Chapter 606: Time Limit

    Shen Nianzu was indeed in the Butcher House right now.

    As for how he ended up in this abominable location, of all places, it could be traced back to when he first shed off his tail and went ashore a couple of hours ago.

    Shen Nianzu admitted with all honesty that it was a huge oversight on his part. With the goal to find his teammates, he had mapped out his future course of action well. First, he planned to find a human settlement and blend in, then he would find the opportunity to hitch a ride to the city. Once he arrived there, everything would be easier. All he had to do was leave their team’s special sign on multiple places, and once they noticed it, they would immediately know where to find him. The worst case scenario would be that both Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin had been assigned to the garuda territory, which was located high up in the sky. If that was the case, the signals Shen Nianzu left behind would be all for nothing.

    But still, he was not particularly anxious. His teammates might be a little chaotic and wild at times, but they were not foolish. They would definitely be able to find a way to reunite somehow.

    That’s right, Shen Nianzu believed wholeheartedly that his teammates must also be searching for him, especially Jin Jiuchi.

    That stubborn husky would stop at nothing to find him, even if he had to turn the whole city upside down. Not to mention, he was extremely clingy and had a chronic case of separation anxiety—who knew how much chaos he had stirred up in the meantime!

    The mere thought of his lover brought a smile to Shen Nianzu’s face, filling him with a renewed surge of energy.

    Alas, reality always had a way to slap you on the face.

    Never in a million years could Shen Nianzu expect he would fail even before completing the first step of his plan.

    He had taken everything into consideration, such as fabricating his background, what excuse to give when hitching a ride, where to go first thing when he reached the city... yet he still overlooked one crucial factor—his beauty.

    Siren possessed a natural beauty that could charm and bewitch people, even their voices carried an intoxicating lull, and that wasn’t something Shen Nianzu could change simply by concealing his face with a hood and only speaking when necessary. He had underestimated the level of sensitivity the seaside citizens had toward sirens. For the very first second he stepped onto the small town, his real identity had been exposed, peeled down to the very core.

    Everything went downhill from there on. Shen Nianzu didn’t even want to recall them anymore because of how humiliating it was.

    Long story short, he was ambushed by a group of people, and when he woke up again, he found himself in the Butcher House— to be more precise, the warehouse where the sirens were kept, dead or alive.

    The warehouse maintained a low temperature throughout to preserve the freshness of the meat.

    Shen Nianzu gasped awake, not from the cold—as a sea creature who lived in the depths of the ocean, he had become immune to the cold—but from the parched feeling on his throat. His mind only stayed muddled for two seconds at most before he snapped back to clarity, his exquisite features contorting in a frustrated grimace.

    Damn it, he had been too careless!

    He had no idea how much time had passed since he lost consciousness, but the situation certainly did not bode well for him.

    The dryness in his throat persisted, making him feel like his throat was on fire, and his skin felt tight and uncomfortable. His legs also had the tendency to merge together, but fortunately he was wearing trousers right now, which prevented him from transforming directly. He so desperately wanted to douse a bucket of water over himself and chug down a gallon of water down his throat— it was an urge so intense and all-consuming that Shen Nianzu felt himself getting more and more irritable with each passing second.

    Judging from his own condition, he knew that the effects of the potion would not last much longer. And worse, he no longer had a single potion on him! All his belongings had been snatched away when he was ambushed!

    Fuck, Shen Nianzu once again cursed his horrible luck.

    He attempted to move, only to realize that both of his wrists were bound together with a single chain, effectively restraining most of his movements. Worse still, he was currently locked in a metal cage which was extremely dirty and reeked heavily of blood, death, and various excrements, sending a wave of nausea to the pit of his stomach.

    His movement caused the chain to clink softly, drawing the attention of the tall and burly butcher towering over the counter nearby.

    "You’re awake?" his gruff voice sounded, tinged with a hint of sinister malice.

    Still suppressing his nausea and the intense thirst, it took Shen Nianzu a while to register that the butcher was holding a chopping knife, while blood splattered all over his plastic apron, some even got to his face. Meanwhile, atop the counter lay a... siren— a dead siren that had been cut into two from the waist, revealing the inner flesh and bones. The butcher was currently processing her soft intestines.

    The beautiful siren’s blonde hair was spread atop the counter, sticky with blood, while her dead eyes stared vacantly in Shen Nianzu’s direction, making his stomach convulse with another wave of nausea.

    Shen Nianzu had been through many Cycles before, each with its own cruelty and bloodshed, but never before had he ever felt such a strong disgust and repulsion.

    Was it because he was a siren too now?

    His strong reaction seemed to fuel the butcher’s sadistic delight, for a dark grin spread across his face. "Count yourself lucky that you’re still alive to see this, little fish. Wait until the effect of the potion wears off and I find out the color of your tail, then you can join your kind. Judging from your appearance alone, you look like you can be a high quality delicacy." He licked his lips as if savoring the taste he would acquire later.

    Shen Nianzu received the message loud and clear—he would only survive up until the time limit of the potion. If he still had not found a way to escape, then it would be the end of him.

    Shen Nianzu slowly clenched his fists, his gaze lowered to hide the cold glint in his pale purple eyes.

    Now, how should he break free from this damned place? He had nothing but this single set of clothing on his body. Besides, his wrist was bound and he had an innate disadvantage of being on land. Unless absolutely dire and he was on the verge of death, he was reluctant to use his life-saving prop.

    After considering his choices and eliminating them one by one, he was left with only one option, and that was when the butcher dragged him out of the cage and onto the chopping counter.

    That was Shen Nianzu’s only chance to act.