The Mermaid and Her Keeper (GL) - Chapter 20
Although they had sat down to rest, neither of them truly relaxed—especially Lin Feng, who sat nervously beside Zhao Shuqing, carefully watching their surroundings.
Zhao Shuqing opened her backpack and found her phone. After turning off the extreme power-saving mode, she saw several messages from Xu Tang, mostly reminders and precautions. The time was just past two in the morning.
Better not to bother her now, Zhao Shuqing thought. She felt confident she could handle things herself.
Just as Zhao Shuqing was about to lie down and rest on the grass, Lin Feng suddenly stood up straight. Her tail was tightly coiled, and she stared toward the dense forest ahead, looking like a frightened cat with its fur standing on end.
“Let’s go.”
Lin Feng said this and immediately grabbed Zhao Shuqing, who panicked and clutched her backpack tightly as Lin Feng dragged her by the collar, darting through the trees.
Strangely enough, Lin Feng and Zhao Shuqing had moved through several places that night, never knowing where they’d stop next. Yet, despite all that, Lin Feng could still sense that group following them.
Zhao Shuqing sat on a tree trunk, frowning. At first, she thought it was Lin Feng’s imagination, but when she saw a faint light flickering in the direction Lin Feng was pointing, she knew Lin Feng was never wrong. Those people had been tracking them all along.
Why?
Zhao Shuqing wondered. How could those people find them in such thick forest?
Could it be…
She glanced at her backpack and quickly pulled out her phone. With only 5% battery left and a weak signal, she suddenly understood.
They had been tracked by a GPS locator.
Before shutting off her phone, Zhao Shuqing had sent Xu Tang a message saying they were being tracked and needed to power down for now, promising to contact him once safe.
After turning off the phone, Zhao Shuqing still wasn’t sure it was safe. She removed the SIM card and tucked it into a small compartment in her backpack before telling Lin Feng, “Let’s keep moving.”
Lin Feng looked at her and asked, “Go… where?”
That question stumped Zhao Shuqing.
Like Lin Feng, she was unfamiliar with this place—actually, even less so. She couldn’t swim or climb trees. Now that she was asked where to go, she had no idea.
Since those people had already entered the forest, they probably had men stationed in all directions. Important trails were likely blocked, so trying to go around the woods to the exit was impossible.
Where would those people feel most relaxed?
Zhao Shuqing thought carefully and suddenly remembered a place.
“I have an idea,” she told Lin Feng. “We’ll go back to Zhouling Village.”
Lin Feng tilted her head, seeming confused.
Zhao Shuqing held tightly onto Lin Feng’s shoulders, holding her breath as she watched Lin Feng swim quickly through the water. The river was about four or five hundred meters wide, but Lin Feng barely needed a few flicks of her tail to cross it, moving unbelievably fast.
If it weren’t such a dangerous time, Zhao Shuqing really wanted to record this to include in her research paper.
Once ashore, Zhao Shuqing wrung water out of her clothes and looked back at the dense forest across the river. She guessed the others wouldn’t catch up so quickly.
After a night of running, the sky was starting to lighten—the dawn was near.
The “Liang Yue” shop was easy to find, its sign still lit late at night. Zhao Shuqing, looking grim, led Lin Feng there. She gave a slight nod, and Lin Feng understood immediately, swinging her big tail and smashing a large hole in the metal rolling door with a loud ‘boom.’
The dark room instantly lit up. Liang Yue came rushing downstairs from above, carrying an axe and wearing a pink nightdress with cat patterns, which made her dark chocolate-colored skin stand out even more.
Liang Yue froze when she saw who it was, confused. “Why is it you guys?”
Then her eyes fell on Lin Feng’s long, beautiful blue tail, and she widened her eyes.
“Y-You guys are…”
Before she could finish, Lin Feng dashed forward like lightning, swinging her big tail and slamming Liang Yue against the wall with a loud smack.
Zhao Shuqing frowned and said, “Lin Feng, don’t kill her.”
Liang Yue fell to the ground, coughing up bl00d, clutching her stomach in pain and sweating all over. She probably had broken ribs.
Lin Feng looked back at Zhao Shuqing, confused, not understanding what she did wrong. Zhao Shuqing sighed helplessly, pulled Lin Feng toward the door, then walked over to Liang Yue and squatted down. She gently lifted Liang Yue’s chin and saw bl00d smeared at the corner of her mouth—likely from biting her tongue or cheek.
“Why did you put a tracker in my phone?” Zhao Shuqing asked.
Liang Yue’s pupils flickered, then she smiled and asked, “How did you find out?”
Zhao Shuqing said, “That group…”
“People are buzzing around me like flies. If I still can’t figure this out, then I really am an idiot.” She looked carefully at Liang Yue’s face and asked curiously, “Since you helped them install tracking on my phone, why didn’t you run away? Do you think there’s no way I could escape?”
“…Not exactly.” Liang Yue knelt on the ground, tilting her head up to look at Zhao Shuqing calmly. “My home is here. How could I leave?”
Zhao Shuqing released her chin and stood up. “Honestly, I didn’t expect you to still be here. Why don’t you just tell me—why did you want to hurt me?”
“I didn’t want to hurt you, and I didn’t put tracking on your phone.” Liang Yue leaned against the wall, clutching her abdomen. “I just did something to your phone to boost its signal range. As long as your phone is on, it keeps sending signals to the satellites.”
Zhao Shuqing glanced at her lightly.
Actually, she had suspected it was a signal problem. After all, apart from the very beginning, she watched closely when Liang Yue “repaired” the phone and didn’t see her do anything suspicious. Besides, the phone was turned on only while in her own hands.
Now she finally understood—they had been using the phone’s signal to locate her.
Liang Yue coughed a few times and felt a bit better. She guessed she must have broken a rib, but not badly. She looked at Lin Feng and her long tail and realized the mermaid had gone easy on her.
Lin Feng noticed Liang Yue staring and felt very displeased. She walked behind Zhao Shuqing, seemingly trying to hide herself, but her big beautiful tail was impossible to conceal.
Zhao Shuqing noticed Lin Feng’s reaction and told her to sit aside and rest for a while. Then she sat down face-to-face with Liang Yue for a chat.
From their conversation, Zhao Shuqing learned that Liang Yue had been found by that group of foreign agents a day ago and was asked to do this “small task.” They promised to pay her 100,000 yuan as a reward. Even if they hadn’t met Zhao Shuqing and the others, they still paid a 2,000-yuan deposit, so no matter what, she was making money.
Zhao Shuqing propped her head up, studying the woman in front of her.
A woman blinded by money.
But her skills were really good.
Maybe within a hundred-mile radius, she was the only one who could mess with a phone like that.
Liang Yue sat on the floor looking miserable. Outside, the sky was gradually brightening—it was dawn. Zhao Shuqing sat on the chair across from her, crossing her legs but not lazily swinging them. Instead, she stared at the brightening sky, deep in thought.
She couldn’t keep running like this.
Zhao Shuqing knew clearly that just running wouldn’t help. That group of foreign agents was powerful and well-resourced. They definitely spent a lot to catch her and Lin Feng.
If today they could make Liang Yue tamper with her phone, tomorrow they could have someone else set a trap. The day after, and even on the way back to the institute, she wouldn’t be safe.
She couldn’t stay passive, especially in this situation.
Lin Feng seemed to think this place was very safe. She had fallen asleep on the green sofa, her long tail drooping on the floor but still looking beautiful.
“I think we both need some rest,” Zhao Shuqing said. “Can I borrow your car?”
She was talking about the black SUV outside—the one she had noticed for a while.
Liang Yue’s eyelids twitched noticeably. She nodded and pointed to the keys hanging on the wall. “The keys are there. You… will give the car back, right? That car is expensive.”
Zhao Shuqing took the keys and said cheerfully, “Of course. I said I’m just borrowing it. I’ll definitely return it after use.”
Liang Yue held her abdomen and squinted at her, doubt written all over her face.
Zhao Shuqing walked to Lin Feng’s side, bent down, and picked up the messy-sleeping mermaid. Lin Feng half-opened her eyes, saw Zhao Shuqing holding her, lazily yawned, and rubbed her cheek against her, snuggling into her arms.
Like a sleepy little beast.
“If those people come looking for you again, you know what to say, right?” Zhao Shuqing glanced at Liang Yue.
Liang Yue quickly replied, “I understand. I’ll say I’ve never met you.”
Zhao Shuqing nodded, said no more, and carried Lin Feng out.
The sky was starting to lighten. Zhao Shuqing placed Lin Feng on the back seat and put her backpack on the floor mat beside her. Then, like a bandit, she raided Liang Yue’s shop, grabbing a bunch of stuff and stuffing it all into the car. She hit the gas and sped away.
Liang Yue weakly got up, looked at the empty shelves by her door and the black SUV speeding off, then sighed helplessly, leaning against the wall.
Since she found out Liang Yue had altered her phone’s signal source, Zhao Shuqing hadn’t turned her phone back on. She drove into a nearby abandoned factory. It was cool and shady inside, without any bad smells. The surrounding area was open and empty—perfect for a temporary rest.
Lin Feng was out cold, her big tail hanging off the seat. Zhao Shuqing sighed helplessly, folded down the back seat, and patted her round little butt. “Turn over, Lin Feng.”
Lin Feng didn’t open her eyes but obediently turned over, resting her head on Zhao Shuqing’s thigh and continuing to sleep.
Zhao Shuqing shook her head with a smile. After adjusting the temperature in the car, she wrapped her arms around Lin Feng and lay down, ready to catch some sleep herself.