When he woke up, Lansi opened his eyes and found himself leaning against a large sheet of white film.
His nest currently made up only a third of it, and it now resembled a white cocoon with an open gap at the top right corner.
Sleeping inside a nest of his own making felt so comforting that Lansi couldn't help but yawn softly. He leaned against the soft cocoon wall, overcome with drowsiness.
He was so tired.
This cocoon was different from the one he had first stayed in.
The previous one had been made of a translucent white film, soft to the touch and able to let in light. But this time, anyone could tell at a glance that this nest had been formed with Lansi's own blood. The cocoon's shell was thicker and more opaque. It wouldn't allow any light through, which also meant that if Lansi went dormant inside, he wouldn't be aware of anything happening outside.
[Lansi?]
A pale red little octopus floated by, drifting around the edge of the cocoon. It swam to the top and called Lansi's name in a soft, childlike voice.
[Lansi, wake up. You need to eat.]
Lansi slowly opened his eyes at the sound of the voice. He looked at the little octopus, still half-asleep and visibly confused.
His thoughts felt like a sluggish paste, swirling in slow circles. He hadn't quite figured out what the octopus was trying to say.
[Little octopus?]
Lansi murmured, and then, as if something clicked, a spark of realization lit up his face and he burst into laughter.
[Hahaha... Wen Yu?]
Oh no. In Lansi's mind, Wen Yu had always been a cold, serious figure—tall and imposing, always stern and composed. But now, that aloof image had been replaced by a soft, round, squishy little octopus.
It was killing him.
His laughter quickly drove away the remaining traces of sleep. Chuckling, Lansi swam out of the cocoon and began to chase after the little octopus.
[Are you really Wen Yu? Would it hurt if I bit you?]
If the little octopus had a human expression, it would definitely be full of black lines right now.
But regardless, the little octopus had done its job. Lansi was fully awake and hadn't fallen back into sleep.
Listening to his teasing, the little octopus bobbed on the surface of the pool, leading Lansi to swim upward.
[Okay, enough talking. You'll waste energy and get hungry faster.]
And if he got hungry too quickly, he might lose control again. The little octopus had no interest in getting chased around by a half-crazed Lansi in another game of life-and-death tag.
[Are you really an octopus?]
Lansi's curiosity was intense. He quickly flicked his tail and gave chase, finally managing to scoop up the little creature with both hands. A look of delight spread across his face.
[Wow, you really jiggle like jelly.]
The little octopus was just about the size of Lansi's palm. He poked and squeezed it, genuinely intrigued. Then he couldn't help but start wondering how it would taste.
Little octopus: […]
His little fish seemed to really enjoy octopus balls.
So when Wen Yu came out of the villa, he was greeted by the sight of Lansi sitting beside the pool, mouth open, just about to take a bite out of a dumpling-sized octopus.
Wen Yu sighed. "Don't eat weird things."
Thankfully, he had already shifted his consciousness away from the little octopus. He had no desire to be chewed up by Lansi.
Caught red-handed, Lansi panicked and let go of the octopus. It plopped into the pool with a soft splash, landing against the surface before sinking beneath the water.
There was a brief silence. Then Lansi looked up at Wen Yu with a serious expression.
[Wen Yu, does your head hurt?]
"…It doesn't. Come eat something."
This time, it was deep-sea fish soup again.
Since Lansi had entered his nesting period, his physical stamina had plummeted. As a result, his appetite had doubled.
With twice the appetite and special nutrient-rich fish, Wen Yu could at least keep Lansi well-fed. That helped Lansi stay sane most of the time. Although he occasionally lost control, he always seemed to remember everything afterward, which led to some very awkward situations.
Like now.
Lansi remembered the kiss from yesterday. He was still incredibly embarrassed about it. He avoided speaking to Wen Yu, wouldn't make eye contact, and acted like a shy child every time Wen Yu came close.
Wen Yu, of course, noticed the behavior. But he actually liked seeing Lansi so bashful, so he deliberately teased him. He reached out, twisted a strand of Lansi's hair between his fingers, and rubbed it gently.
"Yesterday, we kissed."
Lansi, in the middle of eating, nearly choked.
He struggled to swallow the fish soup, then yanked his hair back from Wen Yu's hand and shouted:
[That wasn't a kiss! I was saving your life!]
"But we were already above the water when we kissed again."
Wen Yu looked at him seriously. "Do you like me?"
[I like your big watermelon!]
Lansi threw his spoon down angrily. [You're so shameless!]
Wen Yu thought about that for a moment. He decided Lansi was probably right. After all, his physical body didn't come with a face—it had been custom-built later.
After his outburst, Lansi abruptly turned and dove into the water.
Wen Yu: ?
Ten seconds later, Lansi resurfaced with the little octopus in his hand, a grave expression on his face.
With a furious glare, he hurled the little octopus straight at Wen Yu.
[Both of you, get out of my sight!]
Wen Yu was knocked backward by the impact of his third "persona."
Wen Yu: "…"
After that dramatic gesture, Lansi took several deep breaths. Then, his eyes welled up and he began to sob.
[My life is so miserable, wu wu wu.]
Tiny white pearls of tears rolled down his cheeks and dropped into the water with soft splashes.
Seeing this, Wen Yu's eyes widened in surprise. A flash of panic surfaced in the depths of his dark pupils.
He couldn't understand how Lansi had suddenly shifted from anger to sadness.
No, something about Lansi's anger earlier hadn't seemed right.
Wen Yu knew that Lansi usually had a gentle temperament. Unless he was pushed to the limit, he would never lash out, especially not at humans. But today, he'd snapped over a little octopus.
It reminded him of Article 3 of the Mermaid Code:
During the nesting period, mermaids are highly sensitive and emotionally volatile. Avoid provoking them under any circumstances, or you'll face the consequences.
Oh, and one more thing: to prevent unnecessary harm, always try to meet a mermaid's needs and remain by their side as much as possible. It helps build a stronger bond.
Lansi cried for a while before reaching up to catch a small pearl that had rolled from the corner of his eye. He stared at it, dazed.
"Lansi?"
Seeing that the white-haired mermaid had finally calmed down, Wen Yu let out a breath of relief and softly called his name.
[Wen Yu.]
Lansi responded to the call, returning to his senses. He swam over, struggled to climb ashore, and wrapped his arms around Wen Yu's waist, snuggling into him like a wounded child.
[I want to give you all my tears.]
A moment ago, he'd been full of fire; now he was all softness, his words melting straight into the heart.
This complete trust, this warm vulnerability—it swept Wen Yu off guard. He couldn't help but return the hug, smiling.
"Then why give me your pearls?"
So, Lansi asked Wen Yu for a piece of cloth and a sewing kit. He said he wanted to make a little bag to carry with him, one that would hold all the pearls he cried in the future.
The request was so adorable Wen Yu couldn't bring himself to say no.
…But the next request was a bit much. After Wen Yu brought out the kit, Lansi insisted he be the one to sew the bag.
Wen Yu stared silently at the cloth in his hand for a few moments, deep in thought.
Maybe he should consider growing a few more tentacles. For functionality.
Seeing Wen Yu hesitate, Lansi pouted and complained:
[Don't you like me? Isn't it fair for me to ask you to make a little love token? Hmph.]
Wen Yu sighed inwardly. Mermaids really were emotional during nesting.
And so, a strange scene played out by the poolside:
The cold, composed colonel—an elite on the battlefield whose hands were more used to wielding weapons—now sat quietly with a silver needle, clumsily stitching crooked lines into fabric.
Thank goodness no one else was around to witness this. If they were, they might either suspect the world had gone mad or poke out their own eyes in disbelief.
Lansi sat next to Wen Yu, watching as he sewed.
[Your stitches are so crooked. They're ugly.]
He couldn't help but comment when Wen Yu tied the final knot.
[And this cloth is terrible. It's all frayed.]
Without missing a beat, Wen Yu tossed the needle back into the sewing box.
"Then don't use it."
[Hmph.]
Despite the complaints, Lansi still grabbed the little black bag Wen Yu had made and dove into the water with it.
Wen Yu watched him swim around. After a while, the mermaid who'd just been complaining returned to the pool's edge, picking up the pearls he'd cried earlier. One by one, he placed them into the bag, his expression serious and focused.
Wen Yu chuckled at the sight.
"Are you really going to pay your debt with pearls?"
Lansi ignored him, completely absorbed in collecting every last pearl. When he was done, he swam back over and gently placed the pouch full of pearls on Wen Yu's knee. After a long pause, he looked up and said quietly:
[You may not like it… but thank you.]
Thank you for saving me. Thank you for teaching me how to build a nest.
Thank you for taking care of me.
Wen Yu's eyes widened slightly. He touched the little pouch, feeling the weight of the pearls inside. A warmth bloomed in his chest, as though someone had lit a small stove in his heart.
Just then, Wen Yu's communicator lit up.
Lansi noticed and swam a little farther away, waving at him playfully:
[I'm going to work on the nest. See you next time.]
With a flick of his tail, he dove and vanished into the depths.
Wen Yu looked down at the black pouch on his knee, then carefully tucked it into the pocket near his heart before activating the communicator.
It was a text message from Dr. Mu Rin:
[Come quickly to the C42 Lower District. There's an abnormal creature.]
Even in the post-apocalyptic world, despite the protective walls humans had built to keep mutated beasts out, some always found a way in.
Wen Yu glanced at the message and closed the communicator, unimpressed.
Usually, patrol guards handled this kind of thing. If they were asking him, it must be serious—or an utter waste of his time.
A few minutes later, the communicator buzzed again. Another message. This one was marked urgent.
Wen Yu frowned, hesitating, but eventually opened it.
It was still from Dr. Mu Rin, and the message had changed:
[It's a fake mermaid that escaped from the lab. Civilians can't handle it.]
Wen Yu's expression darkened.
After a long silence, he stood up from the poolside and walked back into the villa.