Chapter 65: I Am Not A Merman (II)

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Chapter 65: I Am Not A Merman (II)

Shang Ke and Wave—the little dolphin—underwent medical examinations every few days. That was understandable. After all, dolphins had once suffered a devastating plague, and no one could be certain whether the two of them still carried the deadly pathogen.

Fortunately, both Shang Ke and the calf had remained perfectly healthy so far. The base staff carefully studied the research and records left by earlier generations and learned that dolphins were highly emotional creatures. Excessive confinement and stimulation could cause depression and even suicidal behavior. Dolphins raised in captivity also tended to live an average of seven to ten years less than wild dolphins, with a mortality rate roughly five percent higher than those living in their natural environment.

A dolphin’s brain was second only to a human’s in size and larger than an ape’s, allowing for advanced cognitive processes such as problem-solving, self-awareness, and emotional processing. In other words, if a dolphin’s brain developed to the same degree as a human’s, it could possess intelligence, creativity, and social awareness no less advanced than humanity’s.

For that reason, the base staff treated Shang Ke and Wave with exceptional care. Even when examinations or research were necessary, they used the gentlest possible methods and proceeded gradually.

Compared with the world Shang Ke had once lived in, the treatment dolphins received here was worlds apart. They were practically cared for like toddlers. The slightest sign that either dolphin was unhappy immediately sent everyone into a state of high alert.

Fortunately, both dolphins were extremely well behaved. Not only did they cause the staff no trouble, they often had everyone laughing. In less than half a month, they had won over the entire base.

The base’s outer waters were connected directly to the ocean, and the underwater environment differed little from the natural sea, with all kinds of aquatic life inhabiting it. The water gate was opened once every half month, but since the dolphins’ arrival, the inner net was closed first to prevent them from swimming back out to sea.

It wasn’t that the staff wanted to keep them captive. The two dolphins were simply far too precious to release into the ocean safely. Dolphins had once lived in pods ranging from dozens to hundreds, with enormous groups sometimes exceeding tens of thousands—more than enough to defend themselves against other dangerous marine creatures. But now there were only two of them. If they encountered a vicious shark, they could be killed within minutes.

“Flame, Wave, Mr. Qin is here to see you again,” Dr. Cui, the head of the base, called with a smile.

At that moment, the large and small dolphins were floating belly-up on the surface. The moment Shang Ke saw Qin Yuan, he immediately rolled over, adopted what he considered an elegant swimming posture, and glided toward the shore. He raised his head with his naturally smiling face and chirped at him.

“A present.” Qin Yuan had someone place a rubber duck nearly half a person tall into the water. The enormous bright-yellow lump nearly blinded Shang Ke.

Shang Ke gave it a disdainful glance and shoved it aside with a pectoral flipper. Wave, on the other hand, had never seen anything like it and seemed delighted. The calf excitedly pushed the yellow duck toward the middle of the pool and went off to play with it.

“You don’t like it?” Qin Yuan took a tablet from his assistant, opened a webpage, and held it in front of Shang Ke. “See what you like. I’ll buy it for you.”

Dr. Cui stared blankly from beside him. Mr. Qin was actually letting a dolphin choose his own purchases online?!

He had expected Flame either to bite the tablet like a toy or knock it away as something dangerous. Instead, the dolphin actually began browsing with remarkable seriousness!

Flame leaned closer, staring wide-eyed at the dazzling array of product images on the screen. Then he pointed with a pectoral flipper at a cuttlefish and chirped several times. Without a word, Qin Yuan added it to the shopping cart. After that, Shang Ke selected a shark and a model ship.

Dr. Cui watched the man and dolphin go back and forth selecting toys and suddenly felt as though he no longer understood the world. A dolphin had actually kept up with the times and learned to shop online?

Once Flame finished choosing, Qin Yuan handed the tablet back to his assistant.

“This dolphin really is smart,” the assistant praised with a smile.

“This goes beyond simply being smart!” Dr. Cui exclaimed in amazement. “The cuttlefish he selected is a food dolphins enjoy, while sharks are one of their natural threats.”

“What about the ship?” the assistant asked curiously.

“There are countless fishing vessels at sea, and many of them have little awareness of protecting rare marine life. An incalculable number of sea creatures die because of them every year.” Dr. Cui said with certainty, “Flame possesses an extraordinarily precise ability to understand and distinguish things.”

“But…” The assistant hesitated. “Choosing food makes sense. Why would he choose things that threaten dolphins too?”

Dr. Cui froze.

That was right. Why?

Qin Yuan thoughtfully glanced at Wave, who was playing with the yellow duck nearby, then turned his attention back to Shang Ke. Flame tilted his head at a forty-five-degree angle and threw him a “seductive glance,” then dove underwater. A moment later, he leapt high into the air and performed a beautiful somersault, scattering countless droplets that glittered like crystal beneath the sunlight.

Qin Yuan stared at Flame’s graceful form, paying no attention even when water splashed across his face. Flame’s eyes curved happily as he bobbed his head in the water, very obviously asking to be petted.

Qin Yuan looked at the dolphin’s dripping-wet head. His fingers twitched, but in the end, he still did not reach out.

Shang Ke shot him a displeased look. I offered to let you pet me and you didn’t take the chance. If you want to touch me later, I won’t let you. Hmph!

He tipped backward, belly facing the sky as he sank into the water, then flipped over and shot away.

Qin Yuan’s expression stiffened slightly, and a trace of regret flashed through his eyes…

That same afternoon, the toys Shang Ke had selected were delivered. Qin Yuan and Dr. Cui remained by the water, wanting to see how he would react.

Shang Ke first smacked the cuttlefish toy around. He had no idea what material it was made from, but it was soft, floated back to the surface after being knocked underwater, and proved pleasantly tough when bitten. It was perfect for gnawing on.

Next, he called Wave over and patted the shark toy with a pectoral flipper, instructing him, Remember what this thing looks like. If you ever meet something shaped like this, run immediately.

Wave circled the shark toy in confusion before poking it with his short beak. The single jab caved in the shark’s belly, startling the calf so badly that he immediately darted aside.

Shang Ke then pushed the model ship over and gave Wave another earnest lecture, determined to make sure the calf understood the danger it represented.

Dolphins were naturally curious creatures. When they saw moving objects such as ships, they often liked to follow them for a closer look, and many dolphins had lost their lives because of that curiosity.

In Shang Ke’s eyes, the little dolphin beside him was the true surviving national treasure of this world. Shang Ke himself was merely an outsider who might have to die heroically within a couple of years. Before then, he hoped to protect Wave properly. Although he could never completely understand the world of dolphins, he would still do everything he could, in his own way, to teach the calf how to avoid danger.

Qin Yuan’s assistant watched the two dolphins chattering together while batting the toys around and asked curiously, “Dr. Cui, what are they doing?”

Dr. Cui answered uncertainly, “It looks like they’re… exchanging knowledge?”

Qin Yuan: …As long as he’s happy.

Qin Yuan remained at the base for the entire day and did not leave until evening. Before departing, he copied the recordings of the two dolphins.

Numerous cameras had been installed underwater, originally to observe the behavior of other aquatic creatures. Now, however, they were primarily used to record the dolphins’ daily lives: playing, frolicking, leaping, rolling, cuddling, eating, sleeping, causing trouble… There was already enough footage to produce an entire documentary on dolphin life. If those recordings were released publicly, there was no telling how enormous the reaction would be.

For the time being, Qin Yuan suppressed all information about the dolphins, mainly to prevent harassment from reporters, experts, and fanatical admirers. Dolphins possessed extremely sensitive hearing, and excessive noise could make them anxious. More than two hundred years ago, humans had trained dolphins to perform. Leaving aside the coercive methods sometimes used in training, even the audience’s applause and cheering could potentially contribute to their premature deaths.

Qin Yuan had no intention of repeating those mistakes—not merely because the dolphins were precious, but because they were intelligent and endearing. The more often he interacted with them, the more he liked them. His visits gradually progressed from once every three to five days to showing up every single day.

“What are you doing?” Qin Yuan had barely entered the base when he spotted several researchers surrounding Flame, one of them holding a syringe.

Qin Yuan’s expression immediately darkened. He distinctly remembered Flame having a blood sample taken only yesterday. He had already warned Dr. Cui that samples were not to be taken more than four times per month, with at least five days between each collection, and only when Flame was confirmed to be in good health.

Qin Yuan strode toward them, a chilling aura rolling off him in waves.

One of the researchers immediately explained, “Mr. Qin, we’re sorry. We aren’t trying to hurt Flame. Dr. Cui instructed us to take another sample because he noticed something unusual about Flame’s physical condition and wants to confirm it.”

“Something unusual?” Qin Yuan’s expression changed. “What’s wrong? Is he sick?”

“Dr. Cui didn’t explain specifically, but it probably isn’t an illness.”

Qin Yuan frowned and said coldly, “Don’t do anything yet. Wait until I’ve spoken with Dr. Cui.”

He gave Flame another glance, then strode toward Dr. Cui’s laboratory.

Shang Ke watched him leave while floating lazily in the water and blowing bubbles.

Truthfully, aside from being unable to roam freely through the open sea, Shang Ke was practically living like an emperor. The base staff waited on him hand and foot, and whenever they collected samples, they were extraordinarily careful for fear of hurting him. The slightest sign of discomfort from Shang Ke made them stop immediately.

This left Shang Ke both reassured and troubled. He was reassured because even after he was gone, Wave would clearly receive excellent care. What troubled him was that, given how highly everyone valued him, how in the world was he supposed to heroically offer himself up to humans as food?

Before long, Qin Yuan and Dr. Cui came out together.

Dr. Cui instructed, “Go ahead with the sample. Be careful.”

Qin Yuan stood there with a dark expression, saying nothing as his eyes remained fixed on the researcher’s every movement.

The researcher was so unnerved by his stare that his fingers trembled. Before the syringe even reached Flame, it slipped from his hand and fell into the water.

Qin Yuan’s expression darkened even further, his sinister gaze turning into two invisible blades aimed directly at the researcher.

Seeing how nervous the researcher had become, Shang Ke started worrying that the man might actually hurt him with the needle. He swam around the researchers and dove underwater. Everyone assumed Flame no longer wanted to cooperate and was about to suggest trying again another day when, moments later, he resurfaced with the dropped syringe held carefully in his mouth.

He brought his head close to the researcher, deposited the syringe into his hand, then looked up at him with bright eyes as though saying, It’s okay. Go ahead.

The researcher looked at Flame, then at the syringe in his hand, and suddenly wanted to throw the thing away. Why had humanity invented such a dangerous “weapon”? Faced with Flame’s completely trusting gaze, how were they supposed to bring themselves to stick him with it?!

And Flame, what was with that completely defenseless attitude?! Didn’t he know how treacherous human hearts could be? Couldn’t he show even a little vigilance?!

Wearing the naturally smiling, adorable face of a dolphin, Shang Ke lifted half his body out of the water and waved a pectoral flipper, seemingly urging them to hurry up.

The researchers were speechless, secretly worrying themselves sick over Flame’s apparent innocence.

Qin Yuan watched Flame interact with the researcher and inexplicably felt uncomfortable. In his mind, he automatically replaced the researcher with himself: patiently soothing Flame, gently stroking his back, carefully inserting the needle while Flame patted his arm with a pectoral flipper and nudged his chest with his head…

The more he imagined it, the more Qin Yuan suddenly felt that being a dolphin keeper must be an incredibly happy job. Unfortunately, he could not swim at all, which meant he was doomed to be unqualified for it.

Once the sample had been taken, Shang Ke sensed that Qin Yuan seemed to be in a poor mood. He lifted his tail and sent a sheet of water splashing toward him.

After successfully attracting Qin Yuan’s attention, Shang Ke immediately began swimming in a strange circular dance. Then he burst out of the water and performed a difficult backward somersault. Finally, he poked his head above the surface and beamed at Qin Yuan. Well? This lord danced pretty well, didn’t he? Are you awestruck by this heavenly dolphin yet? Smile for me! Throw flowers! Give me a like!

Qin Yuan: …Why do I feel like I understand exactly what he’s trying to say?

“Very good.” Qin Yuan’s tone remained perfectly even, but his eyes softened and the cold aura surrounding him vanished completely.

Shang Ke happily swam several circles, then gave Qin Yuan an inviting look. Want to come down for a swim? You can enjoy a one-of-a-kind, all-inclusive dolphin companion service~~

Qin Yuan suddenly found the seawater beneath him incredibly tempting and genuinely wanted to jump in.

Heaven apparently decided to grant that wish. Someone behind him accidentally bumped into him and sent him straight into the water.

“Ah, Boss!” Qin Yuan’s assistant turned pale. He had been so absorbed in watching Flame perform that he stumbled while moving closer and accidentally knocked Qin Yuan into the water.

Everyone at the base knew Qin Yuan could not swim, so the moment he fell in, several people immediately jumped into the water to rescue him.

But once they entered the water, they discovered that Qin Yuan had been “abducted” by a dolphin!

The moment Shang Ke saw Qin Yuan fall in, he became wildly excited. He rushed over at once, slipped beneath him, and carried him far away from the shore.

Qin Yuan choked on several mouthfuls of water. Once he managed to steady himself, he realized that he was lying across Flame’s back, half his body above the surface and half beneath it, as though gliding over the water. Flame then turned his head and chirped at him before surging forward and diving beneath the surface.

Qin Yuan wrapped his arms around Flame and held his breath, allowing the dolphin to carry him. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a vast expanse of brilliant blue water, rippling light, and countless small fish swimming past them. It was like entering a fantastical world.

After a while, Shang Ke carried him back to the surface. Once Qin Yuan had time to breathe, he took him underwater again. Realizing how carefully Flame was looking after him, Qin Yuan’s tension gradually eased and his body relaxed. With one hand resting against the dolphin’s dorsal fin, he let himself float along and followed Flame through the underwater world.

Ever since nearly drowning at the age of nine, Qin Yuan had never tried learning to swim again. Once the fear was stripped away, however, he discovered that the underwater world was nowhere near as terrifying as he had imagined.

At that moment, Wave swam over as well. Clearly dissatisfied with Qin Yuan clinging to Flame, the calf indignantly rammed into him.

Pain shot through Qin Yuan’s waist, and he instinctively tightened his hold around Shang Ke.

Shang Ke curved through the water and carried Qin Yuan upward. Man and dolphin remained entwined together amid the shimmering blue sea, forming a striking silhouette.

The staff members who had jumped in to rescue Qin Yuan could not help marveling at the sight. They had initially worried he was in danger, but apparently he was having a wonderful time with the dolphin.

Shang Ke brought Qin Yuan back to shore and rubbed his head against his cheek. Fun, wasn’t it? Once you learn to swim, we can try plenty of other ways to play together.

Qin Yuan looked down at Flame in his arms and silently moved learning to swim to the top of his agenda.

A few days later, Qin Yuan stood by the water wearing a swimsuit and solemnly told Shang Ke, “I’ve learned how to swim. I believe it won’t be long before I become a qualified dolphin keeper.”

Shang Ke stared at him in astonishment. He learned how to swim in only a few days?

He swam toward the middle of the water, then turned back and chirped several times. Come on. Let me see the results of your swimming lessons.

Without another word, Qin Yuan jumped straight into the water.

Dr. Cui, the assistant, and the other staff members on shore all stared blankly.

Qin Yuan, who was normally impeccably dressed, solemn, and rigid, had actually put on a swimsuit and jumped into the water to play with dolphins. The sight was almost too beautiful for them to look at…

That day, Mr. Qin—who claimed he had learned how to swim—lasted for an hour before cramping up and exhausting himself. The staff had to fish him out of the water and rush him to the hospital.

Shang Ke: There’s no way his man can be this fragile…

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