Compared to the bass in Lansi's hands, Winsor was clearly more interested in the sniper rifle in the box.
Before Lansi could say anything, Winsor stepped forward, took the gun out, and began to inspect it.
He first ran his hand over the body of the gun, then looked back into the box, took out the scope, and attached it with a few crisp clicks.
Seeing Winsor's skillful handling, Lansi started to question whether the person in front of him was really the same as him.
"That's strange..."
Lansi muttered to himself as he looked inside the box again.
To his surprise, the gun hidden inside the instrument case wasn't a prop from a movie. It was real.
Whoever left this here must have been confident. Just leaving a weapon like this out in the open?
Or maybe things changed too fast, and they didn't get the chance to retrieve it.
Everything felt complicated and confusing. Lansi felt like he was just some naive fool caught up in the mess.
"Forget it. I won't think about it anymore. If the killer didn't come back for it, then he's probably already dead."
He consoled himself with this hopeful reasoning, then turned to Winsor.
"Let's go."
Winsor looked up, stroked the gun one last time, then quickly disassembled it and returned it neatly to the box.
Lansi looked baffled. He opened his mouth, as if to ask something, but chose not to.
He closed the bass case, stayed silent for a while, then looked over at Quirrell, who was spinning happily around the drum set on the other side.
[Quirrell, we're leaving.]
[Goodbye, teacher,] Quirrell replied casually, without even turning around. It continued to play with the drums using its eighteen tentacles.
Clearly, it had no intention of leaving.
Lansi twitched his lips. He said helplessly,
[If you like this place that much, and you've had enough fun, take whatever you can carry.]
He used his tail to knock on the bass case on the floor, then gestured at Quirrell:
[Especially this.]
Those words hit right at the heart of Quirrell's thoughts. It finally gave Lansi some attention and quickly agreed.
[Yes, teacher! No problem, teacher!]
At the same time, Quirrell felt a pang of regret.
If it had known there were so many fun things in the sunken ship, it wouldn't have stayed in that oversized form. It should've shrunk down earlier to properly explore the place.
Lansi nodded and swam toward the other exit of the hall. He called out to Winsor:
"Come on, let's leave from here."
Winsor raised an eyebrow and followed.
Glowing jellyfish floated gently through the water, illuminating the path ahead.
As they swam down the corridor, Lansi flicked his tail slowly, taking in the scene around him.
The corridor, once lively, now only held worn and mottled walls.
Lansi stared, dazed.
"Winsor, do you think this cruise ship is beautiful?"
Winsor followed behind and gave the area a glance before replying quietly,
"Beautiful."
Lansi couldn't tell whether Winsor was just trying to comfort him or if he genuinely meant it.
But the ship was already like this—ruined and silent.
"When I first boarded this cruise ship, I was really excited."
Lansi drifted into memory.
"I loved standing on the deck, watching the ship cut through the waves, and seeing the seagulls follow us."
He lifted his hand and traced the shape of a wave in the water.
Winsor turned to look at him. He didn't say anything.
At this point, it was all clear.
Lansi had wanted to explain everything gradually, but returning to a place filled with memories had made it impossible to hold back.
"In my memory, the ship sailed for nearly a full day and night. I stayed onboard that whole time."
He paused before continuing.
"My original trip was supposed to last seven days, but after just one night on this cruise ship... I woke up and found I had become a mermaid."
By the time he finished speaking, the two of them had already passed through the entertainment area and arrived at the resting quarters.
He swam as if guided by memory alone.
He seemed lucid, yet not fully aware—dazed, though he hadn't touched a drop of alcohol.
Lansi was searching for his room.
His memory was surprisingly clear. Even when he had been too drunk to think straight that night, he had managed to find his way here.
The process was a bit messy, but the outcome was perfect.
"Found it."
He wiped off the doorplate and, by process of elimination, confirmed which room had been his.
The door had long since rotted away, leaving no obstacle. Lansi slipped inside without effort.
He headed straight for the cabinet and opened one of the doors.
The door, long rusted and worn, fell off its hinges as soon as Lansi touched it, crashing to the floor and sending up a puff of murky water.
Winsor came in after him, scanning the room with his usual unreadable expression.
Lansi paid no attention to the clouded water. He rummaged through the cabinet and finally pulled out his suitcase.
He had packed it full, afraid of not adapting to cruise life. His coworkers had laughed at him for overpacking, but now it felt like the smartest thing he had ever done.
When the ship started shaking, he had removed only the essentials and wedged the rest back in, stuffing it so tightly that even a bump wouldn't dislodge it.
Clearly, that decision had paid off.
Being able to find the suitcase now—what a relief.
Lansi dragged the box out with everything he had, then sat on top of it, panting.
Winsor swam over, looking down at him.
Lansi raised his head, hesitated, then asked,
"Do you want to ask me anything?"
The way he moved made it obvious he had something to say.
Winsor's face remained unreadable, but there was no anger. His eyes were calm and warm, with a hint of encouragement.
He sighed softly.
"Just say it. I'm listening."
Lansi clenched his teeth and gave up trying to hide.
"I'm human!"
He took a deep breath and let the words pour out like rapid fire:
"Yes, I used to be human! I have no idea how I became a mermaid. All I did was drink a little that night! Then I woke up with a fish tail and scared a fish to death! And what's with my feet? There's also an octopus who wants to keep me in captivity! To hell with that octopus! I was supposed to be the most beautiful firework—how did I end up like this?!"
The words came out in one breath, completely unfiltered, like he had rehearsed the speech in his stomach for days.
After saying it all, Lansi's face flushed. He crossed his arms and said stubbornly,
"There. That's everything. Do you still have any questions?"
Winsor blinked slowly, clearly stunned by Lansi's outburst.
He had expected Lansi to stammer and confess little by little—
Even though Winsor had known all along.
But instead, the little fish dumped everything out at once, as if he had thrown the whole basket upside down.
Honestly, Winsor had rather enjoyed watching Lansi squirm in guilt, thinking he was hiding something.
He hadn't meant to expose him.
But now, his little fish had torn the curtain off with one swipe, practically waving it in his face.
Winsor raised a hand to cover his mouth.
Lansi, who had been full of bravado just a moment ago, suddenly wilted. He lowered his head and fell silent.
"I didn't mean to lie to you."
His voice sounded gloomy. He had never been able to figure out how to define himself.
He wasn't like the other sea monsters—what kind of sea monster craved grilled fish and spicy snacks every day?
And yet, if he returned to land, humans would probably drag him off to a lab.
Meeting Wen Yu and the others had made Lansi realize he might really be a sea monster.
But could Winsor accept that?
Tears welled up in his eyes.
He didn't want to be abandoned. He didn't want to be alone in the ocean.
What good would it do to lie to Winsor?
A white bead hit the floor with a soft click.
"Lansi?"
Winsor's eyes widened when he saw the bead. He rushed forward and cupped Lansi's face.
Lansi was crying. His tears turned into small white pearls as they fell.
Winsor panicked.
He had just wanted to give Lansi a little scare, to make him realize the seriousness of the situation. But things had clearly gone beyond what he expected.
He thought Lansi had a big heart and would bounce back quickly. But it turned out Lansi was more sensitive than he seemed.
Feeling both guilty and helpless, Winsor leaned in and said gently,
"Alright, stop crying. I forgive you."
"What is there to forgive?"
Lansi wept more pearls and started spiraling again.
"This is serious. It's like a poor boy pretending to be rich just to trick someone into marrying him."
Winsor: "..."
Did his little fish just mention marriage?
Lansi sobbed harder.
"I'm a liar! We should get divorced!"
Winsor twitched his mouth.
A second ago it was marriage, and now divorce?
He leaned in, kissed Lansi on the forehead, and whispered,
"Don't you think I'm a fish too?"
Lansi blinked at him.
"Why would I care if you're a fish? You're Winsor."
Winsor smiled.
"Then why do you think I would care what you are? To me, you're just Lansi."
Not a human. Not a sea monster. Just his little fish.
Beautiful, little fish.
Lansi went silent.
He rubbed his eyes and asked,
"So… are you still willing to be with me?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
Winsor sighed and wrapped him in a hug, patting his back softly. He whispered in Lansi's ear:
"We agreed to be together. And didn't you come back for me last time? Since you didn't abandon me, I won't abandon you."
Back in the coral bones, Lansi could've escaped, but he returned because of a promise.
If that was the kind of person Lansi was, how could Winsor possibly let him go?
Lansi blushed and hugged him tighter, resting against Winsor's cheek.
Winsor's words gave him reassurance. At least now, he had a place to belong.
"Winsor, you're so nice."
Then his overly straightforward mind jumped again.
"Will you be my family?"
Winsor paused.
This little fish… skipping straight from marriage to family?
Well, he was used to Lansi's odd logic by now.