RAM Chapter 27

“Zhenzhu, stay at home and wait. Daddy is going out to check things.” Flames were burning on the sea, and Lu Xie had not seen Hai San’er’s figure for a long time. He couldn’t just sit and wait.

Little Zhenzhu saw his daddy about to leave and slammed his little fins on the fish tank. His eyes were filled with the same anxiousness as Lu Xie’s, and he wanted to go too. He didn’t want to be left behind.

Lu Xie hesitated for a moment. If… if he were to leave and not come back, leaving Zhenzhu behind at home, wouldn’t that put Zhenzhu in more danger? Lu Xie quickly put Zhenzhu back into the bottle. If something were to happen to him, at the very least, he would crawl if necessary to return Zhenzhu to the sea.

As Lu Xie went downstairs, he hadn’t even gotten to the door yet when the rolling shutter was knocked from outside. A familiar, urgent voice came through, “Lu Xie, it’s me.”

Hai San’er?

Lu Xie quickly opened the door and pulled him in, then slammed the door shut. Hai San’er was soaked all over, his chest heaving heavily as he gasped for air, looking exhausted. Lu Xie looked him over, and seeing no blood, he finally felt relieved.

“I’m fine,” Hai San’er grinned and tried to reassure Lu Xie. “The things flying in the sky have left.”

Lu Xie’s racing heart finally calmed down, and instinctively, he reached to grab Hai San’er’s hand. He heard Hai San’er gasp in pain. “Tsk.”

“What happened?” Lu Xie pried open Hai San’er’s fingers and saw a cut on his palm, still bleeding. “How did this happen? Any other injuries?”

Hai San’er curled his fingers, trying to hide the wound. “I’m fine. There are many fish injured.”

Normally, with such a wound, Hai San’er would have been crying uncontrollably, but now he was strangely calm. Lu Xie didn’t ask more questions and took out a first aid kit, disinfecting and bandaging the wound.

Hai San’er wanted to call out to Lu Xie, but Lu Xie was silent, his gaze lowered. The atmosphere in the house felt heavy. Hai San’er wasn’t sure how to start a conversation. Then, his eyes fell on the bottle with Zhenzhu inside. He looked through the glass, his eyes meetingZhenzhu’s hopeful gaze.

“It’s fine,” he whispered.

Zhenzhu’s face was pressed against the glass bottle, his large eyes locked on Hai San’er, full of worry. Despite his usual restlessness, Zhenzhu was unusually quiet.

Hai San’er picked up the bottle from Lu Xie’s waist and murmured, “Why are you so worried too?”

“I’m taking you both away,” Lu Xie suddenly spoke.

Hai San’er’s smile froze on his face as he understood what Lu Xie meant. “Not now.”

“Why not now? The war is about to start here. Do you know what war is? Today’s situation is just a small skirmish. Once the war starts, there will be corpses everywhere, and it will be worse than death.”

Hai San’er knew what war was. He had seen it on TV, and today he had experienced it firsthand. But because there was a war, he felt he couldn’t leave.

“I know. That’s why I need to get other sea creatures to a safe place.”

Lu Xie almost laughed at this idea. No matter what, how could Hai San’er bring all the sea creatures to safety?

“How are you going to bring them all? The sea is so vast, and there are so many fish. How could you possibly take them all?” Lu Xie raised his voice, finally shouting, his chest vibrating with anger. “Even if you’re a merman, it doesn’t change the fact that wars are everywhere. Can you handle all the fish?”

Hai San’er spoke calmly, though his eyes were unwavering. “I’m a merman.”

“So what if you’re a merman? Even if you’re a merman, there are so many war zones in the world. Do you really think you can handle all the fish?” Lu Xie raised his voice again, shouting so loudly that he could hear his own echo. His chest was throbbing as though it would burst.

“I can’t handle them all, but I have to take care of the ones in front of me,” Hai San’er said calmly, but his gaze was firm. As a merman, his duty was to protect the sea creatures. In times of peace, he only needed to clean up, but now with the danger to the animals, he had to act. As long as he was a merman, he had to fulfill his responsibilities.

Hai San’er gently stroked Lu Xie’s hand, like he was asking for a drink, speaking in a soothing tone, “Take Zhenzhu to a safe place first. Find an opportunity to return him to the sea…”

Lu Xie interrupted Hai San’er, not wanting to hear what sounded like a final goodbye. It wasn’t time for that yet. He looked at Hai San’er’s face carefully, realizing that he had underestimated him all this time. He had always thought Hai San’er was a useless merman who would cry at the slightest problem, even questioning his value when it came to selling him. But now, it seemed he had been wrong.

“What’s your plan?”

Hai San’er hesitated. He knew this sea area like the back of his hand, but which direction was truly safe? He wasn’t sure.

Seeing Hai San’er’s hesitation, Lu Xie took out a map from the shelf. He swept other things off the table and spread the map out. “This country is safe, and the war zone will never reach here. The land routes are cut off, but we can use the sea route.”

In the past, some people had smuggled into the country by sea. However, due to the war, the border control had been tightened. But fish were different—they could definitely make it to a safe country.

“Can you get all the fish to evacuate at once?”

The sea was vast. Even this sea area alone, Hai San’er couldn’t guarantee that he could reach every creature down below. He would have to make several trips.

Seeing Hai San’er silent, Lu Xie nodded, “How much time do you need? A day, two days, or ten days, half a month?”

Hai San’er was still silent. He had lived in this sea area his whole life and had never been to far-off places. He couldn’t guarantee anything to Lu Xie.

“Alright, I’ll stay here with you. I’ll wait until you’ve sent all the fish away.”

“But it’s dangerous here. You said the war could break out at any time.”

Hai San’er wasn’t as naive as people thought. He understood the cruelty of war. He was always prepared to sacrifice himself for the sea. If he left now, there would be no ties left. The chances of him and Lu Xie meeting again were slim.

“I can’t leave now. Other countries won’t accept refugees easily. With all the explosions, many people have already fled overnight. Transportation hubs are paralyzed. I might not even get far before dying on the road.”

Hai San’er was shocked and immediately covered Lu Xie’s mouth. “I’ll take you and Zhenzhu to a safe place first. Trust me, I’ll make sure you leave here unharmed, and I’ll come find you and Zhenzhu. You said it yourself—we haven’t reached the point of life and death yet.”

Knowing that Lu Xie was worried about Zhenzhu, Hai San’er continued, “Zhenzhu is too small. He can’t stay here. This sea can no longer protect him.”

Zhenzhu, sitting quietly in the bottle, seemed to understand what was about to happen. Lu Xie covered the bottle with his hand, not wanting Zhenzhu to face the panic brought by the war.

Hai San’er held Lu Xie’s shoulders, leaned down, and placed a kiss on his lips. “While we still have time, let’s leave with Zhenzhu.”

There was a loud bang as someone knocked on the rolling shutter from outside. The sudden noise made both Lu Xie and Hai San’er, who had just experienced the bombardment, extremely sensitive. Lu Xie instinctively pulled Hai San’er behind him, then adjusted his clothes to cover the bottle at his waist, quickly pulling out a knife.

“Who is it?”

“Ah Xie, it’s me, Lu Hui.”

When Lu Xie heard Lu Hui’s voice, his mind went blank. He didn’t know whether to be happy or scared. He turned in a circle, unsure, but once he saw Hai San’er naked, his rationality returned. He grabbed a piece of clothing from the chair and threw it to Hai San’er to cover himself, then tucked the glass bottle into his pocket.

“Ah Xie?”

Lu Hui called again after a long pause.

Lu Xie hesitated for a moment, confirming that there was no unusual sound, and that Hai San’er didn’t seem to be a merman at a glance. He quickly went to open the door.

“Hui… Hui-ge…”

From Lu Hui’s shoulder, Lu Xie saw the flames on the sea, and the noisy port not far away. People were already packing up and preparing to leave by sea.

“How come you’re so slow?”

“You… how did you come back?”

“What do you mean by that? Should I have died in the war zone?”

Lu Xie froze. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Didn’t I call you earlier to let you know I’d be back soon? Who knew I’d arrive just in time for the explosion? I barely escaped the war

zone, thinking I had saved my life, only to land in another firepit.” Lu Hui was in a rush, no luggage in hand, talking nonstop until he noticed the long-haired man standing in the shadows. “Is someone here?”

He and Lu Xie didn’t have any friends, and he didn’t expect Lu Xie to bring someone home.

“Why aren’t the lights on?” Lu Hui casually turned on the switch, and the dim tungsten light illuminated the man’s beautiful face—silver hair, lake-blue eyes, stunning and unreal. His suspicious gaze shifted between Lu Xie and the man. “Who’s this?”

Lu Xie was speechless, unsure how to introduce Hai San’er. “This is… Hai San’er. This is my brother, Lu Hui.”

Lu Hui.

Hai San’er recognized the voice and the name—it was Lu Xie’s brother. “Ge.”

The atmosphere in the room was awkward. Lu Xie’s usual straightforward manner was gone, replaced with hesitation. Hai San’er’s simple “ge” only added to the ambiguity. Lu Hui frowned, unsure where to start.

Lu Xie had never shown much interest in women. Hai San’er hadn’t expected him to like men.

However, now wasn’t the time to be curious about the relationship between Hai San’er and Lu Xie. With an outsider present, Lu Hui gave Lu Xie a look and headed upstairs.

Seeing Lu Hui’s figure disappear down the hallway, Lu Xie quickly pulled out the bottle from his pocket and handed it to Hai San’er. “Take Zhenzhu first. He can’t be seen like this by my brother.”

“But…”

“Do as I say.” Lu Xie’s voice was firm. “Take him to a safe place, and remember, don’t let my brother find out you’re a merman.”