Chapter 224: Mermaid Base
Chapter 224: Chapter 224: Mermaid Base
Everyone had been listening intently to Shen Yan’s account, but as he reached the end, their expressions turned grave.
Lu Jingyu scrutinized Shen Yan and asked, "So you’re saying you are the root cause of everything happening here today?"
Shen Yan took a deep breath, shot Lu Jingyu a glance, and guiltily lowered his head. "You could say that. Back then, I was the one who had the Mermaids brought here to conduct the subsequent experiments."
Xu Qingsui’s expression soured, but her tone remained relatively mild. "What happened next? What were the results of the experiments? And why was this place abandoned?"
Shen Yan certainly hadn’t wanted things to escalate to this point. Blaming and condemning him wouldn’t change anything now; the priority was for him to provide clues to help them survive the current instance.
Hearing Xu Qingsui’s voice, Shen Yan looked up again. Seeing that she didn’t mean to blame him at all, the burden on his chest lightened considerably.
"That was our first foray into spiritual experimentation, and we were woefully underprepared. After injecting the experimental serum, the Mermaids had violent reactions, which triggered a riot. It took tremendous effort and the sacrifice of many Sentinels to bring the situation under control.
"To prevent the riot from spilling over and endangering more people, orders were issued to slaughter all the Mermaids and permanently seal the chemical plant. Only then was the situation truly contained."
As she listened to Shen Yan, Xu Qingsui couldn’t help but feel there were glaring inconsistencies in his story. She thought for a moment, gazing directly into his eyes. "If they were entirely wiped out, what is happening now?"
Shen Yan’s gaze flickered before he muttered, "Before the chemical plant was sealed, the Survival Team organized their members to cull them. But the Mermaids reproduced incredibly fast. By that point, we had no idea exactly how many were left.
"Just to be safe, when we sealed the facility, we deployed poison gas bombs to eliminate any Mermaids that might have slipped through the cracks. After that, the chemical plant was permanently shut down. We never sent anyone back in to confirm the aftermath, so..."
Shen Yan’s voice grew quieter until it was practically inaudible.
He was typically a meticulous person, but this situation had been highly unusual. Without a suitable way to verify the aftermath, and with the chemical plant remaining quiet ever since, he had gradually pushed the matter to the back of his mind. Today, however, the moment he learned something had gone wrong at the chemical plant, those forgotten memories came rushing back.
At first, he had clung to a sliver of hope, guessing that the original source of contamination had simply never been fully eradicated. But the moment he heard about Wang Qiang’s encounter, he knew with absolute certainty that this disaster was the fallout of their early Mermaid experiments. It would be no exaggeration to call him the chief culprit behind today’s disaster.
Now that they knew the root cause, everyone’s gaze toward Shen Yan subtly shifted. He was once a titan of the scientific research community, but in this moment, he was nothing more than the sinner who had spawned this contamination.
Amidst the flurry of judgment, Xu Qingsui’s expression remained unchanged, unsurprised by the revelation. What was truly surprising, however, was Lu Jingyu. Aside from his initial probing remark, he hadn’t shown a shred of resentment toward Shen Yan even after hearing the full confession.
In fact, just as Shen Yan was struggling to lift his head under the crushing weight of everyone’s stares, Lu Jingyu spoke up again.
"Scientific research is inherently rife with uncertainty. Even the everyday serums we use have undergone countless trials, many of which undoubtedly resulted in adverse effects. It’s unavoidable.
"We can’t just reap the benefits of these experiments while refusing to bear the challenges they create. That’s exactly what we’re here to do today.
"Boss Shen, try to recall if there’s any useful information from your research on the Mermaids that could help us deal with the Mermaid Mutants. If we all pull together, we can clear this instance as quickly as possible."
Shen Yan wondered if Lu Jingyu was actually defending him. He stared at the man in astonishment. Under the circumstances, he would have thanked his lucky stars if Lu Jingyu merely refrained from kicking him while he was down. He never expected the man to actually bail him out.
Hearing Lu Jingyu’s words, the rest of the team reined in their judging stares. They immediately began preparing themselves, bracing for the Mermaid’s song that could echo out at any moment.
"Don’t look at me like that," Lu Jingyu remarked dismissively, noting Shen Yan’s lingering gaze. "If you want to thank me, focus on providing us with the Mermaids’ weaknesses."
Shen Yan withdrew his gaze, cupping his chin as he pondered for a moment. "The defining trait of the Mermaids is their overwhelmingly formidable Spiritual Power. They have their own methods of attacking human spirit bodies—exactly like what’s happening to Wang Qiang right now!"
At the mention of Spiritual Power, Shen Yan’s gaze drifted toward Xu Qingsui, seemingly on purpose. Out of everyone present, Xu Qingsui was the only one who specialized in Spiritual Power. If they were going to counter the spiritual-type Mermaids, they would likely have to rely heavily on her.
Feeling his gaze, Xu Qingsui immediately sensed the mounting pressure. She wanted to resolve the crisis at hand just as much as anyone, but the Golden Octopus had already warned her that her current abilities weren’t enough. She sighed inwardly. She had thought her rate of improvement was decent, but it was clear she still had a long way to go.
Shen Yan looked away and continued, "So, from this moment on, everyone must stay on high alert. If you notice anything even slightly off, speak up immediately. With so many of us, we’re bound to catch inconsistencies early, which will minimize the chances of suffering massive spiritual damage without even realizing it."
Lu Jingyu nodded. Knowing that his teammates still held a grudge against Shen Yan, he reiterated the man’s key points to ensure the message sank in.
But just as he was speaking, one of the team members’ expressions shifted abruptly. Looking at the person next to him with profound confusion, he asked, "What are you singing?"
His question was so abrupt that everyone immediately snapped their attention toward him. Clearly oblivious to what was happening, the man pricked up his ears again.
Just then, a figure darted in front of him, and a pair of small hands firmly clamped over his ears. The very second his ears were covered, the confusion clouding the team member’s eyes vanished, replaced by sudden clarity.
"What just happened to me?" he asked belatedly, still struggling to process the situation.
"Everyone, be careful! The Mermaids are back!"
Xu Qingsui dropped her hands from the man’s ears and instantly scanned their surroundings with fierce vigilance. The Mermaids had just launched a Spiritual Attack right in front of her, yet if it hadn’t been for his bizarre behavior, she wouldn’t have sensed a thing.
It seemed the Golden Octopus had been entirely correct—she still wasn’t qualified to handle the Mermaids’ Spiritual Attacks.
Xu Qingsui’s expression darkened as she carefully scrutinized their surroundings, hoping to find a weak point. Spurred by the sudden ambush and her sharp warning, the rest of the team quickly rallied their spirits and stood at the ready.