The Mermaid and Her Keeper (GL) - Chapter 8

Did someone hear singing?

Zhao Shuqing immediately thought of the beach she had seen in her dream. Back then, a group of mermaids had caught her attention with their beautiful, enchanting singing. Even though it had been just a dream, thinking about it now sent a chill down her spine.

In the dream, she hadn’t felt afraid at all. She’d only thought about swimming closer to take a look at those mermaids, which wasn’t like her at all.

If Lin Feng hadn’t stopped her…

Lin Feng?

Why had Lin Feng appeared in her dream?

Zhao Shuqing frowned. Maybe she had been thinking about her too much lately, and that’s why she dreamt of her?

She couldn’t figure it out and pushed the thought aside for now. She grabbed a coat, threw it on, and got out of bed. When she opened the cabin door, she saw a lot of people moving around in the hallway—some were researchers, others were crew members.

“What’s going on?” Zhao Shuqing grabbed a colleague who was passing by. The woman looked anxious, so Zhao quickly asked, “Did something happen on the ship?”

“It’s—it’s Sun Chengzhou,” the colleague replied hurriedly. “Someone said he went up to the deck last night, and then… he disappeared.”

“What do you mean by ‘disappeared’?” Zhao Shuqing frowned.

“I mean… he’s dead.” Her colleague’s face turned pale. “Sun Chengzhou is dead. No one knows why he went up to the deck in the middle of the night. By the time someone found him, he was already dead. I’m heading to report this to Captain Xu now.”

Zhao Shuqing stared in shock and let go of her colleague, watching her hurry away. She looked around and decided to go to the deck herself.

Sun Chengzhou was a difficult man—small-minded and quick-tempered—but he was still a qualified marine biology Ph.D. How could he suddenly die like that?

And to die on a research vessel—that was a serious incident. It had to be investigated properly.

When Zhao Shuqing reached the deck, a crowd had already gathered. Crew members were keeping people back, and from a distance, Zhao could see a white sheet covering something at the front of the ship. Under the sheet, the shape of a body was faintly visible.

“It’s so scary… really terrifying…”

A female researcher nearby was crying as her colleague tried to comfort her. A few crew members stood around them. Zhao Shuqing narrowed her eyes and walked closer.

“Last night, after my shift, I was heading back to my cabin. It was just past midnight when I saw Sun Chengzhou in the hallway. I said hi to him,” the woman said in a low voice. “I asked him where he was going, and he just said he had something to do and left. Later, I couldn’t sleep because I felt seasick, so I came out to get some fresh air. That’s when I saw Dr. Sun lying on the deck, soaking wet.”

Wet?

“Wet?” someone nearby echoed in confusion. “There were some waves last night, but not enough to soak the deck. How did he end up drenched?”

“No idea.”

“What did the captain say?”

“The captain went to check the surveillance footage. We should have some answers soon.”

Everyone fell silent for a moment before someone asked, “Why would Sun Chengzhou leave his room in the middle of the night?”

“I heard it was because he heard someone singing—that’s why he went out. Not sure if it’s true.”

“Yeah, I was in the hallway too and heard people saying he went out because of singing. Could that be what got him killed?”

“But what kind of thing at sea would be singing?”

The group went quiet again and exchanged uneasy glances. Then someone whispered, “Could it be mermaids?”

“You think the singing lured him out?”

“Was he killed by mermaids?”

“Then the mermaid in our lab… could she kill people too?”

Zhao Shuqing frowned when she heard that. She wanted to speak up and deny it, but didn’t know what to say.

Honestly, she wasn’t the only one wondering. Even she suspected that Sun Chengzhou’s death might be linked to the mermaids. She looked at the white sheet in the distance and decided to check on Lin Feng in the lab.

On her way down the hall, Zhao Shuqing ran into Xu Tang, who was surrounded by several people and looked grim.

Zhao stepped aside to let them pass. Xu Tang glanced at her but didn’t say anything and walked quickly toward the deck.

Zhao Shuqing breathed a sigh of relief and headed in the opposite direction.

In the lab, two researchers were rushing around. They had clearly heard the news too. When they saw Zhao Shuqing enter, they immediately gathered around her.

“Dr. Zhao, is it true? Is Dr. Sun really dead?”

“I heard he went out because he heard singing. Could it have been the mermaid that lured him?”

“Maybe the mermaids are angry that we captured one, and now they’re trying to kill us one by one?”

Zhao Shuqing snapped, “You’re all scientists—how can you say something like that without any evidence?”

The two researchers looked at each other awkwardly.

Zhao Shuqing softened her tone. “I’m upset about what happened to Dr. Sun too. But it just happened, and no one knows the full story yet. Maybe it had nothing to do with the mermaid. Don’t panic. I’m going to check on Lin Feng.”

Climbing up onto the platform, Zhao Shuqing saw Lin Feng swimming leisurely in the water, looking relaxed.

When she noticed Zhao Shuqing, she popped her head up and slowly swam over, resting her arms on the edge of the platform. She smiled at Zhao Shuqing.

Lin Feng was already beautiful, but when she smiled, she was stunning. Her sapphire-like eyes sparkled as they curved into a gentle expression.

Zhao Shuqing took a moment to collect herself, then walked over and squatted down in front of Lin Feng, reaching out to gently touch her face.

Lin Feng clearly liked it when Zhao Shuqing touched her. She tilted her head and looked up at her with curious eyes, as if wondering why she had come so early and why she looked so upset.

“Shuqing…”

Lin Feng spoke her name clearly and watched her with concern, as if asking what was wrong.

“Don’t go.”

“Don’t get close to the mermaid…”

Those words echoed in Zhao Shuqing’s mind—Lin Feng’s cold voice from the dream, saying those exact lines. It sounded exactly the same as now.

Could it be that mermaids really could enter people’s dreams?

Zhao Shuqing frowned. Ignoring Lin Feng, she turned to the researchers who had followed her up.

“Did Lin Feng do anything strange last night?” she asked.

The two researchers exchanged a look. “We took over the shift at midnight. At that time, Lin Feng was still asleep. She didn’t wake up until about an hour ago.”

“Did anyone come into the lab during that time?”

“No one.”

“Any strange singing?”

“N-no, nothing like that.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded. “Got it.”
“What do you mean you’ve figured it out?”

The researcher grew anxious and pressed, “Zhao Bo, what exactly is going on? Don’t tell me it was really the mermaid who killed Sun Chengzhou?”

Zhao Shuqing glanced back at Lin Feng and replied quietly, “We should wait for Captain Xu’s official update.”

Lin Feng looked at her in confusion, blinking slowly.

Everyone on the ship was on edge the entire morning. It wasn’t until lunchtime that Xu Tang finally appeared in the ship’s dining hall.

“Everyone,” Xu Tang began, standing in the center of the cafeteria. Once all eyes were on her, she continued, “I want to take this chance to inform you of something important. This morning, someone discovered the body of Researcher Sun Chengzhou. The ship’s doctor has done a preliminary examination, and we’ve also reviewed all the surveillance footage from yesterday to today.”

“I know a lot of you have questions, so let me be clear.” Xu Tang said, “Sun Chengzhou died of sudden cardiac failure. It had nothing to do with the mermaid, despite any rumors you may have heard.”

“Sudden death?” someone asked in disbelief. “How could Dr. Sun just suddenly die like that?”

Xu Tang responded, “Overwork and irregular sleep can lead to cardiac arrest. But for a definitive conclusion, we’ll need to wait for a full autopsy once we return to land.”

“Then why was his body wet?”

“He died late at night. The sea breeze is stronger at night, and he was found next to a lifeboat. The water on the boat probably splashed onto him. It’s within reason.”

“But someone said he went out because he heard a strange singing voice?”

“There was no singing,” Xu Tang said firmly. “We have crew on duty 24/7, and the captain’s room can confirm that there was no sound like that last night. Also, the surveillance footage includes audio. If anyone’s still unsure, you’re welcome to check the footage for yourself. There’s nothing but ocean waves.”

After saying all this, Xu Tang scanned the room and added, “That’s the full situation. If you have more questions, come talk to me in my cabin. Please don’t go spreading baseless rumors.”

She continued, “Sun Chengzhou’s death is very upsetting to me. Not giving everyone proper rest is my failure. We still have three days before we return home. If your current tasks aren’t urgent, put them on hold for now and take time to rest. If anyone feels unwell, go see the ship’s doctor immediately.”

After giving those instructions, Xu Tang didn’t stay to eat. She left the dining hall, while everyone looked at each other, uncertain whether what she said was the truth.

Zhao Shuqing quickly shoveled a few bites of food into her mouth, dropped off her tray and chopsticks at the return station, and ran off. At the corner of a hallway, she ran into Xu Tang, who was talking with the ship’s captain.

“Senior Sister,” Zhao Shuqing called, stopping in her tracks, not daring to approach too closely.

Xu Tang glanced at her, said a few more words to the captain in a low voice, and then dismissed him. Only then did Zhao Shuqing walk over.

“What is it?” Xu Tang folded her arms and gave her a sidelong look. “Didn’t you hear what I said in the cafeteria? Do you need me to repeat it for you?”

“No, that’s not it, Senior Sister,” Zhao Shuqing explained. “I believe what you said. But I still think something’s not right about this whole thing.”

Xu Tang paused, looked her over, and said, “Come with me.”

Zhao Shuqing blinked in surprise but quickly followed behind.