The Mermaid and Her Keeper (GL) - Chapter 1

On a Pacific research vessel, a sudden commotion broke out.

Zhao Shuqing was sitting at her desk writing a report. Just as she signed her name at the very end, the cabin door was suddenly pushed open from outside. A person dressed in researcher clothes stood at the door, excitedly shouting to those inside, “We’ve caught a mermaid!”

Zhao Shuqing’s heart skipped a beat. The last character of her name, “Qing,” was drawn out long with surprise. She quickly turned around and asked excitedly, “Really? A real mermaid?”

“Yes, a real mermaid,” the person said excitedly. “And it’s a female— a genuine ‘mermaid.’”

About five years ago, a blurry photo surfaced in public—a shadowy figure with a long tail appeared near a distant coastline. Over the following years, various photos of different mermaids appeared. The latest one was taken two months ago when an ocean vessel passed near Nemo Point in the Pacific and recorded a close-up video of a mermaid.

This spot saw almost no ship traffic, and the mermaid was floating on the surface, watching the ship from afar.

At first, the crew thought someone had fallen overboard, but after careful observation, they noticed the figure wasn’t panicking like a drowning person. It even flicked its long fish tail as it left. So, the country quickly organized a research team to investigate around Nemo Point.

After two months at sea, the research team finally succeeded in capturing a mermaid that had only existed in legends.

Zhao Shuqing hurriedly put on her researcher uniform and followed her teammates down the corridor. Along with others coming out of the cabins, they headed toward a large tank specially prepared for the mermaid.

As the cabin door opened, Zhao Shuqing saw a crowd gathered around a simple but huge iron tank.

Almost everyone on the ship was there, crowding the spacious research room until it felt cramped. Zhao Shuqing pushed her way to the front and saw Senior Sister Xu Tang standing above the tank, directing someone to pour something into the water.

Xu Tang noticed Zhao Shuqing, raised her eyebrows slightly, and said, “Shuqing, you’re here?”

“Senior Sister,” Zhao Shuqing greeted briefly and climbed up to stand on the platform next to the tank. Looking inside, she saw a humanoid creature with a long tail curled up at the bottom.

Because the tank was made of iron and quite basic, it only had a simple oxygen system. The inside was dark except for a couple of dim lights, so Zhao Shuqing couldn’t see clearly underwater. She asked, “Is this the mermaid?”

“Yes,” Xu Tang signed the records and turned back to say, “The mermaid is frightened and needs time to calm down. Let’s clear the room; too many people will make her uneasy.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded and took charge, ordering everyone except researchers to leave.

“Shuqing.”

Just after Zhao Shuqing sent the last irrelevant person out, Xu Tang came up behind her, standing about two steps away. Raising her eyebrows slightly, she said, “No outsiders now. Want to take a closer look at the female mermaid?”

Zhao Shuqing’s eyes lit up. “Of course!”

The two climbed onto the platform by the tank. The tank was about ten square meters in area and over two meters deep. Because of the simple setup, the platform was just roughly made from iron plates for researchers to use.

“Captain Xu,” a blonde-haired, blue-eyed foreign student saw Xu Tang and Zhao Shuqing approach, quickly made space, and said with an accent and excitement, “The mermaid just moved. We thought we should feed her some food. Maybe she’ll feel our kindness.”

Xu Tang nodded and asked Zhao Shuqing, “What do you think?”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Zhao Shuqing said without caring much about what exactly to feed the mermaid. She rolled up her sleeves and leaned over the platform edge, staring into the dim water where a vague figure floated.

The figure curled in the corner, the long tail limp on one side. On her head was either hair or some kind of underwater plant, gently drifting with the tank’s oxygen bubbles.

What does a mermaid really look like?

Zhao Shuqing had been stuck in her room writing reports since yesterday and hadn’t had time to see any photos or data about the mermaid caught. Now her eyes shone brightly as she stared at the blurry shape, as if trying to see the creature’s eyes through the water.

In the dimness, Zhao Shuqing felt the figure slowly lift its head and seemed to look toward her at the surface.

She was surprised but happy and reached out a hand to touch the water’s surface. The cold seawater made her goosebumps rise. The mermaid seemed to notice her movement and stretched up slightly.

“I advise you not to do that,” Xu Tang said from beside Zhao Shuqing. Her black rubber boots stepped firmly on the anti-slip mat of the platform. Looking down at her, she warned, “Maybe you haven’t seen her before, but mermaids aren’t those pretty showpieces in movies. They’re dangerous. Adult mermaids have biting power as strong as lions or tigers. If you want to keep your hand, don’t put it in the water.”

Zhao Shuqing was startled by Xu Tang’s words and quickly pulled back her arm, standing up with surprise. “Senior Sister, don’t scare me.”

Xu Tang laughed, her black ponytail swaying gently. Zhao Shuqing couldn’t help but look at her a little longer.

Xu Tang was two years older but already the leader of this expedition. Everything at sea was under her control. Zhao Shuqing didn’t like managing people and preferred focusing on experiments and writing reports.

Looking at the dark circles under Xu Tang’s eyes, Zhao Shuqing guessed she hadn’t rested well lately.

“We already have good results from this expedition. Senior Sister, you don’t need to stay up late anymore,” Zhao Shuqing said, standing beside Xu Tang, encouraging her, “I’ll handle the mermaid from now on. You should rest.”

Xu Tang looked at her and nodded slightly. “Okay, then you take care of things. Wake me up in three hours.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded. “No problem, Senior Sister.”

After Xu Tang left, the researchers brought a bucket full of small fish—dozens of pale blue-white fish about the size of a finger, perfect for the mermaid to eat.

“The mermaid seems to dislike dead fish,” Zhao Shuqing said, putting on rubber gloves. She picked up a lively little blue fish and asked, “This fish looks so familiar. Didn’t you get it from the kitchen?”

“Yes, Dr. Zhao,” a female researcher smiled. “They’re the fried small fish we often eat.”

Zhao Shuqing raised her eyebrows and leaned over the platform again. Waving the small fish in the water, she said to the dark figure, “Miss Mermaid, look what we’ve prepared for you. Want to come up and try some?”

The figure shifted slightly, seeming to see the fish but still hesitating.

As soon as the fish touched the water, it flapped wildly. Wearing rubber gloves, Zhao Shuqing couldn’t feel it well, and the fish quickly slipped from her hand.

The fish swam fast toward the dark figure. Before Zhao Shuqing could react, the mermaid seemed to reach out a hand, caught the fish in a blink, and ate it.

Zhao Shuqing saw it clearly, even though it was only for a fraction of a second.

Looks like this Miss Mermaid is really hungry.

Zhao Shuqing’s eyes brightened. She grabbed another small fish from the bucket and waved it in the water to lure the mermaid. After hesitating briefly, the mermaid straightened up and slowly swam from the bottom of the tank to Zhao Shuqing’s side.

With a splash, her head broke the water’s surface.

Zhao Shuqing caught one glance and was immediately captivated by the beautiful mermaid.

She had long, pale purple hair, wet and hanging on both sides. Her skin was very pale, as if rarely exposed to sunlight—so pale you could even see the bluish veins underneath.

Most surprising were her eyes—deep ocean blue, wet, staring right at Zhao Shuqing like lost sapphires from the sea.

“Oh my, she’s so beautiful.”

The researchers behind Zhao Shuqing gasped in amazement, and Zhao Shuqing herself was drawn to the mermaid’s delicate and stunning face.

She was more beautiful than any popular celebrity—so perfect she seemed not of this world.

The mermaid looked at Zhao Shuqing—more precisely, at the small fish in her hand—and slowly swam closer. She stretched out a pale arm from the water, quickly grabbed the fish, and swam away.

Watching the splashing in the tank, Zhao Shuqing smiled and took out another small fish from the bucket. This time, the mermaid wasn’t as scared. Seeing more fish in her hand, she swam over slowly, grabbed one, and popped it into her mouth.

The mermaid really seemed hungry. After eating two small fish, she slowed down, her sea-blue eyes cautiously watching Zhao Shuqing. Her thick, wet eyelashes blinked, full of curiosity.

In fact, Zhao Shuqing was just as curious about her.

“Hi, Miss Mermaid,” Zhao Shuqing squatted by the platform edge, resting one hand on her knee. “We mean you no harm. We just want to study your habits. My team and I promise to keep you safe and won’t force you to do anything you don’t want.”

The mermaid didn’t understand Zhao Shuqing’s words and still looked confused, but her alertness seemed to lessen.

Zhao Shuqing looked at her pale chest. Luckily, the mermaid’s thick hair covered her full and round br3asts, but Zhao Shuqing couldn’t help sneaking a few extra glances.

Below the slim waist was a blue tail, clearly very long. Zhao Shuqing guessed this beautiful mermaid was about two meters tall. If not for the tail, she might have thought the creature was human.

Zhao Shuqing examined Miss Mermaid from head to tail, curiosity growing.

If her upper body looked like a human’s, what about her lower body? Could it be similar too?