I set you up on a blind date, and you've managed to overcome all the weirdness?

Each time the monster cried out, a red light would flash on the chains.

As the red light flashed, a wisp of blue light was drawn from the mermaid's wound, flowing along the chains toward the monster.

It's sucking her dry!

Lin Yan's gaze sharpened, and without further hesitation, he swam in from the side.

Hearing the water churning, the mermaid struggled to raise her head.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and she paused for a moment when she saw who it was.

"you……"

The mermaid's voice was hoarse, almost drowned out by the sound of the water as soon as she spoke.

"How dare you come here..."

She seemed to want to let out a cold laugh as usual, but the corners of her mouth had just turned up when she let out a painful groan.

The mermaid's eyes grew even colder, and with her last remaining strength, she said:

"Get out! Who let you in?"

Lin Yan didn't take the order to leave seriously at all. At a time like this, if she didn't use her sharp tongue and act arrogantly, she wouldn't be a mermaid.

He swam straight to the mermaid, touched the chains, and then used his knife to make a cut on them.

The chains didn't budge, but instead made his forearm go numb from the shock, yet they didn't leave a single scratch.

This is probably another set of rules-based prisons specifically designed for the bizarre.

Lin Yan thought to himself, this kind of thing is common in the bureau, but this vicious method doesn't seem like something the bureau would use.

He sheathed his sword and looked at the mermaid provocatively.

"If you tell me to get lost, I'll just leave. Wouldn't that make me lose face?"

"you!"

The mermaid immediately glared at him.

"Besides, I've been watching from outside for quite a while," Lin Yan interrupted.

"That ugly thing outside, it trembles every time it cries."

"If I really leave, what are you planning to do to settle things?"

"Are you going to give me that cold shoulder?"

The mermaid pursed her lips into a thin line and didn't reply.

Lin Yan swam a little closer, and amazingly, she could feel the other woman's breath even in the water, which was icy cold.

"Does it hurt?"

"It's none of your business."

"That's pain."

"……Shut up."

Lin Yan smiled. Women tend to tell others to shut up when their secrets are exposed.

The woman in front of him who told him to get lost has a favorability rating of 70.

No, it had already risen to 75 when she said to shut up.

After getting to know a quirky woman, you often have to think twice about what she says, wondering if she's saying the opposite of what she meant.

Lin Yan reached out and gently brushed against the crack at the corner of her mouth.

The mermaid froze completely, even her tail fin trembled slightly.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"I wiped the blood off you, couldn't you tell?" Lin Yan answered confidently.

"Take it away."

Lin Yan not only didn't remove his hand, but went even further, placing his palm on her cheek and gently rubbing it.

The mermaid didn't speak or hide; she just stared at him with a cold expression.

"When I was about to die in the air-raid shelter last time, someone rushed out from underground without saying a word."

He looked down into her eyes.

"Now it's my turn. You can't let me come all this way for nothing."

The mermaid remained silent, but her breathing faltered slightly, a noticeable flaw in someone who had only reached the half-step advancement stage.

"You crushed the pearl yourself first."

She turned her face away slightly, as if trying to avoid his hand, but only halfway.

"I'm just keeping my promise."

Her voice was even softer; this was a lie.

Lin Yan's hand remained suspended in place; he neither chased after him nor pulled it back. He knew that this was enough.

The cries of the fleshy creature outside the door grew muffled again, and the runes on the chains began to glow.

Lin Yan glanced at the chain, then at her, his brows furrowed.

"What time is it? Why are you putting on airs with me?"

"What exactly is that thing outside? And who did this?"

The mermaid looked at Lin Yan, her eyes seeming to waver slightly, but this was quickly covered by a layer of coldness.

"The Cradle of Deep-Sea Diving"

"Um?"

"That thing outside is called the Deep-Sea Cradle."

"That faith... was not pure."

She gritted her teeth and turned her face away.

"The subconscious of 100,000 believers has been tainted by something dirty, a virus similar to mental pollution."

"It struck at the most crucial moment when I was absorbing the faith."

"It tore apart my origin, forcibly stripped away a portion of my authority, and turned it into that thing outside."

"It keeps draining my remaining strength."

The mermaid closed her eyes, as if she didn't want to say anything more.

"When I die, it will be the new mermaid."

Lin Yan was secretly alarmed after hearing this.

The cult's schemes were far more profound than he had imagined.

They actually left a contingency plan among those 100,000 paper dolls, which means they had anticipated the possibility of the paper dolls turning against them from the very beginning.

If the mermaid hadn't discovered the substitution array at the comic convention, she would have been replaced by a phantom, becoming the new vessel for the Bizarre Cult.

If the mermaids found out, they were certain that they would not let go of the readily available 100,000 units of faith power.

In reality, the mermaid's initial idea was to kill them all and end it all, but she accepted the paper dolls' faith after listening to Lin Yan's persuasion.

By a twist of fate, the cult of the bizarre actually succeeded in its scheme.

"You can leave now."

The mermaid reopened her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the runes on Lin Yan's left hand.

"This body of water has slipped out of my control; this rune won't last much longer."

"If you stay here, you will die."

She slightly raised her chin; even in dire straits, the mermaid's arrogance remained unchanged.

"Go back to your land."

"I don't need useless humans to die with me."

"Are you done talking?" Lin Yan said coldly.

The mermaid shuddered and ignored him.

"I've noticed something wrong with you."

Lin Yanyou returned to her and cupped her face in his hands.

Such opportunities to manipulate mermaids at will are rare, and Lin Yan is a thrifty person who wouldn't waste them.

"Every time you try to show concern for someone, you have to use the word 'get lost'."

"What, you're allowed to save me, but I'm not allowed to save you?"

"I wasn't saving you, I was..."

"Where?"

The mermaid closed her mouth.

Lin Yan saw the fish flick its tail in the water.

"Okay, even if that doesn't count, what about just now?"

Lin Yan moved closer to the mermaid, forcing her to close her eyes.

"That thing outside, oh, it's called the Deep-Sea Cradle, it hasn't even sucked you in yet, and you're already letting me go."

"When did you become so considerate? I don't remember knowing each other for very long."

The mermaid looked at him coldly, but now her eyes were bloodshot, and her power was less than one level; it looked more like she was being coquettish.

"Is there anything else in your mind besides wishful thinking?"

"Yes." Lin Yan held out his left hand in front of her; the runes were flashing faster and faster.

"I'm thinking, this weirdo who's only halfway to advancement is telling me to get lost, yet he's still maintaining this rune."

"This thing won't last long, so why don't you take it back?"

"You're barely able to save yourself right now, and I'm just a human being, not worth your trouble."

The mermaid remained silent for a moment.

Her hands were pinned to the wall and she couldn't move them; otherwise, given her temper, she would have already slapped him across the face.

"Boring," the mermaid said sullenly.