Xu An listened to the mermaid's mournful wails, its earlier serene and noble demeanor completely gone.
He couldn't help but tut in his mind.
Indeed, no matter how beautiful a person is, they become ferocious on the brink of collapse.
Xu An withdrew the tip of the knife that was about to strike the mermaid.
"I'm a bit curious, who made you wait here?"
The mermaid seemed to have regained its senses. It didn't answer, only lowering its head in dejection, an aura of despair emanating from it.
Xu An ignored it and spoke to himself.
"The first time you met this woman, you also thought she was someone who could kill you, so you manipulated her into killing you."
"But at the crucial moment, you changed your mind."
"Yet, this woman still learned your weakness: severing your tail would kill you."
"But she couldn't bear to do it. She couldn't bring herself to kill you, so you told her that your flesh was edible, right?"
The mermaid remained silent, like an exquisite statue, saying nothing.
Xu An looked at the landlady, who lay motionless and slumped on the ground.
"She must have refused you at first, right? Although you are not human, your upper body is almost indistinguishable from a human's. I imagine any normal person wouldn't truly cut flesh from you and eat it."
"Then, by whatever means you used, you convinced the landlady. Not only did she overcome her psychological barriers, but she went overboard, cutting off your flesh and selling it. But this was all the result you wanted, wasn't it?"
As Xu An's words fell one by one, the mermaid, which had been looking down, finally lifted its head slightly, though it was looking up at Xu An.
But its expression still held a trace of defiance and nobility.
"You know everything." It wasn't a question but a statement.
"So, who are you?" Xu An looked at the mermaid before her, realizing she didn't even know its name.
But it didn't matter.
Who would ask for the name of a dead person?
"I don't know who I am either. From the moment I woke up, I found myself in this ghastly state. I wanted to die."
The mermaid's tone suddenly became mournful, as if pleading or praying.
Its gaze flickered towards the landlady still lying on the ground.
"But they couldn't kill me."
"But I know someone definitely can kill me."
A brilliant light suddenly flashed in the mermaid's eyes. "The moment I saw you, I knew you must be the one who could bring me death."
But Xu An ignored the fervor in the mermaid's gaze.
"So, you deliberately let the landlady sell your flesh, causing a commotion in the city center, to lure the person you were waiting for to find you?"
Xu An had it all figured out after a brief moment of thought. Her gaze darkened instantly, and she stared directly at the mermaid.
"Just for yourself, you would drag everyone in the city down with you as an escort to your grave?"
The mermaid stood stunned, feeling that Xu An's words were a bit exaggerated, but it couldn't find suitable words to refute.
"You think what I'm saying is an exaggeration?" Xu An pressed on.
Don't ask how Xu An could hear the mermaid's thoughts. If you must ask, it's because of Ze Yuan, the cheat.
Ze Yuan was like a simultaneous interpreter. Without Xu An even asking, he voluntarily translated every subtle expression on the mermaid's face and relayed it to Xu An.
Xu An: ...I'm so grateful to you.
So, upon hearing Ze Yuan say, "This fish is unconvinced. It thinks you're spreading alarmist talk, stirring up trouble."
Xu An was furious.
Anything that becomes addictive, dependent, and is not infinitely supplied is bound to cause conflict.
Xu An knew better than anyone whether she was being alarmist.
Before the apocalypse, those who indulged in forbidden things all claimed their willpower was strong.
Absolutely not addicted.
But their fates were all more miserable than the last.
In the face of absolute temptation, human self-control is as thin as a piece of white paper offering no resistance.
No one can escape the flowers swaying from hell. When they kneel humbly on the ground, begging desperately.
They are as humble as countless ants.
These are compromises made by reason driven by desire.
But now, this damned fish thought her words were alarmist.
Yet, this fish was clearly the core of this pursuit of desire.
It possessed the capital to make people fall, wantonly luring people.
And still claimed that 'possessing a treasure is not a crime.'
As if sensing Xu An's fluctuating emotions, the mermaid's indifferent expression softened slightly.
"But I just want to die."
It didn't care if the city became chaotic or withered because of its existence or demise.
It just wanted to die. To achieve its goal, it could endure the pain of being constantly cut for flesh and blood.
Because it understood how to weigh the pros and cons.
Knowing that this brief pain was far more worthwhile than prolonged suffering.
It slowly raised its pair of azure eyes, as if looking at Xu An with the most sincere gaze.
Revealing its true feelings to her: "I just want to die, to leave. I don't know who I am, why I've become this way, I have no past."
Its slender eyelashes were like a soft little fan, gently covering its eyelids, casting a dim shadow beneath its eyes.
Fragile to the point of evoking pity.
"I know I am not your kind. I cannot find my own kind in this world. I just want to die, but she cannot kill me. I just want to find someone who can kill me."
"Did I really do something wrong?"
Seeing the mermaid like this, Xu An almost blurted out, "It's not your fault."
But the words caught in her throat, and she held back.
As expected, beauty can deceive.
Although this fish harbored no ill intentions, this mindset of disregarding everything to achieve one's goal was still unacceptable.
"Why do you want to die?"
Xu An remained silent for a long time before finally asking the question.
The mermaid looked at her, puzzled, as if questioning.
Does wanting to die always need a reason?
Xu An was about to say, not necessarily.
But before she could speak, the mermaid continued to explain: "I feel pain. Although I may not know what true pain is, I clearly know that I do not belong here."
"So I want to leave. Leave this dark and damp basement, leave this pool filled with sewage and grime."
"Leave this sunless existence where daylight is never seen."