RAM Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Mermaids?

He could be the distant, mentally challenged relative from one of the villagers, or a smuggler who had his head slammed into the rocks by the stormy waves. But he certainly couldn’t be a fish—because at least humans still qualify as humans. Fish, however, are reproductively isolated. Judging by this, the man must have been seriously out of his mind.

Lu Xie glanced around, still eyeing the baseball bat. It seemed like the most practical weapon—after all, assaulting a madman wasn’t illegal, but he needed to find something that would give him an edge. The madman was about his size, and in a physical confrontation, who knew who would come out on top?

“Fish? You mean the kind that swims in the sea?”

The naked man’s face lit up with joy, as if he’d expected to put up a fierce battle to convince Lu Xie, but it turned out his acceptance was far easier than expected. “Yes.”

“But fish only have a seven-second memory. How do you remember what happened a week ago?” Lu Xie, still out of reach of the bat, quickly worked his mind into overdrive, buying time to navigate the situation.

“How do you know fish only have a seven-second memory?” The man looked at him in surprise. Lu Xie seemed to know a lot, more than he expected. Maybe Lu Xie really was his destined person. “But I’m different.”

Lu Xie shifted a step, his fingers almost on the bat. He didn’t even hear the man’s words anymore, purely trying to outpace him in conversation. “How are you different?”

Suddenly, the naked man leapt forward, blocking the bat with his imposing figure. Lu Xie, startled, had to look up, his face almost squashed against the man’s. The next thing he knew, he was standing eye-to-eye with this madman.

“Because I’m a merman,” the man said, each word deliberate. “I’m a merman, the highest creature in the sea, with the same memory as humans.”

Lu Xie let the bat fall from his grip, his gaze empty as he stared at the madman before him. What had started as anger turned into mockery, then finally into a bewildering sense of being caught between laughter and tears.

A merman—perfect for the fairy tale setup of this coastal town, a fitting character for this place.

“You’re a merman?” Lu Xie asked, incredulous.

The man nodded with full confidence. He was indeed a genuine merman.

“Didn’t your parents ever tell you? Mermen shouldn’t come ashore easily, and they shouldn’t trust humans.”

The man’s eyes widened, as if hearing the familiar words of his people for the first time. “I know, but we have a baby now. You’re the one I trust most. I believe in you.”

His lake-blue eyes sparkled under the fluorescent light, his skin smooth as jade, his fine facial hair subtly shifting with his breaths. The veins on his temples pulsed with excitement and joy. His insistence and trust radiated like the most earnest and intense confession of love.

The sincerity in his eyes was enough to move even Lu Xie for a moment. But Lu Xie wasn’t losing his wits. He quickly snapped back to reality.

“Get out.”

His cold tone hit the naked man like a slap, and the man froze, his smile stiffening on his pale face. He was in disbelief. “I’m not lying to you.”

The crazy man looked fragile, almost like he’d burst into tears at the slightest provocation, but in truth, he was strong as hell. When Lu Xie tried to push him away, the man didn’t budge an inch.

Lu Xie took a deep breath. With someone like this, he needed to hit the weak spot. “Then show me. Turn into a fish.”

The naked man parted his lips, hesitated, and then sheepishly muttered, “Not right now.”

Aha, there it was. The madman had finally slipped up.

“What do you mean, ‘not right now’? Is turning into a fish harder than turning into a human?”

The man fiddled with the kelp wrapped around his waist, squirming awkwardly. “There’s no water here.”

For some reason, after hearing all the ridiculous things the man had said, Lu Xie actually found this excuse rather plausible. A fish without water would surely be flopping around uselessly on land, probably even die.

The logic of this story was coming together. The man had managed to navigate such a powerful storm and save him, something ordinary humans could never do. Only a merman could pull that off.

“And…,” the man leaned in suddenly, whispering mysteriously in Lu Xie’s ear, “I’m on limited time. I can only maintain my human form for an hour on land.”

He even had his own headcanon. Maintaining human form, huh? If he even had a human form to begin with. No one with even a shred of humanity could say such nonsensical things.

With that said, Lu Xie couldn’t be bothered to keep debating. He took the opportunity to play along, “Well, why don’t you go back then?”

“I am going back, but not now. I need you. Our baby needs you.” The man caressed the kelp around his waist affectionately, oblivious to the clenched jaw and tightening fists of Lu Xie. “Only with the love of both dads can our pearl-baby grow. And only if we love each other can I stay on land forever, just like a human.”

Seeing that Lu Xie remained motionless, the man, convinced he had touched a chord with the dream-like nature of their love story, turned his head and kissed Lu Xie on the cheek. Every creature expresses love physically, and mermen were no different.

The soft sensation on his cheek left Lu Xie stunned. He hadn’t expected this crazy man to suddenly do something like this. A surge of fury shot through him, and he shoved the man away with force.

“Are you done, you son of a—?”

The tenderness from earlier felt like an illusion, and now the man was facing the reality of Lu Xie’s wrath. He staggered back a few steps, crashing into the roller shutter, and the wind howling outside couldn’t drown out the loud banging of the door.

Lu Xie furiously pointed at the naked man, his eyes nearly shooting sparks. “You, and this useless seaweed on your waist, and that lousy pearl in your hands—get out of my house! A merman, huh? If you don’t leave, I’ll beat you and make kelp tofu fish soup, then flush your rotten pearl and your fish bones down the drain! Get out, now!”

The small shop, with all its doors and windows shut, was stifling. The heavy air pressed down on them, making it hard to breathe. The merman shrank into the corner, his wide eyes struggling to understand Lu Xie’s emotions. But when he saw the fury blazing in Lu Xie’s eyes and the scarred face twisted with anger, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He burst into tears with a loud wail.

His sobs echoed like an alarm throughout the shop, leaving Lu Xie stunned. When was the last time he could live so shamelessly, crying over a silly little thing?

The merman wailed for a long time, but seeing that Lu Xie didn’t even try to comfort him, his expression utterly indifferent, he finally sobbed, his voice still trembling with emotion. “Why… why are you so… so mean? How could you say such things?”

It wasn’t just mental illness, it was starting to look like idiocy. Lu Xie began to understand the true nature of this naked man before him.

Lu Xie remained silent. The merman, on the other hand, seemed to be losing his patience. Even if he was a fish, he still had his pride. In a fit of rage, he clumsily tried to pull down the roller shutter, mimicking Lu Xie’s earlier movements. He was strong as an ox, and the entire door rattled as he yanked on it, nearly buckling under the pressure.

Lu Xie was ruthless, grabbing him and turning the key effortlessly. He pushed the door open with ease, looking at the merman like he was some kind of fool.

The howling sea wind surged into the shop, sending things scattering in every direction. The merman, seeing that Lu Xie wasn’t even bothering to keep him, snapped, shouting in frustration, “Fine, go ahead and leave! You liar! You tricked my feelings! You’re no good!”

Lu Xie rolled his eyes, quickly pulling down the roller shutter. He was a bounty hunter, after all—he did his job for money. He wasn’t a good guy, and besides, wasn’t it the naked man who claimed to be a fish? How did that suddenly turn into Lu Xie deceiving him?

The deafening sound of the wind couldn’t drown out the noise of the door closing. The merman turned back to look at the tightly shut shop, his heart sinking. How could the father of his child be so heartless? Did he really not want them anymore?

He had heard many tragic love stories between humans and mermen, and the endings were rarely perfect. Just as Lu Xie had said, mermen shouldn’t come ashore easily, and they shouldn’t trust humans.

The merman stood, allowing the sea wind to mess up his hair, gazing at the weathered little shop from the rocks. It looked battered by the storm, yet still so resilient—just like Lu Xie himself. The windows and doors were sealed tight, with no sign of ever opening.

He caressed the pearl at his waist. Once dull and lifeless, the pearl now flickered with a faint glow, as if it was trying to prove that it wasn’t as worthless as Lu Xie had said.

“It’s really beautiful…” the merman muttered to himself, frustration coloring his voice. But then, his thoughts turned back to the baby’s father. How could he be so cruel, not even looking at him?

His heart broke, and with a heavy heart, he leapt into the sea. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the rolling waves.

The commotion had cooled, and the food in the bowl had gone cold. Lu Xie, too, had lost his appetite, so he went upstairs to sleep. From the bedroom window, he could see the ocean.

The water wasn’t the same as usual. It wasn’t the calm, clear blue—it was black, like ink, the waves churning violently, like a waking monster with the power to swallow everything in its path. Even things near the shore weren’t spared; countless objects were sucked into the massive waves, disappearing silently into the sea.

The wind was so strong, he wondered if the naked man would be alright. Setting aside the fact that the man was crazy and had taken advantage of him, he did owe him his life after the rescue.

Lu Xie pressed his face to the window, straining to catch a glimpse of the man. But all he saw was endless darkness. Nothing.

His gaze instinctively drifted toward the direction the man had gone when he left earlier. Behind the rocks, at the moment the waves rose, it seemed like something was gliding through the air, a beautiful arc cutting through the night. The vibrant colors stood out starkly against the dark waters, like fireworks blooming in the darkness. But the night was too thick, the light too dim, and he couldn’t make it out clearly.

Was it a fish? A deep-sea fish? A big one?

Could it really be a merman?

Lu Xie scoffed to himself. Was he losing his mind too? Was he actually starting to believe there were mermaids in this world?

He didn’t care about the stranger’s fate. It wasn’t like he was some hero, and he wasn’t the type to repay debts of gratitude. Why should he worry about the naked man’s life?

He pulled the curtain shut, deciding to shut it all out. He grabbed the phone beside him, trying to make a call. Of course, with such a strong wind, there was no signal. He irritably put the receiver back down.

Unable to reach his comrades, unable to do anything, Lu Xie felt a helpless sense of abandonment, as if the world had left him behind.