The Merfolk Clan is most active late at night.
Some mermaids went out to sea to hunt, while many tribesmen walked back and forth in the palace. Fortunately, Lao Mo and Gui Yuanzhang had already figured out the structure of the maze, and with the help of various movement cards, the group quickly moved through the palace, avoiding all the patrolling guards without any danger.
Led by Old Mo, they took a shortcut and soon arrived at the residence of Elder Merfolk Clan.
Karen G., a nearly 100-year-old elder of the Merfolk Clan, has golden curly hair and eyes as blue as the sky.
The moment the door opened, they found him sitting on the shell-shaped sofa, his eyes wide open, almost popping out. Seeing this, Yu Hanjiang sensed something was wrong. He rushed over, checked the man's breathing, and turned to his teammates, saying in a low voice, "Dead. Just died."
Gui Yuanzhang frowned: "...Was he silenced by Xiao Lou, number 5?"
Xiao Lou walked over and quickly examined the body, concluding: "His neck was severed, and there were obvious bruises. It must have been someone who suddenly attacked him from behind. He was caught off guard and too surprised to die with his eyes open."
Previously, it was speculated that the elder of the Merfolk Clan named Karen Gol was most fond of conducting genetic experiments, and that he cultivated many deep-sea fish that the Merfolk Clan could eat.
Xiao Lou looked around the room and, sure enough, found a laboratory next to his living room, where many strange little fish and shrimp were kept. If he hadn't died, no one would have been sure if he was involved in the clone project; now that he had been silenced, it naturally confirmed everyone's suspicions.
Liu Qiao said, "This elder has always been very low-key in our Merfolk Clan, but because he has cultivated many delicious fish and shrimp to make food for us, the clan members respect him very much."
Yu Hanjiang crossed his arms, glanced at the crime scene, and analyzed, "Twenty years ago, this elder inadvertently passed by Egret... " During their starship expedition, they discovered that many had died, yet a few had survived the deep-sea environment. Those clones at the time lacked human consciousness; some might still be in culture dishes. Driven by intense curiosity, the elders secretly brought them back, along with data from the Noahs Ark Project, to continue their research.
Xiao Lou said, "He developed clone 2.0, which incorporated the genes of the Merfolk Clan into the original clone. It can be said that Xiao Lou, Shao Qingge, and Ye Qi, who are currently in Mermaid Royal Palace and have their own consciousness, are all 2.0 versions he cultivated."
Lu Jiuchuan couldn't help but curse, "So this Xiao Lou 2.0 version actually killed the person who raised him?!"
Shao Qingge narrowed his eyes and said, " Hunter has always been ruthless. It must be that the cooperation between the fake Liu Qiao and the fake Xiao Lou failed. He realized that the plan had failed, so he killed Karen Geer, the only one who knew the lover."
The cloning project was clearly a secret research project, known to very few. Now that the researcher is dead, there's no way to verify anything—no one can explain the true origins of Prince Xiao Lou of the Mercok Clan. This tactic of destroying evidence is truly remarkable.
That's brilliant.
Clearly, this 2.0 version of Xiao Lou in the palace is much smarter than the clone Liu Qiao who stayed with everyone.
Suddenly, Liu Qiao realized something and immediately turned around: "Oh no, we have to run!"
Xiao Lou also thought of this, and everyone turned around to leave the elder's residence. However, as soon as they took a step out of the door, they saw " Xiao Lou " in a white suit standing in front of them with a smile. Beside him was His Majesty of the Merfolk Clan and hundreds of Merfolk Clan guards, all of whom were armed.
The way he's posing as if he's catching a thief is really impressive.
Almost the instant the fake Xiao Lou appeared, Xiao Lou, Yu Hanjiang, Lu Jiuchuan, Tang Ci, Shao Qingge, and Ye Qi, who were at the back, immediately hid using Invisibility Cloaks, leaving only Liu Qiao, Gui Yuanzhang, and Lao Mo, three members of the Merfolk Clan.
Xiao Lou glanced around, a slight smile playing on his lips, and looked at Liu Qiao, saying, "Little sister, what are you doing at Elder Karen's residence with Elder Gui and Mr. Mo?"
Liu Qiao stared at him coldly without replying.
Xiao Lou whispered to the guard beside him, "Go inside and take a look."
"Yes, Your Highness." The two guards entered the elder's room, then quickly retreated in terror, their voices trembling. "Your Highness, Elder Karen has been... has been murdered!"
"What?" Xiao Lou was stunned, and hurriedly followed several guards into the house.
A few seconds later, he returned to his previous position and pointed at Liu Qiao in disbelief, saying, " Elder Karen watched you grow up since you were a child, and is considered your half-master. How could you do such a rebellious thing!"
The nearly 100-year-old emperor looked at Liu Qiao with suspicion: "Why did you kill Elder Karen?"
Liu Qiao said calmly, "Father, I didn't kill him."
Xiao Lou frowned: "You still want to argue? The Mermaid Princess also has the right to inherit the throne. I know you've been dissatisfied with me all these years, but you shouldn't have killed Elder Karen! Liu Qiao, you've disappointed me greatly!"
"..." Liu Qiao was speechless. She really wanted to give the Hunter in front of her a five-star rating—his acting skills were comparable to an award-winning actor. He could switch between gentle, serious, villainous, and righteous versions with ease. Why be a Hunter? Wouldn't it be better for him to go into the entertainment industry?
Xiao Lou put on a pained expression and said, "Guards, seize him!"
At this time, " Xiao Lou " was still Prince Merfolk Clan, and the guards around him naturally had to obey him.
A group of guards surrounded Liu Qiao, pointing their sharp weapons at her.
Liu Qiao did not resist. She stood there, looked at the old man with gray hair in front of her, and calmly asked, "Father, do you remember what Elder Karen said when she told you that Xiao Lou was your son? You never doubted his identity?"
His Majesty thought for a moment and said, "He said that Xiao Lou is my illegitimate son who was lost and raised outside. I asked him to do a genetic test at the time, and Xiao Lou has a silver-white fish tail that only the purest mermaids can grow, so it can't be wrong."
Just then, replicas of Shao Qingge and Ye Qi appeared in front of them.
These two are Xiao Lou's good friends from Merfolk Clan; the three clones grew up together.
" Shao Qingge " stepped forward to testify: "The reason why the princess killed Elder Karen was because Elder Karen found the prince who had been lost and brought him back to raise him. She has held a grudge all these years."
Ye Qi chimed in, "She's disliked this suddenly appearing older brother since she was little. Now that she's killed Elder Karen, the next person she'll definitely kill is His Highness the Prince. Our Prince has always treated her like a younger sister; she's truly a wolf in sheep's clothing!"
Shao Qingge narrowed his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, the first rule of our Merfolk Clan is to prohibit clan members from killing each other. These three people have violated this taboo and must be dealt with according to the clan rules!"
The real Shao Qingge and Ye Qi: "..."
Seeing someone who looks exactly like him acting in front of him is an experience most people don't get to have. Ye Qi really wanted to complain—could you please not make that exaggerated expression? Seeing him putting on such a show with his own face was really strange. The clone of Shao Qingge, however, did manage to mimic some of the real CEO Shao's essence, with his squinting eyes and ambiguous smile; at first glance, he actually looked quite similar.
Xiao Lou's gaze swept over the surrounding guards: "What are you still hesitating for? Take them down!"
Just then, a gentle voice suddenly rang in everyone's ears: "Wait."
That voice is exactly the same as Prince Xiao Lou's...
Everyone turned to look, and saw another Xiao Lou emerge from Elder Karen's room, as elegant as Prince Xiao Lou before them. His face was expressionless, his eyes clear and calm, fixed intently on Xiao Lou.
Xiao Lou and Xiao Lou locked eyes.
The guards: "???"
What's going on? Two identical princes?!
Number 5 raised an eyebrow and said, " Liu Qiao, where did you find someone like me? Are you planning to kill Elder Karen, kill me, and then have this person replace me, and then hand over the position to you? You've got a really clever plan."
Xiao Lou smiled at him: "Have you had enough of acting? Clone."
Number 5: "What are you talking about?"
Xiao Lou stepped forward to His Majesty: "Father, I am the true prince. As for these three…" His gaze swept over Xiao Lou, Shao Qingge, and Ye Qi, "they are all replicas created by Elder Karen using the Noahs Ark Project."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhen Shao Qingge and Zhen Ye Qi came to his side.
The surrounding guards were completely dumbfounded.
His Majesty was also filled with shock: "How come they all look the same?"
?!
Xiao Lou looked at number 5 in front of him: "A purebred Merfolk Clan will definitely have a silver fishtail, right?"
Number 5 said calmly, "Everyone knows that."
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "Then we just need to see whose tail is silver-white, and that person is the real prince."
Number 5 was stunned for a moment— Xiao Lou's tail was clearly blue, and the clone Liu Qiao had already reported this to him. How dare he publicly compare his bloodline to that of the Merfolk Clan? Wasn't this just courting death?
Could it be...?
The next moment, Xiao Lou suddenly leaped into the air and nimbly swam to the vast sea area atop the palace.
A beautiful silver-white tail trailed behind him, 2.5 meters long, with every scale shimmering with a soft, lustrous luster, dazzlingly silver, like a light suddenly shining in the deep sea—the very symbol of the purest bloodline revered by generations of Merfolk Clan!
His Majesty's face was filled with disbelief: "This...this is the real prince?"
Xiao Lou No. 5, standing in the palace, was deathly pale.
Xiao Lou swiftly swam around the palace, and when he returned to his original spot, he conjured long legs and walked gracefully to His Majesty. His smile remained gentle as he ordered those around him, "Take down these three imposters!"
Before the guards could even make a move, their eight teammates had already sprung into action upon hearing the commotion.
A cold glint flashed in Liu Qiao's hand, and the Thumbelina Card was activated. Before Xiao Lou No. 5 in front of her could react, she instantly shrunk him down and put him into a bottle!
Lu Jiuchuan also had a copy of the Thumbelina card, and used the same method to take away Shao Qingge; the remaining Ye Qi was controlled by Ye Qi himself. He blew a soft melody on the flute, and the other party immediately fell into a deep sleep. Yu Hanjiang followed up with lightning speed and knocked the fake Ye Qi unconscious with a chop to the neck!
The surrounding guards stared in disbelief... What should we do? Should we just watch the show?
Xiao Lou explained earnestly, "Father, these people infiltrated the palace to disrupt our Merfolk Clan. Liu Qiao will explain the details to you later…"
His Majesty Merfolk Clan was bewildered as Xiao Lou and others escorted him back to the palace.
Once the gate was closed, Liu Qiao began to patiently recount the whole affair to His Majesty. Of course, she deliberately omitted words like Challenger and Hunter, only saying that the three imposters were foreigners who had infiltrated the Merfolk Clan to cause trouble, and that Elder Karen was their accomplice.
With solid evidence before him, His Majesty was quickly persuaded.
Xiao Lou and the others took the three Hunters to a side hall.
Xiao Lou No. 5, trapped in the bottle, had an icy expression. He never expected that the plot would turn out so strangely at the last moment, deviating from his plan!
He gritted his teeth and said, "Why isn't my card blocking working?"
Xiao Lou looked at him in the bottle and calmly said, "This card of yours is too much of a threat to us. What if you activate Card Skill Shielding and our mermaid transformation ends, turning us back into ordinary humans? Wouldn't we not survive more than 3 seconds in the deep sea and be at your mercy?"
Xiao Lou No. 5 suddenly realized: "So..."
Old Mo said, "I have a [Nightmare] card that can mark someone in advance, causing that person to lose all their skills at night. When you found us, you deliberately led us astray. We followed you not to take the bait, but to mark you with the Nightmare card so that you can't use any skills tonight."
Xiao Lou No. 5: "......"
No wonder, when he tried to unblock it just now, he found that his card was invalid.
This group of people is truly cunning and calculating; they planned everything so meticulously.
Need I even ask? The tail was definitely dyed using Old Mo's dyeing card!
Xiao Lou said seriously, "By the way, Old Mo's dyeing card has a silver formula of 95% white pigment, 4% black, and 1% blue. My tail is naturally dyed with pigment. The silver tail symbolizes the pure bloodline of the Merfolk Clan, and we took advantage of this setting—to make it look real, we can do that too."
Xiao Lou No. 5: "........."
Why do these
people seem more like villains?!