MTL - Mermaid Effect - Chapter 140

“There is no fairness in this godforsaken world”

- Leo

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With the appearance of the ferocious beasts and hideous monsters, humanity was on the verge of extinction.

As humanity lost its hope, a few otherworldly beings referred to themselves as ‘Gods’ appeared and helped humans in creating new cities from the rumbles.

Before leaving the world, they left a special gift that could help the humans awaken their talents hidden deeply in their bodies as there were still monsters and beasts outside these newly created cities.

With the help of their newly awakened talents, the humans started fighting the monsters and beasts on their own.

That’s the beginning of a new chapter in human history as humans started becoming heroes.

In such a world, a 12-year-old kid was framed for theft and the murder of his adoptive parents by some powerful heroes.

Furthermore, they even planned to kill him and make his body disappear to avoid future trouble.

However, after 10 years, he returned to the city with a different name to take revenge against those so-called powerful heroes while trying to find out the reason behind the death of his adoptive parents.

“I don’t know exactly who you are and why you did that, but I will find out even if I have to kill all the powerful heroes in the city.”

Standing in front of the gates of the Phirie city, Leo muttered to himself with a cold look on his face.

The engagement of the most adored daughter of the Li Family was broken off. Her furious family members railed against the heartless man and vowed to make him pay the price. * Later on, Li Qiao met her ex-fiancé’s big brother by chance. Some said he was the most mysterious man in Nanyang and his name was Shang Yu, aka Shang Shaoyan. While some others called him the overbearing and obsessive underground Overlord of Nanyang from whom everyone should stay away. Standing in the misty rain, Li Qiao gazed at the ruthless and untamed man with a shallow smile, said, “Hello, I’m Li Qiao.” She would become her ex-fiancé’s sister-in-law, if not wife. * Li Qiao and her ex-fiancé met again on the street several months later when he sneered at her, “Are you following me? Haven’t you given up hope yet?” A harsh voice berated him from behind, “Show some respect to your sister-in-law!” From now on, only one rumor was circulating in Nanyang City – The merciless Overlord of Nanyang had one woman he uncritically doted on. Her name was Li Qiao.

Three Souls lay in one body,

One soul belonging to a man who had reached the peak, the strongest there ever was, the one who had the talent to do so. Yet he suffered because of his talent. His soul shone as bright as a galaxy once, but now is but a sun. His talents made him the envy of all.

And He lost it all.

The Second soul belonged to a man soon to be the richest in the world.

A man who had his face charred, a man who seemingly had every odd placed against him from the very beginning.

He went against the family that abused him and triumphed over them. Yet he was left broken inside, He craved a release, and the first soul brought him that release.

And he became a psychopath that scared the manifestation of evil itself.

And the Third?

The child born from their souls was anything but ordinary. Cursed with a fate no one wanted. Cursed with the fact that the Universe wanted him dead.

He was born from Chaos And Ice and a fraction of light, Yet manipulated Space.

His abilities were so powerful they were harmful to his body.

His talent is as infinite as the boundless cosmos.

His enemies were greater than one could count.

His luck is worse than shit.

And Yet, he continued to fight. Despite whatever was thrown at him, he would brute force through it or outsmart it, befitting the other two above.

He continued to fight, not believing in the bullshit that was destiny.

Japan – National News BroadcastThe polished news anchor sat upright, her gaze sharp as she adjusted the stack of papers before her. The newsroom behind her hummed with quiet urgency, the weight of the moment settling over the broadcast.“Authorities are baffled by a sudden and unexplained surge in sleep-related deaths across Japan,” she began, her voice steady yet tense. “More and more citizens are passing away in their sleep without any prior health concerns. Experts are working tirelessly to determine the cause, but no clear explanation has emerged. Authorities urge the public to remain vigilant and report any unusual symptoms before bedtime.”A graphic appeared, displaying the spike in fatalities over the past month. Behind her, unsettling photographs flickered across the screen—blurred images of individuals found in their beds, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.The anchor’s tone shifted. “Health officials recommend citizens avoid excessive fatigue and maintain healthy sleep habits. More updates will follow as investigations continue.”---United States – Paranormal PodcastIn a dimly lit podcast studio, the host leaned forward, his eyes wide with curiosity. Across from him, a rugged man in a worn flannel shirt, gripping a faded photograph in one hand and a beer can in the other, leaned back in his chair.“So, you're telling me you saw this creature firsthand?” the host asked, clearly intrigued.The man scoffed, shaking his head. “Damn right, I did. Ugly thing had wings bigger than my body—slow but sneaky. Thought it could steal my pigs again, but I was ready this time—camera in one hand, shotgun in the other.”He slammed the table for emphasis, then shoved the blurry image toward the host. The photograph depicted a small, red-skinned humanoid figure with large, bat-like wings, its eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.“Spit, the thing didn’t know what hit it when I fired!” the man chuckled, his voice full of excitement.The host held up the picture to the live chat. “Alright, what do you think? Mothman? Demon? Or is our friend here just seeing things?”The chat exploded with theories—some skeptical, others eager for the investigation to continue.---China – Liangyuan Street MarketSurveillance footage from a bustling night market in China captured a chilling scene. A woman in a red qipao walked gracefully through the crowd, her figure striking in the soft glow of lanterns.Suddenly, she paused. Her body flickered—like a glitch in a video—before vanishing completely, as though she had never existed.The footage zoomed in, replaying in slow motion. In the final frame before she disappeared, her face distorted unnaturally, her eyes hollow and empty.The screen cut abruptly to black.