Chapter 41 – Siren Should Be Fierce
After being belittled by the ever-interested demon hunting system, Lin Jiu began his journey of enlightenment.
He screamed on the reefs, screamed in the sea, screamed wherever he went, nearly transforming into a “screaming chicken.” The nice thing about the Demon Sea was that no matter how loud or how much he screamed, no one would file a complaint. He could practice his vocal cords all he wanted.
With a fish spear in hand, Lin Jiu roamed the sea, his long black hair drifting in the water. At some point, his screams turned into humming—subconscious, something he didn’t even realize until it had been happening for a while.
Lin Jiu sighed, giving up on the idea of “self-treatment,” wondering if it really was his mixed blood that prevented him from tapping into his siren abilities.
Though he seemed leisurely as he wandered about, Lin Jiu was actually extremely anxious. Day after day passed, and without finding the invisible fish, he couldn’t complete his task. Failing that, he couldn’t return early. Lin Jiu was very frustrated.
While lost in thought, something suddenly wrapped around his large, dark tail. Lin Jiu’s entire body tensed up—grabbing a siren’s tail was like grabbing a woman’s thigh. Whoever touched his tail was openly flirting with him!
“Smack!” Lin Jiu reflexively swung his spear.
The culprit was a thick, blue tentacle covered in suction cups. Seeing the tentacle writhing in the water, Lin Jiu’s first thought was squid, octopus, or cuttlefish. His second thought was: Crap, it’s a Blue Demon! Time to run!
Lin Jiu didn’t bother avenging his molested tail; he turned and bolted. But in the dark depths, several more thick tentacles shot out, wrapping around the fleeing siren. Though Lin Jiu prided himself on being fast, he was still a step slower than the tentacles. They coiled around his waist and began dragging him toward the abyss.
With a swoosh, all Lin Jiu could see was a cloud of silt and sand kicked up, blurring his vision. He saw only a smooth, blue “big head” before the tentacles yanked him downward, aiming to pull him toward the Blue Demon’s mouth beneath.
Gripping his spear tightly, Lin Jiu stabbed into the passing “big head.” The Blue Demon’s tentacles writhed violently, and Lin Jiu was nearly thrown off balance. He shifted his spear to stab the tentacle coiled around his waist. It loosened just enough for Lin Jiu to break free, but more tentacles were already closing in.
Lin Jiu was alone, while the blue demon was covered in tentacles. Lin Jiu couldn’t fight off so many limbs and was once again entangled and dragged down.
The blue demon’s tentacles wriggled, wrapping around Lin Jiu and trying to stuff him into its mouth. Lin Jiu’s harpoon stabbed viciously into the tender flesh near the mouth, causing the blue demon to thrash its tentacles and hurl Lin Jiu away violently.
Lin Jiu tumbled in the murky water, unsure of where he was being thrown. He saw the enraged blue demon whipping its tentacles again and catching him, flinging him in another direction.
“Boom!”
The impact was silent, but Lin Jiu’s entire back slammed into a hidden reef on the seabed, the pain draining all his strength and making him drop his harpoon.
The blue demon, seizing the opportunity, surrounded Lin Jiu with all its tentacles, beating him relentlessly. With the mud and sand clouding his vision, Lin Jiu thought he might die there—either eaten or drowned. But he didn’t want to die. He had survived in this demon sea for so long, so why should he die now?!
As the tentacles swung him once again towards the hard reef, Lin Jiu’s survival instincts kicked in, unleashing his ferocity. His sharp finger bones tore into the tentacle as he curled his body to protect his head, his back smashing against the reef once more.
Lin Jiu let out a frenzied roar, and the blue demon desperately flailed its tentacles. Lin Jiu bit down on one of them, his sharp teeth sinking in. At this moment, he had shed all traces of human elegance and gentleness, becoming purely a sea beast fighting for its life—clawing and biting. One of the thick tentacles was shredded, and Lin Jiu was thrown away, tumbling across the seabed.
Grabbing onto a reef, Lin Jiu stabilized himself. The blue demon was already rushing at him, its mountainous body pressing down. Without thinking, Lin Jiu let out a piercing scream. The sound, like a hurricane, whipped through the water, and the blue demon, being closest to Lin Jiu, was blasted away by the soundwave, smashing into numerous reefs before disappearing into the black depths of the sea.
Lin Jiu didn’t let go, he quickly chased after it, determined to see the blue demon’s fate. After pursuing it for some distance, Lin Jiu saw that the blue demon had been stopped by a massive reef, its limp body showing no signs of life.
Approaching cautiously, Lin Jiu noticed that the blue demon’s large head had exploded, confirming its death.
The blue demon was a three-star danger, and its nutrients and magic essence were invaluable. Lin Jiu wasn’t about to waste such good ingredients.
He grabbed one of the blue demon’s tentacles and swam back, determined to retrieve his harpoon. The system-rewarded harpoon was too useful to lose.
After searching the battlefield for a while, Lin Jiu finally found the harpoon wedged in a crevice of the reef. He tried to pull it out, but he was too exhausted and in too much pain, so he gave up and had the system store it in his inventory. He slumped against the reef, needing to rest.
Lin Jiu was always vigilant in the demon sea and rarely found himself in such a life-threatening situation. But just one moment of distraction had nearly cost him his life.
He wondered if the scream he let out earlier was the racial talent the system mentioned. In that critical moment, he had instinctively used it.
Lin Jiu knew very little about the Siren race, but according to the system, the Sirens used to be fierce. Even without weapons, they could conquer the demon sea with their claws and sharp teeth. Coupled with their innate abilities, they were a force to be reckoned with.
Lin Jiu’s current performance as a Siren was disgraceful. He had almost been eaten by a three-star blue demon—his ancestors would be rolling in their graves. But at least he still had the Siren’s ferocity in his genes, even if it took almost dying to awaken it.
Glancing at the exploded head, it seemed like things had turned out well enough.
Fish were beginning to gather around the blue demon, hoping to share in the feast. Among them, Lin Jiu spotted a brightly colored, flat, round fish—the very same hidden fish the system had shown him in its true form!
Ignoring the pain in his body, Lin Jiu quietly swam over, taking out a fishing net bag, preparing to capture the hidden fish alive.
The hidden fish was only rated two stars in danger, not because of its attack power but due to its ability to become invisible and ambush. Once it turned invisible, it would be nearly impossible to catch. Lin Jiu had to act before that happened.
The hidden fish was still tearing at the blue demon’s broken head when suddenly, a large net fell over it. The fish lashed its tail, and its bright colors quickly faded, blending into the water until it became invisible. If not for the bulging net, Lin Jiu would have thought it had escaped.
Seeing such a magical fish for the first time, Lin Jiu tied the net securely, making sure the hidden fish wouldn’t slip away. He prepared to catch a few more using the same method. Lin Jiu hid behind the blue demon’s tentacles, waiting for more hidden fish to arrive.
It didn’t take long before a few more brightly colored hidden fish appeared. Containing his excitement, Lin Jiu quietly circled behind them, bagging them one by one.
After catching four in total, Lin Jiu was planning to catch a few more when a sharp pain shot through his lower back, as if something had struck him hard. He turned around but saw nothing. Just as he faced forward again, another hit landed on him, this time on the hand holding the net bag, causing sharp pain and leaving small puncture marks that oozed blood.
Lin Jiu didn’t loosen his grip, and with his other hand, he reached out, grabbing onto something invisible but very real—it was another hidden fish!
The invisible fish thrashed wildly in his grasp. Meanwhile, more hidden fish were attacking Lin Jiu, but he couldn’t see them. He could only sense the water currents when they moved. Lin Jiu quickly stuffed the captured fish into the net bag, grabbed one of the blue demon’s tentacles, and swam away as fast as he could. If he didn’t leave soon, he’d be torn apart by the hidden fish swarm.
Exhausted, Lin Jiu dragged himself onto a reef, using the last of his strength to haul the mountain-sized blue demon up as well. The entire reef was now covered by the blue demon, leaving Lin Jiu hanging onto the edge, still half-submerged in the water.
[Task complete. You’ve earned 30 magic points.]
[Congratulations, host! You’ve exceeded the task requirements and triggered a chest reward. You’ve earned a wooden treasure chest.]
Lin Jiu didn’t waste any time. His body was covered in wounds, and if he stopped moving, he might not be able to move again.
He opened the ultra-intelligent kitchen and dragged the Little Blue Demon inside. Moving around with a fishtail was inconvenient, and when Lin Jiu wanted to shift into human legs, he glanced back and saw that the base of the scales on his waist was soaked in blood. Two spots were missing scales, revealing raw and bloody wounds, making his injuries look incredibly severe.
Lin Jiu gritted his teeth and transformed into human form. His waist and legs were covered in blood, and his injuries appeared worse in this form than when he was a sea demon. He trembled with pain, so weak he couldn’t even muster the strength to handle the Little Blue Demon.
The invisible fish were still struggling in the net bag. He wanted to put them in the fish tank but was worried they’d fight with the Silver carp in there, which would result in a major loss for him.
Lying on the cold metal floor, Lin Jiu muttered, “I need… a mystery box…”
Lin Jiu had intended to save his chances of drawing a mystery box, but now he had no other choice. He had to draw something that could help him take the invisible fish and Little Blue Demon back. There was no way he could abandon the prey he’d fought so hard to catch.
The familiar nine-square grid appeared again, with a locked treasure chest in each slot. Lin Jiu closed his eyes and randomly picked one.
[Congratulations to the host, you’ve received a high-grade magic crystal.]
Lin Jiu: …
Whatever this magic crystal was, high-grade or not, it wasn’t going to help him right now. What he needed was something to take the invisible fish and the Little Blue Demon home!
Lin Jiu felt utterly exhausted.
[The magic crystal is a solid form of magic essence, a life-saving item when magic essence is depleted.]
Lin Jiu weakly replied, ‘I don’t need a life-saving item right now; I need something to take these fish back.’
[Why doesn’t the host expand the fish tank?]
Lin Jiu responded, ‘Even if I expand it, it’s still one big space. The invisible fish and the silver carp won’t coexist peacefully.’
The system went silent for a moment.
[Has the host ever heard of space separation?]
Lin Jiu: ‘No, I haven’t.’
[Well, now you know. If you separate them, they won’t fight.]
Lin Jiu: ‘You can separate them?’
[Yes.]
Taking a deep breath, Lin Jiu asked, ‘If you could separate them, why didn’t you tell me earlier?’
[I thought you knew. You didn’t ask, so I didn’t know you needed it.]
Lin Jiu: …
He had wasted a mystery box draw for nothing, and now he’d have to use magic points to fix the fish tank issue!
Lin Jiu spent 30 magic points to expand the tank to three cubic meters, partitioning off two sections—one for the Silver carp and one for the invisible fish. This would ensure they wouldn’t kill each other, though it didn’t allow much space to swim. The remaining area was reserved for the Little Blue Demon.
The Little Blue Demon was enormous, and it took Lin Jiu a long time to stuff all its tentacles into the tank. He figured he’d take it back now and deal with processing it once his injuries healed.
[Magic Creature Name: Little Blue Demon]
[Traits: The trickiest killer in the Demon Sea]
[Characteristics: Delicious flesh, highly nutritious.]
[Danger Level: ???]
[Effects: 1. Improves immune system. 2. Slows down aging.]
Lin Jiu exited the smart kitchen, greeted by the endless sea. He couldn’t see Xipuluo Island anywhere, so he decided to return first. The next time he entered the kitchen, he’d reappear on the island, which was much more convenient than trying to find it now. Besides, in his current state, he wouldn’t survive another dive—any sea monster could easily devour him.
The wounds on his body had worsened after passing through the dimensional gate, now looking even more horrific.
It was nighttime on Earth, and Lin Jiu collapsed onto the wooden floor with a thud, leaving a person-shaped bloodstain. Struggling to get up, he slipped repeatedly on his own blood-soaked feet. After several failed attempts, he resigned himself to crawling toward the bathroom, leaving a long trail of blood behind him.
The bathtub was filled with warm water, and Lin Jiu climbed in. The water quickly turned red as it mixed with his blood. The warm water aggravated his wounds, causing intense pain, so he couldn’t stay in the tub for long. After a brief rinse, he wrapped himself in a bathrobe and dragged himself into the bedroom. Staring at the bloody mess on the floor, he didn’t want to stain the bed as well, so he sat on the carpet.
Lin Jiu assessed that his bones were probably fine; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to move at all. Shivering, he powered on his phone, opened an app, and searched for a 24-hour pharmacy. He ordered several boxes of bandages, a dozen bottles of disinfectant, and various types of hemostatic medicine. He wasn’t sure if human medicine would work on him, but it was worth a try.
He placed the order, but his phone froze. Growing anxious, Lin Jiu tapped the screen repeatedly. Suddenly, his phone rang—he had an incoming call. Startled, he dropped the phone, which flashed a few more times as the page loaded. The order went through, and the call connected.
Si Xu hadn’t expected the call to go through. He had dialed out of habit, figuring if it didn’t connect, it meant Lin Jiu hadn’t returned yet. But to his surprise, the call went through.
“Lin Jiu?” Si Xu called out.
There was no response from the other side, just the sound of labored breathing.
Si Xu immediately knew something was wrong. “Lin Jiu, can you hear me?”
Lin Jiu shakily picked up the phone and heard Si Xu’s voice. “Yeah…”
The moment he spoke, he realized his voice was off, trembling too much to sound normal. He quickly fell silent.
But it was already too late—Si Xu had heard it. “Where are you? Are you hurt?”
“No… I’m not…” Lin Jiu tried to steady his voice, but the pain was too much. His whole body was shaking, and so was his voice.
“Where are you? I’m coming over,” Si Xu said urgently.
“There’s no need…”
“Where?” Si Xu’s voice was firm and left no room for refusal.
Lin Jiu fell silent, staring at the room that now looked like a crime scene. If Si Xu saw this, there’d be no way to explain it.
When Lin Jiu didn’t respond, Si Xu also remained quiet. By then, he had already taken the elevator down to the underground parking lot and was on his way to Lin Jiu’s apartment complex.
Si Xu had been working overtime nonstop while Lin Jiu was away, often sleeping in the office and only occasionally returning to his own apartment. Tonight, after another late shift, he had thought of relaxing with a cup of coffee and a phone call, never expecting to actually reach Lin Jiu.
“Building 6, Unit 1201.”
In the end, it was Lin Jiu who gave in and provided the address.
The sudden firmness in Si Xu’s tone left Lin Jiu at a bit of a loss.
“I’ll be there soon.”
