Chapter 1731: Mermaid Rearing Guide 03

Just as the beautiful mermaid who had just entered adulthood touched the keeper's fingertips at the hatch, what a harmonious scene.

But why did its temper suddenly improve!

The former keeper, holding his stun baton, felt awful; if Number Seventeen were this obedient in his hands, he wouldn't have needed to specially request a transfer from headquarters!

Lin Juan lowered his hand, silently wiping the moisture from his fingertips, and gently said to those deep-blue eyes: 'From now on I am your new keeper; during your days of recovery here, you can place absolute trust in me.'

For any high‑intelligence animal that can understand human speech, recuperating at the base is the perfect reason for initial taming and for them to willingly stay here.

Even when they reach the experimental stage, they will discover that the keeper and the murderer are the same kind of person.

But when that moment truly comes, no one will care about the test subject's feelings.

The smile in Lin Juan's eyes deepened further as he raised his hand to grip the mermaid's sharp fingers, saying, 'You don't dislike me, do you?'

"…Pretty."

The beautiful mermaid spoke slowly, glanced again at the human standing by the door, and nodded once more.

In the ancient mermaid data gathered beforehand, their fondness for beautiful things was described, but Lin Juan never imagined he himself would fall into that category.

Lin Juan's relaxed smile spread to his brows: 'Thank you, you're also very good‑looking.'

Former keeper: '……'

Turns out I lost because of this!

And what does it mean that you praise me just for glancing at me once!

He angrily put down the stun baton.

The language function indeed needs strengthening.

After several conversations Lin Juan reached a conclusion, completed all handover work with the former keeper, and then closed the office door.

Looking back, Number Seventeen was still at the hatch, not returning, and his splendid visage even showed a hint of shyness.

Shy?

Lin Juan double‑checked that he wasn't mistaken, walked over, and said, 'Number Seventeen, is there anything I can help you with?'

"Change, clothes."

Jin Chen said in a very slow tone.

It wasn't intentional; this body had just entered adulthood, and during the transformation it was severely wounded by those hunters, so weak it could hardly speak coherently.

Jin Chen sat at the hatch, his fingertips tearing open the pearl‑white gauze; the chains broke and scattered across the floor in an instant.

His cold‑white skin was like the most lustrous shell on the deep‑sea floor, bare and damp, eerie yet pure.

Lin Juan fell silent for half a moment, shifted his gaze to focus on the youth's bewildered face, and asked, 'Why change?'

"Pain." Jin Chen poked his own abdominal muscle where the pearl had left a mark, saying, "Look."

Lin Juan took a pen from his lab‑coat pocket, about to note the request, then frowned, looked up, and asked, 'How do you know this is called clothing?'

So far, no deep‑sea high‑intelligence animal captured for hunting has had the concept of 'clothing'; even if mermaids differ, how could something that covers the body possibly also be called clothing for them?

Jin Chen: '……'

Wait a moment.

I'll find an excuse.

Jin Chen pointed confidently toward the door, saying, 'That person said I don't need clothes.'

"Clothes." He then pointed to the pearls on the floor and poked Lin Juan's lab coat.

Lin Juan glanced at the hand resting on his shoulder, smiled, brushed it off, and said, 'All right, I will choose the most suitable clothing for you.'

Who would have thought that as soon as his words fell, the mermaid sitting at the hatch suddenly bent forward and embraced him, even making Lin Juan feel there was nowhere to escape.

He was embraced by a damp touch carrying the ocean's aura.

Lin Juan's gentle expression froze; without hesitation he pushed the mermaid away, his eyes flashing a sudden chill as the lifted lashes resembled icy blades.

Jin Chen stared, then nervously stepped back.

A hundred percent blackening value is no joke!

Half a second later, Lin Juan looked again at the mermaid who had withdrawn a bit; his aura calmed once more, and a smile touched his lips.

"Number Seventeen, from now on don't casually hug humans—it's very dangerous."

Jin Chen gave no response, merely shrank his head down, his sickly expression drooping as he hummed softly twice.

Keeping the test subject in fear and low spirits is not what a qualified keeper should do.

Lin Juan furrowed his brows, patiently put the pen back in his pocket, stepped closer, his tone softer: 'Number Seventeen, come out first; I'll apply medicine to your wound.'

Jin Chen glanced at him, his soft ear fins curling up, feigning concealment among his silver hair, refusing to listen.

Yet the long, translucent blue fish tail hanging from his seated posture at the hatch seemed to respond, hooking Lin Juan's ankle.

Lin Juan wasn't used to it, but for now he could only endure.

He did not resist the tail's coiling, reaching out to gently stroke the mermaid's soft silver hair, saying, 'Sorry, I don't dislike your embrace, merely…'

"Admonition."

Before he could finish, the mermaid, having understood the meaning on its own, leaned in and embraced him again.

Jin Chen even held him tighter than before, tilting his head to gauge his reaction.

Lin Juan: '……'

He lowered his eyelids, silent for two seconds.

During those two seconds Lin Juan was convincing himself that, for the later experiments, it was vital to quickly acclimate Number Seventeen here, and soothing was important.

Lin Juan returned the embrace slowly, his voice gentler, the unseen depths of his eyes revealing utter darkness: 'Can you obediently let me apply the medicine?'

Seeing that was enough, Jin Chen lifted his clear gaze, glanced at him, and nodded.

Hunters never appear at the breeding base, yet after the keeper's day‑after‑day soothing, high‑intelligence animals gradually grow accustomed to coexisting with humans—often this is the start of danger.

Jin Chen's wound is in the abdomen, plus his most fragile tail fin.

He half-leaned on the damp blanket Lin Juan had found, lying on his side while the medicine was applied, but his eyes still turned red from the sting, looking pitiful.

【Oh dear, Host, your acting is getting better and better.】

【……Who is acting.】

This body can't tolerate any pain! Fragile to the extreme.

Jin Chen let out another muffled groan, clinging to Lin Juan who hung limp on his shoulder, his long, sharp fingertips carving deep marks at the chamber entrance.

"It'll be fine soon." Lin Juan instinctively soothed him.

Then his movements applying the medicine hesitated slightly in doubt, before he continued.

Number Seventeen was very strange.

It actually let him gradually get used to such contact.

Could it be that mermaids also possess a hidden innate charm ability?

Thinking this, Lin Juan again recalled that the report had not probed what racial talent Number Seventeen, as a high-intelligence creature, possessed.

"Number Seventeen."

Lin Juan finished applying the medicine, then gritted his teeth and asked in that posture, locking eyes with those misty blue eyes, "Do you like hugging me?"

Jin Chen had just recovered from that pain, took two or three seconds to understand what Lin Juan was asking, then his eyes flashed and he nodded.

"Then, as an exchange, you should tell me what your ability is."

His coaxing, persuasive tone sounded like he was soothing, yet also like an unquestionable inquiry.

Jin Chen hooked his tail around Lin Juan's waist, his soft reply sounding as if coated with a layer of damp mist, his voice alluring.

"Control, water."

He didn't let go of Lin Juan, merely turning sideways and raising his hand.

The water in the breeding chamber's water ball surged suddenly, as if swept by a storm, churning and slamming against the chamber walls.

And this was merely what the mermaid could do at its weakest.

Lin Juan, however, was not panicked; he calmly watched the small patch of turbulent water, and the expression of endurance he had held since entering the office finally gave way to interest.

"Not a bad ability."

He offered a vague compliment.