Heart of the Ocean (3): Fish-stealing jellyfish

“Woof woof!”  

Xiao Bai seemed to sense something and immediately dashed out of the kitchen.  

But when it emerged, it didn’t detect any unfamiliar presence in the house.  

After all, the jellyfish in the large aquarium digested its food very quickly. By the time Xiao Bai rushed out, it had already devoured the big fish and promptly shrank back to its original thumb-sized form.  

Inside the spacious aquarium, various fish swam about, while a few large lobsters waved their claws menacingly. The oxygen pump continuously supplied bubbles into the tank, and the decorative seaweed at the bottom swayed with the water’s current.  

With its beady eyes, Xiao Bai stared at the tiny jellyfish that Tan Xiao cherished so much—the barely paw-sized immortal jellyfish drifting lazily in the water, its translucent tentacles fluttering like a fairy’s ribbons.  

However, Xiao Bai’s mind lacked any poetic words to describe the jellyfish. Instead, it felt nothing but disdain for this little creature that had stolen its owner’s attention. So small—not even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.  

Pressing its paw against the glass, Xiao Bai widened its eyes, scrutinizing the aquarium for any unusual activity. But it found nothing out of the ordinary.  

As it watched, a sudden thought struck it—this jellyfish looked just like a strawberry jelly. Back when Xiao Bai was a robot, it had only ever tasted strawberry batteries. After all, as an ordinary robot, unlike high-end companion models equipped with special feeding mechanisms, it couldn’t consume anything except batteries and energy fluid.  

“A jellyfish that looks like strawberry jelly must be delicious, right?” Xiao Bai pressed its entire fluffy face against the glass, its pink tongue lolling out.  

Just as Tan Xiao stepped out of the kitchen with a dish, he was greeted by this sight. He quickly set the plate down on the nearby table and rushed over, calling Xiao Bai’s name in a stern voice: “Xiao Bai!”  

To him, Xiao Bai was like family. But the immortal jellyfish he had bought was also incredibly important to Tan Xiao. He couldn’t bear the thought of Xiao Bai fishing the jellyfish out of the tank and eating it when he wasn’t looking.  

When he noticed the jellyfish had disappeared from his line of sight, Tan Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. Only after a closer look did he relax.  

The aquarium housing the jellyfish was sealed, and the glass lid showed no signs of being opened. The jellyfish, having just eaten a large fish, had settled quietly at the bottom of the tank.  

It was simply because the aquarium was so large and the jellyfish so tiny that Tan Xiao hadn’t spotted it at first glance. But upon closer inspection, he could see the immortal jellyfish resting against the glass, its pink stomach clearly visible.  

Under Tan Xiao’s watchful gaze, the jellyfish eventually began floating upward again, its bell contracting rhythmically as it drifted up and down in the water.  

Tan Xiao couldn’t help but break into a doting smile. “Xiao Bai, look—isn’t it super cute? Just like a peach gummy!”  

As if understanding the praise, the jellyfish in the tank wriggled even more energetically in the clear water.

Tan Xiao felt his compliment perfectly matched the jellyfish’s appearance—that adorable stomach pouch reminded him of delicate pink peach petals.  

Xiao Bai barked twice: “It’s a strawberry jelly!”  

Hearing the word strawberry, Tan Xiao’s expression instantly turned serious. “It’s not a strawberry jelly—it’s an immortal jellyfish!” His voice grew louder as he emphasized, “Xiao Bai, you absolutely cannot eat it, understand?!”  

Xiao Bai hurriedly lowered its paw from the aquarium and yipped twice: “Woof woof! Xiao Bai won’t eat it!”  

Its tone wasn’t particularly aggrieved—if anything, it sounded a little guilty. After all, it had briefly considered tasting the “strawberry jelly”—er, immortal jellyfish.  

But it wasn’t the kind of dog that couldn’t control itself! Unless Tan Xiao allowed it, Xiao Bai would never go fishing around in the tank. It was the best dog!  

“Alright, I know Xiao Bai is the best.” Tan Xiao bent down and gently ruffled the dog’s furry head. “Dinner’s ready—let’s eat.”  

Together, they carried all the dishes from the kitchen to the dining table.  

Xiao Bai scurried ahead on its short legs, its special dog bowl clamped in its mouth—a shallow pink plate printed with strawberry designs.  

Tan Xiao had prepared a nutritious meal for Xiao Bai: diced salmon and sturgeon, boiled beef and chicken, and a big bone it loved. Alongside the protein, there were also chopped boiled broccoli and carrots—a well-balanced, wholesome feast.  

Even though Xiao Bai was originally a robot and not a natural-born dog, Tan Xiao still followed standard canine dietary guidelines when preparing its meals.  

As for himself, Tan Xiao enjoyed generous slices of beef braised in savory sauce, poached chicken with ginger-scallion dressing, stir-fried broccoli, pork with carrot slices, and a steaming bowl of seaweed and pork belly soup.  

Using the same ingredients but with more elaborate techniques, Tan Xiao never skimped on meals—even when living alone in a game instance, he took good care of himself.  

Between bites, he nodded in satisfaction at his own cooking skills. As a fresh college graduate, he’d barely cooked before. But after surviving several instances—including one where he cared for Dr. Wen and another where he lived as an overworked office drone—his culinary skills had improved drastically. Now, he could make the most of the high-quality ingredients he’d painstakingly acquired.  

For dessert, considering Xiao Bai’s love for strawberries, Tan Xiao served a small plate of plump, ripe ones.  

Xiao Bai licked its bowl clean, leaving the strawberry plate gleaming with drool.  

Once finished, it picked up the plate and trotted to the kitchen, even climbing onto a small stool to attempt washing dishes—a habit from its previous instance role as Tan Xiao’s housekeeping robot.  

Amused, Tan Xiao took over as water splashed onto Xiao Bai’s fluffy paws. “Alright, Xiao Bai, leave the cooking and cleaning to me. I’ve got a new job for you—guard duty!”  

He spoke solemnly: “There might still be rats in the yard. If you see any, catch and kill them. Protect our home, and protect our food.”  

People often said “a dog chasing rats is meddling in a cat’s business,” but in reality, many dogs were just as skilled at hunting rodents as cats.  

Besides, as a flesh-and-blood human, Tan Xiao needed proper sleep at night. If Xiao Bai could keep watch, it’d be a huge help. After all, this instance likely still had other players. In the early stages of the game, NPCs might follow laws, but players? Not so much. Many, short on funds, would resort to theft or worse.

Tan Xiao crouched down, bringing his gaze level with Xiao Bai’s, and earnestly squeezed the dog’s soft, marshmallow-like paw. “The night is dangerous—this home of ours is counting on you, Xiao Bai!”  

Xiao Bai immediately puffed out its chest with pride. “Woof woof! Mission guaranteed!”  

That’s right—its owner was too fragile. Without Xiao Bai, this household would fall apart!  

As night deepened, Xiao Bai lay on the porch outside the courtyard, resting in the small wooden house Tan Xiao had bought for it. Its eyes were half-closed as it regained stamina.  

Though in a light sleep, Xiao Bai remained highly alert. The slightest disturbance in the yard would jolt it awake.  

Tonight was quiet. The overturned cargo ship had only brought a brief commotion in the evening before official personnel intervened, restoring peace to the shoreline.  

The small town had limited resources, but authorities had swiftly requested backup, deploying other fishing boats to clean up the crude oil floating on the sea.  

With everyone’s attention fixed on the massive shipwreck, no one noticed the passenger boat that had met with disaster two days prior.  

While the oil spill polluted nearby waters, killing large numbers of marine life, it wasn’t severe enough to trigger mutations.  

Nor did anyone question why the oil tanker—sailing smoothly one moment—had suddenly capsized.  

Exhausted after a long day, Tan Xiao felt drowsy by ten o’clock. Following his body’s rhythm, he went to bed early.  

For safety, he slept on the second floor—less damp than the first and easier to react from than the third if anything happened downstairs.  

Tan Xiao’s breathing gradually softened into a steady rhythm, and Xiao Bai dozed quietly in its little house.  

Perhaps because it was still early in the game, no players had yet targeted the three-story rental. Its location was relatively bustling, surrounded by locals and adjacent to a commercial street that stayed brightly lit even at night thanks to 24-hour shops.  

With such a prime spot, any scheming players would likely prefer darker, more secluded areas—like shadowy alleyways.  

But while the night was still, the jellyfish was up to no good.  

Having only eaten one fish earlier, the jellyfish quietly expanded again, stealthily snatching several more from neighboring tanks.  

This was no ordinary jellyfish—it was an escaped lab experiment.  

Days ago, another ship had sunk at sea—a private vessel owned by the Everlife Group, carrying numerous experimental specimens.  

Everlife was a renowned pharmaceutical giant, controlling 90% of medical resources and monopolizing high-end healthcare channels.  

“Everlife”—true to its name—had a generations-old obsession: immortality. The aging sought rejuvenation; the wealthy craved eternal youth.  

For years, the group’s secret labs had researched elixirs of life. And this immortal jellyfish? One of their creations.  

After the lab shipwreck, the jellyfish had blended into fish schools, eating freely—until overindulgence forced it into digestive slumber. Then, by chance, a fisherman netted it and sold it to the shop.  

The beautiful jellyfish was quite proud of its looks. Of course humans would want me—I’m stunning!  

But this particular human was stingy, offering only meager brine shrimp larvae—nowhere near enough!  

So the jellyfish took matters into its own… tentacles. One fish, then another, and another… Only when satisfied did it shrink back, settling peacefully into its spacious tank to rest.  

—  

Tan Xiao woke up refreshed. After washing up, he headed downstairs—then rubbed his eyes in disbelief.  

He’d bought so much seafood yesterday but hadn’t cooked any yet.  

So how, in just one night, had all the big fish in the tank disappeared?