The Protagonist and the Villain Both Kissed Me [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 38

In Xiao Yangyao’s memory, Su Xi had rarely shown such a vulnerable side feeble, pitiful, and helpless, exposing all his weaknesses and fragility before him.

And yet, here the man was, admitting his fear and pleading for him to stay and protect him.

But no matter how much Xiao Yangyao wanted to stay, the mission assigned by his organization had to be completed. He could only stroke Su Xi’s head comfortingly and say softly, “Don’t be afraid. We have many contingencies in place, and we have detailed intelligence on the test subjects. There’s no need to worry.”

Xiao Yangyao’s words were a polite, indirect rejection. Su Xi was no fool; he understood perfectly. His hand, which had been clutching the other man’s sleeve, faltered. He met Xiao Yangyao’s gaze for a second before letting go, his expression turning icy. “I see. You can go now.”

As soon as he spoke, Xiao Yangyao reached out to grab him, but Su Xi dodged the touch. He stepped back with a calm, stoic face, walked to the door, and pressed down on the handle.

“Su Xi, wait!” Xiao Yangyao’s anxious shout was cut off by the heavy door. Though it was Su Xi’s own room, he was the one who chose to leave.

After exiting the room, Su Xi bit his lip and walked with steady steps toward Mephisto’s containment cell on the fourth floor. He was unwell today and had spent too much time wandering the institute. Now that the adrenaline had faded, his head felt heavier than ever.

“Host, are you alright?” System 1368 asked, concerned by Su Xi’s pale complexion.

Su Xi leaned against the wall to catch his breath for a moment, then gave a slight shake of his head. “I’m fine,” he whispered.

He checked the interface; Mephisto’s “Salvation Value” had only just reached 25. The heavy snow that would block all paths to the outside world was only a few days away. Even if he felt miserable, he had to see Mephisto. According to the schedule, it was time to provide the subject with food and draw blood for testing.

At the entrance, he ran into a colleague pushing a cart. Su Xi dismissed the man with a few words, claiming he would handle the rest of the tasks himself.

Silver-white light illuminated the spacious room. Inside the containment cell, the water rippled gently. Unusually, Su Xi did not see Mephisto’s figure. He scanned the pool and the tank, but it was unnervingly quiet.

“Mephisto?” he called out softly.

One second, two seconds, three… silence. His voice echoed through the room.

“What’s going on?” Su Xi didn’t believe the subject could slip out of containment undetected, unless…

He vaguely remembered encountering Mephisto outside previously. After a moment of silence, the sound of a massive surge of water erupted.

A colossal wave slammed against the transparent tank. The previously pristine glass began to shatter from the center, with dense, spiderweb-like cracks spreading rapidly in all directions.

“Mephisto!” Alarms blared in Su Xi’s mind. He instinctively backed away to hit the emergency button, but before his hand could reach the green switch, he was caught. A cool, damp hand, dripping with water, took hold of his own.

“I’m here,” Mephisto’s voice rasped, carrying a hint of a smile.

Su Xi’s pupils contracted. He tried to pull his hand away, but a strong arm encircled his waist. Mephisto, who only this morning had insisted with undisputed authority that Su Xi was sick and shouldn’t catch a chill was now holding him wantonly, whispering flirtatiously in his ear.

Mephisto had come ashore? Didn’t he have a fish tail?

A bone-chilling coldness spread from their point of contact through Su Xi’s entire body.

“What have you done?” he heard himself ask.

“Nothing. Are you angry?” Mephisto couldn’t see Su Xi’s face, but he could imagine what the man looked like right now flushed skin, dazed eyes. The mere thought of it made the merman feel a surge of excitement.

“I’ve prepared a gift for you.” Mephisto’s pale golden hair fell over Su Xi’s shoulder. His emerald eyes stared intensely at the man as his long, elegant fingers hooked Su Xi’s hood and pulled it down.

In his other hand, he held a pearl necklace. Each pearl was perfectly round and smooth, uniform in size. With gentle movements, he draped the necklace around Su Xi’s neck.

“Do you like it?”

A snippet from the research files flashed through Su Xi’s mind: The tears of the Merfolk can turn into pearls. The deeper and more precious the emotion, the more beautiful the pearl.

Did Mephisto cry? Su Xi didn’t dare think about it. He forced himself to remain calm. “I like it.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, System 1368 chimed in his head, announcing that the Salvation Value had reached 40. The notification nearly broke Su Xi’s focus. He gripped the hem of his shirt and turned to look at Mephisto. “Why did you give me this?”

“Last time, you asked me if Merfolk tears turn into pearls.” Mephisto replied. “Now, I’ve given you your answer.”

Su Xi felt as if the pearls around his neck were burning. He wanted to take the necklace off, but Mephisto wouldn’t allow it. The subject who had once seemed so submissive and obedient was now repeatedly testing Su Xi’s boundaries.

“I don’t feel well. Let me go first.”

Mephisto paused for two seconds before finally yielding and stepping back.

The suffocating pressure dissipated, and the scent of salty brine receded. Su Xi gasped for air, his chest heaving violently, while a buzzing hum filled his ears.

His vision suddenly plunged into darkness. Before he could make a sound, he lost consciousness.

The Institute Infirmary

The early winter sun filtered through the transparent glass, and lush green potted plants emitted a faint fragrance. However, the air was dominated by the sharp smell of alcohol and disinfectant. Su Xi opened his eyes blearily, staring up at the white ceiling.

“You’re awake?” A doctor holding a clipboard heard the movement and hurried over to check on him.

Su Xi moved his lips to speak, but his throat burned with pain. He could only manage a soft, raspy sound as the world around him came into focus.

The doctor walked to the bedside to pour a glass of water, intending to help Su Xi up, but his hand was brushed aside before it could touch him.

Xiao Yangyao took the glass and sat beside Su Xi. He supported the man against a soft pillow and helped him drink half the water.

“What happened to me?” Su Xi didn’t look at Xiao Yangyao. Instead, he looked at the doctor. Memories of the moments before his blackout flashed by, he remembered being in Mephisto’s room.

“Extreme emotional fluctuations combined with exhaustion over the last few days caused a brief syncope,” the doctor stated matter-of-factly.

Su Xi was still thinking about raising the Salvation Value and finishing his mission. He glanced at Xiao Yangyao, who looked somewhat haggard, and asked softly, “Why haven’t you left yet?”

The first thing he said was to ask why he hadn’t left. Xiao Yangyao didn’t know how to respond. A flicker of irritation crossed his stern face.

“I’ll be leaving shortly. Are you still in pain?” That was all he managed to say.

“I’m better.” Su Xi avoided Xiao Yangyao’s hand as the latter tried to touch his face. He threw back the covers to get up, but a wave of dizziness hit him, and he fell back onto the bed.

He had a cold, but it wasn’t a terminal illness. How was his physical stamina this poor?

Today was December 16th. According to protocol, the Institute held a mid-month meeting. After resting in the infirmary for a while longer, Su Xi got up to leave. Xiao Yangyao followed him, seemingly wanting to say something, but seeing Su Xi’s impatient expression, he remained silent.

3rd Floor Meeting Room

After his ID was verified, the doors slid open. Today, Su Xi wasn’t wearing his black cloak. Like everyone else, he wore a white lab coat with his name tag pinned to his chest. As he stepped inside, the room fell silent.

Then came a flood of whispers.

“Who is that? I’ve never seen him before…”

“Look at the display. It’s Su Xi.”

“But hasn’t he always worn that black hood and claimed to be sick? Is he cured now?” A woman in the second row whispered to her colleague.

Su Xi ignored the chatter. He walked slowly to his seat and sat down, eyes downcast as he scanned the documents already spread out on the table.

They were files on every test subject rated A-level or higher.

Once everyone had arrived, Director Xu, who had remained silent at the head of the table, stood up. The screen behind him displayed lines of dense text. His usually kind face was uncharacteristically grim. “Today’s meeting is different from usual. I have called you here to address a specific matter.”

The previously light atmosphere instantly turned cold. Director Xu began to list various anomalies occurring within the Institute, mostly consistent with what Xiao Yangyao had told Su Xi.

The more Su Xi listened, the grimmer his expression became. According to the Director, many members of the Institute had already been parasitized or were being controlled by certain test subjects.

In short, no one knew if the person sitting next to them was human or a monster.

“Has this been reported? In this situation, if something happens, how can we possibly fight them?” Someone’s face turned pale, their voice trembling.

The speaker was Li He, a man notorious in the Institute for his cowardice, though his technical skills were excellent. He was usually assigned to harmless, easy-to-manage subjects. Now, he looked ready to bolt.

“What are you afraid of?” Someone who disliked Li He snapped, cutting him off.

Most people in the room looked uneasy, but the Institute had many “contingencies” designed to handle containment breaches. What they didn’t know was that these measures would be useless against these specific subjects…

“Su Xi, what do you think?” Director Xu suddenly turned to Su Xi, who was sitting to his left.

Su Xi had been lost in thought. Hearing his name called, he felt the weight of everyone’s gaze. He wasn’t sure why the Director was singling him out.

“Evacuate early,” he said, the two words falling into the silence like stones.

A wave of gasps and murmurs erupted in the meeting room. No one had expected the reclusive, highly-praised Su Xi to say something like that.

His words carried more weight and more shock than anything Li He had said.