Leahy swiftly reported the fact that Caspe was injured to Torin.Torin, glancing at the documents Leahy handed over, studied the photograph of the mermaid's tail, where a clear and distinct triangular section of muscle was missing, alongside numerous old and fresh scars scattered across the tail.Leahy furrowed her brow, saying, "These wounds are mostly concentrated around the tail. That deepest one, though, looks almost human-made.""Human-made... it's unlikely," Torin replied, setting the document down. The dim yellow light in the cabin flickered, and the night had completely settled outside, the only sound being the faint rustling of the waves.He continued, "The pollution in the oceans is worsening. Perhaps she got entangled in a fishing net, causing the wounds on her tail.""What about the deepest one?" Leahy pressed."That's easy to explain," Torin said, "Perhaps she encountered some danger, and in struggling to free herself from the net, she accidentally injured herself."Torin rubbed his weary eyes and spoke calmly, "Even geckos shed their tails to survive. Perhaps mermaids have a similar survival mechanism."Leahy felt uneasy about the matter. She wanted to argue further, but Torin raised his hand, saying, "It's late. I know you care about the mermaid, but she's not human. You need to take care of yourself as well. Go rest."Hearing this, Leahy fell silent for a couple of seconds before nodding and leaving the cabin.Torin watched her retreating figure and then turned his gaze back to the documents in his hands, sighing softly with closed eyes.The issue of Caspe's injuries was being dismissed too easily, which left Leahy feeling frustrated.Instead of returning to her cabin, Leahy went straight to the laboratory after leaving Torin's room.The two researchers on duty in the lab were casually chatting over coffee. Upon seeing Leahy, they greeted her enthusiastically. "Dr. Zhao, what brings you here?""Oh, I just wanted to check on Caspe," Leahy said, her steps quick as she climbed onto the platform. As she crouched down, she noticed a ripple across the water's surface, and the blue mermaid slowly swam up, her head emerging from the water.Caspe seemed to be half-asleep, gazing drowsily at Leahy. She didn't understand why Leahy was there so late, but still, she swam closer and rested at Leahy's feet, lazily yawning."Did I wake you?" Leahy asked, apologetically.Caspe flicked her long tail, resting her chin on her arm as she curiously stared at Leahy.Leahy's eyes fell on Caspe's beautiful, slender blue tail. She had admired its beauty before, but now, knowing the mermaid had been injured, she felt a deep pang of sympathy."May I see your wound?" Leahy asked softly, "Just a quick look. If it hurts, I won't press."Caspe tilted her head, trying to understand the words, and when she saw Leahy point at her tail, she hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly.Caspe propped herself up, her large tail dragging in the water, the tip resting on Leahy's feet as her wide eyes fixed intently on her, clearly nervous."Don't be afraid," Leahy reassured, sitting down and gently holding Caspe's tail. "I won't hurt you."The mermaid's tail was slender, its tips shimmering with a glassy, jewel-like blue glow.It was more beautiful than any gem, but Leahy's attention was focused solely on the wounds.Looking from a distance and up close felt like two entirely different experiences. Leahy's brows tightened as she traced the deep and shallow marks with her fingers, murmuring, "If you were human, these wounds would destroy your feet."Caspe's tail twitched slightly, and she stared at Leahy's hand, feeling an impulse to slap it away.Yet, she held back, her head lowered and her long lashes trembling.Leahy, not noticing the expression on Caspe's face, was focused on the missing piece of flesh on the wound. Strangely, she thought it seemed smaller than it had been earlier that day.Was it an illusion?Or did mermaids have the ability to heal themselves?The white wound was covered by a thin membrane, inside of which seemed to be a gel-like substance. Leahy thought the substance might be of significant research value and quickly took out a pair of tweezers and a small glass vial from her bag."I'll take a sample," she said, "If it hurts, bear with me."The membrane was easily pierced, and as the gel-like substance leaked out, Caspe trembled violently. Her eyes reddened with pain, but she remained still, not moving from her spot.Leahy quickly collected the sample and placed the vial in her pocket. As soon as she finished, Caspe dove into the water, splashing and soaking Leahy.The researchers on duty, hearing the commotion, looked up and saw Leahy drenched as she descended from the platform."My goodness, Dr. Shu, what happened to you?" one of them exclaimed, rushing to grab towels and offer hot water."No need," Leahy wiped her face and glanced at the mermaid swimming in the tank. She guessed that Caspe was in pain. After all, the wound was still healing, and she had just reopened it to take a sample.How could it not hurt?Leahy felt a sharp pang of sympathy as she handed the sample vial to her colleagues. "This is a sample from the mermaid's wound. Please analyze the composition. I'm going to the kitchen to bring her something to eat. I think I may have hurt her a little."But this time, Caspe seemed truly upset. Leahy brought two small fish, but Caspe refused to come out, not even showing herself.Over the next few days, Leahy dedicated herself to caring for the mermaid. The sample was also analyzed, and the results were astounding.The mucus contained abundant active enzymes, some of which had never been discovered before. These enzymes could rapidly stop bleeding and promote tissue regeneration. For a one-centimeter wound, simply applying the substance would stop the bleeding immediately, and the wound would heal completely within half an hour.Leahy was astonished by the results. Holding the report in her hands, her eyes widened in disbelief.This was the legendary elixir capable of resurrecting the dead and restoring flesh and bone!
After receiving the report from Leahy, Torin held a series of meetings throughout the day, informing everyone of the discovery.Upon hearing the news, everyone was shocked. Alexius stared wide-eyed, unable to believe it."Is this for real?" someone asked excitedly. "If this is true, it will revolutionize medical science!""These must be the mermaid's white blood cells. If we can study them thoroughly, we might make groundbreaking discoveries.""My goodness, can it cure cancer?""I don't know. This is a medical matter. We're marine biologists, after all."Amid the lively discussions, Alexius, usually quite talkative, sat silent, his brows furrowed and his fingers nervously chewing, his face a picture of concern."That's enough," Torin said with a smile, stopping the discussion. "I've already reported this to the institute. When the mermaid is brought ashore, we'll have medical experts examine her.""That's wonderful! We're going to make history!""Even if we do, it's still Zhao's achievement, not ours.""We can't say that. We've all contributed, too," someone added, glancing around. "Where's Dr. Zhao? Isn't she joining the meeting?"Torin nodded. "She's still with the mermaid in the lab. It seems she upset her when she took the sample, and Caspe hasn't been speaking to her for several days.""Really? I thought the mermaid relied on Dr. Zhao so much. I didn't expect her to get upset.""Haha, that's kind of cute."Torin smiled and then looked thoughtfully at Alexius, whose face was still grim. After a moment, he said, "We're only a few days away from the shore. You should all be aware of the importance of the mermaid to our country. She's a matter of national security, and nothing can go wrong when she reaches the shore."Alexius seemed to have a realization, lifting his gaze to meet Torin's.Torin lowered his head to organize his papers and then looked up again, "Now, let's discuss other matters."Meanwhile, Leahy, still in the laboratory by the water tank, was unaware of the discussions in the meeting room. She was crouched down on the platform, holding a small blue fish and gently swishing it in the water.The fish wriggled, trying to swim away, but Leahy held it tightly and coaxed softly, "Caspe, don't be mad. Come out and eat something~"Caspe remained curled up in the water, ignoring her.Leahy sighed, and just as she let go of the fish, it swiftly wriggled away and swam towards Caspe.To Leahy's surprise, Caspe, who had been sulking, quickly reached out and grabbed the small fish.She emerged from
the water, her head held high, and Leahy's face brightened. "Caspe~"Before she could finish, however, she felt something whizzing through the air, and with a soft thud, it hit her squarely on the face.The small fish slid from her face to the platform, flipping over a couple of times before lying still.Leahy: "..."Caspe shot her a look full of reproach before turning to swim away. But Leahy, quick as lightning, grabbed her hand.Leahy knew fish were strong in the water, but she hadn't expected the mermaid's strength to be so immense. With a simple jerk, Caspe sent Leahy flying into the water.SplashLeahy flailed for a moment, gasping for air, her body panicked as she splashed around.Caspe, startled, quickly swam over and wrapped her arms around Leahy."Ha, gotcha!"Leahy, now calm, grinned at Caspe as she wrapped her arms around the mermaid's waist. "I'm a marine biology Ph.D. How could I not know how to swim?"Caspe stared at her, wide-eyed.Leahy smiled gently and reached up to stroke Caspe's head, asking softly, "Caspe, can you stop being mad now?"Caspe shot her a glare full of reproach, but then her gaze dropped to Leahy's arm, where a streak of bright red liquid was flowing. Leahy noticed it as well, pulling up her sleeve and seeing the scrape from the platform's edge when she fell into the water."It's fine," Leahy said, rinsing her arm in the water and smiling at Caspe. "It'll be fine after some disinfectant."Caspe gazed at her deeply before grabbing Leahy's arm and kissing it tenderly.