The Protagonist and the Villain Both Kissed Me [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 33

Containment rooms were specifically built for test subjects. The massive water tank that had previously been in Space 2 had been moved here, making the room thick with humidity and water vapor.

When Su Xi arrived, he saw only shattered glass fragments scattered across the floor. The sound of splashing water echoed in his ears. He glanced sideways and met a pair of emerald eyes filled with icy frost. The merman lying by the edge of the pool was captivatingly alluring, his long, pale-gold hair floating on the water’s surface.

A massive, misty-blue tail fin was submerged in the water, its scales shimmering brilliantly under the overhead lights.

“What happened…” Su Xi squinted for a moment before realizing the merman was covered in wounds. They looked like cuts from the flying glass, and fresh blood was still seeping out into the water.

Frowning slightly, he looked up at the screen in the central area. It clearly displayed the latest data for the merman; the assessment result updated thirty minutes ago was Extremely Dangerous.

Hearing footsteps, the merman leaning against the pool watched Su Xi’s movements with extreme vigilance, looking as if he would drag the human down with him if he took one more step. He naturally didn’t miss the flash of panic and fear in Su Xi’s eyes, and the irritability and unease in his heart grew stronger.

“Um, don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.” Seeing the merman’s face grow increasingly pale, Su Xi carefully took out the medical kit from the cabinet and approached with light steps. Before he could get close, a force shoved him back several steps. He barely managed to steady himself; his black robe, already heavy, became even more cumbersome after being soaked.

He pursed his lips and pulled off the black robe, hoping his words would sound more convincing without the disguise.

“Your wounds will get inflamed if they stay in the water too long.” His eyelashes trembled as he approached the merman again.

The merman’s green eyes darkened, staring straight at the human approaching him. Su Xi was covered in water splashed by the merman’s tail; wet droplets slid down his cheeks. Su Xi lowered his head, his eyelashes fluttering. His white shirt was soaked and clung to his body, making him look quite disheveled, as if he had just been fished out of a lake.

Su Xi knelt by the pool. Ignoring the water dripping from his own clothes, he opened the medical kit and took out cotton swabs and alcohol, attempting to touch the merman’s wounds with gentle movements.

Suddenly, his outstretched hand was gripped forcefully. The slimy coldness made him uncomfortable, and the man’s grip was so strong he couldn’t break free. He could only try to soothe him: “Let go, I really won’t hurt you.”

Under his gentle tone, the merman seemed to understand. After a moment, he released Su Xi’s hand. Su Xi lowered his eyes and patiently began treating the wounds on the merman’s upper body. His hand, holding the cotton swab, trembled slightly as it neared the merman’s lean waist and abdomen.

Suddenly, the merman’s sharp nails scratched Su Xi’s arm. Su Xi remained silent, merely softening his movements as he asked tentatively: “Do you… have a name?”

After a long silence with no reply, Su Xi thought the merman might not understand human speech and didn’t press further. Perhaps it was just a lack of familiarity; the resistance was likely just an instinctive reaction. After finishing the treatment, Su Xi retreated to a safe distance and watched the merman from afar.

“Mephisto.”

Abruptly, a voice rang out in the quiet space. Mephisto lifted his eyes to look at the human standing not far away. Su Xi’s scratched arm was still bleeding. Aside from the water vapor, an intoxicating delicate fragrance seemed to be wafting from the wound.

Su Xi blinked in shock, realizing this was the answer to his question. He grabbed some tissues to wipe his own wound and said, “Su Xi.”

The moment the words left his lips, he heard System 1368’s excited notification. He was now certain that the merman before him was the mission target. Upon hearing his name, the merman by the pool clearly stiffened, appearing somewhat strange.

Su Xi intended to get closer to Mephisto, but the merman didn’t speak again after giving his name. Su Xi lowered his eyes in disappointment. His porcelain skin still held droplets from the pool. He knelt down, picked up the black robe, and draped it back over himself.

Hearing footsteps outside, he saw staff members rushing in and hurriedly clutched his robe tighter. The glass shards on the floor were cleared away. Someone tried to approach the merman to inject a sedative, only to trigger another surge of waves and splashing water.

“Su Xi, why are you here suddenly?” The woman leading them was the Deputy Leader of Group Three, Cui Yue. She had short, professional hair and framed glasses, giving off a sharp and forceful aura.

Su Xi was soaked from head to toe. He kept his head down to avoid showing his face, his voice slightly cold: “This is the test subject I am responsible for. It shouldn’t be a problem for me to come check on him.”

“Of course not. But it looks like you can’t handle S007. Why don’t you hand him over to Group Three?”

Cui Yue scoffed, her blunt gaze landing on the heavily bundled Su Xi. She added, “Why are you dressed so tightly? Is there something you can’t show people? If Captain Xiao hadn’t warned me before he left, I really wouldn’t make things easy for you.”

The “Captain Xiao” she referred to was Xiao Yangyao. He was in charge of overseeing all experimental groups at the institute, possessing power second only to the Director. Unlike the kind Director, his methods were famously ruthless. If you made a mistake, you wouldn’t get away without losing a layer of skin.

Su Xi didn’t intend to waste words with Cui Yue. His gaze landed on Mephisto, who had fallen into a deep sleep after being forcibly sedated. Without hesitation, he turned and left.

After changing out of his wet clothes, he sat at his desk and simply treated his scratch. The tablet screen updated with the latest information on S007. Bold red text clearly stated that the merman possessed a human language system, meaning he could understand speech and his singing had the power to bewitch minds. A sound-blocker was required upon entry.

He let out an almost inaudible sigh and called the system in his mind: “Xiao Ba, the target this time doesn’t seem easy to fool.”

“Don’t worry, Host. We have a ‘golden finger’ now,” System 1368 replied immediately. “Besides, the time limit for this mission hasn’t been updated yet; we can take our time.”

Despite the system’s words, Su Xi didn’t feel at ease. He felt something was very strange, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

After staying in his room for a while, he returned to the containment room on the fourth floor. The lights were dim, and the only sound was the quiet flow of water.

To enter a containment room, one needed specific permissions based on the danger level or had to be the assigned researcher. Su Xi ran into a staff member delivering food at the door a cart full of seafood. He said a few words and sent the person away.

Mephisto was leaning lazily against the edge of the pool, his long pale-gold hair spreading out in the clear water. A few strands fell to the side; he appeared to be asleep. Su Xi held his breath and knelt by the pool. His hand trembled slightly as he reached out to almost imperceptibly touch the wounds, which were now only faint pink marks. Before he could withdraw his hand, he was shoved back violently.

He fell to the floor in disarray, his hands covered in the cold, slimy liquid from the pool.

He looked up in surprise to see Mephisto looking cold, even disgusted. The merman tilted his head slightly and frowned irritably: “Get lost.”

Su Xi was frozen in place by Mephisto’s words. His face turned pale, and the cool breeze felt biting. He bit his lip, stumbled to his feet, and left all the seafood on the cart by the pool before walking over to the console, forcing himself to stay calm.

As he recorded the data, his gaze drifted toward Mephisto from time to time. The merman seemed uninterested in the food on the shore; in the blink of an eye, he vanished into the water. The temporary tank that had burst earlier had been replaced. Within the glass dome, which stood dozens of meters high, the undulating water looked hazy.

“Host, are you alright?” System 1368 asked with concern, seeing Su Xi’s prolonged silence.

Su Xi’s figure swayed; he had to lean against the console to stay upright. His face grew even paler, appearing translucent as if he might dissipate under the dim light. He shook his head: “I’m fine.”

Half an hour later, the room returned to silence. Mephisto watched Su Xi’s departing back. Once the door closed, his gaze landed on the cart of food. His heart raced for no reason. Frowning irritably, he flicked his tail and dove into the depths of the pool.

For the next three days, Su Xi only performed routine data recording. After delivering the food, he never stayed in the room for a second longer than necessary. On the massive screen, the merman’s vitals fluctuated but remained within the normal green range.

“Eat something, or you’ll go hungry.”

Su Xi stood three meters away from the pool, looking at the untouched fish and shrimp. He spoke in a flat tone.

This was the first time in three days he had spoken to Mephisto. A trace of bewilderment flashed across the merman’s beautiful face. His gaze landed on the human who hadn’t taken off that black robe since their first meeting. After a brief thought, he parted his lips to mutter: “Hate it.”

“Hmm?” Being some distance away, Su Xi didn’t hear clearly. He took a few steps forward. “What did you say?”

“…” Mephisto fell silent again, simply staring at Su Xi.

Being stared at while wearing the bulky black robe made Su Xi feel unnatural. He continued forward to the edge of the pool and asked softly, “What did you just say?”

Before he could say more, Mephisto grabbed the hem of his robe. Before Su Xi could react, the long black garment was torn open. Su Xi instinctively recoiled several steps to avoid physical contact.

“Why are you pulling my clothes?” He frowned, looking at his robe which had been tossed into the distance.

“Hate it,” Mephisto said, parting his lips to speak only those two words.

Su Xi was silent for a moment before realizing that the “hate” referred to his clothes. “You don’t like black?”

Mephisto’s emerald eyes held a hint of irritability as if he were trying to find the right words. After a moment, he replied with a broken phrase: “Black… hides it… hate it.”

“If you don’t like it, I won’t wear it anymore.” Su Xi pushed the food closer to the pool in a coaxing manner. “Eat something. You haven’t eaten for three days.”