Cannibal eagles circled overhead while humans below screamed and fled in panic.
Outside the city, the high wall continued to shake violently under repeated impacts from the whales.
In only a short time, cracks had already begun spreading across the inner side of the wall.
The outside of the wall looked even more horrifying.
A thick layer of blood had already stained it completely red.
The whales outside seemed incapable of sensing pain as they continued hurling themselves against the wall over and over again.
Meanwhile, enormous hermit crabs crawled out from the sea in groups, climbing up the high wall before slowly descending into the city.
Mutated creatures from the nearby forests had also begun gathering toward this place.
Each one was more frenzied and bloodthirsty than starving wolves smelling fresh meat.
If this continued, then sooner or later the whales outside would completely smash through part of the wall.
And once that happened, all the mutant animals and plants waiting outside would rush in for a feast.
At that point, countless humans would die.
Lansi ran toward the high wall as quickly as he could.
Along the way, he rescued several people in passing, but after helping them, he never stopped moving for long before continuing onward.
Somewhere along the way, his mindset had subtly changed.
Although it sounded cruel to say it aloud, Lansi realized he had begun feeling pity for humanity.
Ever since becoming a mermaid, his perspective had slowly shifted as well.
Compared to humans, he now stood higher and saw more clearly—
Humanity was no longer the ruler of this planet.
If humans continued trying to remain on Earth, then perhaps extinction truly awaited them in the end.
Of course, these thoughts were quickly interrupted the moment Lansi suddenly spotted someone familiar nearby.
"Li Si?!"
Lansi stared at him in shock.
"Why are you here?!"
If he remembered correctly, Li Si should have evacuated with the clinic staff a long time ago.
When they met again, Li Si looked incredibly disheveled as well.
At some point, he had apparently lost his coat, and his face was smeared with dirt and dust.
"I-I don't know what happened either…"
Li Si looked equally embarrassed.
"What about the punk? Didn't I tell him to stay with you?"
"…What does 'punk' mean?"
Li Si looked completely confused.
As expected of someone raised in an excellent environment—he clearly didn't understand slang at all.
"It's Michael's brother."
Lansi looked around briefly but saw no sign of Matt anywhere.
Most likely, Matt had abandoned Li Si and escaped on his own.
"I actually just came back to retrieve something…"
Li Si explained awkwardly.
"But when I came back outside afterward, everything was already too chaotic. I couldn't figure out what was happening, and then I got lost."
Lansi: "..."
At this point, he honestly felt Matt might have been right.
Li Si really was a little naive.
But then again, Li Si's innocence and terrible sense of direction only proved that his life before this had probably been peaceful and protected.
Someone like him naturally had no experience escaping disasters.
Unlike people such as Matt, who practically survived by constantly running away through District 25. Those kinds of people could disappear into hidden alleys like slippery mudfish the moment danger appeared.
"You should head that way."
Lansi pointed behind him.
"I'm going to the high wall. I can't take care of you right now."
He paused before adding seriously,
"Be careful and stay with the evacuation crowd."
After speaking, Lansi prepared to leave.
But unexpectedly, just as he took a few steps away, one of the cannibal eagles that had been circling nearby suddenly swooped downward.
Its sharp talons instantly grabbed Li Si's arm as it attempted to lift him into the air.
Li Si immediately let out a scream.
The sound startled Lansi. He whipped around just in time to see Li Si being carried into the air by the cannibal eagle, his feet already off the ground.
Lansi's expression changed instantly.
At first, he wanted to shoot the eagle down. But after touching the gun at his waist and remembering his terrible aim, he decisively gave up on the idea.
Instead, he sprinted forward.
Before the cannibal eagle could fly too far, Lansi leaped into the air, wrapped one arm around Li Si's waist, and released a sharp soundwave directly at the bird—
"AHHH—!"
The giant cannibal eagle convulsed violently midair.
Under the effect of the soundwave, its entire body trembled before its head exploded with a wet burst, spraying blood all over Li Si's face.
The headless eagle immediately lost control of its wings and plummeted straight downward.
Seeing that the two of them were about to crash to the ground as well, Lansi quickly adjusted their position. He landed smoothly while carrying Li Si in a princess carry before asking coolly:
"Are you okay?"
Li Si had only just escaped the eagle's claws. His arm still burned with pain, and the bird's blood covered half his face.
He froze for a long moment before slowly turning to look at Lansi, his eyes filled with shock.
"You just…"
How could a normal person make that kind of sound?
And blast an eagle's head apart with it?
Lansi gently set Li Si down, clearly having no intention of explaining himself.
The high walls had already been breached anyway.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would probably return to the ocean today.
At that point, what was the point of hiding his identity anymore?
"Why don't you just stay with me for now?" Lansi suggested.
"At least until we find the main evacuation group. It's safer than wandering around alone."
Now that he thought about it, Li Si really stood out too much in District 25.
He was pale, refined, and delicate-looking.
Compared to the dark, rough natives of District 25, Li Si looked absurdly conspicuous.
If predators saw him wandering the streets alone, he would practically look like a tender piece of fresh meat tossed into a pile of jerky.
Four words were practically written across his body—
"Easy prey."
Honestly, the cannibal eagle had probably been circling for so long because it was wary of Lansi.
The moment Lansi turned away, it immediately dove down for Li Si.
At this moment, Li Si's thoughts were a complete mess.
He wiped the blood off his face, glanced at Lansi with a complicated expression, and finally nodded.
"…Okay."
So Lansi took Li Si with him and continued toward the high wall while protecting him along the way.
Meanwhile, not long after Lansi and Li Si left, two other people arrived nearby—and immediately started arguing.
By some strange coincidence, Matt had run into Michael.
As the older brother, Matt didn't want Michael going anywhere near the high wall.
At this point, anyone heading there was basically walking toward death.
But Michael's eyes were bloodshot. He clearly no longer cared whether he lived or died.
He shoved Matt aside and shouted:
"Li Si is over there!"
Matt froze.
"How do you know?"
"I hacked into his communicator."
Michael answered hurriedly before continuing forward.
District 25 was filled with narrow alleyways. Driving through them was impossible.
At first, Michael had forced his vehicle through recklessly, but eventually the roads became completely impassable. He had no choice but to abandon the car and continue on foot.
That was how he accidentally ran into Matt.
Under normal circumstances, the two brothers would definitely have started fighting the moment they met.
But right now, Michael's mind was occupied entirely by Li Si. He couldn't even spare the energy to argue with Matt.
Matt stared at Michael's retreating figure with a complicated expression.
After a long moment, he sighed softly.
"You really do love him…"
Then, after muttering that to himself, Matt followed after him as well.
Back on Lansi's side—
After stumbling forward for half an hour while protecting Li Si, they finally reached the temporary command post.
"You should stay here."
Lansi prepared to leave Li Si behind.
Although the command post was still dangerous, it was much safer than continuing forward.
At the very least, there were soldiers stationed here.
"What about you?"
Li Si instinctively grabbed Lansi's sleeve.
Right now, Lansi was the only familiar person he had left here.
The thought of Lansi leaving immediately made him uneasy.
"I have to find Colonel Wen Yu."
Lansi explained,
"After all, I'm his orderly."
Li Si froze for a moment before slowly letting go of the corner of Lansi's sleeve.
Only then did he truly realize—
Lansi was a reserve soldier.
A reserve soldier about to head onto the battlefield.
"You… you have to survive."
Li Si didn't know what else to say.
The high wall looked like it could collapse at any moment, and under circumstances like these, reserve soldiers rushing forward were practically walking toward death.
But this was their responsibility.
Seeing Li Si's expression, Lansi immediately realized the other party had probably started imagining some tragic, heroic sacrifice scene again.
He scratched the dimple on his cheek awkwardly, feeling slightly embarrassed.
He really wasn't that noble.
After taking a few steps away, Lansi suddenly stopped and turned back around.
Under Li Si's confused gaze, Lansi gritted his teeth, rolled up his sleeve, and dug the identity chip buried beneath his skin out with his bare hands.
"You—?!"
Li Si's face changed instantly.
Looking at the bloody wound on Lansi's arm, his expression turned pale with alarm.
He hurriedly reached for the healing spray on his body, only to suddenly remember halfway through that it had been left behind in his coat—
And that coat had already been lost long ago.
"It's fine."
Lansi waved it off casually.
"The wound isn't deep. It'll heal soon enough."
He forcibly placed the tiny chip into Li Si's hand.
"What do you mean?"
Li Si stared at the chip in confusion.
Why was Lansi suddenly abandoning his identity chip?
"Returning it to its original owner."
Lansi glanced down at the wound on his arm, which was already healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Ignoring Li Si's stunned expression, he continued:
"For me, this chip won't be useful after today anyway. I might as well give it to you."
He paused before joking lightly,
"Maybe you can even sell it for scrap later."
Originally, Lansi simply meant that he would return to the ocean after today, so naturally he wouldn't need the chip anymore.
But in Li Si's eyes, it sounded completely different.
To Li Si, it sounded like Lansi had already accepted that he would die in this disaster.
"No… no, you'll definitely survive."
Li Si's voice trembled slightly.
He clutched the chip tightly in his hand as though it were some priceless treasure.
"You're a good person. Good people will definitely live long lives."
Lansi: "..."
His brain really doesn't work very well.
Seeing that the misunderstanding had only grown worse, Lansi no longer dared explain further.
Without saying another word, he simply turned around and left.
He needed to find Wen Yu somewhere inside the temporary command post.
Strange.
Normally, Wen Yu should have been stationed with the military at a time like this.
So why couldn't he find him anywhere?
Lansi wandered around searching while overhearing nearby soldiers talking about how they were looking for Wen Yu as well.
Meanwhile, after Lansi left, Li Si stood dazedly inside the temporary command post.
The military clearly hadn't expected such a catastrophe.
Everything here had been set up in a hurry.
There were only a few rough tents, and the medical unit nearby was equally makeshift.
Li Si silently watched as wounded soldiers were carried past on stretchers.
After a long moment, he rolled up his sleeves and walked toward the medical team.
As he walked, he said softly:
"I'm a doctor."
Since Lansi was already prepared to sacrifice himself, then surely he too could contribute something to this battlefield.
Li Si finally found a place where he could make himself useful.
As for Lansi—
After wandering around aimlessly for a while longer, he finally found Wen Yu.
"Wen Yu!"
The moment he shouted those words, Lansi suddenly realized this was a public military area, and that he was currently only supposed to be an orderly soldier.
He quickly corrected himself:
"Colonel."
Wen Yu paused the moment he saw Lansi.
For a brief second, he looked completely stunned.
He had just returned from outside and was now leading a group of elite troops, fully armed and preparing to head toward the high wall.
Wen Yu suddenly stopped.
The elite troops behind him immediately halted as well. They looked at him in surprise, wondering what kind of reserve soldier in front of them could make Wen Yu stop like that.
Lansi looked at Wen Yu, then at the troops behind him, and hesitated for a moment.
"Come here."
Wen Yu raised a hand, signaling him over.
Lansi walked closer. Then, Wen Yu suddenly turned slightly and addressed the troops behind him:
"You go ahead. I'll catch up later."
Military orders were absolute.
Although the elite soldiers were full of questions—and even more curious about Lansi's identity—they still obeyed and moved out first.
After they left, only the two of them remained.
Wen Yu and Lansi walked side by side, following behind the main force at a distance.
Once they reached a quieter area with no one around, Lansi finally opened his mouth, intending to ask about the whales crashing into the high wall.
But when he looked up, he saw Wen Yu standing still and staring at him.
Lansi blinked, instinctively straightening his posture.
Is this something serious?
"Lansi, listen to me," Wen Yu said.
"I'm listening."
Lansi didn't even dare breathe too loudly, afraid he might miss something important.
Could it be that Wen Yu was about to reveal some hidden truth behind the whale incident?
Something even Wen Yu couldn't handle?
That would explain why he looked so serious.
But Wen Yu's next words shattered all of Lansi's assumptions.
"…I was wrong."
Wen Yu lowered his head.
The apology came out blunt and abrupt, and he didn't even dare meet Lansi's eyes.
Despite being a cold and feared military officer, he now looked like a child being forced to admit fault.
Lansi froze completely.
Even with his unusually strange train of thought, he hadn't expected this at all.
"You… what did you do wrong?"
The words came out before he could stop them.
He didn't mean anything by it—he just genuinely didn't understand why Wen Yu was suddenly apologizing.
Was the collapsing high wall related to him?
Lansi's mind was still occupied with the disaster.
He hadn't connected it to anything else yet.
But Wen Yu misunderstood.
He thought Lansi was dissatisfied with the apology.
Wen Yu gritted his teeth, adjusted his hat, took a deep breath, and stepped closer. His hand landed firmly on Lansi's shoulder as he looked him straight in the eye.
"I am Winsor."
Lansi blinked.
"…Huh?"
Why was this suddenly being brought up?
"Winsor is Wen Yu, and Wen Yu is Winsor."
Wen Yu's ears gradually turned red as he spoke, but he didn't look away.
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have lied to you."
Lansi: "…"
He paused.
Then, in a very small voice:
"Mm."
That single syllable made Wen Yu even more uncertain.
His grip on Lansi's shoulder tightened slightly.
"Then… since I've confessed… can we not get divorced?"
Lansi recalled the situation from earlier.
Wait—
Given this reaction, wasn't the person in the military boots from Li Si's video call… Wen Yu?
Thinking that Wen Yu was probably triggered by the conversation between Michael and Li Si and rushed here to explain everything, Lansi almost laughed—but held it back.
Instead, he said awkwardly,
"I never married you. How would there be a divorce?"
No divorce?
Wen Yu latched onto only the first half of that sentence.
His eyes lit up instantly.
Then Lansi continued,
"Also… are you the 'special one'? And what about those black tentacles?"
Wen Yu went silent.
The little spark in his eyes immediately extinguished.
"…No."
He didn't dare admit it.
He hadn't forgotten how much Lansi disliked those things.
If he admitted it, it would be no different from admitting he had once tried to imprison him.
"You—"
Lansi pressed a hand to his forehead.
"Shouldn't we be talking about the high wall right now? Why are we discussing this at a time like this?"