Jiang Shishi blinked blankly. Then, he turned his head and looked around for his little mermaid partner who could talk and make burgers appear.
Until all the bubbles floating in the airburst one by one, and the stretched human skin was wrapped again into a sunny doll, the mermaid puppet with a sparkling gem ring on its tail was still not seen.
On the hard ground, there was a bubble machine with its fish-tail waist cut into two halves.
It was the bubble machine he had personally placed in the arms of the little mermaid.
You Wusi also noticed the disappearance of the Black Pearl and the mermaid puppet NPC. He watched Jiang Shishi frantically searching and then staring blankly at the broken bubble machine. He gently reached out to touch his wife’s half-lowered head.
Some things are destined not to be kept.
Just like trying to catch the wind, or grab onto a dream, it’s impossible.
Jiang Zuo, who had narrowly escaped death, had just relieved the heavy burden on his heart when he looked at Lin Haoguang’s arm, which was nothing but bones from the elbow up, and he gasped in shock.
He quickly remembered how the other person changed hands when escaping from the monsters.
After a long pause, he finally said, “Your hand…”
His voice wasn’t particularly loud. But in the tranquil morning with only half of the sun rising, it was enough to draw everyone’s attention.
Players followed Jiang Zuo’s gaze and looked at Lin Haoguang’s hand skeleton, where all flesh had disappeared, leaving only bones.
“Is this because of that blue flame?” Yi Jiangnan guessed, inquiring.
Before Lin Haoguang could respond, Jiang Zuo’s face was already filled with guilt as he repeatedly spoke, “It must be those flames! It’s all my fault. If I had walked a few steps faster, you wouldn’t have had to turn back to save…”
He was just halfway through his words when a white bone claw suddenly rushed in front of Jiang Zuo, its distinct fingers opening and closing. Jiang Zuo was so frightened that he forgot what he was going to say next.
“It’s my own business if I want to turn back. You don’t have to think too much about it.”
Lin Haoguang snorted coldly. He picked up the cigarette in his left hand, glanced at Jiang Zuo, who still had an arm hanging around in the air, and continued, “But since I saved your life, you’d better live longer.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll do my best to live!” Jiang Zuo nodded repeatedly. His life had become more valuable, and even if he had to crawl, he would make sure to get out of the copy alive.
Lin Haoguang had no intention of paying any more attention to Jiang Zuo. Instead, he squinted in the direction of the rising red sun, frowned, and said, “Time seems to be speeding up more.”
When they just came out of the villa, the sun wasn’t that bright!!
But in just a few sentences, the red-orange color of the sunrise has faded by more than half, and the sky has become much brighter.
“The key is gone,” Zhou Qingxing said, looking at his empty palm. “Just as we stepped out of the villa, the key in my hand disappeared.”
He then turned to look at the tightly closed villa door. After carefully observing the flowers and plants around the villa, he remarked, “Have you noticed that this place is a bit different from the villa we saw in the illusion? The flowers and plants around here seem to have been recently planted, and there are even some in the distance. Those trees are much bigger than before.”
Yi Jiangnan quickly glanced around and compared it with the scene he briefly saw outside the villa in his memory. Then he said, “What we had seen must be an illusion, and here, it should be the reality outside of the illusion.”
“Then how do we get in? The identification has to be done in the living room, right?” Lin Qiyue said, looking silently from the closed door of the villa and then to You Wusi.
At that moment, having a skill for opening doors was really handy.
She also wanted to ask You Wusi for advice and learn new skills like lock picking, which might come in handy in the future.
After hearing this, You Wusi smiled politely and said in a low but clear voice, “You could face legal consequences if you break into a private house without permission.”
After speaking, he nodded towards Zhou Qingxing.
Zhou Qingxing was pleased that You Wusi had such a strong sense of the law, but for some reason, it wasn’t very convincing coming from him.
“Being cautious is good; opening the door rashly could trigger danger.”
Wen Qingxue still couldn’t understand You Wusi’s thinking, but he nodded in rare agreement.
After that, she looked toward the tall grass where the giant snake had once hidden.
Now, the tall grass was gone, and shorter bushes had taken its place. It showed that someone still lived in the villa.
Thinking about this, she suggested, “Why don’t we have another look around…” before she could finish her sentence.
With a creak, the villa door opened. Everyone heard the sound and turned to look.
They saw a familiar bright smile on the face of a stunningly beautiful girl. For a moment, they thought Mrs. Yun was standing in front of them.
But they all knew it wasn’t Mrs. Yun; it was An An.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Miss An An was no longer sitting in a wheelchair with a gloomy face; she looked much more grown-up and happier now.
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His sharp eyes scanned each player, and he asked, “Why are you all here so early in the morning?”
Although the players had never seen this NPC before, they all recognized him. He was Xu Jiling, Miss An An’s personal doctor.
“We are…”
Before Wen Qingxue could finish her sentence, An An had already linked her arm with the man’s and said anxiously, “They are my guests. Brother Ji Ling, please check his arm first!”
Xu Ji Ling glanced at the injured player’s hand and said calmly, “It’s hopeless.”
“Ji Ling!”
An An was very unhappy. She wanted to say something more, but Xu Ji Ling spoke before she could.
“Why did An An suddenly want to invite guests over? Why didn’t you tell me in advance? When did you meet them?.”
Xu Jiling didn’t hide his dislike for the players.
He stood tall like a mountain, shielding An An and keeping a close watch on this group of visitors with unknown intentions.
An An was genuinely angry. She directly released her hand from Xu Jiling’s arm, unhappy as she said, “They are the detectives I invited to investigate the truth! You and Teacher Kan refuse to tell me anything, hiding everything from me. You say forgotten memories aren’t good and that my hypocritical father isn’t worth remembering. I often dream about Teacher Qi’s singing and the night I couldn’t see clearly.”
Her voice grew quieter and quieter.
In the end, she whispered, “I understand that you all want to protect me, to keep me from falling into darkness again, but I… I still want to know the truth. I want clarity…”
The players seemed to have become background figures in the argument between the two NPCs. Unable to intervene, they could only wait for the argument to end.
Finally, Jiang Shishi realized that his talking little mermaid partner hadn’t left. He tugged at his bad brother’s clothes and gently shook the small mermaid bubble machine in his hand.
When his bad brother looked over, Jiang Shishi used his sharp nails to poke at the round mouth of the mermaid and lightly tapped the fishtail of the bubble machine with his claws.
He wants his talking mermaid.
He wants a little mermaid that can talk and make burgers appear.
Understanding his wife’s intention, You Wusi turned her wheelchair around in another direction.
He bent down slightly, gently lifted Jiang Shishi’s chin who was tugging his sleeve continuously, and redirected his gaze away from An An.
Then he spoke up, “There’s never been butler An An. It has always been Miss An An. It was Miss An An who invited the guests, An An who wanted to know the truth, and An An who kept having the same dreams.”
In the illusion, she was a little mermaid puppet, and she only thought of herself as a puppet.
But how could a puppet have desires?
Even if the merfolk were powerful, they couldn’t sustain illusions for years with only residual power. Moreover, merfolk who already knew everything wouldn’t anxiously await answers within illusions.
The illusion they have experienced was stable and realistic from every corner.
An An might not even realize the power she possesses. Unconsciously, she connected with the illusion created by the merfolk in the past, resulting in the triple-layered illusion that the players experienced.
Jiang Shishi didn’t understand. He knew the little mermaid was called An An, and he knew the clever little human in the video was also called An An. Even he had even been called An An by his bad brother.
There were just too many An Ans to keep track of.
Confused, he could only quietly stare at the human woman in front of him, who had the same dark eyes as his little mermaid. Her voice also sounded a lot like the little mermaid An An.
The argument, or rather An An’s one-sided outburst, quickly came to an end. Xu Jiling held the exhausted An An tightly in his arms. He gently patted her back, and after a while, he sighed and said, “Since you want to know, let’s hear what the detectives you invited have to say. But you must promise me, no matter what you hear, don’t become obsessed with the so-called truth anymore.”
“Okay, Brother Jiling, please check the guest’s hand first. He’s really badly injured,” An An said, still concerned about the guest’s injured arm. She then ran to get the first aid kit.
Her busy movements caught Jiang Shishi’s attention, making him follow her with his eyes.
Finally, Xu Jiling walked up to Jiang Zuo and asked, “How did you get injured?”
Hearing this, Jiang Zuo was stunned. He looked at Lin Haoguang beside him and said blankly, “It’s him who’s injured…”
“This joke isn’t funny,” Xu Jiling said expressionlessly. He gestured for Jiang Zuo to remove the bandage while observing the roughly secured arm. “It’s well fixed, did you learn how to do it? But your arm doesn’t seem to have any issues. Just apply some antiseptic, and you’ll be fine. You don’t need to be so nervous next time.”
Jiang Zuo became even more bewildered. He had confirmed that his hand was fractured, even bizarrely bent, and he was certain he had injured a nerve. How could this NPC suggest that applying antiseptic could solve the problem?
Unable to comprehend, it wasn’t until later that he realized the pain in his arm had completely disappeared. Not only could he move it normally, but there wasn’t even a trace of bruising.
This was truly a medical miracle, wasn’t it?
“Here’s some medicine. Just put it on yourself, and you’ll feel better,” Xu Jiling said casually as he handed Jiang Zuo a dark brown bottle without a label from the medicine box. Then, he went back to An An, gently explaining to the guest that he was too nervous and stressed.
As Jiang Zuo touched the bottle, he heard the prompt for the prop beside his ear.
Then he suddenly remembered he was in an unrealistic dungeon, where medical miracles could happen.
Once he realized this, he handed the bottle of healing props for serious injuries to Lin Haoguang without hesitation.
Lin Haoguang didn’t refuse and applied it directly to his arm, which was nothing but bone. However, as time went by, there was still no improvement.
It appears that the skin and flesh damage caused by the blue flame doesn’t qualify as serious injuries.
Certainly, it was impossible to say he wasn’t disappointed.
Seeing the guilt on Jiang Zuo’s face, he put away the medicinal prop in his system and said calmly, “This prop is just your payment for risking your life. I think it’s worth that price, right?”
“It’s worth it!” Jiang Zuo nodded vigorously. He wanted to say more, but An An spoke up before he could.
“I’m very glad that you accepted my invitation to come here,” An An said, seeming to rarely interact with others. Not only did she speak formally, but she also folded her hands on her abdomen and bowed slightly. She smiled and continued, “It will be lunchtime soon. Please allow me to prepare a simple lunch for everyone.”
The sense of familiarity with An An couldn’t be stronger. She was just like little mermaid An An, who appeared much more nervous, and her words weren’t organized smoothly, just like the little mermaid.
They definitely wouldn’t believe it if someone claimed An An wasn’t related to the Little Mermaid.
The players had initially wanted to say a few polite words and deny the offer, but the timely grumbling of their stomachs interrupted them.
One after another, no one was given a chance to speak.
Time flew by, less than half an hour passed, and almost the whole morning had gone by without them even having the chance to say a few words.
An An first proudly exchanged a few words with Xu Jiling, showing off her skill in inviting guests, before heading to the kitchen.
And with a parting remark of “Guests can sit wherever you like,” Xu Jiling followed suit and headed into the kitchen.
Soon, only the players remained in the living room.
Just as they were about to discuss the new information they heard from An An, Xu Jiling brought out the dishes, with An An by his side, who had been eager to help but was denied.
The speed of serving was even faster than the little butler An An used to do!
An An stood on tiptoes, holding a handkerchief, and reached out her long hand to wipe Xu Jiling’s sweat. She noticed Jiang Shishi looking at her and responded with a bright smile.
Then, when the last serving of tomato and egg drop soup, which was overly generous and thick, was brought out and placed in front of Jiang Shishi. She smiled and said, “I just felt like the guests would like this dish, so I made a bit more.”
The players glanced at An An, then at Jiang Shishi, whose eyes were fixed on the overly filled egg drop soup, and couldn’t help but sense the NPC’s favoritism in their hearts.
During the meal, Jiang Shishi ate all the egg soup by himself. Although it still tasted bland, he could sense the sweetness in the tomato and egg soup. However, he wasn’t very happy because the Little Mermaid was missing.
An’an looked attentively and seriously at Jiang Shishi, who obediently turned to her husband to wipe her mouth. As if talking to herself: “I seem to have seen Shishi in my dream, and we became very good friends.”
After that, she smiled, got up, and said embarrassedly: “I’ve been having quite a lot of dreams lately.”
The players smiled but didn’t respond.
Could they not enjoy the meal for a minute?
After all, they’ve been facing battle royale almost every day in the copy! Finally, after their luck and hard work that brought them here to enjoy this meal!
Xu Jiling cleared the dishes, ensuring not even a drop of juice remained. With a gaze full of mercy, he looked at the guests with eyes that seemed to hold an indescribable sense of pity.
Perhaps they couldn’t even afford a meal, which is why they took on this case from An An, which seemed to have no beginning or end.
As Xu Jiling cleared the empty plates and walked to the kitchen, An An finally spoke: “So now, please tell me what truth you have uncovered.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the entire world plunged into darkness, or rather, the players were surrounded by darkness.
An An before them remained unchanged, but her once-dark hair now bore a gradual blue hue.
Soon dark red comments flooded in like rolling waves.
[Who knew that we had to wait this long for all the players to die?]
[Stupid copy!]
[The Black Pearl can’t just pass by like that! This is the most dangerous time; they’re definitely going to die!]
[Oh, but for some reason I have a feeling that we’re going to lose money.]
[Is upstairs losing their mind??]
[What a waste! The script always keeps them until the last moment!]
[Damn it, what a messy plot! The NPC is sick! It keeps reminding me that I still need to file a complaint!]
These are just the beginning of the malice. The audience vented their dissatisfaction with even more vicious words, and the entire dark world was filled with almost nothing but curses.
An An felt like there was a lot of red mist blocking her vision. She raised her hand and gently rubbed her eyes. Blue sparks spread from her hair, illuminating the dark red text nearby. In an instant, flames engulfed the area.
When An An opened her eyes again, there was no barrage from the audience.
The players watching all this felt extremely conflicted. Just when they thought An An’s little butler was powerful and could not favor anyone, they were proved wrong by Jiang Shishi.
And just when they thought An An was harmless, blue flames erupted from her hair, silencing the live barrage.
“Why are you quiet? Is there… no update?” An An asked nervously, gripping her skirt tightly with both hands and leaning forward slightly, her hair turning darker blue.
“No, of course not,” You Wusi replied calmly, observing An An, whose demeanor seemed quite different from the one he encountered when piecing together clues in the illusion.
He added, “Actually, we’ve uncovered the whole truth, but Miss An An, are you certain you truly want to know it? Forgetting the pain might bring confusion, but living with clarity means facing ongoing suffering.”
Listening to this, An An fell silent. Even though she couldn’t recall many details from the past, a profound sense of pain lingered in her dreams, intertwined with memories of Teacher Qi’s soothing singing, leaving her with only hazy and fragmented images.
Despite feeling like falling into an abyss, she was determined. She simply wanted to confront everything with clarity, no matter how harsh the truth might be.
With determination, she said firmly, “I want to hear it.”
“It all starts with your mother, Mrs. Yun,” You Wusi said calmly, his tone devoid of any fluctuations, as he recounted the events objectively and fairly, beginning from Mrs. Yun’s departure from home and continuing until the theft of the black pearl ten years later.
He didn’t describe Mrs. Yun’s relationship with her pen pal in detail, nor did he explain how Mr. Wang and Mrs. Yun got along. Even the phrase “getting out of one’s heart and soul” was only four words long. In short, he barely mentioned anything about it.
From an outsider’s perspective, he summed up half of Mrs. Yun’s life in the simplest way. And that black pearl, being Mrs. Yun’s heart can naturally be considered a part of her life.
“Even though it’s a bit strange, I believe Miss An An should be able to accept Mrs. Yun’s somewhat unusual background,” You Wusi remarked, noticing the confusion in An An’s eyes.
“After the black pearl was stolen, an illusion created by the mermaid surrounded the entire villa. Your father got trapped in the illusion and couldn’t break free,” You Wusi added.
The players listened to You Wusi’s explanation and couldn’t shake off the feeling that he was deceiving the NPC, despite knowing that every word was based on their thorough investigation. It felt like he was just narrating a story without any emotion or engagement.
“So, was my mother a mermaid?” An An struggled to remember her mother, but all she could recall was her gentle smile. Other details didn’t seem to connect her to being a mermaid.
“Of course, the most common thing she could recall from her memory was “’An An is the strongest and cutest little mermaid.'”
She looked down at her legs and said uncertainty: “So, does that mean I am…”
“You have mixed blood,” You Wusi adjusted his glasses and said seriously. “To be precise, genetically speaking, you appear more human on the outside.”
As for Inside, An An’s power to maintain illusions was enough to illustrate her potential as a mermaid, despite appearing more human-like genetically.
Looking at An An’s still confused expression, he continued: “Do you think you can accept this truth?”
An An wondered if she could change the story, even if she didn’t accept it. She felt that You Wusi was either making up a story or accurately fabricating it based on his mother’s kind-hearted compliments to her when she was young. However, the plot seemed too simple, and just hearing it wasn’t convincing enough for her.
An An couldn’t shake off the anger brewing inside her as she pondered her father’s deception of her mother. It wasn’t merely a matter of recalling past events; the betrayal cut deep into her heart, igniting a fierce resentment towards her father’s actions.
An An gazed at You Wusi and spoke softly, “I detest deception and lies the most. I expect guests to stand by every word they utter. So, where is the evidence?”
Her voice remained gentle,
but to the players’ ears, it all sounded incredibly cold.
Jiang Shishi, who had been absent-minded, caught the specific words that once were spoken by the little mermaid puppet. He suddenly raised his head and stared straight at this human-like An An, looking at her for a long, long time.
Silently, he raised his paw and opened and closed it twice.
However, he couldn’t catch it…
So, how is he going to take the Little Mermaid away?
Author’s note:
The author holding wild grass (humming a song): He’s still there, dreaming of taking the little mermaid away.
You Wusi: I’m really a forgiving corpse, unlike a certain little NPC.
Poor Shi Shi has lost his friend (and advocate, scolding You Wusi for picking on his wife) 😭
Thank you for the chapter 😍 ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
I love how those detestable audience keep getting their face slapped 😏
Thank you for the chapter 💕
An An let’s find the truth together
Thank you for your translation 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛