Chapter 73: I Am Not A Merman (X)

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Chapter 73: I Am Not A Merman (X)

Having finally realized the full extent of his mistake, Qin Yuan immediately contacted a jewelry designer and commissioned a matching ring based on the one already on his finger. At the same time, he began searching everywhere for a beautiful sapphire.

Meanwhile, the research institute recruited several married couples as volunteers for artificial embryo cultivation. Current technology could already simulate gestation within a maternal body, allowing embryos to develop entirely outside the womb. All ten couples voluntarily provided sperm and eggs and signed confidentiality agreements.

The experiment’s initial results were encouraging. Of the ten couples, seven successfully produced viable embryos. Although the embryos had not yet taken recognizable form, the results were already enough to fill everyone with excitement. The researchers closely monitored their development as they waited for the arrival of new life.

During this period, Shang Ke enjoyed a rare stretch of peace without anyone bothering him. Whenever the mood struck, he took Wave out to sea and brought back all sorts of strange and unusual objects from the seabed. At this rate, he would probably collect enough to open an entire treasure museum. The ocean covered several times more area than the land and concealed countless treasures within its depths. Shang Ke discovered something new every time he went out and had already fallen deeply in love with the sea.

Qin Yuan built a treasure room specifically to store everything Flame brought back. He had never expected a dolphin to have a collecting habit, much less such good taste. Nearly everything Flame retrieved had at least some collectible value.

When Qin Yuan entered the bedroom, he found Flame already asleep, his head resting against the dolphin pillow. His breathing was even, and his slightly parted lips looked as though they might release a few bubbles at any moment.

Qin Yuan’s gaze softened. He quietly walked over and bent down to kiss Shang Ke’s forehead, then lifted his left hand and slipped a sapphire ring onto his finger. The gemstone was a deep ocean blue, as profound as the sea, and clearly formed a matching pair with the ring on Qin Yuan’s own hand.

“Flame, I hope you’ll stay by my side forever and be my lover.” Qin Yuan lowered his head and kissed the sapphire, his deep voice resonating through the quiet room like the low notes of a cello.

Qin Yuan silently watched Flame for another moment, tucked his hand back beneath the blanket, then rose and went into the bathroom.

As soon as he heard the bathroom door open and close, the supposedly sleeping Shang Ke suddenly opened his eyes. He lifted his hand to admire the ring Qin Yuan had just placed on his finger, an uncontrollable smile spreading across his face. He grabbed the pillow and bit into it, then sprang out of bed, tiptoed over to the bathroom, pushed the door open, and sneakily poked his head inside to stare at the naked man showering within.

Hearing the movement, Qin Yuan turned around and met a pair of sparkling eyes so sweet they could drown him on the spot.

“Flame, you’re awake.” Qin Yuan pretended to remain calm, putting on the solemn face of an upright man utterly unmoved by beauty.

Shang Ke traced circles along the doorframe, the sapphire on his finger glinting with every movement. In a lingering tone, he said, “I suddenly really want to play in the water.”

The sight of Shang Ke’s finger circling the doorframe made Qin Yuan’s lower abdomen tighten, but he still maintained a perfectly proper tone. “It’s already late. You probably shouldn’t play in the water tonight.”

Shang Ke gave him a contemptuous look. Who are you fooling with that righteous-gentleman act? If you’re so upright, then make that thing between your legs stop getting hard!

“All right, I’ll go to sleep.” Shang Ke immediately put away his shamelessly flirtatious expression and turned toward the bedroom.

He had barely turned around when an arm hooked around him and dragged him back. The bathroom door swiftly shut before his eyes.

Qin Yuan pressed Shang Ke against the vanity and kissed him fiercely, his hands roaming over his body with practiced familiarity. The humid steam quickly dampened their entangled bodies. Shang Ke wrapped his long legs around Qin Yuan’s waist, their lower bodies pressed tightly together, and with one hard thrust, Qin Yuan drove straight inside him.

Before long, a string of suggestive dolphin-like cries drifted from the bathroom, mingling with ragged panting and the sound of running water…

That night, Shang Ke learned a profound lesson: never casually tease your man!

With their relationship officially established, the two entered a proper honeymoon period. Both their careers and their romance progressed smoothly, and life could hardly have been more satisfying.

However, an unsettling piece of news soon arrived: something had gone wrong with the first embryo being cultivated at the laboratory.

During the eighth week, the researchers discovered that the embryo was not developing with normal human morphology. Its head, upper body, and arms were forming normally, but instead of legs, its lower body resembled a fish tail.

This development stunned the entire research team. None of them had imagined that their experiment would produce a merfolk.

Some researchers suggested terminating the cultivation immediately, before the fetus had fully developed. Otherwise, once it was born, countless complications would inevitably follow.

Others strongly objected. They considered it an extraordinary research subject. Having a legendary merfolk come into existence through their own work could itself be regarded as a remarkable achievement.

After a lengthy dispute, the latter faction ultimately prevailed, and the researchers decided to continue the cultivation.

As time passed, the merfolk fetus continued to mature. The researchers confirmed that it was male and that all its vital signs were healthy. They estimated that in another two months, it would be ready to leave the artificial womb.

Of the other six embryos, only one shared the same merfolk form. The rest retained ordinary human morphology. The second merfolk fetus was also male, while the remaining five consisted of four girls and one boy.

When Shang Ke heard from Qin Yuan that the laboratory had produced merfolk fetuses, he was deeply surprised. So the Additional Mission really was connected to the experiments. He had found merfolk—or rather, his genes had created them.

“Qin Yuan, what are the researchers going to do with those two merfolk?” Shang Ke asked with concern.

Qin Yuan considered the question before answering, “Merfolk are a newly discovered species. They’ll probably be treated as protected research subjects.”

“Protected research subjects?”

“The same way the dolphins are treated. Research will be conducted within reasonable limits, without harming you.”

Shang Ke was deeply skeptical. He asked, “Then are you planning to tell the two couples who provided the sperm and eggs that their children are merfolk?”

Qin Yuan fell silent. The appearance of merfolk introduced too many unknown factors. Until the cause was properly understood, the researchers probably would not disclose their existence to the public.

Although Qin Yuan said nothing, Shang Ke found the answer in his expression and did not press further.

If humanity truly intended to treat the merfolk only as protected research subjects, Shang Ke could reluctantly accept it for now. After all, he did not yet know whether they could adapt to the ocean or how resilient they would be. Rashly demanding so-called human rights and freedom for them before understanding their needs would be unrealistic. Everything would have to wait until the merfolk were actually born.

Two months later, the first merfolk baby was successfully born. Shang Ke could not resist going with Qin Yuan to the laboratory so he could personally witness the birth of the first merfolk.

His birth was not much different from that of an ordinary infant. After taking his first breath of air, he let out a loud cry.

The researchers cleaned him according to normal procedure and curiously touched his fish tail. The delicate tail had no scales and felt just like human skin. Its translucent pale-pink color made it resemble rose crystal.

At first, the merfolk infant behaved normally, but after a little more than ten minutes, something began to go wrong. His delicate skin rapidly lost its moisture, the pale-pink tail becoming visibly dull and dry. His tiny face flushed bright red as he grew increasingly restless, his cries weakening as though he were rapidly becoming dehydrated. The sudden change threw everyone into a panic, and for a moment no one knew what to do.

“Put him in the water!” A clear voice suddenly rang through the crowd, snapping everyone back to their senses.

The researchers hurriedly and carefully placed the baby into a tank. The moment he entered the water, his drying skin quickly regained its healthy sheen. The little merfolk nimbly turned himself over and began slowly swimming beneath the surface.

Everyone marveled at the sight and crowded around the tank as though admiring a work of art.

Someone could not resist reaching out to touch him, but the infant dodged away. After swimming a short distance, he pressed himself against one side of the tank and blew a stream of bubbles toward someone outside.

And the direction he was facing was exactly where Shang Ke stood.

Shang Ke could sense something that the others could not. The dolphin genes seemed to carry a form of inherited memory, causing the newborn merfolk to feel an instinctive, childlike attachment toward Shang Ke.

A week later, the little merfolk gradually adapted to spending time out of the water. His skin could now retain enough moisture for him to remain on land for an entire day. The researchers adored him and cared for him attentively, but he still preferred Shang Ke. Whenever Shang Ke came to visit, the baby would detect his presence almost immediately and begin babbling eagerly toward him.

The researchers were all terribly jealous and joked that apparently even merfolk judged by appearance, because the baby only wanted to be close to the prettiest person present.

After several such visits, they simply handed much of the responsibility for caring for the baby over to Shang Ke.

A little over a month later, the second merfolk baby and a human baby girl were born in succession. Shang Ke now had two little merfolk to care for instead of one. If more were born in the future, he might end up becoming a full-time merfolk nanny.

Shang Ke had no objection to that. The only problem was that becoming busier left him with far less time to spend with Qin Yuan.

He spent his days caring for the little merfolk and his evenings keeping Wave company. Whatever time remained for Qin Yuan practically had to be scraped out from beneath his fingernails. Needless to say, a certain Mr. Qin felt profoundly neglected.

The other five babies produced by the experiment developed normally and showed no abnormalities upon examination. After retaining samples of their blood, hair, and other tissues, the researchers returned the children to their parents, requiring only that they come back for monthly physical examinations.

Every couple who received their child wept with joy.

The news quickly attracted widespread public attention, and every major media outlet rushed to report it. In an era of such dangerously low birth rates, successfully producing five healthy children at once was enough to set the world ablaze with excitement. Countless couples desperate for children submitted applications, each hoping to become the next lucky family.

However, this artificial gestation method clearly could not yet be widely implemented. The supply of dolphin genetic material was limited, and there was also the possibility of producing merfolk rather than ordinary human-form infants.

While asking Qin Yuan to provide more dolphin genetic material, the research institute temporarily suspended the creation of new embryos and instead concentrated on studying the two merfolk.

Provide more dolphin genes? That depends on whether Flame can even find the time to mate with him! Qin Yuan had not gotten intimate with Flame in ages! He was practically buried beneath a snowdrift of loneliness and dying of emptiness.

Shang Ke’s attention was now completely occupied by the little merfolk. Every day, he swam around with the two tiny tails following behind him, decisively leaving President Qin out in the cold.

By the time Shang Ke realized what was happening, President Qin had transformed into a mobile snow mountain, spreading frost wherever he went.

That very night, Shang Ke promptly made time for him. With the warmth of his human body and the romantic passion of a dolphin, he became a blazing fire that melted Qin Yuan into a puddle of snow…

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