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墨書 Inktalez
Pacific Ocean Somewhere in the sea.
The blazing sun scorched the endless surface of the ocean, and amidst the shimmering waves, a fishing boat rose and fell with the swells.
This large vessel was about sixty to seventy meters long, clearly not a small fishing boat.
At the highest point of the ship, a white flag fluttered. On the white fabric was an image of a dove holding a green branch in its beak, which was the recognized symbol by the Federation for safe passage at sea.
"I heard there's a cloaked mermaid that has been spotted around here; many fishermen from the nearby islands have seen it," said a young man dressed in a tight-fitting uniform that glimmered coldly.
"If it's cloaked, how can anyone see it? I think you're just blowing smoke!" another man immediately retorted.
At this remark, the men sitting around the edge of the boat burst into laughter.
"Alright, even if there really is a mermaid, wouldn't that be great? We could make a hefty profit," said a robust-looking man, his right arm wrapped in a red cloth.
The men's clothing was generally similar, but upon closer inspection, their appearances varied; some were young while others were old. However, they all shared one common trait: dark skin, a result of years spent working under the scorching sun at sea.
Every muscle on their bodies was well-defined, embodying immense strength—testament to their years of battling the waves.
The relentless sunlight mercilessly baked the deck of the boat. Even with the sea breeze carrying the scent of salt blowing against them, it did little to alleviate the heat.
Amidst the men's hearty laughter, the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive and hard to bear.
Suddenly, a loud crashing sound came from one side of the ship, causing even the steel-like planks to tremble.
"Boom."
The enormous noise instantly silenced this group of sea hunters. The young man with the red cloth tied around his right arm raised his hand and crouched down, signaling for caution.
The group exchanged glances and nodded; it seemed their prey had taken the bait.
Relying on the underwater images of the fishing net transmitted from the electronic screen on his wrist, they carefully adjusted their angles and discovered a big catch among the small fish and shrimp.
It was shaped like a mermaid. Even in the dim light, the thermal imaging clearly indicated that they were about to strike it rich.
"Big brother, that's a mermaid!" one man exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, a mermaid is worth ten million dollars! With this money, we won't have to worry about food and drink," another man said, his voice trembling with surprise.
"Shut up."
The leading man did not share the same barely concealed joy as those around him; instead, his expression grew extremely serious.
He held considerable prestige among the crew of this sea hunter. With just three words, the previously noisy crowd fell silent.
He remained silent, his eyes fixed intently on the screen.
Sweat trickled down his rugged face, flowing over his prominent nose and dripping onto the deck.
"What's wrong, big brother?" Noticing that He Shuo's demeanor was different from usual, Hei Wa quickly asked.
"Everyone shut your mouths. Confirm that the mermaid shows no signs of waking before we bring it up," He Shuo said in a low voice, looking past Hei Wa at the others.
Although they didn't understand why He Shuo was being so cautious, he was the most experienced person on the ship and their captain. Given these two points, they knew they had to obey his orders if they wanted to stay alive.
From the underwater images transmitted by the thermal imaging device, the mermaid lay motionless atop numerous shrimp, contorted into a large S shape within the fishing net, appearing as if it had collided with the side of the boat and fainted.
Half an hour passed, and the mermaid remained motionless. It seemed to confirm what everyone had suspected: the mermaid had been trapped in the fishing net while trying to catch fish and shrimp, and then it had hit the steel hull of the boat while attempting to escape, which caused it to faint.
Gradually, everyone began to lower their guard. A few people looked at He Shuo, who was still fixated on the underwater image, his eyes wide open as if they might pop out. Some were puzzled: "Boss, this mermaid probably just fainted from hitting the boat; it should be fine. Why are we being so cautious?"
Upon hearing this, He Shuo furrowed his brow. The remaining piece of red cloth on his right arm fluttered in the wind as he continued to stare at the image. He spoke heavily: "Eight years ago, my former brothers and I caught a mermaid near the South China Sea. At first, we were excited and wanted to capture it alive, but as you all know... mermaids are extremely cruel and bloodthirsty creatures. Even those mercenaries who went into the sea to catch them suffered casualties."
At this point, He Shuo covered his eyes. "Initially, we received news that there was an injured mermaid near the South China Sea. We were thrilled; regardless of whether it was alive or dead, we wanted to catch it, but..."
"But what happened?" Seeing He Shuo pause, Hei Wa and the others were drawn into this past story and couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah, Boss, you never mentioned this before!" others chimed in.
He Shuo lowered his hands from his eyes; they were red and bloodshot as if revealing a heavy old story. His voice began to tremble.
"Do you know? A living mermaid has a bounty of ten million dollars, while a dead one is only worth five hundred thousand. Such a huge difference is hard not to be tempted by. In the end... we chose to capture that mermaid alive, but only those who survived were left..."
Sensing the grim turn of events, the atmosphere grew somber, starkly contrasting with the cheerful mood from over half an hour ago. A young man couldn't help but exclaim: "Damn it, human lives aren't even worth more than a dead fish!"
As he spoke the last words, his voice faltered with barely contained anger and pain. He Shuo forced a bitter smile: "Mermaids not only possess fish-like traits; they also have human intelligence. That fiery red mermaid pretended to be injured from the start to deceive humans into her hunting grounds. Therefore, after we pulled that mermaid onto our boat, she nearly devoured all my brothers."
"And I survived because the captain sent out a distress signal to the Federation. Before the nearest rescue team arrived, I hid in the deepest part of the hull and covered myself in pickled vegetables so she wouldn't find me."
"It was just a thin layer separating me from them. I listened as my brothers were dragged out one by one and heard their desperate screams before they died; I could do nothing while their blood even flooded up to my calves. When rescuers finally arrived, I found... not a single complete body."
After hearing He Shuo's story, Hei Wa felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the mermaid image on his wrist, hesitating: "Boss, should we just kill this one?"
Hei Wa's suggestion quickly gained approval from those around him; they nodded in agreement: "I agree; capturing a mermaid is too difficult. What if this one is just pretending again? We would be finished!"
"That's right, even though money is hard to earn, we shouldn't risk our lives for a fish!"
Seeing the crew's indignation, He Shuo wiped away his tears, then stood up and looked down at the water below the railing with a fierce gaze and cold words: "No, pull it up. I'm not the person I was eight years ago; I have ways to deal with it."
Once He Shuo spoke, no one dared to refuse him. Coupled with his confident assurance that he had a plan this time, the others fell silent and began to work together to turn the gears and hoist the mermaid out of the sea.
As they lifted it into the air, all they could see was the dark interior of the fishing net. He Shuo drew out the weapon he had prepared for a long time from behind his waist.
Calculating the distance to the fishing net, He Shuo aimed at the mermaid's thick tail and activated the powerful tranquilizer marked with the Federation insignia.
At that moment, everyone saw the mermaid, which had been lying inside, suddenly break free from the net and charge toward He Shuo.
Sure enough, this mermaid was putting on an act.
Thanks to He Shuo's previous experience, everyone broke out in a cold sweat. If it hadn't been for He Shuo's caution, they might have all ended up as this mermaid's meal today.
Ordinary tranquilizers would quickly metabolize and be expelled from the mermaid's body, having little effect on them. Only the powerful tranquilizer developed jointly by the Federation and the laboratory codenamed Glacier was effective against mermaids.
"Clang."
The mermaid crashed to the ground just half a meter away from He Shuo.
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