RAM Chapter 31

The torrential rain engulfed the entire town, shrouding it in chaos. Countless raindrops rushed toward the sea in a frantic torrent, their splashes rising and falling. With the help of the violent winds, giant waves towering over human heads crashed relentlessly onto the shore, smashing against the rocks in an attempt to swallow everything in the world.

Lu Hui lay on the shore, letting the turbulent sea wet his face. His gaze remained fixed on the sea, afraid of missing any detail. The dark surface of the water reflected his face, while the swaying waves distorted his shadow into a frightening shape.

Seeing that there was no movement in the water, Lu Hui tugged at the rope, trying to pull Lu Xie up. He just wanted to catch the mermaid, not kill Lu Xie. Besides, if Lu Xie died, capturing the mermaid would become much harder. But when he tugged on the rope, it was easily pulled up. One end of the rope was empty, and there was no sign of Lu Xie.

A flash of white lightning split the sky, and the thunder was so loud it made the eardrums ache. A whirlpool suddenly appeared on the surface of the water, and a blinding silver light shone from within it. The previously dark sea was illuminated, and in that light, the mermaid sparkled brilliantly.

The mermaid.

Lu Hui trembled with excitement, staggering to his feet. His dark eyes shone as he looked at the mermaid, specifically at Lu Xie resting on its shoulder. He knew it, he knew it! The mermaid was bound to save Lu Xie.

The mermaid—it really was a mermaid.

The mermaid was against the light, making it hard to see its facial expression. Its long hair, wet from the sea, clung to its face in a disheveled manner. Even so, it couldn’t conceal the mermaid’s beautiful features. Its large hand gently patted Lu Xie’s back. Lu Xie, who was draped over its shoulder, was coughing violently from swallowing seawater. Although Lu Hui couldn’t see his face, from the sounds of his coughing and trembling back, it was clear that Lu Xie was in agony.

But none of this mattered. What mattered was that the mermaid was right in front of him. Lu Hui’s eyes gleamed with greed, as if Hai San’er was no longer a mermaid, no longer a living creature, but an endless source of wealth.

“Ah Xie, didn’t I tell you? Mermaids are easy to trust humans.”

Lu Xie struggled, trying to rise from Hai San’er’s shoulder. His red eyes turned toward the distant shore where Lu Hui stood, looking so small. Yet, he could still sense Lu Hui’s frantic joy. The man was a madman.

“Cough… why won’t you listen to me… didn’t I tell you never to show up in front of my ge… cough…?”

Hai San’er met Lu Xie’s anxious and reproachful gaze. He didn’t cry or complain. For once, he stood firm in front of Lu Xie. “Your brother is a bad man. He knows you’re afraid of water, yet he threw you into the sea.”

In the world of mermaids, distinguishing between good and bad was simple and clear. Anyone who posed danger to Lu Xie was, in Hai San’er’s mind, bad.

Lu Xie had swallowed a large amount of seawater and was still struggling to catch his breath. His features contorted in pain as he weakly spoke, “You know he’s a bad person, yet you still dare to show up? Are you trying to get yourself killed? I told you… if you’re caught by humans… you’ll be stuck in a… cough… laboratory for the rest of your life.”

“This is the open sea. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” Hai San’er patted Lu Xie’s back reassuringly.

Indeed, this was the open sea, and no one knew it better than the mermaid.

Hai San’er saw the disappointment in Lu Xie’s eyes. He knew that although Lu Hui’s actions were extreme, to Lu Xie, Lu Hui was still his brother. More than hatred, what Lu Xie felt was sadness and pain.

Before Lu Xie could even feel reassured, Lu Hui suddenly jumped onto a nearby fishing boat and started the engine, heading straight toward them.

Lu Hui… was truly mad. Even if he caught up, so what? He was alone, foolishly trying to capture a mermaid on the sea?

The next moment, Lu Hui pulled a gun out of the boat’s cabin. Lu Xie jumped in shock. Ignoring the pain in his chest from the sea’s pressure, he struggled desperately to break free from Hai San’er’s grasp.

“He’s got a gun… Get in the water!”

Hai San’er had seen guns on TV. Although their power couldn’t compare to that of missiles on an airplane, getting shot would still cause injury and bleeding. He held onto Lu Xie tightly around the waist to prevent him from moving, and quietly commanded, “Hold your breath.”

Lu Xie wanted to tell Hai San’er not to worry about him, but Hai San’er’s voice left no room for argument. Instinctively, he held his breath. Suddenly, he felt a tightness around his waist, and the pressure of the sea filled his ears with a ringing sound. His vision blurred, and in an instant, the water enveloped him.

As he sank into the sea, terrifying memories of near-drowning resurfaced in his mind like a carousel of images. He looked up at Hai San’er’s distinct jawline, remembering what Hai San’er had told him: the sea is very forgiving—don’t try to resist, just learn to go with it.

With this thought, Lu Xie closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. The gurgling sound of water gradually faded, replaced by the swift and fluid sound of movement underwater. The heavy rock pressing against his chest was gradually lifted, and when he opened his eyes again, the water was deep blue, quiet, and steady.

The fishing boat bobbed on the surface of the sea, with Lu Hui gripping the railing and peering into the water. The mermaid moved too quickly for the boat to catch up, but it didn’t matter. The mermaid was dragging Lu Xie down, and while the mermaid could stay at the bottom of the sea forever, Lu Xie could not.

Lu Hui furiously fired a few shots at the water. Aside from the crashing waves, there was no response.

The thunder intensified, and the rain fell even harder. Lu Hui gripped the railing, yelling at the roaring sea, “If you don’t come up, Lu Xie will drown!”

With a loud crash, a massive wave slammed into the boat, causing it to rock violently. Lu Hui gripped the railing to avoid being thrown overboard. He raised his gun, aiming at the water. The moment he saw the mermaid’s shadow, he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot.

His eyes filled with rage, Lu Hui fired several more shots into the water. The bullets sliced through the air, making a whooshing sound as they hit the water, but they were no different from the rain, which was quickly absorbed by the sea.

Colorful fish fins splashed through the waves, causing the sea to surge toward the boat as though trying to swallow it whole. In that fleeting moment, Lu Hui swore he saw a whale as well as the mermaid.

“Dammit!” Lu Hui cursed and stood up, walking toward the other side of the boat, trying to get a better view. With a loud roar, a column of water shot up from beneath the boat, flipping it over. Lu Hui was thrown out, crashing into the whirlpool. The sea flooded into his mouth and nose. He flailed his arms, trying to fight back, but in the face of the sea, he was powerless. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the dark abyss.

Hai San’er surfaced, holding Lu Xie, who had passed out from lack of oxygen. He swam toward the shore, calling out Lu Xie’s name and trying to resuscitate him.

“Cough...” Lu Xie suddenly coughed violently, clutching his stomach, curling up into a ball. He rolled over, and seawater poured from his mouth. After spitting out the water, he propped himself up and looked out at the sea.

Hai San’er knew that Lu Xie was searching for Lu Hui. He comforted Lu Xie for a moment before asking him to wait by the shore. Then, he dived back into the water.

“San’er!”

Lu Xie couldn’t stop Hai San’er and could only sit on the rocks, waiting. Not long later, Hai San’er appeared beside the overturned fishing boat. Using the force of the waves, he effortlessly flipped the boat back over, pulling a familiar dark shape from the sea and tossing it onto the boat. He let the waves push the boat further away before swimming back to Lu Xie.

Lu Xie recognized who it was—the person on the boat was Lu Hui. Hai San’er was about to explain, but Lu Xie interrupted him. “Thank you.”

He knew Hai San’er had a kind heart. Out of consideration for him, Hai San’er hadn’t wanted to harm Lu Hui. The cargo ship had already left, and by throwing Lu Hui back onto the fishing boat and letting him fend for himself, whether he lived or died would be up to the sea.

“We should go too.” Lu Xie cupped Hai San’er’s face, no longer wanting to worry about anything else. He just wanted to ensure Hai San’er’s safety and that they would both make it to Zhenzhu.

Hai San’er lookedbat the little shop one last time, no longer the calculating figure he had been earlier. Now, he looked just like he used to when he asked Lu Xie for food—pathetically sad. He muttered, “The bathtub you bought for me… we haven’t used it much.” He couldn’t take it with him.

“Once we reach our destination, we’ll buy a new one.” Lu Xie kissed Hai San’er’s cheek and then seemed to remember something. “Wait for me a moment.”

With that, Lu Xie stood up and ran toward the little shop. When he came back out, he was holding two bags. One was filled with dry food and water, the other with gold coins that Zhenzhu had found for him.

“We can’t run out of money. We can’t afford to die of starvation in a foreign land after barely surviving,” Lu Xie said half-jokingly, but then hesitated, looking at Hai San’er. “How do we get there?”

He couldn’t expect Hai San’er to carry him the whole way. How long would that take?

Hai San’er gave him a reassuring look, put his fingers to his lips, and whistled. A whale appeared beneath the water not far from them.

“This whale was saved by Zhenzhu when I left. It knew I was coming back, and Zhengzhu insisted on it coming with me.”

It seemed to be a baby whale, and Lu Xie was both surprised and amused. “Saved by Zhenzhu?”

“Yes. Zhenzhu heard its distress call. It had gotten separated from its pod. It only listens to Zhenzhu, and I can’t get rid of it. It’s just right—you can ride it.”

Lu Xie had never ridden a whale before, nor had he ever seen a mermaid until now. Everything felt so unreal, so dreamlike.

He climbed onto the whale’s back, and the baby whale squealed excitedly. Its cry was high-pitched, just like a child, which was probably why it had played with Zhenzhu.

“Let’s go,” Hai San’er commanded, and the baby whale obediently followed behind him.

Lu Xie turned to look at the little shop in the storm. In just a few months, so much had happened. He remembered the first time he saw Hai San’er—completely naked, telling him he was pregnant. Lu Xie still remembered his feelings at the time and couldn’t help but laugh.

As the rain lightened, Hai San’er heard Lu Xie laughing and subconsciously turned back. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Lu Xie said as he lay back on the whale’s back in a ‘大’ shape, feeling the sea breeze rushing up under his clothes. It was the taste of freedom and rebirth.