Chapter 75
Of course, in the end, Xia Yi didn’t go for the meticulous tooth-brushing massage service. After all, the thought of a live fish wriggling around in his mouth—well, that was quite unsettling.
The Siren didn’t appreciate his curiosity either. If Xia Yi had shown any inclination to try it, the Siren would have immediately sealed his lips with a kiss.
After all, many fish needed to brush their teeth because they didn’t have hands. Xia Yi thought sparse seaweed branches were quite suitable for teeth cleaning. Besides, freshwater was not a scarce resource for him; the only problem was toothpaste.
The leopard-patterned giant moray eel was notoriously aggressive. Its presence around the coral reefs kept almost all other creatures away. Whether it realized the Siren’s prowess or simply didn’t want to brush its teeth again after enjoying the service, as soon as the group of split-lip fish affectionately rubbed its cheek with their heads, it swam away contentedly.
Isn’t it nice?
Fishes’ beauty and cleaning services don’t cost a thing.
Xia Yi looked somewhat puzzled as the small fish continued to swim around his back and arms, their service meticulous and thorough. Their teeth were flat and tiny, nibbling almost like a toddler gently using their fingernails on his skin—it wasn’t painful or itchy, but rather wonderfully strange.
Xia Yi’s only frustration was—was he really that dirty?
Well, maybe it was the keratin layer, similar to scrubbing one’s back during a bath. Even though he washed diligently every day, he could still scrub out quite a bit of dirt. The benefit was feeling light and refreshed after a bath.
So whether it was an illusion or not, the slightly curved fish scales on the Siren’s tail seemed to shine brighter.
The split-lip fish were small and slender, perfect for removing tiny bits of seaweed and debris from large scales. The Siren closed its eyes, leaning against Xia Yi, looking extremely content as its fingers continued to gently massage Xia Yi’s back.
Its movements were devoid of desire, simply treating Xia Yi’s skin like a rough sponge.
Soon, two small fish started swimming along the Siren’s fingers, their tails gently swaying, appearing incredibly cheerful.
It truly was a uniquely novel experience. Xia Yi hesitated as he dodged a bit, realizing that his clothing had already been half-pulled down by the Siren.
Even if he didn’t remove it completely, the small fish could naturally slip inside—after all, clothes floated loosely underwater. = =
Then an awkward moment quickly ensued. Just as Xia Yi was debating whether to pull his clothes up, his body suddenly stiffened.
Sensing something amiss, the Siren turned its head to look.
Though not exactly a sensitive area for men, being randomly nibbled on like that—how could one bear it?
Underwater cleaners clearly didn’t understand the concept of focusing on particular areas! And they kept going lower!
So Xia Yi awkwardly swam to the side.
The group of small fish didn’t chase after him, instead turning in circles in confusion before gathering around the Siren’s hair, darting in and out.
At this moment, several brightly colored damselfish swam over. Upon spotting the split-lip fish, they immediately found a comfortable spot, opening their mouths wide, ready to enjoy. The atmosphere around this coral reef seemed particularly amusing, as if there were no brutal scenes of survival of the fittest. Everyone spaced themselves out to patronize the massage shop.
Compared to the Siren and the massive body of the leopard-patterned giant moray eel, these several small damselfish clearly had a smaller workload and soon swam away happily, tails swishing. As for the group of butterflyfish that arrived later, they were left out.
This gathering point for split-lip fish only had about a dozen small fish. Once they were satisfied, they simply ignored any potential customers arriving later.
Watching them leisurely swim back into the coral reef to rest, completely ignoring the butterflyfish circling around the reef, Xia Yi silently thought, How interesting.
This was indeed a case of a big store bullying its customers.
“Are you done washing?”
“Hmm?”
【No… I mean, are you okay now?】
Xia Yi stared at the Siren.
These fish were absolutely meticulous when they worked, but once they were full, they left at any moment, not caring whether other fish were halfway comfortable and left hanging, which was worse than stopping water in the middle of a bath with foam all over the body!
【Almost.】
The Siren had no idea what Xia Yi was thinking, but fishes didn’t have the concept of stopping midway through a bath.
【Are they hard to find?】
Having been underwater for so long, Xia Yi hadn’t seen any mermaids come looking for these little guys.
【No, there are many. Almost any area where human activity is limited in the sea has them. But only two or three rare species are willing to approach large fish, and they usually live in fixed territories in coral reefs.】
Uh, this is a surprisingly formal business, not a mobile stall—Xia Yi muttered as he listened.
He found the idea of labeling underwater life very interesting.
【How many fish are there in this sea? Are they too busy?】
【Generally, they only come when they are uncomfortable.】
Fish don’t have the habit of taking a bath every day, Oh… No, fish live in seawater and take a bath every day.
【Are you uncomfortable?】
Xia Yi’s logic was always a bit strange. He stared at the Siren and felt a little creepy because fish were parasitic, not to mention whether the Siren had them, just think of himself in the future. He might also be…
He suddenly felt uneasy.
【It’s just a habit, isn’t this very enjoyable? Other sea monsters want to enjoy it but don’t have this treatment. When they come, the small fish are scared and run away】
【What if they have parasites on their bodies?】
The Siren completely didn’t understand why the topic suddenly turned to this. Puzzledly, he answered:
【Impossible.】
【Why?】
The faint silver fish tail stretched out in the seawater, and after thinking for a while, the Siren suddenly realized something. He leaned closer to Xia Yi with a smile on his face:
【There’s a sonar pulse.】
What kind of parasite could withstand such a lethal attack repeatedly used by sea monsters?
Sea monsters roam everywhere, and while their global roaming doesn’t pose much of a threat to plankton and other fish, parasites that grow on their bodies endure the equivalent of daily exposure to sonar pulses.
How could they survive?
Xia Yi remained expressionless, but the thought of sonar pulses brought a great sense of relief to his mind.
【So—】
【You just keep talking to me.】
Siren, you’re taking advantage of the situation.
Upon hearing this, Xia Yi was at a loss. He struggled to recall why everything had turned out this way, feeling like all his expectations had inexplicably derailed.
Initially, when he fell into the sea, he had intended to commit suicide. Not dying was good enough, and that was a blessing. However, his desire to quietly live alone in some remote corner of the world seemed increasingly distant.
Even after that incident, Xia Yi had always been determined to leave. But in the vast ocean, there were always countless invisible dangers, including those brought by other humans…
Now, even Xia Yi himself couldn’t insist that the Siren go find other mermaids.
——There simply were no other mermaids.
Bringing this up would only distress the Siren. Without companions and choices, one could only live alone.
But the Siren was different from him!
Right, they were completely different…
Xia Yi surfaced from the sea. The moon tonight was full, and it would cause tides to engulf most of the coral reefs, leaving behind many shells, small fish, and shrimp when the tide receded. He wondered how things were on the land.
Thousands of miles away, Li Shao, who was dozing off, suddenly sneezed.
The people around immediately panicked and recoiled as if avoiding a plague.
“What are you looking at? I don’t have the plague.”
Li Shao cursed, then dejectedly squatted down on one side.
“Sister An, are we still going to City B now? Everything is chaotic everywhere, and there’s no timely news. We can’t just follow the crowd!”
Annie’s complexion was extremely unsightly. After enduring so much turmoil for so long, it was hard to recognize her former self. Her skin was sunburnt all over, peeling everywhere, and there were stubborn dark circles under her eyes, looking exceptionally haggard.
The captain held half a photo in his hand, which he found in his house. His wife died at home, and he didn’t know where his son was. It was such a terrible scene. Living in a high-rise, fearing the situation outside, he locked the door, and no one came to see it, so two months later…
Since then, the captain had been like a lost soul, often murmuring something absentmindedly.
During his time on the Tarrasa Goddess, although he wasn’t young anymore, he still had a charismatic presence. Now, with his face full of wrinkles, some might believe he was sixty.
But what could be done?
Annie and Li Shao’s loved ones still hadn’t been found.
Now there were six or seven people following them, all capable and resourceful. In the apocalypse, a pure-hearted person couldn’t survive, and it was rare to encounter someone with abilities, let alone three…
They wouldn’t miss such a good opportunity.
Watching the countless people waiting outside Nanjing City, Annie gently shook her head:
“Let’s go.”
“Sister An, aren’t we going in anymore?”
“Now there are basically two choices: either join the former government and military, or join those crazy fools who are claiming land for themselves,” Annie glanced anxiously at the vast crowd.
“Food is scarce everywhere, and even if we get in, we probably won’t get enough to eat. There aren’t many places in the city where we can cultivate.”
Despite their formidable abilities, mutants were still human and could be killed or exposed easily once inside the supervised zones. Annie didn’t want to take that risk at all.
“Neither of these choices is good!”
Xu Qishen was the kind of person who usually kept quiet but spoke up at critical times. Li Shao wasn’t sure how powerful his wind-based abilities were, but he later found out why this guy always seemed mysterious and absent-minded—it turned out he was severely nearsighted.
He lost his glasses during the chaos on the Tarrasa Goddess, so he kept silent whenever there was trouble, and now he would search every city for an eyeglass store.
Unfortunately, the stores only sold frames, and the lenses were all original. If he wanted them, they would still have to be polished according to his prescription.
Where could they find such a person now?
So Xu Qishen could only continue to stare into the distance with empty eyes, making people think he was some kind of master at first glance.
Since the apocalypse, many daily tasks had become difficult, like finding contact lens solution for those who wore invisible lenses. Even if the lenses were intact, where could they find the solution now?
The only good thing about technological progress over the years was that everyone had switched from glass lenses to resin lenses. At least they wouldn’t break if stepped on.
“This spring is ruined with the plague…”
Annie murmured softly. In reality, there were only two choices left: either head to the western mountainous regions or return to the ocean.
“Find a safe place that’s ours, build a small base, preferably on a freshwater island where we can catch fish year-round. That would be ideal!”
But whatever Annie could think of, others could think of as well. Regardless of whether they had abilities or not, people who were confident in their skills had started searching maps in ruins, desperately looking for isolated and safe islands. It was a typical case of “the early bird catches the worm,” and conflicts and fights were starting up again.
Upon receiving this news, several major governments just laughed it off.
Islands near the coast might still be relatively safe, but if they were in the distant seas and freely destroying marine life to catch fish…
Sigh, the world was in chaos. Even if they wanted to advise against it, they might be powerless. Those sea monsters couldn’t handle cruisers and large steamships, and there was no pressure on those who could dive deep. It was really hard to say what would happen!
