Chapter 191: Volume 1 Chapter 191: Mermaid? Shark Person? (8)

The mermaid that surfaced gazed wistfully at her retreating back, its wounded skin oozing dark blue blood, which healed in less than two seconds.

It licked its lips with the tip of its tongue; the scorching bulge hidden beneath its fish‑tail scales could not be eased even by the splashing icy seawater around its body.

"Jiang Zhi, you can't escape."

——

"I read a book specifically about mermaids; legend says mermaids have only one partner in their lifetime. Anyone they fixate on, regardless of gender, will be dragged into their deep‑sea lair to mate…" said popular science expert Xiao Chang.

Zhao Anya jumped up upon hearing this and retorted, "Are you talking about mermaids? Mermaids are clearly beautiful and kind creatures."

Xiao Chang realized he had misspoken, "Oh, I got it wrong; it should be shark people. Shark people are completely different from mermaids—evil and brutal. I recall that book saying shark people are ranked by the color of their fish‑tail: the darker the hue, the greater their strength."

Jiang Zhi, leaning in the corner, couldn't help but ask, "What about dark gold?"

Xiao Chang thought for a moment, then said slowly, "If the fish‑tail shows gold, it indicates the shark‑person king, a once‑in‑a‑millennium occurrence among the shark people."

Rich second‑generation Xu Chao, listening, became interested: "Which book did you see this in? You sound so convincing I almost believed you."

Xiao Chang didn't care whether they believed him, shrugging and saying, "My ancestors were all fishermen; this ancient book has been passed down for several generations. I saw it as a child, and it's badly damaged."

Xu Chao asked, "Does the book say whether shark people still exist today?"

Xiao Chang paused, shook his head, and said, "I think not—I heard the shark people were wiped out in a massacre."

Xu Chao clicked his tongue and fell silent.

It was as if he hadn't spoken at all; if shark people really existed, he'd really like to catch one and bring it back.

Chen Qi Bai, after receiving a cup of hot water, walked over to sit beside Jiang Zhi and handed her the hot water, saying, "Drink a little."

Jiang Zhi hadn't recovered yet; her body still retained the chill from the sea. This time she didn't refuse, taking the roughly carved wooden water bowl and saying, "Thank you."

Chen Qi Bai didn't know what had happened to her by the sea; she returned distracted, her clothes soaked through—she must have fallen into the ocean.

"Are you okay?" he couldn't help asking.

Jiang Zhi met his gaze, saw his many doubts, paused, and explained, "When I was getting the protective suit earlier, I tripped and fell into the seawater; fortunately there were no monsters."

As she spoke, she drew a deep breath and exhaled, "Still, I was a bit frightened; if there had been monsters, I might already be dead."

Hearing this, Chen Qi Bai's brow relaxed; he soothed, "You're fine right now—don't scare yourself. Get a good night's sleep tonight."

Jiang Zhi complied, watching him leave the cave to stand watch, her heart easing as she got away with it.

Fortunately, the male lead doesn't have mind‑reading ability like the villain does.

However, she isn't afraid of the villain's mind‑reading; after struggling in the Cannon Fodder Team for so long, she's encountered this situation many times. When she thinks, she usually blocks out everything else, linking her thoughts to the system, so the villain can only hear what she wants him to hear.

Today she was utterly exhausted; she lay on the ground and recalled Xiao Chang's words.

All along she had been mistaken, subconsciously viewing the fish‑tailed villain as a mermaid; in fact there is another creature with a fish tail—the shark person Xiao Chang mentioned.

If his ancestors' ancient book is correct, the villain ought to be the king of the shark people.

But according to Xiao Chang, weren't the shark people already extinct? Why is the villain still alive?

As she thought about escaping, the blade she had stabbed into the villain elicited a weak sigh.

If her only task were to eliminate the villain's corruption value, she wouldn't even think of fleeing.

The main system informed her of her second main quest when she went to steal the protective suit.

——

Two extremely high‑risk missions—this clearly intends to get her killed.

"Wuwuwu I'm scared, Brother Seven!"

After a few seconds, she thought again.

Never mind—take it step by step; at worst, if the mission fails I'll be erased from existence.

Heaven and earth are vast, but sleep is the greatest.

Jiang Zhi fell asleep in under a minute after closing her eyes.

The entity 777, observing her mental journey, was utterly shocked.

It seriously suspected the host had a split personality.

Next day.

The noisy sounds woke her; Jiang Zhi rubbed her eyes and saw Zhao Anya and Xiao Chang with Xu Chao arguing at the cave entrance.

"Why give the clothes to you? We're girls—we need them more!"

"Did you take these clothes? Besides, we guys do the most dangerous work—why give them to someone like you who just sits in the cave doing nothing?" This was said by Xu Chao, who dislikes Zhao Anya the most; having been pampered since childhood, he speaks his mind freely and never holds back.

"Zhao Anya, please stop causing trouble, okay? There are only three protective suits total—there's no share for you. Yesterday you took two steps and then stopped; or we could split into teams to go outside and scavenge supplies."

Zhao Anya felt guilty, and with two guys calling her out, her aristocratic temper flared: "How can you act like this? Xu Chao, if it weren't for you bringing me here, would I be stuck in this godforsaken place? It's all your fault! What's the point of a pleasure cruise?"

That remark made Xu Chao furious; he didn't care whether she was a woman, pointed a finger at her, and said bluntly, "Did I invite you? Didn't you beg to come yourself? If Qi Bai hadn't come, would you have come?? Zhao Anya, do you have any shame saying such things?"

Having her nose pointed at by him, and with the boys being two heads taller than her, their menacing aura made her eyes red and she burst into tears.

Xu Chao clicked his tongue and basically ignored her.

Chen Qi Bai glanced at him, signaling him not to go too far.

Jiang Zhi emerged from the cave, silently took a protective suit, and left.

Seeing this, Zhao Anya stopped crying, as if she'd found an outlet, and pointed at her, shouting, "Zhizhi! What are you doing??"

That remark drew everyone's gaze onto Jiang Zhi.

Jiang Zhi didn't shy away, openly placing the protective suit in her arms and saying, "Put it on."

Xu Chao frowned, "What are you wearing? It's not your turn yet."

Last night Jiang Zhi ran into Chen Qi Bai halfway and handed him all the protective suits she was carrying; when she returned, everyone naturally assumed Chen Qi Bai had fetched them.

Jiang Zhi slipped one hand into her pocket, her short bangs slightly lifted, her eyes shadowed by the cave wall, and said, "This is what I risked my life to obtain—why can't I wear it?"

That statement left everyone incredulous, and they all turned to look at Chen Qi Bai standing nearby.

Chen Qi Bai nodded, "Hmm, these three things are what she risked her life to obtain."

The youth's gaze was open and sincere; he didn't even claim credit for himself.

Clearly it was he who attracted the monster, yet it was Jiang Zhi who obtained it.

She couldn't help but look his way, meeting through the thick lenses the youth's gentle, smiling eyes.