Be Careful, Scum Dad! Mommy Is Back!
Chapter 436: You Can’t Hurt My Child

Chapter 436: Chapter 436: You Can’t Hurt My Child

The young merman rested his hands on the edge of the oversized swimming pool, his immense tail gently swaying in the water, a scene as dreamy as it was surreal.

In the palm of one of his hands lay a pink fruit-flavored candy.

It was a small gift from Little Dumpling.

From Lu Xining’s camera, he had earlier glimpsed Little Dumpling and instantly felt a peculiar sense of familiarity.

It was an indescribable sensation, as though a voice from the void whispered to him—to be kind to her, to protect her.

As long as she held his scale in her hand, he could track her scent and find her.

When Ji Chao and Ji Ze finished their classes and came to see their sister, Lu Xining arranged for someone to watch over them while she headed to the laboratory where the young merman was kept.

She had promised him she would do her best to find a way to turn him back into a human.

The necessary lab samples had already been collected.

The research team led by Sang Yimin had conducted a detailed analysis of the young merman’s sample data.

As scientists, they were all shocked by the astonishing results of gene fusion between "human" and "fish."

There exists a genetic barrier between different species.

But Lott had somehow managed to overcome it—producing a biological experiment that defied conventional norms!

Legally and ethically, his actions were utterly reprehensible, yet from a purely scientific standpoint, they had to admit Lott possessed extraordinary skill.

As for the young merman... Experiment No. 13599...

Before heading to his lab, Lu Xining analyzed the scale the young merman had given to Nuonuo.

She discovered an extremely durable substance within it—no wonder it felt so substantial in the palm of her hand.

Lu Xining’s calm and gentle expression gradually transformed into one of cold indifference. The scale had been deliberately "sent" to Lu Nuonuo by the young merman, though his intentions remained unclear.

However! If the young merman dared to harm Nuonuo in any way, she would not spare him.

The familiar scent entered through the doorway.

The young merman turned, catching sight of the solemn-faced Lu Xining. His clear, luminous eyes flashed with joy.

"Hheh, hheh, hheh." You’re here.

Lu Xining entered the laboratory alone to confront him. Under the light overhead, his tail fin shone dazzlingly, its sway highlighting distinctions between his tail and those of ordinary fish.

If one looked closely, faint traces of his legs could still be discerned.

In recent nights, Lu Xining had stayed up reading through Lott’s detailed biological notebook, which described the transformation from legs to a fish tail in painstaking detail.

First, the skin developed fish scales. Then, the skin of both legs adhered and slowly fused, culminating in years of gradual change to result in his current form.

Standing at the edge of the pool, Lu Xining gazed downward at the young merman swimming over from the far side. His ocean-blue eyes were pure and untainted, like those of a child untouched by the world—a look that instinctively evoked a protective urge.

Her gaze swept over his tail, landing on the spot where a scale was missing.

"Children don’t know any better and took something of yours. As her mother, I’ll return it to its rightful owner now."

In Lu Xining’s pale palm rested the scale he had gifted Little Dumpling.

The young merman shook his head at her.

"Hheh." No need.

"Hheh hheh hheh." I gave it to her.

Seeing that Lu Xining didn’t respond, the young merman widened his ocean-blue eyes and stared at her, trying to glean some useful information from her expression.

His tail stirred the water, creating ripples that lapped against the pool’s edge.

He had seen Lott’s wild desperation after failed experiments and his manic exhilaration upon success. Among the countless researchers in the lab, he had always been able to see through their outward facades to their true emotions. But now, facing Lu Xining’s calm and inscrutable gaze, he was struck with an ineffable feeling.

The back of his head tingled, and unease crept into his heart.

"Hheh?" Hmm?

Lu Xining continued to observe the young merman’s shifting emotions.

Since he was brought to the ZN Experimental Base after leaving the Royal Cruise, he had remained here to recuperate from his injuries.

Whether it was the workers who came to change his water and provide him meals or Cheng Cang, who occasionally chatted with him, he displayed no aggression toward anyone.

His emotions seemed consistently calm and composed.

She smiled softly, handing him some neatly sliced sashimi, her voice warm. "This scale—did you specifically prepare it as a gift for my daughter?"

The young merman nodded, his gaze sincere.

Pointing to the missing spot on his tail, he picked up the scale from her palm and mimed polishing it against the stone edge of the pool, illustrating how the scale came to be prepared.

"Hheh hheh hheh." I gave it to her.

In his attempt to communicate with her, he resembled a person unfamiliar with a foreign language in a foreign land—uttering a few scattered words while relying heavily on gestures.

Watching his two hands flail and almost forming intricate patterns in the air, Lu Xining withdrew the coldness from her eyes.

Her voice softened as she spoke, "I thank you on Nuonuo’s behalf for the gift."

The young merman lowered his head in embarrassment, his expression earnest as he handed the scale back to her with eyes brimming with fervent anticipation.

Lu Xining pinched the scale between her fingers and commented seemingly casually, "Little Merman, will your scale work like in some novel plots, where if it’s with someone, you can track their scent to find them anywhere?"

Though her remark seemed joking, her gaze locked onto the young merman’s reaction. Seeing his momentary hesitation, her heart sank.

...It really did have such an effect.

Some time ago, while Sang Yimin’s team was in the midst of sample collection, they ran simulation tests on the young merman’s sensory capabilities.

They discovered that his senses were far superior to those of ordinary humans.

The newly detected data even surpassed the capabilities described in Lott’s biological notebook.

This meant...

His abilities and skills would also "evolve" over time.

Not to mention, she had personally witnessed his formidable combat prowess.

Lu Xining did not want to assume the worst about the young merman before her, but if he ever targeted her three children, they would stand no chance of defending themselves.

In an instant, the young merman caught the meaning behind her steely gaze.

"Hheh hheh hheh hheh hheh hheh." I won’t hurt her!

"Hheh hheh hheh." I swear!

With fingers melded like webbing, he was unable to hold up three fingers as in a traditional vow. Instead, he raised his hand as a gesture of promise, his eyes tinged with urgency, fearful she would not trust him.

The young merman suddenly burst into tears.

She crouched down, drawing close to his ocean-blue eyes. Slowly, she raised his chin, catching his falling tears with her hand.

For a fleeting moment, his tears lingered in her palm, only to vanish upon touching the ground.

Lu Xining’s red lips parted slightly, her voice faint yet resolute, "Little Merman, I will do everything in my power to find a way for you to return to human form. But this must come with a condition..."

"You cannot harm my children or family."

The ethereal woman gazed at the merman before her, her eyes as tranquil and cool as running water.

The pure merman in the pool tilted his head to look up at her, his glittering lashes trembling as tears clung to them. With earnest effort, he struggled to coax his voice into forming a word.

"...Hheh... okay..."