I Woke Up To Find Myself Being Kept By A Mermaid – CH8

Chapter 8: The Second Bite

Ruan Chen’s kick failed to land on Lux’s face. This time, the merman’s reflexes were dozens of times sharper than before. He extended an arm and lifted him right up.

Even so, Ruan Chen still managed to plant a foot squarely against Lux’s chest.

Because of the distance, the kick didn’t carry much force. It looked less like an attack and more like he was simply resting his bare foot against the merman’s chest.

Ruan Chen curled his toes, his expression freezing for a split second.

This fish’s chest was… surprisingly rock-hard.

Why did he dodge so fast this time? Was he playing dumb last time to catch me off guard?

“Wow, look at those tiny feet,” Vincent’s eyes lit up. “Lux, he’s scratching you with his toes. He’s playing with you! Give him a response!”

Lux shifted his posture to cradle the human closer. After a moment of thought, he tried stroking Ruan Chen’s hair, just like he had seen in the videos on the forums.

So he just wanted to play.

He looked down, meeting Ruan Chen’s dark, bead-like eyes.

A moment ago, he had assumed this human was trying to scratch him again.

Held in Lux’s arms, Ruan Chen didn’t feel much pressure. He could feel the merman’s fingers gently smoothing down his hair.

Inexplicably, the rage that had just consumed him began to dissolve.

He couldn’t even stop himself from reaching out to loop his arms around the merman’s neck. He nuzzled his head against Lux’s chin, his eyes narrowing in sheer contentment. Pressing against the merman’s cool skin made his entire body feel incredibly, blissfully comfortable.

But as he continued to nuzzle, Ruan Chen suddenly snapped out of it. His movements froze.

Damn it.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Am I possessed?

Ruan Chen widened his eyes in disbelief, staring up at the golden merman’s profile.

The merman was still soothingly stroking his hair, leaving Ruan Chen to question his very existence.

“Admiral Lux,” a merman researcher swam over and said, “These are the test results for this human from just now. His spiritual energy levels severely exceed the average baseline.”

Lux lowered his gaze to glance at the data. “Give me the conclusion.”

The merman researcher reported, “The spiritual compatibility between you and this human is exceptionally high. It has reached 100%.”

“100%?!” Vincent gasped. “A perfect match?”

The researcher nodded. “Yes, Adjutant Vincent.”

The higher the spiritual compatibility between a merman and a human, the better the soothing effect the merman would receive.

In reality, most mermen died from spiritual corruption because they could never find a human who matched them.

Every merman knew exactly what a 100% compatibility rating meant.

It meant Lux could virtually rid himself of spiritual energy afflictions entirely.

“What kind of blessed fish are you?” Vincent clicked his tongue in amazement. “Not only did you stumble upon a purebred Chinese human, but the universe went ahead and handed you a perfect match…”

As he spoke, he caught the very slight upward curve of Lux’s lips.

He’s gloating!

Before Vincent could call him out, the researcher spoke up again. “However, Admiral Lux. As you witnessed just now, your human exhibited severe spiritual pheromone dependency during his reaction phase.”

Lux looked up. “Spiritual pheromone dependency?”

“Yes,” the researcher nodded. “This means… I’m afraid you cannot afford to wait for him to pass his reaction period naturally. Your human could enter the transformation phase early at any moment. He needs you by his side at all times, and you must inject him with spiritual pheromones at regular intervals.”

The researcher continued, “Otherwise, the human might fall back into that dangerous state from earlier—elevated body temperature, mental disorientation, rapid breathing, and… in severe cases, shock and sudden death.”

Vincent frowned. “But Lux, we’re about to—”

“I understand,” Lux cut him off. “Issue a certificate of perfect compatibility for me.”

The researcher complied immediately. “Right away, Admiral Lux.”

Vincent recalled the regulations as well. “Mermen with a perfect match can petition the royal family to bring their humans along to active warzones!”

The researcher quickly transmitted the digitally stamped certificate to Lux’s optical computer.

He added another reminder: “Your human has already experienced symptoms once. I suggest you inject him with another dose of spiritual pheromones before heading to the palace. This time, use the dosage meant for the transformation phase.”

Lux nodded.

He looked down at the black-haired human who was still nuzzling against him. Supporting Ruan Chen’s upper body, he lifted him up once more.

Meeting the merman’s gaze, Ruan Chen felt deeply conflicted.

He felt as though he had been split into two people. One part of his brain was frantically screaming to snuggle up to this stinky goldfish, while his rational self wanted nothing more than to execute a shoulder throw, drop the merman, and start a fistfight.

“This is an unfair victory. We’re both men… wait, male fish,” Ruan Chen glared at Lux. “A showdown should be fair. How can you play dirty?”

The merman must have done something to him to cause these bizarre impulses.

The grudge over his neck hadn’t even been settled yet. Why on earth would he willingly cozy up to this fish?

“Meow, meow, meow, meow!”

“Meow-uuu, meow-uuu, meow-awooo…”

Hearing the human’s soft, pathetic cries, Lux’s golden pupils contracted slightly. He leaned in as gently as possible toward the human’s slender neck.

However, this movement immediately triggered Ruan Chen’s alarms.

What is he doing?

Ruan Chen clamped a hand over his respirator. “You want to bite me again?!”

Seeing the merman reach out to peel off the large adhesive bandage on his neck, Ruan Chen threw caution to the wind.

Spotting an opening, he forcefully kicked toward the merman’s abdomen, using his arms to pry himself free from the grip as he struggled desperately to escape.

Yet before his foot could even touch the merman, his ankle was seized in a firm grip.

Lux narrowed his eyes slightly.

He hadn’t misjudged. The human wasn’t playing around at all; he really was trying to scratch him again.

The ankle in his hand felt slender and fragile, as if a fraction too much pressure would snap it.

Carefully controlling his strength, Lux pulled Ruan Chen back into his embrace.

“Meow-awooo!” (Stop touching me!)

It turned out that in the face of absolute, overwhelming strength, no amount of combat skill mattered.

Ruan Chen didn’t even have the room to struggle. The merman easily pinned him down, pinning both of his wrists with a single hand and pressing him back onto the examination table.

This time, Lux was completely lucid.

He leaned down, his long, pale-gold hair cascading into the water. Lowering his eyelashes, he studied Ruan Chen’s expression.

Those dark eyes, capable of mesmerizing any merman, were practically radiating fury.

Furious, yet completely helpless. With his tiny paws pinned down, his only way to express defiance was to meow aggressively at him.

For some reason, Lux suddenly found himself in an excellent mood.

“Good boy,” he coaxed softly in a low voice, sinking his teeth into the soft flesh on the side of the human’s neck once more.

“Mee-uuu!” (Fuck!)

The wound was pierced open again, drawing a cry of pain from Ruan Chen.

But within less than a second, the pain vanished.

A sensation far more intense than the last time flooded from the wound into every fiber of his being. Ruan Chen’s eyes flew wide.

His brain felt like it no longer belonged to him.

As a massive surge of spiritual pheromones pumped into his system, Ruan Chen’s body trembled weakly. His toes curled, and his heartbeat thundered like a drum in his ears.

“Whimper…” An involuntary, soft groan slipped past his lips.

The sound was incredibly delicate and tender.

Lux’s eyes darkened instantly.

The injection lasted for a full ten minutes this time. By the time Lux finally let go, Ruan Chen was still gasping softly, his pupils out of focus, unable to snap back from the floating sensation.

“Is this enough?” Lux asked the researcher nearby.

The researcher checked the concentration of spiritual pheromones inside Ruan Chen’s body and nodded. “It’s enough. This concentration should last for about a week. We will look after him for you in the meantime. Once you obtain permission from the royal family, you can take him away from the cultivation center.”

Lux gave a grunt of affirmation. He pinched Ruan Chen’s soft fingers, his gaze lingering on him for a few more seconds.

“Let’s go, Vincent.” Once the merman nurse came over to bandage Ruan Chen’s wound, he turned around. “To the palace.”

Lying on the examination table, Ruan Chen’s consciousness slowly cleared up. His limbs hadn’t recovered their strength yet, leaving him to do nothing but stare daggers at the departing figure, grinding his teeth inwardly.

It hurts like absolute hell.

This merman really knows how to torture someone. He thinks I’m not enough to eat, so he treats me like a snack—taking a bite, letting me go, then coming back for more. He acts exactly like my old cat playing with a mouse.

When the merman nurse bandaging him touched the wound, Ruan Chen bared his teeth in pain again.

You son of a bitch.

You won’t eat me now, but you’ll regret it sooner or later.

If I don’t get even for this, I’ll write my name backward!

The Royal Palace Briefing Hall.

A white-haired merman Duke leaned back against a luxurious, cushioned seat, his tail swaying leisurely.

Beside him, two beautiful merman maids were giving him a massage.

“A perfect match?” The Duke cast a lazy glance at the certificate Lux had submitted. “You expect to break the rules and take a fragile human to Base X based on a single piece of paper?”

Vincent opened his mouth to argue, but Lux held up a hand to stop him.

Lux spoke evenly, “There is a clause in the Human Protection Act stating that under circumstances of a perfect match, a merman may bring a human to a warzone depending on the situation.”

Facing a member of the royal family, he didn’t even use a proper title, let alone honorifics or respectful language. The Duke’s expression soured instantly.

“Hmph.” The Duke sat up straight. “A single human can undergo compatibility tests with countless mermen. Even if he’s a perfect match for you, he could still achieve a compatibility rating of over 70% with others. You want to take a human to a warzone? If you die, it’s a minor issue. But if this precious human dies, how will you atone for it?”

Lux replied flatly, “As long as I am alive, my human will not die.”

“And if I die,” a cold smile played at the corner of his lips, “that won’t be a minor issue either.”

“I am afraid the entire planet of Hanhai would have to be buried with me.”

The Duke stared, his eyes wide. “You!”

His chest heaved violently, but for a long time, he couldn’t squeeze out a single word.

Leaving the palace, Vincent saved the officially stamped permit onto his optical computer.

He curled his lip. “Every single visit to this place leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Those brainless nobles know nothing but how to eat, drink, and seek pleasure.”

Lux let out a very soft chuckle but didn’t reply.

“I’m serious. They knew perfectly well that you were coming, yet they sent that half-dead old Duke to deal with you. The old King did it on purpose just to put on airs in front of you.” Anger flashed across Vincent’s face. “You risk your life fighting out there on the front lines, while this trash relies on their bloodline to deliberately belittle—”

“Loose lips sink ships.”

Before he could finish, Lux raised a hand to signal him. Vincent could only shut his mouth in frustration.

“Sigh,” he groaned. “Fine, I’ll drop it. Let’s go pick up your cute, precious little human.”

At the mention of this, a smile finally appeared on Lux’s face.

He tapped open his optical computer and found three new videos sent from the West Sea Human Cultivation Center.

“Meow-awooo!”

“Meow-uuu-uuu…”

“Meow-awooo, meow-awooo!”

In the video, the human was wrapped up tightly like a burrito, completely immobilized, leaving only his small head exposed. His dark eyes were filled with absolute helplessness.

The cries remained soft and sweet, but after being scratched three times, Lux felt he could clearly discern the profound fury laced within the human’s voice.

“What are they doing to him?” Vincent leaned over to look.

Lux closed his optical computer, suppressing the upward tug of his lips under Vincent’s puzzled gaze. “They’re performing an external parasite removal.”

How adorable.

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