Chapter 76: I Am Not A Merman (XIII)

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Chapter 76: I Am Not A Merman (XIII)

A dolphin’s regenerative ability truly was formidable. Even without medication, the flesh and skin Shang Ke had lost could slowly grow back. But because the damaged area was so extensive, his recovery was relatively slow. Combined with severe blood loss, he frequently suffered from weakness and dizziness.

At present, the only creature capable of providing compatible blood for Shang Ke was Wave. But each transfusion required a considerable amount, which posed a significant risk to Wave, who was only a little over one year old. The medical staff did not dare draw his blood casually. One dolphin was already gravely injured; if anything happened to the other, dolphin fans around the world would probably riot.

However, Flame repeatedly slipped into critical condition, so the medical team eventually decided to try human blood. After extensive testing, they discovered that Flame’s blood was highly compatible with human blood. In fact, his blood was compatible with that of many mammals, but human blood was the best match.

Qin Yuan guessed that this was probably connected to Flame having chosen to assimilate into a human form.

After receiving authorization, the medical staff began transfusing human blood into Flame. Qin Yuan himself was the donor—he did not want another person’s blood flowing through Flame’s body.

At first, they dared to transfuse only a small amount. Once they confirmed there were no abnormal reactions, they gradually increased the volume.

What none of them expected was that after receiving human blood, Flame uncontrollably began transforming into his human form. Everyone who witnessed the process stared in shock; most of them had no idea that dolphin genes possessed this assimilation ability.

One moment Flame was still a dolphin; the next, he had become a young human man. He was completely naked, and most of the skin from his chest down to his waist and across his back had been stripped away, exposing raw flesh beneath. The vivid red wounds contrasted starkly against his remaining pale skin, creating a horrifying visual impact.

Shang Ke could not suppress a pained groan. The wounds that had already begun healing started bleeding again because of the transformation.

Qin Yuan’s heart clenched. He quickly covered Shang Ke with medicated gauze, then ordered his assistant to explain the situation to the medical staff and issue a strict confidentiality order.

Hearing Qin Yuan’s instructions, Shang Ke endured the pain and gave him a weak smile. “Make the fact that dolphin genes can increase fertility public.”

Although this transformation had caught him completely unprepared, since he was already in human form, Shang Ke decided to tell Qin Yuan about the decision he had been considering for a long time.

Qin Yuan hesitated only briefly before nodding in agreement. Placing Flame and Wave under the protection and supervision of authoritative international organizations would ultimately benefit them. He could release them into the ocean, but dolphins without a pod or recognized protection would only become targets various factions competed to capture, making their safety even harder to guarantee.

After voicing that decision, Shang Ke received the System’s notice that his mission had been completed. The System had given no notification when the merfolk were first created, yet it appeared now. This reminded him of a movie whose male protagonist deeply loved the sea and all kinds of marine life. Later, he met a woman he loved, but when forced to choose between her and the ocean, he ultimately chose the latter.

He once told the woman he loved, “When you dive into the depths of the sea, the water is no longer blue and the sky becomes only a memory. You lie there in silence, resolved to die for them. Only then will the merfolk appear. If your love is pure and sincere enough, they will remain with you—and carry you away forever.”

Shang Ke felt that his own situation was rather similar to that protagonist’s—exchanging death for new life. The only difference was that Shang Ke had not yet been carried away.

Relying on sheer willpower honed through repeated suffering, he had stubbornly endured until the moment the Additional Mission was completed. With ten years of additional stay time, as long as he stopped deliberately courting death, he should at least be able to spend several years here in peace.

“Qin Yuan, am I really ugly right now?” For once, Shang Ke found himself worrying about his appearance. The Perfect Expression Pack might enhance his looks, but surely even it couldn’t beautify someone who currently resembled a slab of braised pork?

“Not really.” In Qin Yuan’s eyes, nothing in the world was more beautiful than Flame. Especially those sapphire-blue eyes—even while enduring terrible pain, they had lost none of their brilliance and somehow seemed even more beautiful than usual.

Three days later, Qin Yuan finished organizing the data and formally disclosed the importance of dolphin genes to the public. He also revealed the existence of merfolk and, based on their physiology, proposed that they might become an important key to humanity’s reproductive future, calling on the public to treat them with proper respect.

Once the significance of dolphin genes had been made public, there was no longer much reason to conceal the merfolk. Qin Yuan wanted researchers around the world to participate in solving humanity’s reproductive crisis, while gradually helping society accept merfolk as a new species entitled to their rightful chance to live.

To reinforce that message, he specifically invited the two couples who had originally provided the sperm and eggs that produced the little merfolk, allowing them to see their unusual children with their own eyes.

Although the little merfolk were adorable, the two couples still struggled to accept them at first.

Qin Yuan told them, “You should feel proud and fortunate. You are the first humans to have merfolk children—the parents of the first generation of merfolk. Someday, you and your children will undoubtedly be recorded together in history.”

Only then did the two couples begin to accept the situation. It was not merely because they might be recorded in history—though that was certainly encouraging. More importantly, Qin Yuan’s words helped them see their children not as aberrations, but as a special new form of life.

The outside world was left reeling from Qin Yuan’s announcements.

Dolphins could improve human fertility? The legendary merfolk had actually appeared in reality?

Of everything revealed, the most shocking fact was undoubtedly that dolphins possessed the ability to transform into other species.

No wonder Dipson had resorted to any means necessary to obtain Flame. Flame’s existence was enough to alter the course of human history. He was not only a key to solving humanity’s reproductive crisis, but also the source from which the merfolk had emerged.

After the information became public, the intelligent and adorable dolphin everyone already loved seemed to become a legendary existence overnight.

Yet this “legend” was still struggling against his injuries, and the public’s excitement cooled somewhat as Flame’s condition repeatedly worsened and improved.

Only then did people remember that Flame had been injured precisely because humans wanted to study him. Some began questioning whether Qin Yuan’s decision to reveal the information might expose Flame to even greater harm. Public opinion overwhelmingly condemned cruel live experimentation as torture inflicted on living creatures under the pretense of scientific exploration.

Dipson became the clearest example. What he had done to Flame was appalling. People could not understand his extreme methods when the research could have proceeded gradually through gentler means. Instead, he had chosen brutality and ultimately gained nothing from it.

“Something must be wrong with Dipson’s brain,” someone mocked online.

Within no time, several million people agreed with that assessment.

Despite the overwhelming criticism online, everyone also understood that dolphin genetics were far too important to humanity for the research to stop entirely. They simply wanted the dolphins to be treated humanely rather than like lifeless objects that could be mutilated at will.

Very few people knew that Flame could transform specifically into a human. Qin Yuan publicly revealed only that dolphins possessed the ability to assimilate into other species, without describing the process or listing every possible form. Because of conventional assumptions, almost no one considered that a dolphin might be capable of becoming human.

Not long afterward, Dipson was captured at an underground factory near the border—and the ones who caught him were actually a group of smugglers. That alone showed just how thoroughly he had enraged people from every walk of life.

Dipson was soon delivered into Qin Yuan’s hands. Although he looked battered and miserable, his arrogance remained completely intact.

“Qin Yuan, with your methods, you’ll never produce meaningful results in the short term!” he declared arrogantly. “At present, I’m the only one who possesses the most comprehensive research data. If you agree to support my work, I’ll share my findings with you.”

Qin Yuan stared at him coldly without saying a word.

The people standing nearby looked at Dipson with pity.

Dipson failed to notice and continued, “Qin Yuan, cooperate with me. I guarantee you won’t regret it. The potential of dolphin genes is enormous—it goes far beyond merely improving fertility.”

“I’m not interested in any of that. I only want to tear you to pieces.” Qin Yuan’s tone was perfectly calm, as though he were merely remarking that he disliked vegetables.

Dipson still failed to recognize the killing intent behind Qin Yuan’s words and continued enthusiastically describing his research in an attempt to persuade him. Only when Qin Yuan ordered his men to shackle Dipson to an operating table did he finally realize something was wrong.

“What are you trying to do? I’m an expert from the national research institute! You have no right to punish me privately!” Dipson roared furiously.

Qin Yuan picked up a sharp dagger and lightly ran a finger along the flat of the blade. The reflected silver light made his already cold features appear even more chilling.

Seeing this, Dipson finally became afraid. He said in a trembling voice, “Let me go and I’ll give you all of my research results.”

Qin Yuan idly traced the dagger near his throat a few times.

Dipson strained his eyes downward, terrified that Qin Yuan might simply slash his throat.

After a long moment, he gritted his teeth. “Fine! I’ll show you the results of my experiments right now!”

Qin Yuan paused, confusion flashing through his eyes. Then his pupils contracted as he stared at what was happening in astonishment.

Earth-yellow mist and silken threads began emerging from Dipson’s body, winding around him layer by layer until they gradually enclosed him completely.

Although the color of the mist differed slightly, Qin Yuan immediately understood what he was seeing.

Dipson was undergoing the same kind of species transformation as Flame.

What truly shocked Qin Yuan was that Dipson had actually been insane enough to experiment directly on himself.

After an unknown amount of time, the silken mist slowly dissipated. When the air finally cleared, Qin Yuan discovered that the man who had been shackled to the operating table had vanished completely.

Qin Yuan’s expression changed sharply. “Seal every exit! Search the entire laboratory! Don’t let a single living thing escape!”

A chaotic rush of footsteps followed as everyone began searching the facility.

What no one noticed was a cuttlefish-like creature slipping into a pipe and escaping the laboratory through the underground waterway, trailing a bloody haze behind it as it rapidly fled toward the waters outside.

Its entire body was dark red and slightly larger than an ordinary cuttlefish. Eight tentacles stretched and contracted freely, with five human fingers growing from the tip of each of two tentacles. Most horrifying of all, a twisted human face had formed on its head, its two eyes gleaming with a ghastly green light…

【Additional Mission 2: Prevent Dipson from spreading the mutated genes.】

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