Harker was awakened inside a moving vehicle, with no windows around him and only its metal walls. It must be the back of a truck.
He blinked. Beside him was the metal cylinder where he had placed Princess Jinzhu. She was also asleep from exerting her powers too much by yelling and exhaustion from being unable to breath through her gills.
'Right…. Princess Jinzhu and I escaped from the factory on time.' Harker thought as he rubbed his face. 'After that, I got into the truck and…. we must have passed out.'
But what was that weird dream, he wondered?
It's starting to disappear in his mind now, just as dreams do. It was said that in the first 5 minutes of waking up, we can only recall 50 percent of our dreams. And once 10 minutes had passed, we had already forgotten 90 percent. That's why most people who keep dream journals write down their dreams as soon as they wake up.
Harker doesn't keep dream journals, and he wasn't one to pay attention to dreams much. He could only recall those robes with petal patterns, and something called An Xin….
'Dark Heart'.
"Heart…. Wait, where did I put Mr. Xi's heart?" He suddenly recalled, looking around him.
A gruff voice suddenly came from the darkness, along with a flashlight. "Oh, you're awake now, Mr. Jones. We're almost at the Santa Monica Pier."
Harker was jolted fully awake from the bodyguard's sudden appearance. "Ah! Y-Yeah…. I see, Sir. Have you seen the heart that I was carrying?"
"Yes. We have kept it here in a cooler with some ice." The bodyguard told him. "You must clean yourself at once before we reach the beach, Mr. Jones. You have changed into your current appearance while you were asleep. We'll be meeting with Mr. Faust there, as he still needs to be released from questioning."
"Questioning?" Harker asked.
"Mn. Mr. Xi is dead. The police helicopter had scouted the area and estimated at least 200 deaths. They were still excavating the area, but the bodies most likely had exploded beyond recognition. Everyone who attended the party had to be questioned." The bodyguard explained. "It's all over the news."
Harker's eyes widened. 200 lives dead….
Some may be their enemies, but there's also no doubt….
Some of them were innocent humans and mermaids.
"Her sisters….." He pointed to the sleeping Princess Jinzhu. "Are they alright?"
Harker had already anticipated the answer, and yet his heart still dropped several meters below from the truth.
The bodyguard took off his cap and sighed. "Only 2 of them have survived and were able to be placed inside other mermaid's tanks, Mr. Jones. But know that we tried our best. We lost several of our men from the explosion too."
"Only two….. God…." Harker rubbed his face.
His heart was already breaking for Princess Jinzhu. He doesn't know in what way he could tell her about this without making her totally devastated. It was impossible. She had lost all but two of her family after all.
But in the end, he had to say it anyway.
By the time they reached Los Angeles and the Santa Monica Pier, Princess Jinzhu had stirred awake. She was transferred to a better tank, and Harker had explained what had happened to her. Golden pearls fell from her eyes endlessly as she wept.
As for the remaining sisters, they were in a separate truck. It was the Eldest Sister and the 7th sister. They were allowed to go inside the same tank and embrace each other as they lament the loss of the others. Not just by their family, but several other jiaorens that did not make it in time. Harker wiped his lower eyelids as his chest ached just by watching them.
Soon, a limousine came. Harker turned, and the person inside the limo tackled him into a hug before he could react.
"I'm so glad you're safe!" Roland said. He felt cold and was shivering.
Harker patted his back. "Me too, buddy. I'm glad nothing happened to you, I heard gunshots. And you're so cold….. Are you alright?"
"They kept us in the detention area for questioning for at least 18 hours. The AC was very cold, and I was starving. But I'm alright." He said, looking at the marks on Harker's skin made by Mr. Xi's hair. "Were you able to kill him?"
"I was." Harker said. "But.... So many were killed, Roland…."
"I know. I'm sorry, it's all my fault. We found a bug as small as a button on my suit pocket." Roland started to choke on sobs. "If I had been more careful—"
"Hey, don't say that!" Harker scolded him. "None of them would have escaped without you, okay? This whole plan wouldn't work without you. I'd probably get caught by Mr. Xi and his men again if I didn't contact you the night I escaped the factory. So don't blame yourself."
They were suddenly interrupted by a mellow voice.
"Is this Roland sir that you talked about?" Princess Jinzhu asked.
Roland steadied himself, stopping himself from crying. "Yes…. You must be Princess Jinzhu."
"I am…. I just want to thank you for helping us escape, Sir. Without you and Harker sir, we would have been stuck in that snake's grasp forever." Princess Jinzhu bowed her head deeply in gratitude. "Thank you for all your efforts."
"That's alright. No need to thank me, Harker is my best friend and I'll do anything for him." Roland told her.
"I know. Harker is lucky to have a reliable friend like you, sir. But…." Princess Jinzhu clenched her fists. "May I ask for your help once more?"
Roland raised his eyebrow. "For what?"
Harker already knew where this was going. "Your Highness…. Just let it go and leave it to us. You should just go back to China with your sisters—"
"No. I already made my decision, and I told my sisters about it." Princess Jinzhu said firmly.
Her sisters nodded, placing a hand on her shoulders as support. They may not be able to understand English, but they could understand what they were talking about from the tone alone.
"I wish to stay here in America, Roland sir. I want to find the one who had wronged us the most, the one who sold us to Mr. Xi. Please help me…. I'm willing to stay anywhere."
Roland looked unsure. But Harker was moved by her determination, and everything she sacrificed so far. It would be unfair to give her this.
"Princess Jinzhu saved my life. I wouldn't be standing here right now if it weren't for her, nor would I have the chance to defeat Mr. Xi." Harker said. "If you're not going to help her, then I'll find a way."
Roland frowned and crossed his arms. "And where are you going to keep your fish girlfriend? Think about this rationally, Hark! Isn't it enough that we helped them escape!? You'll get into trouble if you keep her!"
"That's why it would be better if we had your help. But if you don't want to, I understand." Harker looked around the secluded area in the pier.
It would be hard to bring along a large mermaid tank all the way back to New York, but he has to find a way. He had to help Princess Jinzhu.
"I already brought you enough trouble as it is, Roland." He said, picking up the metal cylinder and thinking it might be easier to slip her inside a truck that he can drive on his own all the way to NYC. "I'm stuck in this troublesome life with monsters and shit. It would be better if you cut ties with me from now on—"
"Now hold on a minute!" Roland grabbed his shirt, looking very mad and upset. "You're not cutting ties with me just for some fish girl! Fine!"
Roland reluctantly agreed to help Princess Jinzhu and let her stay with them. In his house.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l