The Protagonist and the Villain Both Kissed Me [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 39

“Su Xi, how can you say such a thing!” Cui Yue stood up abruptly and marched over to him. In her fury, she looked ready to strike him, but in the end, she only slammed her documents onto the table.

Su Xi’s lashes trembled slightly. He showed no irritation at her questioning. With a calm expression, he pulled out several specifically marked files from the pile and said softly, “Within this Institute, there are three subjects classified as S-rank or higher. These are extremely dangerous entities; just one of them is capable of destroying this entire facility.”

The implication of his words was clear to anyone with a brain, and the people recruited into this Institute were all elite experts and geniuses in their fields.

“Enough.” Director Xu rubbed his temples wearily and let out a faint sigh. “Meeting adjourned. Su Xi, stay behind for a moment.”

Once everyone had left, a heavy silence settled over the vast meeting room.

Su Xi was only participating in the meeting by sheer force of will despite his physical discomfort. He leaned against the table for support and looked up at Director Xu. “Is it about the same matter as last time?”

“No.”

Director Xu shook his head and continued, “Xiao Yangyao should have told you what he and I discussed in the office yesterday.”

“Yes, he told me,” Su Xi nodded.

“My question just now wasn’t aimed at you specifically. It’s because I’ve noticed that S01 has been seeking you out. I’ve reviewed the surveillance footage from the containment room; your relationship with him is… unusual.” Director Xu stated his conclusion based on the footage he had seen.

“…” Su Xi remained silent for a moment.

Had he and Mephisto done anything outrageous in the containment room?

Actually, was there anything they did that wasn’t outrageous? Could he really tell the Director that it was just a “tactic” to get closer to the subject?

The answer was obviously no.

“He must be aware of everything happening in the Institute. Xiao Su, the situation is much more severe than what I just described to the group. For the sake of the big picture, can you… go and ask him?”

What? Ask the villainous merman, the mastermind behind the experimental subjects, why he was doing this? Was this a joke?

Su Xi looked at his Salvation Value, which was barely halfway full, and felt conflicted. “Director, I…”

Ultimately, he was half-coaxed and half-threatened into accepting the task. He walked out into the corridor in a daze, only to run straight into Cui Yue, who had been waiting for him.

“Finally out.” Cui Yue’s eyes, filled with undisguised loathing, scanned Su Xi. “I really don’t know what’s so special about you that Captain Xiao values you so much.”

She was clearly speaking out of spite. Setting aside Su Xi’s outstanding abilities, his looks alone were enough to attract adoration and pursuit from many.

“You waited here just to throw a few insults at me?” Su Xi’s brow furrowed. He turned to leave as soon as he finished speaking.

Cui Yue caught up in a few steps and blocked his path. With great reluctance, she handed him a bag. “Captain Xiao told me to give this to you.”

The bag was filled with fruit candies of various flavors, evidently a gift intended to smooth over their strained relationship. Su Xi tossed the candies onto the table in his lounge and headed into the bathroom to wash up.

He proceeded with his usual tasks. Aside from not wearing his cloak, everything was the same as before.

“Hello, Group Leader Su.”

After the meeting, the number of people greeting him had noticeably increased. Those who used to criticize or make snide remarks behind his back seemed to have restrained themselves.

Su Xi gave a slight nod as a polite response, chatting with the System in his mind as he walked.

“Xiao Ba, what is Mephisto doing right now?”

“Host, the scene you are about to see might be quite bloody. It’s best if you go back,” System 1368 warned kindly.

“He should be feeding at this time. What’s so bloody about feeding?” Su Xi was dismissive. In his memory, while Mephisto was a picky eater, his feeding process was usually quite aesthetic to witness.

However, the second he pushed the door open, he regretted not listening to the System.

Fresh red fish remains were scattered across the floor. The once clear, azure pool was now stained red. The air was thick with a nauseating, metallic scent of blood. The perpetrator sat by the edge of the pool, his slender hand clutching a mass of red flesh that seemed to still be pulsing.

Su Xi’s pupils contracted. He wanted to turn and leave, but his legs felt like they were made of lead. He could only watch Mephisto’s movements.

He had assumed the blood belonged to the fish, but the water surrounding Mephisto was a much darker shade. He squinted and realized the blood was seeping from a wound on the man’s own arm. His stomach churned with nausea.

“Why the sudden visit?” Mephisto asked, acting as if nothing were wrong, using that innocent, pure face to try and bewitch him.

Su Xi’s heart thrashed against his ribs; his face was deathly pale.

He couldn’t control the trembling of his body. He heard the sound of splashing water accompanied by a melodious, ethereal song that began to coil around his mind.

“So you saw it. What a pity. I thought I could play with you for a bit longer.” Mephisto’s tone held a hint of regret. “After all, I really do like your face.”

His words were bone-chilling. Su Xi finally realized just how terrifying those long paragraphs of world-building in the System’s plot description actually were.

“Don’t touch me.”

Su Xi knew the merman possessed the power to charm and control human minds. He was currently half-kneeling before Mephisto, his nose filled with the scent of blood, yet the creature actually wanted to touch him with those filthy hands…

“Why so cold all of a sudden? Isn’t your mission target me?” Mephisto let out a light chuckle, but his emerald eyes were devoid of warmth.

Su Xi felt as if several buckets of ice water had been poured over him from head to toe. Even breathing became difficult. What did Mephisto mean by that?

“Xiao Ba, Xiao Ba! Does he know everything?” he called out frantically in his mind.

But just like before, System 1368 seemed to be shielded or cut off; there was no response.

“What do you want?” Since the System was unreliable, Su Xi could only try to communicate with Mephisto, at least to stall for time so someone might notice the anomaly.

“What do I want? You’ve locked us in here what do you think I want?” Mephisto’s hand reached out with undisputed authority and touched Su Xi’s face. Crimson blood his own was smeared across Su Xi’s pale skin.

Su Xi’s lashes fluttered. He knew how detestable their roles were to these experimental subjects, and he knew how much they hated him, but…

He averted his eyes almost imperceptibly and clicked the emergency button on his wristband. Instantly, the bright room began to flash with red lights, followed by a deafening alarm.

However, Mephisto didn’t get angry. Instead, he let out two low chuckles. His sharp fingernail grazed Su Xi’s tender neck, and beads of bright red blood stained the white skin a stark, beautiful contrast.

“No one is coming to save you,” Mephisto said, his beautiful face devoid of emotion.

“I didn’t expect anyone to come. I was just wondering if you would be angry.” Su Xi feigned a calm gaze. “My mission target is indeed you, but I would never hurt you, Mephisto. I have never refused your requests or forced you to do anything, have I?”

As his words fell, Mephisto lowered his eyes, appearing to contemplate the sentence. In the midst of the chaotic noise, a “pause” button seemed to have been pressed. In his world, there was only this person before him who was clearly scared to death but pretending to be calm.

“Yes. Today… you saw nothing. Go back.” He used his innate ability to bewitch, wantonly rewriting the human’s memory. He watched as Su Xi’s pupils gradually lost focus; the man nodded blankly and turned to leave.

Controlled by Mephisto, Su Xi left in a daze. He felt a sense of regret, as if he hadn’t finished the task assigned by the Director. By the time he returned to his lounge, he was still in a trance. The System, which he had been calling for in his mind, remained silent.

Back in the 4th-floor containment room, the water in the pool was now clear and clean, the air fresh as if everything that had happened was a mere illusion.

The merman with pale golden hair possessed intoxicating emerald eyes. His features, meticulously carved by a divine hand, made him look like a pure angel fallen to earth. His sleek muscle lines and v-line were partially hidden beneath the water, the glistening droplets adding a touch of hazy beauty.

Only now, his expression was cold, his lips pressed into a thin line, as if troubled by some irritating thought.

In his lounge, Su Xi leaned against the soft sofa, closing his eyes to nap. For the past few days, his nerves had been stretched to the breaking point. Now that they had slackened, exhaustion hit him like a tidal wave, overwhelming him.

Just as he was about to drift off, a call woke him up.

“Host.” It was the voice of System 1368.

The voice sounded anxious, but Su Xi was clearly too irritable to deal with it and unilaterally blocked the System.

He slept for a long time, right through until midnight.

Had it not been for Mephisto’s “command,” he likely would have kept sleeping. The creature was summoning him to the containment room. Su Xi glanced at the clock on the wall: it was 3:00 AM.

What does he want with me at this hour? He didn’t think for a second that Mephisto, with a Salvation Value of 40, was looking for a romantic chat.

For these final three days, he needed to be more proactive. Even if Mephisto hadn’t come for him, he should have gone anyway.

“Ding. Identity verified. Door opened.” The cold mechanical voice announced.

The Institute was deathly silent in the middle of the night. The long corridors were empty. Su Xi, wearing only thin pajamas, was pale from the cold. He walked inside with stiff movements. The air in the containment room was heavy with moisture; to suit Mephisto’s habitat, the temperature was several degrees colder than the hallway.

Mephisto, who had been dozing by the edge of the pool, saw Su Xi enter. He curled his lips into a harmless smile, appearing just as obedient as he did every other day.

Su Xi’s face was expressionless, his consciousness hazy, as if he were being pulled toward the pool by invisible strings.

“Your hands are so cold. In human terms, would ‘delicate’ be the right word?” Mephisto touched the man’s hand and let out a helpless sigh.

Su Xi’s butterfly-like lashes trembled. He tilted his head slightly and answered, “You are even colder than I am.”

The fact that a merman’s body temperature is lower than a human was common knowledge in the Institute, especially for the Group Two Leader, Su Xi. But the man, currently under a spell, seemed to have shed his cold, hard shell, revealing a soft and sweet interior.

“Where is the pearl necklace I gave you?” Mephisto looked at Su Xi’s bare neck. He realized he hadn’t seen him wearing it during the day either. Didn’t he say he liked it?

Su Xi stared at Mephisto. “I hid it.”

A pearl necklace was far too conspicuous to wear openly, and jewelry was strictly forbidden within the Institute.

Controlled by Mephisto, Su Xi answered every question the merman asked, one by one.