Mutual Redemption with the Villainous Boss [Infinite] - Chapter 16

Zhu Ci looked down at the piece of paper. Strange characters were written beneath the phrase: “Treasure and Sacrifice, Merfolk and Mankind.”

There was nothing else attached to it, yet Tana said she could already solve it.

She looked up at Tana. The other girl’s face was as calm as water, her eyes carrying a faint, unchanging smile. After a moment of thought, Zhu Ci summoned her gun.

The moment the paper touched the gun, it suddenly burst into flames. Startled by the heat, Zhu Ci flicked her hand, and the paper fell to the ground.

A long string of English letters and numbers stretched across the paper, rearranging themselves into a single sentence:

“My eyes are blue.”

The paper burned away.

Witnessing this, she looked up once more at Tana.

Seeing her gaze, Tana spoke in a deep, steady voice: “Creatures living on land have eyes dyed the colors of the sky, the forest, or the earth. But will creatures living in the water be dyed the color of the sea?”

The paper torn from the notebook found in that room belonged to the person who owned that work log—a person with blue eyes.

The Boss had taken items from the drawer but overlooked the hidden compartment, which meant it wasn’t his room. On a ship, the only person who would possess so many work documents and personnel management records was the Captain.

The Captain had told them who he was from the very beginning.

The man wearing a mask, who loved to stand on the second-floor balcony and maintain total control.

The ocean is blue, and the creatures living in the sea have blue eyes. Did Isaac, with his deep blue eyes, once live in the water?

Having puzzled out the connections, Zhu Ci faced Tana with a smile. “What’s going on? I thought you were letting me solve it myself. Why give me a hint?”

“It’s not a hint; I was just afraid you wouldn’t figure it out,” Tana said, her eyes shifting guiltily to the left after being caught. “I am not allowed to give hints.”

Someone had mentioned “hints” last night, and now she was contradicting herself with excuses.

“Alright then, I guess I just overthought it,” Zhu Ci said. She watched the disappointment flicker across the other’s face and decided to stop teasing her.

Suddenly, the communication card vibrated. she picked it up, and He Fanghui’s anxious voice came through: “Where are you? We’re all in the banquet hall.”

“I’m on the second floor of the living quarters. The signal cut out earlier.”

The duration of the Sensory Vanisher had ended, and she felt the throbbing pain return to her shoulder.

“We’re coming to find you, don’t move,” Yu Jiayi added over the line.

“Don’t worry. I already know how to crack this. Go straight to the fifth floor; I’ll meet you there immediately.”

The others agreed and hung up. Zhu Ci bit her lower lip, enduring the sudden surge of pain.

“Its time has ended,” Tana observed, looking at her.

“Yes, just like in the previous dungeon. But unfortunately, you can’t find me another item to nullify the pain this time.”

Zhu Ci recalled their previous encounter and gave her a small, joking smile to ease her worry.

Tana shook her head. “It’s alright. You’ll be out soon. As long as you leave the dungeon alive, all the injuries you sustained will disappear.”

“I guess you aren’t worried about me anymore.”

“I don’t need to be. Your companions will find you soon. Your human companions.”

There was a hint of sadness in those words.

Zhu Ci used her uninjured left hand to pat the top of Tana’s head. “You are my companion too. My Calamity companion.”

“That’s just a title in the game,” Tana pouted, seemingly embarrassed to mention the name.

“Go on, Zhu Ci. They must have arrived,” Tana said, stepping back two paces and looking up at her. “The dungeon is ending, and I must leave as well.”

“We’ll meet again next time, right?”

“Mhm. Until next time.”

Tana continued to back away into the shadows until she vanished.

“Hey, wait!” Zhu Ci suddenly realized something was off and shouted into the darkness. “How do you know my name?”

For a long time, there was no reply.

On the fifth floor, the three of them were waiting, trying to figure out how to enter.

When Zhu Ci arrived, He Fanghui, dressed in a sharp shirt and trousers, leaned back and said flippantly, “Yo, you finally showed up. I didn’t think you were the type to be late at a time like this.”

“Just like I didn’t expect you to be wearing black and white,” Zhu Ci shot back habitually. “I thought you were the ‘I’ll die if I don’t wear bright colors’ type.”

Chen Jian was busy tinkering with a computer. A cable from the device was plugged into the data port of the fifth-floor lock. He was typing so intently he didn’t even notice her arrival.

Yu Jiayi waved her communication card and said, “I was about to call you again. Good thing you made it. Chen Jian is cracking the lock; he says he can handle it.”

“Yeah, this guy is actually pretty amazing,” He Fanghui said, walking over to sling an arm around Chen Jian, making him jump. “Let’s bring him along when we form a team.”

Chen Jian kept typing, his compass sitting beside him. Zhu Ci walked over, picked it up, and asked, “Did Isaac go back?”

“He went back ten minutes ago. The water surface calmed down, so he definitely thinks you’re dead,” Chen Jian replied without looking up. “When did you get here? You’re too slow.”

“Yet you’re still picking the lock,” she countered. She studied the compass for a moment, curious, but didn’t disturb him.

“Tell us your plan,” Yu Jiayi said. “We still don’t know the answer to the riddle.”

“The plan is simple,” Zhu Ci said. “We make Isaac cry.”

“Ugh, I hate it when men cry. It sounds terrible,” He Fanghui interrupted with a frown.

Zhu Ci gestured for her to wait and continued, “Because we need to collect his tears.”

“He is the real mermaid.”

In the legends, mermaids possessed beautiful voices that lured sailors to the depths of hell. And their tears, if they fell to the ground, would turn into lustrous, translucent pearls. They were something the whole world lusted after.

Finally, Chen Jian pressed the last key. The lock emitted a beep and popped open.

The four of them crept inside quietly. He Fanghui took the lead, searching every room. At the end of the corridor, they found a dark red door. It was slightly ajar, and heavy water vapor seeped through the crack.

As they pushed the door open, a melodious song drifted out:

“Travelers of the deep, do not fret, The sailboats above are still in motion. A little fish, Leaves its home, Swims into the emerald sea, Only to protect its mother…”

The song was enchanting and soul-stirring. Chen Jian’s eyes grew misty until Zhu Ci snapped him out of it with a slap.

“Stay calm. Don’t let it bewitch you.”

Chen Jian regained his senses, clutching his compass tightly to steady his heart.

He Fanghui drew her dagger, and Yu Jiayi summoned her weapon—the Butterfly Twin Blades.

Zhu Ci looked at her own knife and then at theirs, feeling a wave of envy. Their weapons were so cool, while she was stuck with a watermelon knife. It wasn’t quite long enough or short enough, making it awkward to swing—though it was great for slicing fruit.

Chen Jian didn’t move, still hugging his compass. Zhu Ci asked, “Aren’t you going to take out a weapon? No one’s going to protect you in a minute.”

“I already have it,” he replied.

“Where?”

“Here, this is it,” he said, gesturing to the compass in his hands.

“You really are a scholar with no combat power,” she remarked.

The lyrics repeated. Yu Jiayi immediately threw her twin blades toward the source of the vapor.

The singing stopped. The sound of splashing water followed, as if someone was emerging. Behind the curtain, Isaac stood naked, a shimmering deep-blue fish tail extending from his waist.

He pressed both hands to the ground and let out a roar. The tail split apart, transforming into two human-like legs. Using these legs, he lunged straight for the weakest link—Chen Jian!

Chen Jian screamed and hid behind Zhu Ci. Yu Jiayi flipped her hands, and the Butterfly Blades flew back to her palms, slicing across Isaac’s waist.

He fell to the ground in pain. The area where he was cut turned to ash before gradually restoring itself. It seemed he could regenerate.

“You! How did you get in here!”

Isaac’s blue eyes darted to a dog whistle sitting nearby. Zhu Ci anticipated his move, rolling toward it and snatching the whistle first. Then, with a flick of her wrist, she hurled the watermelon knife, hitting him square in the chest.

While he was preoccupied with the pain and trying to pull the knife out, He Fanghui suddenly leaped onto his back, grabbed his hair, and laughed maniacally. She drew her dagger and launched a fierce assault on his legs!

Once, twice, three times… dozens of strikes.

The pain made him spin in circles, trying to shake He Fanghui off, but he failed. Seizing the moment, Yu Jiayi struck with her twin blades. Large chunks of fish scales were shorn off.

Unable to withstand the onslaught, Isaac collapsed to his knees. His two legs merged back into a massive fish tail.

He trembled and asked, “Why… I only wanted to…”

“Come on, cry for big sister,” He Fanghui said, trailing her dagger across his face, leaving thin trails of blood. “Cry for me.”

He Fanghui was facing him with her back to the other three. Though Zhu Ci couldn’t see her expression, she imagined it was terrifying. Because a second later, Isaac began to weep.

Zhu Ci raised her gun. There was only one bullet left. She fired at Isaac’s face.

The bullet flew out and transformed into a net as thin as silk, catching a single tear as it fell. When it touched the ground, it reshaped itself into a small glass bottle containing a perfectly round, snowy-white pearl.

A familiar mechanical female voice echoed through the air, reaching every player:

“Congratulations to player Zhu Ci for solving 100% of the puzzles in the Multi-player Simple difficulty dungeon ‘The Mermaid’s Treasure.’ Awarded 2,000 points. Players Yu Jiayi, He Fanghui, and Chen Jian solved 90% of the puzzles, awarded 1,800 points. Player Xiao Die solved 30%, awarded 600 points. Remaining players solved 27%, awarded 540 points. Player Zhu Ci retains the SSR card ‘Mermaid’s Healing.’ The limited SR card ‘Water-Melted Mermaid’s Tear’ is retracted. Other players’ Mall-purchased item cards are retained.”

The faint glow on the gun vanished—the SR card had indeed been taken back. Chen Jian gasped in amazement, “Wow, you actually have an SSR card? I’ve never seen one. But do NPCs need item cards too?”

Zhu Ci still didn’t feel like talking to him. She handed the communication card back to Yu Jiayi. “Take this back; I don’t need it anymore.”

“Keep it,” Yu Jiayi said, her lips curling into a slight smile. “I don’t have anyone else to talk to. I’ll come find you after we exit the dungeon.”

“Find me?”

“Yes. Didn’t we say we were going to team up?” Yu Jiayi’s smile deepened, her usual cold expression vanishing, leaving the other three momentarily dazed.

“How did you get 100% on the puzzles?” Chen Jian rubbed his nose, still unable to figure it out.

Isaac lay on the ground, sobbing. Zhu Ci turned to him and spoke: “Because I listened closely to your lyrics. ‘For Mother.’ The thing in the depths of the sea… that was your mother, wasn’t it?”

Isaac, his face drenched in tears, looked up silently. He said nothing.

As their “Little Creators” were summoned by everyone to return to the Pyleconk, Zhu Ci glanced back at him.

Did he know he was an NPC, just like Tana did?

If he didn’t, he would be trapped in the agony of this dungeon forever. He would forever be a child who had lost his mother.

Epilogue:

This continent bordered a vast ocean. The humans living on the land gave the sea a name—Thespia—meaning “Precious Pearl.”

However, after human industry flourished, they were no longer satisfied with merely taking fresh fish and seaweed from the sea. They wanted to develop the ocean, extract its value, and delve into the seabed to claim its treasures.

In the deep waters of Thespia lived a group of beautiful merfolk. They survived on the nutrients of the seabed, but they would also transform their tails into legs, put on human clothes, and go to the land to trade pearls for human food.

The pearls were merely their tears, yet humans lusted after them.

Then, one day, the first maritime corporation appeared. They pumped waste gases into the water, causing fish to die on the beaches, which saved time on fishing. More and more maritime companies were established.

They wanted larger, more beautiful pearls to sell to other continents. Not satisfied with just fishing, they supported other industrial firms, allowing them to discharge their waste sewage into the sea.

The living space of the merfolk was squeezed.

The merfolk had no choice but to swarm to the shore, hoping to negotiate with humans and reclaim a clean ocean. Instead, they were photographed for newspapers and seen by humanity.

The maritime companies united, using even more malicious methods to hunt for the existence of the merfolk. The pollution caused the merfolk to die. One among them, in an attempt to protect her child, inhaled too much wastewater and mutated into a massive, hideous monster.

A few days later, a rumor spread among humans: the Mermaid’s Treasure was located at the center of the sea’s spiral.

While the maritime companies were at a loss in their search, a man went to the largest corporation to apply for a job. A blonde man with deep blue eyes said he possessed the way to find the treasure.

Support Mutual Redemption with the Villainous Boss [Infinite]