To be honest, I wanted to kill this demonic Nazi who had destroyed my academic career and my future. However, even as I aimed my gun at his head, I realized that murder was not as simple as it seemed, and that I couldn’t be a cold-blooded killer.My hand was shaking even as I unlocked the gun’s safety and shoved the barrel at his temple. I knew how much trouble this man would be if I didn’t resolve myself to kill him, but I restrained myself because I could hear the occasional movement outside.The soldiers outside would definitely hear it if I fired my gun. Once they rushed in to find that I had killed Gary, they would definitely double their guard on me, and there was no chance for me to escape. Indeed, I felt relief when I realized that I didn’t have to kill. Then, to ensure that Gary would be out for a while longer, I bludgeoned his head heavily with the butt of my gun, before picking up the syringe just now and injecting him with the sedative.“Enjoy your rare moment of respi
There was no time. I had to act right then before the sun rose.I judged the distance between the cargo hold and the sea visually. There was several meters worth of deck without any point of cover, and I also had to get over the ship’s scaffolding—crossing it would be very dangerous because it would make me vulnerable to ambushes.I needed a diversion to draw the soldiers’ attention away from here, and night vision was my advantage. With that in mind, I took out my gun and made a gesture to Mary, indicating to her that she must escape right away once I broke the glass. She understood and nodded determinedly, then leaned towards a corner where the bullet wouldn’t hit while awaiting my move.As for me, I hid behind cover so that the patrol couldn’t see me right away, and leveled my gun on the hull of the other ship and pulled the trigger. The shot immediately caused a disturbance on the other ship, with every patrolling soldier mobilizing and barking at each other as they flocked
I couldn’t resist reaching out to touch the luminous orb, but damp webbed fingers soon grasped my wrist.Mary was staring at it as well, but spoke quietly, “Don’t touch it—you’ll die. Those things are a protective layer that prevents nuclear radiation from destroying the passage.”“Nuclear radiation?” I exclaimed in surprise as I came to immediate realization. “Would you mind elaborating, Mary? I once dreamed about arriving at the merfolk’s planet, and that place… became a mass grave under the sea. Forgive me for asking, but does that have something to do with nuclear radiation as well?”“Yes, it does.” Mary sobbed as she lowered her head miserably. “You’re not from that era, but you would probably be aware of the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan. I tried to take my mother back to the home of the merfolk at the time, but it had fallen as well. Everything you saw was real, and what was once home is now a huge graveyard—just like the citizens of Hiroshima, the merfolk there were instant
Even as the world around us changed in an instant, I tried my best to open my eyes to witness it—and somehow found several helicopters, marked with Japan’s flag, flying towards our direction! I suddenly realized that they might be the reinforcements whom Jack had called upon, and became as emotional as if I was reunited with family. I tried to yell in their direction, but I had been pulled up in the air, spinning and unable to make a sound even as I was thrown further away from Mary.Meanwhile, the entire island was sliced apart by the cyclone that was flashing in blue, and as the buffeting winds slowly stretched across the entire island from the cavern, I was sent flying into the sky.When I looked down, I saw the rift under the lake enlarging, and it now resembled a giant maw consuming the entire island as Lemenland began to crumble. To be precise, that was a black hole that opened underneath the sea, and the entrance to the merfolk’s home.Through it all, my mind and sight were
“13th of January, 2013“It has been probably fifteen days since the helicopter crashed in the ocean… probably.“I can’t tell how long I have been unconscious, and I could only make a guess from what David told me—the man who fished me out of the water.“According to David, everyone else onboard the chopper was killed, and only I survived miraculously.“However, with the concussions and my broken legs, the doctors said that I might need half a year to stand again, and that there was no certainty if I would regain my memories.“Yes. I have completely forgotten everything: my identity, my experiences, and where I should be.“My mind is an utter mess.“I just hope that I can regain my memories soon.”“21st of June, 2013“I’m not sure if I’m happy or miserable after remembering everything.“Captain David commands a rescue and salvage ship called the Seeker, crewed by vagabonds without nationality. I’m proud to be a part of them.“After I recovered, I joined the Seeker and return
As I leaned on the scaffolding and looked out across the boundless ocean, I took a deep breath. Then, I lifted my diary into the air and threw it firmly into the ocean, and it soon disappeared beneath the waves.Doing that seemed to stir ripples upon my heart, and the agony extended from my chest throughout my body. Even so, I held back my tears and forced a smile.Days later, the Seeker made port at the famous Floating City of Venice. David had come to attend an auction held at an underground casino. We would be selling the treasures we had salvaged out of shipwrecks and converting them to dollars, but it was very dangerous even if the trade earned us maximum profit. The Italian mafia was divided into a large number of clans. Therefore, even if David had been a longtime partner of the Mora family, other families would have their eyes on our goodies, and they would also come up with any reason to try to snatch territories belonging to the Mora family. That would always plague us
Soon, our contact led us to a stop in the middle of a winding canal, where a chained steel gate appeared before us. Elegant tunes could vaguely be heard from within, building lingering echoes within our ears. Glimpses of people could also be seen from the ever-changing lights shining out from within, and I couldn’t help recalling various scenes of medieval nobles indulging themselves.However, I know very well what sort of place this was—drugs were ever present, and there were also filthy human traffickers. Though I was now reduced to a wanted criminal, I still refused to mingle with them, and the reason I did not hesitate to refuse David when he asked me to get further involved in his illicit businesses.Meanwhile, the contact had flashed some sort of identification, and the gates slowly started to open. Another gondola rowed out just then, with David and several other crew members leaving on it.As for Mike and I, we would be staying outside to keep watch for any rival of the Mo
“Linda, you’re not saving yourself for the merman you dreamed about, are you? You should know that there’s a few in the crew who are interested in you,” Mike joked, the scent of alcohol strong in his mouth as he chugged his beer. After the doctor who cared for me insisted that I was delusional and had been constantly daydreaming, the crew believed the doctor’s diagnosis wholeheartedly. “Yes, he’s the only one for me and I can’t live without him. Even now, I don’t think about anything else—all I want is enough money to buy myself a boat, and travel across the world to find him,” I replied, playing along while mixing fact and fiction.I was not bothered to explain everything to the crew anyway, though they would all be wetting their pants if said merman appeared before them.Still, thinking about Dicken left me miserably having a few sips of beer, before picking up the pebble beside me and throwing it into the water.It skipped over the surface, kicking up multiple splashes even a