LSDWTWHA chapter 83

Chapter 82

Su Su heard a knock on the door, ding ding, ding, ding, ding.

It was the rhythm promised with Yan Bai.

Su Su controlled the wheelchair to the door, used the switch to open it, and Yan Bai stood at the entrance, behind him stood a handsome middle-aged man with elegant demeanor.

He was completely different from the old man with gray hair that Su Su had imagined. As far as Su Su knew, Yan San Guang had been operating the Yan family shipping for over fifty years; his age should be similar to that of Qi Hanyi’s grandfather.

Yan Bai also mentioned that since he was picked up by Yan San, Yan San had almost always maintained his current appearance and had not aged at all.

Earlier, Yan San explained that this was due to the use of a special gene modification potion. Although he looked young, his organs were actually continuously aging, accompanied by severe side effects that caused him frequent pain.

Therefore, over the years, he had secluded himself, no longer running business deals on the ships, and had handed over all kinds of affairs to Yan Bai.

“This is Yan San, my father.” Yan Bai took a half step back to allow Yan San and Su Su to see each other face to face.

“Um, come in.” Su Su looked Yan San up and down, not hiding his rejection and vigilance towards him.

He rolled his wheelchair back just enough to clear the entrance.

Yan San’s gaze swept across the entrance of the passage, revealing a hint of understanding.

Yan Bai seemed oblivious to their small gestures, leading Yan San into the room.

“Let’s get straight to the point,” Su Su said impatiently, not waiting for the two to walk inside, sounding like an impatient and frank youth. “I know you want to seize control of the Bai Ze to fight for the rights of mermaids. This is something only I can do, but I have conditions.”

“You say.” Yan San smiled lightly, as if facing a willful younger generation rather than a former adversary.

“Three things,” Su Su leaned back against the back of the wheelchair, slightly raising his chin, trying to project a winning air, yet it came across as somewhat lacking in confidence. “First, controlling the Bai Ze is merely a means of threat. Our goal is for humans to make concessions and provide mermaids with equal living conditions. Unless absolutely necessary, I will not consider launching attacks on land.”

“Second, I don’t trust you; I want you to give full control of the Dark Tide and Yan family shipping to Yan Bai.”

“Third, regarding what happened to Qi Hanyi’s parents, I want you to atone with your life.”

“I don’t believe I am guilty.” Yan San sat in the chair Yan Bai brought him, crossing his legs and lounging back, looking straight at Su Su. “It seems we have considerable differences in understanding.”

“Miss An Xun, Qi Hanyi’s mother, I admire her a great deal. She was a great mermaid, sacrificing herself for the future of all mermaids.”

Yan San stared at Su Su, a deep light flashing in his eyes, his tone soft and slow, carrying a persuasive weight: “As for Qi Wu, he may have harbored some goodwill for mermaids, but such goodwill is akin to humans feeling sorry for a cat or a dog. It reflects humanity’s long-standing arrogance; they always consider themselves superior to any other creature on the planet.”

“For them to sincerely respect and even revere mermaids, we must create a sufficient threat. We must possess power stronger than theirs.”

“Qi Hanyi said her father loved her mother, and that he respected her.” Su Su contested.

Yan San shook his head, his gaze containing a certain warmth, as if looking at a stubborn child: “If Qi Wu truly loved An Xun and trusted her, he would have divulged the rights to the Bai Ze to her. Once he said it, he could live. Qi Hanyi similarly gave you the rights to the Bai Ze, which demonstrates that this was not an utterly impossible task; thus, Qi Wu’s death was his own choice.”

“But…” Su Su seemed to want to say something else, but words failed him.

“Don’t be anxious, child. If you insist on my life as an apology to them, that’s fine. Any mermaid of the Dark Tide is prepared to sacrifice at any time for this ideal; I, too, am no different.” Yan San surprisingly agreed to Su Su’s conditions. “Once I’m gone, all affairs of the Yan family will naturally be handed over to Yan Bai.”

“Father, I disagree.” Yan Bai’s tone was laced with the panic of impending loss, a genuine fear that he might suddenly shed the skin of the father who had raised him for over a decade, revealing a completely alien form beneath.

Yan San smiled and spoke in a tone as if finalizing arrangements: “Yan Bai, good child, go wait outside. I want to have a private chat with Mr. Su Su. Remember, no matter what happens, do not let emotions cloud your judgment. Everything must serve the Dark Tide first, ahead of our plan.”

“Father… I understand.” Yan Bai walked towards the door, and just as he was about to close it, he couldn’t help but glance back one more time, as if sensing that once this door closed, the father who had raised him and his only family would never return.

The door was closed from the outside.

Yan San moved closer to Su Su.

“What are you doing!” Su Su’s fingers clutched the wheel of the wheelchair, appearing somewhat anxious.

“Isn’t it that you want to take my life to make amends for Qi Hanyi’s parents? Are you not planning to do it yourself?” Yan San continued to lean closer, reducing the distance between him and Su Su rapidly. His face melted downward like a candle, gradually losing its features, while, simultaneously, a thick, gelatinous black liquid poured out from his melting body, flowing towards Su Su’s feet.

“Alright.” The corners of Su Su’s mouth curled into a dangerous smile, and he slammed down on the wheel.

“Blah!” Water rushed down onto Yan San, another one of the traps that Yan Bai had set up in Su Su’s room.

As if encountering something extremely hot, the seawater instantly turned into steam upon contact with Yan San’s melting body. In this mist, Yan San accelerated to melt completely, until he finally transformed into a thick, slime-like liquid. Then, this liquid surged toward Su Su.

“You’re plotting against me! You… conspired with Yan Bai against me!” Yan San seemed to realize something, angrily twisting his body, his semi-transparent form expanding in an effort to envelop Su Su entirely.

Su Su rolled back in his wheelchair, and the floor beneath his feet shifted promptly, pushing him into the passage. The passage was a closed circular tube, with a diameter of less than a meter, resembling a narrow water slide.

As soon as Su Su fell in, he was propelled downward by inertia, quickly adjusting his position to swim toward the exit.

Moments later, Su Su plunged into the water.

Yan Bai had prepared a floating ship, waiting right beside, and upon seeing Su Su, immediately called for help to bring him on board.

Before Su Su could say anything, Yan San appeared at the dock, now completely dry, resembling a human again.

He quickened his pace towards the ship, loudly instructing his subordinates: “Capture Su Su, don’t let him escape.”

Yan Bai looked at him in disbelief, then hesitantly glanced down at Su Su.

“He is an insectoid; I saw it with my own eyes,” Su Su said while climbing up the ship’s board, his intense movement causing him to breathe slightly harder. “He looks different from what Qi Hanyi saw. When seawater splashes on him, he transforms; no wonder he always avoids water.”

Yan Bai hesitated and raised his hand, gripping a particle gun aimed at Yan San.

“Yan Bai, do you suspect I am insectoid?” Yan San expressed a somewhat shocked expression, eyes filled with hurt. “How many years have we known each other? When I saved you, you were not even knee-high and barely knew how to walk.”

“I…” Yan Bai seemed to become indecisive at that gaze.

“He lacks the rights of Qi Hanyi; are you in collusion to deceive me? Why? Because Su Su told you I am insectoid?” Yan San quickly inferred the cause and effect, his tone filled with distrust and anger. “He says it, and you believe him? How could I possibly be insectoid? I have lived on this planet for many years and have never even been to space. How could I have turned into an insectoid?”

“Little Bai, you are the child I watched grow up. You should know me best. How could you be swayed by someone else’s words into believing such absurdity? Listen, put down the gun. If there’s any misunderstanding, we can talk it over properly.” Yan San continued walking toward the edge of the dock.

“This Su Su must have colluded with Qi Hanyi long ago; he isn’t here to help us. He’s here to deal with the Dark Tide and take revenge on Qi Hanyi’s parents. He’s a skilled actor; don’t be deceived by him.”

Yan Bai’s gaze flickered. Although he had no blood relation, he longed to trust the father who had raised him and the hard-to-find cousin; yet, at that moment, he had to make a choice.

He understood that if he questioned his adoptive father about the insectoids, the latter would certainly have eloquent words to convince him, but once the seed of doubt germinated, how easy would it be to uproot?

“You jump into the sea, and if you don’t turn into an insectoid, I’ll believe you.” Yan Bai contemplated and spoke, deciding to solidify the final outcome using this method since Su Su claimed Yan San would transform when he encountered seawater.

“If this is the only way for you to believe me, what does it matter if I jump once?” Yan San replied, walking toward the water.

Their commotion startled several nearby members of the Dark Tide, who found themselves confused about the unfolding chaos. But as they saw Yan San preparing to jump into the sea, older members began to panic.

“Boss, what are you doing! At your age, with your body, thirty years looking like eighty, you can’t even touch cold water; how can you jump into the chilly sea at this hour?”

“Yes, why not slowly discuss any misunderstandings with the young master instead of jumping into the sea?”

“Young Master Bai, what’s going on? What insectoid nonsense is this? The boss is so old; how can he jump into the sea? You must advise him!”

Yan Bai’s hand gripping the particle gun trembled, but he gritted his teeth, “Please prove it to me first; as long as I confirm you are not an insectoid, I’ll accept any punishment. Medical team! Prepare rescue equipment on the shore immediately. Rescue team, wait for my command to dive in!”

Seeing Yan Bai resolute in his disbelief, Yan San directly leaped into the sea.

Just seconds passed, yet no one surfaced.

Yan Bai became frantic, urging the ship to come closer, setting aside the particle gun, and leaning over to check where Yan San had fallen: “Father, Father!”

At that moment, a transparent, tentacle-like object suddenly reached out from the water.

“Watch out!” Su Su grabbed the particle gun, realizing something was off, and instantly yanked Yan Bai away, quickly aiming at the water and pulling the trigger. The particle beam shone blindingly bright, like a piercing sword light at dawn.

The water erupted into a massive vortex, revealing the true form of the monster.

A shapeshifting, translucent, soft-bodied creature.

The monster crawled onto the deck, and its size began to swell dramatically, growing more than ten times larger than when it was in the room.

It didn’t seem particularly averse to the energy of the particle gun; the hit spots quickly healed.

“I never imagined that I had lurked here for over twenty years, even with meticulous planning, I still couldn’t succeed in destroying this planet.” The creature spoke in Yan San’s voice.

“You really are…” Yan Bai was too stunned to say anything, while the other members of the Dark Tide fell into silence.

“I am your beloved father, Yan Bai.” Yan San gave an odd laugh, morphing back into human shape. “Such a pity. I originally planned to cultivate you to entice Qi Hanyi, seize control of the Bai Ze, and then devour you. I never expected an unexpected factor like Su Su to appear.”

Su Su pressed his lips together, remaining silent, continuing to shoot at the monster with the particle gun, closely observing its physical transformations.

He gradually realized that Yan San’s self-healing ability was robust; the particle gun couldn’t inflict any fatal injuries on him. Each time he was hit, a surge of energy would gather from the distant starry sky, rushing into Yan San’s body, restoring him to his former state, and this process even outpaced Su Su’s rate of attack.

As time progressed, more and more energy converged, reaching a terrifying level.

“But not obtaining control of the Bai Ze doesn’t matter; that is no longer important. Su Su, I must thank you for making Qi Hanyi fall in love with mermaids, abandoning his only chance to heal from mental force collapse. I have already relayed this information to the queen; Qi Hanyi can no longer use his mental force. How can he fight against my insectoids? Once I kill you, the Bai Ze will never realize its full potential! Exchanging my life for the life of the most gifted starship pilot humanity has seen for decades, I gain nothing but an eventual new insectoid nest on this planet.” It seemed Yan San had delayed long enough.

Su Su sensed the energy surging into Yan San’s body rapidly expanding — he was going to self-destruct, aiming to take everyone aboard with him. Perhaps even more, the terrifying energy from the starry sky could destroy the entire base, and by then, no one would be aware of what had transpired this night.

The more dangerous the situation, the cooler Su Su’s thoughts became; his heightened focus made his perception exceptionally clear.

The seawater.

Su Su noted that it was the calmest in the seawater, as the water’s surface isolated it from the energy from the stars.

Perhaps the insectoids were not afraid of water at all but rather afraid that in the water, their powers would become muted.

When they were in the water, they could not receive or utilize energy from the stars, which left them unable to control their transformations; Su Su also recalled that previously, the particle gun damage didn’t immediately heal but rather began healing only after Yan San came ashore.

At the moment self-destruction was about to be triggered, Su Su suddenly rushed forward, grabbing Yan San and pulling him into the sea. Then, up close, he used the particle gun to unleash a barrage on him.

In the water, Yan San’s power was indeed greatly suppressed; he could neither heal nor self-destruct, and could only endure the injuries while counterattacking physically.

He desperately pulled, intending to drag Su Su back to the shore and swallow him whole.

Though Su Su had decent strength, the creature’s strength clearly surpassed it. In their struggle, their bodies continuously rose, almost breaking the water’s surface.

As the energy of the particle gun was depleted, Su Su’s stamina began to wane.

Was this the end? Su Su felt disheartened. He had already become a mermaid; he hadn’t sung a song for Qi Hanyi yet.

At that moment, a melodious song suddenly filled Su Su’s ears.

The voice resembled the continuously flowing tides under moonlight, like the soft light rippling through the water at dawn, like the vibrant blue sea alive with motion, like the forever tranquil mysteries of the deep sea that concealed schools of whales swimming towards him, mingled with calls reminiscent of a flute…

Hmm, it seemed this wasn’t just the effect of the song, an orca really was swimming over.

When Su Su noticed, the orcas had already surrounded the creature and him. They organized themselves into formation, the outer ones remaining still, cutting off escape routes, while the inner ones surged forward, tearing the creature apart in an instant.

The picky orcas did not consume this strange gelatinous entity, but once the insectoid monster’s body was shredded, it gradually turned into a wax-like substance, sinking down, dissolving, and disappearing.

Su Su was momentarily taken aback by this sudden turn of events but soon realized that a group of orcas might be more challenging to deal with than a single sinking insectoid. Su Su steeled himself for an attack from the orcas; however, they showed no intent to harm him. Instead, one of the orcas affectionately nudged him with its head, pushing him towards the direction of the group.

Following their path, Su Su saw a small mermaid sitting atop one of the orcas.

“Yi Qing?” Su Su didn’t expect to encounter her here after more than half a year apart.

The little mermaid joyfully waved at Su Su: “The High Priest asked me to come over and pick you up; I hope you’re doing well.”