Outside the mansion, the rain intensified. The beach in the distance and the small town perched on the hillside turned into silent gray shadows in the misty rain, a blinding flash of light tore across the sky. Amy noticed countless dark figures appeared on the previously empty beach outside the mansion.
She moved to the window, another clap of thunder bood, revealing the dark figures clearly—it was the Fishman townspeople with crimson eyes, holding various weapons. Slimy liquid dripped from their bodies along with the rain, and they approached with strange smiles.
A sharp sound pierced through the rain curtain, and a strong sense of danger made Amy step back. A bullet grazed her face, leaving a bloody scratch.
Weird singing drifted from the distant sea, sotis far and gentle, sotis lingering around their ears, exactly the sa as the recording Amy heard at the start of the program; was it the Siren King's song?
Terrified, Amy touched her face, the glaring red convinced her that the Fishman townspeople were now all under the Siren's control; they had guns that could fire normally in the rain with accuracy, definitely not old antiques for hunting.
Amy remained calm and made a swift judgnt.
"Has everyone gone mad?" Beck muttered, observing the maliciously approaching Fishman townspeople below.
"Do you rember the appearance of that red-haired guy?" Amy asked Beck.
"I do."
"Let's leave here first, head back to the town, and see if we can find him." Amy said decisively.
Beck nodded. Just then, the door was pushed open, and Tang Xin entered the room with Shanshan, urging:
"There's sudden commotion downstairs, we have to leave quickly."
Hearing this, everyone wasted no ti, swiftly gathering their belongings and rushing towards the second-floor staircase. Upon reaching the corner, they froze—a flash of light revealed countless broken rmaid statues cramming into the hallway, the ones in front with mouths wide open, hands reaching forward as if still crawling a mont ago.
"These rmaid statues can move?" Amy exclaid, eyes wide.
"They're not statues," Tang Xin observed keenly. The rain-drenched parts of the 'statues' lost their gray stone coat, revealing greenish hues covered in white mbrane like spider silk. Their features were halfway between humans and Fishn, showing an incomplete evolution.
These creatures were not Fishn in life but humans. She had seen this form in textbooks at the academy library, between Primordial Fishn and humans, called 'Siren Cocoons'.
The process of Fishn being cursed into Primordial Fishn is an incomplete tamorphosis, skipping the cocoon stage and directly evolving into the final form.
Only humans failing to transition into Primordial Fishn exhibit this form. Being born human makes them subconsciously resist this transformation, leading to this twisted state between self-denial and acceptance.
Complete self-denial ans they can't successfully evolve and can never revert to human form, remaining a Siren Cocoon until life drains away.
"Stare at them, and they won't move." Tang Xin warned everyone.
Everyone complied, and indeed, staring at the Siren Cocoons made them revert to a petrified state, though more cocoons below surged upward like a human pyramid, halting under scrutiny.
Textbooks never ntioned that lacking water for long periods would lower their bodily functions to the most minimum level, entering a petrified dormant state.
But they did ntion their aversion to their hideous form, and that through eye contact, making them feel watched, they would lose the ability to move due to inner tornt.
"Xin, you know this too?"
"Isn't this all part of the academy course requirents?" Tang Xin replied.
Amy thought, if only she studied this well, she wouldn't have flunked out with a C .
Imitatively, Beck and Shanshan followed, despite their fear, they didn't cause trouble at this mont.
Monts later, several Siren Cocoons surged from below; those initially subrged broke free of sight, with a few leaping forward only to be shattered by Tang Xin's Water Technique.
As soon as the visual cage was opened, the creatures rushed forward like sharks slling blood, with over a dozen reaching within five ters of everyone in an instant. Beck noticed the commotion behind and swiftly turned around.
The previously empty passage behind was now filled with these grotesque Siren Cocoons, compressing their movent space to less than ten ters, leaving no retreat. The cocoons clawed and struggled, the ones pressing from behind squeezed the space in front, moving towards them slowly each passing second.
As if with a blink, they would pounce, tearing everyone apart.
Terrified, Shanshan clutched at Tang Xin's waist, peeking out half her face at the nearby monsters, speechless.
Tang Xin stayed calm, analyzing that this wasn't a solution. She didn't attack the cocoons because of breaking the sight balance; the speed of these creatures was fast, she could protect herself but couldn't look after the two children.
With controlled Fishman townspeople downstairs and these Siren Cocoons ahead, the more urgent it was, the easier it was for the mind to get chaotic, Tang Xin shook her head.
Calm down, think, what would You do in this situation?
Tang Xin quickly thought, suddenly recalling the scene at the statue gallery when she first saw these cocoons. Squatting down, she calculated internally and then seriously told Shanshan:
"Don't be scared, Shanshan, I need to be away for a bit. Keep your eyes on the third one on the right in front. No matter what happens, don't look away, can you do that?"
Pale-faced, Shanshan trembled and nodded.
After instructing Shanshan, Tang Xin swiftly retreated to the initial room. As soon as she looked away, the cocoon she had watched lunged forward, only to be crushed by the one behind, while another cocoon stepped forward, partly covering the one to the left.
Within an instant, the agitated Siren Cocoon group surged forward several ters in distance.
Claws almost touched the girl's cheek, Shanshan was on the brink of tears, the rotten monstrous face looming, a strong fishy odor hitting her.
Rembering Tang Xin's instructions, she resisted the urge to look at the first lunging monster, keeping her gaze on the cocoon to its right-rear; from this angle, she could keep all cocoons losing control in view simultaneously.
Tang Xin had previously calculated the Siren Cocoons' trajectory.
Amy marveled at the girl's calm and fast calculating ability, yet worried about the constantly advancing creatures, within no ti, the claws would tear Shanshan's face.
In such circumstances, expecting a young, inexperienced child to remain calm was very difficult.
In a short stalemate, Amy keenly noticed the fingers of the cocoon behind the first monster beginning to move.
This wasn't a good sign…
The foremost Siren Cocoon suddenly shuddered, claws slashing toward Shanshan's face, leaving a bloody scratch.
"Shanshan!" Beck exclaid a warning.
But it was too late, suddenly stimulated, Shanshan retreated, breaking the visual balance as countless monsters lunged, threatening to engulf everyone with the surging cocoons. Just then, Tang Xin raced back, sweeping a red curtain over everyone below.
The restless Siren Cocoons quickly cald, wandering aimlessly like losing a target.
"I'm sorry, sis, I'm sorry..." Shanshan cried softly, burying her face in Tang Xin's arms, "I was too scared, I was really too scared."
Tang Xin hugged the girl, her fingers gently stroking through her hair, "It's okay, you were very brave."
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