1 The People of the Sea

The craziest thing I've ever done in my life was pick up a mermaid on the beach.

I would never forget that night on Statham Island. I shed my coat and stepped into the cold, bone-chilling waters.

I, who had been an orphan since I was a child, had stumbled all the way up, and had long since had enough of the ridicule and coldness of others.

The company layoff became the last straw that broke the camel's back. I drove to the harbor alone and took a boat to Statham Island.

Old people say that Statham Island is a magical isolated island. The children born there would have a future, and the souls born there will reach paradise.

I didn't know if anyone goes to the island specifically to have children. I only knew that there are countless people who wanted to die on the island. I was one of them.

The moment I sank into the sea, all I wanted to do was become one with the seawater. I wanted to die in the belly of the fish, and I wanted to reach heaven as soon as possible.

As my breathing became more and more difficult, I gradually adapted to the temperature of the sea.

The coldness faded away and was replaced by a sticky and warm feeling, like a mother's womb.

I gradually lost consciousness and smiled while becoming more and more certain that I had reached the door to heaven.

…

When I opened my eyes again, the blue sky came into view and I heard the sound of waves crashing against the shore.

I struggled to sit up, then I looked around. My consciousness gradually returned to my body. I was still alive!

My surroundings were desolate. My hand grabbed something sticky and blurry. I raised my hand and saw that it was a light blue sticky liquid mixed with strange scales!

There seemed to be white raw meat wrapped in the slime. My heart skipped a beat. What was that?

Behind me, the blue slime mixed with strange scales spread all the way to the bushes. If one listened carefully, one could hear that there seemed to be a slight noise coming from there.

Was it a human?

At this moment, the thought of committing suicide has been replaced by curiosity. I can't help but stand up and follow the slime toward the trees.

As I approached, the sounds of movement disappeared. The other party seemed to have sensed an unfamiliar aura and became vigilant.

I stopped in my tracks and couldn't help but feel nervous. Was the thing hiding behind the bushes a human, a beast, or a ghost?

Thinking of this, I became even more afraid to move. What if it was a wild beast? Would it suddenly rush up and bite my neck?

Wait a minute, am I afraid of death? I was clearly thinking of committing suicide last night. Why have I become timid now?

If I'm not afraid of death, why should I be afraid of wild beasts?

Yes, I'm not afraid! Who cares if he's a human or a ghost? Bring it on!

Gritting my teeth, I took a few steps forward and pried open the bushes. I saw a half-naked man lying on the ground.

I was startled. Why was there a man here?

He had a tall and slender figure. His back was wide, his long wet golden hair was scattered on the ground, and his slightly pale face had a high nose bridge.

The lower half of his body seemed to be naked as well, and was only covered by a huge banana leaf.

"Uh…" His slender fingers moved, and he frowned. He let out a groan and was seemingly in pain.

I took a step back warily and lowered my voice. "Are you awake?"

At the sound of my voice, he opened his eyes and glanced at me from the corner of his eye. His furrowed brows relaxed.

He moved his body slightly, and a large amount of light blue sticky liquid suddenly flowed out from under the banana leaf.

"Ah—" He let out a shrill, eerie scream that instantly pierced my fragile eardrums.

I covered my ears. I couldn't believe that a human could make such a sound.

However, I was more curious than the scream. Why was there mucus flowing out from under the banana leaf? Could it be from some wound?

Seeing that he was extremely weak and didn't seem to have the strength to scream anymore, I let go of my ear and walked towards him bravely.

I reached out and grabbed the banana leaf. I counted to three in my mind before lifting it up!

"Ah!" Another scream sounded. Before I could cover my ears, my head was smacked hard by a huge shadow!

I staggered and fell to the ground.

What the hell? It hurted!

Warm liquid ran down my forehead and rendered my vision bright red.

When I took a closer look, the scene in front of me completely shocked me!

What… what was that! A huge fish tail?

I rubbed my eyes. I thought I was dreaming!

The upper half of the fish tail was crystalline, showing a beautiful gradual change in hue from white to blue.

The sunlight that penetrated through the treetops scattered everywhere, reflecting a gorgeous and enchanting rainbow light.

However, the upper half was perfect, while the lower half was miserable. It could even be said to be a blur of flesh and blood, as if it had been crushed by a wheel.

All the mucus came from the lower half of the fishtail. I suddenly realized that the mucus was the blood of the fishtail!

The fishtail was seamlessly connected to his upper body. They were one.

At that moment, countless stories about mermaids flooded my mind. I could not believe that such a creature really existed in this world!

We stood like that for a long time. He didn't move, and I didn't dare to. Then I realized that he seemed to have fainted.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked softly while wondering if he could understand what I was saying.