Desharow Merman Chapter 25

Translator: Cheonsa

*Unedited* (Ai yah so many mistakes! please ignore. Edited version will be ready by tomorrow)

【Volume 2 Adventure at Sea】

　　Chapter 25

　　I ran out of the elevator that had reached dry land with staggering steps. It was down-pouring heavily outside, the sky above me was covered densely with black rumbling clouds, exactly reflecting my current frame of mind at the moment. I run madly through the rain and somehow, without knowing, I ended up by the coast of the sea. 

　　I sank down to my knees on the bare shoal rock beach with my arms trembling as I look upon with despair and haziness at the boundless ocean. The boundary of the ocean sky in the distant blurred together creating a gray indistinct haze, trapping my line of sight in this terrible imprisonment. Suddenly I thought of "The Truman Show". At this moment, I felt just as pitiful and as pathetic as the protagonist. I had devoted myself wholeheartedly to research, but made my own life nothing but an entertainment show! 

　　True world…

　　What is the truth of the world, what is the fake. Everything that I wholeheartedly believed in came to thoroughly make fun of me at the end.

　　I lifted my face up allowing the heavy rain to fall onto my face. I suddenly wanted to laugh and indeed I did start laughing, however tears begin to flow down my cheeks once again blending in with the rain. My mind was in a chaotic state like the wind and waves pushing against each other on the surface of the sea, as the rising tide of sea water beating against my ankle harshly. An absurd thought rose from the bottom of my heart, similar to whirlpool dragging me to the deep abyss of the sea———Is the other side of the ocean a totally different new world just like in the Trumen's world? Am I living in a fake television studio?  

Can I escape from this nightmare as long as I swim to the other side of the sea like how Truman did and tear open the haze forged by a curtain?

　　With curiosity crawling in my mind, I spread my leg and stepped into the waist deep water, and begin to walk step by step further into the bone-chilling and bitter ocean.

　　The sea water soaked through my clothes, and as I went deeper, it slowly passed up to my waist and abdomen, at this time, a voice suddenly sounded in my mind: Desharow….come… back, come back…to my side….

　That was Agares's voice calling out. My body immediately became rigid as if I was motionless. I was not convinced that he could control my own mind, and thereupon, I used my own self-awareness to resist, and had might as will dunked my whole head into the seawater causing the bitter and salty water to instantly barrel into my naval cavity.

　　Ha, dieing like this may not be too bad… maybe this was just a nightmare…..

　　I thought disorderly to myself, but the perseverance to stay in the water only lasted for a mere second before the strong desire for survival made me instinctively raise my head out of the water, and cough out the salty sea water that was choking me in my mouth. I realized that I didn't want to die at all, or atleast don't have the gut to commit suicide.

 Just at this time, I heard several splashing sounds of footsteps wading through the water right behind me. When I turned to look back, I saw a familiar figure plunging itself into the water quickly, and with just a quick plop of sound, it had already swam right infront of me and used one stretched out arm to pull me up from the water. I ended up stumbling quite a bit for a couple before my hand was captured by the other person.  

　　I coughed violently, my entire body was knelt on the beach, holding onto my neck as I desperately suck in mouthful of air. Rhein's deafening roar was heard above my head, "You are crazy! Do you want to commit suicide, Desharow?!” 

　　 I shook my head desperately, coughing and panting at the same time. My back was being held tightly and my entire body ended up in the embrace of Rhein's arms. I pushed him away without much thought, and ended up falling back onto the beach floor. I responded with a hoarse throat, "I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I just want to escape from here, but the thinking only made me feel muddleheaded."

　Rhein stood there, suddenly becoming quiet, with no words being said. 

　I suddenly realized that maybe Rhein also saw what had happened back at the laboratory. Immediately, I huddled up my knees to my chest and buried my head deeply into my knees with my arms covering my face.  How I wish I could become a hermit crab now, hiding in my own hard shell, not facing anyone, not facing anything. As long as I close myself up, everything can be regarded as never happened.

　 But in this moment, I can only shrink myself into my arm, allowing the wind and rain to continue violenting, without even the chance of letting oneself to be alone.

“I warned you, Desharow” Rhein's voice was stubbornly suppressed by repentance and unwillingness. “At that time, maybe you could have ….."

　　 "What's the use of it!” As if I had been stabbed hard by a needle, I suddenly stood up and grabbed his collar harshly. “How could there be enough time at that moment? Yes, I was stupid to the extreme. Stupid to the point I didn't realize that everything was nothing but a conspiracy! Rhein, this voyage is not for my graduation project at all, is it? Everything…. Everything was well planned. At that time, when you stubbornly picked me in the end out of all the dozens of student you could have selected that had picked you as their tutor, everything was already planned and set in stone right? Why, why do you want to involve me in this terrible scheme? Are you using me just as bait to catch merfolk?! You disgusting swindler, the scum of academia! “

　　 “No, no!” Rhein suddenly became frantic, the blue veins on his forehead bulged out as he grabbed my wrist, “I really did want you to participate in the government's merfolk research program because of your outstanding achievements and of my selfishness. I don't know why Sakarol suddenly made such a plan of making you…”

　　His eyes were wide open to the point where his eye sockets was gonna crack wider as if he had recalled something through seeing me. His pupil had shrunk to a slit, resembling the tip of a needle due to his irregular mood and staggering short breathing. I knew he must have recalled the scenes where Agares had violated me and I couldn't help feeling the extreme embarrassment.  I closed my eyes and retreated from him weakly, before murmuring with crazy and unfounded raving, "Rhein, Rhein, if you feel some sort of remorse or guilt, even if it is a tiny bit, please help me get out of here. I want to go back to Moscow. I miss home…"

　　Rhein grabbed the front of my placket, pulling my fallen body to mid air. He looked at me with bloodshot eyes and went to grab my waist, pressing me into his arms once again, "Desharow, forgive me. With everything progressing to this point you are caught in a dead end with no route of retreat. But I swear to you that I will never let that beast hurt you ever again…"

　　"I will never go back there!" I broke out of Rhein's hold with brutal strength, however I only took two steps before my waist was being grabbed again. My entire body was hauled up into the air and onto Rhein's shoulder, and no matter how much I kick and struggle, his strength around my waist did not loosen. He had carried me without effort all the way to the platform of the research institute's mooring boat

　　There were a lot of people talking coming from the side, I shut my mouth, not daring to shout anymore to avoid making an embarrassing show out of myself. "Rhein, Rhein, put me down!" 

　　He turned a deaf ear to my cries and hurriedly walk up toward the platform still carrying me. I struggled to lift my head and saw a three-story science navigation research boat floating at the coast of the sea. Not far away was the deck of the boat stationed at the dock. There were three to five big and sturdy sailors carrying a large cylindrical object to the boat, on the outside, it was covered in layers of strong shark net. Behind them were five or six armed men with guns. The whole formation was as guarded as a cash carrying escort police force.

　　"Where exactly is this research ship heading to? Fuck, answer me!"

　　I slammed my elbow on Rhein's back as harshly as I could.  He merely snorted, but his arm around me had tightened more. He shouldered me while keeping up in pace with the armed men, passing Agare's large water compartment.

　　In the next split second, I saw a set of gloomy and dark eyes through the gap of th iron net making my heart thump. Suddenly a loud slamming sound of something hitting glass. The water tank out of no where shook violently scaring the sailors, making them almost stagger to the ground.  Even the huge water tank can't seem to withstand the vibration, nearly falling over to it side. People from all side quickly gathered together to hold it. Rhein at this time, soften his hold, allowing myself to free my body before pushing him away.

　　The bottom of the tank touched the deck heavily. Fortunately, the metal shell was still intact, and there were still several people holding it in order to stabilize its center of gravity. Then, Agare's pale face slowly floated upward to the only window on the shark cage.

　　One of his webbed claw that was pressed against the glass window tightened. His head was slightly lowered, his eyes narrowed and stilted as they roam between Rhein and I. On the skin under his eyes, there was a deep engraved shadow, the mottled wave light reflected from below made his face look more dark and dangerous.

　　I can't say for sure what this deep-sea organism is thinking in the brain of theirs, but I can certainly say that he was angry, furthermore, towering in rage. His face was full of murderous tendencies as if his possession was in the hand of someone else.

　　"Hmph, this animal can surprisingly feel anger out of jealousy, "Rhein sneered under his nose, pointed his middle finger at Agares while also pulling me into his arms, neglecting every other presence.

　　I turned pale from fight, I subconsciously place my elbow against his chest to try and nudge him away yet he only tightened around me, keeping me still.   My eyes couldn't stop looking at the glass of the water cage. There was an extremely unknown premonition in my heart and ass expected, Agares's face changed completely after meeting glass window. He opened his mouth showing his extremely white and sharp canine teeth, curled up his fist and aimed it at the glass————

　　It was a terrible explosion like sound, and all of us cried out at the same time in panic and fear. Because the extremely strong tempered glass wall actually have a large broken gap on it where Agare muscular arm was sticking out from it. The blue blood dripping down from his arm was mixed together with the pouring water, both splattering across the deck.

　　"My Desharow…my Desharow……let him go……"

　　The dangerously low and hoarse voice overflowed from the opening. He unwaveringly stared at Rhein who was holding tightly onto my arm as he slowly yet in a demonstrative way retracted his hand. The second punch smashed the glass of the window to pieces which lead the water gushed out of it.

　　Everyone looked at each other with dismay. Among them were strange looks directed at me by sailors who knew me from before. My legs that lacks endurance naturally became jello under the attention, and fall back a step or two which made my back knock against the wall. I used the wall to stabilize my unbalance body and said in a flustered voice, "Don't look at me. He didn't call my name. Rhein, you ignorant moron. Don't infuriate him anymore. You don't know the power of that beast. He could come running out at any time!

　　Several armed men were shocked when hearing this. Simultaneously, they raised there gun up at Agares in the water tank, yet no one dare to get close to the smashed window. They were obviously afraid of him as if he resembles the t-rex portrayed in the movie Jurassic Park.

　　When he actually slaughter and kills, it actually does seem like that way

　　"Are you this merman's care taker?" An armed man asked nervously, "It looks very dependent on you. I believe we need your assistance. It's too difficult to control it. Some of our unlucky guys were ripped open while still alive!"

　　"Shit! I'm not… don't ask me for help!" I angrily scolded as sweat begin to pour out of my forehead. I clutched desperately on my trouser as loss, but at this time, I smell the strong and moisturizing  rare fragrance of Agares permeating from the inside the shark tank cage, spreading openly into the air. As If I saw Agare's phantom coming to get me, I begin to panic. I frighteningly fled into the open cabin, locking the door, leaving Rhein who manage to catch up to him locked outside the door.

"Mr. Desharow! Mr. Desharow! We need your help!" 

"Desharow, you let me in!"

　　The door behind me sounded with loud knocks and hearing both of Rhein' and the armed men's rallying calls. I defended the door with my back. The Jitterness, anxiousness, shame, and embarrassment simultaneously hit my brain hard which instantly made everything dark before my eyes. Even the last word, "Go away" could not be shouted out, as my entire self ended up falling to the ground.

　　After a brief loss of consciousness, I woke up in a confused and bewildered state again.

　　The vast sea outside the window is moving, the sea in front is cut apart by the ship, followed by a long track in the back which disappeared into the waves in the end.

　　This ship… where is it traveling to? 

　I asked myself inwardly, becoming aware of how heavy and hot my head was, even the strength to feel my own suffering and anger were gone, it appears that I am having a fever.

　　No matter where it goes, Desharow, you are doomed to have no escape route to retreat to.

　Thinking this way, I let my head hit the pillow, feeling dejected. My brain had been burned to the point of being muddleheaded　

Chapter end