The one screaming was a web celebrity burning the midnight oil, named Jack. His real name was Ma Jie. Because it sounded too rustic, Ma Jie always introduced himself using his English name. His life wasn't lavish; his father was gravely ill, and he had to support his younger brother and sister's education. Originally a straight guy, he later discovered that being a gay man attracted more attention from netizens and brand sponsors, so he adopted that persona. After years of hard work, his savings finally reached a six-digit number starting with a '1'.
Ma Jie couldn't afford a boat ticket, but then he won one. As a well-known high-end club, the Mermaid Club unsurprisingly drew envy from a few plastic buddies.
Having seen the bustle of big cities, Jack had no desire to return to a small county town. The ambiance of the Mermaid Club, with its upper-class society vibes, made him dizzy.
Nowadays, this internet celebrity's mind was consumed with thoughts of how to reel in a wealthy lady, much like the blind-eyed heiress from "Titanic." She didn't have to be beautiful like Rose; if she liked playing with steel balls and it meant money, he could endure it.
Just as he emerged from the bathtub, wrapped in a scarf, lost in his fantasies, Jack heard thudding noises from the floor. The transparent floor was quite stunning, with gentle pink seawater below. Getting over a hundred likes on his social media wouldn't be a problem if he could post this.
Unfortunately, the Mermaid Club blocked internet signals to ensure better enjoyment for its members. Little did Ma Jie expect that one day he would see a monster through this glass.
Ma Jie had some knowledge of pollutant diseases; after all, the country vigorously promoted their prevention and control. Moreover, numerous internet celebrities skyrocketed to fame by livestreaming distorted individuals, but this was indeed his first close encounter with pollutants.
It was far more horrifying than he'd ever imagined. The grotesque fish head and malformed body left him weak-kneed. After a while, Ma Jie managed to let out a shrill, raspy scream.
His cry scared off the fish-human below the glass and brought the club's staff running.
Ma Jie cried and protested, demanding a room change, claiming there were monsters underwater. But the staff reassured him repeatedly that it was just his hallucination.
"Apologies, sir. We believe your mental state isn't quite stable," the security guard had to say sternly. "If you persist in your view, for the experience of our other members, we'll have to send you back to City S."
Ma Jie wept bitterly, but the security remained unaffected. They'd seen more merfolk than the promotions Jack had ever received. While he might be a heartthrob outside, here he was just an average guy.
To pursue his ambitions, Ma Jie had no choice but to tearfully promise that he wouldn't relapse or demand room changes anymore.
Satisfied, the security team left.
If Ma Jie had a detector, he'd probably be shocked to find his mutation level had risen from 0 to 7 in just one night.
The Mermaid Club, 7th floor.
Here, everything was adorned with gold and silver. Gold leaf was the cheapest decoration, contrasting with the jade floor.
Ten Golden Tail members sat at the table, wearing feather masks, exuding an aura of importance. Their combined wealth likely represented three percent of the entire world.
To become a Golden Tail member, one needed an invitation and a fifty million entry fee.
Some had even undergone "transplant" surgeries. But compared to their talents, they perhaps relied more on their bodyguards.
Fresh meat and vegetables were served. The food here was undoubtedly many times better than what lower-tier visitors ate.
"Welcome to the Mermaid Club, everyone. I'm sure you've already learned from the invitations about our fifteen-day game. Taste this, bought at a high price from the slaughterhouse," a handsome man at the front of the long table said, revealing a smile. He had deep blue eyes, slightly long hair, and profound features, resembling a mixed-blood individual.
The slaughterhouse was among the top ten polluted areas on the Tianqi Forum. Located in the suburbs of City X, no one had ever seen it, let alone pinpointed its location.
Supposedly, sending an order to the postal office in City X would summon a butcher to deliver meat. However, the butchers charged arbitrarily.
"Thanks to you, I haven't tasted the pork from the slaughterhouse yet," a graceful lady spoke leisurely.
"Your favor is the utmost honor for our club," the man replied.
The only person at the table without a mask was the founder of the Mermaid Club, addressed as the boss by everyone now. No one knew his true identity anymore.
Gentleman No. 03 remarked, "You've looked the same for thirty years. While I've aged, you remain young..."
The boss chuckled, "Well, I've been injecting myself with mermaid genes for anti-aging. If you need it, I can sell it to you."
The gentleman shook his head, "I wouldn't dare take your things. I can't afford the price, not even a thousandth. Immortality is a price I can't pay."
His words instantly sobered the previously restless lady.
The boss smiled without retorting. He spread his arms, face lighting up with a contented smile. "Today, we're gathered here to celebrate the annual beauty contest."
The hall's lights went out in an instant. Behind him, twenty screens lit up.
"This time, the club's staff found 20 mermaid candidates. Their names aren't important. In sequence, behind me are players 01 to 20."
Each screen displayed a different Arabic numeral in its corner.
"Those foolish flesh fishes will surely remind us of our lovely mermaids today," the boss chuckled. "Unfortunately, as per our custom, we never place surveillance in the mermaids' bedrooms. I'd really like to see their performance. Let's watch some promotional clips from the journey."
"Let's all anticipate who will receive the most votes from the judges and become the most expensive Golden Tail mermaid!"
As he finished speaking, the screens displayed various shots taken from the surveillance on the cruise ship. All were recordings from the ship's arrival.
Twenty beautiful faces, men and women, but the most captivating was undoubtedly the young man marked as "6."
A young man pointed at Lu Yan's face, saying, "I've seen him on the arriving cruise. I hope during the auction on the final day, you can give me some face."
"Every year, the Mermaid Club selects lucky tourists from all over the country, ranging from 10 to 30 in number. Then, in July, using various methods, they're all summoned to Mermaid Island."
"These lucky tourists are the club's mermaid reserves. For others, a 15-day journey might be a pleasant vacation, but for them, it's a nightmarish escape."
The system slowly introduced the background.
[Those golden-tailed clients, wearing masks, gather with the chandelier capitalists on the top floor of the hall, watching through surveillance your distorted transformation into these mermaids.]
[There was an unexpected turn this year. Your ticket belonged to the landlord's daughter. Turns out, the landlord opened her parcel secretly and sold the ticket.]
"In short, now you're considered a mermaid."
Lu Yan glanced out the window. "So what I've been feeling, those nauseating stares—it's not just my imagination."
"There are no monitors in the room, but this mermaid island is under constant surveillance," the system said. "Maybe the only thing you can be grateful for is that without joining the Special Operations Department in the country, the growth progress of the Harbingers is always slower. Among all the Harbingers on this island, your combat power ranks in the top ten."
Except for some abnormalities due to pollution sources, Lu Yan's phone could be located at any time, and he didn't have to worry about no network.
At that moment, Lu Yan checked his phone, and the signal displayed 'No Service.'
He knew every time he needed to call the Disease Prevention and Control Center, his phone always had zero signal.
Lu Yan's palm touched the glass, reaching the fin of the fish person through the transparent floor.
Being labeled as a monster too many times had left the fish person in despair, but Lu Yan's different reaction involuntarily excited him.
He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but lacking vocal cords, his fish lips only moved weakly underwater.
After listening attentively for a while, the system replied, "He hasn't had human interaction for too long; his language ability has degraded to mere babbling. Meeting some fish with lower mutation degrees might help."
"What talents do these Harbingers-turned-mermaids possess?" Lu Yan asked.
The system smiled faintly. "Where do you think the First Research Institute found so many willing talent donors?"
"Why hasn't the Mermaid Club been discovered by other Harbinger organizations for so many years?"
Lu Yan's lips tightened, his expression turning colder.
He inserted the knife into the crevice of the transparent glass.
For an ordinary tool and an ordinary person, this would be impossible. But his knife was a psychic weapon, and he himself was a D-level Harbinger. Leveraging the tempered glass was no challenge.
Seeing the dagger, the fish person instinctively raised their arm to shield their head.
The light bulb above him fell, clearly illuminating his grotesque, abnormal face.
Noticing Lu Yan's lack of additional movement, he slowly opened his eyes.
Lu Yan asked, "Can you still understand me? Give me your hand."
His tone resembled his days as a hospital intern.
Back then, when Lu Yan was on pediatric rotation, talking to toddlers, his tone was similar. He had a knack for mimicry.
Not only did Lu Yan attract wild animals, but he was also quite popular with wild kids.
The fish person hesitated for a moment before extending their damp hand.
This hand had no skin, covered in scales, with some muscle tissue faintly visible.
A white thread emerged from Lu Yan's sleeve and finally touched the fish person's head.
Although the fish person had a high mutation degree, due to their inherently low psychic threshold, even after a prolonged interaction, Lu Yan's mutation degree only increased by 0.01.
In contrast, the fish person's eyes noticeably brightened.
The kingfisher voluntarily retracted the white tentacles. Even it couldn't reduce the fish person's mutation degree to zero.
The fish person looked at Lu Yan, still with that horrifying fish face, mouth opening and closing.
"He says it's very dangerous here. Hopes that before your complete mutation, you'll leave the Mermaid Island. He and other fish people can escort you out."
"After I leave, what will happen?" Lu Yan asked.
"The chandelier capitalists will notice the absence of a participant. As a precaution, they'll activate emergency plans, taking their assets and the beautiful mermaid to flee the island overnight. If they can't keep him domestically, he can live freely abroad. The wealth he's amassed could keep an ordinary 996 office worker working from the prehistoric era until 2121. By then, he could easily establish a new club."
"This Mermaid Island sits atop an active volcano. The chandelier capitalists can trigger an eruption anytime, submerging the island. By then, all the wickedness will sink with the island into the depths of the sea. A vast expanse of white land will be left, no one knowing."
Lu Yan stayed silent for a long time, lowering his gaze as if contemplating something.
The system couldn't help asking, "What are you thinking?"
"In pondering what color the chandelier capitalists like for their lamps," Lu Yan replied softly.
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