Lu Yan is a proactive individual, exemplified by his actions on the first day when he took down two security dogs. Subsequently, every night, he would lurk by the shore, seizing opportunities to eliminate patrolling guards. If it weren't for the fear of exposing himself through surveillance, Lu Yan wouldn't mind secretly infiltrating the 7th floor to eliminate the true source of evil. Mainly, he's concerned about facing a large number of people he might not be able to defeat.
For several consecutive days, security personnel met their demise on the beach of the mermaid bay, with each death resulting in nothing but bones chewed by the mermaids. After their feast, the mermaids would sing songs in the night, resembling a requiem for the departed souls. The mermaid coast had to be temporarily sealed, attracting complaints from disgruntled tourists.
The security team did make attempts, but Lu Yan's talent, akin to a cheat code, proved insurmountable. "Don't go out today, there are ambushes," he would convey, prompting Lu Yan to stay indoors and rest.
To align with his usual circadian rhythm, Lu Yan forced himself to sleep from 1 am to 1 pm. The boss was furious about this, suspecting a traitor within the security team. In a fit of rage, he confronted the team leader, accusing him of incompetence.
"Without me, you'd still be disabled. I spend hundreds of thousands every month employing you, even went out of my way to connect with a researcher for your fusion surgery," the boss berated the security team leader. "Now, you can't even find the killer. What a waste!"
Expensive antique cups were shattered on the ground as the boss continued his tirade, expressing disbelief that the culprit could be invisible or a ghost. The security team leader, Yang Tianxin, calmly responded, "Not necessarily invisible, and there might not be ghosts. The person must be diving."
Yang Tianxin, a combat-class C-level Awakener with a spiritual power threshold of 3700, took matters into his own hands. He confronted Xu Guanyue, accusing him of feeding the fish every night. Despite having two breathing systems, Xu Guanyue, once dragged out of the water, experienced the familiar sensation of suffocation.
In the struggle, Xu Guanyue's fish tail flailed in the water, but Yang Tianxin's iron-like arms were unyielding. Gasping for breath, Xu Guanyue managed to utter, "I really... didn't see... anything."
Yang Tianxin eventually released his grip, revealing fresh wounds on Xu Guanyue's fish tail, likely a consequence of the boss's temper. Xu Guanyue, lying by the water's edge, coughed painfully, the taste of rust lingering in his throat.
"You don't have to feed the fish anymore," Yang Tianxin declared before leaving. Xu Guanyue, still coughing, called out, "Captain Yang!"
Yang Tianxin paused and turned, a hint of confusion in his expression. Xu Guanyue, with blurry vision, implored, "You should know what the boss has been doing all these years... You've helped me several times. You should be able to distinguish right from wrong. Why aid in cruelty?"
Yang Tianxin raised his head after a moment of contemplation. "He might be a villain to everyone else, but not to me. Besides, are ordinary people really the same as us?"
The boss was right. Without him, Yang Tianxin would be a disabled person lying in bed. Once a long-distance runner, he lost his legs in a car accident, and it was the boss who funded his prosthetic limbs.
"My talent is... 311-Lone Wolf," Yang Tianxin reminisced. "The first time I used my talent, I couldn't control it and turned into a giant wolf, taking half a day to revert. My mother screamed and called the police. Although the misunderstanding was resolved later, I knew she looked at me with fear. Monsters like us, no one can help but be afraid, right?"
Without looking back, Yang Tianxin continued walking. Under his black security uniform pants, a metallic ankle was exposed, devoid of skin.
In the following days, the system signaled danger to Lu Yan. To avoid risks, he maintained a low profile and instructed the mermaids to cease their activities.
On the 10th day, the prepared mermaids started growing scales. The staff at the mermaid club continued spreading information about how terrifying pollution diseases were. After the anomalies were discovered, if not treated properly, the consequences would be miserable.
After days of propaganda, the situation became deeply ingrained in people's minds, similar to crossing the road while observing traffic lights.
Lu Yan initially wanted to use dream entry to warn them, but for some reason, the paper-like patterns on his skin seemed lifeless, preventing him from integrating with his original flesh. Without fusion, he couldn't use his abilities.
The atmosphere on Mermaid Island felt ominous everywhere.
On the 14th day, the last day of the journey and the day before the return, the distorted condition of the prepared mermaids was significantly advanced. Some had fish scales growing on the inside of their thighs, and their reflections in the mirror became increasingly perfect.
Being attractive should have been a joyous occasion, but now the prepared mermaids looked at the increasingly unfamiliar faces in the mirror with a sense of bewildering fear.
Lu Yan, looking in the mirror, wiped his dagger with a napkin, receiving information from the system.
"On the last day, the staff will inject a lethal dose of a drug into the rooms through the ventilation system," the system reported. "After confirming complete unconsciousness, they will be placed in sealed cages and sent to the 7th floor for auction. On that day, both the boss and the golden-tailed clients will bid at the auction."
"Security will be present at the scene, and several individuals will have a spiritual power threshold higher than yours. However, you have talent 167 regeneration. As long as you don't confront the head of security directly, exchanging injuries for injuries, you have a high chance of winning."
The system's tone, rarely tense, added, "To be honest, I think your strength is still too weak. But once the bow is drawn, there's no turning back. Trying to escape now seems too late."
Lu Yan put down the knife, envisioning the face of the security team leader.
As he still needed to eat, he continued going to the restaurant every day. One day, while eating, he felt the gaze of someone like an eagle locking onto him. The system informed him that it was because he was favored by the boss, sparking curiosity in this Mr. Yang.
Yang Tianxin, a C-level Awakener with a spiritual power threshold of 3700, and the talent "Lone Wolf."
"This lonely wolf doesn't know that the person who hit him and then fled after the car accident on that rainy night was the boss. Hence, he is devoted to the mermaid club," the system conveyed.
To facilitate the transportation of mermaids, the entire building had waterways. If all went well, Xu Guanyue would lead the mermaids upstream, joining the fight. Even without their talents, mermaids still possessed some combat capabilities. In times like these, a little extra strength was better than Lu Yan fighting alone.
At ten o'clock in the evening
, Lu Yan splashed some water behind his ears. Due to the gill-like structure, moist air allowed him to remain alert even while holding his breath.
The exhaust fan closed, and the vents opened. The door automatically locked, and white mist billowed from the corners of the room. Worried about exposing the scales on their bodies, prepared mermaids often wore thick clothing. Lu Yan was no exception.
He concealed the thin blade in a hidden pocket and spread a clean carpet on the floor. Approximately an hour later, the door opened.
Two workers with gas masks entered. They lifted Lu Yan, locked him in a cage, covered it with a white cloth, and proceeded to the cargo elevator. This elevator only went up to the fifth floor. After reaching the fifth floor, security would take them to the seventh floor for the auction.
Others were genuinely unconscious, but Lu Yan was pretending.
According to his plan, he intended to stop pretending once on the 7th floor. Exploiting information and time discrepancies, he would deal with the security carrying him and then systematically clean up the rest.
However, there seemed to be a slight deviation in this plan. In the elevator, Yang Tianxin, who should have been guarding the boss, stepped forward.
Glancing at Lu Yan, he said to the security guard, "You can leave this to me."
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