Chapter 35: The Mermaid in the Dark

Si Qingxuan carried the cat and took the elevator down to the eighth floor.

The cat lay quietly in his arms, its deep blue eyes fixed on the ceiling light, pupils slowly dilating.

He absentmindedly stroked its soft fur, lost in brief thought.

“What are you planning to do about those two shameless voyeurs?” the system asked.

“Since Zhaolin belongs to the same department as them, let him take them back and deal with it properly.” Si Qingxuan replied coldly.

“So you’re just letting them go?”

“Judging from Zhaolin’s reaction, they’re not his subordinates.”

“Which means their reason for monitoring me comes down to the ghost-controller.”

“I don’t want to get involved with them for now.”

“Didn’t you say it yourself? Better to avoid them.”

“…So I’ll avoid them.”

“I understand.”

In truth, returning the cat was just an excuse.

He had already made his stance clear—he didn’t want to get entangled with awakened individuals.

Zhaolin wasn’t clueless.

Giving him a few minutes was simply to let him handle those people.

Preferably, they would never appear in front of him again.

With that thought, the elevator arrived at the eighth floor.

As he walked toward the cat’s home, a thought crossed his mind—

The cat’s owner, that young woman, seemed reasonable.

She took good care of her pet.

Would someone like her forget to seal the balcony at night?

He pressed the doorbell.

No answer.

At this hour, that was expected.

So he pressed it twice more.

The sharp ringing echoed in the silent hallway.

Soon, the screen lit up—

Revealing a pale face.

“…What is it?” the young woman asked blankly.

Si Qingxuan lifted the cat and calmly lied, “Your cat climbed onto my balcony.”

The cat tilted its head and glanced at him.

“….”

Fine.

He’d send her some premium cat food later as compensation.

The girl stared at the cat for a few seconds, then slowly reacted.

“Oh… thank you.”

The door opened slightly.

Si Qingxuan set the cat down, encouraging it to go inside.

But it refused.

Instead, it backed away, circling his feet anxiously, scratching at the floor.

He crouched and patted its head.

“Go on. Go home.”

“Meow~”

The cat purred sweetly—

Then immediately hid behind his leg.

Not even glancing at the doorway.

Si Qingxuan’s senses sharpened.

More than sight, his sense of smell picked something up—

A faint fishy scent.

And the metallic tang of blood.

He lifted his gaze toward the dark gap of the door.

Just in time to see—

A pair of narrow, silver eyes.

Animal-like.

Watching him from within.

Cold.

Suspicious.

With a hint of madness.

…And focused on his throat.

“….”

Si Qingxuan smiled faintly—almost provocatively.

The next second, the eyes trembled—

And vanished into the darkness.

“Something’s wrong,” the system muttered.

“I noticed.” Si Qingxuan replied.

“There’s a problem in this apartment.”

He paused.

“…Though I’m starting to wonder—why do things like this keep happening around me lately?”

For over twenty years, his life had nothing to do with anomalies.

But recently—

They kept appearing, one after another.

Now even his neighbor wasn’t normal.

“Coincidence! Definitely coincidence!” the system laughed awkwardly.

“Or maybe these things were always around—you just started noticing them now.”

“…You’re terrible at comforting people.”

After that brief exchange, Si Qingxuan sighed softly.

The cat looked up at him with calm, jewel-like eyes.

Like a quiet lake reflecting his image.

After a few seconds—

“…Fine. For your sake, I’ll take a look.”

Calling those awakened individuals upstairs wouldn’t help anyway.

The door creaked open slightly—

As if inviting him in.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll carry the cat inside.”

“It looks frightened.”

No response came from within.

Si Qingxuan picked up the cat and pushed the door open.

Click.

The door closed behind him.

The apartment was pitch black.

The moment he stepped inside—

The cat leapt from his arms.

It dashed across the cold floor and climbed to the highest point of the cat tree, hiding deep inside its nest.

Si Qingxuan glanced toward the balcony.

Strangely—

It was sealed from the inside.

He walked further in.

The curtains were tightly drawn.

Only faint moonlight illuminated the floor—

Revealing patches of water.

They were everywhere.

Like someone had dragged a wet mop across the floor randomly.

Following the trail—

It led to another door.

The bathroom.

“Is anyone there?”

Drip.

Drip.

Water echoed softly.

Then—

A song.

Soft as mist.

Faint as bubbles.

Beautiful.

Melancholic.

It rose and fell like the tide,

Grasping at the listener’s heart.

But Si Qingxuan remained unaffected.

He simply thought—

It sounded quite nice.

He walked to the bathroom door.

Opened it.

The singing stopped.

A strong smell hit him—

Blood.

The floor and walls were soaked in red.

Severed limbs scattered everywhere.

And in the bathtub—

Sat something.

Its upper body was human.

But below—

Scales.

Dark green.

Its fingers were long and webbed.

Fins extended from its arms and ears.

And behind it—

A massive tail surfaced.

A mermaid.

It stared at him.

Its silver pupils narrowed.

Ripples spread in the blood-filled water.

“…Ah. A sea charm,” the system muttered.

“…Wait, that’s strange. This place isn’t even near the sea.”

“And its state is wrong… not pure-blooded… already unstable.”

Si Qingxuan watched quietly.

“…Do you know what’s wrong with her?”

The mermaid moved closer.

Her song softened.

Her eyes filled with tears.

She reached out—

As if asking for an embrace.

Or a kiss.

“That’s her charm ability.”

“She’ll lure you close—then bite your throat and eat your organs.”

“….”

As expected—

When he didn’t respond, her patience ran out.

Her eyes turned cold.

She lunged.

At that moment—

A sharp “meow” echoed behind him.

The ragdoll cat stood at the doorway, fur puffed up, hissing desperately.

The mermaid paused—

For a split second.

Then continued.

Just as she reached him—

Snap.

Si Qingxuan flicked his fingers.

An invisible force struck her—

Throwing her back into the bathtub.

“Talent: Time Reversal.”

As long as he reacted in time—

Most attacks were meaningless.

He looked at the furious yet hesitant mermaid.

…And sighed.

She had already killed.

Handling her would be troublesome.

The mermaid shrank slightly in the water, tail flicking uneasily.

Si Qingxuan pressed his temple.

“…What should I do with you?”

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