After being pulled out of the water, Gu Lin felt himself being pulled onto a boat by another force.

He heard two gasps, followed by two voices in conversation: “Heh, look at what we’ve hauled up!”

“So mermaids really exist? A mermaid has actually appeared in our Yu Family Village.”

“Hiss~ This mermaid is truly beautiful! It was worth squatting in your Yu Family Village for a year.”

The mermaid struggled violently, and Gu Lin was also pulled along with the struggle.

In the midst of the struggle, Gu Lin saw the faces of Doctor-shushu and Mayor-yeye.

“With this mermaid, the village chief can be upgraded to town mayor,” Yu Youmian said, looking at the mermaid trapped in the fishing net on the deck.

The mermaid town mayor raised an eyebrow: “One mermaid isn’t enough to make our entire Yu Family Village rich.”

The fishing net was a special net, unbreakable. No matter how much the mermaid struggled, it couldn’t break free, and instead became exhausted, lying weakly on the deck, looking coldly at the two humans in front of him.

Yu Youmian took out a syringe, squatted down, and injected it into the mermaid.

After being injected with the drug, the mermaid immediately closed its eyes and fainted.

Gu Lin’s vision also went dark. Before fainting, he heard Yu Youmian’s cold laugh.

“With this mermaid, I can help you create countless mermaids. If there aren’t enough mermaids, then create enough mermaids. And I, I only want a hospital and a base where I can unconditionally research mermaids…”

–

Regaining consciousness again, Gu Lin opened his eyes. The scene in front of him changed again, becoming that secret room, but on the other side of the glass wall.

At this time, the mermaid turned his head, looking around at the environment.

Gu Lin also turned his head, and found that he was in the pool.

Gu Lin: [Huh, why haven’t cub gone back yet?]

9527: [Little streamer, don’t worry, you can go back after the flashback ends.]

Gu Lin: [Oh.]

The mermaid looked at the glass wall in front of him, and Gu Lin also looked at the glass wall.

On the other side of the glass wall was Yu Youmian in his white coat.

Yu Youmian leaned against the table, holding an apple and a fruit knife, slowly peeling the fruit.

Seeing that the mermaid was awake, he continued peeling the apple, a smile on his lips: “Awake?”

The mermaid slowly opened his lips, his voice clear and melodious: “Are you a doctor?”

Yu Youmian was stunned for a moment. It was the first time he had heard this mermaid speak.

He raised his eyebrows: “Does a doctor who specializes in studying mermaids count?”

Yu Youmian quickly finished peeling the apple. He casually threw the fruit knife on the table, making a “clink” sound, and then he took the apple and walked to the glass wall.

At this time, Gu Lin felt his stomach… no, the mermaid’s stomach growl.

There was no food in the pool, and after being imprisoned for an unknown amount of time, the mermaid was already starving.

Yu Youmian lowered his eyes and smiled: “Hungry, huh? Want an apple?”

The mermaid looked at him coldly, not speaking.

Yu Youmian brought the apple to his mouth, took a bite, and ate it himself: “Sorry, it’s not your feeding time yet.”

The mermaid’s stomach was hungry, and Gu Lin also felt hungry.

Yu Youmian ate an entire apple in front of the mermaid.

Gu Lin hummed resentfully: [Don’t like this Doctor-shushu without glasses.]

9527: …

Yu Youmian: “I came to Yu Family Village because I heard that there were traces of mermaids in Yu Family Village. I’ve been researching artificial fish for decades, but I’ve never been successful. Do you know why?”

The mermaid remained silent.

Yu Youmian didn’t seem to care whether this mermaid responded or not, and said to himself: “I experimented repeatedly, wanting to create perfect mermaids, but later I discovered that artificial fish must have the serum of a real mermaid to be successfully transformed.”

“I tried to sew together human legs, but they couldn’t be maintained for long, at most a week before they would burst open again, and they weren’t aesthetically pleasing, let alone perfect.”

Yu Youmian’s eyes showed fanaticism: “However, with you, I can create as many perfect mermaids as I want, after all, your serum can be provided continuously.”

“I’m also interested in one thing. I heard that mermaid tears can turn into pearls. I wonder if it’s true?”

The mermaid’s heart sank completely.

The next second, the scene changed again.

Gu Lin found that he was no longer in the pool, but outside the pool, looking at the mermaid in the pool through the glass wall.

His image was faintly reflected in the glass wall. It was actually Yu Youmian.

He had now run into Doctor-shushu’s body?

“You are the first artificial fish. I’ll give you a new name.”

Gu Lin found himself saying this sentence, taking a label sticker from his white coat pocket and sticking it on the glass wall.

Three lines of information were written on the label sticker.

[Number: 000]

[Name: Yu Youqing]

[Description: Initial Mermaid]

“Instead of being studied by humans, I’d rather study humans. What do you say, Doctor Yu?”

“…” The mermaid in the pool—Yu Youqing, his face was filled with shock, disbelief, unwillingness, and resentment.

He pounded on the glass wall, but the glass wall was very strong and didn’t budge.

“You put in so much effort, wanting to create perfect mermaids, but…”

Yu Youmian’s voice was deep and cold: “Humans are only fit to become split-leg mermaids.”

“…” Yu Youqing, who had already been reduced to a mermaid, his eyes reddened with anger.

“I was wrong. Mermaids are cunning by nature. I shouldn’t have let my guard down.”

Yu Youmian, with his gloved hand, pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose: “Taking a pearl formed from a mermaid’s tear means abiding by a contract, becoming the new mermaid. Only when the real mermaid is recognized will the contract be nullified.”

Yu Youqing chuckled: “So, you’re planning to hide me here forever?”

Yu Youmian didn’t answer, which was considered a tacit agreement.

He looked at Yu Youqing quietly for a moment, without saying anything more, and turned to leave.

Yu Youqing stared at Yu Youmian’s retreating back. The terror made his voice abnormally shrill: “Are you really planning to trap me here for the rest of my life?”

Yu Youmian didn’t answer, didn’t say anything, and strode away.

The secret room door closed behind him…

–

The flashback ended, and the scene in front of Gu Lin changed back to the scene in the secret room.

He was still sitting in the basket, with his short green fishtail underneath, not the sapphire blue fishtail.

He entered the flashback, but in reality, only a moment had passed, and it wouldn’t be noticed by anyone.

Gu Lin was muddled and confused by the content of the flashback, but he was sure of one thing.

Doctor-shushu was the real mermaid!

As soon as this thought appeared in his mind, 9527’s voice sounded: [Congratulations, little streamer, for finding the real mermaid, you have gained ten thousand points.]

Up to now, Gu Lin’s clue points had exceeded twenty thousand, far ahead of all the other players.

If he cleared the instance, Gu Lin would undoubtedly be the first place in the instance, but if he couldn’t clear the instance, these points would be recovered by the system.

At this moment, the pearl in Gu Lin’s hand, which had originally been brilliantly lustrous, lost its luster and turned dull gray.

And at the same time, Yu Youmian and Yu Youqing switched back.

Yu Youmian instantly returned to the mermaid’s body in the pool, and Yu Youqing also returned to his human body.

Yu Youqing was stunned, looking down at his restored normal legs, and then, slowly, his lips spread into a smile.

The contract was nullified.

After so many years, he was finally free!

Yu Youmian’s face turned pale for a moment, but he quickly calmed down. The only condition for the contract to be nullified was for the real mermaid to be recognized.

And the only one who had been added here was this little mermaid cub.

At this time, Yu Youqing was on the same side as Gu Lin, and Yu Youmian was in the pool.

Yu Youqing was still holding the basket, and Gu Lin was sitting in the basket.

He lowered his head to look at the little mermaid cub, who was also looking up at him blankly. He didn’t know how this little cub had recognized the real mermaid.

However, it had inadvertently helped him greatly, freeing him from that damn mermaid body.

His situation reversed, Yu Youqing looked at Yu Youmian, who was now trapped in the pool. He put down Gu Lin, then leaned on the glass wall with both hands, laughing loudly, looking like a madman.

After laughing for a while, he was still looking at Yu Youmian, but his words were directed at Gu Lin: “Little friend, isn’t it ridiculous? The mermaids of Mermaid Town, they were reduced from humans to mermaids, all thanks to the masterpiece of a real mermaid, and this mermaid pretended to be human, mixed among humans, and was even highly respected.”

“A mermaid pretending to be a human, yet turning humans into mermaids, what a great irony.”

Even now, Yu Youmian didn’t have any extra expressions, still consistently cold and indifferent, overly calm.

Yu Youqing took off the white gloves on his hands and the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, threw them on the ground, and even stomped on them several times.

He didn’t need these pretentious props.

“Tomorrow is the Mermaid Festival. Not only did my body change back, you also gave me a great gift.”

He looked at Gu Lin, “A unique little mermaid cub. Guess how much he can be sold for?”

Yu Youqing bent down, wanting to pick up the little mermaid cub in the basket.

Gu Lin, seeing him coming to pick him up, reflexively wanted to run. In his panic, he flicked his tail, hitting Yu Youqing, sending him flying, sliding several meters after landing.

Yu Youqing: ???

What the hell, how could this little mermaid have so much strength!!

Both Yu Youmian and Yu Youqing were stunned by Gu Lin’s “mermaid tail slap.”

Yu Youqing was sent flying, fell to the ground, and even coughed up a trace of blood. His whole body ached as if it was falling apart.

He was stunned for several seconds, lying on the ground for a long time, unable to get up.

After Yu Youmian turned back into a mermaid, he spoke his first words: “Run!”

Gu Lin slapped Yu Youqing away with one flick of his tail, and he also fell to the ground because of it.

Hearing Yu Youmian tell him to run, he immediately wanted to crawl away, but his previous crawling practice obviously hadn’t paid off. Guyong guyong, he couldn’t crawl away.

Gu Lin: [9527, let’s buy a bumper cheche to escape!]

9527 was also heartbroken: [Little streamer, you can’t get up, and you can’t crawl away. You didn’t practice enough before, it’s too late to buy a bumper car now, and Yu Youqing is already coming.]

Gu Lin: …

Yu Youqing had already come to Gu Lin, looking down at the mermaid baby lying on the ground guyonging, but not moving forward.

Yu Youqing watched him clumsily guyong for a while, and the corners of his eyes twitched.

Gu Lin still wanted to try to use his arms to crawl forward, but before he could, Yu Youqing picked him up from the ground.

After picking him up, Yu Youqing held Gu Lin in the crook of his arm. His clothes had several holes worn through from sliding on the ground.

Gu Lin was held in the crook of Yu Youqing’s arm, his little fishtail hanging down naturally, his two short arms also facing the ground, and his face also facing the ground.

He didn’t move. He had been guyonging on the ground for a while, and now he was too tired to move.

Before leaving, Yu Youqing looked at Yu Youmian again: “You can end your wretched life here.”

Yu Youqing carried Gu Lin out of the secret room.

Although Gu Lin didn’t move, he still had the strength to speak. His childish voice echoed in the empty base: “Help, help!”

Yu Youqing’s footsteps paused slightly. He touched this little mermaid’s fluffy little head and chuckled: “Don’t shout. We need to keep you for the Mermaid Festival auction tomorrow. We won’t slaughter you right away.”

Gu Lin stretched out his little hand forward, his childish voice: “Help!”

Yu Youqing: “…”

Yu Youqing rolled his eyes and carried Gu Lin away with his arm.