Chapter 607: I’m Here

    It went without saying that this choice came with its own risks. For starters, he could not gauge the butcher’s strength. In one-on-one confrontation, could he overpower the other person and seize the chance to flee? What was waiting for him outside this dim and bloody warehouse?

    Shen Nianzu could not tell for certain.

    He tried to reach the novice tutorial in his mind to see whether he would receive a hint or a guide, yet the floating screen remained unresponsive. It must be because this part was not included in the main storyline, Shen Nianzu reckoned. After all, it was all due to his carelessness that he landed here and hence he had no choice but to fend for himself.

    Alas, Shen Nianzu was not given much time to think or ponder over his own situation.

    A searing pain suddenly radiated from his lower abdomen, causing him to collapse with a muffled groan. His pupils dilated sharply, and his human ears began to harden and elongate, on the verge of transforming into gills. His breath came out in raspy gasps, and his enchanting voice was extremely hoarse,

    "W-Water..." he beseeched.

    The butcher’s murky eyes lit up. "Is it time?"

    He swiftly finished processing the siren on the counter and packed the remains into a cooler box before striding toward the cage. Upon closer scrutiny, he became more excited because he could already see faint silver scales emerging on the sides of Shen Nianzu’s cheeks and arm.

    Silver! Rarely had he encountered a silver-tailed siren before. This one would fetch a high price for sure— he had hit the jackpot!

    The butcher was so thrilled that he couldn’t wait to unlock the cage and drag Shen Nianzu out, thus missing the ruthless glint in Shen Nianzu’s reddened eyes.

    Although his body had become severely weakened, his mind remained crystal clear. The moment the butcher opened the gate and reached a hand inside, Shen Nianzu’s body instantly entered the state of combat— it was now or never!

    In a sudden burst of strength, he grabbed the butcher’s arm and used it as a leverage to propel himself forward. In one fluid motion, he twisted behind the man’s back and looped the chain binding his wrists around the man’s neck!

    The butcher’s neck was abhorrently thick and stout, but Shen Nianzu’s strength was not to be underestimated either. He exerted all of his strength until his wrists were chafed raw, causing the chain to dig mercilessly into the man’s throat, cutting off his airflow!

    Caught off guard, the butcher staggered with a gasp, his face turning blue and black. "You... damned... fish!" he gritted out, bloodshot eyes bulging with fury.

    With a low roar, he twisted his huge body and reached a hand over his shoulder in an attempt to throw Shen Nianzu off his shoulder!

    Sensing the approaching danger, Shen Nianzu’s scalp tingled and he abruptly loosened his hold. Like an agile, slippery eel, he kneed the man’s back and, taking advantage of the momentum, leapt off his back and dashed toward the warehouse door!

    During these few seconds of confrontation, Shen Nianzu had quickly deduced that he was no match against the other person. Perhaps when his physical condition was at its peak, he might have a chance but with the way he was now, he shouldn’t be stubborn and continue to overestimate himself. Therefore, he changed his goal from defeating him to solely focusing on fleeing. His surprise attack had succeeded in catching the other person off guard, and now all he had to do was— run! Run as fast as possible and escape from this place!

    Alas, misfortunes never come singly.

    The moment Shen Nianzu’s instep made contact with the ground, he nearly stumbled due to the weakness and pain shooting up his legs.

    All of a sudden, he seemed to have transformed into a toddler who had barely learned how to walk, his steps shaky and wobbly. It was as if he was struggling to cross a bed of needles, every movement stabbing into his calves with sharp, unforgiving pain.

    He wasn’t even like this when he took his first step on land earlier and he knew the answer in an instant: he was on the verge of reverting to his original form.

    Damn it, damn it, damn it! Shen Nianzu cursed vehemently in his heart. Damn this unreliable body!

    Nonetheless, Shen Nianzu gritted his teeth and persisted, for he truly had no other choice now. If he was caught, only death would await him!

    But how could a siren ever compete with a human in terms of speed on land? Not to mention, the butcher wasn’t particularly injured, just shocked. Realizing that the fish he caught had almost run off, he gave chase in an instant, closing the distance in rapid strides!

    Shen Nianzu only felt a chilling gust sweeping behind his back and the next moment, he was slammed to the ground, the force knocking the air out of his lungs. His vision turned dark for a split second. He could even taste blood in his mouth as he choked on his breath.

    "Where do you think you’re going, huh?" The butcher whispered, his voice a venomous hiss.

    He had wanted to teach this siren a lesson, but in the end he held back the urge because he was reluctant to damage the skin, or else the value would definitely drop. He told himself it was not worth it. Besides, it wasn’t the first or second time he had handled misbehaving sirens.

    Suppressing his anger, he gave a cold grin and dragged Shen Nianzu back inside by grabbing his ankle, which was the siren’s weakest point. No matter how hard Shen Nianzu tried to kick him, it was futile. Even scratching him merely left a thin white scratch, while he himself ended up exhausted and breathless.

    "Give up," he said as he threw Shen Nianzu onto the counter like tossing a flopping fish. "Who told you to come up here? You should have just stayed obediently in the ocean hehe..."

    At this point, Shen Nianzu was almost delirious from the thirst. His entire body felt like it was being roasted alive, and his throat could no longer produce any sound aside from scratchy gasps. The harsh light from the overhead lamp shone down on him, momentarily blinding him and causing him to squint painfully. And when he managed to regain his vision, it was to the sight of the butcher picking up his bloody cleaver.

    No... Shen Nianzu’s pupils tightened, his nerves tensing up like crazy. No—!

    Although the novice tutorial had guaranteed they would not die and would not be injured, it had not mentioned anything about shielding them from pain. Shen Nianzu reckoned that players would most likely gain the ability to heal and bounce back to life after encountering death. That was the only explanation he could come up with, otherwise this inexplicable trait would raise the natives’ suspicion for sure, leading them to be treated as lab subjects.

    In other words, he would still experience the excruciating sensation of his body being chopped into two before the tutorial patched him back. Who in the world would want that?!

    "Now let’s see what kind of siren you are..." the butcher’s gleaming knife slashed down, cutting into his slim waist. A burst of blood splattered all over the counter like a crimson fountain. The sharp and intense pain caused Shen Nianzu to break out into cold sweat. Reluctant as he might be, he had no other choice but to use one of his life-saving props.

    Gritting his teeth, Shen Nianzu was ready to activate it when—

    BOOM— CRASH!

    The warehouse door was kicked open from outside, directly tearing it off its hinges and sending it crashing to the ground with a thunderous sound.

    Startled, the butcher whipped his head up in anger. "Who the fu—" he had not even finished his sentence when a devastating blow struck him, so fast that he could not clearly see where it had come from, sending his huge body flying through the air and toward the cooler boxes lined up against the wall, toppling them like dominoes. He slumped lifelessly on the ground, blood flowing out of the gaping hole on his chest.

    And in front of Shen Nianzu stood a very familiar and dear figure.

    "Nian’er, I’m here..." Jin Jiuchi grinned softly at him, his black hair tousled from the wind.

    Shen Nianzu stared at him in a daze, unable to believe what he was seeing. Yet the moment the familiar warmth embraced his icy cold body, the moment he felt Jin Jiuchi nuzzling his face affectionately onto the crook of his neck, murmuring, "I finally found you, Nian’er... I missed you so much," Shen Nianzu instantly burst into tears.