Ruan Shiqing had not planned to raise another child, but now that he had seen it, he couldn't just ignore it.
The little mermaid looked about five or six years old, with delicate and beautiful facial features, but the hideous wound running from the left forehead to the right lower jaw destroyed this beauty, not to mention a cut on the neck, which seemed to have injured his throat. He has not made any sound so far, only his blue eyes were open, with big tears gathering in his eye sockets but not falling, full of fear and helplessness.
“Such a serious injury, I don’t know what happened to him.” Ruan Shiqing sighed and approached the little mermaid. In his horrified eyes, he repeated in the common language: “Don’t be afraid, I have no ill intentions, I just want to help you.”
His voice was soft and his expression was gentle.
The fear in the little mermaid's eyes gradually faded a little, and she opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but could only make broken "ah" sounds.
"Your throat is injured. Don't speak for a while." Ruan Shiqing moved closer and carefully checked his wound. The wound on his throat was very deep. It was obvious that the person who attacked him had the intention to kill him. However, the little mermaid's vitality was unexpectedly tenacious, and she actually struggled to survive.
"You need to see a doctor," Ruan Shiqing explained to him, "I have to pick you up, and I might touch your wound, which may hurt a little."
The little mermaid looked at him and tears rolled down her eyes.
Ruan Shiqing wiped away his tears with his fingers: "Don't be afraid, you won't die."
He took off his coat, handed the cub in his arms to Xiong Yuanyuan, and wrapped the little mermaid in his coat.
When touching the little mermaid's bloody tail, Ruan Shiqing clearly felt that he wanted to struggle, but he endured it. His body was shaking slightly uncontrollably, perhaps because of pain or fear.
Ruan Shiqing tried to be as gentle as possible as he picked him up.
It's very light, like holding a ball of cotton.
Holding the little mermaid steady, he said to the Xiong brothers, "I'm afraid we have to go to the hospital in the inner city."
"He can't go to the hospital in this condition, right?" Xiong Fangfang thought more carefully: "If he goes to the hospital, the doctor will definitely report it, and then we will be in trouble."
The mermaid cubs are as precious as the nine-tailed fox cubs.
These ancient races have a hard time reproducing, and they have always taken good care of their young, and would not easily let them out to see the public before they reach adulthood. Now, a severely injured and abused young mermaid has appeared on the remote garbage planet B3024, which is obviously unreasonable.
Either it was stolen... or, like the nine-tailed fox cub, it was abandoned by the tribe for some reason.
Xiong Fangfang vaguely felt that the latter possibility was more likely.
After all, no one would risk angering the entire mermaid clan just to steal a precious cub and abuse it.
"Then we can't go to the hospital. Let's find a way to invite a doctor to our home." Ruan Shiqing understood the pros and cons and decisively turned around and walked north, ready to go home.
Xiong Yuanyuan followed behind tremblingly, holding the puppy in her arms, and said belatedly, "Did I get into trouble?"
Xiong Fangfang glared at him and said, "Don't pick up random things in the future." Even if you pick up something, you must tell me in advance.
Xiong Yuanyuan's ears drooped, and he looked listless: "Oh."
Rong Heng glanced at him: Tsk, stupid dog.
Ruan Shiqing took the little mermaid back home.
There were disinfectants and topical medicines prepared for the puppies at home, but the little mermaid's injuries were too severe and the wound was too large, so he did not dare to treat it carelessly. He could only put him on a simple small bed that he had put together temporarily, and then hurried to the inner city to call a doctor.
At this time, the disadvantage of having no means of transportation became apparent.
After running back and forth twice, Ruan Shiqing's physical strength was exhausted and he was already panting as soon as he went out.
Xiong Yuanyuan immediately stepped forward upon seeing this, wanting to make amends: "I'll carry you!"
Ruan Shiqing hesitated: "No need." He thought about the scene and felt it was not so good.
Xiong Yuanyuan tried hard to promote himself: "I run steadily and fast!" He changed back to his animal form, stood up and patted his chest to assure: "It's more comfortable than a shuttle!"
It turned out that it turned into a bear and carried him on its back.
Ruan Shiqing shook off the weird images in his mind and did not refuse this time.
Xiong Yuanyuan bent down, let him climb onto her back and sit down, then she ran out like the wind.
In the house, Xiong Fangfang stayed to look after the house, and Rong Heng naturally stayed as well.
He glanced at Xiong Fangfang, who was sitting at the door with his back to the house, and paced towards the little mermaid.
Watching him approaching, the little mermaid could neither hide nor ask for help. She could only try her best to open her eyes wide and look at him, with her ear fins opened to the extreme, her expression alert and terrified.
Rong Heng unceremoniously tore off the coat wrapped around the little mermaid, squinted his eyes to identify the scent, and then pulled the little mermaid's tail, as if looking for something.
How come there is no...
Rong Heng's eyes flashed with doubt, and he searched more carefully. If he couldn't find it on the fish's tail, he would look for it somewhere else. After a moment, he looked at the "047" behind the little mermaid's ear with a deep look in his eyes.
The little mermaid's ear fins folded and opened again, as if trying to hide the string of numbers, but her attempt was doomed to be in vain.
Rong Heng lowered his eyes and watched him trying his best to move his body, trying desperately to get away from him. His bloody tail was curled up with great effort, trying to support his body to move, but it trembled and stretched out because of the pain.
Like a fish on the chopping board.
He looked compassionate.
No wonder she was treated like this, it turns out she was just an artificial mermaid.
A few years ago, he vaguely heard rumors that the mermaid tribe was researching artificial mermaids, but no evidence was found and the matter was left unresolved.
In the interstellar age of advanced technology, cloning and genetic modification are still taboos that cannot be touched, and imperial law has always explicitly prohibited them. However, it is not easy for several ancient races to reproduce, and seeing their bloodlines becoming increasingly scarce, there is no guarantee that some people will not take risks.
And this little mermaid with a number printed behind her ear is the best evidence.
The mermaids were apparently secretly conducting some illegal experiments, and this little mermaid was just a failure, or perhaps just one of the failures.
Rong Heng looked gloomy and fell into deep thought.
When Ruan Shiqing led the elderly doctor into the room, he saw the puppy occupying most of the bed by himself, with his coat hanging at the end of the bed. The little mermaid had tears in her eyes and was huddled pitifully at the edge of the bed. If she moved a little further to the side, she would probably fall off.
"..." Ruan Shiqing was silent for a moment, picked up the puppy, gently pulled his ears, and said helplessly: "How come you have learned to bully others?"
Rong Heng:
He frowned in displeasure.
Who did I bully
Seeing the artificial mermaid made him feel very upset. The matter in Sikkim had not been resolved yet, and the mermaids were restless again. It seemed that he could not wait any longer and had to find a way to contact his old subordinates as soon as possible.
Rong Heng jumped out of Ruan Shiqing's arms and found a quiet corner to think of a solution.
The doctor had already set up the instruments, and Ruan Shiqing had no time to comfort the upset kid, so he could only step forward to help.
The little mermaid was a little flustered when he saw the doctor in a white coat. His tail bounced violently a few times. He subconsciously looked at Ruan Shiqing, as if asking for help.
"I'm just checking you out." Ruan Shiqing held his hand and comforted him, "Don't be afraid."
The comforting worked. Although the little mermaid was still a little flustered, he stopped struggling obediently. His eyes were fixed on Ruan Shiqing, and he clenched his fingers tightly.
The doctor began to examine him.
"There are no internal injuries, but the external injuries are very serious. The wound on the tail is the lightest, and scales will grow back after the wound heals. But the wounds on the cheeks and neck are very deep, and it seems that they were stained with some special medicine..." The doctor paused here, looking at the little mermaid with regret: "Even if the wound heals, it will leave scars in the future."
In the interstellar age, plastic surgery technology has become very mature and few people will be left with scars.
The force of clenching his fingers became stronger, and Ruan Shiqing subconsciously looked at the little mermaid and found that he was pursing his lips tightly, obviously understanding what the doctor said.
This is a beautiful little mermaid.
"You're lucky to be alive." Ruan Shiqing brushed away the loose hair on his forehead. The mermaid cub had long blue hair that was the same color as his eyes. "Not all scars are ugly. They are the badge of your bravery and luck."
The little mermaid blinked and looked at him intently.
The blue eyes sparkle like gems.
Ruan Shiqing stretched out her finger, gently touched the tip of his nose, and said sincerely: "You are still beautiful like this now."
The little mermaid's eyes brightened a little, and it seemed that she liked being praised.
After the doctor had treated his wound and prescribed medicine, Ruan Shiqing covered him with his coat again and personally sent the doctor out.
After confirming that the little mermaid would not hear the conversation, she asked the doctor again: "Will the wound on the face really leave a scar?"
"It's very likely. With the medical level of B3024, his wounds cannot be completely healed unless he goes to Sikkim. The medical level on the capital planet is at least ten times higher than here, and the equipment is more advanced, but his identity... is not suitable for appearing in Sikkim." The doctor lowered his voice and reminded him implicitly: "It's better to be disfigured than to lose a life."
Given how much the mermaids value their young, if a young cub is lost, they will definitely search for it throughout the empire. He usually pays attention to the news about Sikkim and Sijialan Star, but he has never seen any news about the loss of a mermaid cub.
This is most likely an unidentified mermaid baby.
It might be safer for him on the remote planet 3024.
Ruan Shiqing understood what he meant. In addition to the medical expenses, he transferred another thousand star coins to express his gratitude: "Thank you very much."
The old Bis doctor waved his hand and smiled brightly: "If you have any more questions, you can contact me through the smart brain."
Xiong Yuanyuan was still responsible for sending the doctor back, while Ruan Shiqing went back into the house and fed the oral medicine to the little mermaid.
The little mermaid was very cooperative. She held the potion in her hands and tried to swallow it in small sips. Even though her throat was sore and the potion was bitter, she did not show any reluctance.
He tried very hard to survive.
Seeing how well behaved he was, Ruan Shiqing turned his attention to the puppy in the corner.
The kid kept staring at the door, not knowing what he was thinking. Ruan Shiqing picked him up, opened another tube of medicine and fed it to him: "It's time for you to take your medicine."
Rong Heng was caught off guard by the medicine that was stuffed into his mouth and he spat it out reflexively.
He looked at Ruan Shiqing with dissatisfaction: What did you feed me