High Priest was already standing upright, smiling gently at him: “I should congratulate you. You are the first mermaid hybrid to successfully transform using this drug; it went even more smoothly than I expected.”

But Su Su didn’t agree: “Really successful? Then why can’t I turn back into a human?”

The High Priest replied: “Don’t worry; this is not a bad thing. No, this is something that should be congratulated even more than your successful transformation.”

“I don’t understand; I still want to become human,” Su Su couldn’t grasp why the High Priest wanted to congratulate him for not being able to revert to human form.

“Of course, you can certainly become like a human after your differentiation,” the High Priest said.

“Differentiation?” Su Su was completely stunned. Wasn’t differentiation something only true mermaids could do?

Upon hearing the High Priest say this, Su Su’s mind immediately raced to the possibility: if he could differentiate, then he could sing to heal Qi Hanyi! Her illness might be curable!

But then he calmed down again, realizing he must have misunderstood something. He was a mermaid hybrid who relied on the drug to become human, but after all, he was not a true mermaid. How could he possibly differentiate?

“I suspect it should be related to the last potion you took,” the High Priest continued: “If possible, I would like to meet the doctor who formulated that potion and take some samples. This would greatly assist my further research.”

“Since there are no data to support this, I can only share my speculation. After your fourth use of the mermaid drug, there were no side effects, which caused your genes to start undergoing permanent transformation. However, during the instability of this transformation, you ingested a potion meant to revert back to mermaid form. The two potions did not conflict; on the contrary, they fused within you to form a new, more stable drug. This potion not only presented your body in the form of a mermaid but fundamentally activated your mermaid bloodline, making you a true mermaid.”

It seemed Su Su understood but found it hard to believe and instinctively confirmed again: “What you mean is, I’m now a real mermaid and can differentiate like other mermaids; the reason I can’t turn back into a human is that I’m not differentiated yet?”

“Yes.” As if seeing through his thoughts, the High Priest smiled and added: “If you just happen to have a partner suffering from mental force collapse, as long as you differentiate before they have an episode, you can use your song to heal their affliction.”

Su Su was stunned: “You… you know?”

“Of course, she was instrumental in facilitating your marriage to Qi Hanyi.” After clarifying Su Su’s issues, Yan Bai felt relieved and no longer treated the High Priest with the same courtesy as before: “Nothing in the ocean escapes the sight of our High Priest. Miss Yi Qing successfully fled her marriage, and your unexpected involvement in her stead; these seemingly coincidental events were all calculated by our High Priest here.”

Yan Bai was very clear about this. Although he had a good relationship with Su Su now, it didn’t mean he had forgiven the High Priest for meddling back then and ruining their plans.

Yan Bai intended for Su Su to recognize that the High Priest was a woman of deep wisdom and skillful calculation.

However, he didn’t expect Su Su to look earnestly at the High Priest after listening to all this: “Then I should thank you for letting me meet Qi Hanyi. We are very happy together.”

That tone was almost like a sweet couple expressing gratitude to the matchmaker who brought them together.

Yan Bai: “…”

“I also feel that I have done something good.” The High Priest tucked away a few strands of hair by her ear, smiling shyly.

Yan Bai couldn’t stand the High Priest, who was of such an age still pretending to be coy. He scoffed lightly, his tone unfriendly: “Those who betray their promises shouldn’t flatter themselves. You promised to support the Dark Tide, yet you have secretly manipulated events multiple times, causing our plans to fail.”

Faced with Yan Bai’s questioning, the High Priest’s smile faded: “Indeed, I originally supported the Dark Tide. Back when the Dark Tide was just a small organization formed by a few mermaids, with no foothold on Freedom Island, I negotiated with the mermaid royal family, helping Yan San allocate manpower and raise funds.”

“Yan San once informed me that the Dark Tide he aimed to build was a place to shelter homeless mermaids, to rescue those hunted by the black market, to give all mermaids who ventured to land and couldn’t return to the ocean a stable home.”

“At first, Yan San indeed accomplished this, and even exceeded my expectations. However, I am very curious when the Dark Tide began to go astray. When did it become an organization that takes revenge as its duty, even willing to pull the entire planet down with it to destroy humanity?”

“I realized the Dark Tide was out of control after the matter concerning Qi Wu. An exceptionally outstanding human starship pilot, who had great goodwill toward mermaids and could possibly have been a hope for improving their situation, was killed by the Dark Tide in the cruelest way, severing the hope of goodwill and reconciliation extended by humanity.”

“I don’t know why Yan San has become what he is now. I wish to talk to him, but he hasn’t approached the sea in many years; he’s holed up on Freedom Island, even afraid to see me. I’ve sent him messages a few times, but he behaves as if he hasn’t received them.”

Yan Bai seemed to want to refute something, but he opened his mouth and swallowed his words instead. Sometimes he, too, wondered why his adoptive father, who was also a mermaid, hadn’t approached the sea for many years since he could remember. Was he truly avoiding something?

“Six months ago, I discovered that Yan San seemed to want to use the same tactics against Qi Hanyi. Just then, Su Su appeared, and I facilitated this matter. I didn’t take direct action; I thought it shouldn’t count as violating the agreement with the Dark Tide.”

“That’s not a breach of contract, but you’ve lost the trust of the Dark Tide. My father said we won’t cooperate with the mermaid kingdom anymore; we will achieve our goals by our own means.”

“Are you aiming at world destruction?” the High Priest asked bluntly. Noticing the tense atmosphere, she softened her tone: “You saved the mermaids from the training center this time; I believe you should be different from Yan San. Yan San’s plans will not succeed. My purpose in coming here is to hope that you will hand over these rescued mermaids to me, to prevent more innocent mermaids from becoming pawns in Yan San’s ambitions, caught up in this storm you’ve created.”

Yan Bai remained unmoved: “These mermaids will be safely settled once I bring them back to Freedom Island. As for the concerns you’ve raised, I assure you they won’t happen. I will not harm my own kin, nor will I treat them as pawns to be weighed against the scales of conflict.”

“You won’t, but can you guarantee Yan San won’t?” The High Priest remarked pointedly, casting a glance at Su Su: “Yan Bai, you may have too many targets to protect upon your return. Be careful that in the end, you can’t protect anyone and end up sacrificing yourself.”

“…I will have a good talk with my adoptive father,” Yan Bai replied, unable to articulate further, but in his heart, he was unwilling to believe that Yan San was the type of person the High Priest described.

“Do you really know that person?” The High Priest’s expression darkened: “I have a feeling that Yan San is no longer the Yan San I once knew.”