Chapter Twenty-Two: An Ru Xiang

At this moment, half of Mu You’s body was already completely numb, yet the sense of powerlessness continued to spread. Looking around, there was nowhere suitable for an emergency landing. The numbness grew stronger by the second; Mu You felt his lips slacken from exhaustion, unable even to close his mouth. The right hand gripping the prison uniform began to loosen, and his body, sliding at speed, was slowly slipping downward.

He summoned every ounce of strength he had, clinging desperately to the prison uniform, inwardly willing the effects of the drug to subside faster. But by now, the drug had seeped into his entire system, and an overwhelming dizziness made his vision darken. I can’t let go—absolutely must not let go! To fall now would be certain death!

Every second now was an agony almost beyond endurance. I still have vengeance to take—I cannot die here! Mu You screamed inwardly, this last desire the only thing keeping him going.

“Big brother, there’s an artificial lake fifty meters ahead! Don’t faint—you have to make it!” Even Meng You’s usually mischievous and innocent tone was gone, replaced by urgent, anxious pleas.

Fifty meters. At his current speed, that meant at least ten more seconds. By now, his right hand was entirely stiff and unresponsive, his body limp as mud. In a half-faint, Mu You used the last sliver of consciousness he possessed to command his right hand: Don’t let go. Do not let go!

Thirty meters—halfway there! Almost, almost safe. If I’m a real man, I’ll hold out! Eight seconds, seven… four, three… two.

Just one more second. Mu You could almost feel the spray from the artificial lake’s fountain, the mist cooling his face. But even that chill could not save him. Just meters short of the lake, a thin, bald youth plummeted from the sky.

Ah, too late after all...

Meng You’s scream faded into the distance. Mu You’s senses were now so numbed he didn’t even feel the terror of falling. Endless darkness swallowed him; he seemed to float in a vacuum, at the source of the universe—chaos, silence, emptiness. No conflict, no pain, not even despair.

He suddenly realized that dying like this… wasn’t so bad.

“Meng You, remember to eat your big brother. That’s my last wish. Be good, get stronger quickly.”

The last glimmer of light in the darkness faded away.

...

“Boss, look over there!”

In the Deadman’s Paradise deadly curve arena, jagged fake rocks and jungles surrounded a winding cement track. On a steep, narrow slope, a condemned man suddenly pointed skyward, his eyes narrowed to slits as he addressed the tall, striking woman beside him in astonishment.

She, the beautiful and dangerous prisoner, didn’t reply. From the moment Mu You entered her sight, she had been watching him closely.

Unlike the other female prisoners who kept their hair up for convenience, she let her wavy locks cascade casually over her shoulders. At that moment, she was staring into the sky, lips pursed, a lock of hair held between her lips and nose in thought, looking adorably pensive.

But the small-eyed prisoner beside her, seeing her deep in thought, immediately ducked his head and dared not say another word, cursing himself for speaking so loudly. Whenever the boss was like this, it meant she was considering something important—interrupting would only end badly.

He shivered at the thought.

When he looked up again, the beautiful boss was gone.

Where had she gone? He looked around and saw her already dozens of meters away, sprinting towards the artificial lake with such speed that she vanished in a few blinks.

“Hey, boss, the game’s already started! Where are you going? Come back!”

His thick accent echoed out, startling the other prisoners on the first floor to poke their heads from their hiding spots, panicked to see their boss missing and eager to follow.

“Get back! Do you want to die?” The small-eyed prisoner feigned anger, waving them back before gritting his teeth and slipping out to follow.

“Brother Slit, be careful,” the other prisoners whispered anxiously.

He turned back and winked with his slit-like eyes, signaling them not to worry. Then, swaying his ample backside, he crossed the track and disappeared into the bushes.

When he saw Mu You falling from the sky, he couldn’t help but marvel at the boss’s prescience—she could judge just how long that kid could hold out just by his form.

When he caught up with the boss’s mesmerizing figure, he found she wasn’t saving the bald youth, but staring intently at a spot on the lake, unmoving.

“What’s up, boss? You ran so fast—did you just want to see a real-life meat pancake up close?” The small-eyed prisoner, breathless, couldn’t resist teasing her.

The beautiful boss said nothing.

Bathed in the lake’s dreamlike aurora lights, her back exuded a nearly irresistible allure. Her tan, athletic skin glistened with dewdrops, refracting the colored light into phantasmagoric rainbows. Her full, curvaceous figure was accentuated by the thin prison uniform, and with the mist, one could almost glimpse the dreamlike beauty that haunted every man’s imagination. Yet she kept her bright eyes fixed on the calm surface of the lake, and her serious expression added a wild edge to her seductive charm.

Suddenly, the small-eyed prisoner caught a whiff of an enchanting fragrance, instantly making him feel weak and light-headed. It was her scent. At that moment, he would have gladly died for her.

Very few knew her true strength, but he was one of them. If there were a ranking, he believed the boss could take the top spot.

The fragrance worked on men and women alike, instantly bewitching the minds of those around her, making them susceptible to her will, even erasing memories and rewriting loyalties. Anyone who crossed her ended up stripped of self, becoming a loyal slave—one less enemy, one more servant, a terrifying power.

He didn’t even know why he was so devoted—perhaps he’d been altered without realizing it. Yet even so, he was willing.

“Boss Anru…” he murmured, entranced.

“Hide, now!” Suddenly, she turned with a grave expression, grabbed him, and dragged him behind a stone platform, pinning him beneath her. Both their uniforms were soaked through by the lake’s mist. He gazed at her exposed beauty with adoration but, ever the gentleman, closed his eyes.

Don’t look, absolutely don’t look! She’s my goddess—better to regret not looking than risk ruining everything!

Before he could sort out his thoughts, a great wave of water jolted him back to reality, and the two of them were instantly drenched.

What happened?!

He opened his eyes—and was greeted by a nearly transparent, breathtaking sight, which made his nose bleed on the spot.

What was that? It seemed the boss had just saved him.

Yes, it was the fragrance. He suddenly remembered—when did the boss emit that scent unintentionally? Only when she sensed danger and her emotions went completely calm, preparing to face the threat, did her body exude it, so that all around her instinctively wanted to protect her.

Just like her name: An Ruxiang.

Dongguan used to joke that An Ruxiang was like a queen bee, with her followers the diligent worker bees. But the small-eyed prisoner thought the analogy unfair—queen bees sacrificed their workers, but An Ruxiang, while outwardly fierce, was truly kind-hearted.

She always protected him, and over time, he was willing to risk his life for her too. That was why, when she set out alone, the others always wanted to follow.

“Don’t speak. And stop staring,” An Ruxiang interrupted him curtly, still staring at the lake.

Awkwardly, he turned his gaze toward the scene, peering through her wet hair. Only then did he realize why she’d been so tense.

For he now saw a mermaid leaping from the artificial lake, waves crisscrossing around her as she surged toward Mu You.

The water cushioned Mu You’s fall in layers, slowing his descent, and finally the mermaid caught him gently.

Her upper body was human, but from the chest down she was covered in iridescent blue-green scales, like crystal diamonds set closely together, breathtaking in their beauty. She laid Mu You at the lakeshore, glanced at his wounds, and after a moment’s thought, bent low, pressing her lips to the injury and extending a slender tongue to probe inside.

Immediately, bright red streaks appeared on her nearly translucent skin, tracing from her mouth down her moonlit neck, vanishing into the depths of her cleavage.

When she finished, the mermaid swayed as if drunk, nearly falling back into the lake. Still worried, she peeled two scales from the peaks of her chest and placed them on Mu You’s wound and forehead.

At once, the scales emitted a misty blue light, enveloping Mu You.

An Ruxiang’s eyes flickered; she sensed the light was a vapor that condensed, refracting the glow. Blue blood? What manner of being was this?

No, was it even human?

The mermaid seemed to sense her gaze and glanced over. In that look… there was unmistakably human emotion.

A being like this, here in Deadman’s Paradise!

How many other impossible secrets did this place hold?

The lake returned to calm, but the small-eyed prisoner’s heart was pounding. What was that? He looked instinctively at An Ruxiang, only to see her pupils glowing emerald green as the scent intensified.

At that moment, An Ruxiang’s digital watch blared a warning.

“Warning! Warning! Dangerous prisoner An Ruxiang, ‘Final Penalty’ has detected you are about to use your superpower. Cease immediately or face execution!”

At that, the scent gradually faded. An Ruxiang closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her pupils had returned to normal. Without another word, she turned and walked away.

“Forget everything that happened today, unless you want to die,” she warned the small-eyed prisoner.

“My god, boss—were you really about to use your power to save that stranger? That’s big news!” he gasped.

“Shut up,” An Ruxiang replied coolly.

“But boss, why not save him now? And what was that thing—slippery as a fish. Are there really mermaids in this world?”

“Shut up,” she said, her irritation growing.

“Hey boss, what do you see in that kid? He’s just the last dangerous prisoner who came in—ohhh, I get it! No wonder you always turn down the other bigwigs; you like them young! Heh, I can’t believe I discovered your secret…”

Black lines creased An Ruxiang’s face. “I said shut—up!”

“Ah! Boss, don’t hit my eyes—they’re small enough already!”

In the distance, the small-eyed prisoner’s cries faded into the calm, unchanged surface of the lake, as if nothing at all had happened.