Li Chanyi hadn’t exaggerated at all—his father really was an amazing cook. Ye Yang ate a bit more than he intended without realizing it, which worried the two elderly folks a little. Fortunately, they were all doctors. A quick feel of Ye Yang’s pulse put their minds at ease.
This kid Ye Yang had the constitution of an ox. It was only natural for him to eat a bit more.
After the meal, the elderly couple, whose legs weren’t what they used to be, sat in the warm living room watching TV with their children. Li Chanyi dragged Ye Yang out to the yard and brought out all kinds of fireworks he had prepared in advance.
The yard was unlit. Fireworks occasionally burst in the distant sky. From inside came the sound of laughter and chatter, with Uncle Li’s booming voice standing out. At that moment, sparklers suddenly lit up the dark night, illuminating two pairs of pure eyes.
Ye Yang stared at the dazzling sparks before him without blinking. A soft place in his heart was gently touched.
Since coming ashore, he had never felt as real as he did in this moment. He truly was a part of this world, this society.
Seeing how captivated Ye Yang was, Li Chanyi stifled a laugh and asked, “Fun, isn’t it?”
Ye Yang looked up, met Li Chanyi’s eyes directly, and said very seriously, “Thank you.” Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for bringing me home. Thank you for letting me step inside.
Why so solemn? Li Chanyi paused, not sure how to respond for a moment.
He had never thought that much about it. He just liked Ye Ye, so he became friends with him. He realized Ye Ye was a really good person, so they became good friends. It was that simple.
Just then, Ye Yang’s phone suddenly rang.
Li Chanyi tilted his head slightly. Since when did Ye Ye change his ringtone?
Ye Yang’s expression tightened. This was one of his special ringtones—only one person’s call could trigger it.
That was the YCG Dongzhou Branch Field Mission Assignment Center.
Ever since the last mission grading mix-up, Ye Yang had benefited from his excellent performance and outstanding abilities. As the saying goes, “a blessing in disguise”—he had been admitted early into the YCG’s official system.
However, he wasn’t yet allowed to accept missions on his own like full field team members. Instead, he was assigned two to three pre-screened missions per month that suited him.
“Level C mission. Come immediately. Briefing sent. Check it.”
“Okay, I’ll be right there.”
The call lasted less than ten seconds. Ye Yang turned aside and opened the YCG internal app to check the mission briefing.
Of course, assigned missions could be declined. But they came with generous compensation. For a little sea hare who looked financially comfortable but was actually buried in debt and had to earn every bit of his living expenses, how could he possibly refuse?
It was a Level C reconnaissance mission. Online reports indicated that a suspected mermaid creature had appeared at a beach resort in Dongzhou City. The news had been fully suppressed, the scene had been cleared, no signs of a struggle had been found, no injuries had occurred, and the likelihood of combat was low.
Mission requirement: One aquatic field operative needed on-site within ten minutes to confirm.
The YCG sounded like a formidable organization, but relative to China’s vast territory, they were chronically understaffed—field operatives especially. Low-level missions were typically assigned to a single operative.
A mermaid? Ye Yang raised an eyebrow slightly. Did mermaids really exist? His curiosity was immediately piqued.
Ye Yang turned back. Seeing Li Chanyi still holding the sparkler, with another large firework already set up and ready to be lit, he felt a bit embarrassed. He scratched his head. “Sorry, but a friend needs me for something urgent. I have to leave now.”
Li Chanyi didn’t ask questions. He just scratched his head too. “Oh, okay then. I’ll go tell my parents and walk you to the subway station.”
After going inside to say goodbye to Li Chanyi’s family and politely declining his mother’s offer to drive him, Ye Yang said apologetically, “I’m really sorry. I said I’d stay three days, and you even went to the trouble of cleaning a room for me.”
Uncle Li waved his hand. “Ah, what’s the trouble? We would have cleaned anyway. We have plenty of rooms. You’re welcome to stay anytime once you’ve taken care of your business.”
With his backpack on and several bags of dumplings, wontons, and rice cakes that Uncle Li had insistently shoved into his hands, Ye Yang walked quickly until the villa was out of sight. He extended his sensory perception to confirm there were no cameras or other people around, then stuffed the extra items into his body.
“Uncle Li was too generous—I almost couldn’t fit it all…”
After all the chatting and organizing, eight minutes had already passed since the mission was issued. With four minutes left, Ye Yang took out a one-way teleportation talisman reserved for field operatives. Compared to using his own demonic power to travel, a talisman required very little demonic energy to activate.
Of course, this thing also cost money. If time weren’t so tight, Ye Yang wouldn’t have wanted to use it.
·
Ye Yang’s departure didn’t affect the Li family’s atmosphere. After he left, Li Chanyi’s father said cheerfully, “Looks like Ye Ye is pretty popular. He’s got quite a few friends reaching out even during the New Year.”
Li Chanyi nodded, but a lingering doubt in his mind surfaced again. At school, Ye Ye spent every day with him—he’d never seen any other friends.
Friends from before university were even less likely. The southern sea province where he went to school was so far away. And those few senior roommates had never invited Ye Ye to hang out together either. Li Chanyi had been to Ye Yang’s dorm several times and always felt that those eccentric seniors were quite polite but distant.
And if it were a senior, Ye Ye could have just said so. Why all the secrecy?
Li Chanyi knew Ye Yang too well. He knew Ye Yang was straightforward and never lied. The whole situation today felt off, and it looked very much like Ye Yang was hiding something.
Thinking back carefully, he couldn’t make out what the person on the other end had said, but Ye Yang’s reaction and tone suggested that the caller wasn’t a friend either—more like… a superior?
So who could summon Ye Yang away with just one sentence?
And why would Ye Ye lie and say he was going to hang out with a friend?
Li Chanyi was an easygoing person. Soon enough, he pushed the question aside. After all, Ye Ye would never hurt him. Since he wanted to keep it a secret, then as his friend, Li Chanyi would just pretend not to know.
·
The teleportation talisman deposited him at the nearest public restroom to his destination. He arrived just within the mission’s time limit. Ye Yang breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately became cautious again.
Since the mountain god mission, he had only taken on a few F-rank small tasks. Now, facing another C-rank mission, he couldn’t help but recall the pain of his severe injury. It left a bit of a shadow on his mind.
This beach resort operated year-round, including holidays. Fortunately, it was winter and also New Year’s Eve, so there were very few visitors. Otherwise, this mission wouldn’t have been C-rank.
By the time Ye Yang arrived, yellow caution tape had been strung around the beach resort. The staff and tourists inside had been evacuated under the pretext of equipment failure and safety concerns. The person who had reported the suspected mermaid had already been handled by the crisis management department.
A few plainclothes police officers were stationed in inconspicuous corners, keeping an eye on the situation.
Ye Yang walked toward them.
A female officer spotted him and asked first, “Kid, what’s your business?”
Ye Yang paused, then said, “I’m looking for Captain Wu.”
Captain Wu was their criminal investigation team leader. The female officer was taken aback. She took another look at Ye Yang, then turned her head and called out, “Captain Wu, someone’s here to see you.”
Captain Wu was a middle-aged man with a very ordinary, forgettable face, plain short hair, and average height. But he was physically strong. Despite the cold weather, he wore nothing more than a leather jacket, with a bulge at his waist.
Ye Yang pulled out his YCG credentials and handed them over. Captain Wu took them, glanced at them, and handed them back.
Ye Yang: “Hello, I’m Ye Yang. I assume the higher-ups have briefed you on the situation?”
Captain Wu had seen a lot. He looked Ye Yang up and down, then extended his hand. “Hello, just call me Captain Wu. Non-essential personnel have been evacuated. We’ll leave the inside to you. We’ll be right here. If anything happens, we can provide backup at any time.”
Ye Yang’s tense nerves relaxed slightly. He shook Captain Wu’s hand. His first contact with a human law enforcement agency had been easier than expected.
After he left, the other officers immediately crowded around Captain Wu. “Captain, captain, that kid is the so-called special expert? He doesn’t look like much of a fighter.”
“Exactly! The kid’s all pale and tender. Looks like I could lift him with one hand.”
“What do you know? That special department has always been mysterious. You can’t judge them by appearances.”
One young officer had a wild imagination. “The thing inside is supposed to be some rare animal, right? So the kid is an animal expert? Or does he have some special ability, like communicating with animals?”
The female officer who had first spoken to Ye Yang looked worried. “Is it really okay for him to go in alone?”
Captain Wu strictly adhered to confidentiality regulations and didn’t acknowledge any of them. He simply said, “Alright, everyone back to your positions! Stay alert!”
…
Ye Yang entered the beach resort through the employee passageway.
The location where the “mermaid” had been spotted was by the sea. Ye Yang used two minor spells to conceal his form and aura. Under the cold white light of the massive spotlights, a trail of footprints slowly appeared on the empty beach.
After walking the entire stretch of beach, Ye Yang found nothing. He only vaguely sensed that an unusual aura had appeared there at some point. But whether the owner of that aura was still present, he couldn’t determine.
With a soft “plop,” a tiny sea hare slipped into the seawater.
His human form’s perception was somewhat limited, so Ye Yang shifted into his original form. The moment he entered the water, countless pieces of information were captured by his sensitive antennae: the species distribution here, ocean currents, historical temperature changes, degree of environmental damage, heavy metal pollution in the seawater… A flood of complex information rushed in.
Ye Yang focused his mind, filtering out all irrelevant information. After spending a good ten minutes or so, he finally detected a distinct biological aura.
It seemed like a marine creature, yet not like an ordinary marine creature. It was very likely the “mermaid” he was looking for.
He circled several times, following the faint, elusive aura. Finally, he returned to the shore and made his way into the men’s locker room.
The locker room was empty, with no lights on. It was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.
Ye Yang didn’t dare turn on the lights, afraid of startling the “mermaid.” He groped his way forward slowly. The little sea hare moved swiftly across the tiled floor, making absolutely no sound.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of dripping water.
Leave a Reply