The Creature Keeper - chapter 26

The gigantic glass structure stood at the center of the Hexagonal Plaza, towering and blocking out the sky. Unknown creatures were imprisoned in the water within; staying here was not a good choice.

Tang Rou thought, if rescue restored order, she would apply to have the Mermaid transferred to her own laboratory. But for now, the most important thing was to leave this place, survive, and reunite with her colleagues who were still alive.

On the edge of the plaza, along the Circular Belt, were a series of tightly closed doors. Perhaps Aselan and the Security Officers she mentioned were behind one of them.

As she passed a section of crushed metal plates, Tang Rou saw blood seeping from the ground. It seemed that someone had been crushed to death beneath those sheets. She carefully skirted the area and headed toward the Circular Belt.

However, the Hexagonal Plaza, which had been quiet for a long time, suddenly echoed with a “da-da-da” sound, like some hard tissue rapidly striking the ground in a tight rhythm.

Tang Rou instinctively looked up and saw several slender jointed limbs crawling quickly toward her-

It was the Sea Spider!

Its speed was chillingly fast, and a ghastly wound split open on its abdomen, revealing a snake-like, crimson, elongated tongue.

Tang Rou stumbled backward in panic, but stepped into some kind of mucus. Her foot burned, and suddenly she lost all sense of weight, falling backward onto her back.

Her slender spine hit the cold ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the terrifying spider leap toward her, its massive limbs descending upon her.

“Puchi…”

The sound of flesh being pierced was dull and heavy.

Cool, moist liquid splashed onto her face, carrying a subtle, strange fragrance.

Tang Rou’s eyes were open, but her mind stalled for a moment.

Long arms that did not belong to her braced on either side of her head. Beautiful muscles tensed in pain, and damp, pale golden hair fell onto her face, bringing a slight tickle.

Through the shimmering golden light, she saw those platinum-silver eyes.

At the critical moment, the Mermaid-whom she had only met twice-appeared, shielding her with her body. Her brows furrowed in pain. Tang Rou’s gaze dropped, and she saw that beautiful, magnificent tail run through by the Sea Spider’s dark brown, terrifying limb.

Blood dripped steadily from the wound, as if a rain tinged with golden light had fallen.

Tang Rou’s eyes widened, unable to utter a single word.

She stared in shock at the Mermaid who had blocked the fatal blow for her, her lips trembling for a long time before she could ask, “Why…”

The Mermaid did not answer her.

Her gem-like eyes lost their luster, her arms slackened, and she collapsed powerlessly into Tang Rou’s embrace, falling heavily against her.

After that ferocious attack, the Sea Spider suddenly tensed, its six pitch-black eyes unmoving. It withdrew its blood-stained limb and quickly retreated.

Tang Rou did not notice any of this.

The Mermaid lay atop her, her injured tail at least three meters long. No matter how slender and lean she appeared, it was impossible to ignore that she was a broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted female. As she pressed down on Tang Rou, Tang Rou distinctly felt the weight.

Her body was very cold. Golden-red blood flowed from the wound, quickly soaking Tang Rou’s clothes layer by layer in red.

Tang Rou gripped her shoulders, her voice trembling as she called, “Wake up…”

The Mermaid was exhausted, opening her eyes weakly and allowing Tang Rou to clumsily prop her up, like a puppet at her mercy, her forehead limply resting on Tang Rou’s shoulder.

Her tail was badly wounded, blood laced with golden light pooling on the ground. Tang Rou quickly took off her jacket and wrapped it around the injury, pressing down in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Yet the cool, moist blood seemed to mock her naivety, surging through her fingers and soon dyeing the entire jacket golden-red.
The Mermaid watched her in silence.

Tang Rou took a deep breath, pressed down her emotions, and grabbed the Mermaid’s hand, placing it over the spot she had just pressed on herself. “Hold it here.” Then she wrapped an arm around the Mermaid’s waist and, with effort, dragged her to the edge of the pool. Under her puzzled gaze, she hid her among the waterweeds.

“Wait for me here.”

She was leaving?

Why was she still leaving? She had already been shown how dangerous it was to leave her world.

Why was she still going?

Tang Rou stood up, only to find her sleeve caught by someone.

The Mermaid looked up at her from amidst the waterweeds, a barely perceptible confusion in her eyes.

It inexplicably reminded her of a small animal abandoned by its owner.

“I’m going to find a cart to get you out of here. Otherwise, you’ll die.” As Tang Rou spoke, another wave of fear surged through her heart, but her voice remained calm. “Hide here… If I don’t make it back alive, when order is restored, take this and find the engineer named Aselan. She’ll take care of you.”

Tang Rou placed her information card into the Mermaid’s palm, wrapping her fingers around it so she would hold onto it.

The Mermaid stared at her, then reached up to wipe away the crystalline tear at the corner of her eye that had not yet dried. “But… aren’t you afraid of dying?”

In such a tense moment, Tang Rou couldn’t help but want to laugh. “No one isn’t afraid of dying.”

She asked again, her eyes filled with sincere confusion, “Does it matter to you whether I live or die?”

“It does.” She patted her head. “Don’t let your thoughts run wild. Hide well, and be careful.”

Tang Rou covered her with the waterweeds in her hands, concealing the Mermaid’s beautiful yet fragile figure.

Then, her expression tensed, she stepped barefoot onto the ground and quietly ran toward the Circular Belt.

Tang Rou remembered seeing an electric cart for transporting goods on her way here. Those things all had their own batteries and shouldn’t be rendered useless by a power outage.

Her movements were light, her feet making almost no sound on the ground, but she failed to notice the many terrifying figures slowly emerging behind her.

Dark, sticky tentacles writhed from the floor, the walls, and unseen corners, stretching toward her as if hesitating over where to begin devouring her.

A massive, eyeless creature silently moved out from around a corner. Its huge ears twitched, catching the faint sound of footsteps, and it slowly shifted its body to follow.

Yet, just before it could reach the woman’s back, it heard an unnamable sound.

An elegant, ethereal hum was emitted at a special frequency, audible only to the alien creatures from the deep sea.

Its whisper was like truth itself, a force these beings could not defy.

The grotesque, unknown creatures froze as if a pause button had been pressed, lingering in the air for two seconds before quietly retreating, as silent as when they had appeared.

At the edge of the giant glass tank in the center of the Hexagonal Plaza, a pale arm reached out, brushing aside the layers of tangled seaweed.

The Mermaid sat up unhurriedly, raising a hand to smooth the moss from her hair.

She rarely showed such confusion.

Humans seemed easy to understand, yet were more complex than she had imagined. Still, she had to admit, the value humans placed on her life made her feel pleased.

After tidying away the remaining waterweeds, the Mermaid merely lifted her hand, and those frenzied creatures lurking in the shadows immediately stilled.