"He's about to die."
The man on the phone said to him.
"We've got to get that thing before he dies, or no one will know what his will will do with it."
Ray Ferro nodded at the other end of the phone.
He took a silent breath, trying to calm the icy air to calm his boiling thoughts.
That person is dying.
It was unbelievable, he thought, that man... Vincent Sivers was dying.
Ray Ferro walked along the long mountain road.
The narrow road was lined with lush plantains, cosmos, and marigolds blooming in lush, the sea breeze brought a salty and moist breath, and the leaves rustled. Beside Lei's ear, waves of deep waves slapped the dark brown rock wall, making a monotonous sound.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned on the water mist attachment he carried with him. The dense and cool water vapor immediately permeated the surface of the thin and pale boy's body, moisturizing his skin that was too fragile in the terrestrial environment. Drops of water ran down his black, curly hair, slicing his temples and the closed cheek line behind his ears.
Of course, it's not just his cheek line that's different from a human being—there's also the tiny scales he spreads from his ankles to the base of his thighs, and the translucent membranes between his fingers and toes, generally called "webs" . The surface of his eyes has a layer of transparent eyelids that humans do not have. It can protect his eyeballs in the sea, but also because of this reason, on land, Ray's eyesight is not very good. He let out a long breath, relaxed a little because of his physical comfort, then raised his head and squinted at his destination, a black stone house standing on the edge of a cliff.
He was as familiar with it as he was with the owner of the stone house—he had spent months researching information about him before diving into this quiet, private realm.
People usually call that man "Old Man", and occasionally he is called "Mermaid Living History", or, "Miracle Old Man".
As a mutant mermaid, Vincent Sivers has lived an amazingly long time, and in a sense, it may indeed be called a "miracle". Most of the modified merfolk (in the historical archives they are called "mutant species") are very short-lived, even in the best state they can only have a lifespan of about 18-20 years. Considering that they were originally developed for the purpose of "weapons", they poured their own life energy in order to increase the force value - in the era when Vincent lived, "Siren" was just a relatively cheap disposable item. .
However, Vincent Sivers seems to be one of the accidents. When he was young, he encountered a terrible mutation, which may have caused a genetic error in his body, and he has a mermaid. Longer than humans, and longer than most mammals in this world.
There has never been a precedent in this world where all the people Vinson Sivers had known ended up disappearing and he was left far behind. Ray didn't know if it was because of this loneliness that Vincent finally decided to seal himself up. In short, from the data, the ancient mermaid had been staying in that deserted stone house since fifty years ago.
He never communicated with the outside world, and rarely left the tomb-like but well-guarded house. He was still alive... but he seemed to have nothing to do with this world.
Countless people have speculated that Vincent Sivers will eventually die by suicide, after all, he has shown signs of insanity a long time ago - although the biographer who wrote the unauthorized biography also died more than ten years ago because of his age. Old and dead, but Vincent Sivers, unexpectedly, is still alive in this world.
Lei moved slowly. Like a cat, he avoided the detectors hidden in the weeds, and climbed to the top from the path on the other side of the cliff that was about to be occupied by weeds, and came to the stone house.
Thank God, his half-mermaid physique allows him to perform this complex series of activities.
As has been said before, this stone house looks like a tomb in every way—even after being scorched by the sun for so long, the stones are still cold and lifeless. Weeds surrounded the outside of the stone house densely, and under the golden-red sunlight, the narrow windows on the side of the stone house reflected a little brilliance.
The chirping of insects resounded resentfully in the gaps in the grass, but the black building became more and more silent.
Ray skillfully took out the tools to get the door lock, but when the retainer hit the patina lock, he immediately realized that the door wasn't locked. Ray's footsteps stopped for a while, and he couldn't help feeling some panic.
Is the information leaked
Did anyone already know of his arrival
A fine cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his heart was beating wildly.
Really seasoned thieves can keep their cool no matter what, but Ray has to admit that he's not really a good thief - oh yeah, it seems we forgot to introduce his profession earlier, he's a hacker. Hired thieves.
And his goal is precisely the wealth owned by that legendary creature, Vincent Sivers.
Time flies so fast, and people's lives are so short compared to Vincent Sivers, it's hard to remember that long, long ago, he was one of the richest humans on the planet... and , his treasure is said to be rare and undetectable by any existing network.
After all, after he accumulated that amazing wealth, the regimes and countries on this continent have been torn apart many times by wars.
Those in the know will only pass on information about Vincent Sivers in the dark, and they secretly call him "Solomon", implying the hugeness of his treasure.
Of course, Ray and the employer behind him are not greedy, all they want is the blue diamond called "Siren" - according to the fragmented information, it was given to his brother Lan by Vincent Sivers. De Sivers' birthday present.
It was the largest, most beautiful and purest blue diamond ever seen on Earth.
However, it only appeared for a moment - in the end, its existence was permanently sealed, and it never appeared in people's field of vision. According to speculation, after the death of Rand Sivers, this diamond was returned to Vincent's hands again. After all, the latter collected almost all the former's relics, including this black stone house.
"He guards the worn-out relics like a dragon guards jewels. He seems to be mad, but his madness makes me sad"... This is the last friend of the Sivers family before he died Commentary on Vincent Sivers.
And Lei was the one who was chosen, the one who stole the treasure from the claws of the old evil dragon last year.
Ray only hesitated for a moment at the door, but soon he remembered the terrible threats his employer had made against him.
He struggled for a while, but finally decided to go with the plan.
After all, Vincent Sivers is too old to be old. According to the information passed to him by his employer, part of his brain has begun to shrink, and his physiology has reached its limit.
Ray thought he might be better off than the employer.
Then he sighed, held his breath, and gently opened the door.
With the smell of dust, a trace of cold air flows out,
He walked slowly towards the living room on the loose wooden planks, the air was filled with the smell of decay, he had tried to ease his steps, but the floor was still uncontrollably "crunch" and "crunch" under his feet It sounded like some living creature was moaning in pain.
Ray Fei Luo's heart clenched tightly, he was frightened, and his nerves had collapsed to the tightest - but dozens of seconds passed, and in such a clear voice, no one in the whole room made any attempt to his invasion. respond.
Out of an unexplainable obedience, he walked forward step by step, pushing open the heavy door of the living room, and the next moment, Ray Ferro saw Vincent Sivers on the sofa in the living room.
He is still alive.
"Oh, damn it!"
He cursed subconsciously, and wanted to escape conditioned reflexively.
"Shh..."
However, the old man made a hoarse sound from behind the sofa, and a long tail full of knuckles protruded from the place of life without knowing it.
It tripped Ray to the ground.
"listen… "
Vincent said to Ray, whose face was pale.
Ray Ferro pursed his lips tightly, and his heart almost stopped beating in horror.
You know, he has seen those top-secret information, and he knows the terrible things that Vincent Sivers did as a "monster" when he was young.
In the silence, the voice that swept into the living room became clear—
"Whoa..."
"Whoa..."
"Whoa..."
…
It was the monotonous sound of the spray as it hit the reef.
Ray Ferro noticed that all the windows in the living room were open, and the salty sea breeze blew the discolored curtains...
The cabinets and rugs near the window were visibly deformed and eroded, and it was clear that Vincent Sivers had kept the window open for a long time, even if it made his area less comfortable.
Vincent's body was sunk in the sofa, his face was facing the sea, staring at the small piece of blue like a sculpture for a long time.
Ray Fellowe watched him carefully, Vincent was indeed old... He was scrawny, with bulging cheekbones and sunken cheeks, long silver hair scattered at the back of his head, and eyes a strange red that would make one Reminiscent of the charcoal fire that was about to go out but still had the last trace of heat, his body appeared to be composed of bones and white membranes—a long, deformed tail, slender fingers, and icy eyes that looked more like Some kind of old, mad beast.
He had seen Vincent Sivers in historical documentaries - he was such a handsome and majestic, king-like man that it was difficult to associate him with the current Vincent.
"Don't you think it's beautiful?" At this moment, Vincent suddenly turned his head and said to Ray Ferro in a creepy and pleasant tone.
"Huh? What..."
"The sound of the waves, the sound of the waves always reminds me of the old days, Rand."
"… "
Ray Ferro frowned. He looked at Vincent with a kind expression and felt a strong sense of disobedience.
"Oh, why didn't you speak? You're angry again? Because I didn't let you go to your little beast?"
At this moment, Vincent reached out his hand and grabbed Ray Ferro's wrist tightly.
Ray Ferro almost felt like a fairy in the forest - under Vincent's palm, he seemed to have no weight, and Vincent easily carried his body and let him sit beside him.
Ray Ferro's hair stood on end as the white "Dragon" approached, his coat was completely soaked in cold sweat, and his teeth clucked against each other.
It wasn't quite right—the merman blood in him almost drove him to crawl and kiss Vincent Sivers' dry tail fin.
He was forced to stare at Vincent.
The blankness of his mind from fear made him almost unable to look away.
After a few minutes, Ray suddenly realized that the monster in front of him was not really looking at him, but another phantom who had left.
Ray Ferro's face turned pale.
He knew... yes, he had known for a long time, that the real reason the mysterious employer hired him into the stone house was, of course, not his lame stealing skills, but his resemblance to someone.
Ray Ferro has black curly hair, a thin body and skin that is too pale for a man, and his eyes are a dull forest green, due to health problems in his youth, Ray Ferro's melancholy temperament has been changed. dull...
It's all so similar to another person in the distant past.
Even Ray himself felt a wave of inexplicable terror after seeing the photo of Rand Sivers on the profile.
His breathing became rapid and flustered at the same time.
"Uh, West, Mr. Sivers, I'm sorry for what I've done, I, I was hired..."
"Please, Rand, don't call me that, I don't want our feud to go on forever."
Vincent stood up staggeringly, interrupting Lei's flustered excuse, and walked towards the closet.
"Actually, I didn't throw that thing away, you don't have to fight with me..."
"… "
Ray Ferro stared at Vincent with his mouth open, he was very at a loss.
However, his silence seems to let the chaotic Vincent fall into another scene.
"Okay, I admit it's a little childish—" Vincent turned to look at Ray Ferro. "I'm just a little pissed."
He took a box out of the closet and showed it to Ray Ferro in the palm of his hand.
Ray Ferro had to bite the bullet and take the box under Vincent's eager eyes.
It's rusted and can't see its original appearance.
Ray Ferro twisted the lid with difficulty, but the moment he opened it, the contents spilled out.
"Damn!"
Ray Ferro blurted out.
Some white things were scattered on the floor, and he squatted down in a panic to pick them up.
He thought it was a pearl at first, but after pinching it in his hand, he was surprised to find that it was one tooth after another.
Sharp, still shining teeth.
Ray Ferro recognized it as a merman's baby teeth.
Vinson laughs from the side (Ray Ferro swears he's never heard such a good laugh), as he says it himself, looking very childish, childishly gloating.
"It's not my fault!"
He looked at the scattered mermaid Baby Teeth and said with a smile, as if he thought the busy Ray Ferro was very interesting, his eyes narrowed, and the red in his pupils, like burning coals, became brighter .
Ray Ferro swallowed bitter saliva, he really didn't know how to deal with what was in front of him.
His near vision is not so good that picking up those merman teeth on the floor has become a lot of work.
But there was absolutely no way he could just leave them scattered on the ground—he probably guessed whose teeth they belonged to.
That's another legendary merman, a real merman.
Rand and Munster.
Savior of the Mermaid.
They were always inseparable, and in the early days of the discovery of the merman, they worked with Vincent to save them from being used by the human government at the time.
They were... true legends at the time.
Ray Ferro's fingers trembled.
And another pale, bony hand pressed against the back of his.
Vincent Sivers looked at Ray tenderly and sighed helplessly.
"God, are you really mad? You didn't always treasure this shit, I didn't expect you to get mad at it." Apparently, in Vincent Sivers' shriveled and rotten brain , constructing another scene that happened in the past.
Ray was nervous and flustered at the absurdity.
He didn't know what was wrong with him, but when he realized it, he found himself answering the other side.
"I-I'm not angry."
Immediately he saw Vincent Sivers' face brighten a little.
"Come on, you won't be angry."
Vincent shrugged, and he helped "Rand" (actually Ray) pick up all the merman teeth.
He slowly used his tail to stand up and spoke to the imaginary Rand with a trace of unconcealed affection.
"Tell me, what are you doing here?" Vincent probed into the dark corridor and pouted, "It's rare that you didn't bring that idiot with you."
Ray felt his throat go dry and his heart was beating like it was going to burst out of his chest in the next second.
He just wanted to follow his own instincts and just leave this damn place, this inexplicable old man with a broken head.
But at this moment, a series of instructions came from the walkie-talkie embedded in his ear canal.
Ray's body stiffened in an instant.
"Rand?"
Vincent quickly noticed something was wrong with Ray, his movements stopped, and his bright red eyes looked at him with concern.
"Uh... actually..."
Lei said dryly.
"Actually I am, trying to get something..." Ray felt his voice trembling almost out of tune, almost unimaginable that Vincent Sivers could understand, "'Siren,' I'm like the one who sent you to me A Siren has fallen on you."
"'Sirens'?"
Vincent shook his head in confusion, then laughed dumbly.
"That diamond? You never brought that thing out. I remember you saying it yourself, you don't like that thing."
As he said this, his tail slid gently on the floor.
From Ray's point of view, the deadly weapon-like organs of his body can be clearly seen.
Ray almost collapsed.
"No, no, I'm just casually-"
He tried to change his mind, but Vincent interrupted him again.
"Forget it, if you like it, take another piece from me. Mr. Cherifey sent a yellow one before, and the cut is not bad."
Vincent Sivers said casually.
Ray could hear the group gasping in the walkie-talkie in the ear canal.
Well, this is yet another stunning yellow diamond.
If he could get it, Ray could not only easily pay off his terrible debt, but more likely redeem his freedom.
He started to get anxious.
"Okay, okay, the yellow one is fine too."
He says.
"However, as a thank you, should you agree to a small request from me?"
However, at this time, Vincent said to Lei unexpectedly.
He laughed after seeing Ray's eyes widened in horror.
"For the sake of the stupid amphibian not following you, have a meal with me. We haven't been alone in a long time."
Vincent said, patting Lei's stiff shoulder affectionately.
…
After a few seconds, Ray nodded at him.
"certainly."
He says.
Surprisingly, it was a very simple dinner. And it's cooked by Vincent himself—and even someone as tight as Lei has to admit that the creamy pumpkin soup and eggplant pasta taste good.
There was a candle burning in the center of the table, the light was dim, and in the sound of the waves, only the sound of the knife and fork in Lei's hand hitting the dinner plate.
This made him feel on pins and needles, but Vincent on the other side didn't seem to care.
Even in a sense, he looked so amused that he seemed a little chatty.
"...I admit I don't like Munster, you've become vulgar with him, jeez, don't keep blaming me for being too harsh on him, it's a low aesthetic even in mermaids and vulgar, I'm so afraid that one day you'll be as stupid as it is..."
Vincent kept complaining about the merman who left this world a long, long time ago.
If it wasn't for his complaints, Ray would never have known that the legendary mermaid Munster was a chocolate popcorn and shiny plastic flakes in real life... idiot (Vincent).