"What a mysterious creature!"
"She's so beautiful!"
Xing Yuan opened her eyes again amidst a cacophony of voices, a faint hint of confusion in her sapphire-blue gaze. She then gently flicked her tail, striking a pane of glass and sending a splash of water flying.
"It's alive!" someone outside the glass exclaimed.
He was then slapped on the head, "Of course it's alive."
"Oh, right! Of course it's alive."
"Call the doctor!" someone said sternly.
Soon, an old man with white hair, referred to as the doctor, approached. He merely observed the beautiful mermaid from a distance before turning to his subordinate and asking, "Haven't you figured it out yet?"
The subordinate shook his head. "Mermaids have a special physiology. The moment this isolation glass is opened, she'll escape immediately. We currently have no effective method, let alone a way to obtain samples from her for experimentation."
"Then how did you capture her?" The doctor's face showed clear annoyance.
To have such a miraculous creation right before him, yet be unable to handle it, was more sorrowful than never having it at all.
"This... according to the local fishermen, she, she voluntarily came ashore and then was too weak to resist due to dehydration."
"And you couldn't just dehydrate her directly?" the doctor roared, frustrated.
"I'm afraid that won't work! We've tried. If we do that, she'll pretend to be dead. We don't know how long it takes for a mermaid to die from dehydration. If it's too soon, she'll sing, and if it's too late, she'll lose her value if she dies."
What could he do? He was helpless too!
Xing Yuan's sapphire-blue eyes scanned the crowd. Seemingly sensing no danger, she curled up uncomfortably, closed her eyes, and began to merge with her own residual soul.
As she saw, she was a beautiful mermaid who had lived in the deep sea since birth.
Just like in fairy tales, there were witches in the mermaid palace of the deep sea. However, she had no sisters; she was the only child in her family.
One year, during her estrus period, her impulsiveness and recklessness, coupled with her inherent impulsivity, intensified. Finally, ignoring the elders' dissuade, she left the deep sea and swam to the shore.
She was a cautious fish. Having heard that many people on shore were wicked, she did not go ashore. She merely observed from the sea, wanting to know how humans differed from them.
She swam to many places, finally arriving at an open swimming resort. She hid in the sea, playing "hide-and-seek" with some people from time to time.
She had fun, but the people she played with were not so happy. They thought it was a haunting. Once or twice was fine, but over time, fewer and fewer people came to this resort.
Seeing the dwindling number of people, she felt the urge to go ashore for the first time. So, under the cover of night, she stepped onto land for the first time.
She was young and playful. Lacking sufficient spiritual power to transform her tail into legs, she sat on the beach, playing with her own tail.
"Who are you?"
As she was having fun, a voice suddenly sounded from behind her. Startled, she scrambled into the sea and then timidly poked her head out.
It was a young girl exuding youthful energy. The girl seemed to be working there, holding cleaning tools.
But her limited understanding of humans meant she didn't know!
She thought the person wanted to hit her. She didn't speak, but leaving felt wrong, so she hid in the sea, watching her, ready to flee at any moment.
The girl was very gentle. She slowly walked a few steps towards her, then crouched down and said softly, "It's so late, why aren't you home yet?"
She understood. She made a sound and then, as if remembering something, covered her mouth and said timidly, "I don't want to go back."
"Then can you come out first? It's not good for your body to stay in the seawater all the time." The girl gently extended her hand.
Her not-so-clever fish brain pondered. She thought the girl hadn't seen her tail and thus mistook her for a human like herself.
However, she didn't want anyone to know she was a fish. So she shook her head, dove to the seabed, and swam away.
She should have gone to another place, but the girl was the first human in many years to see her and speak to her, so she secretly returned the next day.
Her eyes fixed on the girl. Perhaps it was prolonged observation that led to affection. She suddenly found the girl beautiful, suitable to be the mother of her future children.
Mermaids liked beautiful things, and their way of expressing it was to bring them back to their lair.
But she was clever. Knowing that humans couldn't live underwater, she built a new lair by the shore and excitedly went to find the girl.
She discovered that the girl seemed to enjoy working at night, so she proactively approached her.
The girl noticed her, her voice as gentle as ever, "You're still not home?"
"Then can you take me home?" she asked directly, which was their way of inviting someone.
"Okay!" The girl nodded in agreement.
Her tail wagged happily, and then the girl saw it.
The girl didn't seem to realize she was a mermaid, only asking curiously, "What was that behind you just now? Is it a new type of diving equipment?"
She nodded guiltily, worried that the person she had finally chosen would escape. She moved closer and, with a combination of pulling and dragging, before the girl could react, she pulled her into the water.
The girl cried out and instinctively struggled.
But mermaids were very strong, especially in water. Her tail wrapped around the girl, rendering her immobile.
The girl seemed to realize something was wrong then. "Are you... a mermaid?"
She nodded proudly, her eyes full of triumph. Then she bit the girl, granting her the temporary ability to breathe underwater, and took her to her lair.
"What do you want?" the girl asked, her face full of fear.
"I'm not tasty," the girl continued, her eyes filled with wariness.
She tilted her head, confused. She didn't eat humans. It was just her estrus period, and she needed a mate. She didn't like any of the males in the sea, so she came to the surface to find one.
To ensure the quality of her future offspring, she soothed the girl, "I don't eat people. It's just my estrus period, so I'd like your help."
The girl's expression became even more terrified. She couldn't understand, but for the sake of her future offspring, she decided to ignore the girl's fear and focus on getting pregnant.