Chapter 596: Prince Kaivia

    After going round and round the research facility for nearly half an hour, Jin Jiuchi finally reached his destination: a storage room for miscellaneous items.

    They didn’t even deign to set aside a single room for the siren, opting to keep him inside a spare tank inside the storage room instead. The tank was medium-sized, but due to his naturally large tail, the siren was forced to curl up in a pitiful position, dozing off with his head leaning against the glass.

    As soon as the door opened, however, he immediately snapped awake and snarled, baring his sharp teeth and claws in a defensive manner.

    "Huh?" Much to Jin Jiuchi’s disappointment, it wasn’t his Nian’er. His anticipation rapidly waned, leaving only a sense of annoyance and frustration. "Who the hell are you?"

    "—hiss!" The beautiful siren hissed at him, a string of bubbles flowing out of the corner of his lips. He looked fairly young, with large blue eyes, fair skin, shimmering turquoise hair that reached his shoulders and a tail with a similar shade. His cheeks still retained a bit of baby fat, as though he had just recently stepped into the stairs of adolescence. His beauty was astounding, the kind that could topple cities and incite wars, but for Jin Jiuchi, he was no different than a large slab of breathing and moving sashimi.

    Feeling bored, he circled around the tank, inspecting the siren from all angles while noting the various injuries on his body, his gaze narrowing thoughtfully.

    "Have you seen my Nian’er?" he asked for the second time of the day.

    "Hiss!!" The siren bared its teeth at him, his delicate features twisting in a mixture of rage and fear.

    He still had not forgotten this man, who had forcibly captured and stuffed him into a narrow tank. The young Prince Kaivia, who had never suffered such injustice before, swore that as soon as he made it out, the first thing he would do was tear this human apart and watch him bleed to his death!

    Of course, Jin Jiuchi didn’t have the slightest idea of the 108 ways he had died in Kaivia’s mind. Even if he did know, it’s not like he would care either. With his mind full of his missing jade doll, Jin Jiuchi gestured animatedly, "He’s beautiful— more beautiful than you for sure. Pretty— prettier than you for sure. With a slender and fit body— fitter than you for sure—"

    He tried his best to describe Shen Nianzu, but with each sentence he spoke, he was only met with unfriendly hissing and more hissing.

    Eventually, Jin Jiuchi grew annoyed. "Are you an idiot?" He snapped at the siren. "Do you think you’re the only one who can show off how sharp your teeth are?!"

    In the next second, his striking features distorted into something animalistic as he bared his teeth, showing off his canines which were larger than the young siren’s thin arm. "Grrr!!!"

    Kaivia reflexively recoiled in horror, though his body soon hit the back of the tank. Even then, he still frantically scrambled backwards, causing the water inside the tank to slosh noisily. His round, big eyes were filled with unshed tears, albeit they swiftly dissolved into water before they could even fall from his eyes.

    Intense fear gripped his heart, leaving him trembling uncontrollably. Gone was his bold bravado earlier. He could no longer muster an ounce of courage from his body.

    W-What is he?! he screamed inwardly. That was definitely not human... it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before! Have they reached another breakthrough in their evolution?!

    Alas, little did he know that Jin Jiuchi possessed a tiny—and maybe heaven-defying—cheat.

    As a nightmare creature, his skill cards were innate and weren’t something granted by the Nightmare. Therefore, even if the Cycle blocked the access of all skill cards and props, he could still transform regardless.

    It was unfortunate that Prince Kaivia would never come to know this truth, and so his impression of humans became all the more terrifying, further warped by fear and hatred.

    "Tsk," Jin Jiuchi felt disdainful upon seeing how timid the siren was— nothing at all like his Nian’er. But he told himself to remain patient because he still had not finished his interrogation session yet. "So have you seen my Nian’er or not? Yes or no? Hurry up and answer before I bite off your tail!" He threatened with a fierce look.

    Kaivia couldn’t understand what the other person was babbling about since he had never learned human language, but Jin Jiuchi standing right outside the tank—his tall body looming like a mountain while his eyes were glaring menacingly— gave him intense psychological pressure.

    Kaivia felt like he was going to lose his mind out of fear.

    When backed into the corner, even the most timid rabbit would lash out in a final act of desperation at the expense of its own life. And that was exactly what happened to Kaivia. The moment Jin Jiuchi stuck his face to the surface of the tank, he felt a taut string in his mind snapped and, acting entirely out of instinct, he released a sharp, piercing screech.

    "—AAHHHH!!!"

    A siren’s voice was imbued with magical power, with a powerful soundwave that could travel across the vast ocean with ease. It could bewitch, enthrall, and ensnare— but it could also destroy.

    Not to mention Kaivia wasn’t a common siren. As a member of the royal bloodline, even at such a young age, his strength could be considered remarkable. It was all due to the original Second Young Master’s surprise attack that they managed to subdue him.

    With a deafening crash, the fire-proof and bullet-proof tank shattered and Kaivia tumbled to the ground, crying out loud in pain when the broken shards pierced his body.

    At the same time, Jin Jiuchi staggered backward, nearly tripping over his own feet. He squeezed his eyes shut and gave his head a strong shake, but his vision remained doubled as fresh blood flowed out of his ear canals.

    He had already received a debuff from the sequelae this body suffered from, and this wave of attack only served to worsen his state, leaving his ears ringing and his head pounding as if a serrated knife had cut open his skull. He reckoned that his eardrums had shattered.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the floating screen again, seemingly issuing some kind of warning, but Jin Jiuchi couldn’t leave his eyes open for too long otherwise he felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets.

    He heaved violently, bile rising to his throat.

    But Jin Jiuchi wasn’t one to remain helpless for too long, even if right now he could be considered blind and deaf.

    Enraged, he shot up to his feet and bellowed angrily, "Damn you, I’m going to turn you into sashimi!"

    The ground was littered with glass shards and the young siren’s blood, which carried a faint golden sheen. With bloodshot eyes, Kaivia rolled over, glared at the approaching human, and in a last desperate attempt, muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

    He was summoning the sea witch using his blood, intending to curse this hateful human to death!