The Protagonist and the Villain Both Kissed Me [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 35

“If you like it so much, why are you hiding?” A04 tilted Su Xi’s chin, his tone carrying a trace of irritability. From his angle, the emotions on the boy’s face were laid bare a dazed, panicked desire to escape.

Su Xi’s eyelashes trembled as he tried to change the subject: “If this continues, they’re going to be in serious trouble…”

He made a move to leave the man’s embrace, but A04 wasn’t about to let him go so easily. The slimy tentacles received a command and bound his limbs; after a brief moment of weightlessness, Su Xi’s feet left the floor.

Inside the massive room, countless giant tentacles emerged from nowhere. The pale-faced youth was suspended in mid-air, bound by the limbs. His black robe hung loosely, revealing snow-white skin covered in brilliant red marks that invited intense imagination.

In the corner lay the several people whose fates were unknown, their white hazmat suits torn open.

Su Xi was worried things would escalate. He looked at the lazy A04 nearby; the man’s features held a touch of casual wildness. With blue hair and blue eyes, the studs on his earlobes shimmered with fine light.

“You seem very afraid of me?” A04’s true form was a blue-ringed octopus, so he naturally shared senses with those tentacles. He chuckled as he watched Su Xi, who was suspended in the air and could only rely on the tentacles for balance.

Su Xi’s gaze drifted to the massive screen embedded in the wall. The sensors were monitoring every movement in the room. A04’s current state was abnormal; the Containment Group must have received the notification and would arrive any second. He couldn’t imagine the consequences if he were seen in this state.

“Shouldn’t I be afraid of you? Let me down, now.” Su Xi felt the oxygen in his chest grow thin, his mind going blank as the images before him blurred.

A04 didn’t quite match the records in the database. The Fluorescent Light Research Institute was not as calm as it appeared on the surface—test subjects that could enter and leave at will, researchers who seemed to be in control but were actually oppressed, and the countless files in the gene bank and archives. A massive secret was hidden here.

[Ding-dong! Congratulations, Host Su Xi, for unlocking the Hidden Quest. Please check the relevant data. Failure to complete the quest will result in erasure.]

In the moment Su Xi dazed, a cold mechanical voice rang in his brain. Unlike System 1368, which occasionally showed emotional fluctuations, this was a freezing, even malicious, stranger’s voice.

Before he could react, A04 noticing his distraction, darkened his expression. With a slight flick of his finger, the tentacle around Su Xi’s waist tightened, punishing him until he couldn’t breathe.

“A04, the Containment Group is almost here. If you don’t want to be put in solitary confinement, let go immediately.” Su Xi played his trump card to test A04. Normally, subjects stayed in their containment rooms and were treated relatively humanely by researchers, but solitary confinement was a different story.

As Su Xi expected, A04 fell into silence upon hearing those words. When his feet touched the floor, Su Xi immediately retreated to a safe distance. Clutching his black robe, he pressed the red button on the left. The previously calm A04 suddenly gasped for breath, the collar around his neck flashing with a red light.

This was the restraint collar worn by subjects. Researchers could force its use during periods of disobedience: Level 1 was an electric shock, Level 2 was anesthesia, and Level 3 was destruction.

Generally, Levels 1 and 2 were commonly used, but Level 3 destruction required a researcher with A-rank clearance or higher.

Surprisingly, A04 didn’t look miserable after the shock; instead, he looked increasingly excited. He inhaled the orchid fragrance filling the room and looked at the bundled-up Su Xi. He laughed aloud: “So scared… too bad you can’t escape.”

Su Xi was confused but only wanted to leave. The Containment Group arrived in less than three minutes. He forced himself to endure the hand-off of information before quickening his pace to depart.

The incoming staff didn’t dare block Su Xi’s exit, only asking a few casual questions before letting him go.

Once out of the room, Su Xi headed for the lounge at top speed. After a quick disinfection at the door, he pushed open the bathroom door and turned on the tap to wash his hands with soap. The slimy secretions from A04’s tentacles were still on him; even through his clothes, the sensation was impossible to ignore.

Water fell from the showerhead. In the small, steam-filled space, Su Xi showered and dried his hair before heading out. He sat lazily on the sofa, the images of being suspended in the air by A04 still replaying in his mind.

“Host, it’s time to see Mephisto. Today’s schedule includes drawing his blood,” System 1368 said suddenly, staring at Su Xi’s flushed face.

Su Xi gave a soft response. Reaching for the water glass on the coffee table, he unscrewed the cap and took a few sips. He walked to the wardrobe; the left side was filled with identical white shirts, and the right was filled with identical black robes. The black-and-white contrast was visually striking. He grabbed a set and changed.

In the containment room on the fourth floor, the doors automatically slid open after identity recognition. Su Xi walked in unhurriedly.

Inside the massive water tank, Mephisto noticed the person walking in. He flicked his beautiful tail and swam to the front of Su Xi, pressing a hand with distinct knuckles against the glass dome, offering a soft, harmless smile.

He mostly stayed in the tank, only swimming to the pool’s edge to see Su Xi when he arrived. Today, Su Xi seemed to be a bit later than usual. He stayed by the edge, watching the human as he deliberately removed his black robe.

Su Xi fiddled with the syringes on the console, then set them back on the tray. He knelt by the pool and spoke in a soft voice: “I need to draw blood today. Just a little is enough—it won’t hurt.”

He had drawn Mephisto’s blood before. Aside from the first few times when the merman was vigilant and accidentally scratched him, he had become very obedient, enduring the pain and offering his arm. But today, Mephisto made no move upon hearing his voice.

“Mephisto?” Su Xi looked at the stunning merman in the pool with surprise.

Mephisto hadn’t sensed it while in the tank, but now that he was out, the strange scent on Su Xi was exceptionally clear. It was hidden within the orchid fragrance, flickering in and out. He frowned slightly, his gaze landing on Su Xi’s smooth neck a deep red mark was jarringly prominent.

His emerald eyes narrowed. He didn’t respond, swimming silently into the depths of the pool.

In the time it took Su Xi to check the clock, Mephisto had vanished. He stared into the bottomless water. “Why did you go back?”

After a long while with no sign of him, Su Xi spoke a flurry of coaxing words, promising extra meals and candy, but Mephisto remained unresponsive.

“Are you not feeling well?” he murmured. Worried, he prepared to check Mephisto’s vitals on the monitor, but before he could take two steps, a pull dragged him back.

Before he could steady himself, a cold hand touched his ankle. Wet droplets dampened his trouser leg. Su Xi looked down; beneath the impossibly pale skin, dark blue veins were visible—it was Mephisto’s hand.

“Mephisto.” His ears turned red. Unable to pull his foot back, he could only turn to look at the merman who had emerged from the water at some point.

The merman looked innocent, but his green eyes held an emotion Su Xi couldn’t read.

“The scent of another is on you,” Mephisto tilted his head, then parted his lips to say: “Must wash.”

“What?” Su Xi’s pupils shrank. Splashing water rang in his ears, and he was dragged into the pool by Mephisto. The pool, connected to the tank, was about three meters deep. Once pulled in, his feet met only empty space, and cold water rushed into his mouth and nose.

The winter pool water was biting. Su Xi felt as if his limbs weighed a thousand pounds and he couldn’t lift them. He thrashed, trying to surface, but Mephisto hadn’t released his hold on his ankle, and the oxygen in his chest grew thin.

Su Xi’s instinctive survival drive allowed him to break free. Before he could swim upward, a layer of softness covered his lips. He realized almost instantly: this was Mephisto’s mouth. The merman’s body temperature was low, and even his lips carried a chill.

He clung to the man’s shoulders, his back against the cold tiles, as he drew in the oxygen the other provided. Su Xi’s eyelashes trembled as he looked at Mephisto. After pushing him away, he climbed onto the shore.

The floor by the pool was covered in droplets. Su Xi was soaked, his face pale and shivering with cold. He let out a few coughs and stood up unsteadily. “Why did you pull me in just now?”

Being dragged into the water in such cold weather meant a cold or fever was inevitable. Su Xi was a bit angry. Mephisto leaned against the pool, showing no trace of panic after causing trouble.

“Scent,” Mephisto said after a long pause, uttering only that word.

Su Xi took several steps back to prevent Mephisto from dragging him in again. He didn’t want to experience that near-suffocation again.

But the blood draw had to be completed. He took a towel to dry himself off as best he could; his hand holding the syringe was trembling slightly.

Mephisto seemed to realize Su Xi’s mood was off. He stopped causing trouble and remained silent, allowing Su Xi to draw his blood. “Do you not like water?”

Mermen came from the deep sea and were naturally close to water, but for Su Xi, he was terrified of the feeling of being dragged under. Standing on a bridge or by the sea, he always felt as if he were about to fall; he had only managed to overcome the fear with great effort.

“It’s not that I don’t like it; it’s just too cold.” Su Xi looked away, placed the blood vial in the container, and walked to the console. He sighed in relief upon seeing the normal readings on the screen.

The Salvation Value hadn’t changed much over the past few days, but the notifications were so frequent that he had turned them off in annoyance, only checking with the system or looking at the interface when needed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mephisto sink to the bottom, seemingly only now realizing he had done something wrong.

He let out a helpless sigh in his heart, took a few fruit candies from the drawer, and placed them on the edge of the pool well within reach for when the merman came up.

The chill continued to surge through his body. Su Xi didn’t even know how many times he would have to bathe today.