The Fallen Merman

Flames rose up in the middle of the room, the purple outer flame wrapped around the golden inner flames and started burning from the ground. It was different from the average flame; it didn’t bring about any heat. The floor that was struck by lightning cracked, and the cold flame burst forth from the spider web-like crack. The floor of the collapsed room gradually turned into viscous lava.

The carpet was being engulfed by the cold flames. The coffee table, the building blocks, and the piled up toys on the corners instantly turned to ash; melting into the surging lava. Although they couldn’t see 324’s exact location, they were certain that 324 couldn’t escape. He was currently fleeing in panic in the room. 

Garm was the devil dog that guarded hell, and the power of the Garm gland after the two North American gray wolves’ glands combined was indeed worthy of the name devil dog.

Using the power of ordinary people to push back an experimental subject in its maturity stage to this degree was enough to be called amazing in strength. If the brothers had shown this strength during the exam, perhaps the Ghost Hunting Team could still be able to secure first place.

Bai Chunian hugged the fish ball that rolled to the corner of the room and raised his head to speak sarcastically to the air, “The two of them combined their glands. You can learn it if you have the ability to do so.”

Invisible Stalker couldn’t imitate two people’s ability at the same time, it must be done in order. This means that he couldn’t imitate the twin glands, because the ability would be useless if either half of the twin glands were taken out.

A strange laughter sounded out in the empty room, “How long can you guys last?”

Bai Chunian looked at the He brothers, the oppressing pheromones they released were no longer as strong as when they arrived.

Although the twin glands were powerful after synthesizing, there was a single fatal limitation—because the glands of the two people were only half the size of a normal person, and the space for storing energy was relatively small, with abundance of strength but lack of endurance. This was also a common problem with all explosive-type abilities.

The He brothers looked at Bai Chunian at the same time, “Hurry up and come up with a way to lure him out. We can’t last long.” 

If they can identify the enemy’s exact location, then the He brothers only needed to gather the flames to one location to melt 324 into ashes. However, every nook and cranny of the big room can become a hiding spot for 324. And the consumption of the carpet-like crushing attack on the glands was just too much.

Bai Chunian lifted the corner of his lips and smirked frivolously towards the invisible other party, “How about you? How much longer can you last?”

These words were obviously a reminder for Invisible Stalker. He once again saved up his power, and a thunderstorm formed from the ceiling of the room. The thundercloud that reproduced Rimbaud’s 200% discharge ability almost became a black thundercloud. Lightning struck down intensely, every attack containing killing intent. Looks like he planned to get things over with quickly.

The ground was burning with raging purple flames, while the ceiling constantly struck down high-voltage lightning. The entire room was practically crammed with intense energy, and the space for people to stand firm was sharply reduced. 

Bai Chunian released soothing pheromones, patted the fish ball in his embrace, and whispered, “Fill the crack.”

Rimbaud didn’t get the meaning behind Bai Chunian’s order, but he still complied. His body unrolled from the fish ball shape, he stuck to the wall at lightning speed, and the transparent fishtail stored up electricity.

Bai Chunian leaned against the wall and lightly tapped his knuckles with his fingertips, waiting for a breakthrough.

Invisible Stalker can imitate other people’s ability, but that doesn’t mean he was immune to the ability he imitates. In other words, Invisible Stalker was neither resistant to electricity, nor can he withstand spikes, nor protect himself from fire. So the intensive attacks he unleashed still had to avoid his own position. 

Thus, he must be standing in the gap between the lightning and fire.

Rimbaud’s claws firmly climbed the wall and he arched the spine spike on his back. An intense blue light burst out one after another along each fish bone and his dorsal fin. The high-voltage current completely enveloped the area where the lightning had not hit.

A floating lunar disk appeared in the northeast corner of the room without warning.

This was He Suowei’s J1 ability, Total Lunar Eclipse, a protective-type ability. The lunar disk could hold back the attacks within the enveloped range. 

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This action happened very quickly. After a while, Bai Chunian’s arm returned to how it was before. The experimental subject held by Bai Chunian’s left hand gradually revealed his outline. A petite omega revealed himself, his hands desperately pulling at the slender and strong hand clasping on his neck. 

The omega’s eyes were indeed quite big, but they did not exceed the normal range. Tears hung on his gleaning long eyelashes, and a long green curled up chameleon-like tail grew from his butt, which was weakly wrapped around Bai Chunian’s wrist.

324 was wearing a childish chick t-shirt, which was really small. Even though he was wearing it, it was tight; it didn’t fit him. With one look, one can tell it wasn’t his own clothes.

“You can’t catch me…” 324 fiercely glared and stretched out his thin arms to hit Bai Chunian, but he couldn’t reach.

“That’s what you think.” Bai Chunian crouched down and squeezed the baby fat on 324’s face. “You stole two HD agents from the research institute and injected one on yourself, which created a self-replicating associated ability, right?” 

324 froze, his expression immediately became scared.

The communicator on Bai Chunian’s ear rang. He turned on the communicator and heard He Suowei’s slightly impatient voice, “How’s my two members?”

Bai Chunian relaxedly answered, “They’re doing fine.”

He Suowei breathed out a sigh of relief and told him the result of the arrest, “I dispatched two special groups to the Xinyuan Community you told me about. After a thorough search, we found Invisible Stalker’s body from under the bed of a resident’s bedroom. We have securely arrested him.” 

“En, okay.” Bai Chunian turned back to the experimental subject struggling in his grasp. 324 revealed a sullen and helpless expression, then became a pile of dust in Bai Chunian’s hand.

Bai Chunian patted off the dust on his hand and lifted Rimbaud, “Let’s go, the mission has been completed.”

They passed through six collapsed yellow rooms in turn. All six rooms were identical playrooms. Except for the star light hanging from the ceiling of the first room, the other five rooms only had two glowing walls.

He Wenxiao leaned on his little brother’s shoulder, swaying while following Bai Chunian, talkatively asking him what differentiation ability he used earlier and what was going on right now. 

Bai Chunian only chose to explain the irrelevant part, “The first yellow room is the child’s bedroom that 324 last fled to, and the rest of the rooms are under the bed of the bedroom. The two glowing walls we saw are actually the light coming from the foot of the bed placed in the corner of the room, and the ceiling is the bed board of the small bed. So, Invisible Stalker is not here at all, his main body has been hidden under the bed and has never come out. Just now, he used his associated ability to duplicate himself, but fortunately both share the same gland—destroying one will also destroy the other.”

After the He brothers finished listening, their hair stood on ends. They muttered to themselves if they should sleep together tonight, totally forgetting about Bai Chunian’s differentiation ability.

Bai Chunian joined them, “Hey, you guys want to come work at the Omega Alliance? The treatment is superb. The salary, bonuses, and benefits are excellent. There’s a lack of al(cool) phas(ies).”

The two little wolves muttered and discussed with themselves, “We follow captain, wherever captain goes we go.” 

Bai Chunian began to think of a plan in his head—how to bring that big straight guy He Suowei over.

The exit was dug open by the police, and several people safely escaped. The little wolves were taken away by the military doctor for examination. A senior police officer sent by the station questioned Rimbaud with a notepad in hand.

Police officer: “We have smoothly recovered the 17 hostages. Where are the other three now?”

Rimbaud, “On the wall.” 

Police Officer: “?”

Rimbaud: “Pancakes.”

“Okay, stop talking nonsense.” Bai Chunian covered Rimbaud’s mouth and carried the worrying fish away. “Let’s go check up Xinyuan Community.”

The majority of the PBB military had already withdrawn, because they received the higher-ups notice, saying that Experimental Subject No. 324 Invisible Stalker had been arrested in Xinyuan Community of Tongkou City. 

Invisible Stalker hands were handcuffed, his head was lowered as he followed the two anti-riot officers into the armed escort car. He looked even weaker in front of the tall and strong anti-riot alpha officers. His whole body was covered in bullet wound scars. Because the self-healing ability of experimental subjects were stronger than normal people, the bullets weren’t taken out in time before the flesh regrew in the body. Three years passed just like that.

“Major didn’t come to arrest me?” He lifted his eyes and asked softly before getting into the car, “I used his gravity manipulation in every room and wrote my name everywhere, why didn’t he come to catch me…”

One of the anti-riot officers urged him into the car, “You dare mention the major? Even until now, his arm hasn’t fully healed. It’s all your fault.”

He held up his hands, and a set of magnetic building blocks appeared in his palms from its invisible state. “This, this is for Major…” 

The officers thought it was some sort of dangerous object, so they held down 324 at once and knocked over the magnetic blocks in his hands. The different colored small blocks scattered to the ground.

When Bai Chunian drove to Xinyuan Community, the army had already withdrawn, and the crowd watching the excitement had also dispersed.

Bai Chunian got out of the car, squatted down on the ground, and collected the small blocks on the floor. He counted—it was exactly 28 blocks, and there were blue, red, and yellow.

He restored the magnetic blocks according to the arrangement of the escape room he pictured in his head, turning them into a hollowed-out cuboid with a 3×3 bottom surface and a height of five blocks as drawn on the writer’s drawings. 

“Ah, so it’s like this.”

He separated each color, pushed down the blocks, and the blocks connected and attracted to each other; surprisingly making a 3, 2, 4.

¤¤¤

Volume Two: Invisible Stalker Afterwords (Part 1) 

After Experimental Subject No. 324 was captured, he was interrogated according to the procedure, but he wouldn’t say a single word. His only request was that he wanted to see the major. The interrogator believed that 324 perhaps harbored a grudge towards the major and will harm him. After reporting for approval, the major agreed to see him.

He Suowei brought someone to get 324. 324’s young face became very haggard after being interrogated for a long time.

When passing by the sink, 324 looked at himself in the mirror, then earnestly washed his face before following He Suowei.

When they arrived at the major’s lounge door, He Suowei stopped. He knocked twice on the door and made a report. 

“Come in.” The alpha inside said.

He Suowei used the muzzle of his gun to push 324, “Go, don’t try to do bad things, or else you’re dead meat.”

324 was wearing handcuffs and silently entered the major’s lounge. He Suowei was attentively guarding outside the door and listening to what was going on inside. Once 324 had the intention to attack, He Suowei would immediately shoot him.

He heard 324’s first words after entering the lounge, “Someone kind-hearted like you will not be rewarded. 

The major’s voice was calm, “Not necessarily.”

¤¤¤

Afterwords (Part 2)

PBB Archives—Combating Scene Playback: June 20, K030 

First recording: Storm Forces forced Invisible Stalker into the first floor of the unfinished building. Due to not being able to determine the enemy’s location, they decided to open fire. Invisible Stalker was shot too many times and was on the verge of death. In a moment of desperation, he imitated Panther Major’s J1 ability, Gravity Manipulation, and strengthened it by 200%. This caused the collapse of the unfinished building. Taking advantage of the situation, he fled to the second floor.

Second recording: The major chased after him to the second floor by himself. At the moment, 324’s M2 ability was failing. He had entered the weakening stage and his invisible state had been lifted.

The major saw that he was a kid, so he put away his gun. He took out an apple that he didn’t finish eating from his backpack and put it on the floor to get him to come over.

Third recording: 324 cautiously walked over, picked up the apple and held it in his arms. However, the load-bearing beam above him suddenly collapsed. The major jumped over, using his body to block the falling object above 324’s head, and his arm was penetrated by the steel bar. 

324 panicked and fled.

¤¤¤

Afterwords (Part 3)

The major’s house. 

The phone on the desk rang. The alpha glimpsed at the note and answered it.

It was his xiongzhang that called, saying that he found a suitable omega and wanted him to go on a blind date.

He hung up the call after a few perfunctory words.

324 looked at the dust-free photo frame on the desk, blinked, and asked, “Is this the person you like?” 

Then he used his associated ability to transform into the omega in the photo.

The major reprimanded him.

324 changed back and innocently asked, “Why are you scolding me? Omegas with rabbit ears are very cute. This isn’t the major’s fault.”

The major: “He is already married.” 

324 didn’t think this was an obstacle, suggesting, “Kill his mate and snatch him back.”

The major shook his head, “The human world is not as simple as you think.”

324 shook his tail, “If only I also have furry rabbit ears and tail, but I only have a hairless tail. Does Major like chameleon tails? I can roll into a lollipop for you to see.”

The major smiled, “Very cute. Your big eyes are also cute, you don’t need to please others.” 

324: “Do you need to go to work now? Can I help you organize your wardrobe?”

“No need, there will be servants to tidy it.”

324 was a bit vexed, “But I’m going back to the prison soon. Can’t I do something for you… I don’t want to go back to prison.”

“You need to take responsibility for your mistakes.” 

324 bit his lips, “Can I still see you when I come out? I have to stay there for a long time.”

“If you’re good in there, then you can.”