School, late at night.
Pitter-patter.
Pitter-patter.
"Hmm...?"
"What's that sound?"
Chu Yang groggily opened his eyes. The dormitory was very quiet, with no one making any noise. His roommates were all sleeping soundly.
Pitter-patter.
Pitter-patter.
A series of wet footsteps came from the corridor.
Blearily, Chu Yang waited a while, then the sound in the corridor suddenly stopped.
"Haah..."
Just as Chu Yang yawned and was about to go back to sleep, a strange and hoarse crying sound suddenly came from the corridor.
"Wuu wuu wuu... wuu wuu, ah umm, wuu..."
Chu Yang frowned. Who could it be, crying in the middle of the night without sleeping...
Huh?
Crying?
Chu Yang jolted upright, "Crying, wet footsteps... I need to make sure I'm not dreaming, right?"
"If not..."
Chu Yang hurriedly covered his ears!
"Wuu wuu wuu, wuu wuu..."
For some reason, the eerie crying sound started to get closer!
"It's too late, I've already heard it!"
Run!
Chu Yang quickly put on his clothes, changed into his shoes, jumped out of bed in one swift motion, and was about to push the door open!
"No, that's not right..."
As if he remembered something, Chu Yang suddenly turned and rushed towards the window!
Click!
Just then, the sound of the door opening came from behind Chu Yang!
"I've found you!"
A foul fishy smell came from behind, a chilling and loathsome breath straight to the bone. Chu Yang didn't even need to turn back to confirm!
002!
There could be no mistake!
Chu Yang clenched his teeth and flung open the window, jumping down in one go!
This was the second floor; it wouldn't kill anyone!
After landing, Chu Yang rolled to his feet and then looked up at the window.
He saw next to the second-floor dormitory window, a mysterious person in a black raincoat standing motionless.
But in the next second, the figure of the mysterious person disappeared without warning.
"Gone?"
A drop of cold sweat rolled down Chu Yang's forehead.
Had it left, or had it gone after someone else, or... was it already behind me?
There's a saying, spiders aren't scary; what's scary is when the spider disappears.
For a moment, both Chu Yang's palms and the back of his hands were sweating. He glanced behind him with the corner of his eye, only to see a shadow appearing behind him!
Chu Yang mustered all his strength and threw a punch without turning, leading with his fist!
Thud!
His punch landed directly on the abdomen of the person in black!
The person in black staggered back two steps. Chu Yang abruptly turned around, leaped up, and aimed his knee directly at the mysterious person's temple!
Crack!
At that moment, the mysterious person made a move!
He grabbed Chu Yang's knee, the black rubber gloves cracked, revealing claw-like hooks and deep green scales!
Chu Yang gritted his teeth, powered through his lower body to turn and retract his leg, then delivered an uppercut straight to the person's jawbone!
Thud!
The hit connected, and the person's head instantly jerked backward, the black raincoat's hood and mask were also flipped open!
Revealed before Chu Yang was a fish head with bulging orange-yellow eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth!
Damn, it really is 002!
The monster from that game, actually appearing in reality!
What a joke!
"Wuu...ah wuu wuu..."
"Dead, wuu ahh!"
The fish-man let out a cry mixed with sobbing, its head shook and then it lunged at Chu Yang like a tiger!
Chu Yang took a step back, retreating, "Hey, hey, get it straight, I don't even eat fish normally!"
Because of fish bones getting stuck in the throat!
"I even rarely go to the seaside, you can't start your revenge on humanity with me!"
Start with those who have been living the good life, at least!
No matter what Chu Yang said, the fish-man was unmoved!
In its eyes, there seemed to be only Chu Yang!
Chu Yang retreated to the wall, kicked off it with force to gain momentum, and performed a flying kick at the fish-man!
The fish-man was kicked back again but seemed even angrier this time!
This time, it started to move with its limbs on the ground in a twisted posture, crawling like a hyena but with a sudden increase in speed!
This posture!
It's going to pounce!
Chu Yang charged towards the fish-man, and the fish-man too grabbed the ground with its claws, its body stretching like a spring, then pounced fiercely like a tiger!
Now is the moment!
Chu Yang stomped on the ground, his body swiftly bending sideways, falling to the side in an inverted position!
His hands supported him on the ground, and his legs lifted and then flipped backward!
The fish-man charged forward with great force, heading straight towards the wall in a full pounce!
Bang!
Hearing the crash behind him, Chu Yang didn't look back but hurriedly ran towards the distant teaching building!
...
A moment later.
Chu Yang hid in a classroom.
"Although I've fought 002 in the game, that was just in the game, without various props in reality, there are more things to consider, and the situation is much more complex and variable!"
More importantly, there's only one life!
This isn't a game; if Chu Yang dies, it's for real!
Pitter-patter.
Pitter-patter.
The sound of wet footsteps came again, Chu Yang immediately held his breath, also covering his ears with his hands.
"Wuu wuu, wuu wuu ah..."
The crying sound resumed, and Chu Yang suddenly paused.
That's not right!
Even if someone covers their ears, they can still hear some sounds, especially for Chu Yang, who has enhanced hearing!
So even though he covered his ears, he could still hear the fish-man's crying!
This could be deadly!
"Wuu wuu, ah wuu..."
Just a moment ago, the sound seemed far away, but the next second, it was right next to Chu Yang's ear!
Chu Yang turned his head sharply, only to see a pair of round, yellow eyes staring straight at him from behind!
Damn it!
Chu Yang threw a punch, and the fish-man also swung its claw at the same time!
Splash!
Blood sprayed as the fish-man's claw slashed across Chu Yang's hand, then stabbed towards his throat!
Chu Yang's pupils shrank, and he quickly withdrew his fist and retreated!
The fish-man spread its claws, with Chu Yang's blood flowing down its hooks.
The air became tense at that moment.
Pain like tearing spread from the back of his hand, and Chu Yang's breathing accelerated.
"Whew...whew..."
That was close.
"You still haven't answered my question from before, why are you attacking me?"
Upon hearing his words, the fish-man twisted its neck, again moving on all fours, crawling towards him in a twisted posture at high speed!
Seeing this, Chu Yang lifted a desk and smashed it towards the fish-man!
Bang!
The desk hit the fish-man, then was instantly sliced in half by the fish-man's claws!
But Chu Yang's figure had disappeared within the classroom.
Seeing this, the fish-man suddenly covered its eyes, "Wuu wuu wuu ahh, wuu wuu..."
"You can't escape, Chu Yang!"
The merman, having found his direction, dashed out at high speed!
...
At this moment, Chu Yang was running non-stop, but the crying sound was always around his ears!
"This damn crying is really unreasonable!"
Even zombies need to smell the breath of the living to locate them.
But 002, it locates its prey by making them hear its sound!
What principle is this!
"And... right!"
Suddenly, Chu Yang took out a Bluetooth headset, put it on, then played a song on his phone and turned the volume up to the maximum!
Noise filled Chu Yang's eardrums, drowning out the merman's cry.
Chu Yang then came to a corner.
At this moment, Chu Yang's brain was working overtime, "Since I can't escape, I can only go all out."
"If my guess is correct, as long as I can't hear the sound, even if it's drowned out by other sounds, then the merman won't be able to locate me."
"And there are no other rooms around this corridor, he would come up here looking for me, so if I take this opportunity to ambush him..."
"Hm?"
Just then, a pure black raven suddenly landed next to Chu Yang.
A raven?
Why would there be a raven in the school?
Wait, a raven?
Chu Yang felt like he realized something, could this raven be!
"001?"
Have I offended God, why are they all coming for me!
Hearing Chu Yang's words, the raven seemed startled for a moment, then suddenly flapped its wings and flew away.
Chu Yang was somewhat puzzled.
But before Chu Yang could think further, the merman had already reached the staircase entrance!
Chu Yang, hidden in the dark, was ready to strike, just one more step, just a bit closer...
Now!
...
In the darkness.
The moment the merman took a step forward, the next second, a figure suddenly burst out of the darkness!
Bang!
A punch!
Chu Yang's full-force punch directly hit the merman's head!
The punch was so powerful that it made the merman dizzy!
At this moment, Chu Yang found the feeling he had in the game; he tripped the merman with a sweeping leg, then fiercely attacked the merman's head!
The merman's head is its weak point, attacking it would render it dazed!
With the successful ambush, Chu Yang pursued his advantage, unleashing punches and kicks, constantly attacking the merman's head!
Bang Bang Bang!!
Under Chu Yang's relentless assault, the merman was beaten to the point of scales scattering and blood flying!
At this moment, he didn't care about techniques or styles anymore!
He was just pummeling the merman's head while straddling it!
Blood was flying everywhere, not knowing whether it was his blood or the merman's, after a while, Chu Yang stopped his punches.
And the merman beneath him had already lost the ability to resist.
"Huff..."
Chu Yang exhaled a breath of hot air, then pulled a piece of rebar from the stair railing.
"Just in case."
Chu Yang exerted his strength and directly stabbed the rusty rebar into the merman's chest!
Pfft!
The sound of flesh being pierced rang out, the merman's eyes widened, its limbs twitched, and soon it stopped struggling.
After killing the merman, Chu Yang instinctively looked for the raven.
But after looking around for a while, he saw no sign of the raven.
"Really gone?"
Chu Yang thought and dialed an emergency call.
"I wonder if the police can handle this thing..."
Thinking this, he blinked, and the merman's body was gone.
"Huh?"
"Where's... the merman?"
At this time, Chu Yang's emergency call was connected.
"Hello, Beiling City Public Security Bureau."
Hearing the voice from the phone, Chu Yang was startled for a moment, "Hello, I... I was attacked by a merman."
...
Silence filled the air.
There was no sound from the phone.
Chu Yang sighed, probably no one would believe him.
After all, a merman...
Chu Yang was about to hang up when suddenly, the voice on the phone changed to a man's voice.
"Hello, may I know where you are now?"
"Yangshan District, High School No. 2."
"Please wait there for a moment, we will be there shortly."
This is...
What situation?
Chu Yang blinked, "Wait... if the merman's body is gone, how am I supposed to explain this to the police?"
...
Half an hour later.
A group of police officers found Chu Yang, led by a policeman in his late twenties.
"Hello, my name is Yang Yan, are you the one who called the police, student?"
Chu Yang nodded, "Yes, it was me who called..."
Yang Yan took out a flashlight and shone it around, "You mentioned earlier that you were attacked by a merman, where is the merman now?"
Chu Yang pointed to the ground, "It was right there... but in the blink of an eye, the merman disappeared."
Yang Yan frowned, then began to inspect the ground with his flashlight.
out a flashlight and shone it around, "You mentioned earlier that you were attacked by a merman, where is the merman now?"
Chu Yang pointed to the ground, "It was right there... but in the blink of an eye, the merman disappeared."
Yang Yan frowned, then began to inspect the ground with his flashlight.
out a flashlight and shone it around, "You mentioned earlier that you were attacked by a merman, where is the merman now?"
Chu Yang pointed to the ground, "It was right there... but in the blink of an eye, the merman disappeared."
Yang Yan frowned, then began to inspect the ground with his flashlight.
out a flashlight and shone it around, "You mentioned earlier that you were attacked by a merman, where is the merman now?"
Chu Yang pointed to the ground, "It was right there... but in the blink of an eye, the merman disappeared."
Yang Yan frowned, then began to inspect the ground with his flashlight.
out a flashlight and shone it around, "You mentioned earlier that you were attacked by a merman, where is the merman now?"
Chu Yang pointed to the ground, "It was right there... but in the blink of an eye, the merman disappeared."
Yang Yan frowned, then began to inspect the ground with his flashlight.
He first put on gloves and groped on the ground, "Blood... smell of fishy."
Several policemen also took flashlights, squatted down, and began to inspect the ground.
"Here are fish scales."
"I have them here too, very similar to the previous cases."
Yang Yan put the fish scales into a transparent bag and handed it to a colleague.
"Go back for a test, see if it's the same fish scales."
After that, Yang Yan looked towards Chu Yang, "You... seem alright?"
Chu Yang twitched the corner of his mouth, "Uh, so should I be not alright...?"
Yang Yan patted his shoulder, "Of course it's best that you're fine, but, are you sure it was a merman?"
Chu Yang nodded, "I am very sure, his whole body was covered with fish scales, and both his speed and strength far exceeded that of a normal person."
Yang Yan thought for a moment, "Alright, then please come back with us to the station."
"Don't worry, just to take a statement."
"Regarding the merman cases, including this one, this is the sixth."
"You are the only survivor in the merman cases, we have many questions to ask you."
Chu Yang nodded, "Of course, I will tell everything I know."
After that, Chu Yang followed the police to the school gate.
But just as he got there, Chu Yang smelled blood.
He instinctively looked around, and on the ground were two broken forks.
If he remembered correctly, this fork seemed to be...
Chu Yang suddenly looked at Yang Yan, "Officer Yang, before you found me, did you see any other people?"
Yang Yan nodded, "When we arrived, we found the school gate's fence was damaged, and an old man was lying here, judging by his clothes and attire, he should be a security guard from your school."
"We arranged for an ambulance immediately, the good news is, the old man didn't have fatal injuries, only a broken hand bone."
"Luckily we found him in time, he should be fine now."
"Was this also done by the merman?"
Chu Yang was unsure.
"I don't know, but I think it should be."
Yang Yan's expression became a bit strange, "According to our previous experience, there have never been survivors in merman cases."
"This time there are two, which is quite peculiar."
...
Chu Yang and Yang Yan went back to the police station, where he recounted his encounter with the merman in full.
Of course, as to why he was able to defeat the merman, he attributed it to the eighth-grade boxing taught by the security guard.
But in reality, all of this stemmed from a mysterious game.
In the game, their consciousness would enter a specific scenario to fight monsters.
Winning against the monsters or surviving for a specified time was considered a victory, and they could receive various rewards. There was no penalty for dying, but participating in the game required an entry fee.
Chu Yang hadn't expected that the monsters in the game actually existed!
However, the game itself was full of mysteries, and Chu Yang only knew that the organizer's name had a 'Chen' character.
Inside the police station, the officers frowned deeply upon hearing his story.
"So it really was a merman..."
"Is Bajiquan really that powerful? Should we include it in the police academy's curriculum?"
"That might as well be made the national middle and high school students' broadcast exercise."
"Kid, are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"
"I'm sure."
"Tsk..."
"Chief, you've heard it too, do you still think it was someone in a suit?"
The chief gritted his teeth, his brows furrowed together, "Damn it... wasn't it said that no spirits should arise after the founding of the nation?"
Yang Yan shook his head, then looked at Chu Yang, "By the way, you said the merman hunts by the prey's hearing?"
"Correct, as long as one hears the merman's cry, no matter where, no matter how far, they can be found by the merman." Chu Yang said.
"No wonder..."
Yang Yan took out a file, "The crying merman, the earliest case was registered a month ago."
"At that time, there were nine victims, and we found a recording at the scene, which captured the merman's cry."
"Listen, is it this?"
Yang Yan started playing the recording.
In the recording, Chu Yang heard a very familiar cry.
The cry was mixed with some unclear words, accompanied by sobs.
This cry was so unique that once heard, it would never be forgotten.
"It's this one."
Upon receiving Chu Yang's confirmation, Yang Yan looked back at the chief.
"Chief, you see, this is the situation."
"I hereby propose again to establish a Supernatural Existence Investigation Team!"
The chief fell silent for a moment, "Tsk... alright, granted. Submit a written application to me tomorrow morning."
"But just to be clear, just because I approve doesn't mean the higher-ups will agree. However, I will explain the situation to them."
"Thank you, Chief!"
After finishing his words, Yang Yan turned to Chu Yang.
"You are the only survivor of the merman case. If the merman is not dead, it might come after you again."
"Therefore, I would like to invite you to assist us in investigating the crying merman case."
"During the operation, we will do our utmost to ensure your personal safety."
Chu Yang thought for a moment and agreed.
Having police protection in case of another monster attack seemed like an added layer of security.
Moreover, Chu Yang was eager to learn more about the monsters.
...
Inside Chen Ye's coffee shop.
The Wallfacer was wiping the cups at the front desk when suddenly, the Raven Girl burst in with the merman!
"Quick... go call Lord Os, 002 is dying!"
The Wallfacer was startled for a moment and hurried over to check.
"What happened?"
"How could this be?"
The merman's chest was pierced with a piece of rebar, and his body was covered in wounds, his breathing nearly gone.
"Who could have injured 002 like this?"
"Never mind that for now, take care of him. I'll go find Lord Os!"
The Raven Girl immediately transformed into her raven form and flew to the second floor!
"At this time, Lord Os is likely asleep, but the merman is almost..."
"Damn, that fool!"
"If I get scolded by Lord Os because of him, I swear I'll have a full fish banquet!"
The raven flew into the room through the window, only to find Chen Ye shaking a potion.
"Master!"
Chen Ye turned around, "002 is almost gone?"
The raven was stunned, "You already knew?"
Nonsense.
It's only a ceiling away, the noise was so loud even the neighbor's kid could hear it.
"Let me check on 002."
Chen Ye quickly changed his clothes and went downstairs, only to find the merman covered in blood and with a rebar in his chest.
He looked like this...
Better not let the police station across see him.
Chen Ye looked up towards the police station, thankful it was still early morning.
"Hm?"
Why is the light on in the police station?
Chen Ye shook his head, prioritizing the rescue.
He crouched down; the merman had lost consciousness.
With the merman's breathing so weak, it was uncertain if he could be saved...
Well, dead horse as a living horse doctor.
Chen Ye opened the potion and poured it into the merman's mouth.
Gulp.
Gulp.
The bottle quickly emptied, and after the potion was ingested, the merman's body started convulsing violently.
"Ugh... Agh!"
The merman suddenly opened his eyes, his limbs first swelling then shrinking!
His abdomen swelled the most, almost turning into a balloon, then deflated in an instant.
The merman struggled to raise his hand and then grabbed the rebar in his chest, "Ugh... Aghhh!"
Pfft!
Blood sprayed as the merman forcibly pulled out the rebar!
The muscles in the merman's chest twisted together, and the bleeding quickly stopped.
"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
Watching the merman gasping for air, Chen Ye retrieved the bottle.
The main ingredients of this potion were queen bee blood and black fork-tooth fish brought by the merman.
But to heal the merman's injuries, Chen Ye also added salamander, intended for vampire potions, to the mix.
"Done, drag him inside."
The raven nodded and transformed into a muscular man, dragging the merman into the warehouse.
"005, clean up the shop."
The Wallfacer nodded and began cleaning up the blood with a mop.
Chen Ye went to the counter and made himself an instant coffee.
"...002's injuries weren't caused by gunfire."
The Wallfacer, while mopping, responded, "Yes, master, 002's injuries were clearly caused by fists."
Fists...
Chen Ye narrowed his eyes, "The merman's physical capabilities are twice that of an ordinary human and can triple in water."
"Even Tyson couldn't have inflicted such damage."
"It seems we're dealing with no ordinary opponent."
Chen Ye suddenly remembered the young man he met during the day.
"Was it him?"
Chen Ye had sent the merman to collect blood, and he returned in this state.
"Two possibilities... First, the young man possesses some kind of special power."
"Second, there are forces in this world I have yet to encounter."
As he thought, the raven flew out from the warehouse.
"Master, this operation can't be entirely blamed on 002. He was reckless, underestimated the enemy, and was careless, but fundamentally..."
Chen Ye interrupted with a sip of coffee, "Get to the point. Tell me the whole story."
The raven nodded, "Yes..."
After the raven reported the events to Chen Ye, he finished his coffee in one gulp.
"Interesting, I felt something drawing me to that young man during the day..."
"001, after 002 has recovered, take a recording device and find that young man again, then bring the recording back to me."
"Also, be careful, that young man might be useful. Don't kill him."
...
The next day.
The merman sat up in the warehouse, fully reverted to his human state, with all his injuries healed.
At that moment, a girl in a black long dress appeared in front of him.
"Not bad, you've recovered well. Congratulations, you've undergone your second evolution."
Second evolution?
The merman looked at his hands, "Indeed, it feels different, stronger... closer to perfection."
"Did Lord Os save me?"
The raven girl laughed, "Who else but Lord Os could save you in the state you were in yesterday? Not even a deity could have helped. Apart from Lord Os, who could save you?"
The merman clenched his fists, "Although that lord once said he didn't care about the life or death of us test subjects, he still generously gave me this precious potion. I'm truly grateful..."
"I underestimated my opponent yesterday, but there won't be a next time. I can't disappoint that lord again."
The raven girl shook her head, "It's best not to make promises too early."
"Lord Os has ordered us to find that young man once more, this time to record everything, not for any other reason but to see the young man's abilities."
"But don't get yourself killed again."
The merman's eyes narrowed, "I won't make the same mistake twice."