"Wait, I have something to ask."
Lu Mingming hurriedly called out to Hong Yu, who was about to leave.
The other party turned his head, and half of his face, illuminated by the clear moonlight, revealed a patch of blue-silver scales, their patterns like shining gems, attracting attention.
Lu Mingming stared for a second, then suddenly remembered what she wanted to ask.
"I want to ask, what is the situation over there now? Where have my companions gone? And..."
When she reached the last question, Lu Mingming clenched her fist, her eyes filled with a plea as she gazed at the merman before her.
"I want to know, are you truly Hong Yu?"
Hong Yu was silent for a moment, then finally replied, "You talk too much."
His fish tail swayed in the sea, the deep water unable to conceal the resplendent glow of his scales.
In a flash, he skillfully climbed onto the rock, revealing his merman form.
His jet-black, curly hair cascaded to his chest, wet and clinging to his skin. A small red gem was embedded on his forehead, complementing his eyes.
His well-built upper body boasted firm, beautiful muscles, with shark-like definition tracing his chest and abdomen, extending down into the scales of his lower half. His fish tail, about two meters long, ended in a beautiful bifurcated fin, thin as gauze, swaying in the water like exquisite brocade intricately woven by ancient embroiderers.
Hong Yu slowly answered the questions on the rock.
"My real name is Nightwing, you must know that."
Lu Mingming nodded.
In the parallel world, she had learned Hong Yu's real name beforehand.
However, Lu Mingming still wanted to call him "Hong Yu" to maintain the only connection between them.
Hong Yu said, "Everything you've experienced is real. The illusions of the merman tribe can travel to different parallel timelines through temporal nodes. This is why all those who invaded before have disappeared."
"I see."
Hearing this, Lu Mingming suddenly understood, recalling events she had heard before.
"And you, through an accidental opportunity, triggered the vigilance of 'me' in a parallel world, so this day was bound to come."
"Then what was their outcome? So many people attacked Olanal, will they be alright?"
Even in a parallel world, Lu Mingming didn't want Olanal to be harmed in the slightest.
Hong Yu silently raised his hand and waved it gently. A transparent water mirror floated on the sea surface, upside down relative to the bird tribe's Xuanjing. The mirror reflected the parallel world.
"Don't worry, they are fine."
Lu Mingming looked at the large water mirror—
After a fierce battle, sunlight shone upon the land of the main planet.
In fact, the research institute itself was not significantly damaged. As a sanctuary of technology, it possessed very advanced protective shields and resources. Furthermore, the Five-Person Alliance had prepared in advance, and firearms were indispensable. Apart from the unexpected incident at the back door, everything else was relatively calm.
Olanal, with a weary body, returned to the conference room.
His face was pale, with no other visible injuries, his eyes staring blankly into space.
Morian, seeing him return alone, asked, "Did you send them away?"
Olanal shook his head, "No, we were ambushed, and she disappeared during that attack."
"What?!"
Yi Fu, who was resting on the sofa, perked up.
"No way, I was counting on Sister to go back and cook something delicious."
Lu Yan: "Do you need to contact the spatial ability users to search for her?"
"I've dispatched a search team."
Olanal's face was ashen.
Next, the dispatched search teams reported one after another.
"Report! No information obtained!"
"Report—Team A has made no progress."
"Report. Mission one received no information."
...
The continuous lack of news cast a growing gloom over the conference room.
"Report, no information obtained."
The same words again.
Olanal punched the wall of the resting room, leaving a three-centimeter-deep crater, a fire raging in his heart, burning through his reason.
Olanal's eyes grew more sinister, showing such clear, surging emotions for the first time.
Damn it, I've lived with the entity inside me for too long, allowing its emotions to affect me.
The others remained silent, afraid of provoking him.
Nightwing, in the last row of the conference table, gently tapped the table, his eyes flickering.
"Worst comes to worst, I'll contact that brat from that world. He probably saved her? You don't need to worry too much."
...
Everything ended here.
He guessed correctly.
Looking at this scene, Lu Mingming couldn't help but poke Nightwing's face in the water mirror as a show of defiance.
"It's good they're fine. It seems Gudeffen has been successfully captured."
A heavy burden was lifted from Lu Mingming's shoulders.
"I think you need to prepare for the world war in this world."
Hong Yu switched the view to the Royal Academy in the parallel world.
"I've been observing their situation. The Wu Clan and Gudeffen joined forces, and after their defeat, they fled here."
"Thank you!"
Lu Mingming was extremely grateful to Hong Yu, who had opened such a large door for her.
"Now, to answer your second question—about your companions."
As soon as he spoke, layers of whirlpools emerged from the center of the sea, and from below, the waves lifted a large iron cage.
The cage floated within a bubble, securely protecting these land animals.
Three familiar figures leaned in a corner, in a deep sleep, waiting for the foam to dissipate and the waves to lift the iron cage into the air.
"They are in a deep sleep after their spacetime barriers were broken. They are expected to wake up within a day."
Hong Yu's expression remained unchanged as he conjured a palm-sized creature that resembled a small snake but was neither snake nor dragon.
"This is the sinner who brought you all here to do this."
"He is...?"
Lu Mingming was about to ask when pleading groans erupted.
"Help me, help me! I really didn't mean it!"
The little merman's voice was that of the little boss.
"He is a hybrid of the merman tribe and the dragon tribe. He has repeatedly tried to return to the merman tribe to find more information about merman treasures, but he was always stopped. Out of desperation, he resorted to this underhanded tactic, sending you over to block the first wave of danger, and he would sneak into the merman palace later."
The little boss, whose identity was exposed, was no longer as arrogant as before. The small dragon kowtowed in Hong Yu's palm, begging for mercy: "Mingming, Mingming, considering I helped you find the cub, please save me. Only you can persuade him. I don't want to be taken to the merman territory to live!"
"I see it suits your intentions."
Seeing her companions still asleep nearby, Lu Mingming paid no mind to the little boss's fate.
This liar.
"I will answer your third question."
Lu Mingming met his rose-colored eyes.
"I am Hong Yu, and yet I am not Hong Yu. To be precise, I lost all memories after my evolution until I returned to the merman world some time ago and confirmed my identity.
If you were any of the humans from before, I would have easily arranged for you to be sent to a dangerous parallel world and killed you, but you are different..."
Hong Yu tilted his head.
"I don't understand... why do you have my power within you? It seems we should have a good relationship."
Mentioning this, everything in the forest flashed through Lu Mingming's mind, and she gave a wry smile, unsure where to begin.
"Now is not the time to talk about this. You should take them away quickly. The merman world is not a place for you to come."
"And you?"
Lu Mingming had rushed around for Hong Yu, always concerned for his safety.
"Me?"
Hong Yu smiled.
"I am from the merman world, fundamentally different from you.
Lu Mingming snapped out of her daze.
"Hurry and go. We'll meet again if fate allows."
As the words fell, fierce waves surged from the distance, pushing Lu Mingming and the cage beside her farther and farther away, showing no signs of stopping. The figure under the moon gradually shrunk to a small dot.
"Why do you put yourself through this?"
Seeing Lu Mingming's figure becoming increasingly indistinct, a small seahorse darted out beside Hong Yu.
"I see you cherish her dearly. Why not keep her here as our princess?"
Hong Yu gazed at the sky, his eyes filled with confusion, a jumble of thoughts mixing together.
"I don't know either."
The leader of the merman tribe leaped into the sea.
"...Perhaps restraining her freedom with memories was the wrong approach."