The Siren Descends

Until the final second before death arrived, Von Jay still harbored a sliver of hope. As a deacon of the Pole Star Society and a top-tier fugitive of Life Daybreak, the opponent clearly could have kept him as a hostage to exchange with the Pole Star Society or turned him in for a bounty.

Only he knew all the details regarding the siren miracle on the island.

From any perspective, the opponent shouldn't have just killed him directly.

That crazy woman.

This was Von Jay's final thought as his pupils dilated, clouded over by a layer of haze.

The man on the ground lost all sign of life. Xu Xiaoyou remained silent for a brief moment, then crouched down. She recalled Von Jay's final words—had he "detonated" his own memories?

Her hand, covered in dye, reached toward Von Jay's head. The moment the multicolored substance touched the man's skull, the memories within Von Jay's cranium suddenly burst with a brilliant scarlet light!

Xu Xiaoyou was prepared. She kicked Von Jay's head far away. The wall, built of grayish-white boulders, was blasted open, leaving a massive hole over ten meters in diameter. The wind and rain came howling inside.

The wind roared savagely. Xu Xiaoyou narrowed her eyes and walked to the edge of the wall. From the hole, she could overlook the entire island. Thick, dense clouds shrouded the sky, and groves of palm trees swayed violently. Sharp, thin bolts of lightning flickered through the cloud layers. On the infinitely extending sea, the wind and waves were converging toward the island.

Scarlet lightning struck the surging sea surface, exploding into ten thousand waves. The ocean was like a roaring giant whale, angrily tossing up massive swells as if it intended to swallow this small island whole.

Xu Xiaoyou shook her head and leaped down from the prison, dozens of meters high, rushing in the direction of Mermaid Town.

At five in the afternoon, in the Star of Art.

In an apartment in the Queen's District, a girl who had finished work early was leaning comfortably against the side of her bathtub, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation. She had applied a face mask, added Bubble Fun to the perfectly tempered bathwater, and placed two cute rubber ducks in with her.

An open bag of conch chips sat on the rack beside her. The girl pinched a chip and popped it into her mouth, letting out a satisfied groan. A healthy blush rose to her cheeks as she wished this comfortable time could last forever.

Unfortunately, she had to go to the company early tomorrow morning to face colleagues and bosses with deathly sour expressions. In a few days, it would be time for a tuner to come by and assess her art rank. She was confident that her work could meet the apprentice standard, but there was always a bit of anxiety. She didn't want to be sent to the Keyboard District; she had never heard of anyone coming back once they went there.

The girl submerged half of her face into the bubble bath, letting the gurgling bubbles rise up. She shook her head, trying not to think about it anymore, and prepared to finish the latest episode of Paranormal Explorers.

"The new episode has my favorite, Kim Jung-han oppa, and John. Wait, did something happen? The new live broadcast was forced to terminate, and they can't contact the crew on the island?"

The Paranormal Explorers community had already exploded. Under the operator's apology post, the comments were closed. The girl took another bite of a chip, but after chewing on something slimy, she frowned and spat out the crumbs.

"Is it expired? That's disgusting!"

[: Official, don't use the operator as a shield. Come out and give us an explanation! What exactly is the situation on the island?]

[: Exactly! My Kim Jung-han oppa is still on the island!]

[: I heard the entire island has lost contact with the outside world. I don't know what happened...]

[: Little Blue Bird, how can I live without you? Please be okay. If it's no good, just take me with you.]

The discussions in the group chat caught the girl's attention. Someone posted a video filmed from a cruise ship. Above the distant island, the clouds were rolling incessantly, shrouded in heavy mist, with thunder echoing in the sky. It was a scene straight out of the apocalypse.

[: Something happened on the island.]

[: So terrifying. It's like the end of the world.]

[: Over a hundred sons and daughters from the families went to the island this time. I heard the higher-ups of the two great families are going crazy with worry. They're pressuring the Academy and Life Daybreak people together.]

Half a minute later, the video was deleted, and the group chat was disbanded by an unknown force. The girl, who had just been observing the drama, suddenly felt the severity of the problem and began scrolling through the news.

News about the Paranormal Explorers crew losing contact was everywhere. Sensationalist rumors about the end of the world and the birth of an apocalypse-class urban legend spread like wildfire. What people cared about even more was the news of the highly anticipated Starry Daughter during the competition.

Just then, a commotion came from outside the apartment—a man's indignant shouting:

"You... you are trespassing on private property! This is law enforcement without a warrant! You can't arrest me! Where are you taking me? I didn't do anything!"

Thunder rumbled outside the window. Feeling uneasy, the girl leaned against the tub and pinched another chip. After tasting that slimy liquid in her mouth again, she grabbed the chip bag and looked inside, screaming in her heart about which unscrupulous factory had produced this.

When she saw that the chips in the bag were perfectly normal—golden and emitting an inviting potato aroma—the girl's face froze. Then, slimy transparent liquid dripped into the bag. She finally realized something was wrong.

Was this slime coming from her own mouth?

She felt a sharp pain, so intense it made her vision blur, as if someone had driven an ice pick into her brain. The girl clutched her mouth tightly as foul-smelling blood continuously seeped from her lips. A glazed-white, blocky object fell out, floating on the bathwater and staining it with red wisps. It was a glaring stimulus to her eyes.

Was that... her tooth?

Then, a second and a third fell into the water with soft splashes. All her teeth fell out within seconds. Crimson threads and slime dominated her vision.

Boundless terror filled the girl's heart. She wanted to scream but couldn't make a sound. She wanted to see her own reflection, but the mirror was covered in steam from the nitrogen box.

Panic-stricken, she threw on some clothes and ran toward the door. She was certain something had changed in her body. She had to get to a hospital immediately, even if the medical fees would empty her savings.

Upon opening the apartment door, the girl froze. She saw a group of figures in black uniforms systematically taking away her neighbors, knocking on doors one by one. If anyone refused to cooperate, they used forceful measures to open the doors and bring out the residents.

One of the figures noticed her. It was a black-haired girl with a high ponytail, dressed in a form-fitting white investigator uniform. She looked quite heroic as she walked over and opened her ID card.

"Hello, are you Miss Ruth?"

"I am Bai Nian'an, a wing investigator with the Fixer Association. The current situation is difficult to explain. Could you please come with us?"

The girl was terrified. She looked at her own mutating palm. "Am I... becoming a monster? I..."

"It's okay. Everything will be fine. We will handle everything."

Bai Nian'an stepped forward and embraced the girl, showing no repulsion toward the abnormalities on her body. Her comforting words seemed to possess a psychic magic, and the girl's restless heart gradually calmed down. She gave a slight nod through her tears as slime dripped from her chin.

As the girl, whose skin was turning greenish and whose eyes were bulging, was led away by colleagues, Bai Nian'an's expression became complicated. Through the communicator, a young man's voice came through.

"The number of people affected by the siren miracle's power this time will probably not be lower than fifty thousand. We have already contacted the association. The higher-ups will have the Pale Green Sage temporarily suppress the miracle power in their bodies. Though we don't know how long it will last or what the final outcome will be."

"But when the crisis arrives, we can only do everything within our power."

"Thank you," Bai Nian'an said sincerely.

If the Dawn Society hadn't warned about the crisis in advance and locked down the addresses of all the internet users who watched the new episode of Paranormal Explorers in the shortest time possible to make preparations, she didn't dare imagine what kind of disaster the Star of Art would have faced when this incident broke out.

Life Daybreak, the Dawn Agency, and the association took joint action immediately. An hour ago, they had already brought the situation of the entire city under control. Thirty thousand people were quarantined in batches to the underground shelters of the Star of Art, while tens of thousands of others were scattered and brought to the containment rooms of various agencies across the city. A war without gunpowder was being fought in places people couldn't see.

Just as Aivmey had said, these people who watch the dawn had already done everything within their power before the crisis arrived.

In the face of an apocalypse-class urban legend, human power was far too small. Stealing the sparks from heaven again and again could only add a sliver of possibility for the continuation of civilization. People used themselves as kindling to help others through the long night.

The number of people affected by this miracle was simply too vast. They had only controlled the citizens who watched that video and were directly contaminated by the siren miracle. No one knew exactly how far the fragmented information regarding the siren miracle had spread in private.

Bai Nian'an shook her head and followed her colleagues into the distance.

The things she wanted to do were minute, but the things she had to do were countless.

No one knew how things would change.

It was enough to do everything within one's power.

At six in the evening, in the second floor of the courtyard in Mermaid Town.

Hearing the violent pounding on the door from outside the room, the female model finally couldn't take it anymore. She broke down and screamed at the bloodshot man, "Those maniacs are about to break down the door! What on earth are you doing?"

Half an hour ago, she had noticed what was happening in the courtyard. She had seen with her own eyes a fish-man servant tear a man into pieces. Everyone outside had turned into a lunatic!

Priller didn't seem to hear the chaos outside or the woman's screaming. He muttered insanely at the drawing board in front of him, "I'm almost done painting it. I'm almost there."

"I've seen it... hahaha, the most perfect work. I've seen it!"

"What exactly did you see?" The female model rushed forward and pushed the crazed man aside. When she saw the weird, distorted painting on the drawing board, she almost screamed as she covered her face. "This isn't me at all! How could I possibly be this ugly!"

The skin of the woman on the drawing board was a sickly green. Her features were twisted together at different heights, and countless lines were spliced into geometric shapes. One could vaguely discern a fish tail beneath her body from the chaotic lines, as well as countless twisted, wailing human faces on her chest. Densely packed limbs were distributed across the woman's abnormally swollen neck.

"Of course this isn't you. She is the Siren King. How beautiful! I'm about to finish painting the Siren King. I've already heard her voice. I've seen her smiling at me. What a beautiful and moving miracle!" Priller shouted excitedly.

It was only then that the female model noticed the abnormality in Priller. His eyes beneath the sunglasses were scarlet and bulging. A heavy fishy smell was almost pungent enough to make her faint. Dark green slime seeped out from inside his tightly wrapped windbreaker. He was exactly like those crazed fish-men outside!

The woman fearfully tried to get away from the man, but he grabbed her and pinned her down, roaring at her, "You are not allowed to leave! Wait until I'm finished painting. I can pay you my entire fortune! The estate on Olympus—all my property can be yours!"

"Get off me! I don't want your damn money!"

Foul slime dripped from the man's mask. The female model could imagine his deranged expression, and her heart was completely consumed by fear. She slapped Priller hard and used all her strength to push him to the ground. At that moment, the door was smashed open from the outside, and fish-men holding sharp weapons walked in.

The female model hadn't run more than a few steps before she was caught by those crazed fish-men. Bursts of wailing followed as the rise and fall of the weapons splattered fresh meat and blood. Priller, as if seeing an incredibly beautiful image, crawled to the drawing board and knelt, murmuring:

"Yes, yes, that's it. I know what's missing. Only the expression of pain hasn't been painted yet..."

Priller sketched the woman's pain. Amidst the chaotic lines and overlapping geometric shapes, he painted a new face. First the expression and features, then finally the face shape, long hair, and frame. As his final stroke fell, an ugly and hateful face was deeply engraved on the canvas, its mouth open in a hideous, wide grin filled with rows of sharp teeth.

"Success." The man sat on the ground, dazed. "I've painted it. The most perfect portrait in the world. The beautiful Siren King."

The painting seeped with slime, and soon it dissolved completely. The slime flowed all the way under the female model, merging into her body. The stars in the sky began to flicker abnormally.

The female model, who had been lying on the ground lifeless, began to twitch and convulse violently, as if something was about to burst out from her chest. Under the pale shadows of the lamps, a pair of sickly, pale long arms first tore open her chest, propping the female model's body into the air.

Countless limbs extended from her chest. Her legs merged together, becoming a fish tail several meters long. Her delicate body was stretched until it burst open. A slick, massive body like a white snake struck the room's walls. The ten-meter-long female arms were severely disproportionate to the rest of her body as they dragged her swollen frame forward.

The most bizarre part was the woman's head, which was like a layer-by-layer blooming flower bud. If one looked closely at the soft petals, they were pairs of splayed human arms. Her facial expression changed hundreds of times per second, simultaneously presenting over a hundred of the woman's expressions—sadness, anger, sorrow, joy... because the ordinary human eye couldn't keep up with the speed of the expression changes, one could only see a vibrating blur from a distance.

Her scream was like the distorted singing from a car radio. An ordinary person hearing it would feel like their eardrums were being pierced by sharp blades, leaving them dizzy. But to Priller's ears, it was like hearing heavenly music, and hot tears rolled down his face.

Priller stepped forward, wanting to kiss the woman's smooth, white body, only to be swept into the wall by the Siren King's thick fish tail, crushing him into a pulp of meat.

The Siren King trembled all over and let out a sharp roar. Her massive body crushed all the fish-men around her. She crashed through the wall and stumbled out into the gray curtain of rain.

Her cries echoed for a long time above the entire island. All the fish-men on the island received some kind of call. Their scarlet fish eyes became cloudy, and they simultaneously stopped their actions, walking toward a certain direction in a daze.

Amy, who had been surrounded by fish-men moments ago, hesitated for a while before putting down her baseball bat. She soon realized what had happened, and her expression changed drastically. "Oh no!"